April Titles Part 2

I spent last week at the PLA conference and I have a few titles to tell you about that interested me. On the plane on the way home, I read The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan. It comes out on April 3rd. An ocean liner explodes in the Atlantic - why, we do not know - but a young bride is placed in a lifeboat that is obviously overcrowded. One of the crew takes charge and assures them that rescue is at hand. Some wounded in the water try unsuccessfully to climb aboard. Strong personalities appear and as the days pass, hard decisions have to be made. Eventually, things become violent. When the few remaining are rescued, three of the women, including the young bride, are put on trial. We relive her journey through a journal that her lawyer asks her to write. An interesting examination of a life and death situation and the extremes some go to in order to survive.

Another title which had a lot of buzz was A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash which is due out on April 17th. Southern literary fiction about 2 brothers growing up in an evangelical town in the mountains of North Carolina. The older brother is mute and the younger tries to take care of him. The boys see something they are not suppose to and the event is catastrophic to their former life. A haunting tale of brotherly love and how love can overcome evil.

The last title I want to specifically talk about is Cloudland by Joseph Olshan. This title comes out on April 10th. A woman walking through the woods, finds a dead body and an investigation into a serial murder begins. This title takes place in rustic Vermont and the reader receives a very strong sense of place. The characters cause you to become invested in the mystery and the story is haunting and strongly written.

Books due out in April by well known authors are:
David Baldacci - The Innocent - April 17, 2012
Mary Higgins Clark - The Lost Years - April 3, 2012
Sandra Dallas - True Sisters - April 24, 2012
Iris Johansen - What Doesn't Kill You - April 17, 2012
Stephen King - The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel - April 24, 2012
Phillip Margolin - Capitol Murder - April 3, 2012
Amanda Quick - Crystal Gardens - April 24, 2012
Anne Perry - Dorchester Terrace: A Charlotte and Thomas Pitt Novel - April 3, 2012
Lisa Scottoline - Come Home - April 10, 2012
Anne Tyler - The Beginner's Goodbye - April 3, 2012

April Titles - Part 1

I will be gone to the Public Library Association meeting next week and hope to come back with lots of news about new titles arriving in the spring and summer. The entry for this week will begin with the titles that are arriving in April.

The first title that I'm excited about is Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton. Lupton's first novel was Sister which I raved about in a prior post. Her second movel is due out on 4/24 and I have my name on the list for it. Grace tries to reach her daughter, Jenny, in a blazing school. She wakes up in the hospital badly burned along with her daughter and discovers that the fire was no accident but an attempt to end Jenny's life. The press in the U.K. have raved about the book calling it 'compulsive', 'compelling', 'searing' and 'extraordinary'. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

For cozy lovers, Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown are coming out with thier 20th title, The Big Cat Nap, on 4/3. Too many car accidents occur - is it extraordinarily bad luck or is something sinister going on. All Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen's animal friends help her solve this one.

Eric Jerome Dickey's title that comes out on 4/17 is An Accidental Affair. Hollywood star Regina Baptiste's viral video starring a leading man causes her husband to physically assault him. Typical Dickey material for those who look forward to his next one.

Lastly, another thriller that looks like it will be the start of a series, The Professionals by Owen Laukkanen. Four unemplyed recent college grads turn to kidnapping to make some money. Unfortunately, they kidnap the wrong person and become the targets of both organized crime and the FBI. The beginning series stars are Kirk Stevens a veteran state investigator and Carla Windermere, a rookie investigator. Looks like a real promising start for a long run with the two.

More March Titles

Shelley Shepard Gray has written several of those very popular 'Amish novels'. This time, however, murder comes to Crittenden County, in Missing: The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book One released on March 20th. Everyone thought that Perry Borntrager had left for the 'world' but then his body is discovered at the bottom of a well. A detective from the 'world' comes to help the local sheriff investigate. What will it mean to the close knit Amish community?

For those who like historical mysteries, Jacqueline Winspear's latest entry in the Maisie Dobbs series comes out on March 27th, Elegy for Eddie. What had looked like a settled life for Maisie in the last novel is disrupted by an investigation into the death of a sweet, simple man called Eddie. Part of the charm of this series is the authentic atmosphere of London after World War I and the relentless movement towards World War II. There is a level of moral complexity here that is unusaul in a mystery and fascinating in a story.

M.J. Rose's The Book of Lost Fragrances comes out on March 13th. Jac L'Etoile, an heir to a French perfume company, is haunted by the past and psychotic episodes. She prefers reality but when her brother goes missing after telling her he has found a secret in the company archive, Jac returns to Paris to investigate the history of her family's company to try to find him. Separate characters try to find the path to a magical perfume that supposedly opens the door to reincarnation. Suspense with mysticism. I love the covers on M.J. Rose's books, they really evoke the feeling of the stories.

The rest of the ones that have caught my eye for March before we move on to April's entries:

Alex Dryden's The Blind Spy - ex-KGB colonel joins a private intelligence company to circumvent Putin's plan to return the Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence.

Jodi Picoult's Lone Wolf - an estranged son returns to his comatose father and tries to convince his younger sister to pull the plug.

Joe R. Lansdale's Edge of Dark Water - three teenage friends plan to take the ashes of another friend to Hollywood. Raves about this one for it's character development and strong sense of place. A little mystery thrown in to the mix.