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Bookreporter.com Newsletter |
July 11, 2008
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Swimming Inspiration and Thrilling Moments
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As readers of this newsletter know, I love to swim. Last Sunday night, as I was watching Dara Torres, the 41-year-old swimmer, set a record in the women's 50M freestyle, I wanted to hit the water and do laps with even more enthusiasm than usual. There have been stories in the press all week about Torres giving those of "her generation" someone to cheer for with a spirited reminder that age can be just a number.
Could it be coincidental that one of my hammock reads last weekend was OFF THE DEEP END, a memoir by W. Hodding Carter? Carter, who idolized Mark Spitz, has long harbored a dream of making the Olympic swim team. Now at the age of 42, he is determined to make that happen. The book is the story of his effort as he tries to shave the seconds and tenths of seconds off his time to make that happen. His stories of trying to clock pool time in between other obligations will make you smile. His takes on reality colliding with his wanna-be Olympian middle-age ambitions are self-deprecating and humorous. What goes into workouts will make you look at Torres --- and even Phelps --- a whole new way. And I have to say, his wife is the one who deserves the medal if he ever wins one. Ever the optimist while Carter did not qualify for 2008, he already is thinking 2012.
While I am reality-based enough to know the Olympics are something I watch on television, I wish I had the time to swim Masters. When I was at my local Y a few months ago, one of the seriously medaled Master swimmers stopped me and asked me if I wanted to sign on. She said my stroke and my glide in the water made me a perfect candidate. While I was flattered I knew these two-hour swims would never jive with my calendar, so this remains a “someday thing.” She was already well into her 70s, which means I have a lot of time for this since in my mind I still am 27!
I love the book that we are featuring this week for our Beach Bag of Books Contest, AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL by Penny Vincenzi. I usually am a very fast reader, but I loved this book so much --- and it was such a big juicy book --- that I really wanted to make it last. So I started it when I was in the Caymans in May and just finished it last weekend. I think that is a record for me of taking my time with a book. My mom is a huge Vincenzi fan and a few months ago told me about a trilogy that Vincenzi wrote that she and her friends were just crazy about. Well, this will remind me that I need to listen to my mom, since as soon as she saw me reading the new book she said, "THAT is the author I was telling you about." Just when I think I am some kind of book expert here, I once again am foiled by a reader who is turning me on to an author of a book that they like. Ha! That will teach me. Each week, as I read our newsletter lineup and click through the reviews, I again am humbled by how many books and authors I still am coming to know.
If you like sweeping stories, you will love AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL. It’s set in London in the '80s and is rooted in the scandal that went down when Lloyd’s of London (who insures some very unique products and even people) crashed with huge debt, taking down a number of its circle of investors. I did not know the story and how it affected many “ordinary” folks. Vincenzi’s writing gives the story a real pulse as she moves from character to character. I marvel at how she paces the plot and wraps the characters together. For Norah Piehl’s terrific review, click here. To enter this week’s contest, click here.
You may remember the great feedback we received from our advance readers of THE HOUSE AT MIDNIGHT by Lucie Whitehouse. This week, Lucie answers their questions, which you can read here.
I am writing this opener on Wednesday night as I am spending most of the week this week at ThrillerFest, the International Thriller Writers Convention. Working off a summer analogy, these days are like camp for writers. The opening two days of the event were called CraftFest. Classes on plotting, pacing, character, voice and writing an action scene were taught today by folks like Steve Berry, Gayle Lynds, Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Eric Van Lustbader and James Rollins, among others. While I am not writing a thriller, I know that, from what I heard in these talks, I will be a more focused reader. Once you hear Lee Child on creating suspense, Steve Berry tell why there needs to be 2-5 points of view --- and no more --- or Gayle Lynds walk you through keeping the villain sharp to keep the plot driven (when stuck she always turns to the villain), you can’t help but read differently in the future. Lorenzo Carcaterra’s session on bringing screenplay structure to the novel made me think about the techniques that hone a tight book that do mirror the best television shows and movies. I am looking forward to the rest of these sessions, as well as the ThrillerFest Conference on Friday and Saturday.
Greg, my older son, is working with us in the office this summer. Besides the fact that I like having him there working, I have a secret motive for wanting him to work with me. Most days I persuade him to drive in with the best incentive beyond "I will pay you," which is "You can play your radio station." So there's a lot of Deep Tracks on XM going on as I bang away on my keyboard. It's a pretty even trade. I gain two hours of work time while he flies down the highway with the radio blaring. I confess that I never completely relax. But I AM getting better about not telling him what lane to get into except when it looks like we truly are going to blow by the exit we need. Then I confess, I shriek! If I am on the phone I point. A lot. He cannot follow my points. I do not understand HOW he cannot grasp that when I am gesturing with my left hand pointing left, I mean left is beyond me. When I yell “LEFT” I do really feel for the person on the other end of the phone.
Saturday I leave ThrillerFest and hop a plane to the International Christian Retail Show in Orlando. Yes, another Disney location. Another long weekend of trying to avoid Mickey and Company. Last time I left Orlando I got on the plane dressed for business. On my flight were a group of people who looked like they just had left the beach. Someone tried to stuff their oversized Shamu the whale into the overhead bin; he filled the bin. Three people had mouse ears on. They were adults. We were delayed two hours. About half an hour into the delay I was upgraded to first class. I think the flight attendants feared that my stares were going to incite a riot. I cannot wait to see what special delights these flights will hold. These days it’s guaranteed SOMETHING will happen.
Have a great week…take a swim or clock some hammock time for me this weekend.font size="2">
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
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Bookreporter.com Talks to Tana French, Author of IN THE WOODS
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Tana French’s award-winning debut novel, IN THE WOODS, has just been released in paperback to coincide with the July 17th publication of its sequel, THE LIKENESS. In this interview with Bookreporter.com’s Joe Hartlaub, French recalls the experience that inspired the plot of this literary mystery and discusses how her background in acting has helped her develop the voices of her characters. She also weighs the pros and cons of her unconventional writing process, explains why she chose different narrators for her second and third follow-up books, and reveals why her works may never stray from Dublin settings.
IN THE WOODS by Tana French (Mystery)
In the summer of 1984, three children from a small Dublin suburb do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of them gripping a tree trunk in terror and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours. Twenty years later, this boy is a detective who has the chance to uncover the mystery of his shadowy past. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
-Click here to read a review of IN THE WOODS.
-Click here to read an excerpt from IN THE WOODS.
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Click here to read our interview with Tana French.
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Author Talk: Elizabeth Brundage, Author of SOMEBODY ELSE'S DAUGHTER
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In this interview, Elizabeth Brundage --- author of the critically acclaimed THE DOCTOR'S WIFE --- discusses the complex female protagonists in her latest work of fiction, SOMEBODY ELSE'S DAUGHTER, and shares her thoughts on some of the topics covered in the novel, such as society's views on feminism, marriage and sex. She also describes how her interest and education in art and art history surfaces in the text, explains how she was able to effectively capture the voices of her teenage characters, and expresses her desire to mix aspects of psychological drama, thrillers and literary fiction in her work.
-Click here to read more about SOMEBODY ELSE'S DAUGHTER.
-Click here to read an excerpt from SOMEBODY ELSE'S DAUGHTER.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.ElizabethBrundage.com.
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Click here to read an interview with Elizabeth Brundage.
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Now in Stores: AT FIRST SIGHT by Stephen J. Cannell
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AT FIRST SIGHT: A Novel of Obsession by Stephen J. Cannell (Thriller)
In Stephen J. Cannell’s newest novel of suspense, AT FIRST SIGHT, Chick Best has everything --- money, fast cars, a Beverly Hills trophy wife... But that’s just not enough. When he meets the young and beautiful Paige Ellis, he experiences love at first sight.
Will Chick’s fantasy become Paige’s worst nightmare? When does obsession turn to murder? And who will pay the deadly price?
Fast paced, filled with wry humor, murder, lust and dead-on L.A. characterizations, Cannell has written his most explosive novel yet.
-Click here to read a review of AT FIRST SIGHT.
-Click here to read an excerpt from AT FIRST SIGHT.
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Click here to read more about AT FIRST SIGHT.
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Now in Stores: FISHERMAN'S BEND by Linda Greenlaw
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FISHERMAN’S BEND: A Jane Bunker Novel by Linda Greenlaw (Mystery)
If you love the sea and all things nautical, then you’ll be delighted with the easy way that Linda Greenlaw educates both novice and old salt as she spins an exciting yarn set on the rugged coast of Maine. This talented writer --- and lobster boat captain --- deftly exhibits both her storytelling abilities and first-hand knowledge of fishing vessels in her second mystery featuring Miami homicide detective Jane Bunker. Reviewed by Maggie Harding.
-Click here to read an excerpt from FISHERMAN’S BEND.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.LindaGreenlawBooks.com.
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Click here to read a review of FISHERMAN'S BEND.
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Our Summer Beach Bag Contest: Spotlight This Week on AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL by Penny Vincenzi
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Whether your "beach" is on sand, your backyard deck or a grassy meadow in the country, the summer months mean it's time for "beach reading." Bookreporter.com is celebrating the lazy days of summer reading with our Fourth Annual "Bookreporter.com Beach Bag of Books."
Every week from May 16th through August 29th, a different title or collection of titles will be featured with a review and contest prize --- a beach bag stocked with the featured book(s), plus summertime essentials that tie in to the weekly theme. Five FABULOUS beach bags will be given away each week, as well as five copies of the featured book(s) to additional winners.
This week we’re celebrating the release of AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL, Penny Vincenzi’s new novel, by giving it away with the recently released paperback edition of her bestselling SHEER ABANDON. In a purple and white beach bag, winners will find a blue and purple striped towel, a jar of blackberry jam, a box of Twinings English Breakfast Tea, candles shaped like sand pails and shovels, a pink nautical themed table cloth and La Source Revitalising Mineral Muscle Soak, as well as a copy of AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL and a paperback edition of SHEER ABANDON. We have five to give away, as well as five additional prizes of copies of AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL and SHEER ABANDON.
To enter, fill out this form and answer the following question by Thursday, July 17th at 11:59PM. You can find the answer by reading the excerpt here.
What was the purpose of the party Lucinda attended?
AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL by Penny Vincenzi (Fiction)
Set during the boom-and-bust years of the 1980s, Penny Vincenzi’s latest novel follows the lives of a group of people drawn together by their mutual monetary woes when the great financial institution Lloyd's of London undergoes a devastating downturn. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
-Read more about Penny Vincenzi and AN ABSOLUTE SCANDAL here.
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Click here to read all the details of our Summer Beach Bag Contest.
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Featured Historical Fiction Author: C. W. Gortner, Author of THE LAST QUEEN
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C. W. Gortner has a master’s degree in writing with an emphasis on historical studies. In THE LAST QUEEN, which will be available on July 29th, Gortner tells the story of a Spanish queen, her tumultuous marriage into the Habsburg Empire, her dynamic relationship with her parents Ferdinand and Isabella, and her determination to hold on to the throne that is rightfully hers.
-Click here to read an excerpt from THE LAST QUEEN.
-Click here to read C. W. Gortner’s bio.
-Click here to see C. W. Gortner's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for THE LAST QUEEN.
-Visit the author's official website, www.CWGortner.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about THE LAST QUEEN:
Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country’s throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven mad by her loss, or has history misjudged a woman who was ahead of her time? In his stunning new novel, C. W. Gortner challenges the myths about Queen Juana, unraveling the mystery surrounding her to reveal a brave, determined woman we can only now begin to fully understand.
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Click here to read more about C. W. Gortner and THE LAST QUEEN.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Brandon Massey, Author of DON'T EVER TELL
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In 2000, Brandon Massey won the Black Writers Alliance’s Gold Pen Award for Best Thriller for his first book, THUNDERLAND. He has since published nine more suspense novels and short story collections. In DON’T EVER TELL, his newest thriller now in stores, a woman’s dark secrets have a way of coming back with a vengeance.
-Click here to read a second excerpt from DON'T EVER TELL.
-Click here to read Brandon Massey’s bio.
-Click here to see Brandon Massey's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for DON'T EVER TELL.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.BrandonMassey.com.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about DON’T EVER TELL:
With a new identity, a new city to live in and a wonderful new husband, Rachel Moore believes she's finally free of the demons in her past. But nothing could be farther from the truth. For the deadly secrets she thought were long buried are now on the brink of being exposed...
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Click here to read more about Brandon Massey and DON'T EVER TELL.
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Featured Suspense/Thriller Author: Christopher Reich, Author of RULES OF DECEPTION
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Christopher Reich is the New York Times bestselling author of NUMBERED ACCOUNT and THE PATRIOTS CLUB, the latter of which won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best Novel in 2006. In RULES OF DECEPTION, his new thriller releasing on July 15th, a man finds himself the subject of an international manhunt and the target of a master assassin after his wife's death.
-Click here to read a third excerpt from RULES OF DECEPTION.
-Click here to read fast facts about Christopher Reich.
-Click here to read Christopher Reich’s bio.
-Click here to see Christopher Reich's backlist.
-Click here to read critical praise for RULES OF DECEPTION.
-Visit the author’s official website, www.ChristopherReich.com.
-Watch trailers One, Two and Three for RULES OF DECEPTION.
-Click here to see our advance copy winners.
More about RULES OF DECEPTION:
Dr. Jonathan Ransom, world-class mountaineer and surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, is climbing in the Swiss Alps with his wife, Emma, when a blizzard sets in. In their bid to escape the storm, Emma is killed when she falls into a hidden crevasse.
Twenty-four hours later, Jonathan receives an envelope addressed to his wife containing two baggage-claim tickets. So begins a journey that will draw him deeper into a world of spies, high-tech weaponry and global terrorism --- a world where no one is who they appear to be and where the end always justifies the means.
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Click here to read more about Christopher Reich and RULES OF DECEPTION.
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This Week's Graphic Novel Reviews |
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Y: THE LAST MAN, Volumes 1-10 by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
After the extinction of every male being on the planet except for a young man and his monkey, the world struggles for survival. With society almost in ruins, the women left in the world try to rebuild, while the last man alive searches for his one true love. Reviewed by John Hogan.
THE ARRIVAL by Shaun Tan
A man leaves his family behind to move to a foreign land. All of his fears, hopes, dreams and expectations take surprising forms in a symbolically rich tale of what we find when we forge a path somewhere new and unexpected. Reviewed by John Hogan.
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Click here to see all our graphic novel reviews and features.
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Now in Stores: VANISH by Tom Pawlik |
VANISH by Tom Pawlik (Psychological Thriller)
A white carpet of mist rolled up from the lake. Inside, tall, gaunt silhouettes moved along as the survivors looked on in terror. “They’re coming.”
A powerful storm.
A small group of survivors, stranded in a deserted city.
An unsolvable mystery that threatens their existence.
When everything else has vanished, only the truth remains.
Don’t miss this debut psychological thriller from Tom Pawlik, the winner of the 2006 Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel contest.
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Click here to read more about VANISH.
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This Week's Reviews
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TRIBUTE by Nora Roberts (Romantic Suspense)
Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is a long way from Hollywood. And that’s exactly how Cilla McGowan wants it. Cilla, a former child star who has found more satisfying work as a restorer of old houses, has come to her grandmother’s farmhouse --- tools at her side --- to rescue it from ruin. Reviewed by Jennifer McCord.
-Click here to read an excerpt from TRIBUTE.
CHASING HARRY WINSTON by Lauren Weisberger (Fiction)
Emmy, Leigh and Adriana are three very different girls who’ve been best friends for the past decade. As they near 30, they're looking toward their future. But despite all they've earned --- first-class travel, career promotions, invites to all the right parties and luxuries small and large --- they're not quite sure they like what they see. Reviewed by Jamie Layton.
-Click here to read an excerpt from CHASING HARRY WINSTON.
A WOLF AT THE TABLE: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs (Memoir)
The autobiographical RUNNING WITH SCISSORS was about growing up with an older brother with Asperger Syndrome, a mother with mental illness who retreated from conflict, and a father who was an alcoholic. Augusten Burroughs managed to mine that potentially horrific set of circumstances for nuggets of skewed humor. In A WOLF AT THE TABLE, however, he gives up the struggle to find amusement there and tells it like it was. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
-Click here to read an excerpt from A WOLF AT THE TABLE.
TAILSPIN: An FBI Thriller by Catherine Coulter (Thriller)
"Tailspin" correctly describes the action in bestselling author Catherine Coulter’s latest romantic suspense novel. FBI Special Agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, a married couple living in San Francisco, dive headfirst into an investigation full of question marks. Reviewed by Judy Gigstad.
THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND: Reports from a Divided Nation by Barbara Ehrenreich (Current Affairs)
Journalist, columnist and activist Barbara Ehrenreich chronicles the struggles of middle and working class Americans to make ends meet in THIS LAND IS THEIR LAND, a collection of her short commentaries from recent years. As in all her work, we find her compassion, her sardonic wit and her thirst for social justice. Reviewed by Tom Callahan.
COMFORT: A Journey Through Grief by Ann Hood (Memoir)
In this haunting memoir, novelist Ann Hood (THE KNITTING CIRCLE) writes of the death of her young daughter Grace and her painful struggle to make some sense of this monstrous loss. COMFORT is a bleakly honest portrayal of one woman’s battle to overcome grief and continue to live. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.
WHAT WAS LOST by Catherine O’Flynn (Fiction)
From the notebooks of a little girl playing detective to the inner lives of disaffected workers in an urban mall, this absorbing, meticulously observed first novel from Catherine O’Flynn is a mystery story of sorts, told in a fresh, ironic voice. WHAT WAS LOST is a truly astonishing debut. Reviewed by Kathy Weissman.
THE SECRET SCRIPTURE by Sebastian Barry (Fiction)
As Roseanne Clear McNulty nears 100 years of age, she is the oldest person living in Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital, and perhaps all of Ireland. The institution that has been her home for more than half a century is about to be torn down, and the once beautiful Roseanne secretly writes of the loves, joys and sorrows of her life during Ireland’s troubled times. Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt.
THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION by David Stone (Thriller)
THE ORPHEUS DECEPTION opens with a breathtaking assassination attempt on the rainy streets of Venice that sets CIA agent Micah Dalton on a collision course with a vengeful Serbian warlord. Picking up where THE ECHELON VENDETTA left off --- with Dalton on the run from the CIA --- this "Venetian incident" with the Serbian attackers ultimately leads to a tangled web of conspiracies. Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub.
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Read this week's reviews here.
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Poll and Question of the Week: Political Books
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Poll:
Are you planning to read any books by or about the presidential candidates?
Yes
No
Not sure
How do you characterize your political beliefs?
Conservative
Middle of the road
Liberal
Not sure
-Click here to answer our poll.
Question/strong>:
Over the years, what is the political book that has been most memorable to you?
-Click here to answer our question.
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Word of Mouth: Tell Us What You're Reading --- TWO Prizes
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Tell us what books YOU are reading and loving --- or even those you don't.
This week we have two great prizes: FIVE readers each will win a copy of
MOSCOW RULES by Daniel Silva and SAY GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner. Tell us what you are reading and rate the titles 1-5 by noon on July 25th to ensure that you are in the running to win these books.
Please note that our next Word of Mouth update will be on July 25th.
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Need more details about Word of Mouth? Click here.
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As always, here are a few housekeeping notes. If you are seeing this newsletter in a text version, and would prefer to see the graphics, you can either read it online or change your preferences below.
Those of you who wish to send mail to Bookreporter.com, please see the form on the Write to Us page. If you would like to reach me, please write Carol@bookreporter.com. Writing any of the respond buttons below will not get to us.
Those who are subscribed to the Bookreporter.com newsletter by July 31, 2008 automatically are entered in our Monthly Newsletter Contest. This month one winner will be selected to win the following five books: AT FIRST SIGHT: A Novel of Obsession by Stephen J. Cannell, FISHERMAN'S BEND: A Jane Bunker Novel by Linda Greenlaw, KILLER VIEW by Ridley Pearson, MOSCOW RULES by Daniel Silva and SAY GOODBYE by Lisa Gardner. Vada from Anoka, MN was last month's newsletter winner. She won THE BROKEN WINDOW: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver, FEARLESS FOURTEEN: A Stephanie Plum Novel by Janet Evanovich, THE MURDER NOTEBOOK by Jonathan Santlofer, NOTHING TO LOSE: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child and THIS CHARMING MAN by Marian Keyes.
Happy reading! Don't forget to forward this newsletter to a friend or to visit our other websites from TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com, AuthorsOnTheWeb.com, FaithfulReader.com, AuthorYellowPages.com, Teenreads.com, and Kidsreads.com.
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