August 7, 2012

August 6th

BRIDE OF NEW FRANCE by Suzanne Desrochers
Laure Beausejour dreams of becoming a seamstress and catching the eye of a nobleman. But after complaining about her living conditions in Paris, she is sent to Canada to marry a French farmer there. When her ill-matched husband leaves her alone in their derelict hut for the winter, she must rely on her wits and her clandestine relationship with an Iroquois man for survival.
W. W. Norton & Company * 9780393073379

August 7th

12.21 by Dustin Thomason
For decades, December 21, 2012, has been a touchstone for doomsayers worldwide. It is the date, they claim, when the ancient Maya calendar predicts the world will end. In Los Angeles, all is calm two weeks before. By the end of the day, Dr. Gabriel Stanton, the foremost expert on some of the rarest infections in the world, is grappling with a patient whose every symptom confounds and terrifies him.
The Dial Press * 9780385341400

THE BLACK ISLE by Sandi Tan
Uprooted from Shanghai with her father and twin brother, young Cassandra finds the Black Isle's bustling, immigrant-filled seaport, swampy jungle, and grand rubber plantations a sharp contrast to the city of her childhood. She also discovers that the Black Isle is swarming with ghosts. Even as she becomes a fearless young woman, the Isle's dark forces won't let her go. War is looming, and Cassandra wonders if her unique gift might be her beloved island's only chance for salvation.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446563925

THE BROKEN ONES by Stephen M. Irwin
Without warning, a boy in the middle of a city intersection sends Detective Oscar Mariani's car careening into a busy sidewalk. The scene is bedlam as every person becomes visited by something no one else can see. For Mariani, the only secret that matters is the unknown ghost who now shares his every waking moment. When he discovers the grisly remains of an anonymous murder victim in the city sewage system, his investigation will pit him against a corrupt police department.
Doubleday * 9780385534659

CITY OF WOMEN by David R. Gillham
A "Bookreporter.com Bets On" Selection
At the height of the Second World War, Berlin has essentially become a city of women. While her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder goes to work every day and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law. Her tedious existence is turned upside down when she finds herself hiding a mother and her two young daughters, and she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything.
Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam * 9780399157769

- Click here to see why we're betting you'll love CITY OF WOMEN.

THE CRIME OF JULIAN WELLS by Thomas H. Cook
The death of famed true-crime writer Julian Wells is clearly a suicide. But why would Wells have taken his own life? And was this his only crime? These are the questions that first intrigue and then obsess Philip Anders, Wells' best friend. Anders' increasingly passionate and dangerous quest for answers becomes a journey into a haunted life.
Mysterious Press * 9780802126030

A FOREIGN COUNTRY by Charles Cumming
On the vacation of a lifetime in Egypt, an elderly French couple are brutally murdered. Days later, a meticulously-planned kidnapping takes place on the streets of Paris. Amelia Levene, the first female Chief of MI6, has disappeared without a trace, six weeks before she is due to take over as the most influential spy in Europe. Desperate not only to find her, but to keep her disappearance a secret, Britain’s top intelligence agents turn to one of their own: disgraced MI6 officer Thomas Kell.
St. Martin's Press * 9780312591335

FREAK by Jennifer Hillier
Sitting alone in a maximum-security prison cell, Abby Maddox is a celebrity. She’s serving a nine-year sentence for slashing a police officer’s throat in a moment of rage. Jerry Isaac will never forget the attack or his attacker. Abby deserves to rot in jail --- forever, as far as Jerry is concerned. But she alone may possess crucial evidence that could crack open a disturbing new murder case.
Gallery Books * 9781451664546

GOODBYE FOR NOW by Laurie Frankel
Sam Elling creates a computer program that allows one to simulate a conversation with a deceased relative. Although this is a huge advancement in human technology, he wonders what the repercussions will be. For every person who just wants to say good-bye, there is someone who can't let go.
Doubleday * 9780385536189

A HUNDRED FLOWERS by Gail Tsukiyama
At the beginning of the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1957, Kai Ying struggles to hold her family together after her husband is sent to a labor camp as punishment for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party. When her young son breaks his leg, she must come to terms with the shattering reminder of her husband's absence. Meanwhile, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is failing.
St. Martin's Press * 9780312274818

IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN by Vaddey Ratner
A "Bookreporter.com Bets On" Selection
For seven-year-old Raami, the shattering end of childhood begins the night her father comes home bringing details of the civil war that has overwhelmed the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Over the next four years, as she endures the deaths of family members, starvation, and brutal forced labor, Raami clings to the remaining vestige of childhood --- the mythical legends and poems her father told her.
Simon & Schuster * 9781451657708

- Click here to see why we're betting you'll love IN THE SHADOW OF THE BANYAN.

KILL YOU TWICE: An Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell Novel by Chelsea Cain
Portland detective Archie Sheridan gets a message from serial killer Gretchen Lowell, who claims to have inside knowledge about the grisly murder of a man who was found gagged, skinned, and hanging by his wrists from a tree. Archie agrees to visit Gretchen because he can’t risk losing his only lead in the case. But the ties between Archie and Gretchen have always been stronger, deeper and more complex than he’s willing to admit.
Minotaur Books * 9780312619787

THE LAST VICTIM by Karen Robards
When two vacationing families are brutally slain, FBI agents Ryan Sinclair and Buzz Crane discern that it could be the work of the notorious Boardwalk Killer. They turn to one of the country's preeminent experts on serial killers, Dr. Charlotte Stone, who was the only survivor of his last killing spree 15 years ago. When another family is murdered and a third girl is abducted, she knows she must do everything possible to stop the crazed madman who has long haunted her nightmares.
Ballantine Books * 9780345535405

LINE OF FIRE by Stephen White
In this penultimate installment of Stephen White’s series, Alan Gregory begins to fear that a mesmerizing new patient of his may be the catalyst that can cause everything he treasures --- his marriage, family, friendship and future --- to implode. As the authorities close in, the story hurtles toward a conclusion that will set the stage for the most unexpected of outcomes: the final act of the Alan Gregory saga.
Dutton Adult * 9780525952527

THE PIGEON PIE MYSTERY by Julia Stuart
Julia Stuart introduces us to an outstanding cast of lovable oddballs, from the palace maze-keeper to the unconventional Lady Beatrice (who likes to dress up as a toucan), as she guides us through the many delightful twists and turns of this quirky murder mystery. Everyone is hiding a secret of the heart, and even Indian Princess Alexandrina may not realize when she's caught in a maze of love.
Doubleday * 9780385535564

THE PROPHET by Michael Koryta
Adam and Kent Austin are brothers who haven't spoken since the brutal abduction and murder of their sister. But now, another girl has been found murdered, and details emerge that connect Adam and Kent to the crime. The two must bury their grief and unite to stop a killer before history repeats itself.
Little, Brown and Company * 9780316122610

THE ROMANOV CONSPIRACY by Glenn Meade
Dr. Laura Pavlov, an American forensic archaeologist, is about to unravel a mystery that promises to shed light on one of the 20th century’s greatest enigmas. Pavlov’s discovery sets her on an unlikely journey to Ireland, where a carefully hidden account of a years-old covert mission is about to change the accepted course of world history and hurl her back into the past --- into a maelstrom of deceit, secrets and lies.
Howard Books * 9781451611861

THE ROOTS OF THE OLIVE TREE eBook by Courtney Miller Santo
Meet the Keller family, five generations of firstborn women --- a line of daughters unbroken --- living together in the same house on a secluded olive grove in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. Told from varying viewpoints, Courtney Miller Santo’s debut novel captures the joys and sorrows of family --- the love, secrets, disappointments, jealousies and forgiveness that tie generations to one other.
William Morrow * 9780062130532

Special Low-Price eBook Release! The eBook edition of THE ROOTS OF THE OLIVE TREE will be available from all eBook retailers for just $4.99 until August 21st when the hardcover releases, at which point the price will go up to the standard $12.99 eBook price.

SENTINEL: A Spycatcher Novel by Matthew Dunn
The United States and Russia are on the brink of war, and only Will Cochrane --- the master spy introduced in the critically acclaimed SPYCATCHER --- can find and unmask the diabolical double agent responsible for it all in this enthralling espionage thriller, written by a real-life former field officer.
William Morrow * 9780062037923

SHUNNING SARAH by Julie Kramer
When investigative reporter Riley Spartz hears that a young boy is trapped at the bottom of a sinkhole, she smells ratings. Little does she know just how big the story will be --- it involves not only a tragic murder, but the local Amish community as well. Once Riley is on the case, though, she sees that solving it will be anything but easy.
Atria/Emily Bestler Books * 9781451664638

SILVER: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion
It's almost 40 years after the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND. Jim Hawkins now runs an inn called the Hispaniola on the English coast with his son, Jim, and Long John Silver has returned to England to live in obscurity with his daughter, Natty. Their lives are quiet and unremarkable; their adventures have seemingly ended. But for Jim and Natty, the adventure is just beginning.
Crown * 9780307884879

SNEAKY PIE FOR PRESIDENT by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown
It's an election year --- and Sneaky Pie Brown is taking time out of her busy schedule of writing bestselling mysteries to make a run for the big office! As the first feline to hit the White House since Socks Clinton, Sneaky Pie has an animal rights agenda that will keep ears perked and tails wagging all over the country. Also on the campaign trail are a frisky flock of animal friends that Sneaky Pie has plucked to fill her cabinet.
Bantam * 9780345530462

SOME REMARKS: Essays and Other Writing by Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson’s remarkable collection brings together previously published short writings, both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a new essay (and an extremely short story) created specifically for this volume. Stephenson ponders a wealth of subjects, from movies and politics to David Foster Wallace and the Midwestern American College Town; the future of publishing; and the origins of his novels.
William Morrow * 9780062024435

THE SPYMASTERS: A Men at War Novel by W. E. B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV
Two of the Allies’ most important plans for winning World War II are at grave risk. A furious FDR turns to OSS spy chief Wild Bill Donovan --- and Donovan turns to his top agent, Dick Canidy, and his team. In the weeks to come, they must fight not only the enemy in the field, but the enemy within. If the Soviets build their own atomic bomb, who knows where that might lead?
Putnam Adult * 9780399157516

VENGEANCE by Benjamin Black
Victor Delahaye, one of Ireland's most successful businessmen, kills himself while sailing with his partner's son. Detective Inspector Hackett calls upon the services of his sometime partner Quirke, consultant pathologist at the Hospital of the Holy Family. But when a second death occurs, this one even more shocking than the first, it quickly becomes apparent that a terrible secret threatens to destroy the lives and reputations of several members of Dublin's elite.
Henry Holt and Co. * 9780805094398

YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW by Lisa Jackson
Two years ago, Ava's two-year-old son Noah went missing, and his body has never been found. Ava has spent most of the past two years in and out of Seattle mental institutions, shattered by grief and unable to recall the details of Noah's disappearance. Now she's back at the family estate she once intended to restore to its former grandeur. But she can't shake the feeling that her family and her psychologist know more than they're saying.
Kensington * 9780758258571

Special Rebate Opportunity! Purchase a hardcover copy of YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW from August 7th through September 6th and qualify to receive a $5.00 rebate. Click here for all the details.

August 7th

THE BEST OF ME by Nicholas Sparks
High school students Amanda and Dawson were deeply in love. But after unforeseen events tore them apart, the two followed radically divergent paths and became estranged. Now, 25 years later, the funeral of their beloved mentor, Tuck, brings them both back to Oriental, North Carolina. Following instructions Tuck has left for them, Amanda and Dawson are finally forced to confront their painful past.
Grand Central Publishing * 9780446547642

A BURIAL AT SEA by Charles Finch
In 1873, a string of English spies is found dead on French soil, and the threat of all-out war prompts government officials to ask Charles Lenox to visit the newly-dug Suez Canal on a secret mission. Once he is on board the Lucy, however, Lenox finds that the ship’s second lieutenant has been murdered on the first night, his body cruelly abused.
Minotaur Books * 9781250008145

CELEBRITY IN DEATH by J. D. Robb
Lieutenant Eve Dallas is no party girl, but she's managing to have a reasonably good time at the celebrity-packed bash celebrating The Icove Agenda, a film based on one of her famous cases. But a twist in the movie suddenly lands her at the center of a crime scene --- and she is more than ready to step into the role she was born to play: cop.
Berkley * 9780425250358

THE CHOICE by Robert Whitlow
Even as a pregnant, unwed teen in 1974, Sandy Lincoln wanted to do the right thing. But when an ageless woman approached her in a convenience store with a mysterious prophecy and a warning, doing the right thing became even more unclear. She made the best choice she could…and has lived with the consequences. More than 30 years later, a pregnant teen has come into her life, and Sandy’s long-ago decision has come back to haunt her.
Thomas Nelson * 9781401685614

A CRIMSON WARNING: A Lady Emily Mystery by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, an agent of the crown, begin investigating the murder of a well-known London businessman with many odd leads. When red paint, a calling card for the revelation of long-held, scandalous secrets, begins appearing on doorsteps, all of high society holds its collective breath waiting to find out who will be next and what secrets will be revealed.
Minotaur Books * 9781250007186

DEATH BENEFIT by Robin Cook
Fourth-year medical student Pia Grazdana is a rising star at a prestigious medical research hospital in New York City. Her life is put in jeopardy after her mentor, along with his co-researcher, are infected with a deadly strain of a virus --- just as they are about to announce a major medical breakthrough.
Berkley * 9780425250365

THE DEVIL’S ELIXIR by Raymond Khoury
In Raymond Khoury's Templar novels, FBI agent Sean Reilly and his girlfriend, archaeologist Tess Chaykin, traveled the globe to unravel ancient mysteries with present-day ramifications. In THE DEVIL'S ELIXIR, they find themselves in a race --- against the clock, against drug kingpins, and even against the DEA --- to merge two divergent trails: one several hundred years old, the other as current as a heartbeat, which together may lead humanity to the brink of annihilation.
Signet * 9780451237569

DICK FRANCIS'S GAMBLE by Felix Francis
Nicholas "Foxy" Foxton, a former jockey, is out for a day at the Grand National races when his friend and co-worker Herb Kovak is murdered, execution style, right in front of him --- and 60,000 other potential witnesses. As he struggles to come to terms with Kovak's seemingly inexplicable death, Foxton begins to question everything, from how well he knew his friend to how much he understands his employer.
Berkley * 9780425250389

FORGET ABOUT TODAY: Bob Dylan's Genius for (Re)invention, Shunning the Naysayers, and Creating a Personal Revolution by Jon Friedman
FORGET ABOUT TODAY shows a side of Bob Dylan that most people --- from fans to skeptics --- have never seen. Rather than another gossipy account of his romances, finances, or family, journalist Jon Friedman offers a new perspective on Dylan’s revolutionary and enduring legacy through an intimate look at the mystery behind Dylan’s success.
Perigee Trade * 9780399537547

AN INVISIBLE THREAD: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski
When Laura Schroff first met Maurice on a New York City street corner, she had no idea that she was standing on the brink of an incredible and unlikely friendship that would change both their lives. As one lunch at McDonald’s with Maurice turns into two, then into a weekly occurrence that is fast growing into an inexplicable connection, Laura learns heart-wrenching details about Maurice’s horrific childhood.
Howard Books * 9781451648973

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: Stories by Adam Ross
After his widely celebrated debut, MR. PEANUT, Adam Ross now presents a darkly compelling collection of stories about brothers, loners, lovers, and lives full of good intentions, misunderstandings and obscured motives.
Vintage * 9780307454911

LAST MAN IN TOWER by Aravind Adiga
Real estate developer Dharmen Shah rose from nothing to create an empire and hopes to seal his legacy with a new building that promises to be one of the city’s most elite addresses. Shah is a dangerous man to refuse. But he meets his match in a retired schoolteacher named Masterji, who flat-out refuses to leave the apartment that Shah is on the brink of demolishing.
Vintage * 9780307739834

THE ORPHAN MASTER’S SON by Adam Johnson
Pak Jun Do is the son of a lost mother and an influential father who runs a work camp for orphans. There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor. Jun Do comes to the attention of state superiors, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return: he boldly takes on the role of rival to Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves.
Random House Trade Paperbacks * 9780812982626

THE SCENT OF RAIN by Kristin Billerbeck
Daphne Sweeten left Paris --- and a job she loved --- to marry the man of her dreams in the U.S. But when he stands her up on their wedding day, she's left reeling and senseless. Literally. She's been trained as a perfume creator, and now her sense of smell has disappeared along with her fiancé. She has to figure out why her nose isn't working, fix it, and get back to Paris.
Thomas Nelson * 9781401685652

WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SISTER by Elizabeth Flock
In this follow-up to ME & EMMA, nine-year-old Carrie Parker and her mother have fled their small North Carolina town for a fresh start, when they meet another mother-daughter pair, Honor and Cricket, with a troubled past of their own. Carrie and Cricket become fast friends, especially when they discover a surprising secret that could change both of their lives forever.
Ballantine Books * 9780345524430

August 14th

AND WHEN SHE WAS GOOD by Laura Lippman
Heloise is a suburban madam who lives the life of “every mom” with soccer games and homework in between the hours where she runs her business and has her own customers, who spend time with her for a price. Life seems safe for her until another suburban madam is found dead, and suddenly the life she has built starts to feel a lot less secure.
William Morrow * 9780061706875

THE HEADMASTER’S WAGER by Vincent Lam
Percival Chen is the headmaster of the most respected English school in Saigon. He is also a bon vivant, a compulsive gambler, and an incorrigible womanizer. He devotedly ignores all news of the fighting that swirls around him, choosing instead to read the faces of his opponents at high-stakes mah-jongg tables. But when his only son gets in trouble with the Vietnamese authorities, Percival faces the limits of his connections and wealth.
Hogarth * 9780307986467

THE INN AT ROSE HARBOR by Debbie Macomber
Jo Marie Rose arrives in the Pacific Northwest town of Cedar Cove seeking peace and a fresh start after the death of her husband. She purchases a local bed-and-breakfast, yet the inn holds more surprises than Jo Marie can imagine. Joshua Weaver, who has come to care for his ailing stepfather, and Abby Kincaid, who is back in town for her brother's wedding, are among the cast of characters who find love, forgiveness and renewal behind the doors of the Rose Harbor Inn.
Ballantine Books * 9780345528926

THE KINGMAKER’S DAUGHTER by Philippa Gregory
THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER is the gripping story of the daughters of the man known as the “Kingmaker,” Richard, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in 15th-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his two daughters as pawns in the political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right.
Touchstone * 9781451626070

MOTHERLAND by Amy Sohn
It’s just before Labor Day, and five mothers and fathers in Cape Cod, Park Slope and Greenwich Village find themselves adrift professionally and personally. As their stories intersect in surprising ways and their deceptions spiral out of control, they begin to question their beliefs about family, happiness and themselves.
Simon & Schuster * 9781439158494

THE SECOND EMPRESS: A Novel of Napoleon's Court by Michelle Moran
In THE SECOND EMPRESS, Michelle Moran brings us into the lives of the women who knew Napoleon best: Hortense Beauharnais, his stepdaughter from wife Joséphine's previous marriage; Pauline Bonaparte, his infamous and promiscuous sister with whom he likely had an affair; and Marie-Louise, the Austrian wife who cannot wait to be free of him.
Crown * 9780307953032

SHAKE OFF by Mischa Hiller
Intelligence operative Michel Khoury has one mission: the peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict that upended his life. As his relationship with Helen, a pretty English girl, develops, he is unable to tell her about his past --- or the collection of passports and unmarked bills he's concealed in the bathroom they share. When Michel's secrets turn deadly, they find themselves on the run from the very people they thought they could trust.
Mulholland Books * 9780316204200

THE ST. ZITA SOCIETY by Ruth Rendell
Life for the residents and servants of Hexam Place appears placid and orderly on the outside: drivers take their employers to and from work, dogs are walked, flowers are planted in gardens, and Christmas candles lit uniformly in windows. But beneath this tranquil veneer, the upstairs-downstairs relationships are set to combust.
Scribner * 9781451666687

WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by Maria Semple
Bernadette Fox has disappeared. It began when her daughter, Bee, aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle --- and people in general --- has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents and secret correspondence.
Little, Brown and Company * 9780316204279