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July/August 2011
Large Print Best-sellers/Best-selling Authors — Fiction Allen, Sarah Addison The Peach Keeper It’s the dubious distinction of 30-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam, built by Willa’s great-great- grandfather — once the town’s grandest home — has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have- nots. But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate — socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood — of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. What rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families — and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time to touch the hearts and souls of the living.
Baldacci, David One Summer It's almost Christmas, but in the house of terminally ill Jack, he spends his last days preparing to say goodbye to his devoted wife, Lizzie, and their three children. Then, tragedy strikes again: Lizzie is killed in a car accident. With no one able to care for them, the children are separated and sent to live with family members around the country. Just when all seems lost, Jack begins to recover in a miraculous turn of events. He rises from what should have been his deathbed, determined to bring his fractured family back together. Struggling to rebuild their lives after Lizzie's death, he reunites everyone at Lizzie's childhood home on the oceanfront in South Carolina. And there, over one unforgettable summer, Jack will begin to learn to love again, and he and his children will learn how to become a family once more.
Berry, Steve The Jefferson Key Four United States presidents have been assassinated — in 1865, 1881, 1901, and 1963 — each murder seemingly unrelated and separated by time. But what if those presidents were all killed for the same reason: a clause in the United States Constitution — contained within Article 1, Section 8 — that would shock Americans? This question is what faces former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone. When a bold assassination attempt is made against President Daniels in the heart of Manhattan, Malone risks his life to foil the killing — only to find himself at dangerous odds with the Commonwealth, a secret society first assembled during the American Revolution. In their most perilous exploit yet, Malone and Cassiopeia Vitt race across the nation and take to the high seas. Along the way they break a secret cipher originally possessed by Thomas Jefferson, unravel a mystery concocted by Andrew Jackson, and unearth a centuries-old document forged by the Founding Fathers.
Binchy, Maeve Minding Frankie When lonely, hard-drinking slacker Noel Lynch learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone. Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, is always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat has with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona’s baby son becomes Frankie’s first friend; and many eager babysitters step forward, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankie’s doting grandparents, Josie and Charles. But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.
Block, Lawrence A Drop of the Hard Stuff Forced out of the NYPD, Matthew Scudder is facing his demons and has given up drinking. Then he runs into Jack Ellery, a childhood friend from the Bronx. They're two sides of the same coin: Scudder once solved crimes as a detective. Ellery committed them. In Scudder, Ellery sees the moral man he might have become. In Ellery, Scudder sees the hard-won sobriety he hopes to achieve. When Ellery is killed, presumably while attempting to atone for past sins, Scudder reluctantly begins his own investigation. He has just one lead — Ellery's Alcoholics Anonymous list of people he wronged. One of them may be a murderer, but that's not necessarily Scudder's greatest danger. Immersing himself in Ellery's world may lead him right back to the bar stool.
Brown, Dale A Time for Patriots When the stock markets crash and the U.S. economy falls into a crippling recession, newly elected president Kenneth Phoenix must order a series of massive tax cuts and wipe out entire cabinet-level departments to reduce government spending. With reductions in education and transportation, an incapacitated National Guard, and the loss of public safety budgets, entire communities of armed citizens band together for survival and mutual protection. Against this dismal backdrop, a SWAT team is ambushed and radioactive materials are stolen by a group calling themselves the Knights of the True Republic. In this time of crisis, a citizen organization rises to the task of protecting their fellow countrymen: the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), the U.S. Air Force auxiliary. The Nevada Wing — led by retired Air Force Lieutenant-General Patrick McLanahan, his son, Bradley, and other volunteers — uses their military skills in the sky and on the ground to hunt down violent terrorists. But how will Patrick respond when extremists launch a catastrophic dirty bomb attack in Reno, spreading radiological fallout for miles? And when Bradley is caught in a deadly double-cross that jeopardizes the CAP, Patrick will have to fight to find out where his friends' loyalties lie: Are they with him and the CAP or with the terrorists?
Child, Lee Running Blind Lone wolf Jack Reacher fits the profile of a serial killer being tracked by the FBI. Plus, he's connected to the victims, all of whom filed sexual harassment cases against the military. Jack was the military policeman who investigated the women's cases. Though the Feds don't think Jack did it, they force him to help them find out who did. The crime scenes are elaborately bizarre, yet bereft of clues. Reacher, skeptical of the official profile portraying the killer as a resentful antifeminist, looks for other possible motives. One of them hits pay dirt, sending Jack on a deadly cross-country race with the killer.
Clark, Carol Higgins Mobbed Having just completed a bona fide piece of sleuthing, P.I. Regan Reilly is ready for some R&R down at the Jersey shore to celebrate the birthday of her mother. But the garage sale suddenly declared by Edna Frawley, the mother of a family friend, promises to provide everything but. Edna's eager to sell her house in Bay Head and all its contents, including, the things left behind by Cleo Paradise, the Oscar-nominated actress who rented the place for a month. Cleo wouldn't have run off without her extra jeans and her trunk full of plastic skulls if she hadn't been panicked by yet more sinister gifts of the dead roses she thought she'd left behind in Los Angeles. Now Cleo has vanished for parts unknown, leaving her menacing stalker in her wake. Regan, along with her husband Jack, hope to find and defend her, just as soon as they’ve waded through all the fans, bullies, rivals, wannabes and hangers-on who've turned out for Edna's sale.
Clark, Mary Higgins I’ll Walk Alone Alexandra “Zan” Moreland is further devastated when her infant son, Matthew, is kidnapped from his stroller in Central Park. Now, two years later, her marriage has ended but her career as an interior designer is poised to take off, and Zan once again finds herself a victim. Exorbitant credit-card charges for clothes and airline tickets come on top of mysteriously wiped-out bank accounts and unauthorized purchases for materials for a job she hasn’t been awarded yet. Then, on what would have been Matthew’s fifth birthday, photos surface that purportedly show Zan as the one who snatched Matthew on that fateful day. As the paparazzi pursue her and police mount an aggressive investigation, even Zan’s closest friends and colleagues doubt her innocence. Leading the attacks are her smarmy ex-husband and conniving former boss, two men with complicated reasons for wanting Zan’s life destroyed. Teeming with tantalizing twists, Clark’s tale of identity theft, revenge, and murder is thought-provoking thriller.
Coben, Harlan Live Wire Suzze Tervantino, tennis prodigy and one of Myron Bolitar's first clients at MB Reps, visits his New York office and shows him a Facebook posting that suggests that her husband, rock star Lex Ryder, isn't the father of the child she's carrying. When Ryder, also a client of MB Reps, disappears, Suzze begs Bolitar to find him. For Myron, questions of fatherhood couldn't hit closer to home, as his dad, Al, clings to life, and the brother who abandoned the family years ago resurfaces — with danger following close behind. Myron is soon forced to confront deep secrets in Suzze's past, his family's mortality — and possibly his own.
Coulter, Catherine The Valcourt Heiress When Garron of Kersey returns home from the king's service to claim his title as Baron Wareham, he's shocked to find Wareham Castle very nearly destroyed by a man called the Black Demon. According to the last starving servants still clinging to life inside the castle walls, the Black Demon was looking for gold belonging to Garron's brother Arthur. Among his remaining servants is the enigmatic Merry, the illegitimate child of the castle's priest. Garron quickly realizes that she is much more than a servant: She reads and writes and makes lists, just as he does. Together they will bring Wareham back to its former splendor. But this is only the beginning. Did Arthur have a cache of gold? Who is the Black Demon? And the biggest question of all: Who is the enigmatic Merry, really?
Crusie, Jennifer Trust Me on This Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it’s a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don’t mistake is the instant attraction they have for each other, an attraction they’ll do everything in their power to resist — because Dennie thinks that Alec is running interference for her interview subject, and Alec suspects that Dennie is linked to his swindler. As the confusion grows, so do their feelings for each other and what begins as a romantic comedy of errors may just end in the love affair of a lifetime.
Deaver, Jeffery The Burning Wire Lincoln Rhyme is back, on the trail of a killer whose weapon of choice cripples New York City with fear. The weapon is invisible and omnipresent … it is electricity, and without it, modern society grinds to a halt. When the first explosion occurs in broad daylight, the killer harnesses and steers huge arc flashes with voltage so high and heat so searing that a city bus melts and his victims are set afire. Officials fear terrorism, and Rhyme, a world-class forensic criminologist known for his successful apprehension of the most devious criminals, is immediately tapped for the investigation. Long a quadriplegic, he assembles NYPD detective Amelia Sachs and Officer Ron Pulaski as his eyes, ears and legs on crime sites, and FBI agent Fred Dellray as his undercover man on the street. As the attacks continue across the city at a sickening pace, and terrifying demand letters begin appearing, the team works desperately against time and with maddeningly little forensic evidence to try to find who is responsible.
Fairstein, Linda Silent Mercy In the middle of the night, NYC Prosecutor Alexandra Cooper is called to Harlem's Mount Neboh Baptist Church, a beautiful house of worship originally built as a synagogue. But the crowd gathered there isn't interested in architecture, or even prayer. They've come to find out why the body of a young woman has been decapitated, set on fire, and left burning on the church steps. The only identifiable artifact on the charred remains is the imprint of a Star of David necklace seared into the victim's flesh. Alex wonders if the fire was meant to destroy this woman's body, or to draw attention to it. Her fears are confirmed days later, when a second corpse is found at a cathedral in Little Italy. The killings look like serial hate crimes, but the apparent differences in the victims' beliefs seem to eliminate a religious motive. Convinced that another young woman is bound to die, Alex mines the depths of Manhattan's many houses of worship to find a connection between the victims-and in the process uncovers a terrible and perilous truth that takes her far beyond the scope of her investigation, and directly into the path of terrible danger.
Forsyth, Frederick The Cobra What if you had carte blanche to fight evil? Nothing held back, nothing off the table. What would you do? For decades, the world has been fighting the drug cartels, and losing, their billions of dollars making them the most powerful and destructive organizations on earth. When an American President decides to go after the Colombian drug cartels, one man is asked to take charge. Paul Devereaux used to run Special Operations for the CIA before they retired him for being too ruthless. Now he can have anything he requires, do anything he thinks necessary. No boundaries, no rules, no questions asked. The war is on — though who the ultimate winner will be, no one can tell.
Gardner, Lisa Love You More Tessa Leoni would do anything to save her six-year-old daughter, even if it means confessing to murdering her husband. Now the child is missing and the decorated state police trooper is the accused in what appears to be a slam-dunk homicide case. Called to investigate, veteran detective D.D. Warren senses something amiss, but as officials race to find the girl, she and partner Bobby Dodge are forced to improvise almost every step of the way. Tessa won't talk about her bruises, her husband, or what might have happened to her child. D.D. examines every detail about the family, while Tessa uses her skills to manipulate the investigation. From Tessa's point of view, we learn about her and Brian's courtship, his affection for Sophie, and how the marriage began to disintegrate. Gardner sprinkles plenty of clues and inventive twists to keep readers off-kilter as the suspense builds to a realistic, jaw-dropping finale.
Garlock, Dorothy Keep a Little Secret As a child, Charlotte Tucker was raised in small town Minnesota where the only real company was the people who came to her Aunt Louise's boarding house. Now grown, Charlotte is a young woman and thirsty to get out of her hometown and see the world. When a teaching position opens up in Oklahoma, she jumps at the opportunity to take a room on John Grant's ranch in the small town of Sawyer to begin her new career. Soon after, she befriends Owen and Hannah Wallace, a brother and sister who have come from Colorado following the death of their mother. Abandoned at an early age by a father they never knew, they are set on revenge against the man who left them — a man they believe is John Grant. As the summer heats up and a brutal storm wreaks havoc on the town, a secret is revealed that threatens to change Charlotte's life — and her new friends — forever.
Graham, Heather Phantom Evil A secret government unit formed under Adam Harrison, famed paranormal investigator, has six members each with psychic talent. Jackson Crow, part English, part Cheyenne, heads the group. Haunted by his experience with an ancestral ghost who saved his life as a child, and the recent murders of two previous teammates, Jackson can't tell if Adam's demoted him or given him an extraordinary opportunity. Despite his link to the realm of spirits, he's well aware that the living commit the most heinous crimes, with spiritualist charlatans existing merely to fool and seduce the unwary. To counterbalance Jackson's careful skepticism, Harrison has paired him with Angela Hawkins, a young intuitive woman who learned the painful lesson of loss at an early age. Their case involves a historic mansion in New Orleans's French Quarter where a senator's wife has fallen to her death from a balcony. Most think she jumped, distraught over the loss of her young son. Some say she was pushed. And yet others believe she was beckoned by the ghostly spirits that inhabit the house — once the site of a serial killer's grisly work. Whether supernatural or all too human, crimes of passion, greed, and desire will cast the pair into danger of losing their lives.
Haigh, Jennifer Faith Set in 2002 amid the sexual abuse crisis that has rocked the Catholic Church, Haigh's novel imagines the impact of allegations on one priest's family. Arthur Breen became a priest when such a career was considered a logical, honorable choice for an intelligent young Catholic man. Sophisticated and worldly in many ways, utterly childlike in others, Arthur is unprepared to cope with secular life when he's accused of abusing a young boy and is subsequently asked to leave his parish. Arthur's younger half-sister, Sheila, narrates the complicated, devastating history that shaped Arthur's life, both personally and spiritually. When Art finds himself at the center of the maelstrom, Sheila returns to Boston, ready to fight for him and his reputation. What she discovers is more complicated than she imagined. Her strict, lace-curtain-Irish mother is living in a state of angry denial. Sheila's younger brother Mike, to her horror, has already convicted his brother in his heart. But most disturbing of all is Art himself, who persistently dodges Sheila's questions and refuses to defend himself. As the scandal forces long-buried secrets to surface, “Faith” explores the corrosive consequences of one family's history of silence — and the resilience its members ultimately find in forgiveness. Throughout, Haigh demonstrates how the truth can shatter our deepest beliefs — and restore them in this haunting meditation on loyalty and family, doubt and belief.
Hannah, Kristin Night Road For 18 years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows — her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and secure teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way. It has always been easy — until senior year of high school. On a hot summer’s night her worst fears are realized. One decision will change the course of their lives, and in the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget ... or the courage to forgive.
Johansen, Iris Eve Eve Duncan’s mission in life is to bring closure to the families who have experienced the agony of a missing child. As a forensic sculptor, she is able to piece together bones, create a face, and bring an identity to a child who would have otherwise gone unidentified … maybe forever. Eve is brilliant, and driven, and tormented — because her own daughter, Bonnie, was taken from her years ago, and Eve has never discovered what happened to her. Now a name from the past resurfaces, thanks to CIA agent Catherine Ling who knows all too well what it’s like to lose a child. After teaming up with Catherine to find Ling’s missing son, Eve and Catherine share a bond forged by their mutual pain. Now, Catherine challenges Eve with a name: John Gallo, a man from Eve’s past … a man whose whereabouts are unknown. Could Gallo be the missing piece to the puzzle that has haunted Eve for years? And why was he in Atlanta just before Bonnie’s disappearance?
Lescroart, John Damage The Curtlees are the most powerful family in San Francisco and have lined every important pocket in the Bay Area in pursuit of their own ascent. So when the family's heir, Ro Curtlee, was convicted of rape and murder a decade ago, the fallout for those who helped to bring him to justice was swift and uncompromising. The jury foreman was fired from his job and blacklisted in his industry. The lead prosecutor was pushed off the fast track, her dreams of becoming DA dashed. And head homicide detective Abe Glitsky was reassigned to the police department s payroll office. Eventually, all three were able to rebuild their fragile, damaged lives. Then Ro Curtlee's lawyers won him a retrial, and he was released from jail. Within 24 hours, a fire destroys the home of the original trial's star witness, her abused remains discovered in the ruins. When a second fire claims a participant in the case, Abe is convinced: Ro is out for revenge. But with no hard evidence and an on-the-take media eager to vilify anyone who challenges Ro, can Abe stop the violence before he finds himself in its crosshairs? How much more can he sacrifice to put Ro back behind bars? Lindsey, Johanna That Perfect Someone Nine years ago, Richard Allen fled England and his controlling and greedy father. Determined to live his own life, he took to the sea and settled in the Caribbean, joining a band of treasure-hunting pirates and adopting the persona of a carefree, seductive Frenchman named Jean Paul to guard the secrets of his past. When he slips back into England to carry out an urgent task, Richard becomes infatuated with a married woman, Georgina Malory. But his reckless attempt to woo Georgina at a masked ball turns out to be the worst mistake of his life because it brings him face to face with another beautiful woman … the woman who he left so many years ago. Thrilled that her solicitors have finally come up with a way to free her from her betrothal contract to the Earl of Manford’s son who abandoned her years ago, heiress Julia Miller is ready for the marriage mart and hopes to find that perfect someone at her friend Georgina’s ball. Charmed by a masked Frenchman who gives her her first kiss, she can’t help but pursue this mysterious man — until she makes the shocking discovery of whom he is. Now, to avoid falling into a ruthless nobleman’s trap, Julia must enter a risky, intimate charade with a man she never believed she could love.
Lowell, Elizabeth To the Ends of the Earth Photographer Cat Cochran has been all over the world, and now she wants to settle down alone to surround herself with natural beauty and to forget about the disastrous relationships of her past. She has one more assignment to complete first: photographing the handsome, reclusive millionaire ship designer, T.E. Danvers. But resisting her attraction for the daring, mysterious stranger turns out to be more difficult than she anticipated. Travis Danvers has an uncanny ability to break down Cat's emotional barriers — and her wounded heart implores her to give love and trust one more chance.
Marklund, Liza Red Wolf Stockholm journalist Annika Bengtzon, no longer officially on the crime beat at the Evening Post, is working as an independent reporter, mostly pursuing terrorism stories relating to Communist protests in the 1960s and '70s. While she's investigating in the northern town of Luleå, a fellow journalist and source dies in a hit- and-run accident, which turns out to be the first in a series of murders. Annika traces these murders to the cover-up of a deadly act of sabotage on a Swedish military base in 1969, and begins to suspect that the man behind the present-day slayings and the army attack — known only by his code name of "Ragnwald" — has returned to kill again.
McCall Smith, Alexander The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party At a remote cattle post south of Gaborone two cows have been killed, and Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s No. 1 Lady Detective, is asked to investigate by a rather frightened and furtive gentleman. It is an intriguing problem with plenty of suspects — including, surprisingly, her client. To complicate matters, Mma Ramotswe is haunted by a vision of her dear old white van, and Grace Makutsi witnesses it as well. Is it the ghost of her old friend, or has it risen from the junkyard?
Michaels, Fern Home Free United by a desire to overcome their personal misfortunes, seven very different women formed an indelible bond and vowed to right wrongs wherever they found them. They’ve succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. After years known as the Vigilantes, Myra, Annie, Kathryn, Alexis, Yoko, Nikki, and Isabelle are enjoying their hard-won freedom and the chance at a normal life. As it turns out, once you’re a part of the Sisterhood, normal is a relative term. President Martine Connor, their long-time ally, has announced the formation of a top-secret organization. Officially, the CIC won’t exist. Unofficially, they’ll report directly to the president and tackle the jobs no one else can handle. For the Sisterhood, it’s the end of an era — and the beginning of a whole new adventure.
Nesbo, Jo The Snowman In Oslo, in November, the first snow of the season has fallen when a boy named Jonas wakes in the night to find his mother gone. Out his window, in the cold moonlight, he sees the snowman that inexplicably appeared in the yard earlier in the day, and around its neck is his mothers pink scarf. When Sylvia Ottersen disappears from her farmhouse soon afterward, the snowman the killer leaves behind has a gruesome addition: Sylvia's severed head. Harry, aided by Katrine Bratt, a brash new member of his team with secrets of her own, combs through past missing person cases, looking for other victims of the killer now dubbed the “Snowman.” Several months earlier, Harry received an anonymous letter referring to both snowmen and the Australian serial killer he'd pursued early in his career. What appeared random and bizarre then now takes on new meaning as Harry realizes the killer is taunting him.
Parker, Robert Blue-Eyed Devil Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch are finally ready to settle down and to live a frontier version of domestic life with Allie French, the lover Virgil rescued, and the traumatized former Indian captive Laurel, who won't speak to anyone but Virgil. When they return to Appaloosa, the first town they cleaned up, they discover the new chief of police, Amos Callico has deputized 12 dubious lawmen to enforce his personal ambitions. Callico is a manipulative man with his eye on the governorship — and perhaps even the presidency — and he wants Cole and Hitch on his side. But they can't be bought, which upsets him mightily. When Callico begins shaking down local merchants for protection money, those who don't want to play along seek the help of Cole and Hitch. Naturally, the guns for hire are thorns in the side of the power-hungry chief. When they are forced to fire on the trigger-happy son of a politically connected landowner, Callico sees his dream begin to crumble. There will be a showdown, but who'll be left standing?
Patchett, Ann State of Wonder Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past. Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her 70s, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations. In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, Patchett’s latest is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows what lies on the other side.
Robb, J.D. Indulgence in Death Returning from vacation, Lt. Eve Dallas catches a particularly grisly homicide case. A limo driver has been skewered to the steering wheel by an antique crossbow bolt. After, a high-class hooker has an antique bayonet thrust through her heart in a Coney Island horror ride. The murders that follow include one by harpoon and another by bullwhip. Each slaying is more daring, more public, than the last, and investigation proves that all the victims were lured to their deaths by appointments set up using bogus identities. With some assistance from her husband Roarke, Dallas zeroes in on two suspects, Sylvester Moriarity and Winston Dudley, who both have money, privilege, power and apparently a competitiveness that has driven them to create a murder game in which they alternate kills, each determined to be more outlandish than the other. Soon, Dallas sets up an endgame with herself as bait while trying to avoid dying in a weird way.
Scottoline, Lisa Save Me Rose McKenna volunteers as a lunch mom in her daughter Melly’s school in order to keep an eye on Amanda, a mean girl who’s been bullying her daughter. Her fears come true when the bullying begins, sending Melly to the bathroom in tears. Just as Rose is about to follow after her daughter, a massive explosion goes off in the kitchen, sending the room into chaos. Rose finds herself faced with the horrifying decision of whether or not to run to the bathroom to rescue her daughter or usher Amanda to safety. She believes she has accomplished both, only to discover that Amanda, for an unknown reason, ran back into the school once out of Rose's sight. In an instance, Rose goes from hero to villain as the small community blames Amanda’s injuries on her. In the days that follow, Rose's life starts to fall to pieces, Amanda’s mother decides to sue, her marriage is put to the test, and worse, when her daughter returns to school, the bullying only intensifies. Rose must take matters into her own hands and get down to the truth of what really happened that fateful day in order to save herself, her marriage and her family.
See, Lisa Dreams of Joy In her books, See has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. Now, in her most powerful novel yet, she returns to these timeless themes, continuing the story of sisters Pearl and May from “Shanghai Girls,” and Pearl’s strong-willed 19-year-old daughter, Joy. Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father — the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the communist regime. Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.
Shin, Kyung-Sook Please Look After Mom Shin's affecting English-language debut centers on the life of a hardworking, uncomplaining woman who goes missing in a bustling Seoul subway station. After Park So-nyo disappears, her grown children and her husband are filled with guilt and remorse at having taken her for granted and reflect on her life and role in their lives. Having, through Mom's unstinting dedication, achieved professional success, her children realize for the first time the hardships she endured. Her irresponsible and critical husband, meanwhile, finally acknowledges the depth of his love and the seriousness of her sacrifices for him. Narrating in her own voice late in the book, the spirit of Mom watches her family and finally voices her lifelong loneliness and depression and recalls the one secret in her life. As memories accrue, the narrative becomes increasingly poignant and psychologically revealing of all the characters, and should resonate with readers. In four distinct voices, the character of Mom — a rural farmwoman whose "hands could nurture any life" — is reassembled by her eldest daughter, whose books Mom couldn't read; her eldest son, for whom she could never do enough; her husband, who never slowed down enough to pay attention to her; and finally Mom herself as she wanders through memories both strange and familiar. Shin's breathtaking novel is an acute reminder of how easily a family can fracture, how little we truly know one another, and how desperate need can sometimes overshadow even the deepest love. A runaway bestseller in Korea, this book is at once an authentic picture of contemporary life in Korea and a universal story of family love.
Simon, Rachel The Story of a Beautiful Girl Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability that hinders her ability to speak, and Homan, an African American deaf man with only his home sign language to guide him were both institutionalized in the mid-20th century at the Pennsylvania State School for the Incurable and Feebleminded when people with disabilities were routinely shut off from society and left forgotten to languish without attention. One night, Lynnie and her sweetheart, Homan, escape and find refuge in the farmhouse of nurturing widow Martha Zimmer, a retired schoolteacher. But the couple is not alone; Lynnie has just borne a child. When the authorities catch up to them, Homan escapes into the darkness and Lynnie is caught. But just before she is gruffly taken back to The School, she utters two words to Martha: “Hide her.” So begins the tale of three lives desperate to connect, yet kept apart by seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Although their stories diverge and unfold independently of one another, memories of their short time together sustain them for more than 40 years as they develop the confidence to eventually parent, learn to sign and speak, and finally, reunite. With sensitive insight into a complex world often dismissed by the 'abled,' this beautiful story of Lynnie and Homan tells of people who manage not only to survive but to set themselves free.
Tanenbaum, Robert Betrayed In Tanenbaum’s latest, Sharif Jabbar, the demagogic founder of a Harlem mosque, is awaiting trial in the Tombs, Manhattan’s infamous criminal detention complex. Charges against his terrorist attack on the city were dismissed once, and now that the radical Islam convert is being held on new allegations, NY District Attorney Roger “Butch” Karp is determined to bring him down. He faces formidable competition. Attorney Megan O’Dowd, a radical activist enthralled with revolutionary rhetoric, is going to the mat with the uncompromising conviction that Jabbar is being railroaded by the NYPD. Outside the criminal courts, Karp’s wife, Marlene Ciampi, is pursuing her own investigation on behalf of the indigent Manhattan street vendor Dirty Warren in the murder of society beauty Michelle Oakley. Allegations against Warren don’t sit right with Marlene; unfortunately her sole ally is religious vigilante David Grale, the charismatic but deranged leader of the “Mole People.” What Grale knows about city corruption snakes as far and wide as the dank honeycomb of the sewers and tunnels his destitute army calls home. Then Marlene discovers an unexpected and ugly parallel between the Oakley murder and the disappearance of another debutante: a treacherous underworld of upscale call girls and the price paid for indulging the wealthiest of men. As she explores these sordid truths, Butch Karp navigates his own tortured waters. What he soon discovers is that everyone, from the conspiratorial Jabbar and O’Dowd to the city’s most powerful, unimpeachable players has a secret that could either set them free or cost them everything.
Trollope, Joanna Daughters-in-Law As Anthony and Rachel Brinkley welcome their third daughter-in-law to the family, they don’t quite realize the profound shift that is about to take place. For different reasons, the Brinkleys’ two previous daughters- in-law hadn’t been able to resist Rachel’s maternal control and Anthony’s gentle charm and had settled into their husbands’ family without rocking the boat. But Charlotte — very young, very beautiful, and spoiled — has no intention of falling into step with the Brinkleys and wants to establish her own household. Soon Rachel’s sons begin to think of their own houses as home and of their mother’s house as simply the place where their parents live—a necessary and inevitable shift of loyalties that threatens Rachel’s sense of herself, breaks Anthony’s heart, and causes unexpected consequences in all the marriages. Then a crisis brings these changes to the surface, and everyone has to learn what family love means all over again.
Woods, Stuart Grass Roots William Henry Lee IV's life is definitely on track. His family's wealth allows him the option of pursuing a career in government service, and his natural talent has secured him an enviable reputation as chief of staff to a powerful and respected senator. In fact, Will Lee's performance as the senator's aide bids fair to assure that the senator will support his own bid for the Senate in the next election. Needless to say, trouble is just around the corner. First Lee is persuaded to act as defense counsel for a young man accused of a violent rape and murder with racial overtones. Then his boss is suddenly incapacitated by stroke, and Lee must accelerate his plans for a political career. Finally, his opponent proves to be a charismatic and well- financed television minister who has the support of a deadly white-supremacist organization called “The Elect.” The Elect not only supports Lee's opponent but is willing to kill to ensure that Lee is not elected. At first, Will Lee was running for the Senate. But now he is running for his life.
Large Print — Nonfiction Brill, Leigh A Dog Named Slugger Brill’s memoir begins near the end of her college years, at a time in her life, when her cerebral palsy worsened and she began to struggle with everyday tasks. Learning about helper dogs trained to aid people with C.P., Leigh applied and was matched with a big, lovable yellow Lab named Slugger. For nearly 10 years, Slugger accompanied Leigh everywhere, helping her walk, picking up dropped pens, even turning on lights and opening heavy doors. With Slugger’s aid, Leigh gradually came to accept and be able to talk about her disease and eventually found love and a career. This touching book will warm the hearts of dog lovers everywhere.
Larson, Erik In the Garden of Beasts This vivid portrait of Berlin during the first years of Hitler’s reign is brought to life through the stories of two people: William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha. Ambassador Dodd, an unassuming and scholarly man, is an odd fit among the extravagance of the Nazi elite. His frugality annoys his fellow Americans in the State Department and Dodd’s growing misgivings about Hitler’s ambitions fall on deaf ears among his peers, who are content to “give Hitler everything he wants.” Martha, on the other hand, is mesmerized by the glamorous parties and the high-minded conversation of Berlin’s salon society — and flings herself headlong into numerous affairs with the city’s elite, most notably the head of the Gestapo and a Soviet spy. Both become players in the exhilarating (and terrifying) story of Hitler’s obsession for absolute power, which culminates in the events of one murderous night, later known as “the Night of Long Knives.” The rise of Nazi Germany is a well-chronicled time in history, which makes this latest by the award-winning Larson a gripping, deeply-intimate narrative with a climax that reads like the best political thriller.
Reagan, Ronald The Notes In 2010, researchers at the Reagan Library discovered a box of index cards containing jokes, literary quotes, and excerpts from speeches written in Reagan's own hand and arranged under rubrics such as 'On Liberty,' 'On War,' and 'On the People.' Rice University history professor Brinkley, who also edited “The Reagan Diaries,” suggests Reagan began collecting these as spokesman for General Electric beginning in 1954 and continuing until his death in 2004. This remarkable collection of the thoughts is a fascinating window into the mind of our Nation’s 40th president and the writers and thinkers to whom he turned for advice, inspiration, humor, and hope.
Taylor, Natalie Signs of Life In this emotional memoir of a young life turned upside down by sudden death and then slowly put back right, Taylor constructs her story from entries in a journal she kept after her young husband, Josh, died in a skateboarding accident. The author was 24 years old and five months pregnant when it happened, and she unsparingly recorded her deep despair and anger at her loss. Although surrounded by a large, close family and many supportive friends, she was devastated by her new status as a young widow and overwhelmed by the challenges of being a single mother. Taylor briefly recounts her sessions with a grief counselor and details her meetings with a single-mothers group and with a bereavement group of mostly seniors. Although she learned and benefited from these groups, the care of her son, Kai, was what truly restored her. Especially rewarding are the author's descriptions of her 11th-grade English class, where she offers wry comments about her students and pithy summaries of novels she is teaching. She also ponders her relationship with certain literary characters, including Gatsby, who longs to re-create the past; Gregor Samsa, who undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis; and Lennie and George in “Of Mice and Men,” who are powerless to change their lives. Taylor does change her life, and despite the heartbreak, this candid memoir of a journey into and out of darkness has a full quota of humor and ends on a note of hope.
Tyler, Steven Does the Noise in my Head Bother You? The son of a classical pianist, Steven Tyler was born to be a rock star. Weaned on Cole Porter, Nat King Cole, Mick began tearing up the streets and the stage as a teenager before finally meeting his "mutant twin" and legendary partner Joe Perry. This memoir, told in a voice that is uniquely his own, Tyler unabashedly recounts the meteoric rise, fall, and rise of Aerosmith over the last three decades and tells what it's like to be a living legend and the frontman of one of the world's most revered and infamous bands In addition to the debauchery, the money, the notoriety, the fights, the motels and hotels, the elevators, limos, buses, jets, and rehab, he reveals the spiritual side that "gets lost behind his stereotype. And he talks about his epic romantic life and his relationship with his four children.
Van Dyke, Dick My Lucky Life in and out of Show Business In his delightful memoir, the popular entertainer looks back on his extensive career, reminiscing about productions from "The Dick Van Dyke Show" to "Mary Poppins" while describing his relationships with such figures as Carl Reiner and Mary Tyler Moore. The latter of which says of this book, “In my opinion, ‘Luck’ has little to do with Dick Van Dyke’s life. It is, rather, his innate kindness and talent that have had an extraordinary effect in shaping the man. And what a fascinating self-portrait he’s given us in this book.”
Large Print — Romance Anderson, Catherine Indigo Blue Balogh, Mary; et al Bespelling Jane Austen Carr, Robyn Harvest Moon Johansen, Iris One Touch of Topaz Macomber, Debbie Return to Promise Palmer, Diana Cattleman’s Pride Putney, Mary Jo Nowhere Near Respectable Quinn, Julia Just Like Heaven Thomas, Jodi Texas Blue Woods, Sherryl Three down the Aisle
Large Print — Mystery/Suspense/Adventure Barclay, Tessa Diamonds in Disguise Caroll, Robin In the Shadow of Evil Devine, Frances Miss Aggie’s Gone Missing Fluke, Joanne Devil’s Food Cake Murder Jackson, Lisa Devious Palmer, Michael A Heartbeat Away Robb, J.D. Treachery in Death Shaara, Jeff The Final Storm
Large Print — General Fiction Bedford, Deborah His Other Wife Carr, Robyn The House on Olive Street Chiaverini, Jennifer The Union Quilters Rasmussen, Rebecca The Bird Sisters
Large Print — African American/Urban Fiction Jackson, Brenda Bachelor Unleashed Zane The Hot Box
Large Print — Inspirational Fiction Andrews, Andy The Heart Mender Brunstetter, Wanda The Journey Coble, Colleen The Lightkeeper’s Ball Jackson, Neta Who is my Shelter? Kingsbury, Karen Leaving Kinkade, Thomas The Wedding Promise Lacy, Al & Joanna The Iron Wagon Parr, Delia Love’s First Bloom Snelling, Lauraine On Hummingbird Wings
Large Print — Western Fiction Compton, Ralph Death of a Hangman L’Amour, Louis The Frontier Stories: Volume Three L’Amour, Louis Peyton L’Amour, Louis The Quick and the Dead
Audio Book — Fiction Atkinson, Kate Started Early, Took my Dog Gardner, Lisa Love You More Hunter, Stephen Dead Zero Krentz, Jayne Ann In Too Deep Michaels, Fern Southern Comfort Michaels, Fern To Taste the Wine Roberts, Nora Chasing Fire White, Randy Wayne Night Vision
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Regular Print — Fiction Andrews, Mary Kay Summer Rental Baldacci, David One Summer Berry, Steve Jefferson Key Block, Lawrence A Drop of the Hard Stuff Brashares, Ann Sisterhood Everlasting Brown, Dale Time for Patriots Clancy, Tom Against all Enemies Cook, Claire Best Staged Plans Cook, Thomas Quest for Anna Klein Cussler, Clive The Kingdom Deaver, Jeffery Carte Blanche: the new James Bond novel Dugoni, Robert Murder One Evanovich, Janet Smokin’ Seventeen Frank, Dorothea Benton Folly Beach Haigh, Jennifer Faith Hamilton, Laurell K. Hit List Hamilton, Steve Misery Bay Harris, E. Lynn No One in the World Hegi, Ursula Children and Fire Hilderbrand, Elin Silver Girl Holton, Cathy Summer in the South Ignatius, David Bloodmoney Jackson, Lisa Born to Die Kane, Andrea Girl who Disappeared Twice Kennedy, Douglas Moment Koryta, Michael Ridge Lindsey, Johanna When Passion Rules Lustbader, Eric Blood Trust Martini, Steve Trader of Secrets Monroe, Mary Mama Ruby Monroe, Mary Alice Butterfly’s Daughter Nesbo, Jo Snowman Nicholls, David One Day: the movie tie-in edition Patchett, Ann State of Wonder Patterson, James, & Now You See Her Ledwidge, Michael Patterson, James Tenth Anniversary Perry, Thomas The Informant Pronzini, Bill Camouflage Rendell, Ruth Tigerlily’s Orchids Robinson, Patrick Delta Solution Robotham, Michael Wreckage Sandford, John Buried Prey See, Lisa Dreams of Joy Regular Print — Fiction (Continued) Shaara, Jeff Final Storm: a Novel of WWII in the Pacific Smith, Wilbur Those in Peril Spillane, Mickey Kiss Her Goodbye Tanenbaum, Robert Outrage Viets, Elaine Pumped for Murder: a Dead-end Job Mystery
Regular Print — Nonfiction Bailey, Frank Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: a memoir of our Tumultuous Years James, Jesse Gregory American Outlaw King, Larry Truth be Told: Off the Record about Favorite Guests, Memorable Moments, Funniest Jokes, and a Half Century of Asking Questions Larson, Erik In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin McCullough, David The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris Moyers, Bill Bill Moyers Journal: the Conversation Continues Ozma, Alice Reading Promise: my Father and the Books We Shared Sinatra, Barbara Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank Tebow, Tim Through my Eyes
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