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"Die in Plain Sight," by Elizabeth Lowell, read by Alyssa Bresnahan. When Lacey Quinn has her grandfather's paintings appraised, she discovers that he may not have been their creator. Was he a forger? Or, worse, an inspiration for the paintings, many of which depict violent deaths and murders? As she begins to uncover the truth with the help of security guard Ian Lapstrake, Lacey realizes that she's not the only one who's interested in the outcome.

"My Life as a Fake," by Peter Carey, read by Susan Lyons. Stories within stories ... within stories? And fakers, lots of them. Carey takes a page from Australia's history in this tale of a man whose little joke runs away from him. When poet Christopher Chubb sends a bundle of sexually-charged poems to a literary magazine, claiming they were written by the late Bob McCorkle, he sets in motion a chain of events that lead to suicide, a kidnapping, a dramatic revelation and an escape to Malaysia. Fascinating and rewarding reading for those who like untangling twisted threads of plot.

"Last Lessons of Summer," by Margaret Maron, read by Kate Forbes. Someone in Amy Steadman's family is a killer. When her grandmother is murdered in an apparent robbery-gone-wrong, Amy and her half-sister return to their childhood home to pack up. But there she discovers hints that her mother's suicide may have been murder. And when a cousin is poisoned with a jar of preserves, Amy, who has a similar jar in her refrigerator, is determined to find out who-done-it and why.

"Tears of the Giraffe," by Alexander McCall Smith, read by Lisette Lecat. The second in the detective series featuring Precious Romotswe, who runs the only ladies' detective agency in all of Botswana, this story features an engagement, a scheming maid and a man who's been missing somewhere in Africa for more than 10 years. As Precious struggles to trace the missing man for his grieving mother, she also must find out who's behind the sabotage of her engagement and try to integrate an additional two family members.

"Sixty-six," by Barry Levinson, read by Johnny Heller. Neil, Bobby, Ben, Turko and Eggy are college boys in the mid-'60s who set out on one path, only to discover new ones opening up to them. The stories they tell each other over meals at the neighborhood diner are enlightening: Neil's decision to go AWOL and become an anti-war protester; Bobby's decision to drop out of law school in his final year; Ben's fear of going bald; and the struggles of Turko and Eggy, children of the '50s, to adapt to the decadent '60s.

"London Bridges," by Jane Stevenson, read by Christopher Kay. When an elderly Greek gentleman living in London is discovered to be the last link to treasure lost during World War II, he captures the attentions of a creepy lawyer, two greedy Greek thieves, a professor of Greek antiquities, the professor's protégé, her lover and even the lover's dog. Part thriller, part comedy, this is a tightly plotted story that takes its cues from Dorothy Sayers and Evelyn Waugh.

"Orchard," by Larry Watson, read by George Guidall. In this story of love, jealousy and art, a young wife decides to pose for her artist neighbor. Even to herself, her reasoning is unclear: Does she court an unconventional life? Healing for the death of her young son? Or, is it for the money? Her husband, who finds out from friends what she is doing, plots revenge on the artist, who has found in Sonja his most powerful muse. An explosive story that explores the depths of human emotion.

• If you'd like to place a hold on any of these titles, call the Juneau Public Library at 586-5249. If you have Internet access, your library card and a PIN, you may place your own holds by going to our Web site (www.juneau.org/library) and looking at our catalog. Placing holds on items featured in this column is now even easier. The new columns are hyperlinked to the catalog: Simply look up the column, click on the title you want and you will be ready to place a hold.