September Titles

OK - here we continue with the authors who didn't make the major list last week. There are some interesting ones and some variety. Let's see what's coming!

Jennifer Chiaverini finished her Elm Creek Quilts series and has produced Fates and Traitors: A Novel of John Wilkes Booth. It comes out on September 13. Here she examines Booth through the eyes of his mother, his sister, the senator's daughter who loved him and a Confederate widow , Mary Surratt. If you read historical fiction, reviewers say this is a must read.

J.A. Jance has Downfall, the 17th in the Joanna Brady series, coming out on September 6. Brady is pregnant, up for reelection and her mother and stepfather have been murdered. Still, she feels compelled to investigate the strange suicide? murder? of two woman who fell from a nearby peak.

M.C. Beaton returns with the 27th in the Agatha Raisin cozy series, Pushing Up Daisies, on September 1. Lord Bellington is murdered after advertising that he was turning the community garden into a housing project. His son is suspect number one but the son hires Agatha to find the real killer. Agatha as always has lots of help from her friends in the community. Then, the police stumble across another body.  Those who love this series will definitely love this one.

Sharon Bolton, who published originally under her initials, S. J., has Daisy in Chains coming out on September 20. Hamish Wolfe is handsome and charismatic but he is also a convicted serial killer. Maggie Rose is a true crime writer but also a barrister of acclaim having gotten several convicted killers off on appeal. Hamish wants Maggie to do the same for him. Maggie is trying to steel herself from his charm. Could he possibly be innocent? Reviewers in Britain (where it came out earlier this summer) have praised it saying if you read one thriller this year, it should be this one.

The Emerald Lie by Ken Bruen comes out on August 30, 2016. The 12th in the Jack Taylor series has the addicted, ex-cop investigating a murderous Cambridge graduate who exacts revenge on people using bad grammar and he is approached by a father who wants Jack to exact revenge on those responsible for his daughter's rape and murder. Jack is busy and the work is full of the black humor for which Ken Bruen is known.

Lastly, Reed Farrel Coleman continues Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series with Robert B. Parker's Debt To Pay on September 13. Here, Stone is preoccupied with his own personal problems to include is ex-wife, Jenn, remarrying when he is surprised by the murder of a major Boston crime boss. Stone thinks it is Mr. Peeper who has vowed revenge on the mob, Stone and also his ex-wife. Can revenge be interrupted. A strong entry in the series.

OK - this gives you some choices to review. Have a great rest of the week.

September Major Names

I seem to keep apologizing but...here I go again. I always do my blogs on Saturday early in the AM when the library is quiet. I am usually the only one here other than perhaps the cleaning staff. Last  Saturday I came in to do my blog and horror! - I was locked out of the network. No one to help me - no way to get to my phone list - so......I left. Now I will start with the September books instead of the last of August. I won't do a blog on Saturday but will do one towards the middle of the week next week. Then - I might do another on the Saturday after that. I really do like coming in early that day. It is quite peaceful. Anyway - one with the September names.

My most favorite of favored authors has a title coming out on September 20, Harlan Coben's title is Home. It is a Myron Bolitar title also, the eleventh in the series. I love this series there is humor and good characters AND a good plot. Here, 10 years ago two boys from wealthy families disappear. Myron and his sidekick Win think they have found one of them. Where had he been? What happened to the other boy? Questions that only Myron and Win can answer. I can't wait!!!!

Next, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro give us Woman of God on September 26. This is a departure for Patterson - I am not sure that all Patterson fans will like it. Reviewer see to love it though so they might. This is the story of a female priest who started as a doctor, Brigid Fitzgerald was a doctor who had a tough childhood and sacrificed to become a doctor and then volunteered to go to the war ravaged South Sudan to practice. Tragedy after tragedy after tragedy occurs - a few reviewers have hinted that perhaps too many tragedies. Brigid and her faith overcome them all. She becomes a female priest and...20 years later - there is talk of her becoming the Pope. She has enemies though both out and inside the church. Will she be alive to find out?

Clive Cussler with Robin Burcell have Pirate, the 8th in Fargo series, coming on September 13. Sam and Remi Fargo are on the search for an 800 year old treasure. Unfortunately, there is someone else who thinks it is rightfully his and he will stop at nothing. A typical Cussler high action adventure.

Next is perhaps not a 'major' author but she is local and she is really good. Karin Slaughter (from Atlanta) has The Kept Woman, the 8th in the Will Trent series. It comes out on September 20th. Will Trent has his own personal fan club within Karin Slaughter's readers. We like him. Here, he finds a body on the floor of an abandoned Atlanta warehouse and bloody footprints lead him to believe another wounded woman had wandered away. The unfortunate part is that the warehouse belongs to a famous athlete who Will is already investigating for rape. Slaughter's books don't need to be read in order so dive in anywhere. See if you want to join the Will Trent fan club.

Lastly - perhaps not as well known but certainly with her followings, J.A. Jance has Downfall, the 17th in the Joanna Brady series. It arrives on September 6. Brady is an Arizona sheriff and Jance's work has a great sense of place. The desert can be beautiful - or deadly. Here Brady is pregnant, her mother and father were recently slain; a re-election campaign is looming and her daughter is headed off to college. You might say she has her hands full but....things happen. Here, two woman 'fall' to their deaths off a local cliff. Were they connected? Was it an accident/suicide/murder? Many questions for Brady to answer.

OK, see if one of these tempt you. There are several that I am planning on reading. Talk to you next week!

More August Titles

July is coming to an end. I better hurry up with the August titles I want to mention.

Eric Van Lustbader has Any Minute Now coming out on August 16. Lustbader initially started in the science fiction/fantasy genre. However, suspense and thrill were included so Robert Ludlum's estate chose him to continue the Jason Bourne series. Now he is off writing thrillers of his own. This one is about a secret black ops team called Red Rover. One of their events went horribly wrong. When 2 of the team came back alive, Red Rover was shut down completely. For the two remaining, Greg Whitman and Felix Orteno, this left too many unanswered questions. They need to find the answers so Red Rover rises from the dead.

Bill Crider has Survivors Will Be Shot Again, the 23rd in the Sheriff Dan Rhodes series, coming on August 9. Crider fills his mysteries with humor and witty dialogue. I love that. Here Rhodes is trying to take a day off when he is pulled into a murder and then he gets involved with ghost hunters and run away bulls. Although this is the 23rd, reviewers say it can be read as a stand alone and then, you will have the pleasure of going back and reading from the beginning.

Christopher Farnsworth has Killfile also coming out on August 9. Farnsworth has been compare to Brad Thor or James Rollins but for this one, I would say he is more like Douglas Preston. There is a leap of faith you have to make to really get into this one. John Smith (is that his REAL name????) can hear other people's thoughts. He was a CIA operative but is now a private consultant and trying to keep other people's thoughts out of his head. However, money can convince you to change your mind and a software billionaire hires him to find and ex-employee and search through his mind for pilfered intellectual property. Sadly, Smith's identity is compromised and he goes on the run with the ex-employee's associate. Reviewers have loved this.

Karin Fossum has Hellfire, the 12th in the Inspector Sejer series, coming out on August 30th. Fossum is a Norwegian novelist and writes character-driven, dark, relatively violent mysteries. Here Sejer investigates the who and why in the murder of a mother and her 5 year old son. If you like Jo Nesbo or Anne Holt, Fossum is another in the Nordic Noir genre

The American Girl by Kate Horsley coming out on August 2nd. I hate it when publisher's marketing people immediate say a new book will remind you of Gone Girl or Girl on a Train. However, I have to say that this one does make me think about other works written by Gillian Flynn or maybe even Erica Spindler. Her psychological suspense is ABSOLUTELY psychologically suspenseful. Here, an American exchange student in France,Quinn Perkins,  comes out of the woods barefoot and bloody and can't remember what happened to her. Strangely enough, her entire host family is missing. A Boston journalist rushes to France to cover the story. The police find strong evidence that Quinn may be the murderer. This story is told from the point of view of the journalist and from diary entries by Quinn. Sounds like a good one to me.

OK - here are five to think about. I will try to do a few more next week. Keep cool!

LibraryReads for August

There are some really good choices on the list this month. Probably at least half of which I want to read. Hope you find something that appeals to you.

Number one is the perennial favorite, Louise Penny's newest Gamache entry, A Great Reckoning. Gamache is back as the new leader of the Surete Academy. I don't know how Penny can keep getting better but reviewers say she has. One reviewer said "Every time I read a title in this series, I think how could it possibly be better than the last, and yet it is." Obviously, a must read for many.

The rest - in no particular order:

Shari Lapena has her debut novel, The Couple Next Door coming out on August 23. Wow - the reviews for this one are strong. A couple with a newborn think they know their friendly next door neighbors but .... do they? Marco and Anne leave their newborn baby alone - they are only going next door and they bring the baby monitor with them. How could anything happen? Needless to say, it does.

Watching Edie by Camilla Way made the list. Here the story happens in the past and in the present. In the past, Edie is the popular, beautiful high school friend and Heather is the overweight, unpopular one. They were friends but then after a tragic incident, they aren't and Edie moves away. Today, Edie is a pregnant waitress having a hard time dealing with life in general and Heather appears on her doorstep offering help. Are there strings attached? What do you think?

Louise Miller has The City Baker's Guide to Country Living on the list. Described as a "cozy, foodie, romance" -might not make it sound as appealing as it is. After traumatic incidents in Boston (she set the restaurant on fire) Olivia Rawlings moves to a quaint little town looking to escape. Soon, she not only finds a job as a pastry chef but she finds a home.

The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis is the story of a woman who stayed in the Barbizon Hotel in the 1950's. This is another debut novel. The Barbizon Hotel for women offered women a safe place to stay in NYC in the 40's and 50's. In the present day, it is condos but at least one of the original residents is still there. Rose is a current day journalist who lives at the Barbizon with her boyfriend when she decides to write an article on the building's history. One resident she wants to interview is Darby who was a resident at the beginning and has a tragic secret.

The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood tells the story of a recently separated woman whose daughter is living in Paris and has problems of her own To get out of the house, she joins a local book group. Can books really help?

Laura McHugh has Arrowood on the list. Arden Arrowood returns to the family mansion in southern Iowa after her father dies. Decades earlier when Arden was 8, she was a witness to her 20 month old twin sisters kidnapping. Can she find the truth after so many years?

I spoke of Die Like an Eagle by Donna Andrews last week. It is still a humorous cozy - maybe not laugh out loud funny like Evanovich but you won't be able to stop a giggle or two.

B.A. Paris has Behind Closed Doors on the list. Another debut novel - another compared to Gone Girl or Girl on the Train. Other than the fact that reviewers have praised this one, I don't see much similarity. I am sure we have all met at some point, ' the perfect couple'. But are they really the perfect couple when they are behind closed doors? Paris' psychological suspense deals with that topic.

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillips made the list. I spoke of this one 2 weeks ago. I said mentioned that Phillips specializes in humorous romances. Here Piper Dove is the investigator and Cooper Graham is the Chicago quarterback. I'm thinking you can probably imagine what their dialog sounds like.

OK - there you go. Ten pretty good ones to choose from. Have fun.

More August Titles

August is a good month for either reading in the sun or reading in the house when it is too hot. There are a variety of books coming out too so there should be something for everyone.

Susan Wiggs - an author who writes contemporary and historical romances and novels of women's lives and relationships has Family Tree coming out on August 9th. Annie Harlow, a TV producer, thought she was happily married. When she found out she was pregnant, she rushed to tell her husband and an accident occurred. She wakes from a coma one year later, divorced and in her childhood home in Vermont. This is the story of her rebirth.

If you prefer your mysteries in the cozy genre and like a little humor then I am sure you have read Donna Andrews' Meg Langslow Mystery series. The twentieth, Die Like an Eagle, is due out on August 2nd. In this one she battles Biff Brown who is the head of the baseball league to which her sons team belongs. Biff  is not a nice person, so when his very similar in appearance brother is found dead in a porta-potty, Meg wonders if it shouldn't have been Biff.

I believe I have spoken of the next author before. I really like her series. Julia Keller has the 5th in her Bell Elkin's series, Sorrow Road, arriving on August 23rd. Bell is a former Washington, D.C. lawyer who returns to her Appalachian small town in West Virginia as a prosecuting attorney.. I think what I like best about this series is the strong sense of place. You can really see and feel the West Virginian atmosphere. Here, Bell discovers that Alzheimer patients are dying at an unexpected pace in a nursing home . The deaths always appear to be natural but Bell just knows that something is wrong.

Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta comes out on August 16.  Koryta writes fast paced thrillers featuring snappy dialog. Here he brings back Markus Novak for the second time. When the man he suspects of killing his wife is released from prison, Markus goes back to the lonely stretch of Florida road where the murder happened. Then, the released criminal abducts another woman in Montana. Marcus is drawn in to try to save this woman.

To end up this weeks entry, I am going to give you a really different one. This one is an import from Ireland. Lisa McInerney has her debut novel, The Glorious Heresies, coming out on August 9. Reviewers have called it biting, moving and darkly funny. An accidental murder gravely effects 5 people. They include - a 15 year old drug dealer who is trying to prevent becoming his alcoholic father; a prostitute who has no problem pretending to be a born again convert; and a mother who returns to Ireland to find out that the child she was forced to give up has become the city's most feared gangster.

So, I think there must be something for everyone with those five. I will have more next week. Enjoy!

August Titles by Big Name Authors

August is not the most popular month for publishing. There are some major authors but most have either published in the spring for summer reading or will publish in the fall. However, I think I can come up with enough to talk about today.

Debbie Macomber has the conclusion Rose Harbor series arriving on August 2nd, Sweet Tomorrows. Macomber, for those who don't know her, writes gentle romances similar in style to Lori Copeland. Here, Jo Marie Rose, the innkeeper, starts dating again after Mark Taylor leaves town and a new boarder, Emily Gaffney, has decided she is never getting married after two broken hearts. The Rose Harbor Inn starts working it's magic. Can they both find happiness?

Sandra Brown has Sting coming on August 16th. Brown began by writing straight romances but has turned toward fast paced romantic suspense kind of like Nora Roberts or Karen Harper. Here, Shaw Kinnard has been sent by his evil boss to kill Jordie Bennet. Bennet's brother has stolen $30 million from the boss. Instead, Shaw decides to abduct her and try to get the $30 million for himself. With both the boss and the FBI after them, sparks start to fly.

This next one is interesting. Stuart Woods and Parnell Hall wrote it together. If you haven't read anything by Hall before, he write quirky mysteries with a lot of humor, Woods writes a man's man and Hall writes almost cozies. Hmmmm. Interesting, no? Smooth Operator is due out on August 2nd. Here the President asks Stone Barrington to handle a dicey problem but Stone doesn't believe he is the man for the job. Instead, he recommends Teddy Fay. This is to be the first in a series I believe. Fay is an ex-CIA master of disguise who doesn't always believe in following the law. Sounds pretty good.

OK - now I am going to venture into the not quite as famous authors. Starting with Charles Todd. Actually, Todd is not one person but two - a mother and a son - although the son's name is Charles Todd. They write historical mysteries. The Shattered Tree comes out on August 30th. This one is the eighth in the Bess Crawford series. Bess is a World War I battlefield nurse and here while tending an injured French office, he shouts at her in German. His superior says it was because he was from the Alsace area which has been passed back and forth from France to German though out the years. Bess though felt forced to investigate after the office disappears in Paris. Can she discover his true identity?

One last almost famous author - well, she is famous to the people who read her. Susan Elizabeth Phillips has First Star I See Tonight coming out on August 23rd.  Phillips specializes in humorous romances and this one sounds like it is exactly that. Piper Dove is a detective tailing a former Chicago quarterback who does not want a bodyguard. When he spots her, she pretends to be a stalker but then he hires her to  keep an eye on the staff at his nightclub. It is hard to keep and eye on him when she has Middle Eastern Princesses and teenagers to handle. Both Piper andCooper Graham (the quarterback) try to prove to each other that they can be tough while resisting the sparks that start to fly.

OK - there you go. A little heavier on the romances than usual but there should be something there for you. Have a great July 4th.

Coming in July

How can it possibly be almost July!!! I can't believe it. OK - now here I go again trying to stuff as much as possible into one post. The descriptions will be short but the content will be here.

Jessie Burton wrote The Miniaturist which was quite popular. Now on July 20, her second title arrives, The Muse. This work focuses on two time periods, 1967 London where Odelle Bastien discovers a painting that might be the work of Isaac Robles and 1937 Spain where the daughter of a Viennese art dealer becomes friendly with a young housekeeper and her half-brother, Isaac Robles. Robles had great talent but died mysteriously while still young. Suspense and history. Sounds like my type of book.

Ben Winters has Underground Airlines coming on July 5. What a very strange mind this author has. His series, The Last Policeman, was about how one man tries to maintain order when life on earth is coming to an end. Now, he delves into the alternative history genre by a story set in present day America where the Civil War never happens and slavery still exists in 4 states. A young black man names Victor is a bounty hunter tracking down escaped slaves who discovers secrets about himself while tracking down a runaway. By the way, it's on the list of titles that should be must reads this summer by The New York Times; The Chicago Tribune; The St. Louis Post Dispatch; the Atlanta Journal Constitution and Cosmopolitan Magazine.

Beth Lewis is a first time author who has The Wolf Road coming out on June 30 - which might as well be July in my mind. Trapper found Elka wandering in the woods after a bombing event that took them back to no electricity, no technology, basics. Elka was seven at the time. Trapper taught her everything she needed to know about surviving until she saw a 'Wanted Poster' for Kreagar Hallet. Turns out that Trapper is a serial killer and the law would like to talk to Elka. Elka escapes into the wilds. Who will find her first?

Hollie Overton writes for television but this is her first suspense novel. Baby Doll arrives on July 12. Lily was kidnapped when she was a teenager by a prominent man in the community. He locked her up in his cabin in the woods and imprisoned her for eight years. One day, he did not turn the lock and Lily and her young daughter who she gave birth to in the cabin escape. then they discover the hardest part is ahead of them.

Now in quick succession some titles/authors and short descriptions:

The Lost Girls - Heather Young - July 26. Debut novel. In 1935, six year old Emily vanishes from the family vacation home. The family is torn apart. One of her sisters writes the story of that summer before she dies and leaves the house to her grandniece, Justine who moves there to escape an abusive boyfriend. There is a dark winter coming in many ways.

Little Girl Gone - Gerry Schmitt - July 5. What is interesting to me here is the Schmitt writes cozy mysteries under the name Laura Childs. This one is not a cozy. A baby is abducted and her teenage babysitter is badly beaten. The family liaison officer believes that there are more abductions to come.

The Graveyard of the Hesperides: A Flavia Albia Novel - Lindsey Davis - July 12. Flavia is the daughter of Marcus who has his own mystery series. Flavia is engaged to be married when her intended discovers human remains while renovating the backyard of a bar. Just what Flavia like to do - investigate.

Outfoxed - David Rosenfelt - July 19. OK - so maybe the reason I like Rosenfelt so much is his devotion to dog rescue but his stories are really a mixture of dog and legal. Who could resist that. Andy Carpenter is working in a county prison program in which inmates train dogs. A prisoner uses a fox terrier to escape and then the man who helped convict him is murdered.

I am ending with another dog title coming but this one will make you laugh.

Jonathan Unleashed - Meg Rosoff - July 5. A horrible job; a downhill relationship and an illegal apartment has Jonathan Trefoil depressed and looking for a change. Then he dog sits for his brother and things start to change. Billed as a romantic comedy and the perfect summer read.

Have a great week coming up. With July so close - cooler weather is getting closer but not fast enough for me.