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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of November 19th and November 26th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.
This week, we are calling attention to our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight of ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield, which releases on December 4th. Twenty-five readers will win a copy of the book and give us their feedback on it. Enter here by Thursday, November 29th at noon ET.
We also have two new contests to tell you about on ReadingGroupGuides.com.
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month" contest, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Our current prize book is THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL by Robert Dugoni, a coming-of-age story about a boy who was born with red pupils and endured bullying by his classmates. Years later, Sam looks back on his life and embarks on a journey that will bring into clear view what changed him, defined him and made him so afraid --- until he finally sees what truly matters. Enter here by Wednesday, January 9th at noon ET.
Also, we are celebrating the recent release of A SPARK OF LIGHT by Jodi Picoult --- a powerful and provocative novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis --- with a special contest that will give three groups the chance to win 12 copies of the book. Enter here by Wednesday, December 5th at noon ET.
For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this.
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
This Week's Bonus News:
Our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight & Contest for
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield is a richly imagined novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious. We have 25 copies to give away to those who would like to read the book, which releases on December 4th, and share their comments on it. To enter, please fill out this form by Thursday, November 29th at noon ET.
ONCE UPON A RIVER by Diane Setterfield (Mystery)
On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.
Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.
Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications, and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.
ONCE UPON A RIVER is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic and richly atmospheric, the beginning of this novel will sweep you away on a powerful current of storytelling, transporting you through worlds both real and imagined, to the triumphant conclusion whose depths will continue to give up their treasures long after the last page is turned.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to visit the book’s website.
- Click here to read Diane Setterfield’s bio.
- Connect with Diane Setterfield on Facebook and Twitter.
Click here to read more in our Mystery Mayhem Author Spotlight
and enter the contest.
On Sale the Week of November 19th in Hardcover
November 19th
TARGET: ALEX CROSS by James Patterson (Thriller)
A leader has fallen, and Alex Cross joins the procession of mourners from Capitol Hill to the White House. Then a sniper's bullet strikes a target in the heart of DC. Alex Cross' wife, Bree Stone, newly elevated chief of DC detectives, must solve the case or lose her position. The Secret Service and the FBI deploy as well in the race to find the shooter. Alex is tasked by the new President to lead an investigation unprecedented in scale and scope. But is the sniper's strike only the beginning of a larger attack on the nation?
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316273947
November 20th
BEAUCHAMP HALL by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
Winona Farmington once dreamed of graduating from college, moving to New York City and pursuing a career in publishing. Then real life got in the way when she left college and returned to her small Michigan hometown to care for her sick mother. Years later, stuck in a dead-end job and an unsatisfying relationship, Winnie has concluded that dreams were meant for others. She consoles herself by binge-watching the British television series “Beauchamp Hall,” enthralled by the sumptuous period drama set on a great Norfolk estate in the 1920s. On the day Winnie is passed over for a long-overdue promotion, she is also betrayed by her boyfriend and her best friend. Heartbroken, she makes the first impulsive decision of her conventional life --- which changes everything.
Delacorte Press | 9780399179297
FIRE & BLOOD: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones (A Targaryen History) written by George R. R. Martin, illustrated by Doug Wheatley (Fantasy)
Centuries before the events of A GAME OF THRONES, House Targaryen --- the only family of dragonlords to survive the Doom of Valyria --- took up residence on Dragonstone. FIRE & BLOOD begins their tale with the legendary Aegon the Conqueror, creator of the Iron Throne, and goes on to recount the generations of Targaryens who fought to hold that iconic seat, all the way up to the civil war that nearly tore their dynasty apart. What really happened during the Dance of the Dragons? Why was it so deadly to visit Valyria after the Doom? What were Maegor the Cruel’s worst crimes? What was it like in Westeros when dragons ruled the skies? These are but a few of the questions answered in this essential chronicle, as related by a learned maester of the Citadel.
Bantam | 9781524796280
HOMEWARD HOUND by Rita Mae Brown (Mystery)
As winter deepens over the Blue Ridge Mountains, even the threat of snowstorms cannot derail this year’s Christmas run, not as long as Sister Jane has a say in it. With spirits high and traditions strong, a glorious parade of hunters in full holiday regalia gathers on the grounds of Tattenhall Station. But a blinding blizzard brings an early end to the sport. More disturbing: A horse soon returns without its rider. Gregory Luckham, the president of a powerful energy company pushing for a pipeline through central Virginia, is the missing hunter. A search is organized for what is presumed will be a dead, frozen body. What is discovered, however, chills everyone to the bone --- and points toward murder.
Ballantine Books | 9780399178375
LIES COME EASY: The Posadas County Mysteries by Steven F. Havill (Mystery)
One blizzardy New Mexico night, Posadas County Deputy Pasquale picks up a toddler scooting his Scamper along the shoulder of State 56. Yes, it's horrifying --- a child apparently dumped out of a truck by his father. Nearly as horrifying is what unrolls while Christmas approaches after dad Darrell Fisher's arrest: a request arrives from the US Forest Service to locate a missing range tech and his unit last reported headed for nearby Stinkin' Springs, and the brutal murder of Constance Suarez in the border town of Regál, population 37. The Sheriff's Department is stretched to its limits as its dedicated personnel juggle working cases and caring for citizens with their own relationships and family celebrations.
Poisoned Pen Press | 9781464210310
MASTER OF HIS FATE by Barbara Taylor Bradford (Historical Fiction)
Victorian England is a country of sharp divides between rich and poor, but James Lionel Falconer, who spends his days working at his father’s market stall, is determined to become a merchant prince. Even as a child, he is everything a self-made man should be: handsome, ambitious, charming and brimming with self-confidence. James quickly rises through the ranks, proving himself both hardworking and trustworthy, and catching the eye of Henry Malvern, head of the most prestigious shipping company in London. But when threats against his reputation --- and his life --- begin to emerge, James will have to prove that he truly is the master of his fate.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250187390
MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER by Oyinkan Braithwaite (Fiction/Dark Humor)
Korede’s sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola's third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede's practicality is the sisters' saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning blood, the trunk of her car is big enough for a body, and she keeps Ayoola from posting pictures of her dinner to Instagram when she should be mourning her "missing" boyfriend. Korede has long been in love with a kind, handsome doctor at the hospital where she works. She dreams of the day when he will realize that she's exactly what he needs. But when he asks Korede for Ayoola's phone number, she must reckon with what her sister has become and how far she's willing to go to protect her.
Doubleday | 9780385544238
NEWCOMER by Keigo Higashino (Mystery)
Detective Kyochiro Kaga of the Tokyo Police Department has just been transferred to a new precinct in the Nihonbashi area of Tokyo. Newly arrived, but with a great deal of experience, Kaga is promptly assigned to the team investigating the murder of a woman. But the more he investigates, the greater number of potential suspects emerges. It isn’t long before it seems that nearly all the people living and working in the business district of Nihonbashi have a motive for murder. To prevent the murderer from eluding justice, Kaga must unravel all the secrets surrounding a complicated life. Buried somewhere in the woman’s past, her family history and the last few days of her life is the clue that will lead to the murderer.
Minotaur Books | 9781250067869
TONY'S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani (Historical Fiction)
Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore before World War II. Chi Chi is a talented and ambitious singer-songwriter looking for her big break, while Saverio is fronting a touring band and has the good looks and smooth vocals that make success seem assured. It isn’t long before Saverio becomes Tony Arma, and he and Chi Chi form a duo. Soon they’re married, and all goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put ambition aside to build a family and which will pursue a career? What compromises will they make to achieve their dreams? And how will they cope with the impact these compromises have on their marriage, family and themselves?
Harper | 9780062319258
On Sale the Week of November 19th in Paperback
November 20th
THE BROKEN GIRLS by Simone St. James (Supernatural Thriller)
Vermont, 1950. There are rumors that Idlewild Hall, a boarding school, is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, but then one of them mysteriously disappears. Vermont, 2014. Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case. When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past.
Berkley | 9780451489388
THE GATE KEEPER: An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd (Historical Mystery)
A restless Ian Rutledge drives aimlessly, haunted by the past, and narrowly misses a motorcar stopped in the middle of a desolate road. Standing beside the vehicle is a woman with blood on her hands and a dead man at her feet. She swears she didn’t kill Stephen Wentworth. A stranger stepped out in front of their motorcar and fired a single shot before vanishing into the night. Although he is a witness after the fact, Rutledge persuades the Yard to give him the inquiry, since he’s on the scene. But is he seeking justice --- or fleeing painful memories in London? When a second suspicious death occurs, the evidence suggests that a dangerous predator is on the loose, and that death is closer than Rutledge knows.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062678720
INSIDIOUS INTENT by Val McDermid (Mystery/Thriller)
In the north of England, single women are beginning to disappear from weddings. A pattern soon becomes clear: Someone is crashing the festivities and luring the women away --- only to leave the victims’ bodies in their own burned-out cars in remote locations. Psychologist Tony Hill and former police detective Carol Jordan are called upon to investigate, but this may be the toughest case they’ve ever had to face. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Paula McIntyre and her partner Elinor must deal with a cruel cyber-blackmailer targeting their teenage ward, Torin.
Grove Press | 9780802128652
A MAP OF THE DARK by Karen Ellis (Thriller)
A teenage girl has disappeared from Forest Hills, Queens, and during the critical first hours of the case, a series of false leads obscures the fact that she did not go willingly. As the hours tick by, the hunt for the girl deepens into a search for a man --- who may have been killing for years. FBI Agent Elsa Myers' carefully compartmentalized world begins to collapse around her. Everything she has buried --- her fraught relationship with her sister and niece, her self-destructive past, her mother's death --- threatens to resurface, with devastating consequences. Can our most painful childhood secrets be forgotten? Or will they always find their way back into our adult lives?
Mulholland Books | 9780316505680
PROMISE ME, DAD: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose by Joe Biden (Memoir)
In November 2014, 13 members of the Biden family gathered on Nantucket for Thanksgiving, a tradition they had been celebrating for the past 40 years. It was the one constant in what had become a hectic, scrutinized and overscheduled life. The Thanksgiving holiday was a much-needed respite, a time to connect, a time to reflect on what the year had brought, and what the future might hold. But this year felt different from all those that had come before. Joe and Jill Biden's eldest son, Beau, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor 15 months earlier, and his survival was uncertain. PROMISE ME, DAD chronicles the year that followed, which would be the most momentous and challenging in Joe Biden’s life and career.
Flatiron Books | 9781250171696
STALIN: WAITING FOR HITLER, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin (Biography)
In 1929, Joseph Stalin, having already achieved dictatorial power over the vast Soviet Empire, formally ordered the systematic conversion of the world’s largest peasant economy into “socialist modernity,” otherwise known as collectivization, regardless of the cost. What it cost, and what Stalin ruthlessly enacted, transformed the country and its ruler in profound and enduring ways. Building and running a dictatorship, with life and death power over hundreds of millions, made Stalin into the uncanny figure he became. Stephen Kotkin’s STALIN: WAITING FOR HITLER, 1929–1941 is the story of how a political system forged an unparalleled personality and vice versa.
Penguin Books | 9780143132158
THE TANGLED LANDS by Paolo Bacigalupi and Tobias S. Buckell (Dystopian Fantasy)
Khaim, The Blue City, is the last remaining city in a crumbled empire that overly relied upon magic until it became toxic. It is run by a tyrant known as The Jolly Mayor and his devious right hand, the last archmage in the world. Together they try to collect all the magic for themselves so they can control the citizens of the city. But when their decadence reaches new heights and begins to destroy the environment, the people stage an uprising to stop them. In four interrelated parts, THE TANGLED LANDS is an evocative and epic story of resistance and heroic sacrifice in the twisted remains surrounding the last great city of Khaim.
Saga Press | 9781481497305
THE WAY IT WAS: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi (Memoir)
By the time Eliot Weisman met Frank Sinatra in 1976, he was already the Voice, a man who held sway over popular music and pop culture for 40 years. Passionate and generous on his best days, sullen and unpredictable on his worst, Sinatra invited Weisman into his inner circle, an honor that the budding celebrity manager never took for granted. With Weisman's help, Sinatra orchestrated in his final decades some of the most memorable moments of his career. Over their years together, Weisman became a confidant to the man who trusted few, and he came to know Sinatra's world intimately. Ultimately Weisman, who had become the executor of Sinatra's estate, was left alone to navigate the infighting and hatred between those born to the name and the wife who acquired it.
Hachette Books | 9780316470094
THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL: A Mystery of 1920s Bombay by Sujata Massey (Historical Mystery)
Perveen Mistry, the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family, has just joined her father’s law firm. Mistry Law has been appointed to execute the will of Mr. Omar Farid, a wealthy Muslim mill owner who has left three widows behind. But as Perveen examines the paperwork, she notices something strange: all three of the wives have signed over their full inheritance to a charity. The Farid widows live in full purdah --- in strict seclusion, never leaving the women’s quarters or speaking to any men. Are they being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous guardian? Perveen tries to investigate and realizes her instincts were correct when tensions escalate to murder.
Soho Crime | 9781616959760
On Sale the Week of November 26th in Hardcover
November 27th
THE ADULTS by Caroline Hulse (Fiction/Humor)
Claire and Matt are no longer together but decide that it would be best for their daughter, Scarlett, to have a “normal” family Christmas. They can’t agree on whose idea it was to go to the Happy Forest holiday park, or who said they should bring their new partners. But someone did, and it’s too late to pull the plug. Claire brings her new boyfriend, Patrick, a seemingly sensible, eligible from a distance Ironman in Waiting. Matt brings the new love of his life, Alex, who’s funny, smart and extremely patient. They all drink a little too much after Scarlett’s bedtime, overshare classified secrets about their pasts…and before you know it, their holiday is a powder keg that ends where this novel begins --- with a tearful, frightened call to the police.
Random House | 9780525511748
ALL THE LIVES WE NEVER LIVED by Anuradha Roy (Fiction)
This is the story of Myshkin and his mother, Gayatri, a rebellious, alluring artist who abandons parenthood and marriage to follow her primal desire for freedom. Though freedom may be stirring in the air of India, across the world the Nazis have risen to power in Germany. At this point of crisis, a German artist from Gayatri’s past seeks her out. His arrival ignites passions she has long been forced to suppress. What follows is her life as pieced together by her son, a journey that takes him through India and Dutch-held Bali. Excavating the roots of the world in which he was abandoned, he comes to understand his long-lost mother, and the connections between strife at home and a war-torn universe overtaken by patriotism.
Atria Books | 9781982100513
COME WITH ME by Helen Schulman (Fiction)
Donny is a baby genius whose play for fortune is an algorithm that may allow people access to their "multiverses" --- all the planes on which their alternative life choices can be played out simultaneously --- to see how the decisions they’ve made have shaped their lives. He chooses Amy Reed to be his guinea pig. Amy’s husband, Dan, accepts a dare of his own, accompanying a seductive, award-winning photographer named Maryam on a trip to Fukushima, the Japanese city devastated by tsunami and meltdown. But when crisis hits at home, the extent of Dan’s betrayal is exposed. As Amy contemplates alternative lives, the couple must confront whether or not the distances between them in the here and now are irreconcilable.
Harper | 9780062459138
HAZARDS OF TIME TRAVEL by Joyce Carol Oates (Dystopian/Science Fiction)
“Time travel” --- and its hazards --- are made literal in Joyce Carol Oates’ new novel, in which a recklessly idealistic girl dares to test the perimeters of her tightly controlled (future) world and is punished by being sent back in time to a region of North America --- “Wainscotia, Wisconsin”--- that existed 80 years before. Cast adrift in time in this idyllic Midwestern town, she is set upon a course of “rehabilitation” --- but cannot resist falling in love with a fellow exile and questioning the constraints of the Wainscotia world with results that are both devastating and liberating.
Ecco | 9780062319593
KINGDOM OF THE BLIND: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny (Mystery)
When a peculiar letter arrives inviting Armand Gamache to an abandoned farmhouse, the former head of the Sûreté du Québec discovers that a complete stranger has named him one of the executors of her will. Still on suspension, Gamache accepts and soon learns that the other two executors are Myrna Landers, the bookseller from Three Pines, and a young builder. None of them had ever met the elderly woman. The will is so odd and includes bequests that are so wildly unlikely that Gamache and the others suspect the woman must have been delusional. But what if, Gamache begins to ask himself, she was perfectly sane? When a body is found, the terms of the bizarre will suddenly seem less peculiar and far more menacing.
Minotaur Books | 9781250066206
ROBERT B. PARKER’S BLOOD FEUD: A Sunny Randall Novel by Mike Lupica (Mystery)
Sunny Randall is "on" again with Richie, the ex-husband she never stopped loving and never seemed to be able to let go, despite her discomfort with his Mafia connections. When Richie is shot and nearly killed, Sunny is dragged into the thick of his family's business as she searches for answers and tries to stave off a mob war. But as the bullets start flying in Boston's mean streets, Sunny finds herself targeted by the deranged mastermind of the plot against the Burke family, whose motive may be far more personal than she could have anticipated.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780525535362
TOM CLANCY OATH OF OFFICE: A Jack Ryan Novel by Marc Cameron (Thriller/Adventure)
President Jack Ryan has plenty to handle at home. A deadly strain of flu is ravaging the United States as spring floods decimate the Southeast. An unethical senator wants to bring down the Ryan presidency and is willing to lean on fabricated bot-planted stories to do it. But the scariest story is the most closely guarded one. Two Russian nuclear missiles have been hijacked. The Campus gets their first break when Jack Junior connects with a rogue Russian intelligence officer in Afghanistan --- only to be abducted soon after arriving. John Clark and the rest of the Campus team race to track the missiles and rescue their colleague.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780735215955
December 1st
BLEAK HARBOR by Bryan Gruley (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Summertime in Bleak Harbor means tourists, overpriced restaurants and the Dragonfly Festival. One day before the much-awaited and equally chaotic celebration, Danny Peters, the youngest member of the family that founded the town five generations ago, disappears. When Danny’s mother, Carey, and stepfather, Pete, receive a photo of their brilliant, autistic and socially withdrawn son tied to a chair, they fear the worst. But there’s also more to the story. Someone is sending them ominous texts and emails filled with information no one else should have. Could the secrets they’ve kept hidden --- even from one another --- have led to Danny’s abduction?
Thomas & Mercer | 9781503904682
RAPID FALLS by Amber Cowie (Psychological Thriller)
It’s been 20 years since Cara’s boyfriend died in a horrible accident and her sister, Anna, went to prison. The tragedy has become a local legend, but Cara has moved past her grief to have a successful career and a happy family. Pity about Anna. Recently released from incarceration, she’s struggling with addiction, guilt and shame --- a shattered life. Cara’s forgiveness seems to be the only thing that helps her pick up the pieces. But as Anna pulls herself together, her memories of that night on the bridge start to come into focus. And few of them match her sister’s. As past secrets unfold and nothing is what it seems anymore, Anna desperately searches for the truth. But what if Cara doesn’t want her to find it?
Lake Union Publishing | 9781503904743
THE RIVER WIDOW by Ann Howard Creel (Historical Fiction)
In 1937, with flood waters approaching, Adah Branch accidentally kills her abusive husband, Lester, and surrenders his body to the raging river, only to be swept away herself. So begins her story of survival, return to civilization, defense against accusations of murder, and the fight to save herself and her stepdaughter, Daisy, from the clutches of her husband’s notoriously cruel family, who have their sights set on revenge for Lester’s death. Essentially trapped, Adah must plan an escape. But when she develops feelings for the one person essential to her plan’s success, she faces a painful choice: Will she choose to risk everything saving Daisy or take the new life offered by a loving man?
Lake Union Publishing | 9781503904699
THE WARNER BOYS: Our Family’s Story of Autism and Hope by Ana and Curt Warner, with Dave Boling (Memoir)
Seahawks star running back Curt Warner and his wife, Ana, were prominent figures in Seattle in the early 1990s. When they dropped from the public eye after Curt’s retirement, everyone assumed it was for a simpler life. But the reality behind their seclusion was a secret they hid from even their closest friends: their twins, Austin and Christian, had been diagnosed with severe autism. What followed was a painful struggle to hold their family and their marriage together in a home filled with chaos, emotional exhaustion, and constant fear for the safety of their unpredictable but beloved boys. Now, after years of silence, the Warners share their inspiring journey from stardom and success to heartbreaking self-imposed isolation.
Little A | 9781503900561
WINTER LOON by Susan Bernhard (Fiction)
Abandoned by his father after his mother drowns in a frozen Minnesota lake, 15-year-old Wes Ballot is stranded with coldhearted grandparents and holed up in his mother’s old bedroom, surrounded by her remnants and memories. As the wait for his father stretches unforgivably into months, a local girl, whose own mother died a brutal death, captures his heart and imagination, giving Wes fresh air to breathe in the suffocating small town. When buried truths come to light in the spring thaw, wounds are exposed and violence erupts, forcing Wes to embark on a search for his missing father, the truth about his mother, and a future he must claim for himself --- a quest that begins back at that frozen lake.
Little A | 9781503902985
On Sale the Week of November 26th in Paperback
November 27th
THE AFFLICTION by Beth Gutcheon (Mystery)
Chairing a team to evaluate the faltering Rye Manor School for girls, Maggie Detweiler will determine if the school has a future at all. At a reception for the faculty and trustees to "welcome" Maggie’s team, no one seems more keen for all to go well than Florence Meagher. But when Maggie arrives to observe her teaching, Florence is missing. Florence’s husband, Ray, seems more annoyed than alarmed at her disappearance. But Florence’s sister is distraught. There have been tensions in the marriage, and at their last visit, Florence had warned, "If anything happens to me, don’t assume it’s an accident." Two days later, Florence’s body is found in the campus swimming pool.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062432001
THE BLOODY SPUR: A Caleb York Western by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (Western)
Rancher George Cullen doesn’t like the Santa Fe Railroad’s plan to drive a spur through his town. He intends to put up a fight --- even though everyone else in Trinidad, New Mexico, including his own daughter, stands on the side of the railroad. Sheriff Caleb York rides out to the Bar-O to reason with his old friend. But Cullen’s ex-partner, Burt O’Malley, is back in town after a 20-year stint in the pen. And hired gun Alver Hollis, aka the Preacherman, has shown up with two cronies, claiming they’re in town for a big poker game. With the whole town on the verge of a shootout, Caleb keeps a firm grip on his Colt .44. Soon enough, he’ll take dead aim to keep the peace.
Pinnacle | 9780786036189
ENCHANTRESS OF NUMBERS: A Novel of Ada Lovelace by Jennifer Chiaverini (Historical Fiction)
The only legitimate child of Lord Byron, the most brilliant, revered and scandalous of the Romantic poets, Ada Byron King was destined for fame long before her birth. Banishing fairy tales and make-believe from the nursery, Ada’s mother provides her daughter with a rigorous education grounded in mathematics and science. Any troubling spark of imagination --- or worse yet, passion or poetry --- is promptly extinguished. Or so her mother believes. When Ada is introduced into London society as a highly eligible young heiress, she at last discovers the intellectual and social circles she has craved all her life. Little does she realize that her delightful new friendship with inventor Charles Babbage will shape her destiny.
Dutton | 9781101985212
THE FALLEN: A Quinn Colson Novel by Ace Atkins (Thriller)
Mississippi sheriff Quinn Colson had to admit he admired the bank robbers. A new bank was hit almost every week, and the robbers rushed in and out with such skill and precision it reminded him of raids he’d led back in Afghanistan and Iraq when he was an army ranger. In fact, it reminded him so much of the techniques in the Ranger Handbook that he couldn’t help wondering if the outlaws were former Rangers themselves. If he stood any chance of catching them, he was going to need the help of old allies, new enemies and a lot of luck. The enemies he had plenty of. It was the allies and the luck that were going to be in woefully short supply.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780399576720
HELLBENT: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller)
His name is Evan Smoak. Taken from a group home at age 12, he was raised and trained as an off-the-books government assassin: Orphan X. After breaking with the Orphan Program, Evan disappeared and reinvented himself as the Nowhere Man, a man spoken about only in whispers and dedicated to helping the truly desperate. Now, the person in need of help is Jack Johns, the man who raised and trained him, and the only father Evan has ever known. Secret government forces are busy trying to scrub the remaining assets and traces of the Orphan Program, and they have finally tracked down Jack. With little time remaining, and an elusive new enemy on his trail, Jack gives Evan his final assignment: to find and protect his last protégé and recruit for the program --- or die trying.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks | 9781250144881
THE MUSEUM OF MODERN LOVE by Heather Rose (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Unexpectedly separated from his wife, Arky Levin suddenly has the space he needs to work composing film scores --- but none of the peace of mind he needs to create. As he wanders the city, it’s almost by chance that he stumbles upon an exhibition that will change his life. Visitors to the Museum of Modern Art sit across a table from the performance artist Marina Abramović, for as short or long a period as they choose. Although some go in skeptical, almost all leave moved. And the participants are not the only ones to find themselves changed by this unusual experience: Arky finds himself drawn to the exhibit. He returns day after day to watch other people sit with Abramović --- and he begins to understand what might be missing in his life and what he must do.
Algonquin Books | 9781616208523
THE PLEA by Steve Cavanagh (Legal Thriller)
Billionaire David Child swears he didn’t murder his girlfriend, Clara --- even if the evidence suggests otherwise. Meanwhile, the FBI needs David’s help in taking down a huge money laundering scheme. Now it’s up to David’s lawyer, Eddie, to get him to take a plea bargain. Otherwise the FBI will use incriminating files on Eddie’s wife to send her to jail. Still, David insists that he didn’t murder anyone. As the FBI pressures Eddie to secure the guilty plea, Eddie becomes increasingly convinced that David is telling the truth. With adversaries threatening, Eddie has to find a way to prove David’s innocence and find out if there’s any way he might have been framed. But the stakes are high: Eddie’s wife is in danger. And not just from the FBI.
Flatiron Books | 9781250105981
SHATTERED MIRROR: An Eve Duncan Novel by Iris Johansen (Thriller)
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan is once again thrown into a deadly game of intrigue when she receives a cryptic package containing a skull and a two-sided mirror. Eve is determined to reconstruct the skull and uncover the mystery of the person’s identity, and when she does, the face of a beautiful woman begins to emerge. But who is she? As Eve gets closer and closer to finding the answer, she becomes swept up in a lethal chase that spans continents and threatens to destroy the family that she has worked so hard to bring together. Eve and her team must work quickly to discover who is behind the murder --- and maybe even prevent more loss of life.
St. Martin’s Paperbacks | 9781250075932
SHOOT FIRST: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller/Adventure)
Stone Barrington is enjoying a round of golf in Key West when the game is violently interrupted --- and it seems as if the target of the disturbance may have been one of his playing companions, the brilliant businesswoman behind a software startup on the cutting edge of technology. Soon, it becomes clear that this incident is only the first thrust in a deadly scheme to push the beautiful young woman out of the way and put her company's valuable secrets up for grabs. Stone embarks on a quest to protect his lovely new companion while searching for the mastermind behind the plot against her. But he may find that her enemy is far more resourceful --- and dangerous --- than he could have anticipated.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780735217218
SHROUD OF ETERNITY: Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles, Volume II by Terry Goodkind (Fantasy)
The formidable sorceress Nicci and her companions --- the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon --- set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan’s magic and, for Nicci, save the world. Guided by the witch-woman Red's mysterious prophecy, the trio makes their way south of Kol Adair towards a wondrous city shrouded behind time, Ildakar. But the grotesque omens on their path to Nathan's salvation --- severed Norukai heads on pikes, a genetically modified monster, and a petrified army of half a million --- are just a taste of the unimaginable horrors that await within the Shroud of Eternity.
Tor Fantasy | 9780765388254
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