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Week of November 5, 2018

New in Paperback

Week of November 5, 2018

Paperback releases for the week of November 5th include THE REVOLUTION OF MARINA M. by Janet Fitch, a sweeping historical saga of the Russian Revolution, as seen through the eyes of one young lady; THE WIFE, a domestic thriller from Alafair Burke in which a woman must make the impossible choice between defending her husband and saving herself; Lawrence O'Donnell's PLAYING WITH FIRE, an important and enthralling account of the 1968 presidential election, the race that created American politics as we know it today; and November's Target Book Club pick, THE ROOM ON RUE AMÉLIE by Kristin Harmel, a moving and entrancing novel set in Paris during World War II about an American woman, a dashing pilot and a young Jewish girl whose fates unexpectedly entwine.

The 17th Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro - Thriller

November 6, 2018

A series of shootings exposes San Francisco to a methodical yet unpredictable killer, and a reluctant woman decides to put her trust in Sergeant Lindsay Boxer. The confidential informant's tip leads Lindsay to disturbing conclusions, including that something has gone horribly wrong inside the police department itself. The hunt for the killer lures Lindsay out of her jurisdiction, and gets inside her in dangerous ways. She suffers unsettling medical symptoms, and her friends and confidantes in the Women's Murder Club warn Lindsay against taking the crimes too much to heart. With lives at stake, the detective can't help but follow the case into ever more terrifying terrain.

Chosen People by Robert Whitlow - Legal Thriller

November 6, 2018

During a terrorist attack near the Western Wall in Jerusalem, a courageous mother sacrifices her life to save her four-year-old daughter. Hana Abboud, a Christian Arab Israeli lawyer trained at Hebrew University, typically uses her language skills to represent international clients for an Atlanta law firm. When her boss is contacted by Jakob Brodsky, a young Jewish lawyer pursuing a lawsuit on behalf of the woman’s family under the US Anti-Terrorism laws, he calls on Hana’s expertise to take point on the case. She joins forces with Jakob, and they quickly realize the need to bring in a third member for their team, an Arab investigator named Daud Hasan, based in Israel. What they uncover will forever change their understanding of justice, heritage and what it means to be chosen for a greater purpose.

Displaced by Stephan Abarbanell - Historical Thriller

November 6, 2018

Elderly writer Elias Lind isn’t convinced by reports that his scientist brother, Raphael, died in a concentration camp. Too frail to search for Raphael himself, Elias persuades a contact in the Jewish resistance to send someone in his place. Lilya joined the resistance movement to help form a new state, not to waste her time on a fruitless chase across a war-ravaged continent at the request of a most likely delusional old man. As her comrades make their final preparations for a major operation, a bitter Lilya must accept her orders and embark on her journey to Europe. But Lilya isn’t the only person pursuing the missing man. Someone has been mirroring her every move --- a dangerous adversary who will go to drastic lengths to find Raphael first.

First the Thunder by Randall Silvis - Mystery/Thriller

November 6, 2018

Products of their run-down Pennsylvania mining town, three brothers grapple with their lives in decline. Harvey drives a delivery truck; Stevie works odd jobs; and Will is a struggling bar owner whose wife, Laci, is edging toward desperation when her boss offers her more money…for a price. Then, in this tight circle where prosperity is rare --- and hope, even rarer --- comes a breaking point in a simple but indefensible slight. When Harvey gets shafted by his brother-in-law in a deal over a vintage Indian motorcycle, he enlists the help of Stevie and Will to set things right. But the revenge plan goes awry, and the three men stumble upon a shocking secret that, if revealed, would upend their lives.

Follow Me Down by Sherri Smith - Psychological Thriller

November 6, 2018

Mia Haas has built her life far from the North Dakota town where she grew up, but when she receives word that her twin brother is missing, she is forced to return home. Back to the people she left behind, the person she used to be, and the secrets she thought she’d buried. Once hailed as the golden boy of their town, and now a popular high school teacher, Lucas Haas disappears the same day the body of one of his students is pulled from the river. Trying to wrap her head around the rumors of Lucas’ affair with the teen, and unable to reconcile the media’s portrayal of Lucas as a murderer with her own memories of him, Mia is desperate to find another suspect. All the while, she wonders: If he’s innocent, why did he run?

Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life by Robert Dallek - Biography

November 6, 2018

In an era of such great national divisiveness, there could be no more timely biography of one of our greatest presidents than one that focuses on his unparalleled political ability as a uniter and consensus maker. Robert Dallek’s book takes a fresh look at the many compelling questions that have attracted all his biographers: How did a man who came from so privileged a background become the greatest presidential champion of the country’s needy? How did someone who never won recognition for his intellect foster revolutionary changes in the country’s economic and social institutions? How did he work such a profound change in the country’s foreign relations?

Garden of the Lost and Abandoned: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Woman and the Children She Saves by Jessica Yu - Biography

November 6, 2018

At least 5,000 children live on the streets of Uganda’s capital city of Kampala. Some forget the names of their villages. The youngest may not know the names of their parents. But Gladys Kalibbala --- part journalist, part detective, part Good Samaritan --- does not hesitate to dive into difficult or even dangerous situations to aid a child. Author of a newspaper column called “Lost and Abandoned,” she is a resource that police and others turn to when they stumble across a stranded kid with a hidden history. Jessica Yu delivers an acutely observed story of this hard-nosed and warmhearted woman, the children she helps, and the twists of fate they experience together.

The Ghosts of Galway: A Jack Taylor Novel by Ken Bruen - Mystery/Thriller

November 6, 2018

As well-versed in politics, pop culture and crime fiction as he is ill-fated in life, Jack Taylor is recovering from a failed suicide attempt. In need of money, Jack has been hired as a night-shift security guard. But his Ukrainian boss has Jack in mind for some unexpected off-the-books work --- getting his hands on what some claim to be the first true book of heresy, The Red Book, which is currently in the possession of a rogue priest hiding out in Galway. Despite Jack’s distaste for priests of any stripe, the money is too good to turn down. Em, the woman-of-many-guises who has had a vise on Jack’s heart and mind for the past two years, reappears and turns out to be entangled with the story of the same blasphemous book.

The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon - History

November 6, 2018

After steaming out of New York City on December 1, 1917, laden with a staggering 3,000 tons of TNT and other explosives, the munitions ship Mont-Blanc fought its way up the Atlantic coast, through waters prowled by enemy U-boats. As it approached the lively port city of Halifax, Mont-Blanc's deadly cargo erupted with the force of 2.9 kilotons of TNT --- the most powerful explosion ever visited on a human population, save for Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Mont-Blanc was vaporized in 1/15 of a second; a shockwave leveled the surrounding city. Next came a 35-foot tsunami. Most astounding of all, however, were the incredible tales of survival and heroism that soon emerged from the rubble.

Green by Sam Graham-Felsen - Fiction

November 6, 2018

David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School. Everybody clowns him, girls ignore him, and his hippie parents won’t even buy him a pair of Nikes, let alone transfer him to a private school. Nobody is more surprised than Dave when Marlon Wellings sticks up for him in the school cafeteria. Mar is a loner from the public housing project on the corner of Dave’s own gentrifying block, and he confounds Dave’s assumptions about black culture. But as Dave welcomes his new best friend into his world, he realizes how little he knows about Mar’s. Cracks gradually form in their relationship, and Dave starts to become aware of the breaks he’s been given --- and that Mar has not.

Heart Spring Mountain by Robin MacArthur - Fiction

November 6, 2018

It’s August 2011, and Tropical Storm Irene has just wreaked havoc on Vermont, flooding rivers and destroying homes. One thousand miles away, Vale receives a call and is told that her mother, Bonnie, has disappeared. Despite a years-long estrangement from Bonnie, Vale drops everything and returns home to look for her. As she begins her search, the narrative opens up and pitches back and forth in time to follow three generations of women --- a farming widow, a back-to-the-land dreamer and an owl-loving hermit --- as they seek love, bear children and absorb losses. All the while, Vale’s search has her unwittingly careening toward a family origin secret more stunning than she ever imagined.

Her Last Move by John Marrs - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

November 8, 2018

He hides in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment. Each kill is calculated, planned and executed like clockwork. Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career --- and she knows that it will make or break her. But she can’t catch the culprit alone. Together with facial recognition expert Joe Russell, she strives to get a lead on the elusive murderer, who is always one step ahead of them. Time is not on their side. The body count is rising, and the attacks are striking closer and closer to home. Can Becca and Joe uncover the connection between the murders before the killer strikes the last name from his list?

The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara - Fiction

November 6, 2018

It’s 1980 in New York City, and nowhere is the city’s glamour and energy better reflected than in the burgeoning Harlem ball scene, where 17-year-old Angel first comes into her own. When she falls in love with Hector, a beautiful young man who dreams of becoming a professional dancer, the two decide to form the House of Xtravaganza, the first-ever all-Latino house in the Harlem ball circuit. But when Hector dies of AIDS-related complications, Angel must bear the responsibility of tending to their house alone. The Xtravaganzas --- Venus, Juanito and Daniel --- are ambitious, resilient and determined to control their own fates, even as they hurtle toward devastating consequences.

Killer Choice by Tom Hunt - Thriller

November 6, 2018

When Gary Foster's pregnant wife becomes gravely ill, their only hope is an experimental treatment available abroad, but the cost is out of their reach. And Beth's time is running out. That's when a strange man approaches Gary, and offers the money he needs on one condition: that he kills someone. No questions asked. Gary's choice forces him to confront the darkest reaches of his soul and betray those closest to him. And as he's swept up in a nightmare of escalating violence, he must determine just how far he's willing to go to save the woman he loves.

L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home by David Lebovitz - Memoir

November 6, 2018

When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with the famously inconsistent European work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country --- under baffling conditions --- while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.

Light It Up: A Peter Ash Novel by Nick Petrie - Thriller

November 6, 2018

Combat veteran Peter Ash leaves a simple life rebuilding hiking trails in Oregon to help his good friend Henry Nygaard, whose daughter runs a Denver security company that protects cash-rich cannabis entrepreneurs from modern-day highwaymen. Henry’s son-in-law and the company’s operations manager were carrying a large sum of client money when their vehicle vanished without a trace, leaving Henry’s daughter and her company vulnerable. When Peter is riding shotgun on another cash run, the cargo he’s guarding comes under attack and he narrowly escapes with his life. As the assaults escalate, Peter has to wonder: for criminals this sophisticated, is it really just about the cash?

Mark of the Raven: The Ravenwood Saga, Book 1 by Morgan L. Busse - Historical Fantasy

November 6, 2018

Lady Selene is the heir to the Great House of Ravenwood and the secret family gift of dreamwalking. As a dreamwalker, she can enter a person's dreams and manipulate their greatest fears or desires. For the last hundred years, the Ravenwood women have used their gift of dreaming for hire to gather information or to assassinate. As she discovers her family's dark secret, Selene is torn between upholding her family's legacy --- a legacy that supports her people --- or seeking the true reason behind her family's gift. Her dilemma comes to a head when she is tasked with assassinating the one man who can bring peace to the nations, but who also will bring about the downfall of her own house.

Mercury's Choice by Kyler James - Psychological Thriller/Urban Fantasy

November 6, 2018

What happens when a genius of a painter meets a wealthy autograph dealer in New York City? Will they live happily ever after, or will their worlds collide? Only Davis Jarvey, our gifted painter, will know for sure on that dreaded day when he is forced to make...Mercury's Choice.

Montaigne in Barn Boots: An Amateur Ambles Through Philosophy by Michael Perry - Memoir/Humor

November 6, 2018

Written in a spirit of exploration rather than declaration, MONTAIGNE IN BARN BOOTS is a down-to-earth (how do you pronounce that last name?) look into the ideas of a philosopher "ensconced in a castle tower overlooking his vineyard," channeled by a midwestern American writing "in a room above the garage overlooking a disused pig pen." Whether grabbing an electrified fence, fighting fires, failing to fix a truck, or feeding chickens, Michael Perry draws on each experience to explore subjects as diverse as faith, race, sex, aromatherapy and Prince. But he also champions academics and aesthetics, in a book that ultimately emerges as a sincere, unflinching look at the vital need to be a better person and citizen.

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce - Fiction

November 6, 2018

On a dead-end street in a run-down suburb, there is a music shop that is jam-packed with records of every kind. Like a beacon, the shop attracts the lonely, the sleepless and the adrift; Frank, the shop’s owner, has a way of connecting his customers with just the piece of music they need. Then, one day, into his shop comes a beautiful young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who asks Frank to teach her about music. Terrified of real closeness, Frank feels compelled to turn and run, yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems, and Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen, as well as a past it seems he will never leave behind.

Once a Midwife: A Hope River Novel by Patricia Harman - Historical Fiction

November 6, 2018

The women of Hope River trust midwife Patience Hester, whose skill in delivering babies is known for miles around. But though the Great Depression is behind them, troubles are not, for Europe is at war…and it can only be a matter of time before the U.S. enters the fray. And while some are eager to join the fight, Patience’s husband, Daniel, is not. Daniel is a patriot --- but he saw too much bloodshed during the First World War, and has vowed never to take up arms again. His stance leaves Patience and their four children vulnerable --- to the neighbors who might judge them, and to the government, who imprison Daniel for his beliefs. Patience must support their family and fight for her husband’s release despite her own misgivings.

Pen 33 by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström - Thriller

November 6, 2018

Bernt Lund is a monster, an unrepentant child molester and serial killer. In the mind of society, in the minds of his nine-year-old victims' parents, and in the minds of his fellow inmates, he is a waking nightmare. And now he has escaped from custody. Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens is about to encounter the most profoundly appalling case in his career, and perhaps in Stockholm's history. During the course of one long, hot summer, Sweden will face an explosive series of events that spread across the country like wildfire, events that call into question the very nature of humanity, duty, forgiveness and self-defense. And justice.

Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics by Lawrence O'Donnell - History/Politics

November 6, 2018

The 1968 U.S. Presidential election was the young Lawrence O’Donnell’s political awakening, and in the decades since it has remained one of his abiding fascinations. For years he has deployed one of America’s shrewdest political minds to understanding its dynamics, not just because it is fascinating in itself, but because in it is contained the essence of what makes America different, and how we got to where we are now. PLAYING WITH FIRE represents O’Donnell’s master class in American electioneering, embedded in the epic human drama of a system --- and a country --- coming apart at the seams in real time.

The Quantum Spy by David Ignatius - Thriller

November 6, 2018

A hyper-fast quantum computer is the digital equivalent of a nuclear bomb; whoever possesses one will be able to shred any encryption and break any code in existence. The question is: who will build one first, the U.S. or China? In THE QUANTUM SPY, U.S. quantum research labs are compromised by a suspected Chinese informant, inciting a mole hunt of history-altering proportions. CIA officer Harris Chang leads the charge, pursuing his target from Singapore to Mexico and beyond. Do the leaks expose real secrets, or are they false trails meant to deceive the Chinese? The answer forces Chang to question everything he thought he knew about loyalty, morality and the primacy of truth.

The Revolution of Marina M. by Janet Fitch - Historical Fiction

November 6, 2018

St. Petersburg, New Year's Eve, 1916. Marina Makarova is a young woman of privilege who aches to break free of the constraints of her genteel life, a life about to be violently upended by the vast forces of history. Swept up on these tides, Marina will join the marches for workers' rights, fall in love with a radical young poet, and betray everything she holds dear, before being betrayed in turn. As her country goes through almost unimaginable upheaval, Marina's own coming-of-age unfolds, marked by deep passion and devastating loss, and the private heroism of an ordinary woman living through extraordinary times.

Revolution Song: The Story of America's Founding in Six Remarkable Lives by Russell Shorto - History

November 6, 2018

Russell Shorto takes us back to the founding of the American nation, drawing on diaries, letters and autobiographies to flesh out six lives that cast the era in a fresh new light. They include an African man who freed himself and his family from slavery, a rebellious young woman who abandoned her abusive husband to chart her own course, and a certain Mr. Washington, who was admired for his social graces but harshly criticized for his often-disastrous military strategy. Through these lives, we understand that the revolution was fought over the meaning of individual freedom, a philosophical idea that became a force for violent change.

The Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel - Historical Fiction

November 6, 2018

When Ruby first marries the dashing Frenchman she meets in a coffee shop, she pictures a life strolling arm in arm along French boulevards. But it’s 1938, and war is looming on the horizon. Unfortunately, her marriage soon grows cold and bitter --- all while the Germans flood into Paris. When her husband is killed, Ruby discovers the secret he had been hiding --- he was a member of the French resistance --- and now she is determined to take his place. She becomes involved in hiding Allied soldiers who have landed in enemy territory. But her skills are ultimately put to the test when she begins concealing her 12-year-old Jewish neighbor, Charlotte, whose family was rounded up by the Gestapo.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell - Psychological Thriller

November 6, 2018

Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It’s been 10 years since her daughter, Ellie, disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie’s case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she’s meeting Floyd’s daughters --- and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel’s breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions about Ellie's disappearance that she has tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew.

A Thousand Doors: An Anthology of Many Lives edited by J.T. Ellison - Fiction/Anthology

November 5, 2018

Forty-year-old Mia Jensen is home after a terrible day, trying to figure out how she's come to this point in her life, when she hears a strange noise from the kitchen. She investigates, only to be brutally attacked and left for dead. As she dies, she experiences some of the lives that could have been hers had she only made a different choice. Can one woman can find peace with the path she's chosen before it slips through her fingers forever? Through the unique voices of New York Times bestsellers and rising stars in women's fiction, A THOUSAND DOORS examines how our smallest decisions can create lasting effects, and allows the thought Can we actually change our lives?

Tom Clancy Power and Empire: A Jack Ryan Novel by Marc Cameron - Thriller

November 6, 2018

Jack Ryan is dealing with an aggressive challenge from the Chinese government. Pawns are being moved around a global chessboard: an attack on an oil platform in Africa, a terrorist strike on an American destroyer, and a storm-tossed American spy ship that may fall into Chinese hands. It seems that President Zhao is determined to limit Ryan's choices in the upcoming G20 negotiations. But there are hints that there's even more going on behind the scenes. A routine traffic stop in rural Texas leads to a shocking discovery --- a link to a Chinese spy who may have intelligence that lays bare an unexpected revelation. John Clark and the members of the Campus are in close pursuit, but can they get the information in time?

The Wife by Alafair Burke - Psychological Thriller

November 6, 2018

When Angela met Jason Powell, a brilliant economics professor at NYU, while catering a dinner party in East Hampton, she assumed their romance would be a short-lived fling. To her surprise, they married the following summer. Six years later, thanks to a bestselling book and a growing media career, Jason has become a cultural lightning rod, placing Angela near the spotlight she worked so carefully to avoid. When a college intern makes an accusation against Jason, and another woman, Kerry Lynch, comes forward with an even more troubling allegation, their perfect life begins to unravel. Jason insists he is innocent, and Angela believes him. But when Kerry disappears, Angela is forced to take a closer look at the man she married.

Winter by Ali Smith - Fiction

November 6, 2018

Winter. Bleak. Frosty wind, earth as iron, water as stone, so the old song goes. And now Art’s mother is seeing things. Come to think of it, Art is seeing things himself. When four people, strangers and family, converge on a 15-bedroom house in Cornwall for Christmas, will there be enough room for everyone? Winter. It makes things visible. Ali Smith’s shapeshifting WINTER casts a warm, wise, merry and uncompromising eye over a post-truth era in a story rooted in history and memory and with a taproot deep in the evergreens, art and love.