October Titles

Our Children's Book Festival is tomorrow so I am busy and will be working tomorrow at the festival. Therefore, today's post will be short and not cover as much as I might like. Maybe I will have a chance next week to add to it.

Gregory Maguire, the author that has taken on the Wizard of Oz with his Wicked series, has taken on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with After Alice which comes out on October 27. Alice's friend who was briefly mentioned in the original tale, here take a starring role as she goes after Alice and also slides down the rabbit hole. Can she find Alice? What does she think about the happenings down in Wonderland? Read and find out.

John Katzenback has The Dead Student coming on October 6.  Timothy Warner (a.k.a. Moth) is a PhD student and an alcoholic who has lost his license and is working toward sobriety attending AA meetings. His uncle Ed, who also attends meetings, doesn't show up and Moth goes to his office and finds him dead, shot in the head with a gun by his fingers. The police decide it is suicide but Moth does not believe that. Moth goes to an ex-girl friend to ask for help (someone has to drive) and investigates. There are more deaths. Can Moth make it out alive?

Felix Francis is following in his father's footsteps after assisting and even co-authoring on the last few titles. Front Runner is coming out on October 13. Jefferson Hinkley, an undercover investigator for the British Horseracing Authority, was introduced in Francis' Damage. Jeff is back in this title and in severe danger after a jockey comes to him confidentially about losing races on purpose. Strangely, the jockey is shortly found dead of an apparent suicide and there is an attempt on Hinkley's life. Of course he must investigate and, of course, someone wants to stop it.

Tess Gerritsen has Playing with Fire coming out on October 27. She has stepped outside of the Rizzoli & Isles series for this stand alone. Julia Ansdell is a violinist who while playing with a group in Rome picks up an old piece of sheet music, The Incendio Waltz. She returns home to her husband and 3 year old daughter and while playing the music, she blacks out and when awakening finds her daughter changed and very violent. When she expresses that her 3 year old is trying to kill her, her husband wants to commit her but she escapes to Venice, to find out about the music. Is she going crazy? Read and find out. Reviewers LOVED it.

Lastly, Deon Meyer has Icarus coming out on October 6. Meyer's has been described as the Ed McBain of South African crime. This title is the 5th in his Captain Benny Griessel series. Griessel is called to the scene of a multiple homicide involving a former colleague and after 4 years of sobriety, Griessel goes on a bender. When he emerges, he tries to quit the forc3e but instead is assigned to the murder of the tech person for MyAlibi, an Internet service that provides unfaithful partners with cover stories. Before long, an connection to a leading family winery is found and Griessel is again on the line.

OK - sorry for the short post but there are some pretty good titles above. Hope one is a keeper for you.