Talking to the Dead, by Harry Bingham

There's something very wrong with DC Fiona Griffiths and all of her colleagues in Cardiff's Police Department know it and give her a wide berth.  She's bad with people, rules, and following through on assignments that don't interest her.  If it weren't for her flashes of brilliance and the cases they clear, she probably would have been given the boot some time ago -- right after she hospitalized the colleague who grabbed her breast.  Fiona is obsessed with the murders of a prostitute and her young daughter and the rich man's credit card found among the dead woman's belongings.  Funny, compelling and suspenseful, this is the beginning of a new series.  I can't wait for the next book.

I Think I Love You, by Allison Pearson

A truly lovely book for anyone who has ever fancied him or herself in love with a pop star.  The first part of the book is told from the perspectives of Petra, a 13-year old Welch girl, who adores David Cassidy,  and Bill, a young writer for the Essential David Cassidy magazine, who writes columns and answers letters as David.  Petra's efforts to belong and her ill-fated trip to see Cassidy in person are both funny and a little heart-breaking.  Bill's worklife at the fan magazine and homelife pretending to be a serious music journalist are described with empathy and a bit of mockery.  The second part of the book takes place 20-some years later when Petra and her childhood friend Sharon are given the opportunity to meet David Cassidy in Las Vegas.  The audio version ended with Pearson reading an interview she conducted with David Cassidy prior to writing this book.  Pearson wrote I Don't Know How She Does It: A Comedy about Failure, a Tragedy about Success, which was also pretty wonderful.  Sian Thomas was a great reader.