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Week of January 11, 2016

New in Paperback

Week of January 11, 2016

Paperback releases for the week of January 11th include MISSOULA by Jon Krakauer, a meticulously reported narrative about a series of sexual assaults at the University of Montana ­--- stories that illuminate the human drama behind the national plague of campus rape; A GOD IN RUINS, the follow-up to Kate Atkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE, which tells the dramatic story of the 20th century through Ursula Todd's beloved younger brother, Teddy, as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world; and DOUBLE DOUBLE, a dual memoir in which award-winning mystery writer Martha Grimes and her son, Ken Grimes, offer two points of view on their struggles with alcoholism.

The 8th Circle by Sarah Cain - Thriller

January 12, 2016


A year ago, Danny Ryan lost his wife and son in a car accident. He's still reeling from the tragedy when Michael Cohen, his friend and fellow journalist, drives into the pond in front of his house with a bullet through his gut. With Michael's death ruled a murder, Danny must work to get his name crossed off the list of suspects, and that means digging into Michael's last article, an exposé of the twisted side of Philadelphia politics. But powerful people are ready to kill to protect what Michael was about to uncover. If Danny isn’t careful, he'll be next.

The Animals by Christian Kiefer - Literary Thriller

January 11, 2016


Bill Reed manages a wildlife sanctuary in rural Idaho, caring for injured animals that are unable to survive in the wild. Seemingly rid of his troubled past, Bill hopes to marry the local veterinarian and live a quiet life together, the promise of which is threatened when a childhood friend is released from prison. Suddenly forced to confront the secrets of his criminal youth, Bill battles fiercely to preserve the shelter that protects these wounded animals and to keep hidden his turbulent, even dangerous, history.

Aquarium by David Vann - Fiction

January 12, 2016


Caitlin lives alone with her mother in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while waiting to be picked up after school, she visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, she accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored of the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequence.

Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley with David Ritz - History

January 12, 2016


Martin Luther King, Jr. died in one of the most shocking assassinations the world has known, but little is remembered about the life he led in his final year. New York Times bestselling author and award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley recounts the final 365 days of King's life, revealing the minister's trials and tribulations, all of which he had to rise above in order to lead and address the racism, poverty and militarism that threatened to destroy our democracy.

Doctor Death: A Madeleine Karno Mystery by Lene Kaaberbol - Historical Mystery

January 12, 2016


When 17-year-old Cecile Montaine is found dead, her family will not permit a full post-mortem autopsy. Madeleine Karno and her pathologist father are left with a single mysterious clue: in the dead girl’s nostrils is a type of parasite normally seen only in dogs. Soon after, the priest who held vigil by the dead girl’s corpse is brutally murdered. The thread that connects these two events is a tangled one, and as the death toll mounts, Madeleine must seek knowledge in odd places.

Double Double: A Dual Memoir of Alcoholism by Martha Grimes and Ken Grimes - Memoir

January 12, 2016


People who suffer from alcoholism as well as their families and friends know that while it is possible to get sober, there is no one “right” way to do this. Now, award-winning mystery writer Martha Grimes and her son, Ken Grimes, offer two points of view on their struggles with alcoholism. In alternating chapters, they share their stories --- stories of drinking, recovery, relapse, friendship, travel, work, success and failure.

Early Warning by Jane Smiley - Historical Fiction

January 12, 2016


EARLY WARNING opens in 1953 with the Langdon family at a crossroads. Their stalwart patriarch, Walter, has suddenly died, leaving their five children, now adults, looking to the future. As the country moves out of post-World War II optimism through the darker landscape of the Cold War and the social and sexual revolutions of the 1960s and ’70s, and then into the unprecedented wealth (for some) of the early 1980s, the Langdon children each follow a different path in a rapidly changing world.

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson - Historical Fiction

January 12, 2016


Kate Atkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE explored the possibility of infinite chances and the power of choices, following Ursula Todd as she lived through the turbulent events of the last century over and over again. A GOD IN RUINS tells the dramatic story of the 20th century through Ursula's beloved younger brother, Teddy --- would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father and grandfather --- as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world.

Inside a Silver Box by Walter Mosley - Speculative Fiction

January 12, 2016


Two people brought together by a horrific act are united in a common cause by the powers of the Silver Box. They join to protect humanity from destruction by an alien race, the Laz, hell-bent on regaining control over the Silver Box, the most destructive and powerful tool in the universe. The Silver Box will stop at nothing to prevent its former master from returning to being, even if it means finishing the earth itself.

Killer, Come Hither by Louis Begley - Thriller

January 12, 2016


A horrified and incredulous Jack Dana digs into the facts surrounding the death of his uncle Harry of an apparent suicide. Aided by Harry’s most trusted associate, Kerry Black, and by his college friend Scott Prentice, who now works for the CIA, Jack discovers that Harry had pierced the secret of his most important client, Abner Brown, a right-wing multibillionaire notorious for backing extremist causes. The stakes and dangers are huge. Harry’s death now seems anything but a suicide.

Leaving Before the Rains Come by Alexandra Fuller - Memoir

January 12, 2016


LEAVING BEFORE THE RAINS COME begins with the dreadful first years of the American financial crisis when Alexandra Fuller’s delicate balance --- between American pragmatism and African fatalism, the linchpin of her unorthodox marriage --- irrevocably fails. Recalling her unusual courtship in Zambia, Fuller struggles to understand her younger self as she overcomes her current misfortunes. She soon realizes what is missing from her life is something that was always there: the brash and uncompromising ways of her father.

The Life I Left Behind by Colette McBeth - Mystery/Thriller

January 12, 2016


Six years ago, Melody Pieterson was attacked and left for dead. Her neighbor and close friend, David Alden, was found guilty of the crime and imprisoned. Soon after David is released from prison, Eve Elliot is murdered in an attack almost identical to Melody’s. But as she learns more about Eve's murder, Melody starts to wonder if perhaps David hadn’t betrayed her after all...if perhaps the killer is someone else entirely, someone who’s still out there, preparing to strike again.

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town by Jon Krakauer - True Crime

January 12, 2016


Jon Krakauer chronicles the searing experiences of several women in Missoula --- the nights when they were raped; their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors and defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them. Krakauer’s dispassionate, carefully documented account of what these ladies endured cuts through the abstract ideological debate about campus rape.

Written in Fire: Book Three of The Brilliance Trilogy by Marcus Sakey - Science Fiction/Thriller

January 12, 2016


For 30 years, humanity struggled to cope with the brilliants, the one percent of people born with remarkable gifts. Now the White House is a smoking ruin. Madison Square Garden is an internment camp. In Wyoming, an armed militia of thousands marches toward a final, apocalyptic battle. Nick Cooper has spent his life fighting for his children and his country. Now, as the world staggers on the edge of ruin, he must risk everything he loves to face his oldest enemy --- a brilliant terrorist so driven by his ideals that he will sacrifice humanity’s future to achieve them.