New Fiction Novels by Patron Favorites

We have recently added three new novels to our collection from authors that many of our patrons enjoy.

First is the latest book by American lawyer and novelist James Grippando.  Gone Again is the twelfth novel in the series featuring Jack Swyteck, Miami criminal defense attorney.

In this fast paced novel, Swyteck takes on his first death-row client since The Pardon (the first in the Jack Swyteck series, also available in our collection).







The next novel is Once a Rancher by popular romance novelist Linda Lael Miller.  The first book of her newest series, The Carsons of Mustang Creek, follows the eldest of three brothers.  Slater Carson is a documentary filmmaker by trade, but still a rancher at heart.  He shares the running of the family ranch with his two younger brothers, Drake and Mace.

Things change when former Seattle cop Grace Emery comes to town to manage the local resort spa with her ward in tow, Ryder - the rebellious son of her ex-husband.

Last is The Other Side of Silence, the eleventh novel in the Bernie Gunther series by Scottish author, Philip Kerr.

The year is 1956 and Bernie Gunther is hiding in plain sight under an assumed name with fake papers.  Posing as a concierge at the Grand Hotel, he is drawn into a nest of vipers when he is asked to assist author W. Somerset Maugham, who is being blackmailed.




These and many other titles can be found on our New Adult Fiction shelves.  Enjoy!

"If Something Happens To Me"

A recent addition to our collection is the true story of the disappearance of Susan Powell, twenty-eight year old wife and mother of two young boys, in December 2009 and the eventual murder of her two sons at the hands of her husband/their father and his suicide in February 2012.


The authors have covered the story by making use of emails that were sent by Susan to friends and family, notes left behind, the police files (which were released last year when the case was closed) and interviews with friends, neighbors and family members.


Despite the case being closed, Susan Powell is currently still missing.  A chilling tale best read with the doors locked and the lights on.

The Heist!

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg have hit a home run with their latest book, The Heist.  Starring FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare, whose job is chasing down the world's most wanted criminals.  She is tenacious and ambitious and has been obsessed with apprehending international criminal, Nicolas Fox, for a large portion of her career.  Nicolas is a natural con man--handsome, dangerously charming and notorious for running successful and elaborate schemes on very high-profile people.  Kate finally captures Nicolas and then is confronted with an edict from her boss--she must let Nicolas go in exchange for him working with the FBI to capture a corrupt investment banker hiding on a private island in Indonesia and recovering the millions he has stolen.  To accomplish this task, Nicolas asks to hire his own team of ragtag criminals including Agent O'Hare.  They stage an elaborate heist to capture the banker, that is hilarious to watch.  If you enjoy reading Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, you will also enjoy this madcap adventure.  I hope that this is the first of many collaborations between Evanovich and Goldberg.  Visit Janet Evanovich's website at www.evanovich.com and Lee Goldberg's at www.leegoldberg.com for more information on the authors.

New British Mysteries

I've just spent my weekend watching two of our newest British mystery series. First was Set 22 of the Midsomer Murders series. I love this series, but, as loyal watchers know, two seasons ago, the beloved Tom Barnaby was replaced by his cousin John Barnaby. I enjoy the second Barnaby, but no one can replace the wonderful performance of John Nettles as Tom. This newest series was very good and like the others, features the plethora of quirky small town personalities that have made this series so popular. There is no guts and gore here, so die-hard CSI fans may not like what they see, but if you can stand just a little blood, then this show may be for you. If you have never seen this series before, I would suggest starting at or near the beginning of the show, so that you can get a feel of how the dynamic between the senior detective and his plodding side-kick works. The library has just about all of the show starting with the "Killing at Badger's Drift".
The second show I watched was Series 6 of Inspector Lewis. For those of you who aren't familiar, this series is a spin-off of the Inspector Morse series based on the books by Colin Dexter. Lewis also features the wise lead detective and his long suffering sergeant, but instead of the Midsomer counties, these two muddle around the area of Oxford University. Unlike the sergeant in Midsomer, Sergeant James Hathaway is well educated and a bit brooding, but extremely wise for someone so young. Detective Inspector Lewis, himself, is a streetwise old-school copper who favors common sense and opera. From the way this series ended, I think it may be the last, or next-to-last for Inspector Lewis; which is quite sad, because I love the dynamic of these two characters and the wonderful characterization of the supporting cast. (It also helps that the young man who plays DS Hathaway is a cutie!)
We have several more different British series that our regular patrons adore, so if you want a good old murder mystery without the guts and gore, pick up one of these and give them a try.

Take a Dance with a Creole Belle

Creole Belle is James Lee Burke's newest novel in his Dave Robicheaux series.  Dave and his sidekick and sometimes-partner, Clete Purcel, are back together again trying to solve crimes and stay out of trouble.  Dave (a deputy sheriff) and Clete (a private investigator) are both recovering from injuries sustained in the last book, while investigating the disappearance of cajun chanteuse Tee Jolie Milton and her sister Blue.  When Tee Jolie's body washes up on the shore of a bayou, partially frozen in a block of ice, David and Clete try to unravel the twisted threads that make up life in small town Louisiana.  Tee Jolie and Blue's disappearances are tangled up in the fight for big oil and the oil spills in Louisiana, and the tycoons that control the oil.  Clete, as usual, gets involved with a woman that is not good for him and in a surprise twist, meets a relative, while Dave struggles with visions that may or may not be real.  The best part of this book is also one of the saddest, because the reader can see Clete's downward spiral and is powerless to stop it.  I enjoy James Lee Burke's books because I love his descriptions of Louisiana and life among its citizens in New Iberia and New Orleans.  I also like that there is plenty of information about Alafair Burke, (James' real life adopted daughter) and their interactions, in this novel.  For more information on James Lee Burke, check out his website at http://www.jamesleeburke.com/

Port Mortuary

Patricia Cornwell has recently published a new entry in her Kay Scarpetta series, titled Port Mortuary. Scarpetta had accepted a scholarship from the Air Force many years agao to pay off her medical school debt and those military ties have led her to a training fellowship at the port mortuary at Dover Air Force base when the book opens up. Scarpetta has been working at the air force base for several months longer than she has expected and is relieved when her niece Lucy, her husband Benton and her co-worker Marino call her back unexpectedly to the Cambridge Forensic Center, her "true job" that she has been neglecting as a result of the fellowship. The case that calls Scarpetta back concerns a young man who died but when his body is examined the next day it appears as if he was alive when he was locked inside the CFC's cooler. This is the case that could end Scarpetta's new job, almost before it begins! The plot of this book is typical Cornwell, but in my opinion, Scarpetta seems as if she is hanging on the outskirts of the action while Benton, Lucy and Marino do all the work. I believe Patricia Cornwell has used this book to "launch" the next stage of Scarpetta's career as the head of the CFC. There is a great amount of forensic detail spelled out here, which will please Cornwell's fans, but this book is not the best fit for a series' newcomer.

Why Caged Doves Weep

Carla L. Johnson Curry's Why Caged Doves Weep is a wonderful book about women in prison in Mississippi. It's gritty and full of stories about women who made mistakes, ended up in prison and either tried to make their lives better or succumbed to the horrors of life "on the inside." The book realistically explores prisoners in Parchman prison and the Rankin County Women's Correctional Center. Ms. Curry was herself an inmate at Parchman prison and details in this book the people she met while serving her own time. Ms. Curry believes that each year more and more crimes are committed by children and that parents don't realize the daily influences on young minds that television, school confrontations and graphic crimes have. Ms. Curry hopes that this book will help inspire teens to do "the right thing" and not begin a life of crime. Carla L. Johnson Curry is a native of Vicksburg and the mother of four children. She attended Alcorn State University and received her Associate of Arts Degree, with Honors. Ms. Curry enjoys laughter and expressing herself and plans on writing many more books. Ms. Curry also recently hosted an Author Talk and Book Signing at the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library.

Introducing Leonid McGill...

All readers who are fans of Walter Mosley should take note--he has created a new character for you to admire and respect! The Long Fall stars Leonid McGill, an African American "old-school" Private Investigator, who is an an ex-boxer and a drinker, and is trying to use the techniques he learned in the past to solve a mystery in 21st centry Manhattan. Never a person to shy away from taking a not-so-legitimate job to make a quick buck and keep a roof over the head of his wife and kids, Leonid decides to turn over a new leaf and "go from crooked to slightly bent." This attitude is what makes Leonid McGill so charming! McGill is adept at sliding through the seamy side of New York City--the old-time mobsters, hidden folks who play city politics like a puppet show, hit men masquerading as taxi drivers and computer tech's who enjoy tapping into everyone's information and stealing identities. McGill's trouble begins when he innocently calls in a favor in order to receive some seemingly harmless information for a client and learns that "playing by the rules" is going to be pretty hard for him in this world. The tight plot of this story makes it an interesting read, and it's perfect for fans of Robert Parker. Walter Mosley was born in Los Angeles, but lives in in New York City, so the description of the novel's setting is wonderful. For more information on Walter Mosley, check out his web site at http://www.waltermosley.com/!

What's Your Poison?

In the mood for an intense, thrilling crime novel? Try Karin Slaughter’s Blindsighted, the first in her series about Sara Linton, a pediatrician and coroner. She and her ex-husband, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver, work together to catch a serial killer who uses the poison belladonna to control his victims as he rapes and tortures them before he kills them. The story’s atmosphere is eerie and the writing draws you in to the story. The killer is creepy and there is a lot of gore—this novel is not for the squeamish. I think Slaughter’s books get better as the series progresses (there are currently six novels in the series). If you like Karin Slaughter’s books, try also reading Patricia Cornwell’s "Scarpetta" series or Thomas Harris’ books.