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Week of January 29, 2024

New in Paperback

Week of January 29, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of January 29th include LOYALTY by Lisa Scottoline, an emotional, action-packed novel of love and justice set during the rise of the Mafia in Sicily; Salman Rushdie's VICTORY CITY, the epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries; EVERY MAN A KING, the highly anticipated sequel to Walter Mosley's DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA, which finds Joe King Oliver entangled in a dangerous case when he's asked to investigate if a white nationalist is being unjustly set up; FINLAY DONOVAN JUMPS THE GUN, the hilarious and heart-pounding third installment in Elle Cosimano's beloved Finlay Donovan series; and the paperback original MOCKINGBIRD SUMMER by Lynda Rutledge, a powerful coming-of-age novel set amid the turmoil and profound changes of the 1960s.

Brotherless Night by V. V. Ganeshananthan - Fiction

January 30, 2024

Jaffna, 1981. Sixteen-year-old Sashi wants to become a doctor. But over the next decade, a vicious civil war tears through her home, and her dream spins off course as she sees her four beloved brothers and their friend K swept up in the mounting violence. Desperate to act, Sashi accepts K’s invitation to work as a medic at a field hospital for the militant Tamil Tigers, who are fighting for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority. But after the Tigers murder one of her teachers and Indian peacekeepers arrive only to commit further atrocities, Sashi begins to question where she stands. When one of her medical school professors invites her to join a secret project documenting human rights violations, she embarks on a dangerous path that will change her forever.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors - Fiction

January 30, 2024

Twenty-four-year-old British painter Cleo has escaped from England to New York and is still finding her place in the sleepless city when, a few months before her student visa ends, she meets Frank. Twenty years older and a self-made success, Frank's life is full of all the excesses Cleo's lacks. He offers her the chance to be happy, the freedom to paint and the opportunity to apply for a Green Card. But their impulsive marriage irreversibly changes both their lives, and the lives of those close to them, in ways they never could've predicted.

Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey - Fiction

January 30, 2024

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.

Every Man a King: A King Oliver Novel by Walter Mosley - Mystery

January 30, 2024

When friend of the family and multi-billionaire Roger Ferris comes to Joe King Oliver with an assignment, he has no choice but to accept. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and the sale of sensitive information to the Russians. Ferris has reason to believe that Quiller has been set up, and he needs King to see if the charges hold. This linear assignment becomes a winding quest to uncover the extent of Quiller’s dealings, understand Ferris’ skin in the game, and get to the bottom of who is working for whom. Even with the help of bodyguard and mercenary Oliya Ruez, the machine King is up against proves relentless and unsparing. As King gets closer to exposing the truth, he and his loved ones barrel towards grave danger.

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper - Mystery

January 30, 2024

As a “black-bag” publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, Mae Pruett works for one of LA’s most powerful and sought-after crisis PR firms, at the center of a sprawling web of lawyers, PR flaks and private security firms she calls “The Beast.” After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast’s lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate. It takes her on a roving neon joyride through a Los Angeles full of influencers pumped full of pills and fillers; sprawling mansions footsteps away from sprawling homeless encampments; crooked cops; and mysterious wrecking crews in the middle of the night.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano - Mystery/Humor

January 30, 2024

Finlay Donovan has been in messes before --- after all, she's an author and single mom who’s a pro at getting out bloodstains for rather unexpected reasons --- but none quite like this. She and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, accidentally destroyed a luxury car that they “borrowed” in the process of saving Finlay’s ex-husband. The Russian mob handled her debt, but that means Finlay now owes them. Still running the show from behind bars, mob boss Feliks has a task for Finlay: find a contract killer before the cops do. Problem is, the killer might be an officer. Luckily, hot cop Nick has started up a citizen’s police academy, so Finlay has the perfect cover-up to sleuth out the real criminal as she does some “research” for her new novel. Nick is more than happy to get close to Finlay, but he’s also getting dangerously close to the truth.

The House of Plain Truth by Donna Hemans - Fiction

January 30, 2024

With news of her father’s passing, Pearline abruptly leaves her daughter and grandchildren behind in Brooklyn to return to her childhood home in Jamaica. But Pearline isn’t prepared for her father’s puzzling deathbed wish that she find her siblings --- whom she hasn’t seen in 60 years --- and discover the secret that tore her family apart. Moving through time and place, from Cuba to Montego Bay and from Brooklyn to Havana, THE HOUSE OF PLAIN TRUTH traces Pearline’s reconciliation of what she thought she knew about her family and the truth of their origin.

How We Named the Stars by Andrés N. Ordorica - Fiction

January 30, 2024

When Daniel de La Luna arrives as a scholarship student at an elite East Coast university, he bears the weight of his family’s hopes and dreams, and the burden of sharing his late uncle’s name. Daniel flounders at first --- but then Sam, his roommate, changes everything. As their relationship evolves from brotherly banter to something more intimate, Daniel soon finds himself in love with a man who helps him see himself in a new light. But just as their relationship takes flight, Daniel is pulled away, first by Sam’s hesitation and then by a brutal turn of events that changes Daniel’s life forever. As he grapples with profound loss, Daniel finds himself in his family’s ancestral homeland in México for the summer, finding joy in this setting even as he struggles to come to terms with what’s happened and faces a host of new questions.

Loyalty by Lisa Scottoline - Historical Fiction

January 30, 2024

Franco Fiorvanti is a handsome lemon grower toiling on the estate of a baron. When the baron asks him to kidnap a little boy named Dante, Franco makes a decision that will change his life --- and even the history of Sicily --- forever. Gaetano Catalano is an idealistic young lawyer who is a member of the Beati Paoli, a real-life secret society of aristocrats who investigate crime in Palermo. Gaetano sets out to find the boy and punish the kidnapper, but his mission leads him to a darker place than he had ever imagined. Meanwhile, Mafalda Pancari is a new mother rejoicing at the birth of her daughter, Lucia, when disaster strikes. And Alfredo D’Antonio is a reclusive goatherd under constant threat of being discovered as a Jew. These characters will collide as LOYALTY twists and turns to its monumental showdown.

Misfire by Tammy Euliano - Medical Thriller

January 30, 2024

Kadence, a new type of implanted defibrillator, misfires in a patient visiting University Hospital for a routine medical procedure. Dr. Kate Downey, an experienced anesthesiologist, resuscitates the patient, but she grows concerned for a loved one who recently received the same device --- her beloved Great-Aunt Irm. When a second device misfires, Kate turns to Nikki Yarborough, her friend and Aunt Irm’s cardiologist. Though Nikki helps protect Kate’s aunt, she is prevented from alerting other patients by the corporate greed of her department chairman. As the inventor of the device and part owner of MDI, the company he formed to commercialize it, he claims that the device misfires are due to a soon-to-be-corrected software bug. Kate learns his claim is false.

Missing Persons: A Private Novel by James Patterson with Adam Hamdy - Thriller

January 30, 2024

A wealthy businessman approaches Jack Morgan, head of Private --- the world's largest investigation agency --- with a desperate plea to track down his daughter and two grandchildren, who have disappeared without a trace. What at first seems to be a simple missing persons case soon escalates into something much more deadly, when Jack discovers the daughter is being pursued by highly trained operatives. As Jack uncovers more of the woman's backstory, the trail leads towards Afghanistan --- where Jack's career as a US Marine ended in catastrophe. Jack will need to face the trauma of his past to save a family's future.

Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge - Historical Fiction

January 30, 2024

In segregated High Cotton, Texas, in 1964, the racial divide is as clear as the railroad tracks running through town. It’s also where two girls are going to shake things up. This is the last summer of 13-year-old Corky Corcoran’s childhood, and her family hires a Haitian housekeeper who brings her daughter, America, along with her. Corky is quick to befriend America and eager to share her favorite new “grown-up” novel, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. America’s take on it is different and profoundly personal. As their friendship grows, Corky finds out so much more about America’s life and her hidden skill: she can run as fast as Olympian Wilma Rudolph! When Corky asks America to play with her girls’ softball team for the annual church rivals game, it’s a move that crosses the color line and sets off a firestorm.

Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova - Literary Horror

January 30, 2024

Grieving mother Magos cuts out a piece of her deceased 11-year-old son Santiago’s lung. Acting on fierce maternal instinct and the dubious logic of an old folktale, she nurtures the lung until it gains sentience, growing into the carnivorous little Monstrilio she keeps hidden within the walls of her family’s decaying Mexico City estate. Eventually, Monstrilio begins to resemble the Santiago he once was, but his innate impulses --- though curbed by his biological and chosen family’s communal care --- threaten to destroy this fragile second chance at life.

Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton - Historical Fiction

January 30, 2024

On a struggling Texas plantation, six enslaved women slip from their sleeping quarters and gather in the woods under the cover of night. The Lucys --- as they call the plantation owners, after Lucifer himself --- have decided to turn around the farm’s bleak financial prospects by making the women bear children. They have hired a “stockman” to impregnate them. But the women are determined to protect themselves. Now each of the six faces a choice. Nan, the doctoring woman, has brought a sack of cotton root clippings that can stave off children when chewed daily. If they all take part, the Lucys may give up and send the stockman away. But a pregnancy for any of them will only encourage the Lucys further. And should their plan be discovered, the consequences will be severe.

Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace by Lorenzo Carcaterra - Mystery

January 30, 2024

Two crimes have rocked the sun-drenched island of Ischia. And once again, the island’s denizens have called upon Nonna Maria, the espresso-brewing, sage-counsel-giving sleuth. A wealthy woman alleges that a valuable necklace has been stolen from her hotel room, and she blames Nonna Maria’s goddaughter as the most likely suspect. Nearby, the body of a woman is found on a curved road near the borough of Barano. The woman is not known to anyone on the island. The one potential suspect is a young friend of Nonna Maria’s who drove by the area that very night and thinks he might have hit something --- perhaps the woman in question. It’s up to Nonna Maria to string together the clues and solve these two mysteries before death comes to Ischia again.

A Quantum Love Story by Mike Chen - Science Fiction

January 30, 2024

Grieving her best friend's recent death, neuroscientist Mariana Pineda is ready to give up everything to start anew. Even her career --- after one last week consulting at a top-secret particle accelerator. Except the strangest thing happens: a man stops her and claims they've met before. Carter Cho knows who she is, why she's mourning and why she's there. And he needs Mariana to remember everything he’s saying. Because time is about to loop. In a flash of energy, it’s Monday morning. Again. Together, Mariana and Carter enter an inevitable life, four days at a time, over and over, without permanence except for what they share. But just as they figure out this new life, everything changes. Because Carter's memories of the time loop are slowly disappearing. And their only chance at happiness is breaking out of the loop --- forever.

The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel by ReShonda Tate - Historical Fiction

January 30, 2024

It was supposed to be the highlight of her career, the pinnacle for which she’d worked all her life. And as Hattie McDaniel took the stage in 1940 to claim an honor that would make her the first African-American woman to win an Academy Award, she tearfully took her place in history. Between personal triumphs and tragedies, heartbreaking losses and severe setbacks, this historic night of winning best supporting actress for her role as the sassy Mammy in the controversial movie Gone with the Wind was going to be life-changing. Or so she thought. Months after winning the award, not only did the Oscar curse set in where Hattie couldn’t find work, but she found herself thrust in the middle of two worlds --- Black and White --- and not being welcomed in either.

Red Team Blues: A Martin Hench Novel by Cory Doctorow - Science Fiction/Technothriller

January 30, 2024

Martin Hench is a 67-year-old self-employed forensic accountant, a veteran of the long guerilla war between people who want to hide money and those who want to find it. He knows computer hardware and software alike, including the ins and outs of high-end databases and the kinds of spreadsheets that are designed to conceal rather than reveal. He’s a world-level expert on the kind of international money-laundering and shell-company chicanery used by Fortune 500 companies, mid-divorce billionaires and international drug gangs alike. He also knows Silicon Valley like the back of his hand. Now he’s been roped into a job that’s more dangerous than anything he’s ever agreed to before --- and it will take every ounce of his skill to get out alive.

Twenty-Seven Minutes by Ashley Tate - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

January 30, 2024

For the last 10 years, the small, claustrophobic town of West Wilmer has been struggling to understand one thing: Why did it take young Grant Dean 27 minutes to call for help on the fateful night of the car accident that took the life of his beloved sister, Phoebe? Someone knows what really happened the night Phoebe died. Someone who is ready to tell the truth. With Phoebe's memorial in just three days, grief, delusion, ambition and regret tornado together with biting gossip in a town full of people obsessed with a long-gone tragedy with four people at its heart --- the caretaker, the secret girlfriend, the missing bad boy and a former football star. Just kids back then, they are forever tied together the fateful rainy night Phoebe died.

Varina Palladino's Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino - Fiction

January 30, 2024

Lively widow Varina Paladino has lived in the same house in Wyldale, New Jersey, her entire life. The town might be slightly stuck in the 1960s, but its population is getting younger and the Paladinos are embracing the change. What Varina is not embracing is dating. Running Paladino’s Italian Specialties grocery, caring for her mother and keeping her large, loud Jersey Italian family from killing one another take up all of Varina’s energy anyway. Sylvia Spini worries about her daughter being left all alone when she dies; she knows what it is to be old and alone. So when her granddaughter, Donatella, comes to her with an ill-conceived plan to find Varina a man, she dives in. The three men of the family are each secretly plotting their own big life changes, which will throw everyone for a loop.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie - Historical Fantasy/Magical Realism

January 30, 2024

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in 14th-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for her namesake, the goddess Pampa, who begins to speak out of the girl’s mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana’s comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga --- “victory city” --- the wonder of the world. Over the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana’s life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga’s, from its literal sowing from a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power.

Wade in the Water by Nyani Nkrumah - Fiction

January 30, 2024

Set in 1982, in rural, racially divided Ricksville, Mississippi, WADE IN THE WATER tells the story of Ella, a Black, unloved, precocious 11-year-old, and Ms. St. James, a mysterious white woman from Princeton who appears in Ella’s community to carry out some research. Soon, Ms. St. James befriends Ella, who is willing to risk everything to keep her new friend in a town that does not want her there. The relationship between Ella and Ms. St. James, at times loving and funny and other times tense and cautious, becomes more fraught and complex as Ella unwittingly pushes at Ms. St. James’ carefully constructed boundaries that guard a complicated past, and dangerous secrets that could have devastating consequences.

Your Utopia: Stories written by Bora Chung, translated by Anton Hur - Fiction/Short Stories

January 30, 2024

Bora Chung’s inimitable blend of horror, absurdity and dark humor reaches its peak in these tales of loss and discovery, dystopia and idealism, death and immortality. In a thrilling translation by the acclaimed Anton Hur, readers will experience a variety of possible fates for humanity. In “The Center for Immortality Research,” a low-level employee runs herself ragged planning a fancy gala for donors only to be blamed for the chaos that ensues during the event in front of the mysterious celebrity benefactors hoping to live forever. In “A Song for Sleep,” an AI elevator in an apartment complex develops a tender, one-sided love for an elderly resident. “Seed” traverses the final frontier of capitalism’s destruction of the planet --- but nature always creeps back to life.