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Week of September 27, 2021

New in Paperback

Week of September 27, 2021

Paperback releases for the week of September 27th include A GAMBLING MAN, a riveting thriller from David Baldacci that marks the return of Aloysius Archer, the straight-talking World War II veteran fresh out of prison; PIECE OF MY HEART by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, in which television producer Laurie Moran must solve the kidnapping of her fiancée’s nephew --- just days before her wedding; THE OTHER EMILY, a relentless page-turning work of psychological suspense from Dean Koontz, who takes readers on a twisting journey of lost love, impossible second chances and terrifying promises; TALKING TO STRANGERS, Malcolm Gladwell's powerful examination of our interactions with strangers --- and why they often go wrong; and THIS TIME NEXT YEAR WE'LL BE LAUGHING, Jacqueline Winspear's deeply personal memoir of her family’s resilience in the face of war and privation.

The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem - Speculative Science Fiction

September 28, 2021

Before the Arrest, Sandy Duplessis had a reasonably good life as a screenwriter in L.A. Peter Todbaum, an old college friend and writing partner, had become one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Now, post-Arrest, nothing is what it was. Sandy, who calls himself Journeyman, has landed in rural Maine. There he assists the butcher and delivers the food grown by his sister, Maddy, at her organic farm. But then Todbaum shows up in an extraordinary vehicle: a retrofitted tunnel-digger powered by a nuclear reactor. Todbaum has spent the Arrest smashing his way across a fragmented and phantasmagorical United States, trailing enmities all the way. Plopping back into the siblings’ life with his usual odious panache, his motives are entirely unclear.

Black Girls Must Die Exhausted by Jayne Allen - Fiction

September 28, 2021

Tabitha Walker, a 33-year-old Black woman, receives an unexpected diagnosis that brings her picture-perfect life crashing down, jeopardizing the keystone she took for granted: having children. With the help of her best friends, the irreverent and headstrong Laila and Alexis, the mom jeans-wearing former "Sexy Lexi," and the generational wisdom of her grandmother and the nonagenarian firebrand Ms. Gretchen, Tabby explores the reaches of modern medicine and tests the limits of her relationships. But the fight is all-consuming, demanding a steep price that forces an honest reckoning for nearly everyone in her life. As Tabby soon learns, her grandmother's age-old adage just might still be true: Black girls must die exhausted.

Christmas Cupcake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes! by Joanne Fluke - Mystery

September 28, 2021

Hannah Swensen’s sister, Andrea, wants to stave off the blues by helping out at The Cookie Jar, Michele’s love life is becoming complicated, Lisa needs Hannah’s advice, and Delores has a Christmas secret she’s not willing to share. But nothing dampens the holiday mood more than the chilling mystery surrounding the man found near death in an abandoned storefront two doors down from Hannah’s bakery. The befuddled John Doe can’t recall a thing about himself --- except for his unusual knowledge of restoring antique furniture. With a smattering of clues and barely enough time to frost Christmas cookies, Hannah must solve a deadly puzzle that could leave her dashing through the snow for her life!

The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery - Romance

September 28, 2021

The Somerville sisters believe in love, but they’ve lost faith it will happen for them. Reggie hasn’t been home since the end of the world’s shortest engagement. When her parents decide to renew their vows, she buffs up her twinkle to help with the Christmas wedding. Unexpectedly, Toby, her first love, is back too, and the spark between them shines as brightly as ever. Will they let go of past hurts and greet the New Year together? Dena is pregnant and on her own. Then a gorgeous, sad-eyed songwriter checks into a room at her inn. Micah, unable to write since he lost his wife, finds inspiration in Dena’s determination to be a mom. But Dena is afraid to believe that a rock star could fall for a cookie-cutter small-town girl like her.

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter - Fiction

September 28, 2021

The Dolans live by their wits, jumping freight trains and lining up for day work at crooked job agencies. While 16-year-old Rye yearns for a steady job and a home, his older brother, Gig, dreams of a better world, fighting alongside other union men for fair pay and decent treatment. Enter Ursula the Great, a vaudeville singer who performs with a live cougar and introduces the brothers to a far more dangerous creature: a mining magnate determined to keep his wealth and his hold on Ursula. Dubious of Gig’s idealism, Rye finds himself drawn to a fearless 19-year-old activist and feminist named Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. But a storm is coming, threatening to overwhelm them all, and Rye will be forced to decide where he stands.

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde - Fantasy

September 28, 2021

England, 2022. There are 1.2 million human-size rabbits living in the UK. They can walk, talk, drive cars, and they like to read Voltaire, the result of an Inexplicable Anthropomorphizing Event 55 years before. A family of rabbits is about to move into Much Hemlock, a cozy little village in Middle England. No sooner have the rabbits arrived than the villagers decide they must depart, citing their propensity to burrow and breed, and their shameless levels of veganism. But Mrs Constance Rabbit and her family decide they are going to stay. Unusually, their neighbors --- longtime resident Peter Knox and his daughter, Pippa --- decide to stand with them…and soon discover that you can be a friend to rabbits or humans, but not both.

Deep into the Dark by P. J. Tracy - Mystery/Thriller

September 28, 2021

Sam Easton --- a true survivor --- is home from Afghanistan, trying to rebuild a life in his hometown of LA. Separated from his wife, bartending and therapy sessions are what occupy his days and nights. When friend and colleague Melody Traeger is beaten by her boyfriend, she turns to Sam for help. When the boyfriend turns up dead the next day, a hard case like Sam is the perfect suspect. But LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, whose brother recently died serving overseas, is sympathetic to Sam's troubles and can't quite see him as a killer. She's more interested in the secrets Melody might be keeping and the developments in another murder case on the other side of town.

Don't Look Now by Mary Burton - Romantic Suspense

September 28, 2021

Austin homicide detective Jordan Poe is hunting a serial killer she fears is the same man who assaulted her sister, Avery, two years ago. Texas Ranger Carter Spencer isn’t one to poach on a detective’s territory. Yet no matter how resentful a capable lone wolf like Jordan is, when she is attacked at a third crime scene and suffers a trauma that leaves her with limited vision, it’s up to Carter to help Jordan navigate a world she no longer recognizes. He needs her instinct, her experience and her fearless resolve to crack this case. A case that’s about to get even darker. A stranger is watching. He’s closing in on his ultimate prey. And no one but the killer can see what’s coming.

A Gambling Man by David Baldacci - Historical Thriller

September 28, 2021

In dire need of a fresh start, Aloysius Archer arrives in Bay Town, California. His first stop is a P.I. office where he is hoping to apprentice with a legendary private eye and former FBI agent named Willie Dash. He lands the job and immediately finds himself in the thick of a potential scandal: a blackmail case involving a wealthy well-connected politician running for mayor that soon spins into something even more sinister. As bodies begin falling, Archer and Dash must infiltrate the world of brothels, gambling dens, drug operations and long-hidden secrets, descending into the rotten bones of a corrupt town that is selling itself as the promised land --- but might actually be the road to perdition, and Archer’s final resting place.

The Girl Who Wasn't There by Vincent Zandri - Thriller

September 28, 2021

Sidney O’Keefe just wants to spend a peaceful weekend alone with his wife and daughter in the vacation paradise of Lake Placid, New York --- now that he’s been paroled after a 10-year stretch in a maximum-security prison. But any illusion of a peaceful future is destroyed when his 11-year-old daughter, Chloe, suddenly disappears from the iconic beach scene, leaving Sidney and his wife, Penny, stricken with fear and panic. When it’s determined that his old crime boss, Mickey Rabuffo, might be behind the abduction, it becomes apparent that the past has not only come back to haunt Sidney, it has come back to kill the entire family.

The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War by John "Chick" Donohue and J.T. Molloy - Memoir

September 28, 2021

One night in 1967, 26-year-old John Donohue --- known as Chick --- was out with friends, drinking in a New York City bar. The friends gathered there had lost loved ones in Vietnam. Now, they watched as anti-war protesters turned on the troops themselves. One neighborhood patriot came up with an inspired idea. Someone should sneak into Vietnam, track down their buddies there, give them messages of support from back home, and share a few laughs over a can of beer. It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever. But who’d be crazy enough to do it? One man was up for the challenge --- a U.S. Marine Corps veteran turned merchant mariner who wasn’t about to desert his buddies on the front lines when they needed him. Chick volunteered.

Hush-Hush: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods - Thriller/Adventure

September 28, 2021

Stone Barrington is settling in for some downtime in New York City when an anonymous enemy makes himself known. This nameless foe's threats hit close to home, and before Stone can retaliate, the fearsome messages turn into very real consequences. With the help of old friends --- and a lovely new tech-savvy acquaintance --- Stone sets out to unravel the fatal agenda. But as the web of adversaries expands, Stone realizes that no place is safe, and he'll have to flush out the mastermind before he and those closest to him are silenced for good.

The Ice Coven by Max Seeck - Mystery

September 28, 2021

Six months have passed since investigator Jessica Niemi’s encounter with the mysterious serial-killing coven of witches and the death of her mentor. Now her homicide squad has been given a murder case and a new series of disappearances to investigate. A young woman’s corpse has washed up on an icy beach, and two famous Instagram influencers have gone missing. The missing influencers and the murdered woman all have ties to a sinister cult. Jessica finds an eerie painting --- of a lighthouse on a remote island --- as she investigates, and under the picture is a gruesome poem detailing a murder. The nightmares about Jessica's mother and the witchcraft that undid her suddenly seem all too real, making Jessica wonder if the dead woman might be trying to tell her something about the killings.

Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber - Romance

September 28, 2021

A top real-estate executive, Everly Lancaster finds that her work is her life, leaving no space for anything (or anyone) else. Sensing her stress, Everly’s boss insists she take December off. But after her vengeful assistant books a guided cruise in the Amazon instead of the luxury beach vacation she expected, Everly is horrified to realize that she’s about to spend the next two weeks trapped in the rain forest. Not even Asher Adams, the ship’s charming naturalist, can convince Everly that the trip will be unforgettable. Slowly but surely, she realizes he is right: the sights are spectacular. And with each passing day, Everly’s relationship with Asher deepens, forcing her to take a long, hard look at her priorities.

Just Like You by Nick Hornby - Fiction

September 28, 2021

Lucy used to handle her adult romantic life according to the script she'd been handed. She met a guy just like herself; they got married and started a family. Too bad he made her miserable. Now, two decades later, she's a nearly divorced 41-year-old teacher with two school-aged sons, and there is no script anymore. So when she meets Joseph, she isn't exactly looking for love --- she's more in the market for a babysitter. Joseph is 22, living at home with his mother and working several jobs. It's not a match anyone could have predicted. But sometimes it turns out that the person who can make you happiest is the one you least expect, though it can take some maneuvering to see it through.

Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose by Nikki Giovanni - Poetry

September 28, 2021

For more than 50 years, Nikki Giovanni’s poetry has inspired, enlightened and dazzled readers. As sharp and outspoken as ever, this artist long hailed as a healer and a sage returns with this profound book of poetry in which she continues to call attention to injustice and give readers an unfiltered look into the most private parts of herself. In MAKE ME RAIN, she celebrates her loved ones and unapologetically declares her pride in her Black heritage, while exploring the enduring impact of the twin sins of racism and white nationalism.

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer - Romantic Comedy

September 28, 2021

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her Jewish family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach. But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel is determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy: Jacob Greenberg. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah --- and Jacob --- in a way she never expected.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow - Alternate History/Fantasy

September 28, 2021

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box. But when the Eastwood sisters join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote --- and perhaps not even to live --- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

The Orchard by David Hopen - Fiction

September 28, 2021

Ari Eden’s life has always been governed by strict rules. In ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn, his days are dedicated to intense study and religious rituals. So when his family announces that they are moving to a glitzy Miami suburb, Ari seizes his unexpected chance for reinvention. Enrolling in an opulent Jewish academy, he is stunned by his peers’ dizzying wealth, ambition and shameless pursuit of life’s pleasures. When the academy’s golden boy, Noah, takes Ari under his wing, Ari finds himself entangled in the school’s most exclusive and wayward group. Soon he and his friends are pushing moral boundaries and careening toward a perilous future --- one in which the traditions of their faith are repurposed to mysterious, tragic ends.

The Other Emily by Dean Koontz - Psychological Thriller

September 28, 2021

A decade ago, Emily Carlino vanished after her car broke down on a California highway. She was presumed to be one of serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup’s victims whose remains were never found. Writer David Thorne still hasn’t recovered from losing the love of his life, or from the guilt of not being there to save her. He then meets the beguiling and playful Maddison Sutton, who is keenly aware of all he has lost. But what really takes his breath away is that everything about Maddison is just like Emily. As the fantastic becomes credible, David’s obsession grows, Maddison’s mysterious past deepens --- and terror escalates. Is she Emily? Or an irresistible dead ringer? Either way, the ultimate question is the same: What game is she playing?

Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke - Mystery/Thriller

September 28, 2021

Television producer Laurie Moran and her fiancée, Alex Buckley, the former host of her investigative television show, are just days away from their mid-summer wedding when things take a dark turn. Alex’s seven-year-old nephew, Johnny, vanishes from the beach. A search party begins, and witnesses recall Johnny playing in the water and collecting shells behind the beach shack, but no one remembers seeing him after the morning. As the sun sets, Johnny’s skim board washes up to shore, and everyone realizes that he could be anywhere, even under water.

Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath by Heather Clark - Biography

September 28, 2021

With a wealth of never-before-accessed materials, Heather Clark brings to life the brilliant Sylvia Plath, who had precocious poetic ambition and was an accomplished published writer --- even before she became a star at Smith College. Refusing to read Plath’s work as if her every act was a harbinger of her tragic fate, Clark considers the sociopolitical context as she thoroughly explores Plath’s world: her early relationships and determination not to become a conventional woman and wife; her troubles with an unenlightened mental health industry; her Cambridge years and thunderclap meeting with Ted Hughes; and much more.

The Residence by Andrew Pyper - Historical Fiction/Horror

September 28, 2021

President-elect Franklin Pierce is traveling with his family to Washington, DC, when tragedy strikes. Their train runs off the rails, and the only casualty is his beloved son, Bennie. As Franklin moves into the White House, he begins to notice that something bizarre is happening. Strange sounds coming from the walls and ceiling, creepy voices that seem to echo out of time itself, and visions of spirits crushed under the weight of American history. But when First Lady Jane Pierce brings in the most noted Spiritualists of the day, the Fox sisters, for a séance, the barrier between this world and the next is torn asunder. Something horrible comes through and takes up residence alongside Franklin and Jane in the walls of the very mansion itself.

The Shadows by Alex North - Thriller

September 28, 2021

Twenty-five years ago, teenager Charlie Crabtree committed a murder so shocking that it inspired more than one copycat. Paul Adams remembers the case all too well: Crabtree and his victim were Paul’s friends. Paul has slowly put his life back together but comes back home after his mother, who is suffering from dementia, takes a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Detective Amanda Beck is investigating another copycat that has struck in the nearby town of Featherbank. Paul’s mother is distressed, insistent that there's something in the house. And someone is following him. Which reminds him of the most unsettling thing about that awful day 25 years ago. It wasn't just the murder. It was the fact that Crabtree was never seen again.

A Solitude of Wolverines by Alice Henderson - Thriller

September 28, 2021

While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land. Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human --- and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell - Psychology/Social Science

September 28, 2021

TALKING TO STRANGERS is a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology and scandals taken straight from the news. Here, Malcolm Gladwell revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky pedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland --- throwing our understanding of these and other stories into doubt. Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.

This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing: A Memoir by Jacqueline Winspear - Memoir

September 28, 2021

After 16 novels, Jacqueline Winspear has taken the bold step of turning to memoir, revealing the hardships and joys of her family history. Both shockingly frank and deftly restrained, her story tackles the difficult, poignant and fascinating family accounts of her paternal grandfather’s shellshock; her mother’s evacuation from London during the Blitz; her soft-spoken animal-loving father’s torturous assignment to an explosives team during WWII; her parents’ years living with Romany Gypsies; and Winspear’s own childhood picking hops and fruit on farms in rural Kent, capturing her ties to the land and her dream of being a writer at its very inception.