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Mike Lupica, author of Robert B. Parker's Hot Property: A Spenser Novel

Spenser is waiting out the latest Boston snowstorm when he gets word that Rita Fiore has been shot. Rita always has been a tricky one. Flirting with Spenser for years, she’s an ever-present figure that transcends friendship in Spenser’s circle. But at the end of the day, Rita is family. And family will always be protected. Both a pit bull in the courtroom and provocateur outside it, Rita is no stranger to controversy. But as one of the city’s toughest lawyers, Spenser knows that there’s no short list of suspects who might want to enact revenge. With Rita’s life hanging in the balance, it’s up to him to get to the bottom of things, even if it means unearthing some unsavory secrets that just might lead him into an age-old game of lies and deceit.

The Grays of Truth by Sharon Virts

November 2024

THE GRAYS OF TRUTH is the third book by Sharon Virts that I have made a Bets On pick (MASQUE OF HONOR and VEIL OF DOUBT were the first two). She has a way of writing a historical mystery that plants me right in the time period, which this time is Reconstruction-era Baltimore.

Jane Gray Wharton is in a loveless marriage to Ned, a growling man who feels that life has done him wrong. He is visiting his brother Hank’s home in Baltimore on family business when he dies of mysterious causes. Jane is suspicious of what happened as she was a nurse in the Civil War. Her skills tell her that Ned was healthy, and passing away like this definitely sparks questions. Jane is not fond of Hank’s wife, Ellen, and in fact distrusts her immensely. However, Jane’s views are suspect as she has a history of mental health issues, which has led people not to believe her.

Editorial Content for What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Sy Montgomery is one of the world's most famous writers of essays and books about animals. Her subjects have included hummingbirds, hawks, octopuses, pigs, moon bears, dolphins, tigers and more. She also has written about Temple Grandin. Her latest effort, WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS, is (unsurprisingly) about chickens, which she raised for decades. Read More

Teaser

For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality and connects with Sy in her own way. In WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures. Only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run and peck; relationships are important to them, and the average chicken can recognize more than a hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least 24 distinct calls. Visitors to her home are astonished by all of this, but for Sy what’s more astonishing is how little most people know about chickens, especially considering there are about 20 percent more chickens on earth than people.

Promo

For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality and connects with Sy in her own way. In WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures. Only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run and peck; relationships are important to them, and the average chicken can recognize more than a hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least 24 distinct calls. Visitors to her home are astonished by all of this, but for Sy what’s more astonishing is how little most people know about chickens, especially considering there are about 20 percent more chickens on earth than people.

About the Book

A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, “one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world” (The New York Times).

For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery --- whose THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS was a National Book Award finalist --- has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality (outgoing or shy, loud or quiet, reckless or cautious) and connects with Sy in her own way.

In this short, delightful book, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run and peck; relationships are important to them and the average chicken can recognize more than one hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least 24 distinct calls. Visitors to her home are astonished by all this, but for Sy what’s more astonishing is how little most people know about chickens, especially considering there are about twenty percent more chickens on earth than people.

With a winning combination of personal narrative and science, WHAT THE CHICKEN KNOWS is exactly the kind of book that has made Sy Montgomery such a beloved and popular author.

Audiobook available, read by Sy Montgomery

Editorial Content for Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

Over the course of four novels, Sophie Cousens has quietly but reliably become one of my most anticipated authors of romantic comedies. Her fifth, IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM?, offers a return to more realistic fiction after her prior book, THE GOOD PART, which contained some fun and fantastical time slip elements. Here we are introduced to Anna Appleby, a somewhat harried mum of two who, in the opening pages, receives an emotionless email confirmation that her divorce has been finalized. Read More

Teaser

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children. From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Promo

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children. From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

About the Book

A hilarious love story about a disillusioned divorcée who agrees to let her children play matchmaker.

Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.

From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?

Audiobook available, read by Kerry Gilbert

Editorial Content for Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Benjamin Franklin is one of history’s greatest achievers. In INGENIOUS, Richard Munson delves deeply into the remarkable talents, skills and intellectual prowess of a man known to be one of America’s Founding Fathers but who was so much more. Read More

Teaser

Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity. In INGENIOUS, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence. Munson’s riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story and argues that his political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.

Promo

Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity. In INGENIOUS, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence. Munson’s riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story and argues that his political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.

About the Book

The dramatic story of an ingenious man who explained nature and created a country.

Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity.

In this incisive and rich account of Benjamin Franklin’s life and career, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence.

Munson’s riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story --- from tradesman to inventor to nation-founder --- and argues that Franklin’s political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.

Audiobook available, read by Keith Brown

Editorial Content for Munichs

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Philip Zozzaro

Life and death are the bookends of existence. Death is inevitable, yet its arrival is often random. On February 6, 1958, members of the Manchester United Football Club are intent on flying home after a match in Yugoslavia. After a brief stop in Munich, their British European Airways flight is set to take off. Despite two aborted attempts, the pilot tries a third time. This decision proves fateful and tragic as the plane soon skids on the runway, crashing through a fence and clipping a house before breaking off. Read More

Teaser

In 1958, Manchester United was flying high. The best-known soccer team in the world and reigning English champions, the team was led by a bright young group of star players nicknamed the “Busby Babes” after their charismatic manager Matt Busby. But on a snowy afternoon that February, a plane carrying the team back from a European Cup match crashed on takeoff in Munich, killing 23 people --- including eight Manchester United players and three team officials. The accident destroyed the team, traumatized fans all over the world, and devastated the tight-knit community in Manchester. In MUNICHS, renowned novelist David Peace reimagines the crash and its aftermath, dramatizing the deep scars it left on British society.

Promo

In 1958, Manchester United was flying high. The best-known soccer team in the world and reigning English champions, the team was led by a bright young group of star players nicknamed the “Busby Babes” after their charismatic manager Matt Busby. But on a snowy afternoon that February, a plane carrying the team back from a European Cup match crashed on takeoff in Munich, killing 23 people --- including eight Manchester United players and three team officials. The accident destroyed the team, traumatized fans all over the world, and devastated the tight-knit community in Manchester. In MUNICHS, renowned novelist David Peace reimagines the crash and its aftermath, dramatizing the deep scars it left on British society.

About the Book

From the acclaimed author of THE DAMNED UTD, a novel of tragedy and renewal, inspired by one of the greatest disasters in the history of sports.

In 1958, Manchester United was flying high. The best-known soccer team in the world and reigning English champions, the team was led by a bright young group of star players nicknamed the “Busby Babes” after their charismatic manager Matt Busby. But on a snowy afternoon that February, a plane carrying the team back from a European Cup match crashed on takeoff in Munich, killing 23 people --- including eight Manchester United players and three team officials. The accident destroyed the team, traumatized fans all over the world, and devastated the tight-knit community in Manchester.

In this hypnotic and deeply moving novel, renowned novelist David Peace reimagines the crash and its aftermath, dramatizing the deep scars it left on British society. Moving between the fictionalized voices of survivors, including players, their family members and Busby himself, MUNICHS powerfully interprets the struggles of a team, a city and a nation to recover and rise again.

Peace has been hailed as “brilliant” by Kazuo Ishiguro and his novels have been lauded as “incantatory” (Los Angeles Times), “ambitious and heartbreaking” (NPR), and “the stuff of great literature” (New York Times Book Review). With MUNICHS, he has crafted another extraordinary novel, one that intimately explores the reverberations of trauma and the power of community in the wake of tragedy.

Audiobook available, read by Christopher Eccleston

Editorial Content for Ira Gerswhin: A Life in Words

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Historian, researcher and archivist Michael Owen has delved deeply into the life and lines of celebrated songwriter Ira Gershwin in this detailed recollection of a spirit devoted to lyrics. Read More

Teaser

The first lyricist to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook, a period that covers songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in this first full-length biography devoted to his life, Michael Owen brings Ira out at last from the long shadow cast by his younger and more famous brother, George. Drawing on extensive archival sources and often using Ira’s own words, Owen has crafted a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to many of America’s best-loved songs, like “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”

Promo

The first lyricist to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook, a period that covers songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in this first full-length biography devoted to his life, Michael Owen brings Ira out at last from the long shadow cast by his younger and more famous brother, George. Drawing on extensive archival sources and often using Ira’s own words, Owen has crafted a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to many of America’s best-loved songs, like “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”

About the Book

The man behind some of the most memorable lyrics in the Great American Songbook steps from behind his brother’s shadow.

The first lyricist to win the Pulitzer Prize, Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) has been hailed as one of the masters of the Great American Songbook, a period that covers songs written largely for Broadway and Hollywood from the 1920s to the 1950s. Now, in this first full-length biography devoted to his life, Michael Owen brings Ira out at last from the long shadow cast by his younger and more famous brother, George. Drawing on extensive archival sources and often using Ira’s own words, Owen has crafted a rich portrait of the modest man who penned the words to many of America’s best-loved songs, like “Fascinating Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “They Can’t Take That Away from Me.”

These fruits of Ira’s lyric genius sprang from the simplest of seeds: a hand-drawn weekly created for a cousin, an amateur newspaper co-written with friend and future lyricist Yip Harburg, columns in the school papers at Townsend Harris High School and, later, City College of New York. The details of his early literary efforts demonstrate both his developing ambition and the early signs of his talent. But while the road to becoming a successful lyricist was neither short nor smooth, it did lead Ira to the greatest creative partnership of his life.

George and Ira Gershwin collaborated on a string of hit Broadway shows in the 1920s and 1930s that resulted in popular and financial success and spawned a long string of songs that have become classics. Owen offers fascinating glimpses of their creative process, drawing on Ira’s diaries and other contemporary sources, as well as the close relationship between the two brothers. Hollywood soon beckons and the brothers head west to California to work in the movie business. Greater fame and fortune seem right around the corner.

George Gershwin died in a Los Angeles hospital in July 1937. He was only 38 years old. His death marked a stark dividing line in Ira’s life, and from that point on much of his time and energy was devoted to the management of his brother’s estate and the care of his legacy. Accustomed to living in his brother’s shadow, it now threatened to overwhelm him. He worked to balance all the administrative tasks with a new series of collaborations with composers like Kurt Weill, Jerome Kern, Harry Warren and Harold Arlen. Ira’s last Broadway work was in 1946, and several films and a book project --- a collection of his lyrics with the stories behind them --- occupied his later years along with the ongoing management of George’s affairs.

Ira Gershwin’s work with George left an enduring mark on American culture, as recognized by the Library of Congress in 2007 when it established the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which has been awarded to artists like Paul Simon, Carole King, Tony Bennett, Paul McCartney and Elton John. In IRA GERSHWIN: A Life in Words, Michael Owen brings the publicity shy lyricist into the spotlight he deserves.

Editorial Content for Only Here, Only Now

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Sarah Rachel Egelman

The Scottish town of Muircross feels bleak and claustrophobic to 14-year-old Cora Mowat. The water is dank and full of garbage, wrappers litter the parks, and the people work hard but cannot get ahead. It is 1994, and Cora and her mother, Margaret, dream of moving to Abbotscraig where they can make a fresh start. As they wait for the government to approve their housing application, they continue to struggle to put food on the table, and they drive each other crazy. Read More

Teaser

In the blazing hot summer of 1994, there’s nothing for Cora Mowat to do but hang around in empty parking lots. Stuck in her mother's small house and tired of her own restless mind, she’s desperate to break free of the limits of Fife but unsure of what the future holds --- if it holds anything at all for a girl like her trying to find her way in the world. After her mother invites a new man to live with them, tensions quickly rise in the cramped house. Gunner is kind but also strange --- a one-eyed shoplifter with more than a few hidden secrets. But when tragedy strikes shortly after, Cora rebels against her small-town existence in search of love, acceptance and a path to something good. If only she can learn to navigate her grief and everything she thinks she knows about who she is and what she might be capable of, she finally may find the way forward.

Promo

In the blazing hot summer of 1994, there’s nothing for Cora Mowat to do but hang around in empty parking lots. Stuck in her mother's small house and tired of her own restless mind, she’s desperate to break free of the limits of Fife but unsure of what the future holds --- if it holds anything at all for a girl like her trying to find her way in the world. After her mother invites a new man to live with them, tensions quickly rise in the cramped house. Gunner is kind but also strange --- a one-eyed shoplifter with more than a few hidden secrets. But when tragedy strikes shortly after, Cora rebels against her small-town existence in search of love, acceptance and a path to something good. If only she can learn to navigate her grief and everything she thinks she knows about who she is and what she might be capable of, she finally may find the way forward.

About the Book

A brilliant new talent writing from lived experience makes his debut with this irresistible and original story in the vein of YOUNG MUNGO and HANG THE MOON, that pierces the beautiful, brilliant and lightning-quick mind of a teenage girl growing up with undiagnosed ADHD in working-class Scotland.

In the blazing hot summer of 1994, there’s nothing for Cora Mowat to do but hang around in empty parking lots. Stuck in her mother's small house and tired of her own restless mind, she’s desperate to break free of the limits of Fife but unsure of what the future holds --- if it holds anything at all for a girl like her trying to find her way in the world.

After her mother invites a new man to live with them, tensions quickly rise in the cramped house. Gunner is kind but also strange --- a one-eyed shoplifter with more than a few hidden secrets. But when tragedy strikes shortly after, Cora rebels against her small-town existence in search of love, acceptance and a path to something good. If only she can learn to navigate her grief and everything she thinks she knows about who she is and what she might be capable of, she finally may find the way forward.

In this extraordinary debut, drawn from experience but written with riotous imagination, Tom Newlands explores a teenage girl’s coming-of-age in post-industrial Scotland and what it means to yearn for a life that feels out of reach. Vibrant, lyrical and fiercely funny, ONLY HERE, ONLY NOW is a story of identity and family that shines with hope and resilience.

Audiobook available, read by Amelia Leith

Editorial Content for The Incubations

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Ramsey Campbell is one of the world’s greatest horror writers. He recently celebrated his 60th anniversary serving up wonderful horror and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. His latest effort, THE INCUBATIONS, has it all --- including gothic horror, historical subtext and, best of all, revenge. Read More

Teaser

Leo Parker's stay in Alphafen seems idyllic, but after he leaves, the nightmares begin. An airport turns into a labyrinth. His own words become treacherous, if not lethal. And what are those creatures in the photographs he took? Even the therapy Leo undertakes becomes a source of menace. Perhaps Leo has roused an ancient Alpine legend. Even once he understands what he brought back, his attempts to overcome its influence may lead into greater nightmares still.

Promo

Leo Parker's stay in Alphafen seems idyllic, but after he leaves, the nightmares begin. An airport turns into a labyrinth. His own words become treacherous, if not lethal. And what are those creatures in the photographs he took? Even the therapy Leo undertakes becomes a source of menace. Perhaps Leo has roused an ancient Alpine legend. Even once he understands what he brought back, his attempts to overcome its influence may lead into greater nightmares still.

About the Book

A collectible hardcover edition for Ramsey Campbell's 60 years in publication.

When a weight landed on his legs he raised his head from the violently crumpled pillow. The bed already had another occupant, and as Leo flung the quilt back so that it wouldn’t hinder his escape the creature scurried up his body to squat on his chest, clutching him with all its limbs like half a spider…

Leo Parker's stay in Alphafen seems idyllic, but after he leaves, the nightmares begin. An airport turns into a labyrinth. His own words become treacherous, if not lethal. And what are those creatures in the photographs he took? Even the therapy Leo undertakes becomes a source of menace.

Perhaps Leo has roused an ancient Alpine legend. Even once he understands what he brought back, his attempts to overcome its influence may lead into greater nightmares still.

November 26, 2024

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of November 25th and December 2nd 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 End-of-the-Year contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com, where we are giving readers the opportunity to share their favorite book that they read with their group and their favorite book that they read outside their group this year.

One Grand Prize winner will receive SEVEN outstanding titles releasing next year that are perfect for book groups to discuss: THE FLOAT TEST by Lynn Steger Strong, A FORTY YEAR KISS by Nickolas Butler, GOOD DIRT by Charmaine Wilkerson, MORE OR LESS MADDY by Lisa Genova, PRESUMED GUILTY by Scott Turow, THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict, and THE STOLEN QUEEN by Fiona Davis. Be sure to enter by Monday, January 13th at noon ET.