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Chris Bohjalian, author of The Red Lotus

The first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin's arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. As Alexis grapples with this bewildering loss, she uncovers a series of strange lies that force her to wonder: Where did Austin go? Why did he really bring her to Vietnam? And how much danger has he left her in?

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Week of January 4, 2021

Paperback releases for the week of January 4th include THE DUTCH HOUSE by Ann Patchett, a richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go; Anna Wiener’s memoir, UNCANNY VALLEY, a rare first-person glimpse into high-flying, reckless startup culture at a time of unchecked ambition, unregulated surveillance, wild fortune and accelerating political power; HITTING A STRAIGHT LICK WITH A CROOKED STICK, an outstanding collection of stories from Zora Neale Hurston about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African American folk culture; THE FIRST TO LIE, Hank Phillippi Ryan's twisty, thrilling, cat-and-mouse novel of suspense that will have you guessing, and second-guessing, and then gasping with surprise; and BIG LIES IN A SMALL TOWN by Diane Chamberlain, a novel of chilling intrigue, a decades-old disappearance, and one woman’s quest to find the truth.

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