New Fiction

May 12 - 18, 2013

Take, burn or destroy: Russell, Sean; Call Number: FICTION RUSS; 2013; Master and Commander Charles Hayden returns in the riveting new seafaring adventure from the bestselling author. 1794, the height of the French Revolution--Charles Hayden sets off aboard the ill-fated HMS Themis with orders to destroy a French frigate sailing from Le Havre and to gather intelligence from a royalist spy. On discovering French plans for an imminent invasion of England, Hayden must return to Portsmouth to give warning before it's too late. But the enemy has been lying in wait for him, and so begins a dangerous chase out into the Atlantic and into the clutches of a powerful French squadron. After a thwarted attempt to masquerade as French sailors, Hayden and his officers are taken prisoner. A shipwreck following a storm and a case of mistaken identity befall Hayden and his men, as they try in desperation to escape in order to warn the Lords of the Admiralty. Failure will mean the invasion of England--and the guillotine for Hayden.
He's gone: Caletti, Deb; Call Number: FICTION CALE; 2013; “What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?”The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she’s surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He’s gone.As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations—he’s hurt, he’s run off, he’s been killed—Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can—and cannot—remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth—about herself, her husband, and their lives together.
His Majesty's Hope: MacNeal, Susan; Call Number: MYSTERY MACN; 2013; Contrivances weaken MacNeal's third Maggie Hope mystery set during WWII (after 2012's Princess Elizabeth's Spy). Maggie, who began the series as secretary to Winston Churchill, has evolved by 1941 into a top agent for Britain's Special Operations Executive. At the request of Churchill himself, she embarks on a risky mission as "the first woman dropped behind enemy lines" since the start of the war. Besides delivering a radio part to a resistance group in Berlin, she must try to plant a bug at the home of Commandant Clara Hess, the German intelligence officer responsible for the nefarious Nazi plot in the previous book. That Hope keeps secret from the S.O.E. director her special connection to Hess adds an element of soap opera. A light spy thriller with thin characterizations and situations that never realize their full dramatic potential. Agent: Victoria Skurnick, Levine Greenberg Literary. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
The conditions of love: Kushner, Dale; Call Number: FICTION KUSH; 2013; When Eunice is 10 years old, her father comes back to Wild Pea, Illinois, and promises to buy her a horse. She never sees him again. Her mother, Mern, is heartbroken but soon comforted by the attentions of the flawed but loving Sam Podesta. Eunice grows up fighting for love from the people who should love her unconditionally but is bolstered by love from unexpected sources, her downstairs neighbor, a Holocaust survivor, and her pet turtle, Eunice Turtle. As a young teenager, she is literally rescued by Rose, a patient teacher, who loses her to foster care and Eunice's first stirrings of romantic love. Eunice is a lonely, artistic girl who grows into a temperamental young woman whose strength and capacity for love belie her tough upbringing. This is poet Kushner's first novel, and her roots show; passages describing even the bleakest midwestern landscapes are artfully drawn. A coming-of-age story that wonderfully combines literary style with heartbreaking plot twists and still manages to be uplifting, even before the epilogue that ties everything together.--Maguire, Susan Copyright 2010 Booklist
Little green: Mosley, Walter; Call Number: MYSTERY MOSL; 2013; In 2007's Blonde Faith, set in 1967, Easy Rawlins drove drunkenly off a cliff in what his creator indicated was likely his last appearance. Now, after two months of sliding in and out of consciousness, Easy begins the long journey back to the living, in Mosley's superb 12th mystery featuring his iconic sleuth. Saved by Ray "Mouse" Alexander and the ministrations of Mama Jo, Easy is asked by Mouse to find Evander "Little Green" Noon, who went clubbing on the Sunset Strip and disappeared. Weakened but determined to keep moving, Easy is buoyed by Mama Jo's potent brew she calls "Gator's Blood" and the support of numerous friends, including Martin Martins and Jackson Blue. Things are changing in L.A., and Easy finds hope in the hippie culture. In the course of his search for Little Green, Easy earns an astonished accolade from Blue, who says he never thought he'd see the day "when Raymond Alexander had to tell Easy Rawlins to hold back." If there were an Edgar for best comeback player, Easy Rawlins would be a shoo-in. 8-city author tour. Agent: Gloria Loomis, Watkins Loomis Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

May 5 - 11, 2013

Dead ever after: Harris, Charlaine; Call Number: FICTION HARR; 2013; THE FINAL SOOKIE STACKHOUSE NOVEL There are secrets in the town of Bon Temps, ones that threaten those closest to Sookie--and could destroy her heart.... Sookie Stackhouse finds it easy to turn down the request of former barmaid Arlene when she wants her job back at Merlotte's. After all, Arlene tried to have Sookie killed. But her relationship with Eric Northman is not so clearcut. He and his vampires are keeping their distance…and a cold silence. And when Sookie learns the reason why, she is devastated. Then a shocking murder rocks Bon Temps, and Sookie is arrested for the crime. But the evidence against Sookie is weak, and she makes bail. Investigating the killing, she'll learn that what passes for truth in Bon Temps is only a convenient lie. What passes for justice is more spilled blood. And what passes for love is never enough…
A delicate truth: Le Carré, John; Call Number: FICTION LECA; 2013; State-sanctioned duplicity drives bestseller le Carré’s entertainingly labyrinthine if overly polemical 23rd novel, which features a corrupt British Foreign Office minister, Fergus Quinn, and an American private defense contractor “best known as Ethical Outcomes.” In 2008, a cloak-and-dagger plot to capture an arms dealer in Gibraltar under the mantle of counterterrorism goes awry. Quinn’s secretary, Toby Bell, who was kept out of the loop, has incriminating information about the mission and the chance to use it three years later when one of the soldiers involved ends up dead and a retired British diplomat, roped into participating against his will, tries to salve his conscience about some nasty pieces of collateral damage. As usual, le Carré (Our Kind of Traitor) tells a great story in sterling prose, but he veers dangerously close to farce and caricature, particularly with the comically amoral Americans. His best work has been about the moral ambiguity of spying, while this novel feels as if the issue of who’s bad and who’s good is too neatly sewn up. Agent: Jonny Geller, Curtis Brown. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Silken prey: Sandford, John; Call Number: MYSTERY SAND; 2013; Governor Elmer Henderson hands Lucas Davenport a political hot potato in bestseller Sandford's intriguing 23rd thriller featuring the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension agent (after 2012's Stolen Prey). Incumbent Republican Sen. Porter Smalls had a slight lead for reelection, until a campaign volunteer accidentally discovered child porn on Smalls's computer. Now Taryn Grant-a wealthy, ambitious, ruthless Democratic newcomer-might pull off an upset. Though Henderson is a Democrat, he believes Smalls has been framed, and tasks Davenport with quietly and quickly investigating. Up against two of Grant's "security" men, both tough ex-military operatives, and the election deadline, Davenport needs all his smarts plus help from fellow BCA agent Virgil Flowers (the star of his own series) and computer genius Kidd. Sandford expertly ratchets up the suspense and delivers some nifty surprises as Davenport deals with political nastiness and paybacks regardless of party affiliations. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Robert B. Parker's Wonderland: Atkins, Ace; Call Number: MYSTERY ATKI; 2013; In his solid second estate-authorized Spenser novel (after 2012's Robert B. Parker's Lullaby), Atkins explores the plot potential of the Boston PI's last sidekick-recovering alcoholic Zebulon Sixkill, introduced in 2011's Sixkill, the final series entry written by MWA Grand Master Parker (1932-2010). An old friend, boxing trainer Henry Cimoli, asks Spenser for help. Thugs are pressuring Cimoli and his Revere Beach neighbors to sell their property, to advance a plan for a casino. It's easy enough for the detective and Sixkill, his new muscle, to drive the bad guys away, but harder to get to the bottom of the cascading violence that follows. Atkins's ability to perfectly mimic the originals will please diehard fans hungry for familiar pleasures, but this outing won't change the minds of those who feel that the lead character should have been retired many books ago. Author tour. Agent: Helen Brann, the Helen Brann Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Shadows of falling night: Stirling, S. M.; Call Number: FANTASY STIR; 2013; At last, S. M. Stirling, the New York Times bestselling author of the Novels of the Change, presents the stunning climax to his Shadowspawn trilogy--the ultimate confrontation, in which the fate of all humanity hangs in the balance.... She's back.... Near-purebred home nocturnus Adrian Brézé and his human mate, Ellen, thought they had dealt with his twin sister, Adrienne. In fact, they thought she was dead. But she survived and now leads a faction of the Shadowspawn--the ancient, shape-shifting, blood-drinking breed who secretly control the world--that wants to leave just enough of the human race alive to satisfy their hunger and serve their needs. She has nothing but hatred and contempt for her brother, who remains on the side of humanity, fighting with the Brotherhood against the Shadowspawn. To defeat him, she has suborned his mentor--the greatest warrior of the Brotherhood. The man thinks he's bringing a weapon to the Council of Shadows that will wipe out the Shadowspawn's leaders. In truth, his actions will make Adrienne demon-goddess of the world...unless Adrian and Ellen can turn him back in time.

April 28 - May 4, 2013

Best kept secret: Archer, Jeffrey; Call Number: FICTION ARCH; 2013; The third installment (after The Sins of the Father) of Archer's five-volume "Clifton Chronicles" resumes in 1945 with the Lord Chancellor delivering judgment in the case of Barrington vs. Clifton, regarding the rightful inheritor of the Barrington shipping fortune. In typical Archer style, an ongoing melange of sensational cliffhangers and disputes propels the Barrington's family feud. Giles struggles to retain his seat in the House of Commons, and brother-in-law Harry becomes a popular mystery writer. While raising the hyperactive and gifted Sebastian, Emma and Harry also adopt an artistic daughter, Jessica, who strikingly resembles both Emma and Sebastian. Giles's colorful political and private life disrupts the controlling interests in the Barrington empire, and Alex Fisher, a former detestable acquaintance of both Harry and Giles, returns to disrupt their financial security and professional lives. VERDICT Archer's consistent inclusion of trivial, autobiographical minutiae pertaining to parliamentary procedures and the election process dominates numerous chapters and belabors an already weakening plotline. Unlike the previous title, this chatty and tiresome volume lacks the captivating intrigue that is often a hallmark of Archer's writing. [See Prepub Alert, 9/17/12.]-Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Five days: Kennedy, Douglas; Call Number: FICTION KENN; 2013; Laura Warren is a radiographic technician in Maine, trained to spot disease in others, but unable to determine the cause of her own sadness in the bumpy 11th novel from Kennedy (The Moment). Laura's family is unhappy-her husband's lengthy unemployment has made him angry and resentful; her 19-year-old son, Ben, an artist, is bereft over a failed love affair; and she feels disconnected from her teenaged daughter, Sally. Her own midlife and marital crises are taking a toll on her, and after finding herself uncharacteristically shaken by the sadness she inevitably sees in her job, Laura jumps at the opportunity for a weekend conference in Boston. There she meets Richard Copeland, an equally confused and unhappy insurance salesman, and the two feel an immediate attraction. Laura and Richard find in their shared loneliness a common longing to lead a better life together, if they can find the courage to change. While Laura and Richard's quickly developing relationship is rarely believable, Laura's confusion and fear are well drawn, and Kennedy ably raises questions about marriage, identity, and happiness. Agent: Antony Harwood, Antony Harwood Literary Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
The cuckoo's calling: Galbraith, Robert; Call Number: MYSTERY GALB; 2013; In a rare feat, the pseudonymous Galbraith combines a complex and compelling sleuth and an equally well-formed and unlikely assistant with a baffling crime in his stellar debut. When office temp Robin Ellacott reports for work, she's unprepared for the shabby office or the rude greeting she receives from London PI Cormoran Strike. Soon after, John Bristow arrives and asks Strike to look into the putative suicide of his adopted, mixed-race sister, supermodel Lula Landry. Strike reluctantly agrees, even though the police have concluded a high-profile investigation. A decorated Afghan vet with an artificial lower leg, Strike begins a meticulous reinvestigation that leads him into a world of celebrities and wannabes, as well as deep into Landry's sad rollercoaster life. The methodical Strike and the curious Ellacott work their way through a host of vividly drawn suspects and witnesses toward an elegant solution. Readers will hope to see a lot more of this memorable sleuthing team. Agent: Zoe King, the Blair Partnership (U.K.) (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Someday, someday, maybe: Graham, Lauren; Call Number: FICTION GRAH; 2013; Franny Banks is an aspiring actress who has only six months left on a self-imposed deadline for success. And it seems she might make it. After her acting class's annual showcase, which does not go as planned, Franny is surprised to receive offers from two renowned agents, a guest spot on a TV show, and a national commercial. Then her agent stops calling, the rejections pile up, and she loses a coveted waitressing job. Facing a financial crisis, a love triangle, and a mountain of self-doubt, Franny must figure out whether she really can make it in a field where only five percent of aspirants succeed, without losing herself in the process. VERDICT With insight, care, and an abundance of humor, actress Graham (Gilmore Girls; Parenthood) demonstrates that her acting chops are not her only talent. Franny's struggles are so real, so relatable, and at times so familiar that one wonders just how much of this first novel is autobiographical. Recommended for all aspiring actors and for any reader who has ever wondered about the life of an actor before she becomes a star.-Jennifer Beach, Cumberland Cty. P.L., VA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
A bat in the belfry: Graves, Sarah; Call Number: MYSTERY GRAV; 2013; A weather front producing heavy rain, gale-force winds, and flooding descends on Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree and other Eastport, Maine, residents in Graves's patchwork 16th Home Repair Is Homicide mystery (after 2012's Dead Level). Fourteen-year-old Karen Hansen plots her escape from Eastport and her drunken father; Chip Hahn, a visiting friend of Jake's son, Sam, goes for an evening walk and ends up a murder suspect; a gang of young toughs torments "dweeb" David Thompson; and former Boston cop Lizzie Snow heads to Eastport in search of a child who might be the daughter of Lizzie's dead sister, Sissy. Sam's attempts to clear Chip lead him into danger, and the many story lines begin to merge as the storm intensifies. This isn't one of Graves's smoothest tales, but Lizzie Snow may be an important addition to her usual cast of characters. Agent: Jane Rotrosen, Jane Rotrosen Literary Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

April 21 - 27, 2013

Decadence: Dickey, Eric Jerome; Call Number: FICTION DICK; 2013; We saw the young Atlanta writer Nia Simone Bijou immersed in an erotic make-believe world in Pleasure (2008). Four years later, she's back and enthralled by even more temptation than before. During a quest for sexual and experimental indulgence, Nia joins an exclusive club for the daring and the wealthy, where wild escapades take place and fantasy meshes thoroughly with reality. Not knowing what is real anymore, Nia questions her relationship with the very mysterious Prada and comes across an old flame who tempts her back into a racy, arousing turnabout she's not sure she can handle. Best-selling author Dickey offers a story line of entangled erotic mysteries in this new page-turner that will leave readers breathless and satisfied.--Chesanek, Carissa Copyright 2010 Booklist
The mystery woman: Quick, Amanda; Call Number: FICTION QUIC; 2013; If not exactly a taut thriller, Quick's second Ladies of Lantern Street installment (after 2012's Crystal Gardens) is a breezy, fast-moving Victorian whodunit. Our intrepid heroine, the attractive and resourceful Beatrice Lockwood, is an agent for the private inquiry firm of Flint & Marsh, a sort of prefeminist detective agency staffed by women with extrasensory abilities. Through a series of deft plot twists, Beatrice's powers are brought to bear on solving the murder of her boss, finding a blackmailer, and stopping a mad scientist from using an Egyptian artifact to resurrect the dead. Quick applies the fantastical elements with a light touch as Beatrice explores her growing romance with Joshua Gage, a formidable, legendary ex-spy with whom she finds herself allied and magically connected. The dialogue throughout rings true and is often clever. Some weak spots in the plot might dismay hard-core mystery fans, but the novel as a whole is likely to delight fans of romantic period fiction. Agent: Steven Axelrod, the Axelrod Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Fly away: Hannah, Kristin; Call Number: FICTION HANN; 2013; Prolific novelist Hannah revisits the characters, known to fans as "KateandTully," of her bestselling Firefly Lane in this slow-paced but largely well-executed sequel. Tully Hart, the famous 50-year-old former host of the talk show The Girlfriend, isn't dealing well with the recent death of her best friend Kate, whose daughter, Marah, has run away. Tully is Marah's godmother, and Kate's husband Johnny blames her for his daughter's flight. With no one left to turn to, Tully runs her car into a cement block in a haze of booze and prescription drugs. In the hospital clinging to life, Tully faces her past and her pain, visits her dead friend, and decides whether or not life is worth living. Told in a shopworn form-turns and flashbacks from the perspectives of Marah, Johnny, and Tully-the plot is unnecessarily repetitive, at times bringing forward motion to a standstill, but fans will appreciate the depth of character as they wade toward a neatly tied-up and heart-warming denouement. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
The hit: Baldacci, David; Call Number: FICTION BALD; 2013; Government assassin Will Robie returns in #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Baldacci's next blockbuster thriller!
Wedding night: Kinsella, Sophie; Call Number: FICTION KINS; 2013; Bestselling author Kinsella (Confessions of a Shopaholic) offers a departure from standard chick-lit-and shopping-with her latest. Charlotte "Lottie" Graveney is positive her boyfriend Richard is about to pop the question over lunch-but when he confesses the topic he wanted to speak about was air miles, she's out of there. When her gap-year boyfriend Ben suddenly returns to her life and immediately proposes, Lottie jumps at the chance. Felicity "Fliss" Graveney, Lottie's sister, is significantly less excited. Fliss, who is going through her own divorce, knows her sister's impulsiveness well-so when Ben and Lottie head to a five-star resort in Greece for their honeymoon, Fliss uses her connections as editor of a travel magazine to try to prevent the pair from consummating their marriage so that Lottie might be convinced into an annulment. Alternatively told from the points of view of Lottie and Fliss, the story meanders (especially when a minor character interjects without much reason to) before delivering a surprise ending, but Kinsella fans will be charmed. Agent: Kimberly Witherspoon, InkWell Management. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

April 14 - 20, 2013

A man without breath: Kerr, Philip; Call Number: MYSTERY KERR; 2013; Set in the spring of 1943, Kerr's captivating ninth Bernie Gunther novel (after 2011's Prague Fatale) takes Gunther-now attached to the Wehrmacht War Crimes Bureau-from Berlin to Smolensk, to investigate mass graves of Polish officers discovered in the nearby Katyn forest. Josef Goebbels, seeking a propaganda coup after Germany's Stalingrad defeat, is keen to pin the atrocity on the Soviets. The tormented honest cop also gets on the trail of a killer targeting German soldiers, even as he finds himself in an anomalous moral position ("a situation in which you can have an army corporal hanged for the rape and murder of a Russian peasant girl in one village that's only a few miles from another village where an SS special action group has just murdered twenty-five thousand men, women and children"). Kerr makes everything look easy, from blending history with a clever and intricate whodunit plot to powerful descriptions of cruelty. Agent: Caradoc King, A.P. Watt (U.K.). (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Taking Eve: Johansen, Iris; Call Number: FICTION JOHA; 2013; Bestseller Johansen's fast-paced 15th novel featuring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan (after 2012's Sleep No More) begins a new trilogy. A gunman taking a shot at Eve's adopted daughter, Jane, interrupts the quiet life that Eve and her longtime lover, police detective Joe Quinn, have been leading at their lakeside cottage outside Atlanta, Ga. To add to their woes, a madman, Jim Doane, kidnaps Eve and orders her to reconstruct the face of his late son, Kevin, from what he claims is Kevin's skull. While Eve schemes to escape her captor, Jane and Joe, who discover that the CIA has knowledge of Doane, race to rescue Eve before Doane can do her harm. That Eve can communicate while in a dreamlike state with her deceased daughter, Bonnie, adds some paranormal thrills. Johansen expertly ratchets up the suspense as the action builds to a riveting conclusion. First printing of 300,000. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Whiskey Beach: Roberts, Nora; Call Number: FICTION ROBE; 2013; This spellbinding contemporary from romantic fiction doyenne Roberts (The Perfect Hope) explores the centuries-old secrets of a New England seaside home. Eli Landon is suspected of murdering his adulterous wife, but there's no evidence to convict him. Needing to escape his old life, he returns to his family's ancestral home of Bluff House, along New England's Whiskey Beach. Eli is caught off guard by his attraction to Abra Walsh, the house's beautiful caretaker. When Abra is attacked by a mysterious intruder, a private detective starts asking questions about Eli, and he decides that he will never find closure until his wife's killer is caught. The mysteries behind the murder of Eli's wife and the suspicious incidents at Bluff House are very creatively combined with the budding romance between Eli and Abra, who must face their past demons before they can embrace the possibility of a future together. Roberts enthralls the reader with enigmatic characters and effortless plotting from the first page of this masterfully crafted novel. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Pale horses: Mackenzie, Jassy; Call Number: MYSTERY MACK; 2013; The death of aid worker Sonet Meintjies, who took a fatal plunge from a Johannesburg high-rise, propels Mackenzie's gripping fourth thriller featuring flinty South African PI Jade de Jong (after 2012's The Fallen). Red flags start popping up almost immediately when Jade discovers that a tribal farming community whose members Sonet was mentoring has vanished without a trace-as has Sonet's sister, Zelda, a muckraking journalist. With bullets whizzing and bodies falling, Jade contacts her on-again, off-again lover, Supt. David Patel, even though he has problems of his own between his bitchy pregnant wife and anonymous threats. As the novel hurtles toward a devastating climax, Mackenzie pumps up the suspense with a secondary but eventually intersecting story line centering on Ntombi Khumalo, a gutsy widow and mother who proves every bit as intrepid as Jade. Despite giving readers such appealing women to root for, Mackenzie paints a decidedly dystopian view of contemporary South Africa. Agent: Hannah Ferguson, the Marsh Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
You: Grossman, Austin; Call Number: FICTION GROS; 2013; Unsure of how his "life had failed to come together," Russell Marsh gets hired on as an "entry-level game designer" for Black Arts Studios in this second novel (after Soon I Will Be Invincible) from video game design consultant Grossman . But when co-founder Darren Ackerman suddenly resigns from his post and takes most of the "senior design and programming staff" with him, Russell is handed the lead design post for Realms of Gold VII. As he navigates between his own creative anxieties of how to design "the ultimate game" and making sure he doesn't "turn the hallowed Black Arts name into a joke," a bug appears in the memory of the WAFFLE software, the system "that powered Black Arts games first, to critical success" and begins "messing with" Russell's game. To unravel the mystery of the "Mournblade bug" Darren will have to comb through the fictional ages of the Realms of Gold franchise and his own past. Readers interested in software and game design will find some reward in Russell's reflections about life as a game designer, but these reflections, along with Russell's tangential back-story and surreal visits from characters of the gaming world saturate the plot, turning a neat science-fiction short story into a haphazard novel. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

April 7 - 13, 2013

The interestings: Wolitzer, Meg; Call Number: FICTION WOLI; 2013; In the "nefarious, thoroughly repulsive" summer of 1974, 15-year-old Julie Jacobson, "an outsider and possibly even a freak" from the suburbs, gets a scholarship to an arts camp and falls in with a group of kids-the aptly self-named "Interestings." Talented, attractive, and from New York City, to Julie they are "like royalty and French movie stars." There Julie, renamed Jules, finds her place, and Wolitzer her story: the gap between promise and genuine talent, the bonds and strains of long friendships, and the journey from youth to middle age, with all its compromises, secrets, lies, and disparities. One member of the group, Jonah, is the son of a famous folk singer, and another, Ethan, becomes an extremely successful animator, and another Interestings member whose brother-in-law is accused of raping a girl in the group, flees his court date and disappears. Meanwhile, Jules, the character Wolitzer focuses on, becomes a therapist, marries a nice guy with no interest in being as "interesting" as her camp friends, and copes with jealousy and not having enough money in New York City. While Wolitzer (The Ten-Year Nap) is adept at switching between past and present, and showing the different fears that dog Jules at different ages, the problem is that the Interestings are never quite as interesting as this 464-page look at them requires them to be. Agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME Entertainment. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Tapestry of fortunes: Berg, Elizabeth; Call Number: FICTION BERG; 2013; Motivational speaker Cecelia Ross needs some movement in her life. Since the death of her best friend the year before, she's been immobilized by grief, unable to move forward. When Cece receives out of the blue a postcard from the lost love of her life, she's galvanized into action. She sells her home, takes a break from her career to volunteer at a hospice, and moves into a charming old house with three roommates, all of whom are struggling with unresolved relationship issues of their own. Bonded by mutual hope, the four women take to the road to explore choices not made, opportunities missed, and the prospect of second chances. VERDICT Berg's (Once Upon a Time, There Was You; The Pull of the Moon) latest foray into female friendship weaves a mellifluous tapestry of the relationships that make up the fabric of our lives. As always, her writing is spare and lyrical, filled with the elegant description and profound insight that is her trademark, but the story sometimes feels rushed. These characters are delightful and Berg's fans would relish the time to know them better. Still, her writing is luminous. Not her best, but wonderful just the same.-Jeanne Bogiro, New Lebanon Lib., NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Midnight at Marble Arch: Perry, Anne; Call Number: MYSTERY PERR; 2013; Sexual violence is at the heart of bestseller Perry's engrossing 28th Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel (after 2012's Dorchester Terrace), set in 1896 London. Pitt, the new head of Special Branch, and his ousted predecessor, Victor Narraway, are about to leave a party when a police officer informs another guest, financier Rawdon Quixwood, that his wife, Catherine, is dead. Pitt and Narraway accompany Quixwood to the financier's house, where they find the wife's battered body. After being raped by her assailant-someone she apparently let inside-she drank a fatal dose of laudanum. Later, Angeles Castelbranco, the Portuguese ambassador's daughter, plunges to her death in an effort to escape the rake who had been tormenting her. Pitt learns that she, too, was the victim of sexual assault. In an intriguing twist, Quixwood provides the alibi for the suspect in that case. Perry does a nice job exploring late Victorian attitudes toward sex crimes. Agent: Donald Maass, Donald Maas Literary Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Don't go: Scottoline, Lisa; Call Number: FICTION SCOT; 2013; This stand-alone from Scottoline (Come Home) effectively tugs at the emotions even as it verges on the melodramatic. Mike Scanlon, a reservist in the Army Medical Corps serving in Afghanistan, is allowed to return for one week to his suburban Philadelphia home to bury his wife, Chloe, who apparently died in an odd household accident. Overcome with grief, Mike realizes that he's a stranger to his seven-month-old daughter-and that Chloe was hiding a shocking secret. After a horrific war injury brings him home for good, Mike begins an out-of-control campaign to uncover Chloe's secret life, risking the loss of custody of his daughter, his health, and his own freedom. When Chloe's best friend is murdered, Mike suspects that his wife's death was no accident. Mike's Job-like trials push the boundaries of believability, but his journey to make peace with himself and be a father to his daughter will resonate with many readers. 300,000-copy first printing; author tour. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Literary Agency. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Unintended consequences: Woods, Stuart; Call Number: MYSTERY WOOD; 2013; At the start of Edgar-winner Woods's slick 26th Stone Barrington novel (after Collateral Damage), the New York City attorney awakens in a hospital bed in the American embassy in Paris with no memory of the previous four days and no idea why he's in Paris. Once released, Barrington accepts a dinner invitation from wealthy businessman Marcel duBois, who soon sells him a newly produced luxury automobile at the bargain price of $225,000. Further talks with duBois, including security arrangements for the tycoon and discussions of how he might be of use to new CIA director Lance Cabot, result in a trip to New York for both Barrington and duBois. A mysterious Russian named Majorov keeps popping up, and various attempts are made on the lives of Barrington and duBois, though most are quickly countered. Barrington, smooth as silk whether making a multimillion dollar deal, bedding attractive women, or acting heroically, makes everything look much too easy. Agent: Anne Sibbald, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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