September 10, 2013

September 17th

A BEAUTIFUL TRUTH by Colin McAdam

Told simultaneously from the perspective of humans and chimpanzees, set in a Vermont home and a Florida primate research facility, A BEAUTIFUL TRUTH --- at times brutal, other times deeply moving --- is about the simple truths that transcend species, the meaning of family, the lure of belonging, and the capacity for survival.

Soho Press * 9781616953157

BLACK SKIES: An Icelandic Thriller by Arnaldur Indridason
A man is making a "death mask," and he has revenge in mind. Meanwhile, a school reunion has left Inspector Erlendur's colleague Sigurdur Óli unhappy with life in the police force. While Iceland is enjoying an economic boom, Óli's relationship is on the rocks, and soon even his position in the department is compromised. When a favor to a friend goes wrong and a woman dies before his eyes, Óli has a murder investigation on his hands.
Minotaur Books * 9781250000392

BLEEDING EDGE by Thomas Pynchon

It is 2001 in New York City, in the lull between the collapse of the dot-com boom and the terrible events of September 11th. Silicon Alley is a ghost town, Web 1.0 is having adolescent angst, Google has yet to IPO, Microsoft is still considered the Evil Empire. There may not be quite as much money around as there was at the height of the tech bubble, but there's no shortage of swindlers looking to grab a piece of what's left.

The Penguin Press * 9781594204234
 

DEADLY HEAT by Richard Castle

Determined to find justice for her mother, top NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat continues to pursue the elusive former CIA station chief who ordered her execution more than a decade ago. For the hunt, Nikki teams once again with her romantic partner, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Jameson Rook, and their quest for the old spy and the motive behind the past murder unearths an alarming terror plot, which is anything but ancient history.

Hyperion * 9781401324803
 

DEXTER'S FINAL CUT by Jeff Lindsay

When mega-star Robert Chase and a group of actors descend on the Miami Police Department for "research," Chase becomes fixated on blood spatter analyst Dexter Morgan. To perfect his role, Chase is obsessed with shadowing Dexter's every move and learning what really makes him tick. There is just one tiny problem: Dexter's favorite hobby involves hunting down the worst killers to escape legal justice, and introducing them to his special brand of playtime.

Doubleday * 9780385536516
 

THE FINAL CUT by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison

Scotland Yard’s new chief inspector Nicholas Drummond learns that his colleague, Elaine York, the “minder” of the Crown Jewels for the “Jewel of the Lion” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was found murdered. Then the centerpiece of the exhibit, the infamous Koh-i-Noor Diamond, is stolen from the Queen Mother’s crown. Special Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich don’t hesitate to help Drummond find the cunning international thief known as the Fox.

Putnam Adult * 9780399164736
 

THE FOUNTAIN OF ST. JAMES COURT; OR, PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS AN OLD WOMAN by Sena Jeter Naslund

Kathryn Callaghan has just finished her novel about painter Élisabeth Vigée-LeBrun, a survivor of the French Revolution hated for her sympathetic portraits of Marie Antoinette. Though still haunted by the story she has written, Kathryn must leave the 18th-century European world she has researched and made vivid in order to return to her own life as an American in 2012.

William Morrow * 9780061579325
 

HELP FOR THE HAUNTED by John Searles

Sylvie Mason’s parents have an unusual occupation --- helping “haunted souls” find peace. After receiving a strange phone call one winter’s night, they leave the house and are later murdered in an old church in a horrifying act of violence. A year later, the inquisitive teenager pursues the mystery, moving closer to the knowledge of what occurred that night --- and to the truth about her family’s past and the secrets that have haunted them for years.

William Morrow * 9780060779634
 

THE IMPERSONATOR by Mary Miley

In 1917, 14-year-old Jessie Carr, sole heiress to her family’s vast fortune, disappeared without a trace. Now, years later, her uncle Oliver Beckett finds Leah, a young actress in a vaudeville playhouse who's a dead ringer for his missing niece. With Oliver's coaching, Leah agrees to impersonate Jessie and split the family fortune with him. The only problem is, Leah’s act isn't going to fool the one person who knows the truth about what happened to Jessie Carr.

Minotaur Books * 9781250028167

KATE: The Future Queen by Katie Nicholl
Katie Nicholl gives an inside look into the life of the future Queen of England, Kate Middleton. Since becoming Duchess Catherine of Cambridge in 2011, Middleton has captivated royals fans around the world. Now, Nicholl delivers the story of her early life, first romances, and love with Prince William. She also reveals new details on Middleton’s initiation into royal life and, of course, her first pregnancy.
Weinstein Books * 9781602862265
 

THE LAST FIRST DAY by Carrie Brown

Ruth has always stood firmly beside her husband, Peter, the legendary chief of New England’s Derry School for boys. The aging Peter will soon have to retire, and Ruth is wondering what they will do in their old age, separated from the school into which they have poured everything, including their savings. The narrative takes us back through the years, revealing the explosive spark and joy between Ruth and Peter.

Pantheon * 9780307908032
 

THE LONGEST RIDE by Nicholas Sparks

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. They are two couples who have little in common, and are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.

Grand Central Publishing * 9781455520657
 

MEN WE REAPED: A Memoir by Jesmyn Ward

In five years, Jesmyn Ward lost five young men in her life --- to drugs, accidents, suicide, and the bad luck that can follow people who live in poverty, particularly black men. Dealing with these losses, one after another, made Jesmyn ask the question: Why? And as she began to write about the experience of living through all the dying, she realized the truth --- and it took her breath away.

Bloomsbury USA * 9781608195213
 

THE QUEST by Nelson DeMille

THE QUEST is a deadly adventure that pits two journalists and a beautiful photographer against the Vatican, murderous tribesmen, shadowy assassins, fanatical Coptic monks and, ultimately, the powers of the Holy Grail itself. Against the backdrop of a legend that has lasted 2,000 years, and with a love affair influencing many decisions, good eventually triumphs --- but at a steep price.

Center Street * 9781455576425

SEVEN FOR A SECRET by Lyndsay Faye
Officer Timothy Wilde is horrified when he learns of the gruesome underworld of lies and corruption ruled by the “blackbirders,” who snatch free Northerners of color from their homes, masquerade them as slaves, and sell them South to toil as plantation property. When the beautiful and terrified Lucy Adams staggers into Timothy’s office to report a robbery and is asked what was stolen, her reply is “My family.”
Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam * 9780399158384
 

SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG by Delia Ephron

In SISTER MOTHER HUSBAND DOG, Delia Ephron brings her trademark wit and effervescent prose to a series of unforgettable, moving and provocative essays. The emotional linchpin in this collection is the author’s stirring, eloquent response to the death of Nora Ephron --- Delia’s older sister and frequent writing companion.

Blue Rider Press * 9780399166556

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMEONE DEAD: An Agatha Raisin Mystery by M. C. Beaton
It is quite the shock when Gloria French is found dead, murdered by a poisoned bottle of elderberry wine. Afraid the murder will be a blight on the small town, Parish councillor Jerry Tarrant hires private detective Agatha Raisin to track down the murderer. A secretive village whose residents resent the investigation doesn't stop the ever-persistent Agatha from sticking her nose where no one wants it --- especially as the suspect list grows.
Minotaur Books * 9780312640132

THANKLESS IN DEATH by J. D. Robb
The Reinholds lie in their home stabbed and bludgeoned almost beyond recognition. Those who knew them are stunned by the evidence that they were murdered by their own son, Jerry. With the money he’s stolen from his parents and a long list of grievances, he intends to finally make his mark on the world. Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team already know the who, how and why of this murder. What they need to pinpoint is where Jerry is going to strike next.
Putnam Adult * 9780399164422
 

TRAVELING SPRINKLER by Nicholson Baker

Putting aside poetry in favor of music, and drawing on his classical bassoon training, Paul Chowder turns instead to his new acoustic guitar with one goal in mind: to learn songwriting. As he struggles to come to terms with the horror of America’s drone wars and ex-girlfriend Roz’s recent relationship with a local NPR radio host, Paul fills his days with Quaker meetings, Planet Fitness workouts, and some experiments with tobacco.

Blue Rider Press * 9780399160967
 

WHO ASKED YOU? by Terry McMillan

WHO ASKED YOU? opens as Trinetta leaves her two young sons with her mother, Betty Jean, and promptly disappears. BJ already has her hands full dealing with her other adult children, two opinionated sisters, an ill husband, and her own postponed dreams --- all while holding down a job delivering room service at a hotel. The drama unfolds through the perspectives of a rotating cast of characters, each playing a part, and full of surprises.

Viking Adult * 9780670785698

September 17th

31 DAYS TO HAPPINESS: How to Find What Really Matters in Life by David Jeremiah
Paperback Original
Dr. David Jeremiah takes a look at history’s wisest and most successful man, King Solomon, and challenges readers to find what really matters in life. If you thought happiness was only an empty hope, maybe you’ve simply been looking in all the wrong places. In this book, Dr. Jeremiah reveals the way to the happiness you have longed for, the never-dimming light of your fondest dreams.
Thomas Nelson * 9780849921933

BRUCE by Peter Ames Carlin

Peter Ames Carlin's New York Times bestselling biography of one of America's greatest musicians is the first in 25 years to be written with the cooperation of Bruce Springsteen himself. With unfettered access to the artist, his family, and band members --- including Clarence Clemons in his last major interview --- the acclaimed music writer presents a startlingly inti­mate and vivid portrait of a rock icon.

Touchstone * 9781439191835

THE CUTTING SEASON by Attica Locke

Caren Gray manages Belle Vie, a sprawling antebellum plantation that has turned into an eerie tourist attraction. Outside the gates, a corporation has been snapping up land from struggling families who have been growing sugar cane for generations and replacing local employees with illegal laborers. Tensions mount when the body of a female migrant worker is found in a shallow grave on the edge of the property, her throat cut clean.

Harper Perennial * 9780061802065

THE ELEMENTALS by Francesca Lia Block

Ariel Silverman is haunted by the disappearance of her best friend, Jeni, who vanished without a trace a few years before, closing Ariel's heart and changing her forever. Ariel wonders if she will ever be fully alive, until she meets three mysterious, beautiful and seductive young people living in a strange old house in the Berkeley hills. Through them, Ariel will unravel the mystery of her best friend's disappearance and face a chilling choice.

St. Martin's Griffin * 9781250036292

THE HIT by David Baldacci

A highly skilled assassin, Will Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst enemies of the state. Fellow assassin Jessica Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now she's turning her gun sights on other members of their agency. As Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.

Grand Central Publishing * 9781455521173

NO WAY OUT: A Karen Vail Novel by Alan Jacobson
Paperback Original
When a powerful firebomb destroys part of an art gallery in an exclusive London district, FBI Profiler Karen Vail is dispatched to England to work with Scotland Yard. But Vail soon discovers that at the heart of the bombing lies a 440-year-old manuscript that holds clues to England's past --- with content so explosive that a group of political radicals is bent on destroying it at all costs.
Premier Digital Publishing * 9781624670848

RATLINES by Stuart Neville

As the Irish people prepare to welcome President John F. Kennedy to the land of his ancestors, a German national is murdered. This is the third foreigner to die within a few days, and Minister for Justice Charles Haughey wants the killing to end lest a shameful secret be exposed: the dead men were all Nazis granted asylum by the Irish government in the years following World War II.

Soho Crime * 9781616953027

TAKING EVE: An Eve Duncan Novel by Iris Johansen

Jim Doane's 25-year-old son may or may not be dead, and he has only burned skull fragments as possible evidence. But he cannot go to the police for answers without risking his own secrets and dark past, so instead he chooses a bold step to find the truth --- a truth that takes forensic sculptor Eve Duncan down a twisted path of madness and evil and into the darkest heart of her own history.

St. Martin's Paperbacks * 9781250034335

WHAT ONCE WAS LOST by Kim Vogel Sawyer
Paperback Original
After a fire breaks out at the Brambleville Asylum for the Poor, Christina Willems is forced to approach Levi Jonnson, a reclusive mill owner, to take in a young blind boy named Tommy Kilgore. Levi agrees with reluctance but finds himself surprised by the bond that quickly grows between him and Tommy. As obstacles to repairing her farm pile up against Christina, she begins to question her leadership ability and wonders if she can fulfill the mission to which she has dedicated her life.
WaterBrook Press * 9780307731258