Scythe by Neal Shusterman
It is a post-mortal age. Humans no longer die from disease or accident or even age. There is no war and no government, and instead almost everything is perfectly controlled by the “thunderhead.” But there is a problem that not even the technology in the cloud, sound familiar, can control: the growing population. The scythes exist outside the control of the thunderhead and their job is to provide balance by systematically gleaning people to keep numbers in check. They were once an honourable group, operating by a code and a system of internal laws. But now, some are using their position to gain power, and there are few of the old guard left to stop them.
Plaid and Plagiarism by Molly Macrae
Janet Marsh, her daughter and two friends have bought a bookshop in Inversgail in the Scottish highlands and are looking forward to moving permanently into their long-time vacation home there to run their shop. But when Janet finds the local advice colimnist dead in her shed, the list of suspects, and motives, seems endless. Apparently no one has anything good to say about Una Graham, and suspicious behavior abounds. The twisted trail leads directly to Janet’s ex-husband, among others, as blackmail, affairs and intrigue are revealed.
