February 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.

 

The Brooklyn Follies, by Paul Auster
Long Time Coming, by Sandra Brown
On the Run, by Iris Johansen
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell, by Lilian J. Braun
Just Rewards, by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Dave Barry's Money Secrets, by Dave Barry
S is for Silence, by Sue Grafton
Memory in Death, by J. D. Robb



This Month's Great Escapes
by Bill McCleary


Lifeguard, by James Patterson and Andrew Gross

Ned Kelly grew up in one of Boston’s rougher neighborhoods and managed to survive a less than ideal childhood that saw his father in prison more often than not.   Ned managed to get through college and even became a teacher for awhile but then everything went south and he lost his job, hitting rock bottom.  With nothing to lose, Ned decided to literally head south and he has landed in tony Palm Beach, where he has found work as a lifeguard and a houseman for a rich estate owner.  Things are going pretty well for our Ned.  He likes his job, gets to live in a terrific beachfront mansion, and he’s even dating a beautiful woman he met on the beach.  Although Ned has mostly managed to keep his nose clean, he still knows some shady characters from his Boston days and they recruit him to help pull off a major art theft at a Palm Beach mansion.  All Ned has to do is set off some false alarms at other estates to keep the police occupied and he will share in a rich haul.  Sounds like a breeze—but then things go south again.  The night of the heist his partners all end up dead—and so does his new girlfriend. Worse, somebody else has stolen the art—but everybody thinks Ned has it.  Ned should have stayed up on that lifeguard chair!  This is pretty good and it has a little stronger finish than most Patterson books of late. 


Iron Orchid, by Stuart Woods

This is the fourth book in the series featuring policewoman Holly Barker, a character I adore.  Holly’s law enforcement career started in the military and then she was the chief of police of Orchid Beach, Florida for several years, breaking a number of high profile cases.  Now, she has just been recruited to work for the FBI.   Holly has scarcely started her training when she is sent to New York City to assist in the capture of Teddy Fay, formerly of the CIA.  Teddy, a master of disguises, computers, and weapons, is quite the rogue.  Twice thought to be dead, he has been bumping off political figures not to his liking.  Now, he is in the Big Apple turning his attention to diplomats he feels are linked to terrorists.  Much as the U.S. might secretly want these targets permanently taken care of, Teddy must be captured before he becomes a huge embarrassment to the country.  But, Teddy is veddy, veddy clever—and very likeable, too, strangely enough.  This book is loads of fun.  I love that characters from other series by the author—including Will Lee as President—are included in this exciting story. 


Sudden Death, by David Rosenfelt

This is also the fourth book in a series--this one featuring Paterson, New Jersey lawyer Andy Carpenter.  Andy inherited a tidy sum of money so he has the luxury to pick and choose the cases that he accepts. Well, usually.  Superstar New York Jets football player Kenny Schilling has barricaded himself in his palatial Saddle River home; inside is the murdered body of Tony Preston, a friend of Kenny’s.  Holding the police off with a gun, Kenny demands to see Andy before he will surrender.  Hoping to prevent any further bloodshed, Andy meets with Kenny and persuades him to give himself up to the police—and he agrees to take his case.  And, what a case!  Billed as the trial of the new century, Andy has the most high-profile and arguably the most difficult case of his career.  Kenny swears he is innocent—but he was the last to be seen with Tony, they were observed arguing, and the body was found in his house.  Andy’s got a tough one this time.  And, hanging over his head is a personal crisis that he must also deal with.  This is an easy, breezy enjoyable mystery series.


Ten Big Ones, by Janet Evanovich

Veeeeeel, I got through it.  And, I feel like I should be patting myself on the back and giving myself a hearty congratulations.   Seriously, it’s a mystery to me as to why the books in this series have been so popular—although I recently read that the sales have been slipping lately.  If you are unfamiliar with the series—and you may want to remain unfamiliar—the main character is Stephanie Plum, a New Jersey bounty hunter.  At some point—maybe around the first few books—Stephanie was probably a novelty and that might have carried the books.  But, we’re at book ten now and I’m needing more to keep my interest.  Don’t ask me what the title is referring to—I have no idea.  Plot?  There isn’t one.  Stephanie goes foraging for various townspeople that have failed to show up for court proceedings and sometimes brings them in and sometimes doesn’t.  That’s about it.  None of the characters she hunts for is the least bit interesting.  Endless doughnuts are consumed while she mindlessly drives around town discussing diets with her sidekick, Lula, on these tedious searches for low-rent felons.  There’s no beginning, middle, or end to speak of--maybe it’s just some sort of continuation of book nine, which I mercifully didn’t read, and will continue with book eleven, which I will also skip because life’s short.  It’s too bad because the potential is there.  Female bounty hunter!  I can see her flying off to exotic locales in search of dangerous or intriguing criminals—maybe falling in love or lust now and then--and having harrowing, narrow escapes—that could keep my interest.  Instead, poor Stephanie is stuck in Trenton—and doing precious little.




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Revised Jan. 30, 2006

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