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Week of July 25, 2016

New in Paperback

Week of July 25, 2016

Paperback releases for the week of July 25th include ROGUE LAWYER, John Grisham's latest legal thriller that introduces readers to Sebastian Rudd, an attorney who believes that everyone is entitled to a fair trial --- even if he has to bend the law to secure one; CITY ON FIRE, Garth Risk Hallberg's much-talked-about debut novel that revolves around a mystery --- namely, a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve --- that will open up even the loneliest-seeming corners of 1970s New York City; YES, MY ACCENT IS REAL, a collection of humorous autobiographical essays from Kunal Nayyar, best known as Raj on "The Big Bang Theory"; and the continuations of such popular series as Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries (THE NATURE OF THE BEAST) and James Rollins' Sigma Force novels (THE BONE LABYRINTH).

The Adventuress: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander - Historical Mystery

July 26, 2016


Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion --- the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide. Not convinced by the coroner's verdict, Emily must employ all of her investigative skills to discover the truth and avert another tragedy.

After She's Gone by Lisa Jackson - Thriller

July 26, 2016


Cassie Kramer and her younger sister, Allie, learned the hazards of fame long ago. Together, they’d survived the horror of a crazed fan who nearly killed their mother. Still, Cassie moved to L.A., urging Allie to follow. As a team, they’d take the town by storm. But Allie, finally free of small-town Oregon and just that little bit more beautiful, also proved to be more talented --- and driven. Where Cassie got bit parts, Allie rose to stardom. But now her body double has been shot on the set of her latest movie --- and Allie is missing.

After the Parade by Lori Ostlund - Fiction

July 26, 2016


After 20 years under the Pygmalion-like care of his older partner, Walter, Aaron Englund at last decides it is time to take control of his own fate. But soon after establishing himself in San Francisco, Aaron sees that real freedom will not come until he has made peace with his memories of Mortonville, Minnesota: a cramped town whose 400 souls form a constellation of his childhood heartbreaks and hopes. When Aaron was 17, Dolores --- his loving yet selfish and enigmatic mother --- vanished one night. And when, all these years later, a new friend in San Francisco offers Aaron a way to locate his mother, his past and present collide, forcing him to rethink his place in the world.

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani - Historical Fiction

July 26, 2016


The movie business is booming in 1935 when 21-year-old Loretta Young meets 34-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. Though he's already married, Gable falls for the stunning and vivacious young actress instantly. Far from the glittering lights of Hollywood, Sister Alda Ducci has been forced to leave her convent and begin a new journey that leads her to Loretta. Over the course of decades, they forge an enduring bond of love and loyalty that will be put to the test when they eventually face the greatest obstacle of their lives.

All Together Now by Gill Hornby - Fiction

July 26, 2016

Blue Moon: Mundy's Landing Book Two by Wendy Corsi Staub - Thriller

July 26, 2016


A century ago, the Sleeping Beauty Murders terrified picturesque Mundy’s Landing. The victims, like the killer, were never identified. Now, on the 100th anniversary, the Historical Society’s annual “Mundypalooza” offers a hefty reward for solving the notorious case. Annabelle Bingham, living in one of the three Murder Houses, can’t escape the feeling that her family is being watched --- and not just by news crews and amateur sleuths. Having unearthed the startling truth behind the horrific crimes, a copycat killer is about to reenact them --- beneath the mansard roof of Annabelle’s dream home.

The Bone Labyrinth: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins - Thriller/Adventure

July 26, 2016


In the remote mountains of Croatia, an archaeologist makes a strange discovery: a subterranean Catholic chapel, hidden for centuries, holds the bones of a Neanderthal woman. In the same cavern system, elaborate primitive paintings tell the story of an immense battle between tribes of Neanderthals and monstrous shadowy figures. It isn’t long before the investigative team is attacked, while a bloody assault is made upon a primate research center outside of Atlanta. How are these events connected? Who is behind these attacks? The search for the truth will take Commander Gray Pierce of Sigma Force 50,000 years into the past.

Brotherhood in Death by J. D. Robb - Thriller

July 26, 2016


Just as Dennis Mira is about to confront his cousin Edward about selling the West Village brownstone that belonged to their grandfather, he gets a shock: Edward is in front of him, bruised and bloody…and then everything goes black. When Dennis comes to, Edward is gone. Luckily Dennis’ wife is a top profiler for the NYPSD --- and a close colleague of Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Now Eve is determined to uncover the secrets of Edward Mira, but whoever is behind this disappearance, Edward is not going to be their last victim.

City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg - Historical Fiction

July 26, 2016


New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city’s great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown’s punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor --- and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. When the blackout of July 13, 1977, plunges this world into darkness, each of these lives will be changed forever.

The Diamond Caper by Peter Mayle - Mystery/Thriller

July 26, 2016


When a Riviera socialite’s diamonds are stolen --- the latest in a string of seemingly unconnected but ever-more-audacious jewelry heists across France --- Elena flies in to investigate the insurance claim. Once reunited, Sam isn’t entirely distracted by domestic matters. In the pattern of these “perfect crimes,” he is beginning to see a master at work and is quickly determined to connect and solve the cases. But as he and Elena dig deeper, they begin to realize just how much is connected and how dangerous it may be to pursue the whole truth.

The Dying Grass: A Novel of the Nez Perce War by William T. Vollmann - Historical Fiction

July 26, 2016


Defrauded and intimidated at every turn, the Nez Perces finally went on the warpath in 1877, subjecting the U.S. Army to its greatest defeat since Little Big Horn as they fled from northeast Oregon across Montana to the Canadian border. William T. Vollmann’s main character is not the legendary Chief Joseph, but his pursuer, General Oliver Otis Howard --- the brave, shy, tormented, devoutly Christian Civil War veteran. In this novel, we see him as commander, father, son, husband, friend and killer.

The Fall by John Lescroart - Thriller

July 18, 2017


On a cool night in May, a teenage foster child named Anlya Paulson plummets to her death from a San Francisco overpass. But did she fall...or was she pushed? Homicide inspectors focus their attention on a likable but naïve middle school teacher and volunteer foster care advocate. At first, his only connection to Anlya’s death is the meal they shared earlier that night. But soon his story falls apart, and Rebecca Hardy, now an associate at her father’s law firm, is drawn into his defense. When a dying woman’s last words cast a surprising new light on the evidence and problems develop with a key witness, the father-daughter duo begins to glimpse the intricate web that connects the young victim to the city’s complex political and judicial machine.

Fool's Quest: Book II of the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy by Robin Hobb - Fantasy

July 26, 2016


Long ago, Fitz and the Fool changed the world, bringing back the magic of dragons and securing both the Farseer succession and the stability of the kingdom. Or so they thought. But now the Fool is near death, maimed by mysterious pale-skinned figures whose plans for world domination hinge upon the powers the Fool may share with Fitz’s own daughter. In a horrible instant, though, Fitz’s world is undone and his beloved daughter stolen away by those who would use her as they had once sought to use the Fool --- as a weapon.

In the Dark Places: An Inspector Banks Novel by Peter Robinson - Mystery/Thriller

July 26, 2016


Two young men have vanished, and the investigation leads to two troubling clues in two different locations --- a scorched van and a peculiar bloodstain in an abandoned airport hangar. As Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his team scramble for answers, the inquiry takes an even darker turn when a truck careens off an icy road in a freak hailstorm. In the wreckage, rescuers find the driver, who was killed on impact, as well as another body --- a body that was dead well before the crash.

In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib - Fiction

July 26, 2016


Emigrating from Egypt, Samir and Nagla Al-Menshawy were determined to live the American dream. After years of hard work, Samir set up his own medical practice and the family moved to an upscale New Jersey suburb. But when a devastating turn of events leaves their eldest son and their neighbors’ daughter dead, all their years of success begin to unravel. The Al-Menshawys become pariahs in the neighborhood, and whether through religion, work or friendship, each family member struggles to move forward in his or her own way.

Infinite Home by Kathleen Alcott - Fiction

July 26, 2016


Edith is a widowed landlady who rents apartments in her Brooklyn brownstone to an unlikely collection of humans, all deeply in need of shelter. Crippled in various ways --- in spirit, in mind, in body, in heart --- the renters struggle to navigate daily existence. They come to realize that Edith’s deteriorating mind, and the menacing presence of her estranged, unscrupulous son, Owen, is the greatest challenge they must confront together.

The Lightning Stones: A Philip Mercer Novel by Jack Du Brul - Thriller/Adventure

July 26, 2016


Geologist and adventurer Philip Mercer is visiting an old friend who’s working far down in Minnesota’s Leister Deep Mine. But he arrives too late to save Abe Jacobs and his climate-research team from a shocking, brutal attack. Mercer vows to seek revenge as well as answers, hoping to pick up Jacobs’ search for a cache of the rare crystals known as lightning stones --- rumored to have been aboard Amelia Earhart’s plane when it vanished in 1937. He must race to stay ahead of a team of highly trained assassins --- and to figure out if he’s chasing a rare scientific discovery, or merely a historical fairy tale.

The Nature of the Beast: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny - Mystery

July 26, 2016


Hardly a day goes by when nine-year-old Laurent Lepage doesn't cry wolf. His tales are so extraordinary that no one can possibly believe him, including Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, who now live in the Quebec village of Three Pine. But when the boy disappears, the villagers are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true. And so begins a frantic search for the boy and the truth. What they uncover deep in the forest sets off a sequence of events that leads to murder, an old crime, an old betrayal, and right to the door of an old poet.

Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey - History

July 26, 2016


When Robert Bunch arrived in Charleston to take up the post of British consul in 1853, he was young and full of ambition, but even he couldn’t have imagined the incredible role he would play in the history-making events to unfold. In an age when diplomats often were spies, Bunch’s job included sending intelligence back to the British government in London. Yet as the United States threatened to erupt into Civil War, Bunch found himself plunged into a double life, settling into an amiable routine with his slavery-loving neighbors on the one hand, while working furiously to thwart their plans to achieve a new Confederacy.

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham - Legal Thriller

July 26, 2016


Sebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. His office is a customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge and fine leather chairs. He has no firm, no partners, and only one employee: his heavily armed driver, who also happens to be his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant and golf caddie. Sebastian defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Why these clients? Because Sebastian believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial --- even if he has to bend the law to secure one.

The Secrets She Kept by Brenda Novak - Fiction

July 26, 2016


The rich and powerful Josephine Lazarow, matriarch of Fairham Island, is dead. The police say it's suicide, but Keith, her estranged son, doesn't believe it. After walking away from his mother and her controlling ways five years ago, Keith has built a new life in LA. He’s also accumulated a fortune of his own. But as soon as he learns of his mother’s death, he returns to Fairham to find his mother’s killer. The problem is, coming home puts him back in contact with Nancy Dellinger, the woman he hurt so badly when he left before. And digging that deep into his mother’s final days and hours entails a very real risk. Because the person who killed her could be someone he loves.

Sidney Sheldon's Reckless: A Tracy Whitney Novel by Tilly Bagshawe - Thriller

July 26, 2016


The world faces a new terror threat from a group of global hackers intent on the collapse of capitalism and private wealth and the creation of a new world order. When this group turns to violence, with deadly effect, the mysterious woman pulling their strings becomes the CIA’s public enemy number one. Only one clever and ruthless woman is capable of tracking down the terrorist: Tracy Whitney. Hampered by corruption and enemies masked as allies, Tracy will be pushed to the brink, where she must face her darkest demons. But just how reckless will a person become when she has nothing left to lose?

The Small Backs of Children by Lidia Yuknavitch - Fiction

July 26, 2016


In a war-torn village in Eastern Europe, an American photographer captures a young girl flying toward the lens, fleeing a fiery explosion that has engulfed her home and family. The image becomes the subject of obsession for one writer, the photographer’s best friend, who has suffered a devastating tragedy of her own. As the writer plunges into a suicidal depression, her filmmaker husband enlists several friends to save her by rescuing the unknown girl and bringing her to the US. Yet, as their plot unfolds, everything we know about the story comes into question.

Texas Rising: The Epic True Story of the Lone Star Republic and the Rise of the Texas Rangers, 1836-1846 by Stephen L. Moore - History

July 26, 2016


Acclaimed Texas historian Stephen L. Moore’s new narrative history --- the official nonfiction companion to the History Channel's dramatic series "Texas Rising" (created by the same team that made the ratings record-breaker "Hatfields & McCoys") --- tells the full, thrilling story of the Texas Revolution from its humble beginnings to its dramatic conclusion, and reveals the contributions of the fabled Texas Rangers --- both during the revolution and in the frontier Indian wars that followed.

This Is Not a Love Story: A Memoir by Judy Brown - Memoir

July 26, 2016


The third of six children in a family that harks back to a gloried Hassidic dynasty, Judy Brown grew up with the legacy of centuries of religious teaching, and the faith and lore that sustained her people for generations. But her carefully constructed world begins to crumble when her "crazy" brother, Nachum, returns home after a year in Israel living with relatives. Though supposedly "cured," he is still prone to retreating into his own mind or erupting in wordless rages. If God could perform miracles for Judy’s sainted ancestors, why can't He cure Nachum? And what of the other stories her family treasured?

Wicked by Joanne Fluke - Mystery/Thriller

July 26, 2016


When Eve Carrington is chosen to participate in an exclusive writers workshop, she knows it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For one month, she will live, write and share her work with nine other aspiring authors. The top three will get a chance to be published. But when the building they're staying in isn't ready and Eve sees the old mansion they'll be moved into, she starts having second thoughts. Not only is the mansion isolated but the deadlines are tight, the pressure intense, and the competition incredibly fierce. Her biggest rival, Angela, is writing a murder mystery based on the workshop and its participants. But when life begins to imitate art, death begins to knock out the competition.

The Witnesses by Robert Whitlow - Legal Thriller

July 26, 2016


Parker House, a fresh-faced North Carolina attorney, shares his German grandfather’s uncanny ability to see future events in his mind’s eye --- a gift that has haunted 82-year-old Frank House through decades of trying to erase a murderous wartime past. While Parker navigates the intrigue and politics of small-town courtroom law, Frank is forced to face his darkest regrets. Then a big career break for Parker collides with a new love he longs to nurture and the nightmares his grandfather can no longer escape. Sudden peril threatens to shatter not only Parker’s legal prospects but also his life and the lives of those dearest to him.

Yes, My Accent is Real: And Some Other Things I Haven't Told You by Kunal Nayyar - Humor/Essays

July 26, 2016


In this revealing collection of essays written in his irreverent, hilarious and self-deprecating voice, Kunal Nayyar (Raj from “The Big Bang Theory”) traces his journey from a little boy in New Delhi who mistakes an awkward first kiss for a sacred commitment, gets nosebleeds chugging Coca-Cola to impress other students, and excels in the sport of badminton, to the confident, successful actor on the set of TV’s most-watched sitcom since “Friends.”

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Kevin O'Brien - Thriller

July 26, 2016


Andrea Boyle moved to Seattle to give her 17-year-old nephew, Spencer, a fresh start after the death of his parents. Andrea has found her own new beginning with Luke, a successful playwright and father of a teenage son, Damon. When a tragedy befalls Damon, it's just the beginning of a nightmare that unfolds. But the worst is yet to come once a dark secret from Spencer's past is exposed. And when Luke is brutally attacked, both of their futures are at stake. Now it's up to Andrea to prove Spencer's innocence to the police --- and to herself. Because for reasons she has revealed to no one, even Andrea can't help questioning the truth --- and fearing that she may be next to pay the ultimate price.