Rosina Lippi made the leap in 2006 from historical to contemporary fiction with the romance, Tied to the Tracks. That went well, so now she has returned with another contemporary novel set in the South, The Pajama Girls of Lambert Square. This one is set in Lamb’s Corner, North Carolina, where the pajama girl of the title (well, one of them) is Julia, the pajama-wearing owner of a luxury linens store. When the new guy in town falls for her, complications ensue.

Also set in the South — or the southwest — is Bill Crider’s new Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery, Of All Sad Words. This time, the sheriff investigates the murder of man found near an exploded mobile home. He’s also got some problems with the local county commissioners, the county’s malfunction Web site (can relate) and his cranky staff (can really relate).

And in Ladykiller, author Lisa Scottoline brings back the character Mary DiNunzio from her earlier novels. An upwardly mobile Philadelphia attorney, she has her life sidetracked when an old high school nemesis turns up, looking for help dealing with her violent, abusive drug-dealing boyfriend. Along the way, Mary finds a relationship of her own — but watch out for the surprise, twist ending.