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Week of November 27, 2023

New in Paperback

Week of November 27, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of November 27th include HUNTING TIME by Jeffery Deaver, a riveting thriller that finds reward seeker Colter Shaw plunging into the woods and racing the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems; THE COUPLE AT THE TABLE, a twisty psychological suspense novel from Sophie Hannah in which honeymooners at a posh resort receive an ominous warning with deadly consequences; John Boyne's ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a devastating, beautiful story about a woman who must confront the sins of her own terrible past, and a present in which it is never too late for bravery; MOONRISE OVER NEW JESSUP by Jamila Minnicks, a thought-provoking and enchanting debut about a Black woman doing whatever it takes to protect all she loves at the beginning of the civil rights movement in Alabama; and the paperback original THE FICTION WRITER, a page-turner from Jillian Cantor that follows a writer hired by a handsome billionaire to write about his family history with Daphne du Maurier, only to find herself drawn into a tangled web of obsession, marital secrets and stolen manuscripts.

All the Broken Places by John Boyne - Historical Fiction

November 28, 2023

Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby has lived in the same well-to-do mansion block in London for decades. She doesn’t talk about her escape from Nazi Germany at age 12. She doesn’t talk about the grim post-war years in France with her mother. Most of all, she doesn’t talk about her father, who was the commandant of one of the Reich’s most notorious extermination camps. Then, a new family moves into the apartment below her. In spite of herself, Gretel can’t help but begin a friendship with the little boy, Henry, though his presence brings back memories she would rather forget. One night, she witnesses a disturbing, violent argument between Henry’s beautiful mother and his arrogant father, one that threatens Gretel’s hard-won, self-contained existence.

Blaze Me a Sun: A Novel About a Crime written by Christoffer Carlsson, translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles - Mystery

November 28, 2023

In February 1986, the Halland police receive a call from a man who claims to have attacked his first victim. By the time police officer Sven Jörgensson reaches the crime scene, the woman is taking her last breath. On the same night, Sweden plunges into a state of shock after the murder of the prime minister. Could there possibly be a connection? As Sven becomes obsessed with the case, two more fall victim. Decades later, the case unexpectedly resurfaces when a novelist returns home to Halland amid a failed marriage and a sputtering career. The writer befriends the retired police officer, who helps the novelist --- our narrator --- unspool the many strands of this engrossing tale about a community confronting its shames and legacies.

The Body Falls: An Inishowen Mystery by Andrea Carter - Mystery

November 28, 2023

Benedicta (Ben) O’Keeffe returns to Glendara, Inishowen, where a charity cycle event is taking place. But rain causes the cyclists to postpone the start of their event and stay overnight in the town. In the middle of the night, Police Sergeant Tom Molloy is called out to Mamore Gap. A body, dislodged from a high bank by the heavy rain, has fallen onto a passing vehicle. It is identified as Bob Jameson, a well-known charities boss and the organizer of the cycling event. Stunned, the local doctor finds evidence of a recent snakebite. Terrible weather persists, and soon bridges are down and roads are impassable. Glendara is completely cut off. Since there are no native snakes in Ireland, could there be a killer trapped in the community?

The Couple at the Table by Sophie Hannah - Psychological Thriller

November 28, 2023

Jane and William are enjoying their honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort until Jane receives a chilling note warning her to “Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours.” At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or farther away than any of the others. It’s almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless. But why would anyone do that? Jane has no idea. But someone in this dining room will be dead before breakfast, and all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could have possibly committed the crime.

The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor - Gothic Mystery

November 28, 2023

The once-rising literary star Olivia Fitzgerald is down on her luck. Her most recent novel --- a retelling of Daphne du Maurier’s REBECCA --- was a flop, her boyfriend of nine years just dumped her, and she’s battling a bad case of writer’s block. So when her agent calls her with a high-paying ghostwriting opportunity, Olivia is all too willing to sign the NDA. At first, the write-for-hire job seems too good to be true. All she has to do is interview Henry “Ash” Asherwood, a reclusive mega billionaire, twice named People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who wants her help in writing a book that reveals a shocking secret about his late grandmother and Daphne du Maurier. But when Olivia arrives at his Malibu estate, nothing is as it seems --- and before she knows it, she’s trapped in a gothic mystery of her own.

Hunting Time: A Colter Shaw Novel by Jeffery Deaver - Thriller

November 28, 2023

Allison Parker is on the run with her teenage daughter, Hannah. Colter Shaw has been hired by her eccentric boss, entrepreneur Marty Harmon, to find and protect her. The reason for Allison’s panicked flight is soon apparent. She’s being stalked by her ex-husband, Jon Merritt. Newly released from prison and fueled by blinding rage, Jon is a man whose former profession as a police detective makes him uniquely suited for the hunt. And he’s not alone. Two hitmen are also hot on her heels --- an eerie pair of thugs who take delight not only in murder but in the sport of devising clever ways to make bodies disappear forever. Even if Shaw manages to catch up with Allison and her daughter, his troubles will be just beginning.

The Last Caretaker by Jessica Strawser - Fiction

December 1, 2023

Katie’s divorce was, in a word, humiliating. So when her friend, Bess, offers a fresh start --- a resident caretaking job at a nature preserve --- Katie accepts. But from day one, something feels off. Katie’s new farmhouse looks as if the last caretaker barely moved out at all. When a frantic, terrified woman arrives late at night, expecting a safe place to hide, it’s clear caretaking involves way more than Katie bargained for. Suddenly, Katie is no longer sure who she can trust: the brooding groundskeeper, the daily regulars --- hikers, dog walkers, bird-watchers, photographers --- even Bess. As Katie digs deeper for clues in what the last caretaker left behind, she must discover courage she never knew she had --- and decide how much she’ll risk to do the right thing.

The Last Love Note by Emma Grey - Romantic Comedy

November 28, 2023

Two years after losing her husband Cameron, Kate is grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball --- and yet clinging to her sense of humor. Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who's determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor. When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together. The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?

Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks - Historical Fiction

November 28, 2023

In 1957, Alice Young steps off the bus into the all-Black town of New Jessup, Alabama, where residents have largely rejected integration as the means for Black social advancement. Instead, they seek to maintain, and fortify, the community they cherish on their “side of the woods.” In this place, Alice falls in love with Raymond Campbell, whose clandestine organizing activities challenge New Jessup’s longstanding status quo and could lead to the young couple’s expulsion --- or worse --- from the home they both hold dear. But as Raymond continues to push alternatives for enhancing New Jessup’s political power, Alice must find a way to balance her undying support for his underground work with her desire to protect New Jessup from the rising pressure of upheaval from inside, and outside, their side of town.

Night Owl: A Trasker Thriller by Andrew Mayne - Thriller/Adventure

December 1, 2023

After three decades in counterintelligence, Brad Trasker is retired, disillusioned and dealing with a tragic loss. Spy games are behind him until he attends the launch of a next-generation aircraft. When the project of innovative aerospace CEO Kylie Connor explodes on the tarmac --- nearly killing her in the process --- Trasker is pulled back into the line of fire. The mystery of the sabotage quickly deepens. All of Kylie’s data has been wiped from the server. One of her engineers has disappeared. A seed investor has died in a suspicious car accident. And a cold-blooded murder raises the stakes even higher. To discover who’s pulling the strings behind a dangerous conspiracy, Trasker needs to find a motive. Corporate espionage, revenge or something he can’t yet see?

Only the Dead by Jack Carr - Political Thriller

November 28, 2023

In 1980, a freshman congressman was gunned down in Rhode Island, sending shockwaves through Washington that are still reverberating over four decades later. Now, with the world on the brink of war and a weakened United States facing rampant inflation, political division and shocking assassinations, a secret cabal of global elites is ready to assume control. And with the world’s most dangerous man locked in solitary confinement, the conspirators believe the final obstacle to complete domination has been eliminated. They’re wrong. With the odds stacked against him, James Reece is on a mission generations in the making. He is on the warpath. And when James Reece picks up his tomahawk and sniper rifle, no one is out of range.

Please Tell Me by Mike Omer - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

December 1, 2023

When eight-year-old Kathy Stone turns up on the side of the road a year after her abduction, the world awaits her harrowing story. But she doesn’t speak at all, not even to her own parents. Child therapist Robin Hart is the only one who’s had success connecting with the girl. Robin has been using play therapy to help Kathy process her memories. But as their work continues, Kathy’s playtime takes a grim turn: a doll stabs another doll, a tiny figurine is chained to a plastic toy couch. All of these horrifying moments, enacted within a Victorian doll house. Every session, another toy dies. But the most disturbing detail? Kathy seems to be playacting real unsolved murders. Soon Robin wonders if Kathy not only holds the key to the murders of the past but if she knows something about the murders of the future.

Unnatural History: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman - Psychological Thriller

November 28, 2023

The newly hired personal assistant to a handsome, wealthy photographer is ready to greet her boss with coffee and good cheer. Instead, she finds him slumped in bed, shot to death. The victim recently had received rave media attention for his latest project: images of homeless people in their personal “dream” situations, elaborately costumed and enacting unfulfilled fantasies. There are some, however, who view the whole thing as nothing more than crass exploitation. Has disgruntlement blossomed into homicidal rage? Or do the roots of violence reach down to the victim’s family? Then new murders arise, and Dr. Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis begin peeling back layer after layer of intrigue and complexity, culminating in one of the deadliest threats they’ve ever faced.

What Have We Done by Alex Finlay - Mystery/Thriller

November 28, 2023

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down --- after the disappearance of several kids --- the three were split up. Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished --- if troubled --- lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them. To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past --- a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.