Skip to main content

December 27, 2011

December 27, 2011


The following are lists of books releasing the weeks of December 26th and January 2nd that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers.

May we ask that you forward this newsletter to friends who you think would enjoy reading it?

On Sale the Week of December 26th in Hardcover


December 27th

1222: A Hanne Wilhelmsen Novel by Anne Holt
From Norway's #1 bestselling crime writer comes a suspenseful locked-room mystery, the U.S. debut of a new series, set in an isolated hotel where guests who are stranded during a monumental snowstorm begin turning up dead.
Scribner * 9781451634716

77 SHADOW STREET by Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz takes readers on a gripping journey to a place where nightmare visions become real --- and where a group of singular individuals hold the key to humanity’s destiny. Welcome to 77 Shadow Street.
Bantam * 9780553807714

CONQUEROR: A Novel of Kublai Khan by Conn Iggulden
Intrigue and treachery roil the vast Mongol nation as the heirs of Genghis Khan fight for control of his unprecedented empire --- and of his mighty armies. But only one man, dismissed by all the others, will boldly rise to the challenge with the courage and vision to forge the future, and with the strength to be called...CONQUEROR.
Delacorte Press * 9780385343053

DEATH BENEFIT by Robin Cook
When tragedy strikes in the Columbia University Medical Center's lab, medical student Pia, with the help of infatuated classmate George Wilson, launches an investigation into the unforeseen calamity in the hospital's supposedly secure biosafety lab.
Putnam Adult * 9780399157462

THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER by Rod Rees
In the Demi-Monde, author Rod Rees has conjured up a terrifying virtual reality, a world dominated by history’s most ruthless and bloodthirsty psychopaths. THE DEMI-MONDE: WINTER kicks off a brilliant, high concept series that blends science fiction and thriller, steampunk and dystopian vision.
William Morrow * 9780062070340

DOWN THE DARKEST ROAD by Tami Hoag
In the third installment of her Oak Knoll series, Tami Hoag explores the early days of forensic police work through FBI agent Vince Leone's pioneering, science-based investigatory skills.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952398

THE INNOCENT: A Vanessa Michael Munroe Novel by Taylor Stevens
Eight years ago, a man took five-year-old Hannah into the world of a cult known as The Chosen. Since then, followers of The Prophet have hidden the child, moving her from country to country. Now, childhood survivors of The Chosen, who have managed to escape, know where to find her.
Crown * 9780307717122

THE MAGIC ROOM: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters by Jeffrey Zaslow
For thousands of women, Becker's Bridal in Fowler, Michigan is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives. Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, THE MAGIC ROOM tells the stories of a diverse group of memorable women on the brink of commitment.
Gotham * 9781592406616

SLEEPWALKER by Karen Robards
She’s a rookie cop. He’s a professional crook. She catches him in the act of stealing big bucks from a mob boss’s safe. He manages to embroil her in a crime so explosive it could cost both of them their lives. Natural adversaries, their only common ground is mutual dislike and distrust --- and the fact that the same killers are now hunting them both.
Gallery Books * 9781439183724

On Sale the Week of December 26th in Paperback


December 27th

AFRAID OF THE DARK by James Grippando
Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck is shocked to discover that the client he’s been assigned to defend, a young man facing the death penalty for terrorist activities, is already wanted for the murder of his girlfriend and the permanent blinding of a police officer.
Harper * 9780061840296

BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER by Amy Chua
Amy Chua argues that Western parenting tries to respect and nurture children's individuality, while Chinese parents typically believe that arming children with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence prepares them best for the future. BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters the Chinese way.
Penguin * 9780143120582

BLOOD OF THE REICH by William Dietrich
William Dietrich returns with a knockout stand-alone novel about a quartet of American adventurers in a race to stop Nazis from acquiring an awesome power that will enable them to dominate the world.
Harper * 9780061989193

DEATH OF A CHIMNEY SWEEP: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M. C. Beaton
Police Constable Hamish Macbeth must discover who's responsible for a double murder --- and this time, the killer may be closer than he realizes.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446547406

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES by Deborah Harkness
Diana Bishop, a young scholar and the descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost alchemical manuscript deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont.
Penguin * 9780143119685

EMILY, ALONE by Stewart O'Nan
Emily Maxwell, a widow with grown children far away, grapples with her new independence, discovering hidden strengths and realizing that life always offers new possibilities.
Penguin * 9780143120490

FATAL ERROR by J. A. Jance
Richard Lowensdale, a cyber-sociopath, has left a trail of broken hearts in his virtual wake. When he is viciously murdered, the women he once victimized are considered suspects, and Ali Reynolds investigates.
Pocket Star * 9781416566373

FOLLY BEACH: A Lowcountry Tale by Dorothea Benton Frank
A woman returns to the past to find her future in this exciting and heartwarming tale of loss, acceptance, family and love from Dorothea Benton Frank.
William Morrow Paperbacks * 9780062111739

IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT: The Strange Death of Ronda Reynolds and Her Mother's Unceasing Quest for the Truth by Ann Rule
From renowned true crime writer Ann Rule comes the story of a young woman whose life ended too soon --- and a determined mother’s 11-year crusade to clear her daughter’s name.
Pocket Books * 9781416544616

INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS by Imogen Robertson
INSTRUMENTS OF DARKNESS is an intricate historical page-turner about a forbidding country estate and the unlikely forensic duo who set out to uncover its deadly secrets.
Penguin * 9780143120407

THE JEFFERSON KEY by Steve Berry
Four presidents of the United States have been assassinated, each murder seemingly unrelated. But what if those presidents were all killed for the shocking same reason: a clause contained in the United States Constitution?
Ballantine Books * 9780345505521

KNOCKDOWN: A Home Repair Is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves
Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree is deep in her latest home improvement project --- repainting the porch of her lovingly restored house in Eastport, Maine --- when she notices the man repeatedly biking past her house. His face is unsettlingly familiar, but his chilling message seems inexplicable: Blood shows up again. Murder will out.
Bantam * 9780553593426


LITTLE PRINCES: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
by Conor Grennan

While volunteering at a Nepal orphanage in 2006, Conor Grennan discovered that the children were not orphans: they were trafficked. Despite the danger, he trekked remarkable distances with photographs of the children, miraculously reuniting dozens of families.
William Morrow Paperbacks * 9780061930065

MADAME TUSSAUD: A Novel of the French Revolution by Michelle Moran
The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire...but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous and amazing story comes to life. The year is 1788, and a revolution is about to begin.
Broadway * 9780307588661

MINDING FRANKIE by Maeve Binchy
MINDING FRANKIE centers on the native people of the Irish countryside, transporting us to tranquil shores of a deep-rooted landscape. The book presents dozens of personal stories that show a greater evolution of people's lives and envision a kind of synergy and commonality between those with different values and backgrounds.
Anchor * 9780307475497

ONE SUMMER by David Baldacci

From #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci comes a moving family drama about learning to love again after heartbreak and loss.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446583152

THE OUTLAWS: A Presidential Agent Novel by W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV
Charlie Castillo's secret unit has been disbanded --- but that doesn't mean he's out of business. One day a FedEx package arrives, bearing photos of barrels containing some of the most dangerous biohazard materials on earth, all of which were supposed to have been destroyed during a raid on a secret Russian factory in the Congo.
Jove * 9780515150278

A SIMPLE ACT OF GRATITUDE: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life by John Kralik
In 2007, John Kralik's life had reached an ultimate low. Stressed, lonely and feeling helpless, he took a hiking trip by himself and had an epiphany about the importance of gratefulness. His life took a radical turn as he committed himself to finding new sources of gratitude every day for a year.
Hyperion * 9781401310714

TRADER OF SECRETS: A Paul Madriani Novel by Steve Martini
Defense attorney Paul Madriani is on the trail of a missing NASA scientist --- a man carrying horrific state-of-the-art weapons technology --- in this latest entry of Steve Martini's bestselling series.
Harper * 9780061930249

On Sale the Week of January 2nd in Hardcover


January 2nd

PRIVATE: #1 SUSPECT by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Since former Marine Jack Morgan started Private, it has become the world's most effective investigation firm. But when his former lover is found murdered in Jack’s bed, he is instantly the number one suspect.
Little, Brown & Company * 9780316097406


January 3rd

BREAKDOWN: A V.I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky

Carmilla, Queen of the Night, is a shape-shifting raven whose fictional exploits thrill girls all over the world. When Chicago tweens hold an initiation ritual in an abandoned cemetery, they stumble on an actual corpse, a man stabbed through the heart in a vampire-style slaying.
Putnam Adult * 9780399157837

CELL 8 by Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström

Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens discovers a startling connection between two cases --- a brutal murder in the United States and an aggravated assault in Sweden six years later.
SilverOak * 9781402787157

THE CONFESSION: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
Troubled investigator Ian Rutledge wrestles with a startling and dangerous case that reaches far into the past when a false confession from a man who is not who he claims to be leads to a brutal murder.
William Morrow * 9780062015662

THE DARKENING FIELD by William Ryan

It is 1937, and Captain Alexei Korolev of Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Militia is bound for Odessa after the suspicious suicide of a loyal young party member who supposedly had an illicit intimate relationship with the party director.
Minotaur Books * 9780312586515

A DEVIL IS WAITING by Jack Higgins

The President is coming to London, but not to a warm welcome --- a fanatical mullah is offering a blessing to anyone who will assassinate the President. A small band known as the "Prime Minister's private army" is called in, including intelligence captain and Afghan war hero Sara Gideon.
Putnam Adult * 9780399158094

DISTRUST THAT PARTICULAR FLAVOR by William Gibson

Over the past 30 years, William Gibson has been sought out by varying publications for his insights into contemporary culture. These essays and articles, never before collected, give insight into the mind of a writer whose thinking has helped shape our culture.
Putnam Adult * 9780399158438

GUN GAMES: A Decker/Lazarus Novel by Faye Kellerman

Peter Decker of the LAPD and his wife, Rina Lazarus, confront the case of a rash of shocking adolescent suicides at an elite Los Angeles private school. They also struggle with Gabriel Whitman, a troubled teen whom they have brought into their home.
William Morrow * 9780062064325

THE HUNTER by John Lescroart

Raised by loving adoptive parents, San Francisco private investigator Wyatt Hunt never had an interest in finding his birth family --- until he gets a chilling text message from an unknown number: "How did ur mother die?"
Dutton Adult * 9780525952565

IAGO by David Snodin

Wounded in love, tormented by his past, Shakespeare's most complex villain is brought to life in this tale of two adversaries --- one an accused killer; the other, one of the most powerful men in Venice.
Henry Holt & Company * 9780805093704

LOVE IN A NUTSHELL by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly

Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband left her, she’s been fired, and the only place she wants to go is her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell, in Michigan. Kate’s plan is to turn it into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash, and the only job she can land is less than ideal.
St. Martin's Press * 9780312651312

THE MAN WITHIN MY HEAD by Pico Iyer

Pico Iyer sets out to unravel the mysterious closeness he has always felt with English writer Graham Greene. He investigates all he has in common with Greene, and the deeper he delves, the more he begins to wonder if the man within his head is not Greene but his own father --- or even himself.
Knopf * 9780307267610

NEED YOU NOW by James Grippando

A young financial advisor and his girlfriend uncover a conspiracy that reaches from Wall Street to Washington, from the trading floors of the Stock Exchange to the deepest halls of government.
Harper * 9780061840302

THE PLOTS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT: FDR, A Nation in Crisis, and the Rise of the American Right by Sally Denton

THE PLOTS AGAINST THE PRESIDENT follows Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he struggled to right the teetering nation, armed with little more than indomitable optimism and the courage to try anything.
Bloomsbury Press * 9781608190898

THE RETRIBUTION: A Tony Hill & Carol Jordan Novel by Val McDermid

Tony Hill and Carol Jordan have put away scores of criminals. But there is one killer who has defined their careers: Jacko Vance. Now Jacko has escaped from prison; even more twisted than before, he is focused on wreaking revenge on Tony and Carol.
Little, Brown & Company * 9780802120175

SCARECROW RETURNS by Matthew Reilly

Deep in the Arctic, a long-forgotten Soviet military base enshrouds a Cold War doomsday device with the power to obliterate the planet. When a terrorist group unleashes the weapon, there is only one team close enough to sabotage them: a band of Marines and civilians led by Captain Shane Schofield.
Simon & Schuster * 9781416577591

SISTERHOOD OF DUNE by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

It is 83 years after the last of the thinking machines were destroyed in the Battle of Corrin, after Faykan Butler took the name of Corrino and established himself as the first Emperor of a new Imperium. Great changes are brewing that will shape all of humankind.
Tor Books * 9780765322739

WILD ABANDON by Joe Dunthorne

At a once-vibrant communal-living property in the British countryside, back-to-basics fervor has given way to a vague discontent. With his family falling apart, founder Don Riley convinces himself that the only way to save the world he’s created is to throw the biggest party of his life.
Random House * 9781400066841

THE WORLD WE FOUND by Thrity Umrigar

Laleh, Kavita, Armaiti and Nishta were best friends in their Bombay college days, but they have since drifted apart. When Armaiti, now in the United States, is diagnosed with cancer, the four reunite and discover the lasting power of friendship.
Harper * 9780061938344

WORTH FIGHTING FOR: Love, Loss, and Moving Forward by Lisa Niemi

Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze were married for 34 years. For the first time, Lisa Niemi Swayze shares the details of Patrick’s 21-month battle with Stage IV pancreatic cancer, and how she has coped with the grief of losing him.
Atria * 9781439196359


January 5th

AGENT 6 by Tom Rob Smith

Leo Demidov is no longer a member of Moscow's secret police. But when his wife and daughters are invited on a "Peace Tour" to New York, he is immediately suspicious. Forbidden to travel, Leo watches helplessly as his family is pulled into a web of conspiracy and betrayal that will end in tragedy.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446550765

HOW IT ALL BEGAN by Penelope Lively

When Charlotte Rainsford, a retired schoolteacher, is accosted by a petty thief on a London street, the consequences ripple across the lives of acquaintances and strangers alike.
Viking Adult * 9780670023448

THE INVISIBLE ONES by Stef Penney

Small-time private investigator Ray Lovell veers between paralysis and delirium in a hospital bed. But before the accident that landed him there, he'd been hired to find Rose Janko, the missing wife of the son of a traveling Gypsy family.
Putnam Adult * 9780399157714

A QUIET VENDETTA by R.J. Ellory

When Catherine Ducane disappears, the cops react rapidly --- she is the daughter of the Governor of Louisiana. Her bodyguard turns up horribly mutilated, and when her kidnapper calls he doesn't want money: he wants time alone with a functionary from a Washington-based organized crime task force.
Overlook Hardcover * 9781590205082

THE STREET SWEEPER by Elliot Perlman

Lamont Williams is a paroled felon looking to turn his life around. Adam Zignelik is a struggling professor, his life falling apart around him. The worlds surrounding these two men collide through the vast forces of history.
Riverhead Hardcover * 9781594488474

THE WHISPERER by Donato Carrisi

Six severed arms are discovered, arranged in a mysterious circle and buried in a clearing in the woods. Five of them appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and 18. The sixth is yet to be identified.
Mulholland Books * 9780316194723

On Sale the Week of January 2nd in Paperback


January 3rd

THE BORDER LORDS: A Charlie Hood Novel by T. Jefferson Parker
Charlie Hood searches for an undercover agent who has disappeared, only to resurface in a series of bizarre video tapes. The trail leads Charlie into the fevered landscape of America's southern border and the unexplored depths of humanity's dark soul.
NAL Trade * 9780451235565

BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey
At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on “Saturday Night Live,” Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.
Reagan Arthur/Back Bay Books * 9780316056878

BREACH OF TRUST by David Ellis
Jason Kolarich’s wife and daughter were killed while he was at the office, awaiting a call from a confidential informant named Ramirez --- a call that never came. He can't bring back his family, but he can find out who killed Ramirez and bring the killer to justice.
Berkley * 9780425245866

BURIED SECRETS: A Nick Heller Novel by Joseph Finder
When Alexa Marcus, the teenage daughter of a billionaire hedge fund titan, is kidnapped, it’s up to family friend and “private spy” Nick Heller --- a former intelligence operative trained in the Special Forces --- to find her…before time runs out.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks * 9781250000361

DAMAGE by John Lescroart
Homicide detective Abe Glitsky barely recovered from the case of Ro Curtlee, heir to a powerful San Francisco family. After Ro wins a retrial, the original trial’s star witness is brutally killed. When a second fire claims a participant in the case, Abe is convinced: Ro is out for revenge.
Signet * 9780451235428

ELECTRIC BARRACUDA by Tim Dorsey
Serge Storms has been leaving corpses strewn across the Sunshine State for more than a decade. The authorities notice the body count, and send a task force to track down Serge. Could his luck finally have run out?
William Morrow Paperbacks * 9780061876912

THE EMPTY FAMILY: Stories by Colm Tóibín
Shedding light on the lives of individuals often willingly cast adrift from their histories, Colm Tóibín's stories tell of fleeing the past and returning home, of family threads lost and ultimately regained.
Scribner * 9781439195963

THE FORT: A Novel of the Revolutionary War by Bernard Cornwell
In 1779, as the major fighting of the Revolutionary War moves to the South, a British force sails to the New England coast. A mortifying defeat leads to stunning repercussions for a young Scottish lieutenant named John Moore and a Boston patriot named Paul Revere.
Harper Paperbacks * 9780062010872

THE GODS OF GREENWICH by Norb Vonnegut
After a sterling start to Jimmy Cusack’s Wall Street career, things have soured. And his wife is two months pregnant. But when Cusack takes a job with a Greenwich fund impervious to the capital market woes, his real troubles begin.
St. Martin's Paperbacks * 9781250000354

J. D. SALINGER: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski
One of the most popular and mysterious figures in American literary history, J.D. Salinger is illuminated in this biography, which is filled with new information and revelations garnered from countless interviews, letters and public records.
Random House Trade Paperbacks * 9780812982596

KAYAK MORNING: Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats by Roger Rosenblatt
KAYAK MORNING is a coming to terms with tragic, senseless loss. Roger Rosenblatt offers readers an unsentimental and deeply moving account of the possibility of true redemption.
Ecco * 9780062084033

MY FATHER’S FORTUNE: A Life by Michael Frayn
For the first time, Michael Frayn, the "master of what is seriously funny,” turns his humor and narrative talent on his own family's story, to re-create the world that made him who he is.
Picador * 9781250002341

NIGHT ROAD by Kristin Hannah
When Lexi Baill, a former foster child with a dark past, moves to the Farradays’ small town, she becomes inseparably close with their family. But one bad decision on a summer night during their senior year of high school will change everything.
St. Martin's Griffin * 9780312364434

ONE ROUGH MAN: A Pike Logan Thriller by Brad Taylor
Pike Logan was the most successful operator on the U.S. Taskforce, until personal tragedy permanently altered his outlook on the world. But he knows that the real threat is one or two men, controlled by ideology, operating independently, in possession of a powerful weapon.
Signet Select * 9780451413192

POSER: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer
After she put her back out while breastfeeding her baby, everyone told Claire to try yoga. She finally gave in, and over the next decade, her yoga practice led to unexpected revelations about her outlook on life.
Picador * 9781250002334

THE SENTRY: A Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais
After Joe Pike saves a man's life, the man's family seems oddly resentful. Maybe because they're not who they seem to be, including the seductive Dru. But it's more than a charade --- it's a trap. And Pike already has been hooked...
Berkley * 9780425245729

TUESDAY NIGHT MIRACLES by Kris Radish
Free-spirited psychologist Dr. Olivia Bayer suspects she’ll need a miracle to help the four wildly different women in her anger management class. All have reached a crossroads, and Dr. Bayer has an unconventional plan to steer them on the right track.
Bantam * 9780553384765

WHEN THE THRILL IS GONE: A Leonid McGill Mystery by Walter Mosley
Leonid McGill can't say no to the beautiful woman who walks into his office with a stack of cash and a wild story. Leonid knows better than to believe her, but he can't afford to turn her away, even if he knows the woman's tale will bring him straight to death's door.
NAL Trade * 9780451235657

YOU KNOW WHEN THE MEN ARE GONE by Siobhan Fallon
There is an army of women waiting for their men to return in Fort Hood, Texas. Through a series of interconnected stories, Siobhan Fallon takes readers onto the army base, inside the homes, into the marriages and families of Fort Hood soldiers.
NAL Trade * 9780451234391


Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit the websites in TheBookReportNetwork.com:
Bookreporter.com, ReadingGroupGuides.com, GraphicNovelReporter.com, FaithfulReader.com, Teenreads.com, Kidsreads.com and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com.

The Book Report Network
250 W. 57th Street - Suite 1228
New York, New York 10107

connect with us twitterfacebook