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Editorial Content for Wolf at the Table

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Philip Zozzaro

Myra Lee Larkin is the oldest of five children living with her parents in Elmira, New York. Her mother expects much from her as the eldest sibling. In 1951, Myra is 13 years old and seeks periods of solitude whenever she can find them. She sneaks off to a diner to read the controversial THE CATCHER IN THE RYE before her daily curfew. A stranger strikes up a conversation with her and makes quite an impression. The man says his name is Mickey Mantle, and the only things that erase him from her reverie are her baby brother’s hospitalization and the triple murder of a local family. Read More

Teaser

As late summer 1951 descends on Elmira, New York, 13-year-old Myra Larkin meets a young man she believes to be Mickey Mantle. He chats her up at a local diner and gives her a ride home. The matter consumes her until later that night, when a triple homicide occurs just down the street. As the siblings leave home and fan across the country, each pursues a shard of the American dream. Myra serves as a prison nurse while raising her son, Ronan. Her middle sisters, Lexy and Fiona, find themselves on opposite sides of class and power. Alec, once an altar boy, is banished from the house and drifts into oblivion. As he becomes an increasingly alienated loner, his mother begins to receive postcards full of ominous portent. What they reveal, and what they require, will shatter a family and lead to a devastating reckoning.

Promo

As late summer 1951 descends on Elmira, New York, 13-year-old Myra Larkin meets a young man she believes to be Mickey Mantle. He chats her up at a local diner and gives her a ride home. The matter consumes her until later that night, when a triple homicide occurs just down the street. As the siblings leave home and fan across the country, each pursues a shard of the American dream. Myra serves as a prison nurse while raising her son, Ronan. Her middle sisters, Lexy and Fiona, find themselves on opposite sides of class and power. Alec, once an altar boy, is banished from the house and drifts into oblivion. As he becomes an increasingly alienated loner, his mother begins to receive postcards full of ominous portent. What they reveal, and what they require, will shatter a family and lead to a devastating reckoning.

About the Book

THE CORRECTIONS meets WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN in this harrowing multigenerational saga about a family harboring a serial killer in their midst in this “masterful novel” that “peers into the dark heart of America.” (Richard Ford, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of INDEPENDENCE DAY)

As late summer 1951 descends on Elmira, New York, 13-year-old Myra Larkin, the oldest child of a large Catholic family, meets a young man she believes to be Mickey Mantle. He chats her up at a local diner and gives her a ride home. The matter consumes her until later that night, when a triple homicide occurs just down the street, opening a specter of violence that will haunt the Larkins for half a century.

As the siblings leave home and fan across the country, each pursues a shard of the American dream. Myra serves as a prison nurse while raising her son, Ronan. Her middle sisters, Lexy and Fiona, find themselves on opposite sides of class and power. Alec, once an altar boy, is banished from the house and drifts into oblivion. As he becomes an increasingly alienated loner, his mother begins to receive postcards full of ominous portent. What they reveal, and what they require, will shatter a family and lead to devastating reckoning.

Through one family’s pursuit of the American dream, WOLF AT THE TABLE explores our consistent proximity to violence and its effects over time. Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp writes with gorgeous acuity, cutting to the heart of each character as he reveals the devastating reality beneath the veneer of good society.

Audiobook available, read by Paul Sparks

Editorial Content for Galway Confidential: A Jack Taylor Mystery

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

There are few writers who can lay claim to truly having their ear to the streets of modern Ireland in the same way that Ken Bruen has. His complex, partially broken protagonist, Jack Taylor, is the ideal tour guide to take you through the dark side of Galway, and this is fully on display in GALWAY CONFIDENTIAL. Read More

Teaser

Jack Taylor wakes up from a coma to discover that much of the world has changed since he last walked the streets of Galway. The pandemic had hit while he was under, devastating the lives of many in his beloved city and beyond. Now, as Jack tries to recover from the attack that put him in the hospital and absorb the incredible changes in the world around him, a woman approaches him with a distressing case. Two local nuns have been bludgeoned by a mysterious man wielding a hammer, and more are sure to follow. Initially wary of becoming involved in the investigation, Jack finds he cannot stay away from the mystery surrounding these vicious attacks. He also cannot shake a feeling of darkness that has haunted him since he awoke from his coma --- a darkness that is far too close for comfort.

Promo

Jack Taylor wakes up from a coma to discover that much of the world has changed since he last walked the streets of Galway. The pandemic had hit while he was under, devastating the lives of many in his beloved city and beyond. Now, as Jack tries to recover from the attack that put him in the hospital and absorb the incredible changes in the world around him, a woman approaches him with a distressing case. Two local nuns have been bludgeoned by a mysterious man wielding a hammer, and more are sure to follow. Initially wary of becoming involved in the investigation, Jack finds he cannot stay away from the mystery surrounding these vicious attacks. He also cannot shake a feeling of darkness that has haunted him since he awoke from his coma --- a darkness that is far too close for comfort.

About the Book

In this new installment of Ken Bruen’s beloved Jack Taylor series, the whiskey-swigging Irish detective investigates a series of violent attacks on the local convent’s nuns.

Jack Taylor wakes up from a coma to discover that much of the world has changed since he last walked the streets of Galway. The pandemic had hit while he was under, devastating the lives of many in his beloved city and beyond. Now, as Jack tries to recover from the attack that put him in the hospital and absorb the incredible changes in the world around him, a woman approaches him with a distressing case: two local nuns have been bludgeoned by a mysterious man wielding a hammer, and more are sure to follow. As the police fail to act while the violence against the Sisters escalates, Jack seems like their only hope.

Initially wary of becoming involved in the investigation, Jack finds he cannot stay away from the mystery surrounding these vicious attacks. He also cannot shake a feeling of darkness that has haunted him since he awoke from his coma --- a darkness that is far too close for comfort. Luckily an old friend is there to help see him through and there is always Jack’s dark wit and a drink to help shore up his mood.

Editorial Content for Black Wolf

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

It was such a treat to meet Antonia Scott, the unique and engaging crime fighter from the mind of Juan Gómez-Jurado, in RED QUEEN. It also was so much fun to watch the series on Prime Video, where the horrific crimes Antonia worked were brought to life. Read More

Teaser

Antonia Scott is the linchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes. But she is unwilling to move past the last case, convinced it’s related to a personal tragedy, until a series of deadly events pulls her back in. In southern Spain, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his villa. His pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, barely escapes an attempt to kill her in a shopping mall and is on the run. A shipping container from St. Petersburg arrives in port in Spain containing the corpses of nine women, all of whom suffocated. Now Antonia, with the help of her helper and protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down Lola. But a dangerous contract killer, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail.

Promo

Antonia Scott is the linchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes. But she is unwilling to move past the last case, convinced it’s related to a personal tragedy, until a series of deadly events pulls her back in. In southern Spain, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his villa. His pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, barely escapes an attempt to kill her in a shopping mall and is on the run. A shipping container from St. Petersburg arrives in port in Spain containing the corpses of nine women, all of whom suffocated. Now Antonia, with the help of her helper and protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down Lola. But a dangerous contract killer, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail.

About the Book

International bestselling sensation Antonia Scott, along with Jon Gutierrez, returns in the much anticipated sequel to RED QUEEN.

Antonia Scott has an unusually gifted mind, able to see what others miss, able to solve the crimes that baffle all others. The only thing she fears is herself.

Antonia is the linchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes. But she is unwilling to move past the last case, convinced it’s related to a personal tragedy, until a series of deadly events pulls her back in. In southern Spain, in the Costa del Sol, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his villa, his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, barely escapes an attempt to kill her in a shopping mall and is on the run. A shipping container from St. Petersburg arrives in port in Spain containing the corpses of nine women, all of whom suffocated.

Now Antonia, with the help of her helper and protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down this missing Lola. But they aren’t the only ones on Lola’s trail --- a dangerous contract killer, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail. And Antonia Scott, still plagued by her personal demons, must outwit, out-maneuver and, ultimately, face this terrible, mysterious rival.

Audiobook available, read by Scott Brick

Editorial Content for The Stars Turned Inside Out

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

While there is a death at the very beginning of THE STARS TURNED INSIDE OUT, Nova Jacobs has much more in store for readers than a typical murder mystery. This very sophisticated novel takes place in Switzerland. In the CERN facility, physicists try to divide atoms into smaller and smaller pieces in an effort to find dark matter, a mysterious concept that most of us don't fully understand, where the death takes place. And while the cause of death is clear, how it happened is not. Read More

Teaser

Deep beneath the ground outside of Geneva, where CERN’s Large Hadron Collider smashes subatomic particles at breathtaking speeds, a startling discovery is made when the tunnel is down for maintenance: the body of Howard Anderby, a brilliant and recently arrived young physicist, who appears to have been irradiated by the collider. But security shows no evidence of him entering the tunnel, and the lab’s video surveillance is sorely lacking. Eager to keep the death under wraps until more is known, CERN brings in private investigator Sabine Leroux, who has her own ties to the lab’s administration --- and more than a passing interest in particle physics. Meanwhile, Howard’s colleague and budding love interest, Eve, determines to reconcile what she knew of Howard with his gruesome fate, wondering if she could have done something to stop it.

Promo

Deep beneath the ground outside of Geneva, where CERN’s Large Hadron Collider smashes subatomic particles at breathtaking speeds, a startling discovery is made when the tunnel is down for maintenance: the body of Howard Anderby, a brilliant and recently arrived young physicist, who appears to have been irradiated by the collider. But security shows no evidence of him entering the tunnel, and the lab’s video surveillance is sorely lacking. Eager to keep the death under wraps until more is known, CERN brings in private investigator Sabine Leroux, who has her own ties to the lab’s administration --- and more than a passing interest in particle physics. Meanwhile, Howard’s colleague and budding love interest, Eve, determines to reconcile what she knew of Howard with his gruesome fate, wondering if she could have done something to stop it.

About the Book

The discovery of a suspicious death at a famous Swiss physics laboratory sparks a mystery that merges science, philosophy and the high-stakes race to unlock the fundamental nature of our universe in this thrilling new novel from the Edgar Award–nominated author of the “hugely entertaining” (The Wall Street Journal) THE LAST EQUATION OF ISAAC SEVERY.

Deep beneath the ground outside of Geneva, where CERN’s Large Hadron Collider smashes subatomic particles at breathtaking speeds, a startling discovery is made when the tunnel is down for maintenance: the body of Howard Anderby, a brilliant and recently arrived young physicist, who appears to have been irradiated by the collider. But security shows no evidence of him entering the tunnel, and for all of the lab’s funding, its video surveillance is sorely lacking.

Eager to keep the death under wraps until more is known, CERN brings in private investigator Sabine Leroux, who has her own ties to the lab’s administration --- and more than a passing interest in particle physics. Meanwhile, Howard’s colleague and budding love interest Eve, shattered by his death, determines to reconcile what she knew of Howard with his gruesome fate, wondering if she could have done something to stop it.

As Sabine digs into petty academic rivalries and personal secrets, an escalating international physics arms race heightens tensions and fuels speculation of a mole at the lab --- throwing into question loyalties and revealing what sort of knowledge may be worth killing for.

Audiobook available, read by Lisa Flanagan

Editorial Content for Kingdom of Play: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Most of us who have dogs or cats know that animals play a lot. They do it with us, with other animals, or on their own. In KINGDOM OF PLAY, David Toomey explores how a multitude of animals play in nature. This is not a light read, but rather a book that goes deep into the science of play, even the neuroscience and culture of play. Read More

Teaser

In KINGDOM OF PLAY, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution? Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful.

Promo

In KINGDOM OF PLAY, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution? Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful.

About the Book

For readers of INSIDE OF A DOG and THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS, a fascinating, charming and revelatory look at the science behind why animals play that shows how life --- at its most fundamental level --- is playful.

In KINGDOM OF PLAY, critically acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution?

Monkeys belly-flop, dolphins tail-walk, elephants mud-slide, crows dive-bomb and octopuses bounce balls. These activities are various, but all are play, and as Toomey explains, animal play can be seen as a distinct behavior --- one that is ongoing and open-ended, purposeless and provisional --- rather like natural selection. Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful.

A globe-spanning journey and a scientific detective story filled with lively animal anecdotes, KINGDOM OF PLAY is an illuminating --- and yes, playful --- look at a little-known aspect of the animal kingdom.

Audiobook available, read by Jacques Roy

Editorial Content for Clover Hendry's Day Off

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pauline Finch

Lesson One: If you’re planning to go rogue, do it on a Thursday. Any earlier in the week, and the world will have a chance to make you regret it. Any later, the weekend gets in the way, and by Monday your great act of self-realization will have simply evaporated.

Lesson Two: If you’re planning to go rogue, don’t go it alone. Read CLOVER HENDRY’S DAY OFF first for a truly inspirational and wickedly good example of how to do it in style. Read More

Teaser

Clover Hendry hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says “yes” every time her boss asks her to work late. Today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels. What made Clover change her ways? Why doesn’t she care anymore? There’s more to this day than meets the eye.

Promo

Clover Hendry hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says “yes” every time her boss asks her to work late. Today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels. What made Clover change her ways? Why doesn’t she care anymore? There’s more to this day than meets the eye.

About the Book

A hilarious and empowering perimenopausal Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, about 46-year-old Clover Hendry and the day she decides to stop keeping the plates spinning, say F@#! it all, and finally get hers.

Today is not the day to mess with Clover Hendry.

Clover Hendry hasn’t said “No” a day in her life. Until today. Normally a woman who tips her hairdresser even when the cut is hideous, is endlessly patient with her horrendous mother, and says “yes” every time her boss asks her to work late. Today, things are going to be very different. Because Clover is taking the day off. Today, she’s going to do and say whatever she likes, even if it means her whole life unravels.

What made Clover change her ways? Why doesn’t she care anymore? There’s more to this day than meets the eye.

CLOVER HENDRY'S DAY OFF is a joyful, raging, galvanizing story about putting life on pause, pleasing yourself and getting your own back. Whatever it takes. Because when Clover stops caring, she can start living.

Audiobook available, read by Imogen Church

March 22, 2024

Readers Share Their Audiobook Experiences

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In the March 15th Bookreporter newsletter, Carol Fitzgerald talked about listening to Simone Gorrindo’s upcoming memoir, THE WIVES. When an author writes a memoir, she enjoys hearing it in their own words. So she was curious about how our readers have adapted audiobook listening in their lives. We received so many wonderful replies that we decided to make a blog post out of it. Many thanks to all those who told us about their audio experiences!

March 22, 2024

It was a great week for reading. Last weekend, I read WHAT HAPPENED TO NINA? by Dervla McTiernan. We actually find out what happened to Nina, who had been away with her boyfriend at his family’s 400-acre (yes, you read that right) property in Stowe, Vermont, sooner than you might expect. But where the story goes from there is just as interesting. Yes, you will think about the Gabby Petito case, but there is a lot more to ponder here. It will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection, and I will write more about it in the weeks to come.

The National Book Critics Circle Awards 2023

The winners of the 2023 National Book Critics Circle Awards were announced on March 21st during a ceremony at the New School in New York City.

Interview: Chris Bohjalian, author of The Princess of Las Vegas

Mar 21, 2024

Chris Bohjalian’s latest novel, THE PRINCESS OF LAS VEGAS, revolves around a Princess Diana impersonator and her estranged sister who find themselves drawn into a dangerous game of money and murder. In this interview conducted by Bookreporter.com reviewer Roberta O’Hara, Bohjalian talks about his inspiration for the story; why he believes the world is still fascinated by Lady Di, more than 25 years after her untimely passing; how it feels to have his books brought to life on the screen; and what he’s working on now --- and when his lucky readers can expect to see it.