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Week of December 30, 2019

New in Paperback

Week of December 30, 2019

Paperback releases for the week of December 30th include VENDETTA IN DEATH by J. D. Robb, in which Lieutenant Eve Dallas must keep the predator from becoming the prey; THE MALTA EXCHANGE, Steve Berry's latest Cotton Malone thriller, which is fueled by a deadly race for the Vatican’s oldest secret; GOOD GIRLS LIE, a pulse-pounding psychological thriller from J.T. Ellison that examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies, and the desperate lengths to which people will go in order to protect their secrets; and WE MUST BE BRAVE by Frances Liardet, which spans the sweep of the 20th century and explores the fierce love that we feel for our children and the power of that love to endure --- beyond distance, beyond time, beyond life itself.

Celtic Empire: A Dirk Pitt Novel by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler - Thriller/Adventure

December 31, 2019

The murders of a team of United Nations scientists in El Salvador. A deadly collision in the waterways off the city of Detroit. An attack by tomb raiders on an archaeological site along the banks of the Nile. Is there a link between these violent events? The answer may lie in the tale of an Egyptian princess forced to flee the armies of her father 3,000 years ago. During what was supposed to be a routine investigation in South America, NUMA Director Dirk Pitt finds himself embroiled in an international mystery, one that will lead him across the world and will threaten everyone and everything he knows --- most importantly, his own family.

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss - Fiction

December 31, 2019

In the north of England, far from the intrusions of cities but not far from civilization, Silvie and her family are living as if they are ancient Britons, surviving by the tools and knowledge of the Iron Age. For two weeks, the length of her father’s vacation, they join an anthropology course set to reenact life in simpler times. Mixing with the students, Silvie begins to see, hear and imagine another kind of life, one that might include going to university, traveling beyond England, choosing her own clothes and food, and speaking her mind. The ancient Britons built ghost walls to ward off enemy invaders. When the group builds one of their own, they find a spiritual connection to the past. What comes next but human sacrifice?

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison - Psychological Thriller

December 30, 2019

The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, The Goode School accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous. In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored.

Husband Material by Emily Belden - Romantic Comedy

December 30, 2019

Twenty-nine-year-old Charlotte Rosen has a secret: she’s a widow. Ever since the fateful day that leveled her world, she has worked hard to move forward and has a great job at a hot social media analytics company. Yet Charlotte’s algorithms could never have predicted that her late husband’s ashes would land squarely on her doorstep five years later. Stunned but determined, Charlotte sets out to find meaning in this sudden twist of fate, even if that includes facing her ex-mother-in-law --- and her husband’s best friend, who seems to become a fixture at her side whether she likes it or not. But when her quest reveals a shocking secret, Charlotte is forced to answer questions she never knew to ask and to consider the possibility of forgiveness.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper - Mystery/Thriller

December 31, 2019

Brothers Nathan and Bub Bright meet for the first time in months at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback. Their third brother, Cameron, lies dead at their feet. In an isolated belt of Australia, their homes a three-hour drive apart, the brothers were one another’s nearest neighbors. Cameron was the middle child, the one who ran the family homestead. But something made him head out alone under the unrelenting sun. Nathan, Bub and Nathan’s son return to Cameron’s ranch and to those left behind by his passing. While they grieve Cameron’s loss, suspicion starts to take hold, and Nathan is forced to examine secrets the family would rather leave in the past.

The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry - Thriller

December 31, 2019

Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is at Lake Como, Italy, on the trail of legendary letters between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini that disappeared in 1945 and could rewrite history. But someone else seems to be after the same letters, and when Malone obtains then loses them, he’s plunged into a hunt that draws the attention of the legendary Knights of Malta. They are now a global humanitarian organization, but within their ranks lurks trouble --- the Secreti --- an ancient sect intent on affecting the coming papal conclave. With the help of Magellan Billet agent Luke Daniels, Malone races the rogue cardinal, the knights, the Secreti and the clock to find what has been lost for centuries.

The Playground by Jane Shemilt - Psychological Thriller

December 30, 2019

Over the course of a long, hot summer in London, the lives of three very different married couples collide when their children join the same tutoring circle, resulting in illicit relationships, shocking violence and unimaginable fallout. As the weeks go by, the couples become very close. Resentments flare. An affair begins. No one sees the five children at their secret games or realize how much their family dynamics are changing until tragedy strikes. The story twists and then twists again while the three families desperately search for answers. It’s only as they begin to unravel the truth of what happened over the summer that they realize evil has crept quietly into their world. But has this knowledge come too late?

This Is Not How It Ends by Rochelle B. Weinstein - Fiction

January 1, 2020

When Charlotte and Philip meet, the pair form a deep and instant connection. Soon they’re settled in the Florida Keys with plans to marry. But just as they should be getting closer, Charlotte feels Philip slipping away. Second-guessing their love is something Charlotte never imagined, but with Philip’s excessive absences, she finds herself yearning for more. When she meets Ben, she ignores the pull, but the supportive single dad is there for her in ways she never knew she desired. Soon Charlotte finds herself torn between the love she thought she wanted and the one she knows she needs. As a hurricane passes through Islamorada, stunning revelations challenge Charlotte’s loyalties and upend her life.

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey - Psychological Thriller

January 1, 2020

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them. All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale. One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed --- violent, moody and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

Vendetta in Death by J. D. Robb - Mystery/Thriller

December 31, 2019

She calls herself Lady Justice. Once she has chosen a man as her target, she makes herself as alluring and seductive as possible to them. And once they are in her grasp, they are powerless. The first victim is wealthy businessman Nigel McEnroy. His company’s human resources department has already paid out settlements to a couple of his young victims --- but they don’t know that his crimes go far beyond workplace harassment. Lady Justice knows. And in one shocking night of brutality, she makes him pay a much steeper price. Now Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke, are combing through the evidence of McEnroy’s secret life. His compulsive need to record his misdeeds provides them with a wide range of suspects, but the true identity of Lady Justice remains elusive.

We Must Be Brave by Frances Liardet - Historical Fiction

December 31, 2019

December 1940. In the disorderly evacuation of Southampton, England, newly married Ellen Parr finds a small child asleep on the backseat of an empty bus. No one knows who little Pamela is. Ellen professed not to want children with her older husband, and when she takes Pamela into her home and rapidly into her heart, she discovers that this is true: Ellen doesn't want children. She wants only Pamela. Three golden years pass as the Second World War rages on. Then one day Pamela is taken away, screaming. Ellen is no stranger to sorrow, but when she returns to the quiet village life she's long lived, she finds herself asking: In a world changed by war, is it fair to wish for an unchanged heart?

The Wives by Tarryn Fisher - Psychological Thriller

December 30, 2019

Imagine that your husband has two other wives. You’ve never met the other wives, and none of you know each other. One day, you find a scrap of paper in his pocket --- an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and you just know it’s another of the wives. You thought you were fine with your arrangement, but you can’t help yourself: you track her down, and, under false pretenses, you strike up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who you really are. Then Hannah starts showing up to your coffee dates with telltale bruises, and you realize she’s being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also your husband. But you’ve never known him to be violent. Who exactly is your husband, and how far would you be willing to go to find out? And who is his mysterious third wife?