I better hurry and get the rest of March's interesting titles in here before it IS March. There are quite a few I would like to cover.
First, is Keija Parssinen's The Unraveling of Mercy Louis out on March 10. Of the 8 people who have read and reviewed it, 7 gave it 5 out of 5 stars and one gave it 4.5. This is the story about the pressures of growing up in a small town in Texas and the difficulties in finding your own way. It is also a psychological suspense story. Mercy Louis is the star of the girl's basketball team and everyone feels sure she will make her way to bigger and better things. On the opening night of the new season, Mercy collapses and one by one other girls are hit with the same condition. What is happening here?
Lili Anolik has a debut novel, a suspense story, entitled Dark Rooms arriving on March 3rd. Outgoing, beautiful and wild, 16 year old Nica Baker is murdered and her older sister, Grace, is lost without her. She leaves college, comes home and is distressed when the murderer is announced to be a lonely classmate who committed suicide. She feels she must track down the actual killer.
M.J. Carter has The Strangler Vine coming out on March 31st. This is a historical mystery taking place in India in the early nineteenth century. William Avery is a soldier who had hoped for more action and Jeremiah Blake is an agent who has become disillusioned with the East India Company. They are sent to find a missing writer and end up in the darker side of Calcutta where secrets appear and lives are in danger.
Claire Kells has another debut in Girl Underwater coming out on March 31st. Avery Delacorte is a competitive swimmer with a scholarship to a university in California. A flight she is taking home at Thanksgiving crashes on a Colorado lake. The only survivors are Avery, three small children and a swim team member, Colin Shea. This is a story of surviving and the psychological results of it. Very well written so say the reviewers.
Cara Black has her 15th Aimee Leduc title, Murder on the Champs de Mars coming out on March 3rd. Leduc is a Parisian computer security detective. She recently became a new single mother and is trying to work while being sleep deprived. A French Gypsy boy comes to her and says his dying mother has a message for her that has to do with Leduc's fathers murder. When they get to the hospital, the dying woman has disappeared. What can Aimee do but try to find her?
Elizabeth Haynes has Behind Closed Doors coming on March 31st. This is the second in the Briarstone series. Detective Inspector Louisa Smith revisits a cold case dealing with the disappearance of 15 year old Scarlett Rainsford. The case has bothered Smith all these years and now Scarlett is found during a raid of a brothel in Briarstone. What had happened to her and why is her family not happy to see her?
Mary Doria Russell has Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral coming out on March 3rd. I am surprised this didn't make the LibraryReads list - I nominated it. Reviewers have loved it. This book follows Russell's Doc, which follow Doc Holliday from his birth in Georgia to Southern aristocracy to the Southwest. This title examines the west of 1881 with it's deeply divided nation, vicious politics, smuggling and gang warfare. It culminates in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. This is not the story of the movie. One reviewer called it a bravura feat of storytelling and another called it 'one of the greatest books in years and the best Western since Lonesome Dove."
Enjoy. I hope you find something that tempts you.
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
LibraryReads for March
Quite a few of these are ones that I had not thought of putting on my list. Now I have seen what other librarians said about them though, I have changed my mind. See if you find something in this list to read.
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce is a must read for all who have read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In the Fry story, he walks 600 miles to deliver a letter to Queenie who has told him she is dying. In this story, the point of view changes to Queenie's. Queenie is in a hospice dying from cancer. A nun suggests she write him a letter for him to read when he arrives since she might not be there. Queenie writes...and writes...and writes. A truly tender story that some think is better than the first one.
The rest, in no particular order:
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Larson is known for making history readable and this is no exception. He follows the story from different points of view - the British Admiralty; President Wilson and the U-boat commander. But he makes it human by the affecting stories of the crew and the passengers.
Prudence by Gail Carriger. For those who enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate, Carriger give Prudence her own series, The Custard Protocol. Carriger's series are kind of an alternative history steampunk type of genre. Prudence gets an unexpected dirigible, names it Spotted Custard and floats to India. She finds more than a cup of tea with adventures.
The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose. If you have read any if Rose's previous works and liked them, you will, of course, want to read this one. Rose is a little too dramatic for my taste but this one is a mix of a Gothic love story with a ghost story mixed in. Set in the late 1800's in Paris, Sandrine has left America escaping from her evil husband who caused her father to commit suicide. Her grandmother tries to convince her not to go to their family home but Sandrine goes anyway. She meets an architect there who she is drawn to passionately and starts to become possessed.
Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss. I would describe this book as quirky and funny but perhaps dark also. It is kind of like a false horror book. Alec is staying in a cottage by the sea to recover from the death of his wife. He goes through a packet of papers and documents given to him by a colleague and finds a story of Wiggy, someone who claims to have met an evil, talking cat. The story is told from different points of view but is laugh out loud funny in some parts.
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver. The story of sisters who use to be close, that became estranged by a horrible accident. One of them, Dara, vanishes on her birthday. The other, Nick, thinks she is just playing around until another girl disappears.
Delicious Foods by James Hannaham. They call this Southern Gothic but I call it DEFINITELY DIFFERENT. The story is told from 3 points of view, a widowed mother who has turned to drugs (Darlene), her 11 year old son (Eddie), and scotty (crack cocaine - said to have a seductively charming voice). Darlene is tempted off the street by the promise of a job, good pay and a place to stay. Unfortunately, she ends up in a form of slavery on a farm. Her son tries to find her. Dark but funny at the same time.
The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell. Caldwell is one of the co-authors of the well reviewed and popular The Rule of Four published 10 years ago. Since then he has been researching and preparing this work. Reviewers by an large love it but those who don't, don't like it at all. It surrounds a coming exhibition of The Shroud of Turin. The curator, Ugo, is set to prove that the scientific evidence on the Shroud was false. Right before the exhibit, Ugo is killed. Two brothers, Alex - a Greek Catholic priest and Simon - a Roman Catholic priest - try to uncover Ugo's secrets.
The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford. Dana is married to a lawyer that hardly gives her the time of day. She also suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder and is off her meds. One day she spends the afternoon drinking with her friend Celia. When she wakes up, she is home but Celia is dead. All of the evidence seems to be pointing to her and she doesn't even remember what happened. A dark and twisty, psychological thriller.
Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy. An Appalachian novel. I love them but this seems quite a bit darker than I generally like. I don't see a way for it to not have a heartbreaking ending. Jacob McNeely is 18. He left school to help his father, the king of meth in this area of North Carolina. He also left his girlfriend, Maggie, because he could see that she was going places and he wasn't. Doesn't it sound sad? Said to be beautifully written.
OK folks, some more titles from which to choose. Enjoy.
The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce is a must read for all who have read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. In the Fry story, he walks 600 miles to deliver a letter to Queenie who has told him she is dying. In this story, the point of view changes to Queenie's. Queenie is in a hospice dying from cancer. A nun suggests she write him a letter for him to read when he arrives since she might not be there. Queenie writes...and writes...and writes. A truly tender story that some think is better than the first one.
The rest, in no particular order:
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson. Larson is known for making history readable and this is no exception. He follows the story from different points of view - the British Admiralty; President Wilson and the U-boat commander. But he makes it human by the affecting stories of the crew and the passengers.
Prudence by Gail Carriger. For those who enjoyed the Parasol Protectorate, Carriger give Prudence her own series, The Custard Protocol. Carriger's series are kind of an alternative history steampunk type of genre. Prudence gets an unexpected dirigible, names it Spotted Custard and floats to India. She finds more than a cup of tea with adventures.
The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M.J. Rose. If you have read any if Rose's previous works and liked them, you will, of course, want to read this one. Rose is a little too dramatic for my taste but this one is a mix of a Gothic love story with a ghost story mixed in. Set in the late 1800's in Paris, Sandrine has left America escaping from her evil husband who caused her father to commit suicide. Her grandmother tries to convince her not to go to their family home but Sandrine goes anyway. She meets an architect there who she is drawn to passionately and starts to become possessed.
Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss. I would describe this book as quirky and funny but perhaps dark also. It is kind of like a false horror book. Alec is staying in a cottage by the sea to recover from the death of his wife. He goes through a packet of papers and documents given to him by a colleague and finds a story of Wiggy, someone who claims to have met an evil, talking cat. The story is told from different points of view but is laugh out loud funny in some parts.
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver. The story of sisters who use to be close, that became estranged by a horrible accident. One of them, Dara, vanishes on her birthday. The other, Nick, thinks she is just playing around until another girl disappears.
Delicious Foods by James Hannaham. They call this Southern Gothic but I call it DEFINITELY DIFFERENT. The story is told from 3 points of view, a widowed mother who has turned to drugs (Darlene), her 11 year old son (Eddie), and scotty (crack cocaine - said to have a seductively charming voice). Darlene is tempted off the street by the promise of a job, good pay and a place to stay. Unfortunately, she ends up in a form of slavery on a farm. Her son tries to find her. Dark but funny at the same time.
The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell. Caldwell is one of the co-authors of the well reviewed and popular The Rule of Four published 10 years ago. Since then he has been researching and preparing this work. Reviewers by an large love it but those who don't, don't like it at all. It surrounds a coming exhibition of The Shroud of Turin. The curator, Ugo, is set to prove that the scientific evidence on the Shroud was false. Right before the exhibit, Ugo is killed. Two brothers, Alex - a Greek Catholic priest and Simon - a Roman Catholic priest - try to uncover Ugo's secrets.
The Pocket Wife by Susan Crawford. Dana is married to a lawyer that hardly gives her the time of day. She also suffers from Bi-Polar Disorder and is off her meds. One day she spends the afternoon drinking with her friend Celia. When she wakes up, she is home but Celia is dead. All of the evidence seems to be pointing to her and she doesn't even remember what happened. A dark and twisty, psychological thriller.
Where All Light Tends To Go by David Joy. An Appalachian novel. I love them but this seems quite a bit darker than I generally like. I don't see a way for it to not have a heartbreaking ending. Jacob McNeely is 18. He left school to help his father, the king of meth in this area of North Carolina. He also left his girlfriend, Maggie, because he could see that she was going places and he wasn't. Doesn't it sound sad? Said to be beautifully written.
OK folks, some more titles from which to choose. Enjoy.
Friday, February 13, 2015
Other March Titles
There are quite a few more titles coming out in March which interest me. Some by names I am sure you know and others that may be new to you. Let me get started.
Joy Fielding has Someone is Watching coming out on March 24. If you have seen the movie Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart, this has the same feel. Bailey Carpenter is a PI who was brutally attacked and now refuses to leave her home. She starts investigating her neighbor across the way with binoculars and begins to wonder if he was her attacker.
J.A. Jance has Cold Betrayal: An Ali Reynolds Novel coming out on March 10. Reynolds is called to help her new daughter-in-law because her grandmother is being threatened and her friend, Sister Anselm, wants her to investigate a young pregnant women who was injured in a hit and run after escaping from a cult.
Owen Laukkanen has The Stolen Ones coming out on Feb 25. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere are on their 4th title. A women having no identification and speaking no English is found sitting next to a dead Minnesota sheriff's deputy holding the gun. The investigation leads them too an international kidnapping and prostitution ring.
David Morrell has Inspector of the Dead coming on March 24. If you read his last title, Murder as a Fine Art, you will want to read this one. I find it humorous that Morrell, the author of First Blood from which they made the movie Rambo, is now considered a literary thriller author but he is and for good reason. This title finds Thomas De Quincey battling his opium addiction while investigating killings in British high society and aided by his daughter and 2 Scotland Yard companions.
Olen Steinhauer has All the Old Knives coming out on March 10. Steinhauer is an interesting person. He grew up in Virginia and has lived all over the states; got a Fullbright scholarship and went to Romania. He now lives in Hungary with his wife and children. Well traveled and described as the successor to Le Carre, he has moved from the Cold War spy novels to after 9/11. In this title 2 CIA agents who had also been lovers, one now retired and one still an active agent, meet for dinner to reconsider questions about a nine year old terrorist attack.
Lastly, Jacqueline Winspear continues her Masie Dobbs series with A Dangerous Place which comes out on March 17. Dobbs must return from India when she gets a letter telling her that her father is fading. She pauses in Gibraltar and finds herself investigating the murder of a Sepharidic Jew.
I will be back soon with the LibraryReads list for March with all new titles for your reading pleasure.
Joy Fielding has Someone is Watching coming out on March 24. If you have seen the movie Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart, this has the same feel. Bailey Carpenter is a PI who was brutally attacked and now refuses to leave her home. She starts investigating her neighbor across the way with binoculars and begins to wonder if he was her attacker.
J.A. Jance has Cold Betrayal: An Ali Reynolds Novel coming out on March 10. Reynolds is called to help her new daughter-in-law because her grandmother is being threatened and her friend, Sister Anselm, wants her to investigate a young pregnant women who was injured in a hit and run after escaping from a cult.
Owen Laukkanen has The Stolen Ones coming out on Feb 25. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agents Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere are on their 4th title. A women having no identification and speaking no English is found sitting next to a dead Minnesota sheriff's deputy holding the gun. The investigation leads them too an international kidnapping and prostitution ring.
David Morrell has Inspector of the Dead coming on March 24. If you read his last title, Murder as a Fine Art, you will want to read this one. I find it humorous that Morrell, the author of First Blood from which they made the movie Rambo, is now considered a literary thriller author but he is and for good reason. This title finds Thomas De Quincey battling his opium addiction while investigating killings in British high society and aided by his daughter and 2 Scotland Yard companions.
Olen Steinhauer has All the Old Knives coming out on March 10. Steinhauer is an interesting person. He grew up in Virginia and has lived all over the states; got a Fullbright scholarship and went to Romania. He now lives in Hungary with his wife and children. Well traveled and described as the successor to Le Carre, he has moved from the Cold War spy novels to after 9/11. In this title 2 CIA agents who had also been lovers, one now retired and one still an active agent, meet for dinner to reconsider questions about a nine year old terrorist attack.
Lastly, Jacqueline Winspear continues her Masie Dobbs series with A Dangerous Place which comes out on March 17. Dobbs must return from India when she gets a letter telling her that her father is fading. She pauses in Gibraltar and finds herself investigating the murder of a Sepharidic Jew.
I will be back soon with the LibraryReads list for March with all new titles for your reading pleasure.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
March's Major Names
There are a lot of books being published in March. Many are by the A list authors. I will try to give you a short synopsis but there really are an extraordinary number of them for this month.
Steve Berry has The Patriot Threat coming out on March 31. Berry should be a local favorite. He was born and raised in Georgia, graduated from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University and practiced law in Georgia for many years. Currently, he lives in St. Augustine, FL.
His main character is Cotton Malone, a former Justice Department operative who travels the world investigating some of history's most legendary mysteries. When his former boss asks him for help, he is on the trail again.
C.J. Box has Endangered coming out on March 24. Box has won most of the major mystery awards and his main character is Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden. This title is the 15th in the series. In this title, Joe is hunting the person who bludgeoned his 18 year old ward.
Harlan Coben, my personal favorite, has The Stranger coming out on March 24. This is another standalone. I do love his Myron Bolitar series but his standalone titles are pretty good too. Adam and Hannah's marriage is not going well when a secret emerges that makes Adam fearful he never knew his wife at all and all their lives are in danger.
Robin Cook has Host coming on March 17. Cook invented the medical thriller genre. In this one, a 4th year medical student's boyfriend dies after routine surgery. Something doesn't feel right to her so she and her lab partner star investigating. Soon, they uncover facts that put both their lives in danger.
Clive Cussler and Justin Scott have The Assassin coming out on March 31. Rather than Cussler's normal adventure series, this one is the 8th in the Detective Isaac Bell series. This series is plot-driven and historical, set in the early 20th century. This title takes place when Bell is investigating the Standard Oil monopoly. A sniper starts shooting possible witnesses and the chase is on.
James Patterson has NYPD Red 3 coming out on March 10. Audie will be free after serving 10 years for a Texas robbery in which four people died. One day before his release, he escapes. Everyone thinks he is going after the money from the robbery but he has something else in mind.
Barbara Taylor Bradford has The Cavendon Women coming out on March 24. The aristocratic Inghams are planning a family weekend with their servants the Swanns in attendance after the end of WWI, But times have changed and the families must change with time.
Hopefully, one of these interests you. There are more titles coming out from perhaps less well known authors but I will continue with those next week. Enjoy!
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Remaining Edgar Nominees
As promised, I am going to give you the nominees for Best First Novel and the Mary Higgins Clark Award. I just have time and space to give a really brief sentence on plot so you can decide if you want to investigate further.
Best First Novel Nominees:
Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman. Kind of rough and noir. A loner detective in rural PA would rather be hunting or fishing but instead - he has to investigate a murder. Change is coming with drugs and oil drilling.
Invisible City by Julia Dahl. This work appears to be the first in a series. It takes place inside the Hasidic Jewish community in New York. A woman's body is found in a dump yard. Investigating this for the newspaper is a young female whose Hasidic mother abandoned her with her Christian father in Florida.
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. Many things going on in this one however, reviewers all loved it. A 21 year old college student is writing a biographical piece on an elderly individual for a writing class. The person he chooses is a Vietnam vet/convicted rapist and murderer who is dying of pancreatic cancer. He becomes a sleuth while trying to take care of an autistic brother.
Bad Country by C. B. McKenzie. One reviewer called it 'desert noir'. A former rodeo cowboy turned private investigator has a body turn up in his backyard. Deep and twisty and dark.
Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh. A genre blending rough and quirky ride. An NYC garbageman becomes a paid assassin after a dirty bomb goes off in NYC. He is faced with a moral dilemma when an Evangelist wants his daughter killed because of secrets.
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver. Perhaps the start of another series in Britain during the 1930's. Amory Ames has been married for 5 years to a playboy. Her ex fiancee asks her to accompany him on vacation to attempt to stop his sister from marrying a playboy. That playboy is murdered and her ex-fiancee is a suspect. Ames must investigate.
The Mary Higgins Clark Award - for books written in her genre
A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton. This is the 4th in the Lacey Flint series. Lacey changed from being a Detective to being in the Marine Police thinking it would be a quieter job. Unfortunately, someone is leaving her presents and one of them is a dead body.
The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey. This is the 4th in the Maeve Kerrigan series. Maeve is a 28 year old London Detective Constable. In the series, you see her trying to survive in a male-dominated police department. In this title, Maeve is asked to investigate what appears to be some serial murders. The clues start to point to her partner, DCI Josh Derwent who is sexist and disagreeable. Maeve thinks he is obnoxious but can't believe he is a murderer.
Invisible City by Julia Dahl. Described above as a Best First Novel nominee.
Summer of the Dead by Julia Keller. This is the 3rd in the Bell Elkins series. This series has a very strong sense of place and the place is the rundown community of Acker's Gap, West Virginia. Bell is struggling with her sister's return after 30 years in prison for killing their abusive father and then an elderly man is murdered in his driveway. I have read this one and it made me go back and read the first 2 but then, the Appalachian area has always interested me.
The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day. Amelia Enmet is a sociology professor had been shot by one of her students for some unknown reason and then, he killed himself. Now, a year has passed and she is back to work. Psychologically she is having trouble dealing with stares and whispers. Then, Nath Barber, her Teaching Assistant tells her he wants to do his dissertation on her attack. Together, they try to understand the dark and challenging past.
There you go. The two groups of nominees. There are some good stories here and all are at the library.
Best First Novel Nominees:
Dry Bones in the Valley by Tom Bouman. Kind of rough and noir. A loner detective in rural PA would rather be hunting or fishing but instead - he has to investigate a murder. Change is coming with drugs and oil drilling.
Invisible City by Julia Dahl. This work appears to be the first in a series. It takes place inside the Hasidic Jewish community in New York. A woman's body is found in a dump yard. Investigating this for the newspaper is a young female whose Hasidic mother abandoned her with her Christian father in Florida.
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens. Many things going on in this one however, reviewers all loved it. A 21 year old college student is writing a biographical piece on an elderly individual for a writing class. The person he chooses is a Vietnam vet/convicted rapist and murderer who is dying of pancreatic cancer. He becomes a sleuth while trying to take care of an autistic brother.
Bad Country by C. B. McKenzie. One reviewer called it 'desert noir'. A former rodeo cowboy turned private investigator has a body turn up in his backyard. Deep and twisty and dark.
Shovel Ready by Adam Sternbergh. A genre blending rough and quirky ride. An NYC garbageman becomes a paid assassin after a dirty bomb goes off in NYC. He is faced with a moral dilemma when an Evangelist wants his daughter killed because of secrets.
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver. Perhaps the start of another series in Britain during the 1930's. Amory Ames has been married for 5 years to a playboy. Her ex fiancee asks her to accompany him on vacation to attempt to stop his sister from marrying a playboy. That playboy is murdered and her ex-fiancee is a suspect. Ames must investigate.
The Mary Higgins Clark Award - for books written in her genre
A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton. This is the 4th in the Lacey Flint series. Lacey changed from being a Detective to being in the Marine Police thinking it would be a quieter job. Unfortunately, someone is leaving her presents and one of them is a dead body.
The Stranger You Know by Jane Casey. This is the 4th in the Maeve Kerrigan series. Maeve is a 28 year old London Detective Constable. In the series, you see her trying to survive in a male-dominated police department. In this title, Maeve is asked to investigate what appears to be some serial murders. The clues start to point to her partner, DCI Josh Derwent who is sexist and disagreeable. Maeve thinks he is obnoxious but can't believe he is a murderer.
Invisible City by Julia Dahl. Described above as a Best First Novel nominee.
Summer of the Dead by Julia Keller. This is the 3rd in the Bell Elkins series. This series has a very strong sense of place and the place is the rundown community of Acker's Gap, West Virginia. Bell is struggling with her sister's return after 30 years in prison for killing their abusive father and then an elderly man is murdered in his driveway. I have read this one and it made me go back and read the first 2 but then, the Appalachian area has always interested me.
The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day. Amelia Enmet is a sociology professor had been shot by one of her students for some unknown reason and then, he killed himself. Now, a year has passed and she is back to work. Psychologically she is having trouble dealing with stares and whispers. Then, Nath Barber, her Teaching Assistant tells her he wants to do his dissertation on her attack. Together, they try to understand the dark and challenging past.
There you go. The two groups of nominees. There are some good stories here and all are at the library.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Edgar Nominees!
It is my favorite thing to blog about ....it is getting to be award nomination season again. I love to see who was nominated and read the ones I haven't read yet. This past week, the 2015 Edgar Nominees were announced. I have listed the ones up for Best Novel below with snippets on the plot in alphabetical order. Just as a reminder, Edgar Awards are given by the Mystery Writers of America at the end of April .....so you have time to read them all!!
Wiley Cash's This Dark Road To Mercy is told from the point of view of 3 different people, 12 year old Easter; her father, Wade and Bobby Pruitt, and enforcer who is out for Wade. Easter and her 6 year old sister Ruby are put into the foster care system in Gastonia, NC when their mother dies. Their father had abandoned them years earlier. Brady Weller is a court appointed guardian who is looking out for their welfare. Wade, a use to be minor league ballplayer, reappears and steals the girls away. He is on the run, being chased by Pruitt who is a danger to everyone. Brady gets in on the chase to try to find the girls before Pruitt does. Cash has a great sensitivity in his writing for the voice of children and his portrayal of Easter is one of his best.
Mo Hayder's Wolf is the seventh in the Jack Caffery series and the fifth to include the mysterious Walking Man - a vagrant. The Walking Man finds a dog wandering alone and he has the words "HELP US" written on his collar. He convinces Detective Inspector Jack Caffery to investigate. He has no idea who or what he is searching for but he is running out of time. An affluent family is being held captive by 2 individuals. The terror they are experiencing is palpable. On critic says, "Hayder takes your worst nightmares, translates them into words and sets them down on a page."
Perennial favorite, Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes is the first of a planned trilogy featuring Bill Hodges. This is a straight suspense book from the king of horror and it has many of his original fans upset. However, it has lots of critics applauding his venture into this genre. A madman driving a Mercedes plows into a crowd lined up for a job fair. Eight were killed and many more were injured. One year later, a retired detective, Bill Hodges, receives a letter from the killer threatening many more deaths. Can Hodges find the killer before he kills again? One critic says "Stephen King doesn't have to write horror to write a great book and this book proves that, once again."
Stuart Neville's The Final Silence is the fourth in the Jack Lennon series. This is an Irish mystery and there are those that love them and those that don't. They tend to be dark and complex...that is certainly true with this title. The series lead is dark, has been forced off the police force and is now addicted to pain killers and alcohol. A young woman, Rea inherits a house and while cleaning it out makes the discovery of a book entailing a list of murders. Rea's father, a prominent politician, talks her out of going to the police so she goes to Jack Lennon, a former lover. He is not in the mood to listen but when Rea turns up dead, he is intent on making amends. Lennon won't stop till he finds the murderer.
Ian Rankin's Saints of the Shadow Bible is the nineteenth in the Inspector Rebus series. Well, let's see - North Carolina; England; the Mid West; Ireland.....might as well throw in Rankin's Scottish detective. Rebus is back on the force from retirement forced to take a demotion to Detective Sergeant. He is investigating a car crash when he finds out that a case his team investigated 30 years ago is being reopened by internal affairs. They are suspected of helping a murderer escape justice. Malcolm Fox is tasked with finding out the truth. Fox has been high on Rebus' enemy list for a while but here, they seem to join together to solve the case.
Lastly, a Georgia favorite, Karin Slaughter's Cop Town is a stand alone. Kate Murphy is a new recruit to the Atlanta Police Department in 1974. Slaughter pictures the attitude of 1970 police to having women on the force and the problems faced about all types of prejudice very accurately. Kate is not sure the job is for her. She is assigned Maggie Lawson as a partner. Pairing two females was meant to isolate them from the action but nothing like that was going to happen. A killer is on the street and he is taking aim at police officers. Really highly reviewed and perhaps a down home favorite for us for the win.
Hope you find something to read among these standouts. I will do a quick listing of the best first novels and the Mary Higgins Clark nominees next time.
Wiley Cash's This Dark Road To Mercy is told from the point of view of 3 different people, 12 year old Easter; her father, Wade and Bobby Pruitt, and enforcer who is out for Wade. Easter and her 6 year old sister Ruby are put into the foster care system in Gastonia, NC when their mother dies. Their father had abandoned them years earlier. Brady Weller is a court appointed guardian who is looking out for their welfare. Wade, a use to be minor league ballplayer, reappears and steals the girls away. He is on the run, being chased by Pruitt who is a danger to everyone. Brady gets in on the chase to try to find the girls before Pruitt does. Cash has a great sensitivity in his writing for the voice of children and his portrayal of Easter is one of his best.
Mo Hayder's Wolf is the seventh in the Jack Caffery series and the fifth to include the mysterious Walking Man - a vagrant. The Walking Man finds a dog wandering alone and he has the words "HELP US" written on his collar. He convinces Detective Inspector Jack Caffery to investigate. He has no idea who or what he is searching for but he is running out of time. An affluent family is being held captive by 2 individuals. The terror they are experiencing is palpable. On critic says, "Hayder takes your worst nightmares, translates them into words and sets them down on a page."
Perennial favorite, Stephen King's Mr. Mercedes is the first of a planned trilogy featuring Bill Hodges. This is a straight suspense book from the king of horror and it has many of his original fans upset. However, it has lots of critics applauding his venture into this genre. A madman driving a Mercedes plows into a crowd lined up for a job fair. Eight were killed and many more were injured. One year later, a retired detective, Bill Hodges, receives a letter from the killer threatening many more deaths. Can Hodges find the killer before he kills again? One critic says "Stephen King doesn't have to write horror to write a great book and this book proves that, once again."
Stuart Neville's The Final Silence is the fourth in the Jack Lennon series. This is an Irish mystery and there are those that love them and those that don't. They tend to be dark and complex...that is certainly true with this title. The series lead is dark, has been forced off the police force and is now addicted to pain killers and alcohol. A young woman, Rea inherits a house and while cleaning it out makes the discovery of a book entailing a list of murders. Rea's father, a prominent politician, talks her out of going to the police so she goes to Jack Lennon, a former lover. He is not in the mood to listen but when Rea turns up dead, he is intent on making amends. Lennon won't stop till he finds the murderer.
Ian Rankin's Saints of the Shadow Bible is the nineteenth in the Inspector Rebus series. Well, let's see - North Carolina; England; the Mid West; Ireland.....might as well throw in Rankin's Scottish detective. Rebus is back on the force from retirement forced to take a demotion to Detective Sergeant. He is investigating a car crash when he finds out that a case his team investigated 30 years ago is being reopened by internal affairs. They are suspected of helping a murderer escape justice. Malcolm Fox is tasked with finding out the truth. Fox has been high on Rebus' enemy list for a while but here, they seem to join together to solve the case.
Lastly, a Georgia favorite, Karin Slaughter's Cop Town is a stand alone. Kate Murphy is a new recruit to the Atlanta Police Department in 1974. Slaughter pictures the attitude of 1970 police to having women on the force and the problems faced about all types of prejudice very accurately. Kate is not sure the job is for her. She is assigned Maggie Lawson as a partner. Pairing two females was meant to isolate them from the action but nothing like that was going to happen. A killer is on the street and he is taking aim at police officers. Really highly reviewed and perhaps a down home favorite for us for the win.
Hope you find something to read among these standouts. I will do a quick listing of the best first novels and the Mary Higgins Clark nominees next time.
Friday, January 16, 2015
February Titles
Lots of tempting books are coming out this month besides the ones mentioned in the LibraryReads list. Publishing houses are back after their winter vacation and working full steam ahead. The biggest names are listed below.
Alex Berenson has Twelve Days coming out on February 10. For those not familiar with Berenson, he writes fast-paced thriller that incorporate current day politics. John Wells is his main character and this is the ninth featuring him. Wells with his former CIA bosses uncover a plot to convince the President to attack Iran but no one will listen. It is a race against time to try to come up with the evidence. If you are missing Vince Flynn, Berenson might be a replacement for you.
Jamie Freveletti has Robert Ludlum's The Geneva Strategy coming out on February 3. This is the eleventh in the Covert-One series and it is being issued as a trade paperback as were the first few titles in the series. Freveletti has written one of the first 10 so is familiar with Jon Smith, the series man character. One evening, several high ranking members of the government were kidnapped. The most striking one was Nick Rendel who was the computer specialist in charge of the drone project. Smith along with his Covert One team were able to rescue some of the others but Rendel remained missing and the fear was that enemies could program drones to strike within the US. High suspense and fast moving.
Lisa Gardner has Crash & Burn coming out on February 3. Gardner, for those who haven't read her, is similar to Catherine Coulter (with a little less romance) and Harlan Coben (with a little more romance). This is the 3rd in her Tessa Leoni series with a quick snapshot of Boston Detective D.D. Warren. Nicky Frank had a horrific car crash and shouldn't have survived. She remembers a missing little girl named Vero. Police can find no evidence of the missing child until Nicky's husband arrives and tells them she had sustained a brain injury before the accident and can not be believed. So should Nicky trust him? Is she crazy? Is her husband her caretaker or her enemy? Read it and find out.
Jonathan Kellerman has Motive coming out on February 10. This is the 30th in the Alex Delaware series. Delaware has been trying to help his homicide detective friend, Milo Sturgis with one murder when another murder is reminiscent about the other. Both bodies are found with untouched romantic dinners for two set. Since the main individuals have alibis, who could be doing this? If you read Kellerman, you probably already have this one on your list.
J.D. Robb has Obsession in Death coming out on February 10. This is another author who really needs no introduction. This is the 40th in her '...in Death' series. Eve Dallas has an admirer. This admirer is killing people for her. He seems to think he is proving their special relationship. She knows he will eventually turn against her.
OK - that gives you some of the goodies that are coming out in February. Hope one of them catches your eye.
Alex Berenson has Twelve Days coming out on February 10. For those not familiar with Berenson, he writes fast-paced thriller that incorporate current day politics. John Wells is his main character and this is the ninth featuring him. Wells with his former CIA bosses uncover a plot to convince the President to attack Iran but no one will listen. It is a race against time to try to come up with the evidence. If you are missing Vince Flynn, Berenson might be a replacement for you.
Jamie Freveletti has Robert Ludlum's The Geneva Strategy coming out on February 3. This is the eleventh in the Covert-One series and it is being issued as a trade paperback as were the first few titles in the series. Freveletti has written one of the first 10 so is familiar with Jon Smith, the series man character. One evening, several high ranking members of the government were kidnapped. The most striking one was Nick Rendel who was the computer specialist in charge of the drone project. Smith along with his Covert One team were able to rescue some of the others but Rendel remained missing and the fear was that enemies could program drones to strike within the US. High suspense and fast moving.
Lisa Gardner has Crash & Burn coming out on February 3. Gardner, for those who haven't read her, is similar to Catherine Coulter (with a little less romance) and Harlan Coben (with a little more romance). This is the 3rd in her Tessa Leoni series with a quick snapshot of Boston Detective D.D. Warren. Nicky Frank had a horrific car crash and shouldn't have survived. She remembers a missing little girl named Vero. Police can find no evidence of the missing child until Nicky's husband arrives and tells them she had sustained a brain injury before the accident and can not be believed. So should Nicky trust him? Is she crazy? Is her husband her caretaker or her enemy? Read it and find out.
Jonathan Kellerman has Motive coming out on February 10. This is the 30th in the Alex Delaware series. Delaware has been trying to help his homicide detective friend, Milo Sturgis with one murder when another murder is reminiscent about the other. Both bodies are found with untouched romantic dinners for two set. Since the main individuals have alibis, who could be doing this? If you read Kellerman, you probably already have this one on your list.
J.D. Robb has Obsession in Death coming out on February 10. This is another author who really needs no introduction. This is the 40th in her '...in Death' series. Eve Dallas has an admirer. This admirer is killing people for her. He seems to think he is proving their special relationship. She knows he will eventually turn against her.
OK - that gives you some of the goodies that are coming out in February. Hope one of them catches your eye.
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