April New Popular Books

The following new books have been added this month to the Popular Reading Collection located next to the circulation desk.   These books and any other titles currently checked out can be placed on hold.
See a staff member at the circulation desk for assistance.

 

Strangers in Death, by J. D. Robb
The First Patient, by Michael Palmer
Honor Thyself, by Danielle Steel
Remember Me?, by Sophie Kinsella
Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult
A Prisoner of Birth, by Jeffrey Archer
Charley's Web, by Joy Fielding
Blue-eyed Devil, by Lisa Kleypas
Buckingham Palace Gardens, by Anne Perry

This Month's Great Escapes
by Bill McCleary  


World Without End, by Ken Follett

Back in 1989, Ken Follett—known then as a best-selling writer of modern suspense novels—startled the literary world with the publication of his monumental Pillars of the Earth, a wonderful, wonderful story set in 12th century England about the building of a cathedral in the town of Kingsbridge.  Now, some eighteen years later, he has written sort of a sequel.  We are once again in Kingsbridge but it is two hundred years later, with the story beginning in the year 1327.  Kingsbridge is having a religious festival and four children, two brothers and two girls who have just met, will begin a complex interaction with each other that will carry the story from their childhoods until the year 1361.  Caris is the daughter of a prosperous wool merchant.  She doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do with her life but she does know she wants to live independently and not be a husband’s possession.  Gwenda is the very poor daughter of a convicted thief and she is struggling just to survive.  Ralph and Merthin are the sons of a formerly wealthy knight and they both dream of being knights, too, when they grow up.  Kingsbridge during most of this time is a town run by the Catholic church, under the iron fist of the Prior of the church.  The church and the royalty own much of the land and many workers are landless, powerless serfs.   Speaking out, even if one is relatively well-off, is risky—and, if you are a woman you’re likely to be branded a witch and put to death.  For most, it’s a hard, hard life—and then the Plague arrives.  Strangely, the Plague—devastating as it is—will serve as a catalyst to radically change Kingsbridge and the lives of Caris, Merthin, Ralph, and Gwenda.  This is a big, terrific novel full of rich detail and painstaking research that will transport you back to this very interesting period for an unforgettable story.  Bravo!
Now and Then, by Robert Parker

After over a thousand pages of Ken Follett’s epic, Robert Parker’s new Spenser novel was a nice change of pace.   Spenser, our intrepid Boston private eye, has been hired by Dennis Doherty, a fairly secretive man, to find out if his wife, Jordan, is having an affair.  Spenser soon learns that Dennis is an FBI agent—and, yes, Jordan is having an affair.  In the process of bugging her, Spenser also learns that her lover, Perry Alderson, is linked to terrorists.  Suddenly, a routine domestic investigation has taken an unexpected turn—one that will turn deadly.  Years ago, Spenser’s main squeeze, Susan, left him briefly for another man.  They survived as a couple but echoes of the past come back to Spenser with this current case of infidelity and he identifies with Dennis.  Perry, meanwhile, decides that kidnapping Susan would be the perfect way to get back at Spenser.  Parker's latest is another enjoyable outing with Spenser and his gang of engaging friends and cohorts.  


The Snow Empress, by Laura Joh Rowland

This is the twelfth novel in the series starring samurai detective Sano Ichiro.  The year is 1699 and the emperor still rules Japan—in theory.  In reality, there is a power struggle being waged between Sano, who has risen to become the emperor’s chamberlain, and Lord Matsudaira, a powerful warlord.  On an autumn picnic with friends and family, Sano’s eight year old son, Masahiro, disappears.  For nearly two months, Sano can find no leads and he receives no ransom demands.  Then, he is summoned by the emperor and given the assignment to travel to the snowy northernmost island of Hokkaido to investigate trouble between the native people and the local Japanese warlord.  With his son missing, Sano doesn’t want to go—but then he learns that Matsudaira has kidnapped Masahiro and sent him to Hokkaido.  While hating to leave Matsudaira in Edo to stir up mischief while he is gone, Sano is anxious to get to Hokkaido and search for his son.  Sano’s wife Reiko, a warrior in her own right, is determined to go with him and together they set out for the frozen north—hoping to somehow find their son still alive.  They are in for an adventure that will test their samurai skills—and their love for each other.  I mostly liked this addition to the series but I didn’t care too much for some of the supernatural aspects of the story.

Stone Cold, by David Baldacci

The Camel Club, that group of skillful Washington misfits led by ex-CIA agent Oliver Stone, has two tough assignments to tackle in this latest outing.  First, someone is murdering retired CIA agents that had worked with Stone during his years with the agency.  So far three have been killed—will Stone be next?  While the club is trying to find the killer’s identity, Annabelle Conroy, a semi-club member and con artist par excellence, is on the run from ruthless casino boss Jerry Bagger, who murdered her mother years ago.  To finally avenge her mother, Annabelle, you’ll remember, pulled a magnificent scam on Jerry that netted her forty million dollars of his casino money.  Jerry, understandably, is out for blood—hers.  Annabelle first thinks she should run and try to disappear but Oliver convinces her to stay and fight—with one last con of Jerry that the club will help deliver.  This was an exciting thriller from the very talented Baldacci.





Back to the Library Home Page
Revised Apr.1, 2008

Comments to Bill McCleary