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Fall Reading 2024

Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. We spotlighted 10 of these books in our Fall Reading Contests and Feature. While our series of 24-hour giveaways have ended, we encourage you to take a look at our featured titles, which we know people will be talking about this fall and beyond.

The Grays of Truth by Sharon Virts

In Reconstruction-era Baltimore, members of the city’s elite keep turning up dead. When Jane Gray Wharton’s husband, Ned, dies unexpectedly while overnighting at his brother’s home, Jane has no reason to question the circumstances of his death. But on a visit to the same house a few weeks later, both Jane and her daughter fall gravely ill, and Jane begins to suspect foul play. Though a trained chemist and former nurse, Jane is haunted by a history of delusion, loss and institutionalization.

Week of October 28, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of October 28th include BROKEN TRUST, the latest installment of Robert B. Parker’s beloved Spenser series and the first penned by celebrated writer Mike Lupica; ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott, a riveting account of women’s lives on the margins of the Vietnam War; THE BERRY PICKERS, a rich and layered debut novel from Amanda Peters, in which a four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family and remain unsolved for nearly 50 years; Lauren Grodstein's WE MUST NOT THINK OF OURSELVES, a piercing story of love, determination and sacrifice, inspired by a little-known piece of the history of the Jewish occupants of the Warsaw Ghetto in World War II; and THE WATERS by Bonnie Jo Campbell, a fierce, mesmerizing novel about exceptional women and the soul of a small town.

Sharon Virts, author of The Grays of Truth

In Reconstruction-era Baltimore, members of the city’s elite keep turning up dead. Below the polished surface of high society, there are illicit affairs, jilted lovers, financial hardships and countless motives for murder. When Jane Gray Wharton’s husband, Ned, dies unexpectedly while overnighting at his brother’s home, Jane has no reason to question the circumstances of his death. But on a visit to the same house a few weeks later, both Jane and her daughter fall gravely ill, and Jane begins to suspect foul play.

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.

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