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Week of October 3, 2016

New in Paperback

Week of October 3, 2016

Paperback releases for the week of October 3rd include FAR FROM TRUE, the second spine-chilling thriller in Linwood Barclay's Promise Falls trilogy (the final installment of the series, THE TWENTY-THREE, will be available on November 1st); LAFAYETTE IN THE SOMEWHAT UNITED STATES by Sarah Vowell, an insightful and unconventional account of George Washington’s trusted officer and friend, that swashbuckling teenage French aristocrat, the Marquis de Lafayette; TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE, a luminous work of fiction from Oscar Hijuelos inspired by the real-life, 37-year friendship between famed writer and humorist Mark Twain and legendary explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley; and THE MISSING KENNEDY by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff, the only full-length, first-person account of John F. Kennedy's sister, Rosemary, after her lobotomy (its paperback publication has been timed perfectly for October, which is National Disability Employment Awareness Month).

Alone on the Wall by Alex Honnold with David Roberts - Sports/Memoir

October 4, 2016


A 30-year-old climbing phenomenon, Alex Honnold pushes the limits of free soloing beyond anything previously attempted, as he climbs without a rope, without a partner, and without any gear to attach himself to the wall. If he falls, he dies. In ALONE ON THE WALL, Honnold recounts the seven most astonishing achievements thus far in his meteoric career, including free-soloing Sendero Luminoso in Mexico and climbing the Fitz Traverse in Patagonia. Each chapter narrates the drama of one climb, along with reflective and introspective passages that get at what makes Honnold tick.

Aly's House by Leila Meacham - Romance

October 4, 2016


Aly Kingston has only ever loved one man: Marshall Wayne. But she put all of those childish dreams behind her ages ago when the Waynes left town. Now, years later, when he comes back home, Aly realizes that so much has changed since Marshall has been away…and so much remains the same. Seeing Aly again surprises Marshall. Here is a beautiful woman with warmth and sensitivity, someone who makes him want to believe in love again. But Marshall is back home for one reason: to get revenge on the man who destroyed his family and to reclaim what rightfully belongs to him.

The Apartment by S. L. Grey - Psychological Thriller/Horror

October 4, 2016


Mark and Steph have a relatively happy family with their young daughter in sunny Cape Town until one day when armed men break into their home. Left traumatized but physically unharmed, Mark and Steph are unable to return to normal and live in constant fear. When a friend suggests a restorative vacation abroad via a popular house swapping website, it sounds like the ideal plan. But once Mark and Steph arrive in Paris, they quickly realize that nothing is as advertised. When their perfect holiday takes a violent turn, the cracks in their marriage grow ever wider and dark secrets from Mark's past begin to emerge.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes with Joe Layden - Arts & Entertainment

October 4, 2016


From actor Cary Elwes, who played the iconic role of Westley in The Princess Bride, comes a first-person account and behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic film filled with never-before-told stories, exclusive photographs, and interviews with costars Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest and Mandy Patinkin, as well as author and screenwriter William Goldman, producer Norman Lear and director Rob Reiner.

Bandit: A Daughter's Memoir by Molly Brodak - Memoir

October 4, 2016


In the summer of 1994, when Molly Brodak was 13 years old, her father robbed 11 banks, until the police finally caught up with him while he was sitting at a bar drinking beer, a bag of stolen money plainly visible in the backseat of his parked car. Dubbed the “Mario Brothers Bandit” by the FBI, he served seven years in prison and was released, only to rob another bank several years later and end up back behind bars. In her debut memoir, BANDIT, Molly Brodak recounts her childhood and attempts to make sense of her complicated relationship with her father, a man she only half knew.

Beatlebone by Kevin Barry - Fiction

October 4, 2016


It is 1978, and John Lennon has escaped New York City to try to find the island off the west coast of Ireland he bought 11 years prior. Leaving behind domesticity, his approaching 40s, his inability to create, and his memories of his parents, he sets off to calm his unquiet soul in the comfortable silence of isolation. But when he puts himself in the hands of a shape-shifting driver full of Irish charm and dark whimsy, what ensues can only be termed a magical mystery tour.

Blackout by David Rosenfelt - Thriller

October 4, 2016


New Jersey state police officer Doug Brock has been after infamous criminal Nicholas Bennett for years. When Bennett kills someone close to Doug, Doug's investigation --- and his life --- starts spiraling out of control. It isn’t long before Doug is found in a hotel room, shot and in critical condition. When Doug finally awakens from his coma, he has no memory of the case, or even the last several years of his life. But the pull of what he might have discovered is too strong, and he finds himself immersed in a desperate search for truth once again, regardless of the danger.

Blood Trails by Diane Capri - Thriller

October 4, 2016


A forensic genealogist and former clandestine agent specializing in high-end private investigations, Michael Flint promises clients he can find anyone, anytime, anywhere --- dead or alive. Laura Oakwood stands to lose more than $50 million in mineral royalties if she’s not found within 72 hours. But she presents an extra challenge: she’s been running from the law due to her involvement in a deadly armed robbery 28 years ago. Texas oil baron Sebastian Shaw desperately needs Laura’s signature to take over her family’s oil fields. And Shaw’s bitter rival, Felix Crane, will do anything to keep that from happening.

Far From True: Book Two of the Promise Falls Trilogy by Linwood Barclay - Thriller

October 4, 2016


When private investigator Cal Weaver looks into a break-in at the home of a recently deceased man, he uncovers far more than he is prepared for after he finds a hidden room that was used for salacious activities. Detective Barry Duckworth is doggedly trying to solve two murders, one of which is three years old. He believes the killings are connected, since each featured a similar distinctive wound. And the key to his mystery may lie with Cal Weaver’s own case. As the lies begin to unravel, and another murder occurs, Cal and Barry find themselves headed straight into the heart of dark secrets as they uncover more startling truths about Promise Falls.

Fortune Smiles: Stories by Adam Johnson - Fiction/Short Stories

October 4, 2016


In six masterly stories, Adam Johnson delves deep into love and loss, natural disasters, the influence of technology, and how the political shapes the personal. He returns to his signature subject, North Korea, in the title story, which depicts two defectors from Pyongyang who are trying to adapt to their new lives in Seoul, while one cannot forget the woman he left behind. FORTUNE SMILES gives voice to the perspectives we don’t often hear, while offering a new way of looking at the world.

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie - Psychological Thriller

October 4, 2016


Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course. After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment.

Friday on My Mind: A Frieda Klein Mystery by Nicci French - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

October 4, 2016


A bloated corpse turns up in the Thames, throat slashed, and the only clue is a hospital wristband reading Dr. F. Klein. Frieda is taken to see the body and realizes with horror that it is Sandy, her ex-boyfriend. She’s certain that the killer is Dean Reeve --- the man who has never stopped haunting her. But the police think he has been dead for years, and Frieda is their number one suspect. With few options, Frieda goes on the run to save herself and try to uncover the truth.

Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong - Science Fiction/Adventure

October 4, 2016


Get ready for a world in which anyone can have the powers of a god or the fame of a pop star, in which human achievement soars to new heights while its depravity plunges to the blackest depths. This is the world in which Zoey Ashe finds herself, navigating a futuristic city in which one can find elements of the fantastic, nightmarish and ridiculous on any street corner. Will Zoey figure it all out in time? Or maybe the better question is, will you? After all, the future is coming sooner than you think.

Ghost to the Rescue: A Bailey Ruth Ghost Novel by Carolyn Hart - Mystery

October 4, 2016


Supervisor Wiggins at Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions dispatches Bailey Ruth to her old hometown of Adelaide, Oklahoma, to help a single mother and struggling writer. Deidre Davenport is almost broke, supporting two children, and hoping to get a faculty job with the Goddard College English Department. Professor Jay Knox is the one who decides who gets the job, but he’s more interested in Deidre’s body than her body of work. Shortly after his advances are rejected, Knox turns up dead --- with Deidre’s fingerprints found on the murder weapon. Bailey Ruth knows Deidre is innocent and must find out who really knocked off Knox.

Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins - Dystopian Fiction

October 4, 2016


Unrelenting drought has transfigured Southern California into a surreal, phantasmagoric landscape. With the Central Valley barren, underground aquifer drained, and Sierra snowpack entirely depleted, most “Mojavs,” prevented by both armed vigilantes and an indifferent bureaucracy from freely crossing borders to lusher regions, have allowed themselves to be evacuated to internment camps. In Los Angeles’s Laurel Canyon, two young Mojavs squat in a starlet’s abandoned mansion. But when they cross paths with a mysterious child, the thirst for a better future begins.

Jimmy and Fay by Michael Mayo - Historical Mystery

October 4, 2016


King Kong is premiering at Radio City Music Hall, and Fay Wray is about to become the most famous actress on earth. So what's she doing hanging around a rundown Manhattan speakeasy? This Hollywood scream queen has come to see Jimmy Quinn, a limping tough guy who knows every gangster in New York --- and does his best to steer clear of them all. A blackmailer has pictures of a Fay Wray lookalike engaged in conduct that would make King Kong blush, and Fay's movie studio --- with the cooperation of a slightly corrupt NYPD detective --- wants the threat eliminated. Jimmy tries to settle the matter quietly, but stopping the extortion will cut just as deeply as Fay's famous scream.

Killing a King: The Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the Remaking of Israel by Dan Ephron - History/Politics

October 4, 2016


The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin remains the single most consequential event in Israel’s recent history, and one that fundamentally altered the trajectory for both Israel and the Palestinians. KILLING A KING relates the parallel stories of Rabin and his stalker, Yigal Amir, over the two years leading up to the assassination, as one of them planned political deals he hoped would lead to peace, and the other plotted murder.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson - Psychological Thriller

October 4, 2016


On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. He talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. When Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done, Lily calmly states that she would like to help --- and they begin to plot Miranda's demise. Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive…with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.

Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell - History

October 4, 2016


Chronicling General Lafayette’s years in Washington’s army, Sarah Vowell reflects on the ideals of the American Revolution versus the reality of the Revolutionary War. Riding shotgun with Lafayette, Vowell swerves from the high-minded debates of Independence Hall to the frozen wasteland of Valley Forge, from bloody battlefields to the Palace of Versailles, bumping into John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Lord Cornwallis, Benjamin Franklin, Marie Antoinette, and various kings, Quakers and redcoats along the way.

The Last Love Song: A Biography of Joan Didion by Tracy Daugherty - Biography

October 4, 2016


Joan Didion lived a life in the public and private eye with her late husband, writer John Gregory Dunne. They became wildly successful writing partners and co-wrote screenplays and adaptations together. Didion is well-known for her literary journalistic style in both fiction and nonfiction. Tracy Daugherty takes readers on a journey back through time, following a young Didion in Sacramento, through to her adult life as a writer interviewing those who know and knew her personally, while maintaining a respectful distance from the reclusive literary great.

The Longest Night by Andria Williams - Historical Fiction

October 4, 2016


In 1959, Nat Collier moves with her husband, Paul, and their two young daughters to Idaho Falls, a remote military town. An Army Specialist, Paul is stationed there to help oversee one of the country’s first nuclear reactors --- an assignment that seems full of opportunity. Then, on his rounds, Paul discovers that the reactor is compromised, placing his family and the entire community in danger. Worse, his superiors set out to cover up the problem rather than fix it. Paul can’t bring himself to tell Nat the truth, but his lies only widen a growing gulf between them.

The Mare by Mary Gaitskill - Fiction

October 4, 2016


When Velveteen Vargas, an 11-year-old Fresh Air Fund kid from Brooklyn, comes to stay with a family in upstate New York, what begins as a two-week visit blossoms into something much more significant. Soon Velvet finds herself torn between her host family --- Ginger, a failed artist and shakily recovered alcoholic; and Paul, a college professor --- and her own deeply tormented mother. The one constant becomes Velvet’s newly discovered passion for horse riding --- and especially for an abused, unruly mare named Fugly Girl.

Missing: A Private Novel by James Patterson and Kathryn Fox - Thriller

October 4, 2016


Craig Gisto has promised Eliza Moss that his elite team at Private Sydney will investigate the disappearance of her father. After all, as CEO of a high-profile research company, Eric Moss shouldn't be difficult to find. But despite the most advanced technology at their disposal, they find every trace of him has vanished too. And they aren't the only ones on the hunt. Powerful figures want Moss to stay "lost," while others just as ruthlessly want him found. Meanwhile, a routine background check becomes a frantic race to find a stolen baby and catch a brutal killer --- a killer Private may well have sent straight to the victim's door.

The Missing Kennedy: Rosemary Kennedy and the Secret Bonds of Four Women by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff - Memoir

October 6, 2016


Throughout her childhood, Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff frequently visited Rosemary Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy’s sister. Why? Koehler-Pentacoff’s aunt, Sister Paulus Koehler, a Franciscan nun, was Rosemary’s devoted caregiver for 15 years and her driver and travel companion for over 30 years. THE MISSING KENNEDY chronicles Rosie’s life along with that of the author’s aunt, and explores the similarities between the two families. It delves into Rosemary’s misdiagnosed condition, why her father sought an experimental brain surgery for her without his wife’s knowledge, how he kept this fact hidden from the rest of his family for 20 years, and what Rosemary was actually like after her lobotomy.

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters: Stories by Bonnie Jo Campbell - Fiction/Short Stories

October 4, 2016


Bonnie Jo Campbell is a keen observer of life and trouble in rural America, and her working-class protagonists can be at once vulnerable, wise, cruel and funny. The strong but flawed women of MOTHERS, TELL YOUR DAUGHTERS must negotiate a sexually charged atmosphere as they love, honor and betray one another against the backdrop of all the men in their world. Such richly fraught mother-daughter relationships can be lifelines, anchors, or they can sink a woman like a stone.

Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game by Bob Gibson and Lonnie Wheeler - Sports/Memoir

October 4, 2016


PITCH BY PITCH gets inside Bob Gibson's head on the evening of October 2, 1968, when he took the mound in game one of the World Series against the Detroit Tigers and struck out a record 17 batters. Gibson, known as one of the most intimidating pitchers in baseball history, relives each inning and every pitch. Facing down batter after batter, Gibson shares his insights into every player that stepped into the batter's box against him that day --- recounting the pitches he threw, his control over the ball, and moments of frustration and synchronicity with his teammates.

Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire by Shane White - History

October 4, 2016


Eminent historian Shane White reveals the larger-than-life story of a man who defied every convention of his time. He wheeled and dealed in the lily white business world, married a white woman, bought a mansion in rural New Jersey, owned railroad stock on trains he was not legally allowed to ride, and generally set his white contemporaries’ teeth on edge when he wasn't just plain outsmarting them. An important contribution to American history, Jeremiah G. Hamilton's life offers a way into considering subjects that are usually seen as being quintessentially white.

Public Library and Other Stories by Ali Smith - Fiction/Short Stories

October 4, 2016


Why are books so very powerful? What do the books we’ve read over our lives make of us? What does the unraveling of our tradition of public libraries, so hard-won but now in jeopardy, say about us? The stories in Ali Smith’s collection are about what we do with books and what they do with us: how they travel with us; how they shock us, change us, challenge us, banish time while making us older, wiser and ageless all at once; how they remind us to pay attention to the world we make. Woven between the stories are conversations with writers and readers reflecting on the essential role that libraries have played in their lives.

Quarry in the Black by Max Allan Collins - Hard-boiled Mystery

October 4, 2016


With a controversial presidential election just weeks away, Quarry is hired to carry out a rare political assignment: kill the Reverend Raymond Wesley Lloyd, a passionate Civil Rights crusader and campaigner for the underdog candidate. But when a hate group out of Ferguson, Missouri, turns out to be gunning for the same target, Quarry starts to wonder just who it is he’s working for.

The Ramblers by Aidan Donnelley Rowley - Fiction

October 4, 2016


Clio Marsh, whose bird-watching walks through Central Park are mentioned in New York Magazine, is taking her first tentative steps towards a relationship while also looking back to the secrets of her broken childhood. Her best friend, Smith Anderson, the seemingly perfect daughter of one of New York’s wealthiest families, organizes the lives of others as her own has fallen apart. And Tate Pennington has returned to the city, heartbroken but determined to move ahead with his artistic dreams. Rambling through the emotional chaos of their lives, this trio learns to let go of the past and make room for the future.

The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks - Fiction

October 4, 2016


THE SECRET CHORD provides new context for some of the best-known episodes of David’s life while also focusing on others, even more remarkable and emotionally intense, that have been neglected. We see David through the eyes of those who love him or fear him --- from the prophet Natan, voice of his conscience, to his wives Mikhal, Avigail, and Batsheva, and finally to Solomon, the late-born son who redeems his Lear-like old age.

Thomas Murphy by Roger Rosenblatt - Fiction

October 4, 2016


Trying his best to weasel out of an appointment with the neurologist his only child, Máire, has cornered him into, the poet Thomas Murphy contemplates his sunset years. Máire worries that Murph is losing his memory, while Murph wonders what to do with the rest of his life. Into his world comes the lovely Sarah, a blind woman less than half his age, who sees into his heart as he sees into hers. Brought together under the most unlikely circumstance, Murph and Sarah begin in friendship and wind up in impossible possible love.

Twain & Stanley Enter Paradise by Oscar Hijuelos - Historical Fiction

October 4, 2016


Oscar Hijuelos was fascinated by the 37-year friendship between famed writer and humorist Mark Twain and legendary explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. So he began researching and writing a novel that used the scant historical record of their relationship as a starting point for a more detailed fictional account. It was a labor of love for Hijuelos, who worked on the project for more than 10 years and was still revising the manuscript the day before his sudden passing in 2013. The resulting novel blends correspondence, memoir and third-person omniscience to explore the intersection of these Victorian giants in a long-vanished world.

Yappy Hour by Diana Orgain - Cozy Mystery

October 4, 2016


Every Friday night, the Roundup Crew, a group of dog-loving friends, meets at a neighborhood wine bar for Yappy Hour. When Rachel, the owner, mysteriously leaves town and asks her sister, Maggie, to run the bar in her absence, things get complicated fast. Maggie arrives to open up and finds a body sprawled on the floor, along with an incriminating letter with Rachel's name on it nearby. On impulse, she hides the letter from the hunky detective, Officer Brad Brooks, who is dispatched to the scene. When Rachel is declared the top suspect by the police, Maggie decides to investigate on her own.