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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
August 3, 2007
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This Week on Bookreporter.com |
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Keeping It Cool With Books
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Now in Stores: KEEPING THE WORLD AWAY by Margaret Forster
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Author Talk: Valerie Block, Author of DON'T MAKE A SCENE
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Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson
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New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Mark Gimenez, Author of THE ABDUCTION
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New Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Chelsea Cain, Author of HEARTSICK
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New Featured One to Watch Author: Sarah Addison Allen, Author of GARDEN SPELLS
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New Featured One to Watch Author: Robert Goddard, Author of NEVER GO BACK
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Featured One to Watch Author: Nancy Horan, Author of LOVING FRANK
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Featured One to Watch Author: Elizabeth Joy Arnold, Author of PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Joseph Finder, Author of POWER PLAY
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Raymond Khoury, Author of THE SANCTUARY
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE REINCARNATIONIST
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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Poll, Question and Word of Mouth
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Keeping It Cool With Books
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As we are in week two of our office renovation, my days go something like this. I drive to New York. I then work amidst banging, pounding, drilling and grinding until 3:00 with interruptions for questions, phone calls and messengers. Then it becomes so stunningly quiet that I actually find myself spending a half an hour getting used to the silence. The workers and I have gotten into a rhythm where they have learned I am agile enough to make it across the floor without stepping on nails, I have come to appreciate their suggestions and changes, we all seem to like the same music and they are kind enough not to smoke when I am around. I really am tired of sheetrock dust, but the plan is evolving the way I envisioned it, and that keeps me going through the late nights and early mornings when I try to catch up on everything that does not happen for the first half of the day.
Today there was an amusing moment when they removed the door that was the entrance to our office as we are moving our doorway to that of the suite that we are adding next door. (Same address though, which was the point of this move!) For the rest of the day I found myself walking into the new wall that replaced the door each time I went to head out to the hallway. You would think I would learn, but 11 years of conditioning seems to override logic.
It's not fun with our staff working from home. I miss them and their comraderie. Thus once again this week's update is being brought to you by AOL Instant Messenger. I read their emails and hear their voices. If all goes as planned this project will wrap up next week, the exact timing yet to come. Our update does not suffer from our farflung workstations, and we are delivering a full menu again this week. We begin with four advance reading offers, each of which brings to readers a title that I have been enjoying.
We cue up with our latest Suspense/Thriller author, Mark Gimenez, whose book THE ABDUCTION will be in stores on August 28th. It opens with a soccer match where a dad watches his young daughter, who is the star of her soccer team, while he cradles his cellphone working on a deal to take his company public. Zap forward a few scenes and dad's still on the phone, but the girl is gone. The action does not slow down from there, and the tension throughout is palpable with an intense family drama working its way into the suspense. We have 20 copies to give away to readers who fill out this form by Friday, August 17th.
Finding new voices always excites me. Our latest Debut Suspense/Thriller author is Chelsea Cain, whose book HEARTSICK found its way onto my desk and its blood red cover immediately caught my eye. The tagline on this one: "Love hurts. Sometimes it's torture." Cain's writing is taut and graphic. She drags you right into Detective Archie Sheridan's nightmare, and from there, you, like him, are tortured and feel this story of a detective who is healing from his own abduction by a vicious killer as he unravels a new string of murders. Cain's inspiration was the true story of the capture of the Green River killer. HEARTSICK will be in stores on September 4th, but we have 10 copies to share with readers who fill out this form by Friday, August 10th.
There's a part of me who feels like an honorary Southerner, thus our latest One to Watch title --- GARDEN SPELLS, by debut author Sarah Addison Allen, which is set in the fictitious town of Bascom, North Carolina --- had me settling in for a good read, and it did not disappoint. The Waverleys always have been outsiders, even in their hometown. The last of the Waverleys --- Claire, Evanelle and Sydney --- are characters who draw readers to want to hear the story of their lives because they just know there are a few delicious pieces missing. Claire is a caterer, and reading had me want to prepare some meals with flowers as ingredients, though none of my nasturtiums or snapdragons seem to possess the magical powers that are found in Claire's. If you, like me, want to spend an afternoon in the hammock with this one, before it hits stores on August 28th, fill out this form by Friday, August 10th as we have 10 copies to give away.
Our fourth new title is NEVER GO BACK by Robert Goddard, which reprises the character of Harry Barnett, who many readers came to know in INTO THE BLUE and OUT OF THE SUN. Barnett has a chance to reunite with his fellow retired RAF soldiers, but instead of the relaxing weekend they came to expect in a Scottish castle, they are confronted by deaths that feel anything but accidental and thrown into a moment of searching for the truth of what they really were up to on their past missions. The action is fast-paced, and just when you think you have it figured out, there's another twist. This One to Watch title is in stores on August 28th, but 10 readers will have copies for the asking by filling out this form by Friday, August 10th.
Our featured Beach Bag of Books title this week is ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson, an author who has really hit her stride this past year. In this sequel to IF SHE ONLY KNEW, a woman who wants to get even will do whatever it takes for revenge --- including murder. Since death does not lend itself to many beachy thoughts, I took a different tack yesterday when I was working on this week's beach bag prize. I saw an item I had to have for it --- a three-piece set with weights, a flotation belt and resistance runners just like the one I use for water aerobics. When I walked over to the checkout counter with five boxes piled in my cart, I had the clerk looking at me curiously. The rest of the bag carries through on this poolside theme, and the colors of the cover match just right with cool blue water. See details below on how to enter.
Advance readers also weigh in this week with their comments about Jonathan Tropper's One to Watch title, HOW TO TALK TO A WIDOWER, and William Kent Krueger's mystery, THUNDER BAY. Good reading.
With temperatures soaring this week, the movies may be a great place to escape this weekend. Our own Marisa Emralino brings you a terrific lineup of Books Into Movies selections this month, which is headlined by the new Bourne film, The Bourne Ultimatum. Eric Van Lustbader is continuing to keep Ludlum's Bourne character alive in new works, including his latest, THE BOURNE BETRAYAL. The book celebrates its eighth week on the New York Times bestseller list next Sunday. Here Lustbader shares his thoughts on the latest Bourne film.
A cinema that shows only vintage films sets the stage for Valerie Block's new book, DON'T MAKE A SCENE. Both Lourdes Orive and I loved Block's wit and comedic style. Once you close it, you'll want to rent a few movies and lay in some popcorn. Consider yourself a movie buff? Then try your hand at the Movie Trivia Contest that Valerie Block created to celebrate this book by entering here.
Last weekend I needed an adventure as I was a tad tired of thinking about construction and moving boxes around. I indulged my knitting addiction by shopping at a store I had not been to before, Accents on Knits, in Morristown. Hope and Barry Blazer run a store with a relaxing atmosphere that gave me the escape I needed. I spent a terrific couple of hours with some knitters there talking books and yarn, which was a lot of fun. Hope has created some wonderful pieces with some of my favorite yarns, and I walked away with ideas for a few projects. This weekend I am looking forward to delving into some of them along with some quiet time for reading. Here's hoping that this week you too find space in your life for a book you want to get into. May we inspire you with some of the selections that follow!
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
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Now in Stores: KEEPING THE WORLD AWAY by Margaret Forster
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KEEPING THE WORLD AWAY by Margaret Forster (Fiction)
From internationally bestselling author Margaret Forster comes an engrossing novel that follows the imagined life of an evocative, actual early-twentieth-century painting as it changes hands and, though the years, affects the lives of a succession of women. Reviewed by Alexis Burling.
-Click here to read an excerpt from KEEPING THE WORLD AWAY.
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Click here to read a review of KEEPING THE WORLD AWAY.
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Author Talk: Valerie Block, Author of DON'T MAKE A SCENE
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Valerie Block is the author of WAS IT SOMETHING I SAID?, NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS and the newly released DON’T MAKE A SCENE. In this interview, Block discusses her fascination with the cinema and its effect on our lives, and describes how her husband inspired her to include a Cuban protagonist in her latest novel. She also explains why she chose to write about a single woman of a certain age and shares details about the transitional period she experienced while penning DON’T MAKE A SCENE.
DON'T MAKE A SCENE by Valerie Block (Fiction)
Diane Kurasik has seen all the classic films at the Greenwich Village revival theater she runs. Still single in a world of couples, Diane is reminded daily of how her life has not conformed to script. When she receives an eviction notice on the eve of her 40th birthday, her life is upended. In the pursuit of both the elusive apartment and a leading man, she tangles with a likely candidate who doesn’t want the role, and gains an unexpected admirer who doesn’t fit the profile. What would Ingrid Bergman do? Reviewed by Lourdes Orive.
-Click here to read a review of DON’T MAKE A SCENE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from DON’T MAKE A SCENE.
-Visit Valerie Block's website, www.ValerieBlock.com.
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Click here to read an interview with Valerie Block.
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Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson
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Every week from May 18th through August 24th a different title in the Bookreporter.com Beach Bag of Books promotion will be featured with a review and contest prize --- a beach bag stocked with that book, plus summertime essentials that tie in to its theme. Five FABULOUS beach bags will be given away each week, as well as five copies of the book to additional winners.
Our twelfth spotlighted title is ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson, the sequel to IF SHE ONLY KNEW, in which a woman who wants to get even will do whatever it takes for revenge --- including murder. We are going with a poolside theme this week. In a lime green mesh beach bag, winners will find a turquoise striped towel, fish-shaped towel clips for anchoring your towel in place, a water aerobics set of barbells, water resistance runners and a flotation belt, H2O+ Poolside Moisturizing Body Balm, a thermally wrapped water bottle, and drink rimmers perfect to accent your Mojitos, as well as a copy of ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson. We have five to give away, as well as five additional prizes of copies of ALMOST DEAD.
To enter to win, answer the question below:
How old is Cissy's son?
You can find the answer by reading an excerpt here.
To enter, fill out this form by Thursday, August 9th at 11:59PM.
ALMOST DEAD by Lisa Jackson (Thriller)
San Francisco is the setting for Lisa Jackson's new book, ALMOST DEAD, a sequel to IF SHE ONLY KNEW. As we rejoin the wealthy Cahill and Amhurst families, there is an escaped convict, Marla Amhurst Cahill, on the loose. Within days of Marla's escape, her mother-in-law is murdered, her brother is poisoned, and there are several shootings and a kidnapping. Who is responsible for all this destruction? Reviewed by Carole Turner.
-Read more about ALMOST DEAD and Lisa Jackson here.
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Click here to read all the details about our Summer Beach Bag contest.
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New Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Mark Gimenez, Author of THE ABDUCTION
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Our newest featured Suspense/Thriller author is Mark Gimenez, who wrote the bestselling THE COLOR OF LAW. His second novel, THE ABDUCTION, is an explosive thriller that revolves around the kidnapping of a young girl and the reunion of an estranged father and son who race against time to try to rescue her. The book will be available in stores beginning August 28th.
We have 20 advance reading copies of THE ABDUCTION to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 17th.
More about THE ABDUCTION:
Ben Brice lives alone in the New Mexico wilderness where he battles memories of Vietnam with oceans of Jim Beam. Miles away in Texas, his estranged son, John, an Internet geek-turned-billionaire, half watches his daughter Gracie's soccer game while conducting business on his cell phone. When her mother Elizabeth arrives, the coach reports that her uncle has already collected Gracie. But Gracie has no uncle --- she was kidnapped.
From international bestselling author Mark Gimenez comes a terrifying child-in-jeopardy thriller in which dark family secrets make the finding of ten-year-old Gracie Brice more uncertain with every passing minute. And so begins a furious race against time to save Gracie from unknown kidnappers. With the FBI camped out in the Brice mansion, the family offers a reward of $25 million. Somehow, Ben and John Brice must find Gracie before it is too late. As the story unfolds with riveting twists and turns, the reader discovers that behind the kidnapping is an extraordinary government plot that could change the course of American history. And time is running out…
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Click here to read more about Mark Gimenez and THE ABDUCTION.
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New Featured Debut Suspense/Thriller Author: Chelsea Cain, Author of HEARTSICK
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We are pleased to announce that Chelsea Cain is our newest featured Debut Suspense/Thriller author. In her first novel, HEARTSICK, which releases on September 4th, Portland detective Archie Sheridan is finding it difficult to stay away from the beautiful serial killer who tortured him for 10 days before turning herself in. When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders.
We have 10 advance reading copies of HEARTSICK to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 10th.
More about HEARTSICK:
Damaged Portland detective Archie Sheridan spent ten years tracking Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer, but in the end she was the one who caught him. Two years ago, Gretchen kidnapped Archie and tortured him for ten days, but instead of killing him, she mysteriously decided to let him go. She turned herself in, and now Gretchen has been locked away for the rest of her life, while Archie is in a prison of another kind --- addicted to pain pills, unable to return to his old life, powerless to get those ten horrific days off his mind. Archie’s a different person, his estranged wife says, and he knows she’s right. He continues to visit Gretchen in prison once a week, saying that only he can get her to confess as to the whereabouts of more of her victims, but even he knows the truth --- he can’t stay away.
When another killer begins snatching teenage girls off the streets of Portland, Archie has to pull himself together enough to lead the new task force investigating the murders. A hungry young newspaper reporter, Susan Ward, begins profiling Archie and the investigation, which sparks a deadly game between Archie, Susan, the new killer, and even Gretchen. They need to catch a killer, and maybe somehow then Archie can free himself from Gretchen, once and for all. Either way, HEARTSICK makes for one of the most extraordinary suspense debuts in recent memory.
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Click here to read more about Chelsea Cain and HEARTSICK.
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New Featured One to Watch Author: Sarah Addison Allen, Author of GARDEN SPELLS
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One of our newest featured One to Watch authors is Sarah Addison Allen, whose debut novel, GARDEN SPELLS, hits stores on August 28th. In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.
We have 10 advance reading copies of GARDEN SPELLS to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 10th.
More about GARDEN SPELLS:
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants --- from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys --- except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down --- along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy --- if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom --- or with each other.
Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own….
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Click here to read more about Sarah Addison Allen and GARDEN SPELLS.
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New Featured One to Watch Author: Robert Goddard, Author of NEVER GO BACK
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Our second new featured One to Watch author is Robert Goddard, whose latest novel NEVER GO BACK will be available on August 28th. In this spellbinding mystery by the master of “the clever twist,” a group of ex-RAF comrades journey to a Scottish castle for a reunion. But by the time they reach their destination, two of them are dead.
We have 10 advance reading copies of NEVER GO BACK to give away to readers who would like to preview the book and comment about it. If you are interested, please fill out this form by Friday, August 10th.
More about NEVER GO BACK:
Harry Barnett is leading a contented life in Vancouver with his wife and daughter when he is brought back to England by the death of his mother. He intends to spend just a few days sorting out her affairs when a chance meeting he will regret for the rest of his life makes him change his plans. Two old acquaintances from his National Service days track Harry down to his mother’s house --- the last address they had for him. A lavish reunion has been organized to mark the fiftieth anniversary of their RAF days. Harry decides to go.
During the war, Harry and his fellow RAF conscripts spent three months in a Scottish castle where they acted as guinea pigs in a psychological experiment. The reunion is to take place in the same castle. It will be a chance to see friends, settle old scores and lay a few ghosts to rest.
The party begins on the train up to Aberdeen, until the apparent suicide of one of their number shatters the holiday atmosphere. Their arrival in Scotland seems under a cloud, and when another comrade dies soon after their arrival, Harry is gripped by a sense of foreboding. As well, the recollections of the old comrades of their time in the castle are frighteningly different, and unexplained events from 1955 still haunt them. As Harry tries to solve the mystery of what really happened fifty years ago, he uncovers an extraordinary secret that convinces him he will never leave the castle alive.
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Click here to read more about Robert Goddard and NEVER GO BACK.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Nancy Horan, Author of LOVING FRANK
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Nancy Horan's debut novel, LOVING FRANK, is a fictionalized account of Frank Lloyd Wright's relationship with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, who had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for her. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank; the two became lovers, even though they were each married with children. The book is in stores this Tuesday, August 7th.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from LOVING FRANK.
-Click here to read critical praise for LOVING FRANK.
-Click here to read Nancy Horan's bio.
-Visit the author's website, www.NancyHoran.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about LOVING FRANK:
I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current.
So writes Mamah Borthwick Cheney in her diary as she struggles to justify her clandestine love affair with Frank Lloyd Wright. Four years earlier, in 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.
In this ambitious debut novel, fact and fiction blend together brilliantly. While scholars have largely relegated Mamah to a footnote in the life of America’s greatest architect, author Nancy Horan gives full weight to their dramatic love story and illuminates Cheney’s profound influence on Wright.
Drawing on years of research, Horan weaves little-known facts into a compelling narrative, vividly portraying the conflicts and struggles of a woman forced to choose between the roles of mother, wife, lover, and intellectual. Horan’s Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place, her own creative calling in the world. Mamah’s is an unforgettable journey marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leading inexorably to this novel’s stunning conclusion.
Elegantly written and remarkably rich in detail, LOVING FRANK is a fitting tribute to a courageous woman, a national icon and their timeless love story.
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Click here to read more about Nancy Horan and LOVING FRANK.
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Featured One to Watch Author: Elizabeth Joy Arnold, Author of PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE
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Our fourth featured One to Watch author is Elizabeth Joy Arnold, whose debut novel hit shelves on July 31st. PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE is the story of twins who were inseparable until their 17th birthday, when their lives on Block Island were shattered. Thirteen years later, one sister must put their differences aside to rally behind her twin when she really needs her.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE.
-Click here to read Elizabeth Joy Arnold's bio.
-Visit the author's website, www.ElizabethJoyArnold.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE:
Two sisters who shared everything. One unforgivable moment. And a second chance…
There’s something to talk about in every chapter of Elizabeth Joy Arnold’s poignant, insightful debut novel --- the perfect summer read for all those who loved Elisabeth Robinson’s THE TRUE AND OUTSTANDING ADVENTURES OF THE HUNT SISTERS, Judy Blume’s SUMMER SISTERS and Jodi Picoult’s MY SISTER'S KEEPER.
Once, Kerry and Eve Barnard did everything together: sailing the Block Island harbor with their father, listening to their neighbor Justin’s magical fairy tales, and all the while longing for their absent mother. They were twin girls arm in arm, secrets entwined between two hearts. Until the summer of their seventeenth birthday, when their extraordinary bond was shattered. And thirteen years later, it will take all the courage they can summon to put the pieces back together --- at a time when it matters most.…
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Click here to read more about Elizabeth Joy Arnold and PIECES OF MY SISTER'S LIFE.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Joseph Finder, Author of POWER PLAY
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In the 15 years since the publication of his first novel, THE MOSCOW CLUB, Joseph Finder has established himself as one of the world’s best and most successful thriller writers. His 2006 novel, KILLER INSTINCT, made bestseller lists around the country, as did his two previous books, COMPANY MAN and PARANOIA. His latest effort is POWER PLAY, a non-stop, pulse-pounding, high-stakes thriller that will be in stores on August 21st.
-Click here to read an excerpt from POWER PLAY.
-Click here to read fast facts about Joseph Finder.
-Click here to read Joseph Finder's bio.
-Click here to see Joseph Finder's backlist.
-Visit the author's website, www.JosephFinder.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about POWER PLAY:
It was the perfect retreat for a troubled company. No cell phones. No BlackBerrys. No cars. Just a luxurious, remote lodge surrounded by thousands of miles of wilderness.
All the top officers of the Hammond Aerospace Corporation are there. And one last-minute substitute --- a junior executive named Jake Landry. He’s a steady, modest and taciturn guy with a gift for keeping his head down and a turbulent past he’s trying to put behind him.
Jake’s uncomfortable with all the power players he's surrounded by, with all their swaggering and posturing. The only person there he knows is the female CEO’s assistant --- his ex-girlfriend, Ali.
When a band of backwoods hunters crash the opening-night dinner, the executives suddenly find themselves held hostage by armed men who will do anything, to anyone, to get their hands on the largest ransom in history. Now, terrified and desperate and cut off from the rest of the world, the captives are at the mercy of hard men with guns who may not be what they seem.
The corporate big shots hadn’t wanted Jake there. But now he’s the only one who can save them.
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Click here to read more about Joseph Finder and POWER PLAY.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Raymond Khoury, Author of THE SANCTUARY
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Our third featured Suspense/Thriller author is Raymond Khoury, whose debut novel THE LAST TEMPLAR was an international bestseller. His second work of fiction is THE SANCTUARY, and it releases on August 21st. In this powerful thriller, a geneticist and a CIA agent on a deadly quest to find the most dangerous book in the world discover a secret that has destroyed everyone in its path for centuries.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from THE SANCTUARY.
-Click here to read fast facts about Raymond Khoury.
-Click here to read Raymond Khoury's bio.
-Click here to see Raymond Khoury's backlist.
-Visit the author's website, www.RaymondKhoury.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE SANCTUARY:
Naples, 1750. In the dead of night, three men with swords burst into the palazzo of a marquis. Their leader, the Prince of San Severo, accuses the marquis of being an imposter, and demands to know a secret only the marquis harbors. In the fight that ensues, the false marquis escapes over the rooftops of Naples, leaving behind a burning palazzo and a raging prince now obsessed with finding his quarry at any cost.
Baghdad, 2003. An army unit on a routine mission makes a horrifying discovery: a state-of-the-art, concealed lab where dozens --- men, women, children --- have died, the subjects of gruesome experiments. The mysterious scientist they were after, a man believed to be working on a bioweapon and known only as the hakeem --- the doctor --- escapes, taking with him the startling truth about his work. A puzzling clue is left behind: a circular symbol of a snake feeding on its own tail.
As the power of the symbol comes to light, revealing the centuries of destruction left in its wake, one unsuspecting woman stands at the center of a conspiracy that could change the world forever. In the masterful hands of international bestseller Raymond Khoury, THE SANCTUARY delivers the same rapid-fire suspense and provocative scholarship that made THE LAST TEMPLAR a coast-to-coast blockbuster.
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Click here to read more about Raymond Khoury and THE SANCTUARY.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: M.J. Rose, Author of THE REINCARNATIONIST
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Our fourth featured Suspense/Thriller author is M.J. Rose, the international bestselling author of nine novels, including LIP SERVICE and three titles in the Butterfield Institute series: THE HALO EFFECT, THE DELILAH COMPLEX and THE VENUS FIX. Her latest, THE REINCARNATIONIST, is a spellbinding, psychologically riveting epic thriller of secrets, history and murder that will challenge the way we think about who we are and who we were. It will be available in stores on August 28th.
-Click here to read fast facts about M.J. Rose.
-Click here to read M.J. Rose's bio.
-Click here to see M.J. Rose's backlist.
-Visit the author's website, www.MJRose.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE REINCARNATIONIST:
A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white light and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. From that instant nothing would ever be the same.
As Josh recovers, his mind is increasingly invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But they are not his memories. They are ancient...and violent. A battery of medical and psychological tests can't explain Josh's baffling symptoms. And the memories have an urgency he can't ignore --- pulling him to save a woman named Sabina...and the treasures she is protecting.
But who is Sabina?
Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation --- a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. His findings there lead him to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient tomb --- a tomb with a powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.
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Click here to read more about M.J. Rose and THE REINCARNATIONIST.
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This Week's Reviews and Features
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THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke (Thriller)
Bestselling author James Lee Burke sets his 16th novel featuring detective Dave Robicheaux in the chaos of post-Katrina New Orleans. Robicheaux is on the trail of blood diamonds stolen from a mobster’s home by looters after the storm. The bad guys have to hope that Robicheaux finds them before the mob does. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN.
BEYOND REACH by Karin Slaughter (Thriller)
Sara Linton --- resident medical examiner/pediatrician in Grant County, Georgia --- has plenty of hardship to deal with. So when her husband, police chief Jeffery Tolliver, learns that his friend and co-worker, detective Lena Adams, has been arrested for murder and needs Sara’s help, she’s not sure she can handle the pressure of it all. But soon Sara and Jeffery are sitting through evidence, peeling back the layers of a mystery that grows darker by the day --- until an intricate web of betrayal and vengeance begins to unravel. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read an excerpt from BEYOND REACH.
THE GATECRASHER by Madeleine Wickham (Fiction)
Probably more famous under her pen name, Sophie Kinsella, Madeleine Wickham nevertheless deserves her own name recognition. In THE GATECRASHER, she offers up a wickedly funny sendup of modern manners, mores and money. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
THE DEVIL’S LABYRINTH by John Saul (Thriller)
A young priest has been dispatched on an extraordinary and controversial mission: to prove the power of one of the Church’s most arcane sacred rituals, exorcism. Willing or not, the most troubled students at St. Isaac’s Catholic boarding school will be pawns in his one-man war against evil --- a war so surprisingly effective that the pope takes notice of the seemingly miraculous events unfolding an ocean away. But 15-year-old Ryan McIntyre sees --- and knows --- otherwise. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.
MERCILESS by Richard Montanari (Thriller)
Homicide cops Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano follow the twisted trail of a pitiless killer in the third installment of Richard Montanari's acclaimed Philadelphia crime series. As they sift through suspects and clues, a shocking secret history is unearthed: a legacy of malevolence and cold-blooded retribution dating back 20 years. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
RESTITUTION by Lee Vance (Thriller)
The perfect life that Peter Tyler seems to lead comes crashing down when his wife is found brutally murdered. Upon learning he is the prime suspect, Peter will have to question everything he has ever believed as he struggles to unravel the truth behind Jenna’s killing and the disappearance of his friend Andrei (who might hold the key to everything) before the police catch up with him. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
A THOUSAND BONES by P.J. Parrish (Mystery)
The bones found in the woods were the first clue in a string of unimaginably brutal murders of young women. Plunged into a heated investigation --- and caught between the dictates of a reluctant local sheriff and the state police --- female detective Joe Frye soon uncovers the chilling truth: she must face down a predator who has chosen her as a worthy opponent --- or become his next victim. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.
THE MASTER BEDROOM by Tessa Hadley (Fiction)
Kate Flynn has moved back to her childhood home to take care of her mother, who is in the beginning stages of dementia. On her way, a swan falls from the sky and hits the car in front of her, providing an ominous beginning to her lackadaisical return to the past. Reviewed by Shannon Luders-Manuel.
THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES by Stef Penny (Historical Mystery)
Cinematic scope, subtle characterizations and an unforgivably harsh landscape make for an unforgettable reading experience in Stef Penney's debut novel, THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES, which garnered critical acclaim in the United Kingdom. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
A SPY BY NATURE by Charles Cumming (Mystery)
Alec Milius is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service. In his new line of work, Alec finds that the difference between the truth and a lie can mean the difference between life and death --- and he’s having trouble telling them apart. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.
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Read this week's reviews and features here.
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Poll, Question and Word of Mouth
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Poll:
Do you re-read your favorite books?
All of the time
Some of the time
No, but this is a good idea.
Never
-Click here to answer our poll.
Question:
Which books (name up to 3) have you read more than once?
-Click here to answer our Question of the Week.
Word of Mouth:
Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.
This week we have three great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of BEYOND REACH by Karin Slaughter, PLAY DIRTY by Sandra Brown and SPOOK COUNTRY by William Gibson.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on August 17th.
-Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
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As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.
Those of you who wish to send mail to Bookreporter.com, please see the form on the Write to Us page. If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us.
Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by August 31, 2007 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: BEYOND REACH by Karin Slaughter, BONES TO ASHES by Kathy Reichs, THE CAREFUL USE OF COMPLIMENTS: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel by Alexander McCall Smith, PLAY DIRTY by Sandra Brown and SPOOK COUNTRY by William Gibson. Tara from Ballston Lake, NY was last month's newsletter winner. She won THE SECRET SERVANT by Daniel Silva, THE EVER-RUNNING MAN: A Sharon McCone Mystery by Marcia Muller, KILLER WEEKEND by Ridley Pearson, THE QUICKIE by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge and THE WATER'S LOVELY by Ruth Rendell.
Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.
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