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Week of September 23, 2019

New in Paperback

Week of September 23, 2019

Paperback releases for the week of September 23rd include Kristin Hannah's New York Times bestseller and book club favorite, THE GREAT ALONE, in which a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska, only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature; A SPARK OF LIGHT, Jodi Picoult's powerful and provocative novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis; HOLY GHOST, the 11th installment in John Sandford's thriller series featuring Detective Virgil Flowers, who this time investigates a miracle --- and a murder; and THE FABULOUS BOUVIER SISTERS by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger, a poignant, evocative and wonderfully gossipy account of the two sisters who represented style and class above all else --- Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill.

Agnes written by Peter Stamm, translated by Michael Hofmann - Fiction

September 24, 2019

"Write a story about me," Agnes said to her lover, "so I know what you think of me." So he started to write the story of everything that had happened to them from the moment they met. At first, he works with Agnes to create a narrative that is most true to life, but as time passes and he grows more enamored with the narrative he has begun, he continues writing on his own, imagining a future for them after he reaches the present. Happy couples do not necessarily make for compelling reading, and as Agnes sees the unexpected plot he has planned for her, the line between fiction and reality begins to blur.

The Big Fella: Babe Ruth and the World He Created by Jane Leavy - Sports/Biography

September 24, 2019

After hitting his 60th home run in September 1927 --- a total that would not be exceeded until 1961, when Roger Maris did it with the aid of the extended modern season --- Babe Ruth embarked on the mother of all barnstorming tours, a three-week victory lap across America, accompanied by New York Yankees teammate Lou Gehrig. Business manager Christy Walsh called the tour a "Symphony of Swat." The Omaha World Herald called it "the biggest show since Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey, and seven other associated circuses offered their entire performance under one tent." Jane Leavy recreates that 21-day circus, and in so doing captures the romp and the pathos that defined Ruth’s life and times.

Bright Young Dead: A Mitford Murders Mystery by Jessica Fellowes - Historical Mystery

September 24, 2019

Meet the Bright Young Things, the rabble-rousing hedonists of the 1920s whose treasure hunts were a media obsession. One such game takes place at the 18th birthday party of Pamela Mitford, but ends in tragedy as cruel, charismatic Adrian Curtis is pushed to his death from the church neighboring the Mitford home. The police quickly identify the killer as a maid, Dulcie. But Louisa Cannon, chaperone to the Mitford girls and a former criminal herself, believes Dulcie to be innocent, and sets out to clear the girl's name…all while the real killer may be only steps away.

Christmas Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Holiday Mystery with Recipes! by Joanne Fluke - Mystery

September 24, 2019

With her dream of opening The Cookie Jar taking shape, Hannah Swensen’s life matches the hectic December hustle and bustle in Lake Eden --- especially when she agrees to help recreate a spectacular Christmas Ball from the past in honor of Essie Granger, an elderly local in hospice care. But instead of poring over decadent dessert recipes for the merry festivities, she instantly becomes enthralled by Essie’s old notebooks and the tale of a woman escaping danger on the streets of New York. Hannah is surprised by Essie’s secret talent for penning crime fiction. She’s even more surprised when the story turns real.

The Consuming Fire by John Scalzi - Science Fiction

September 24, 2019

The Interdependency, humanity’s interstellar empire, is on the verge of collapse. The extra-dimensional conduit that makes travel between the stars possible is disappearing, leaving entire systems and human civilizations stranded. Emperor Grayland II of the Interdependency is ready to take desperate measures to help ensure the survival of billions. But arrayed before her are those who believe the collapse of the Flow is a myth --- or at the very least an opportunity to an ascension to power. While Grayland prepares for disaster, others prepare for a civil war --- a war that will take place in the halls of power, the markets of business and the altars of worship as much as it will between spaceships and battlefields.

The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash - Fiction

September 24, 2019

It’s the fall of 1979 in New York City when 23-year-old Anton Winter, back from the Peace Corps and on the mend from a nasty bout of malaria, returns to his childhood home in the Dakota. His father, the famous late-night host Buddy Winter, is there to greet him, himself recovering from a breakdown. Before long, Anton is swept up in an effort to reignite Buddy’s stalled career. But the more he finds himself enmeshed in his father’s professional and spiritual reinvention, the more Anton questions his own path, and fissures in the Winter family begin to threaten their close bond.

The Fabulous Bouvier Sisters: The Tragic and Glamorous Lives of Jackie and Lee by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger - Biography

September 24, 2019

When 64-year-old Jackie Kennedy Onassis died in her Fifth Avenue apartment, her younger sister Lee wept inconsolably. Then Jackie’s 38-page will was read. Lee discovered that substantial cash bequests were left to family members, friends and employees --- but nothing to her. "I have made no provision in this my Will for my sister, Lee B. Radziwill, for whom I have great affection, because I have already done so during my lifetime," read Jackie’s final testament. Drawing on the authors’ candid interviews with Lee Radziwill, THE FABULOUS BOUVIER SISTERS explores their complicated relationship, placing them at the center of 20th-century fashion, design and style.

The Girl in the Glass Box: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando - Legal Thriller

September 24, 2019

Julia Rodriguez and her teenage daughter, Beatriz, escaped bloodthirsty gangs, random violence and Julia's abusive husband back in El Salvador. Arriving in Miami, mother and daughter struggled to carve their own piece of the American dream. While life in the States is hard, it is safer, until Julia rejects her boss's unwanted sexual advances. Suddenly --- thanks to an "anonymous" tip to U.S. immigration authorities --- she is arrested, locked in detention with criminals and slated for deportation. Miami attorney Jack Swyteck’s only viable legal move to save her is asylum --- a long shot that’s become nearly impossible in today’s charged political climate.

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - Historical Fiction

September 24, 2019

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Thirteen-year-old Leni dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown. At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. But as winter approaches, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within.

Holy Ghost: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford - Mystery/Thriller

September 24, 2019

Wheatfield, Minnesota: a metropolis of 600 souls and change, for which the word "moribund" might have been invented. Nothing ever happened there and nothing ever would --- until the mayor of sorts (campaign slogan: "I'll Do What I Can") and his precocious teenage buddy come up with a scheme to put Wheatfield on the map. Should something dramatic occur --- say, that the apparition of the Virgin Mary miraculously appeared at the local Catholic Church --- the whole town would be turned into a shrine, attracting thousands of pilgrims. And all those pilgrims needed food, shelter, all kinds of crazy things. The town would get rich! What could go wrong? Then the shootings begin. And as they --- and Virgil Flowers --- are about to discover, that's only the beginning of their troubles.

In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin - Mystery

September 24, 2019

Rebus' retirement is disrupted once again when skeletal remains are identified as a private investigator who went missing over a decade earlier. Rebus' old friend, Siobhan Clarke, is assigned to this case, but neither of them could have predicted what buried secrets the investigation will uncover. Rebus remembers the original case --- a shady land deal --- all too well. After the investigation stalled, the family of the missing man complained that there was a police cover-up. As Clarke and her team investigate the cold case murder, she soon learns a different side of her mentor, a side he would prefer to keep in the past.

The Kingdom of Copper by S. A. Chakraborty - Historical Fantasy

September 24, 2019

Nahri’s life changed forever the moment she accidentally summoned Dara, a formidable, mysterious djinn, during one of her schemes. Whisked from her home in Cairo, she was thrust into the dazzling royal court of Daevabad --- and quickly discovered she would need all her grifter instincts to survive there. Now, with Daevabad entrenched in the dark aftermath of a devastating battle, Nahri must forge a new path for herself. But even as she embraces her heritage and the power it holds, she knows she’s been trapped in a gilded cage, watched by a king who rules from the throne that once belonged to her family --- and one misstep will doom her tribe.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly - Historical Fiction

September 24, 2019

It’s easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than to confront the present, which is why working for a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: an unfinished diary from World War II and a photo of a young woman in uniform. Captivated by the hauntingly beautiful diary, Cara begins her search for the author, never guessing that it might reveal her own family’s wartime secrets.

Love Is Blind by William Boyd - Historical Fiction

September 24, 2019

When he is hired as the personal piano tuner for a brilliant pianist, Brodie Moncur suddenly finds himself swept up into a life of luxury that he never could have imagined. But while accompanying his new employer on tours from Paris to St. Petersburg, Brodie falls madly in love with the Russian soprano Lika Blum: beautiful, worldly, seductive --- and forbidden. Though seemingly doomed from the start, Brodie’s passion for Lika only grows as their lives become increasingly more intertwined, more secretive and, finally, more dangerous.

The Mansion by Ezekiel Boone - Horror/Thriller

September 24, 2019

Years ago, Shawn Eagle and Billy Stafford created a revolutionary computer called Eagle Logic. But they parted ways following a major falling-out. Now Billy is beset by poverty and addiction, and Shawn is the most famous man in the world. Unable to let the past be forgotten, Shawn decides to resurrect his and Billy’s biggest failure: a next-generation computer program named Nellie that can control a house’s every function. He decides to set it up in the abandoned mansion they worked near all those years ago. But something about Nellie isn’t right --- and the reconstruction of the mansion is plagued by accidental deaths. Shawn is forced to bring Billy back, despite their longstanding mutual hatred, to discover and destroy the evil that lurks in the source code.

Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Red by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land - Mystery

September 24, 2019

Jessica Fletcher's favorite gin rummy partner, Mimi Van Dorn, checks into the brand-new Clifton Care Partners, a private hospital that's just opened up shop in town, for a simple procedure --- one that leads tragically, and inexplicably, to her death. Seeking justice in her inimitable fashion, Jessica decides to pursue her own investigation on the hospital and its shadowy business dealings. On the trail of what initially appears to be medical malpractice, Jessica digs deeper and learns her friend was actually a victim of something far more sinister. Death is bad for business, but murder is even worse, and Jessica will find plenty of both as she races to bring down Clifton Care Partners before someone else flatlines.

No Judgments by Meg Cabot - Romance

September 24, 2019

When a massive hurricane severs all power and cell service to Little Bridge Island --- as well as its connection to the mainland --- 25-year-old Bree Beckham isn’t worried…at first. But animal-loving Bree does become alarmed when she realizes how many islanders have been cut off from their beloved pets. Now it’s up to her to save as many of Little Bridge’s cats and dogs as she can. To do so, she’s going to need help from her boss’s sexy nephew, Drew Hartwell. But when Bree starts falling for Drew, just as Little Bridge’s power is restored and her emotionally abusive (but now-penitent) ex shows up, she has to ask herself if her island fling was only a result of the stormy weather, or if it could last during clear skies too.

The Poison Squad: One Chemist's Single-Minded Crusade for Food Safety at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Deborah Blum - History

September 24, 2019

By the end of the 19th century, food was dangerous. Lethal, even. Food manufacturers had rushed to embrace the rise of industrial chemistry, and were knowingly selling harmful products. Unchecked by government regulation, basic safety or even labeling requirements, they put profit before the health of their customers. But even as protective measures were enacted in Europe, American corporations blocked even modest regulations. Then, in 1883, Dr. Harvey Washington Wiley, a chemistry professor from Purdue University, was named chief chemist of the agriculture department, and the agency began methodically investigating food and drink fraud, even conducting shocking human tests on groups of young men who came to be known as "The Poison Squad."

Ponti by Sharlene Teo - Fiction

September 24, 2019

“I am Miss Frankenstein, I am the bottom of the bell curve.” So declares Szu, a teenager living in a dark, dank house on a Singapore cul-de-sac, at the beginning of PONTI. Friendless and fatherless, Szu lives in the shadow of her mother Amisa, once a beautiful actress --- who gained fame for her portrayal of a ghost --- and now a hack medium performing séances with her sister in a rusty house. When Szu meets the privileged, acid-tongued Circe, an unlikely encounter develops into a fraught friendship that will haunt them both for decades to come.

The Shape of the Ruins by Juan Gabriel Vásquez - Political Thriller

September 24, 2019

When a man is arrested at a museum for attempting to steal the bullet-ridden suit of a murdered Colombian politician, few notice. But soon this thwarted theft takes on greater meaning as it becomes a thread in a widening web of popular fixations with conspiracy theories, assassinations and historical secrets. And it haunts those who feel that only they know the real truth behind these killings.

Siege of Stone: Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles, Volume III by Terry Goodkind - Fantasy

September 24, 2019

The Sorceress Nicci, Nathan Rahl and Bannon released the city of Ildakar from the rule of the wizards council, but not without dire repercussions. When the capricious Wizard Commander Maxim fled the city, he dissolved the spell that had turned the invading army of General Utros to stone 15 centuries earlier. Hundreds of thousands of half-stone ancient soldiers have now awakened and are holding the city hostage, led by one of the greatest enemy commanders in history. And an equally powerful threat looms out at sea. Nicci knows the battle won’t remain in the city; if she can’t stop this threat, two invincible armies will sweep across the Old World and destroy D’Hara itself.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult - Fiction

September 24, 2019

The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center --- a women’s reproductive health services clinic --- its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages, he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his 15-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters.

Wild Card: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods - Thriller/Adventure

September 24, 2019

Stone Barrington and his latest paramour are enjoying a peaceful country retreat when their idyll is broken by an unwelcome stranger. He was sent by an enemy, someone who'd be happy to silence Stone and all his collaborators for good. With boundless resources and a thirst for vengeance, this foe will not be deterred, and when one plot fails another materializes. Their latest plan is more ambitious and subtle than any they've tried before, and the consequences could remake the nation. With the country's future in the balance, Stone will need to muster all his savvy and daring to defeat this rival once and for all.