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Week of February 22, 2016

New in Paperback

Week of February 22, 2016

Paperback releases for the week of February 22nd include THE BONE TREE, the highly anticipated second installment of Greg Iles' epic trilogy of blood and race, family and justice, featuring Southern lawyer Penn Cage; ON THE MOVE, a memoir by the late Oliver Sacks, who writes about the passions that drove his life, his love affairs, his guilt over leaving his family to come to America, his bond with his schizophrenic brother, and the writers and scientists who have influenced his work; HOW I SHED MY SKIN, which chronicles award-winning novelist Jim Grimsley’s years of learning --- and then unlearning --- racism; and new installments of series by such authors as Jacqueline Winspear, M. C. Beaton, Rhys Bowen and Philip Kerr.

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl: Fiction by Mona Awad - Fiction

February 23, 2016


Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks. She starts dating guys online but is afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend, China, does her makeup. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged and pounds dropped. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, friends, husband and reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl?

The Bone Tree by Greg Iles - Thriller

February 23, 2016


THE BONE TREE is an explosive, action-packed thriller full of twisting intrigue and deadly secrets, a tale that explores the conflicts and casualties that result when the darkest truths of American history come to light. It puts us inside the skin of a noble man who has always fought for justice --- now finally pushed beyond his limits. Just how far will Penn Cage, the hero we thought we knew, go to protect those he loves?

Cash Landing by James Grippando - Thriller

February 23, 2016


Every week, a hundred million dollars in cash arrives at Miami International Airport, shipped by German banks to the Federal Reserve. A select group of trusted workers moves the bags through Customs and loads them into armored trucks. Ruban Betancourt has always played by the rules. But the bank taking his house and his restaurant business going bust have driven him over the edge. He and his wife deserve more than life has handed them, and he’s come up with an elaborate scheme to get it.

Country by Danielle Steel - Fiction

February 23, 2016


Stephanie Adams is a devoted stay-at-home mother who has stayed in a dead marriage for years for the sake of her children. Then, on a ski trip, her husband dies suddenly and all bets are off. Despite her children’s grief, and her own conflicting emotions and loneliness, Stephanie tries to move on, but struggles to find herself as an independent individual after years of giving up her life for everyone else. A spur-of-the-moment road trip leads her to the Grand Canyon and a chance meeting --- and her whole life changes forever.

A Dangerous Place: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear - Historical Mystery

February 23, 2016


On a ship bound for England to visit her aging father after her stepmother summons her home, Maisie Dobbs realizes she isn’t ready to return. Against the wishes of the captain, who warns her, “You will be alone in a most dangerous place,” she disembarks in Gibraltar. Days after her arrival, a photographer and member of Gibraltar’s Sephardic Jewish community is murdered, and Maisie becomes entangled in the case and renews an uneasy acquaintance in the process.

The Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy - Post-Apocalyptic Thriller

February 23, 2016


In Benjamin Percy's new thriller, a post-apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga, a super flu and nuclear fallout have made a husk of the world we know. A few humans carry on, living in outposts such as the Sanctuary --- the remains of St. Louis --- a shielded community that owes its survival to its militant defense and fear-mongering leaders. A small group led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark hopes to expand their infant nation and reunite the States. But the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight.

Death of a Liar: A Hamish Macbeth Mystery by M. C. Beaton - Mystery

February 23, 2016


Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small village of Cronish in the Scottish Highlands. She has been brutally attacked, and the criminal is on the loose. But upon further investigation, Hamish discovers that she was lying about the crime. So when the same woman calls him back about an intruder, he simply marvels at her compulsion to lie. This time, though, she is telling the truth. Her body is found in her home, and Hamish must sort through all of her lies to solve the crime.

The Dog Who Saved Me by Susan Wilson - Fiction

February 23, 2016


Boston police officer Cooper Harrison never thought he’d go back to his hometown of Harmony Farms. But when his faithful K-9 partner Argos is killed in the line of duty, Cooper, caught in a spiral of trauma and grief, has nowhere else to turn. Jobless and on the verge of divorce, he accepts an offer for the position of dog officer in Harmony Farms. Cooper refuses to get emotionally invested in another dog the way he had with Argos --- until he finds himself rescuing a wounded and gun-shy yellow lab gone feral.

The Edge of Dreams: A Molly Murphy Mystery by Rhys Bowen - Historical Mystery

February 23, 2016


Molly Murphy Sullivan’s husband, Daniel, a captain in the New York City police force, is chasing a murderer whose victims have nothing in common --- except for the taunting notes that are delivered to him after each murder. And when Daniel receives a note immediately after Molly and her young son, Liam, are in a terrible train crash, Daniel and Molly both begin to fear that maybe Molly herself was the target.

The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell - Thriller

February 23, 2016


In 2004, as Pope John Paul II’s reign enters its twilight, a mysterious exhibit is under construction at the Vatican Museums. A week before it is scheduled to open, its curator is murdered at a clandestine meeting on the outskirts of Rome. That same night, a violent break-in rocks the home of the curator’s research partner, Father Alex Andreou, a Greek Catholic priest who lives inside the Vatican with his five-year-old son. When the papal police fail to identify a suspect in either crime, Father Alex undertakes his own investigation.

The Friends We Keep by Susan Mallery - Fiction

February 23, 2016


After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can't wait to return to work. But when her plans are derailed, she must fight for the right to have a life of her own. Hayley Batchelor believes that a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny --- no matter how high the cost. A great new guy tempts divorcée Nicole Lord to believe maybe the second time's the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love? As their bonds of friendship deepen against the beautiful backdrop of Mischief Bay, Gabby Hayley and Nicole will rely on good food, good wine and especially each other to navigate life's toughest changes.

GBH by Ted Lewis - Thriller

February 23, 2016


In London, George Fowler heads a lucrative criminal syndicate that specializes in the production and distribution of “blue films” --- nasty illegal pornography. But his entire world is in jeopardy. Someone is undermining his empire from within, and he becomes increasingly ruthless in his pursuit of the unknown traitor. As his paranoia envelops him, Fowler loses trust in just about everyone, including his closest friends and associates, and begins to rely on the opinions of an increasingly smaller set of advisors.

Girl in the Dark: A Memoir of a Life Without Light by Anna Lyndsey - Memoir

February 23, 2016


Anna had been living a normal life until she started developing worrying symptoms: her face felt like it was burning whenever she was in front of the computer. Soon this progressed to an intolerance of fluorescent light, then of sunlight itself. The reaction soon spread to her entire body. Now, when her symptoms are at their worst, she must spend months on end in a blacked-out room. In GIRL IN THE DARK, Anna brings us into the dark with her, a place from which we emerge to see love, and the world, anew.

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder - Fiction

February 23, 2016


As a young runner, Aganetha Smart defied everyone’s expectations to win a gold medal for Canada in the 1928 Olympics. It was a revolutionary victory, because this was the first Games in which women could compete in track events --- and they did so despite opposition. But now Aganetha is in a nursing home, and nobody realizes that the frail centenarian was once a bold pioneer. When two young strangers appear asking to interview Aganetha for their film about female athletes, she readily agrees.

How I Shed My Skin: Unlearning the Racist Lessons of a Southern Childhood by Jim Grimsley - Memoir

February 23, 2016


Jim Grimsley was 11 years old in 1966 when federally mandated integration of schools went into effect in the state and the school in his small eastern North Carolina town was first integrated. What he did not realize until he began to meet these new students was just how deeply ingrained his own prejudices were and how those prejudices had developed in him. Now, more than 40 years later, Grimsley looks back at that school and those times --- remembering his own first real encounters with black children and their culture.

The Lady from Zagreb: A Bernie Gunther Novel by Philip Kerr - Historical Thriller

February 23, 2016


A beautiful actress, a rising star of the giant German film company UFA, now controlled by the Propaganda Ministry. The very clever, very dangerous Propaganda Minister --- close confidant of Hitler, an ambitious schemer and flagrant libertine. And Bernie Gunther, former Berlin homicide bull, now forced to do favors for Joseph Goebbels at the Propaganda Minister’s command. This time, the favor is personal. And this time, nothing is what it seems.

Lucky Alan and Other Stories by Jonathan Lethem - Fiction/Short Stories

February 23, 2016


Jonathan Lethem’s third collection of stories uncovers a father’s nervous breakdown at SeaWorld; a foundling child rescued from the woods during a blizzard; a political prisoner in a hole in a Brooklyn street; and a crumbling, haunted “blog” on a seaside cliff. As in his novels, Lethem finds the uncanny lurking in the mundane, the irrational self-defeat seeping through our upstanding pursuits, and the tragic undertow of the absurd world(s) in which we live.

Mike Hammer: Kill Me Darling by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins - Noir Mystery

February 23, 2016


PI Mike Hammer’s secretary and partner, Velda, has walked out on him without explanation. It then develops that an old cop who once worked with Velda turns up murdered. What’s more, Mike’s pal, Captain Pat Chambers, has discovered that Velda is in Florida, the moll of gangster and drug runner Nolly Quinn. Hammer hits the road and drives to Miami. But can they find Velda in time? And what is the connection between the murdered vice cop in Manhattan and Mike’s ex turning gun moll in Florida?

On the Move: A Life by Oliver Sacks - Memoir

February 23, 2016


From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, ON THE MOVE is infused with Oliver Sacks’ restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California, where he struggled with drug addiction, and then in New York, where he discovered a long-forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, we see how his engagement with patients comes to define his life.

One Mile Under: A Ty Hauck Novel by Andrew Gross - Thriller

February 23, 2016


When an old friend contacts Ty Hauck and says his daughter is in trouble, he doesn't hesitate to get involved. Together, the two step into a sinister scheme running deep beneath the surface of a quiet, Colorado town that has made a deal with the devil to survive. But in the square-off between giant energy companies and beaten-down ranchers and farmers, one resource is even more valuable in this drought-stricken region than oil. They both will kill for it --- water.

Past Crimes: A Van Shaw Novel by Glen Erik Hamilton - Thriller

February 23, 2016


Van Shaw was raised to be a thief, but at 18 he suddenly broke all ties to that life and joined the military --- abandoning his illicit past and the career-criminal grandfather who taught him the trade. Now, after 10 years of silence, his grandfather has asked him to come home to Seattle. But when Van arrives, he discovers his grandfather bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. Van knows he’s sure to be the main suspect, and the only way he can clear his name is to go back to the world he’d sworn to leave behind.

A Place for Us by Harriet Evans - Fiction

February 23, 2016


When Martha, a wife and mother of three, sits down to write out the invitations to her 80th birthday celebration, she knows that what she is planning to reveal at the party could ruin the idyllic life she and her husband David have spent over 50 years building. As the story unfolds, each character reveals the secrets, joys and tragedies they are wrestling with through the confines of the family. What will happen when Martha finally tells the truth?

Possessed by Passion by Brenda Jackson - Romance

February 23, 2016


Burned-by-love architect Hunter McKay came home to Phoenix to open her own firm, not rekindle her fleeting high school romance with playboy Tyson Steele. But when she runs into the sexy surgeon at a nightclub --- and he unleashes that legendary Steele charm --- Hunter fears she's headed straight for heartbreak once again. Tyson hasn't forgotten the one who got away. A weeklong fling should be just enough to get the sultry beauty out of his system for good, even if he has to let Hunter set the ground rules. But the rules are suddenly changing for the no-strings bachelor.

The Rain Sparrow: A Honey Ridge Novel by Linda Goodnight - Romance

February 23, 2016


As thriller writer Hayden Winters is deeply ashamed of his past, his hunger for an honest relationship and dreams of starting a family remain unsatisfied. He's determined to outrun his personal demons, but the charming old Peach Orchard Inn and a woman whose presence is as gentle as a sparrow's song stops him in his tracks. Carrie Riley is afraid of everything from flying to thunderstorms, but meeting the enigmatic writer staying at the inn emboldens her to learn everything about him. When they discover a vulnerable boy hiding at the inn, Hayden is compelled to help Carrie protect him.

Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig - Memoir

February 23, 2016


Everyone’s lives are touched by mental illness: if we do not suffer from it ourselves, then we have a friend or loved one who does. Matt Haig’s frankness about his experiences is both inspiring to those who feel daunted by depression and illuminating to those who are mystified by it. Above all, his humor and encouragement never let us lose sight of hope. Speaking as his present self to his former self in the depths of depression, Matt is adamant that the oldest cliché is the truest --- there is light at the end of the tunnel.

The Remarkable Education of John Quincy Adams by Phyllis Lee Levin - History/Biography

February 23, 2016


A patriot by birth, John Quincy Adams’ destiny was foreordained. He was not only “The Greatest Traveler of His Age,” but also his country’s most gifted linguist and most experienced diplomat. His world encompassed the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the early and late Napoleonic Age. In THE REMARKABLE EDUCATION OF JOHN QUINCY ADAMS, Phyllis Lee Levin provides the deeply researched and definitive biography of one of the most fascinating and towering early Americans.

Screening Room: A Memoir of the South by Alan Lightman - Memoir

February 23, 2016


Alan Lightman’s grandfather, M.A. Lightman, was the family’s undisputed patriarch: it was his movie theater empire that catapulted the Lightmans to prominence in the South, his fearless success that both galvanized and paralyzed his children and grandchildren. In SCREENING ROOM, the author chronicles his return to Memphis in an attempt to understand the origins he so eagerly left behind 40 years earlier.

She Weeps Each Time You're Born by Quan Barry - Historical Fiction

February 23, 2016


At the peak of the war in Vietnam, a baby girl is born along the Song Ma River on the night of the full moon. This is Rabbit, who will journey away from her destroyed village with a makeshift family thrown together by war. Here is a Vietnam we’ve never encountered before: through Rabbit’s inexplicable but radiant intuition, we are privy to an intimate version of history, from the days of French Indochina and the World War II rubber plantations through the chaos of postwar reunification.

There's Something I Want You to Do: Stories by Charles Baxter - Fiction/Short Stories

February 23, 2016


THERE’S SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO DO is a collection of 10 interrelated stories, the first five named after virtues, the second after vices. Charles Baxter’s point is that all of us cover the spectrum of moral qualities, as do his characters --- from the pediatrician conflicted about his work to the altruistic missionary who contracts a disease in Ethiopia and, upon returning stateside, commits robbery to pay for medicine. In Baxter’s world, as in life, decisions are rarely easy.

The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell - Fiction

February 23, 2016


In the early hours of a summer morning, a young woman steps into the path of an oncoming bus. A tragic accident? Or suicide? At the center of this puzzle is Adrian Wolfe, a successful architect and grief-stricken widower, who, a year after his third wife’s death, begins to investigate the cause. As Adrian looks back on their brief but seemingly happy marriage, disturbing secrets begin to surface. Something, or someone, must have pushed Maya over the edge.

Water to the Angels: William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles by Les Standiford - History

February 23, 2016


In 1907, Irish immigrant William Mulholland conceived and built one of the greatest civil engineering feats in history: the aqueduct that carried water 223 miles from the Sierra Nevada mountains to Los Angeles --- allowing this small desert city to grow into a modern global metropolis. Les Standiford vividly captures the larger-then-life engineer and the breathtaking scope of his six-year, $23 million project that would transform a region, a state and a nation at the dawn of its greatest century.