August 21, 2012

YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE by Susan Richards Shreve
It is 1973, and Lucy Painter is a children's book illustrator and a single mother of two. She leaves New York and the married father of her children to live in a tightly knit Washington neighborhood in the house where she grew up and where she discovered her father’s suicide. Lucy hopes for a fresh start, but her life is full of secrets. As the new neighbors enter their lives, her family’s safety and stability become threatened.
W. W. Norton & Company * 9780393082807


August 21st

THE ABSENT ONE by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Detective Carl Mørck is intrigued when a closed case lands on his desk: A brother and sister were brutally murdered two decades earlier, and one of the suspects --- part of a group of privileged boarding-school students --- confessed and was convicted. But once Mørck reopens the files, it becomes clear that all is not what it seems.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952893

THE BARTENDER’S TALE by Ivan Doig
Tom Harry and his son, Rusty, make an odd kind of family, with Tom’s venerable bar their true home, but they manage just fine. That is, until the summer of 1960, when Rusty turns 12. Change arrives with gale force, in the person of Proxy, a taxi dancer Tom previously knew, and her beatnik daughter, Francine. Is Francine, as Proxy claims, the unsuspected legacy of her and Tom’s past?
Riverhead Hardcover * 9781594487354

THE DEVIL IN SILVER by Victor LaValle
On his first night at the New Hyde Hospital's mental ward, Pepper witnesses an impossible vision: the Devil appears in the guise of an old man with a bison's head and murderous intent. It’s no delusion --- the Devil roams the halls of New Hyde, terrorizing its patients when the sun goes down. Pepper teams with three other strangely loveable patients to try to kill the monster that's been stalking them. But can the Devil die?
Spiegel & Grau * 9781400069866

THE DOUBLE GAME by Dan Fesperman
A few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, spook-turned-novelist Edwin Lemaster revealed to up-and-coming journalist Bill Cage that he’d once considered spying for the enemy. For Cage, the news story created a brief but embarrassing sensation and heralded the beginning of the end of his career in journalism. More than two decades later, Cage receives an anonymous note hinting that he should have dug deeper into Lemaster’s pronouncement.
Knopf * 9780307700131

HOSTAGE by Elie Wiesel
It’s 1975, and Shaltiel Feigenberg --- professional storyteller, writer and beloved husband --- has been taken hostage. His captors, an Arab and an Italian, explain that his life will be bartered for the freedom of three Palestinian prisoners. As his days of waiting commence, Shaltiel resorts to what he does best: telling stories --- to himself and to the men who hold his fate in their hands.
Knopf * 9780307599582

A KILLING IN THE HILLS by Julia Keller
Three elderly men are gunned down at a local diner. One of the witnesses to the brutal incident was Carla Elkins, the prosecuting attorney’s daughter, who believes she might be uniquely placed to help her mother do her job. But could Carla also end up doing more harm than good --- in fact, putting her own life in danger?
Minotaur Books * 9781250003485

LIONEL ASBO: State of England by Martin Amis
Just as the orphaned Desmond Pepperdine begins to lead a gentler, healthier life, his uncle Lionel --- once again in a London prison --- wins £140 million in the lottery. Upon his release, Lionel hires a public relations firm and begins dating a topless model and “poet.” Strangely, however, Lionel's true nature remains uncompromised, while his problems --- and therefore also Desmond's --- seem only to multiply.
Knopf * 9780307958082

THE MAP OF LOST MEMORIES by Kim Fay
Skilled at acquiring priceless, often illicitly trafficked artifacts, Irene Blum is given a rare map believed to lead to a set of copper scrolls that chronicle the lost history of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer civilization. Such a find would not only restore her reputation, it would be the greatest archaeological discovery of the century. As she and her fellow adventurers sweep across borders and make startling discoveries, their quest becomes increasingly dangerous.
Ballantine Books * 9780345531346

MEMOIRS OF AN IMAGINARY FRIEND by Matthew Dicks
Budo is the imaginary friend of eight-year-old Max Delaney. He loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can’t protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, who kidnaps him. It is up to Budo and a team of imaginary friends to save him --- and Budo must ultimately decide which is more important: Max’s happiness or Budo's very existence.
St. Martin's Press * 9781250006219

ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO by Jonathan Tropper
When Drew Silver, the former drummer for a one-hit wonder rock band, learns that his heart requires emergency, lifesaving surgery, he makes the radical decision to refuse the operation. He would rather use what little time he has left to repair his relationship with his daughter, become a better man, and live in the moment, even if that moment isn't destined to last very long.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952367

THE ORCHARDIST by Amanda Coplin
At the turn of the 20th century, reclusive orchardist William Talmadge tends to apples and apricots as if they were loved ones. One day, two teenage girls appear and steal his fruit from the market; they later return to see the man who gave them no chase and end up indulging in his deep reservoir of compassion. But just as they begin to trust him, men arrive in the orchard with guns, leading to a shattering tragedy.
Harper * 9780062188502

THE ROOTS OF THE OLIVE TREE by Courtney Miller Santo
Meet the Keller family, five generations of firstborn women --- a line of daughters unbroken --- living together in the same house on a secluded olive grove in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. Told from varying viewpoints, Courtney Miller Santo’s debut novel captures the joys and sorrows of family --- the love, secrets, disappointments, jealousies and forgiveness that tie generations to one other.
William Morrow * 9780062130518

SHARP: A Memoir by David Fitzpatrick
SHARP is the story of a young man who began his life with a loving family and great promise for the future. But in his early 20s, David Fitzpatrick became so consumed by mental illness it sent him into a frenzy of cutting himself with razor blades. In this shocking and often moving book, he vividly describes the rush this act gave him, the fleeting euphoric high that seemed to fill the spaces in the rest of his life.
William Morrow * 9780062064028

THE SURVIVOR by Gregg Hurwitz
Nate Overbay --- a divorced former solider suffering from PTSD and slowly dying from ALS --- is about to commit suicide when a crew of robbers bursts into a bank. With nothing to lose, Nate confronts the robbers, taking them out one-by-one. The last man standing leaves Nate with a cryptic warning. Soon he is kidnapped by the mastermind of the failed heist and is given an ultimatum that could lead to the murder of his ex-wife and teenage daughter.
St. Martin's Press * 9780312625511

TRICKSTER’S POINT by William Kent Krueger
The unsinkable Cork O’Connor is sitting in the shadow of a towering monolith known as Trickster’s Point, deep in the Minnesota wilderness. Beside him is the first Native American governor-elect, Jubal Little, who is slowly dying with an arrow through his heart. Although the men have been bow hunting, this is no accident. The arrow in the governor’s heart belongs to Cork, who becomes the primary suspect in the murder.
Atria Books * 9781451645675

THE TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE by Enid Shomer
Florence Nightingale is 29, and well on her way to spinsterhood. Gustave Flaubert is 28, and known for his womanizing lifestyle. These unlikely soulmates come together to share their darkest torments and most fervent hopes, and begin a passionate friendship marked by intelligence, humor and a ravishing tenderness that will alter both their destinies.
Simon & Schuster * 9781451642964

VISITING TOM: A Man, a Highway, and the Road to Roughneck Grace by Michael Perry
Tom Hartwig makes gag shovel handles, parts for quarter-million-dollar farm equipment, and the occasional batch of potentially "extralegal" explosives. As he approaches his 60th wedding anniversary, Tom has an endless reservoir of stories dating back to days of his prize Model A, and an anti-authoritarian streak refreshed daily by the four-lane interstate that was shoved through his front yard in 1965 and now dumps over eight million vehicles past his kitchen window every year.
Harper * 9780061894442

WARDS OF FAERIE: The Dark Legacy of Shannara by Terry Brooks
The Four Lands hang in the balance between science and magic as subversive elements take up arms against the Druid Council. Humans and their allies have developed dangerous weapons using the forbidden secrets of science that long ago destroyed the world. Then a clue to four sets of precious Elfstones is discovered. Their magic has been missing for thousands of years. If it can be regained, the balance of power may shift once again....
Del Rey * 9780345523471

WE SINNERS by Hanna Pylväinen
The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other?
Henry Holt and Company * 9780805095333

WINTER JOURNAL by Paul Auster
Facing his 63rd winter, Paul Auster sits down to write a history of his body and its sensations --- both pleasurable and painful. Thirty years after the publication of THE INVENTION OF SOLITUDE, in which he wrote so movingly about fatherhood, Auster gives us a second unconventional memoir in which he writes about his mother's life and death.
Henry Holt and Company * 9780805095531

ACCEPTABLE LOSS: A William Monk Novel by Anne Perry
This latest installment in Anne Perry’s Victorian crime series finds Commander William Monk returning to a dangerous case that he thought he had left behind. High-stakes murder, conspiracy and dark secrets abound, and no one involved will escape unharmed.
Ballantine Books * 9780345510617

THE BALLAD OF TOM DOOLEY: A Ballad Novel by Sharyn McCrumb
What began as a fictional re-telling of the historical account of one of the most famous mountain ballads of all time became an astonishing revelation of the real culprit responsible for the murder of Laura Foster. Bringing to life the star-crossed lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia.
St. Martin's Griffin * 9781250007452

GHOST HERO: A Lydia Chin/Bill Smith Novel by S. J. Rozan
What starts as a rumor about new paintings by a dead artist quickly becomes something far more desperate. Private investigator Lydia Chin and her partner, Bill Smith, soon learn that someone else --- Jack Lee: PI, art expert, and, like Lydia, American Born Chinese --- is also on the case. Lydia and Bill soon find themselves in a high-stakes crisis that they will risk everything to resolve.
Minotaur Books * 9781250006936

GOING HOME: Finding Peace When Pets Die by Jon Katz
Drawing on personal experiences, stories from fellow pet owners, and philosophical reflections, Jon Katz provides guidance and support for those in mourning. With great compassion, he compels us to consider if we gave our pets good lives, if we were their advocates in times of need, and if we used our best judgments in the end.
Random House Trade Paperbacks * 9780345502704

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING SEVEN: A 44 Scotland Street Novel by Alexander McCall Smith
After seven years and five books, Bertie is --- finally! --- about to turn seven. But one afternoon he mislays his meddling mother Irene, and learns a valuable lesson: wish-fulfillment can be a dangerous business. Angus and Domenica contemplate whether to give in to romance on holiday in Italy, and even usually down-to-earth Big Lou is overheard discussing cosmetic surgery.
Anchor * 9780307739360

IN OTHER WORLDS: SF and the Human Imagination by Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is internationally celebrated for memorable novels and speculative fiction such as THE HANDMAID’S TALE, ORYX AND CRAKE, THE BLIND ASSASSIN, and her latest bestseller, THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD. Now she adds to her equally respected stature as literary critic in writing about science fiction, the genre that she elevated almost singlehandedly to high art.
Anchor * 9780307741769

A PARTIAL HISTORY OF LOST CAUSES by Jennifer duBois
In Jennifer duBois’s mesmerizing and exquisitely rendered debut novel, a long-lost letter links two disparate characters, each searching for meaning against seemingly insurmountable odds. Spanning two continents and the dramatic sweep of history, A PARTIAL HISTORY OF LOST CAUSES reveals the stubbornness and splendor of the human will even in the most trying times.
Dial Press Trade Paperback * 9780812982176

THE SHOEMAKER’S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani
Divine Providence intervenes in the lives of Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravanelli. The two Italian peasants meet under sad circumstances in their native land. Years later, their paths cross again after Ciro becomes a shoemaker in New York City’s Little Italy, while Enza finds work as a seamstress in New Jersey.
Harper Paperbacks * 9780061257100

THE TALK-FUNNY GIRL by Roland Merullo
In one of the poorest parts of rural New Hampshire, teenage girls have been disappearing, snatched from back country roads. For Marjorie Richards, the fear raised by these abductions is the backdrop to what she lives with in her own home. Marjorie is also tormented by classmates, who call her “The Talk-funny girl.” But as the nearby factory town sinks deeper into economic ruin and as her parents fall under the influence of a sadistic cult leader, her options for escape dwindle.
Broadway * 9780307452931

UNMEASURED STRENGTH by Lauren Manning
She had a big job on Wall Street, a loving husband and an infant son, and a confidence born of intelligence and beauty. But on 9/11, good fortune was no match for catastrophe. When a wall of flame at the World Trade Center burned more than 80 percent of her body, Lauren Manning began a 10-year journey of survival and rebirth that tested her almost beyond human endurance.
St. Martin's Griffin * 9781250012142

VULTURE PEAK: A Bangkok Novel by John Burdett
Nobody knows Bangkok like Royal Thai Police Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep. But for his newest assignment, everything he knows will be a mere starting point. He’s put in charge of the highest-profile case in Thailand --- an attempt to bring an end to trafficking in human organs.
Vintage * 9780307474292

August 28th

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
When the renowned choir director at a monastery is murdered, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec are called in to investigate. They learn that one of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors.
Minotaur Books * 9780312655464

BONES ARE FOREVER by Kathy Reichs
Temperance Brennan has been asked to examine the corpses of three dead babies in Montreal, while her long-time flame, Detective Ryan, is investigating the infants’ mother. When the woman flees to Edmonton, the investigation is joined by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police sergeant with whom Tempe had an ill-advised fling over a decade earlier. The dissonant team heads to a remote diamond-mining city to pursue an ever more sinister trail.
Scribner * 9781439102435

THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US: A Memoir by Reyna Grande
Born in Mexico and raised by her grandparents after her parents left to find work in the U.S., at nine years old, Reyna Grande enters the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant to live with her father. Filled with hope, she quickly realizes that life in America is far from perfect. Reyna finds solace from a violent home in books and writing, inspired by the Latina voices she reads.
Atria Books * 9781451661774

LAST TO DIE: A Rizzoli & Isles Novel by Tess Gerritsen
When several attempts on an orphan’s life prove to be part of a grisly plot, detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles take matters into their own hands. It's not just this one orphan in danger; an unspeakable secret dooms the children's fate unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer's twisted quest.
Ballantine Books * 9780345515636

THE MIRRORED WORLD by Debra Dean
Born to a Russian family of lower nobility, Xenia is a passionate dreamer who cares little for social conventions. She unexpectedly falls in love with Andrei, a handsome solider with the Imperial choir. Their perfect happiness is constantly overshadowed by the petty demands of life at the royal court and her obsession to have a child. However, she is certain that tragedy will strike; when it finally does, Xenia begins giving away her possessions and mysteriously vanishes.
Harper * 9780061231452

RETURN TO WILLOW LAKE by Susan Wiggs
Sonnet Romano is leading a seemingly perfect life until her mother drops the news that she’s expecting and the pregnancy is high risk. Sonnet feels compelled to put everything else on hold and return home to Avalon. Although she plans to pick up her life where she left off once her mother is out of danger, a devastating diagnosis is given, forcing Sonnet to make life-altering decisions.
Harlequin MIRA * 9780778313847

THE REVISED FUNDAMENTALS OF CAREGIVING by Jonathan Evison
Having lost virtually everything, Benjamin Benjamin enrolls in a night class called The Fundamentals of Caregiving. He is assigned to 19-year-old Trevor, who is in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As the two embark on a wild road trip across the American West, a new camaraderie replaces the traditional boundary between patient and caregiver.
Algonquin Books * 9781616200398

A SUNLESS SEA: A William Monk Novel by Anne Perry
As commander of the River Police, William Monk is accustomed to violent death, but the mutilated body of a female moves him with horror and pity. The victim’s name is Zenia Gadney. Her waterfront neighbors can tell him little --- only that the same unknown gentleman had visited her once a month for many years. What sinister secrets could have made poor Zenia worth killing? And why does the government keep interfering in Monk’s investigation?
Ballantine Books * 9780345510648

August 30th

CARAVAN OF THIEVES by David Rich
Working as an undercover marine, Rollie Waters is never less than two steps ahead of trouble --- a skill he learned from the con artist father who raised him, though he hasn't seen Dan in years. It develops that a lot of money from the U.S. government has gone missing, and they think Rollie’s father took it. The only way to find Dan is to trace the frail tendrils of truth scattered among Rollie’s childhood memories. To do that, he’ll have to go deep into the undercover identity of a lifetime: his own.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952886

August 28th

77 SHADOW STREET by Dean Koontz
Once the dream home of a tycoon, the Pendleton is now a luxury apartment building, a sanctuary for its privileged inhabitants. They are unaware of the building’s dark history --- episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse.
Bantam * 9780553593068

ANATOMY OF A DISAPPEARANCE by Hisham Matar
Nuri is a young boy when his mother dies, and it seems nothing can fill the emptiness that her death causes within him and his father. Then they meet Mona, and Nuri falls madly in love. But it's Nuri's father who Mona loves and eventually marries, and their happiness consumes and tortures Nuri. When Nuri's father is kidnapped, they both realize how little they know this man.
Dial Press Trade Paperback * 9780385340458

ANATOMY OF MURDER by Imogen Robertson
London, 1781. Harriet Westerman anxiously awaits news of her husband, a ship's captain who has been gravely injured in the king's naval battles with France. As London's streets seethe with rumor, a body is dragged from the murky waters of the Thames. The indomitable Mrs. Westerman and her reclusive sidekick, anatomist Gabriel Crowther, are once again called on to investigate.
Penguin Books * 9780143122630

BELLA FORTUNA by Rosanna Chiofalo
Valentina DeLuca has made hundreds of brides' dreams come true with her ability to find the perfect style for even the most demanding customer. Now, it's her turn. Valentina has loved Michael Carello ever since he rescued her from a cranky shopkeeper when she was 10 years old. In a few weeks, she's going to marry him --- in Venice. But just when she thinks everything is falling into place, Valentina is forced to re-examine her life to see what truly makes her happy.
Kensington * 9780758266538

DEATH OF KINGS by Bernard Cornwell
In this latest installment of Bernard Cornwell’s saga of England, loyalties are divided and chaos is mounting. As the ninth century wanes, Alfred the Great lies dying, his dream of a unified England in danger and his kingdom on the brink of chaos. While his son, Edward, has been named his successor, there are other Saxon claimants to the throne --- as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.
Harper Paperbacks * 9780061969669

DEFENSIVE WOUNDS by Lisa Black
In this fourth novel in Lisa Black’s captivating suspense series, forensic investigator Theresa MacLean finds herself embroiled in a case in which everyone has a motive and everyone is a suspect --- especially when high-powered defense attorneys start turning up dead.
Harper * 9780061989421

THE FACILITY by Simon Lelic
In a near-future dystopian Britain, democracy has been undermined. Emboldened by new anti-terrorism laws, police start to “disappear” people from the streets for unspecified crimes. But when unassuming dentist Arthur Priestley is snatched and held prisoner at a top-secret facility, his estranged wife, Julia, and a brave but naive journalist named Tom Clarke embark on a harrowing quest for the truth.
Penguin Books * 9780143120681

KEPT IN THE DARK by Penny Hancock
When her neighbor’s 15-year-old nephew goes missing, Sonia is the last person anyone would suspect. At 43, she is a strikingly attractive wife and mother. And like the River House, her lovely home overlooking the Thames, Sonia’s life is a picture of perfection and normalcy --- until she meets Jez. From the moment he shows up on Sonia’s doorstep, the gorgeous teenage boy awakens a torrent of memories that threaten to reveal a terrifying truth.
Plume * 9780452298330

LETTER FROM A STRANGER by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Justine Nolan is a documentary film maker who lost her beloved grandmother a decade ago --- the person who was the only source of love and comfort in her life. But when Justine inadvertently opens a letter addressed to her mother, she discovers that not only is her grandmother alive, but that her mother has deliberately estranged the family from her for all these years.
St. Martin's Paperbacks * 9780312631697

NIGHTWATCHER by Wendy Corsi Staub
Allison Taylor adores her adopted city of New York. But on a bright and clear September morning, the familiar landscape around her is savagely altered --- and in the midst of widespread chaos and fear, a woman living upstairs from her is found, brutally slaughtered and mutilated. Homicide detective Rocky Manzillo must hunt for a monster called "The Nightwatcher" amid the smoking ruins of a devastated city.
Harper * 9780062070289

ON CANAAN'S SIDE by Sebastian Barry
Told in the first person, as a narrative of Lilly Bere's life over 17 days, ON CANAAN'S SIDE opens as she mourns the loss of her grandson. Lilly revisits her past, going back to the moment she was forced to flee Ireland, at the end of the First World War, and continues her tale in America, a world filled with both hope and danger.
Penguin Books * 9780143122180

PHANTOM: An Alex Hawke Novel by Ted Bell
Counterspy Alex Hawke must catch a villainous megalomaniac, a man obsessed with horrifying experiments in cyberwarfare, in this mesmerizing new installment of Ted Bell's espionage thriller series. Hawke ultimately goes nose-to-nose with an enemy unlike any he's fought before --- and may never again.
Harper * 9780061859328

THE ROPE: An Anna Pigeon Novel by Nevada Barr
Nevada Barr gathers together the many strings of Anna Pigeon’s past and finally reveals the story that her many fans have been long asking for. In 1995 and 35 years old, fresh off the bus from New York City and nursing a broken heart, Anna takes a decidedly unglamorous job as a seasonal employee of the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. On her day off, she goes hiking into the park --- never to return.
St. Martin's Paperbacks * 9781250008671

SIDNEY SHELDON'S ANGEL OF THE DARK by Tilly Bagshawe
LAPD Detective Danny McGuire could never forget the face of Angela Jakes and the nightmare she endured --- raped, beaten, and tied to the murdered body of her elderly husband, multimillionaire art dealer Andrew. His obsession nearly cost McGuire his sanity, even after the stunning young widow disappeared without a trace. Ten years later, living in France and working for Interpol, he's put the past behind him...until Matt Daley, Andrew Jakes's estranged son, walks into his life.
Harper * 9780062073457

THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller
Patroclus, an awkward young prince, is to be raised in the shadow of King Peleus and his golden son, Achilles, and the boys become steadfast companions. When word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, the men of Greece must lay siege to Troy. Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows.
Ecco * 9780062060624

SWEETNESS: The Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton by Jeff Pearlman
In the 12 years since his death from cancer, Walter Payton’s legend has only grown in magnitude.Based on meticulous research and interviews with nearly 700 family members, friends, teammates and various associates, SWEETNESS delivers an unforgettable portrait of a man who lived his life just like he played the game: at full speed.
Gotham * 9781592407378

TIGER HILLS by Sarita Mandanna
The year is 1878, the year a beautiful baby girl, Devi, is born. Her fate is intertwined with Devanna, a gifted young boy whose mother has died in tragic circumstances. The two quickly become inseparable, until Devi meets Machu the tiger killer, a hunter of great repute. It is the tangled relationship among the three that leads to a devastating tragedy --- an event with unforeseen and far-reaching consequences for generations to come.
Pintail * 9780670066933