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Week of February 3, 2020

New in Paperback

Week of February 3, 2020

Paperback releases for the week of February 3rd include DAISY JONES & THE SIX, a gripping novel from Taylor Jenkins Reid about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup; OUTFOX by Sandra Brown, which finds FBI agent Drex Easton becoming a suspect's next-door neighbor after a 30-year search for a serial killer --- but can he navigate a shocking series of twists and turns to track down the truth?; Valeria Luiselli's LOST CHILDREN ARCHIVE, an emotionally resonant, fiercely imaginative novel about a family whose road trip across America collides with an immigration crisis at the southwestern border; and SEPARATE, in which Steve Luxenberg draws from letters, diaries and archival collections to tell the story of Plessy v. Ferguson through the eyes of the people caught up in the case.

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald - Domestic Thriller/Mystery

February 4, 2020

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers that her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened, but the police are highly suspicious of her. Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London --- Kat’s former home --- for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James - Historical Fantasy

February 4, 2020

Tracker is known far and wide for his skills as a hunter. Engaged to track down a mysterious boy who disappeared three years earlier, Tracker breaks his own rule of always working alone when he finds himself part of a group that comes together to search for the boy. As Tracker follows his scent, he and the band are set upon by creatures intent on destroying them. As he struggles to survive, Tracker starts to wonder: Who, really, is this boy? Why has he been missing for so long? Why do so many people want to keep Tracker from finding him? And perhaps the most important questions of all: Who is telling the truth, and who is lying?

The Border by Don Winslow - Thriller

February 4, 2020

Art Keller’s obsession to defeat the world’s most powerful, wealthy and lethal kingpin --- the godfather of the Sinaloa Cartel, Adán Barrera --- has left him bloody and scarred, and cost him the people he loves. Now Keller is elevated to the highest ranks of the DEA, only to find that in destroying one monster he has created 30 more that are wreaking even more chaos and suffering in his beloved Mexico. But Barrera’s final legacy is the heroin epidemic scourging America. Throwing himself into the gap to stem the deadly flow, Keller finds himself surrounded by men who want to kill him and an incoming administration that’s in bed with the very drug traffickers Keller is trying to bring down.

A Cold Trail by Robert Dugoni - Mystery/Thriller

February 4, 2020

The last time homicide detective Tracy Crosswhite was in Cedar Grove, it was to see her sister’s killer put behind bars. Now she’s returned for a respite and the chance to put her life back in order for herself, her attorney husband, Dan, and their new daughter. But tragic memories soon prove impossible to escape. Dan is drawn into representing a local merchant whose business is jeopardized by the town’s revitalization. And Tracy is urged by the local PD to put her own skills to work on a new case: the brutal murder of a police officer’s wife and local reporter who was investigating a cold-case slaying of a young woman. As Tracy’s and Dan’s cases crisscross, Tracy’s trail becomes dangerous.

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Fiction

February 4, 2020

Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late '60s, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s 20, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend.

A Dangerous Man: An Elvis Cole and Joe Pike Novel by Robert Crais - Thriller

February 4, 2020

Joe Pike didn't expect to rescue a woman during his trip to the bank. So when Isabel Roland, the young teller who helped him, steps out of the bank, Joe is on hand when two men abduct her. Joe chases them down, and the kidnappers are arrested. But instead of putting the drama to bed, the arrests are only the beginning of the trouble for Joe and Izzy. After posting bail, the two men are murdered and Izzy disappears. Pike calls on his friend, Elvis Cole, to help learn the truth. What Elvis uncovers is a twisted family story that involves corporate whistleblowing, huge amounts of cash, the Witness Relocation Program, and a long line of lies. Is Izzy a perpetrator or a victim? And how far will Joe go to find out?

Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird - Historical Fiction

February 4, 2020

Born into bondage on a “miserable tobacco farm” in Little Dixie, Missouri, Cathy Williams’ chance at freedom presents itself with the arrival of Union general Phillip Henry “Smash ‘em Up” Sheridan, the outcast of West Point who takes the rawboned, prideful young woman into service. At war’s end, having tasted freedom, Cathy refuses to return to servitude and makes the monumental decision to disguise herself as a man and join the Army’s legendary Buffalo Soldiers. Alone now in the ultimate man’s world, Cathy not only must fight for her survival and freedom, she also vows to never give up on finding her mother, her little sister, and the love of the only man strong enough to win her heart.

The Deepest Blue: Tales of Renthia by Sarah Beth Durst - Dark Fantasy

February 4, 2020

Life is precious and precarious on the islands of Belene. Besieged by a capricious ocean full of malicious spirits, the people of the islands seek joy where they can. Mayara, one of the island’s fearless oyster divers, has found happiness in love. But on the day of her wedding to the artist Kelo, a spirit-driven storm hits the island with deadly force. To save her loved ones, Mayara reveals a dangerous secret: she has the power to control the spirits. When the storm ends, she is taken into custody by the queen’s soldiers and imprisoned with other women like her. Whoever survives the Island of Testing will be declared heirs to the queen. But no matter if she wins or loses, Mayara knows that the life she dreamed of is gone.

The Department of Sensitive Crimes: A Detective Varg Novel by Alexander McCall Smith - Mystery/Humor

February 4, 2020

In the Swedish criminal justice system, certain cases are considered especially strange and difficult. In Malmö, the dedicated detectives who investigate these crimes are members of an elite squad known as the Sensitive Crimes Division. These are their stories. The first case: the small matter of a man stabbed in the back of the knee. Who would perpetrate such a crime and why? Next: a young woman's imaginary boyfriend goes missing. But how on earth do you search for someone who doesn't exist? And in the final investigation: eerie secrets that are revealed under a full moon may not seem so supernatural in the light of day.

The Good Detective by John McMahon - Thriller

February 4, 2020

Detective P.T. Marsh, the former rising star of the Mason Falls, Georgia, police force, decides to help out a woman by giving her abusive boyfriend a taste of his own medicine. The next morning he gets called to the scene of his newest murder case, and is stunned to arrive at the house of a dead man, the very man he beat up the night before. As P.T. and his partner, Remy, begin to suspect the murder is connected to a local arson and the lynching of a teenage boy, P.T. realizes he might have killed the top suspect of this horrific crime. Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War.

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman - Romantic Comedy

February 4, 2020

Daphne Maritch doesn't quite know what to make of the heavily annotated high school yearbook she inherits from her mother. The late June Winter Maritch was the teacher to whom the class of '68 had dedicated its yearbook, and in turn she went on to attend every reunion, scribbling notes and observations after each one --- not always charitably --- and noting who overstepped boundaries of many kinds. In a fit of decluttering, she discards it when she moves to a small New York City apartment. But when it's found in the recycling bin by a busybody neighbor/documentary filmmaker, the yearbook's mysteries --- not to mention her own family's --- take on a whole new urgency, and Daphne finds herself entangled in a series of events both poignant and absurd.

If, Then by Kate Hope Day - Speculative Fiction

February 4, 2020

In the quiet haven of Clearing, Oregon, four neighbors find their lives upended when they begin to see themselves in parallel realities. At first the visions are relatively benign, but they grow increasingly disturbing --- and, in some cases, frightening. When a natural disaster threatens Clearing, it becomes obvious that the visions were not what they first seemed and that the town will never be the same.

I.M.: A Memoir by Isaac Mizrahi - Memoir

February 4, 2020

Isaac Mizrahi offers a poignant, candid and touching look back on his life so far. Growing up gay in a sheltered Syrian Jewish Orthodox family, Isaac had unique talents that ultimately drew him into fashion and later into celebrity circles that read like a who’s who of the 20th and 21st centuries: Richard Avedon, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Wintour, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey, to name only a few. In I.M., Isaac delves into his lifelong battles with weight, insomnia and depression. He tells what it was like to be an out gay man in a homophobic age and to witness the ravaging effects of the AIDS epidemic.

Labyrinth by Catherine Coulter - Thriller

February 4, 2020

Agent Sherlock is driving in downtown Washington when her Volvo is suddenly T-boned at an intersection. As her car spins out of control, a man’s body slams against her windshield. No one knows yet who he is or where he is because he ran away. From DNA, they discover his name is Justice Cummings and he’s a CIA analyst at Langley. Meanwhile, Special Agent Griffin Hammersmith rescues a kidnapped woman claiming her captor had probably murdered three missing teenage girls. However, the man she accuses is the local sheriff’s nephew and a member of a very powerful family. When the sheriff arrests Griffin and the rescued woman, he calls Savich for help. Together they have to weave their way through a labyrinth of lies to find the truth of a terrible secret.

Lights All Night Long by Lydia Fitzpatrick - Fiction

February 4, 2020

Fifteen-year-old Ilya arrives in Louisiana from his native Russia for what should be the adventure of his life: a year in America as an exchange student. But all is not right in Ilya's world: he's consumed by the fate of his older brother Vladimir, the magnetic rebel to Ilya's dutiful wunderkind, back in their tiny Russian hometown. The two have always been close, spending their days dreaming of escaping to America. But when Ilya was tapped for the exchange, Vladimir disappeared into their town's seedy, drug-plagued underworld. Just before Ilya left, the murders of three young women rocked the town's usual calm, and Vladimir found himself in prison. With the help of Sadie, who has secrets of her own, Ilya embarks on a mission to prove Vladimir's innocence.

Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli - Fiction

February 4, 2020

An artist couple set out with their two children on a road trip from New York to Arizona in the heat of summer. As the family travels west, the bonds between them begin to fray: a fracture is growing between the parents, one the children can almost feel beneath their feet. Through ephemera such as songs, maps and a Polaroid camera, the children try to make sense of both their family’s crisis and the larger one engulfing the news: the stories of thousands of kids trying to cross the southwestern border into the United States but getting detained --- or lost in the desert along the way.

The Misfortunes of Family by Meg Little Reilly - Fiction

February 4, 2020

As the four adult sons of retired senator John Bright head with their partners to the annual family reunion, they have everything they need, except self-awareness. This year, the senator has agreed to let a producer document the reunion at the lake house. As petty jealousies surface, Philip, the youngest, reveals a surprising personal decision that earns the ribbing --- or is it scorn? --- of his brothers, JJ, Spencer and Charlie. Then the senator unexpectedly announces his desire for another political run. Not everyone is on board, especially matriarch Patty, who is keenly aware of the toll it will take on their private lives. Suddenly closely held family secrets start tumbling out and keep coming, including the biggest one that will rock this family to the core.

More Than Words by Jill Santopolo - Fiction

February 4, 2020

Nina Gregory has always been a good daughter. Raised by her father, owner of New York City's glamorous Gregory Hotels, Nina was taught that family, reputation and legacy are what matter most. And Tim --- her devoted boyfriend and best friend since childhood --- feels the same. But when Nina's father dies, he leaves behind a secret that shocks Nina to her core. As her world falls apart, Nina begins to see the men in her life --- her father, her boyfriend and, unexpectedly, her boss, Rafael --- in a new light. Soon Nina finds herself caught between the world she loves and a passion that could upend everything.

The Moroccan Girl by Charles Cumming - Thriller

February 4, 2020

Renowned author Kit Carradine is approached by an MI6 officer with a seemingly straightforward assignment: to track down a mysterious woman hiding somewhere in the exotic, perilous city of Marrakesh. Lara Bartok is a leading figure in Resurrection, a violent revolutionary movement whose brutal attacks on prominent right-wing public figures have spread hatred and violence across the world. Caught between increasingly dangerous forces who want Bartok dead, Carradine soon faces an awful choice: to abandon this brilliant, beautiful and profoundly complex woman to her fate, or to risk everything trying to save her.

Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London by Claire Harman - True Crime/History

February 4, 2020

Early on the morning of May 6, 1840, the elderly Lord William Russell was found in his London house with his throat so deeply cut that his head was nearly severed. The crime soon had everyone, including Queen Victoria, feverishly speculating about motives and methods. But when the prime suspect claimed to have been inspired by a sensational crime novel, it sent shock waves through literary London and drew both Dickens and Thackeray into the fray. Could a novel really lead someone to kill?

Murder in Bel-Air: An Aimée Leduc Investigation by Cara Black - Mystery

February 4, 2020

Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc gets an emergency phone call from her daughter’s playgroup: Aimée’s own mother, who was supposed to pick Chloe up, never showed. As Aimée and Chloe leave the playground, Aimée witnesses the body of a homeless woman being wheeled away from the neighboring convent, where nuns run a soup kitchen. The last person anyone saw the dead woman talking to was Aimée’s mother, who has vanished. Trying to figure out what happened to Sydney Leduc, Aimée tracks down the dead woman’s possessions, which include a huge amount of cash. What did Sydney stumble into? Is she in trouble?

One Day You'll Burn by Joseph Schneider - Mystery

February 4, 2020

A body so badly burned that it could be mistaken for a movie prop...except for the smell. That's not something the LAPD finds lying on the street every day. And when Detective Tully Jarsdel is called to the scene, it's clear to him that something about the placement of the corpse is intentional, even ritualistic. Jarsdel's former career in academia finally seems to be coming in handy. But nothing Jarsdel learned in school can prepare him for the deep evil behind this case, which appears to be as hopeless as it is violent. As Jarsdel and his partner, Morales, attempt to uncover the motive behind the horrendous crime, they find themselves dragged into the underbelly of a city notorious for chewing up and spitting out anyone dumb enough to turn their back on survival.

Outfox by Sandra Brown - Psychological Thriller/Romantic Suspense

February 4, 2020

FBI agent Drex Easton is relentlessly driven by a single goal: to outmaneuver the conman once known as Weston Graham. Over the past 30 years, Weston has assumed many names and countless disguises, enabling him to lure eight wealthy women out of their fortunes before they disappeared without a trace, their families left without answers and the authorities without clues. Drex is convinced that these women have been murdered, and that the man he knows as Weston Graham is the sociopath responsible. But each time Drex gets close to catching him, Weston trades one persona for another and disappears again. Now, for the first time in their long game of cat and mouse, Drex has a suspect in sight.

The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone - Thriller

February 4, 2020

American expat Kate Moore drops her kids at the international school, makes her shopping rounds, and meets her husband Dexter at their regular café. Across the Seine, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth stands on his balcony, perplexed that his police escort just departed, and frustrated that his cell service has cut out; Hunter has important calls to make, not all of them technically legal. And on the nearby rue de Rivoli, Mahmoud Khalid climbs out of an electrician’s van, and elbows his way into the crowded courtyard of the world’s largest museum, in the epicenter of Western civilization. He sets down his metal briefcase and removes his windbreaker. That’s when people start to scream.

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini - Historical Fiction

February 4, 2020

After Wisconsin graduate student Mildred Fish marries brilliant German economist Arvid Harnack, she accompanies him to his German homeland, where a promising future awaits. In the thriving intellectual culture of 1930s Berlin, the newlyweds create a rich new life filled with love, friendships and rewarding work --- but the rise of a malevolent new political faction inexorably changes their fate. As Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party wield violence and lies to seize power, Mildred, Arvid and their friends resolve to resist. For years, Mildred’s network stealthily fights to bring down the Third Reich from within. But when Nazi radio operatives detect an errant Russian signal, the Harnack resistance cell is exposed, with fatal consequences.

Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer - Medical Thriller

February 4, 2020

Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother. Others, including her husband, would say she's obsessed with her daughter. Fifteen-year-old Meghan is constantly, inexplicably ill. Her doctors are starting to suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy --- they believe Meghan's mother is seeking medical help for symptoms that don't exist. But when Meghan's illness takes a sharp turn, it is no longer clear if her mother is lying, or if something even more sinister is at hand. Becky must race against time to prove her daughter is in danger. But first, she must confront secrets that threaten to not only upend her life, but destroy it.

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister - Fiction

February 4, 2020

Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world --- a place of love, betrayal, ambition and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.

Separate: The Story of Plessy v. Ferguson, and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation by Steve Luxenberg - History

February 4, 2020

SEPARATE is a myth-shattering narrative of one of the most consequential Supreme Court cases of the 19th century, Plessy v. Ferguson. The 1896 ruling embraced racial segregation, and its reverberations are still felt today. Drawing on letters, diaries and archival collections, Steve Luxenberg reveals the origins of racial separation and its pernicious grip on American life. He tells the story through the lives of the people caught up in the case: Louis Martinet, who led the resisters from the mixed-race community of French New Orleans; Albion Tourgée, a bestselling author and the country’s best-known white advocate for civil rights; Justice Henry Billings Brown, whose majority ruling sanctioned separation; and Justice John Harlan, whose singular dissent cemented his reputation as a steadfast voice for justice.

Survival Math: Notes on an All-American Family by Mitchell S. Jackson - Memoir

February 4, 2020

SURVIVAL MATH explores gangs and guns, near-death experiences, sex work, masculinity, composite fathers, the concept of “hustle” and the destructive power of addiction --- all framed within the story of Mitchell Jackson, his family and his community. The primary narrative, focused on understanding the antecedents of Jackson’s family’s experience, is complemented by survivor files, which feature photographs and riveting short narratives of several of Jackson’s male relatives.

Woman 99 by Greer Macallister - Historical Thriller

February 4, 2020

When Charlotte Smith's wealthy parents commit her beloved sister Phoebe to the infamous Goldengrove Asylum, Charlotte knows there's more to the story than madness. She risks everything and follows her sister inside, surrendering her real identity as a privileged young lady of San Francisco society to become a nameless inmate, Woman 99. The longer she stays, the more she realizes that many of the women of Goldengrove aren't insane, merely inconvenient --- and that her search for the truth threatens to dig up secrets that some very powerful people would do anything to keep.

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum - Fiction

February 4, 2020

Palestine, 1990. Seventeen-year-old Isra finds herself quickly betrothed and married. She struggles to adapt to the expectations of her oppressive mother-in-law Fareeda and strange new husband Adam, a pressure that intensifies as she begins to have children --- four daughters instead of the sons Fareeda tells Isra she must bear. Brooklyn, 2008. Eighteen-year-old Deya, Isra’s oldest daughter, must meet with potential husbands at her grandmother Fareeda’s insistence. She can’t help but wonder if her options would have been different had her parents survived the car crash that killed them when she was only eight. Soon, however, Deya will find herself on an unexpected path that leads her to shocking truths about her family.

The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa - Romantic Comedy

February 4, 2020

A wedding planner left at the altar? Yeah, the irony isn’t lost on Carolina Santos, either. But despite that embarrassing blip from her past, Lina is offered an opportunity that could change her life. There’s just one hitch: she has to collaborate with the best (make that worst) man from her own failed nuptials. Marketing expert Max Hartley is determined to make his mark with a coveted hotel client looking to expand its brand. Then he learns he’ll be working with his brother’s whip-smart, stunning --- absolutely off-limits --- ex-fiancée. And she loathes him. If they can nail their presentation without killing each other, they’ll both come out ahead. Except Max has been public enemy number one ever since he encouraged his brother to jilt the bride, and Lina is ready to dish out a little payback of her own.