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December 9, 2014

December 9, 2014

The following are lists of books releasing the weeks of December 8th and December 15th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers.

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On Sale the Week of December 8th in Hardcover

December 9th

ASYLUM CITY by Liad Shoham (Mystery/Thriller)
When young social activist Michal Poleg is found dead in her Tel Aviv apartment, officer Anat Nachmias is given the lead on her first murder investigation. Eager to find answers, she looks to the victim's past for clues, focusing on the last days before her death. Could one of the asylum seekers with whom Michal worked be behind this crime? Then a young African man confesses to the murder, and Anat's commanders say the case is closed. But the cop isn't convinced.
Harper * 9780062237538

BECOMING RICHARD PRYOR by Scott Saul (Biography)
Drawing upon a mountain of original research --- interviews with family and friends, court transcripts, unpublished journals and screenplay drafts --- Scott Saul traces Richard Pryor’s rough journey to the heights of fame: from his heartbreaking childhood, his trials in the Army and his apprentice days in Greenwich Village, to his soul-searching interlude in Berkeley and his ascent in the “New Hollywood” of the 1970s.
Harper * 9780062123305

THE BOSTON GIRL by Anita Diamant (Historical Fiction)
Eighty-five-year-old Addie Baum tells the story of her life to her 22-year-old granddaughter, who has asked her “How did you get to be the woman you are today?” She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters, to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naïve girl she was and a wicked sense of humor.
Scribner * 9781439199350

THE CONVERT'S SONG by Sebastian Rotella (Thriller)
His hazardous stint in U.S. law enforcement behind him, Valentine Pescatore has started over as a private investigator in Buenos Aires. Then he runs into Raymond Mercer, a charismatic, troubled singer who has converted to Islam. After a terrorist attack kills hundreds, suspicion falls on Raymond --- and Pescatore. Angry and bewildered, Pescatore joins forces with Fatima Belhaj, an alluring French agent. They pursue the enigmatic Raymond into a global labyrinth of intrigue.
Mulholland Books * 9780316324694

FIVE by Ursula Archer (Mystery/Thriller)
A woman’s corpse is discovered in a meadow, and a strange combination of letters and numbers has been tattooed on the soles of her feet. Detective inspector Beatrice Kaspary from the local murder squad quickly identifies the digits as map coordinates. These lead to a series of gruesome discoveries as she and her colleague, Florin Wenninger, embark on a bloody trail --- a modern-day scavenger hunt using GPS navigation devices to locate hidden caches.
Minotaur Books * 9781250037411

IRENE: The Commandant Camille Verhoeven Trilogy written by Pierre Lemaitre, translated by Frank Wynne (Psychological Thriller/Horror)
Camille Verhoeven has reached an unusually content (for him) place in life. He is respected by his colleagues, and he and his lovely wife, Irene, are expecting their first child. But when a new murder case hits his desk --- a double torture-homicide that's so extreme that even the most seasoned officers are horrified --- Verhoeven is overcome with a sense of foreboding. As links emerge between the bloody set-piece and at least one past unsolved murder, it becomes clear that a calculating serial killer is at work.
MacLehose Press * 9781623658007

MORIARTY by Anthony Horowitz (Historical Mystery)
Days after the encounter at the Reichenbach Falls, Pinkerton detective agent Frederick Chase arrives in Europe from New York. Professor Moriarty’s death has left an immediate, poisonous vacuum in the criminal underworld, and there is no shortage of candidates to take his place --- including one particularly fiendish criminal mastermind. Chase and Scotland Yard Inspector Athelney Jones must pursue this sinister figure, a man much feared but seldom seen, who is determined to stake his claim as Moriarty’s successor.
Harper * 9780062377180

PERFECT SINS by Jo Bannister (Mystery)
Four years ago, Gabriel Ash was working with the British government investigating hijackings in Somalia. But when his wife and sons disappeared, presumably taken --- and probably killed --- by pirates, his life fell apart. He has sudden reason to hope when a senior policeman suggests that his sons might still be alive --- until that policeman is murdered. Still, there seems to be some link to a local operation, and Ash, no longer a government agent, is determined to find it.
Minotaur Books * 9781250054203


December 14th

THE VOICES by F. R. Tallis (Psychological Thriller)
In the scorching summer of 1976, Christopher Norton, his wife Laura and their young daughter Faye settle into their new home in north London. The faded glory of the Victorian house is the perfect place for Norton, a composer of film soundtracks, to build a recording studio of his own. But soon, in the long, oppressively hot nights, Laura begins to hear something through the crackle of the baby monitor. First, a knocking sound. Then come the voices.
Pegasus * 9781605986562
On Sale the Week of December 8th in Paperback

December 9th

THE BRACELET by Dorothy Love (Historical Romance)
Paperback Original
Celia Browning dreams of the day when she can marry her childhood sweetheart, Sutton Mackay, thus uniting two of the city's most prominent families. A newspaper reporter arrives in town, determined to pry into twin tragedies that took place when Celia was a child. While the journalist pursues his story, someone is trying to frighten Celia. When she receives a series of anonymous notes, and a bracelet imbued with a chilling message, Celia realizes that her family’s past has the power to destroy her future.
Thomas Nelson * 9781401687601

THE LANGUAGE OF HOOFBEATS by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Jackie and Paula envision a quiet life for their kids, but they quickly butt heads with their neighbor, Clementine, who is incensed when their teenage foster daughter, Star, befriends her spirited horse, Comet. When Star disappears with Comet, the neighbors are thrown together --- far too close together. But as the search for the pair wears on, both families must learn to put aside their animosity and confront the choices they’ve made and the scars they carry.
Lake Union Publishing * 9781477824689

THE YEAR OF READING DANGEROUSLY: How Fifty Great Books (and Two Not-So-Great Ones) Saved My Life by Andy Miller (Memoir/Literary Criticism)
Paperback Original
Nearing his 40th birthday, author and critic Andy Miller realized he's not nearly as well read as he'd like to be. A devout book lover who somehow fell out of the habit of reading, he began to ponder the power of books to change an individual life --- including his own --- and to define the sort of person he would like to be. Beginning with a copy of Bulgakov's MASTER AND MARGARITA that he happens to find one day in a bookstore, Miller embarks on a literary odyssey of mindful reading and wry introspection.
Harper Perennial * 9780061446184
On Sale the Week of December 15th in Hardcover

December 15th

CHASING GOLD: The Incredible Story Behind the Nazi Search for Europe's Bullion by George M. Taber (History)
For the entire history of human civilization, gold has enraptured people around the globe. The Nazis were no less enthralled by it and felt that gold was the solution to funding Hitler's war machine. Gold was also on the mind of FDR across the Atlantic, as he worked with Europe's other leaders to bring the United States and the rest of the world out of a severe depression. CHASING GOLD is the story of how the Nazis attempted to grab Europe’s gold to finance history’s bloodiest war.
Pegasus * 9781605986555

THE DOLL'S HOUSE by Tania Carver (Psychological Thriller)
From the outside, the house was unremarkable. But inside was a different matter. In all his years on the force, Detective Inspector Phil Brennan of the Major Incident Squad has never encountered a scene like it. As he investigates the murder of an adult woman, he uncovers more bizarre revelations and knows that he must act fast. The next murder has already been planned, and the victim is closer to home than he realizes.
Pegasus * 9781605986548

WATERLOO: A New History by Gordon Corrigan (History)
The Duke of Wellington remarked that Waterloo was “a damned nice thing,” meaning uncertain or finely balanced. He was right. For his part, Napoleon reckoned “the English are bad troops and this affair is nothing more than eating breakfast.” He was wrong, and this gripping and dramatic narrative history by veteran historian Gordon Corrigan --- in time for the bicentennial in 2015 --- shows just how wrong.
Pegasus * 9781605986524


December 16th

THIEF: A Robin Monarch Novel by Mark Sullivan (Thriller)
Robin Monarch is a man with a complicated past and dangerous present, but first and foremost, he is a thief of the highest order. Orphaned at 12, Monarch originally stole for survival, then he stole for his friends and cohorts, now he steals to give back to the woman who saved his life many years ago. Monarch finds a lead on what might be his most audacious exploit ever. A previously undiscovered tribe in South America may well have the secret to the most sought-after knowledge in history --- that of eternal life.
Minotaur Books * 9781250052315
On Sale the Week of December 15th in Paperback

December 15th

TENNYSON: To Strive, To Seek, To Find by John Batchelor (Biography)
Alfred Lord Tennyson, Queen Victoria's favorite poet, commanded a wider readership than any other of his time. His ascendancy was neither the triumph of pure genius nor an accident of history: he skillfully crafted his own career and his relationships with his audience. This thoughtful biography by John Batchelor reveals him to be a fascinating paradigm of both the Romantic and Victorian ideals.
Pegasus * 9781605986487


December 16th

BEETHOVEN: The Man Revealed by John Suchet (Biography)
Beethoven scholar and classical radio host John Suchet has had a lifelong, ardent interest in the man and his music. Here, in his first full-length biography, Suchet illuminates the composer’s difficult childhood, his struggle to maintain friendships and romances, his ungovernable temper, his obsessive efforts to control his nephew’s life, and the excruciating decline of his hearing.
Grove Press * 9780802122797

CONTAGIOUS DISCIPLE MAKING: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery by David Watson and Paul Watson (Christian Life)
Paperback Original
It is hard to deny that today’s world can seem apathetic toward Christians. Some may look down at their iPhones when we mention God, motion for the check when we bring up church, or casually change the subject when we talk about prayer. In a world full of people whose indifference is greater than their desire to know Christ, how can we dream of growing the church? In CONTAGIOUS DISCIPLE MAKING, David Watson and Paul Watson map out a simple method that has sparked an explosion of homegrown churches in the United States and around the world.

Thomas Nelson * 9780529112200

MURDER TIGHTLY KNIT: An Amish Village Mystery by Vannetta Chapman (Mystery/Romance)
Paperback Original
Even before she heard of Owen Esch’s death, Hannah Troyer knew something was amiss at The Cat’s Meow yarn shop. The police call in a federal investigator, but Hannah and Village manager Amber Bowman are in no mood to wait for them to figure out what they already know --- that no one from the Amish Village could have killed Owen. Amber and Hannah will need to work quickly to solve the murder mystery and bring harmony back to the Amish community.
Zondervan * 9780310325697

ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE ASCENDANCY by Eric Van Lustbader (Thriller/Adventure)
Jason Bourne has been hired to impersonate a high-level government minister at a political summit meeting in Qatar, shielding the minister from any assassination attempts. Suddenly, armed gunmen storm the room, killing everyone but Bourne. Their target, however, is Bourne himself. Kidnapped and transported to an underground bunker, Bourne must make a monstrous choice: save fellow captive (and close friend) Soraya and her daughter, or save the President.
Grand Central Publishing * 9781455577552

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