September 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.

 

Dead Wrong, by J. A. Jance
The Expected One, by Kathleen McGowan
The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards
The Power Broker, by Stephen Frey
In the Dark of the Night, by John Saul
Lights Out Tonight, by Mary Jane Clark
Phantom, by Terry Goodkind
Crisis, by Robin Cook
Judge and Jury, by James Patterson
Deceit, by James Siegel
The Afghan, by Frederick Forsyth


This Month's Great Escapes
by Bill McCleary 


Promise Me, by Harlan Coben

Myron Bolitar, a successful agent for actors and professional athletes, has sort of played superhero in the past—helping people who have gotten into dangerous situations.  But, for the past six years he’s minded his own business.  While he is at a party, he overhears a couple of teenage girls talk about riding with a driver who had had too much to drink.  Myron gives the girls his phone number and has them promise him that they will call him if they ever need his help or ever need a ride—no questions asked.   Several days later, one of the girls calls Myron at 3 in the morning and asks him to pick her up in New York City and drive her to a friend’s house in New Jersey.  Myron drops off the girl, the daughter of a former childhood friend, at the house in New Jersey but the girl then disappears.  The girl’s mother holds Myron responsible, the police are suspicious of Myron, and another girl from the same high school has also gone missing.  Reluctantly, with some help from a few very talented friends, Myron needs to play superhero again.  This was entertaining and I’d like to read the first books in the series sometime—looks like I’ve been missing an enjoyable series.


Blue Shoes and Happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith

Well, it’s time for another visit to the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana.  Precious Ramotswe, the owner of the agency and its head detective, seems to be in a period of relative contentment with her life.  Well, almost.  She has recently endured several comments from co-workers and clients about her ‘traditional size’ and she is thinking about going on a diet.  For her assistant, Grace Makutsi, things are a little more unsettled.  Recently engaged to Phuti Radiphuti (rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?), the wealthy owner of a furniture store and a great catch, Grace has inadvertently put her future with Phuti in peril.  While they are dealing with issues of the heart and stomach, Precious and Grace also have a few interesting cases that need their detecting—especially one involving blackmail and a newspaper advice columnist.  This wonderful, warm, lighthearted series, set in faraway, fascinating Africa, remains a total delight.


At Risk, by Patricia Cornwell

According to the jacket flap, this novel was originally created as a fifteen-part serial for The New York Times Magazine.   Winston “Win” Garano, a Massachusetts state investigator and GQ handsome, has been in Knoxville, Tennessee attending an advanced forensics academy.  His boss, female district attorney Monique Lamont, is contemplating a run for governor and she would like to get some publicity with a new crime fighting program called At Risk.  As part of her publicity campaign, she wants Win to use the latest forensic technology to solve the brutal murder of a Knoxville socialite that happened twenty years ago.  Before he can get started with the investigation, Monique is attacked and nearly killed and Win now has two cases on his hands.  While he is in Boston, a classmate of his at the academy, Delma Sykes, of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, starts to look into the Knoxville murder at Win’s request.  Sykes should be in class but she has a crush on Win and, besides, the case is starting to get interesting.  And, the more she looks, the more interesting it gets.  In the past I haven’t much cared for Cornwell’s non-Scarpetta books but this one was better than most.  The Boston plot was rather muddled and not terribly interesting but when Win and Sykes finally got together they made a very winning team.  I’d love to see a series built around them as the main characters. 


A Necessary Evil, by Alex Kava

An author’s note tells the reader that this book is a sequel to a novel published five years ago that featured a murderous priest, Father Michael Keller.  Keller escaped justice and disappeared, much to the frustration of FBI agent Maggie O’Dell.   Maggie is part of a team investigating a killer who is leaving decapitated heads around the DC area when she learns that several priests have been murdered, the latest victim in Omaha.  Maggie is assigned to be the FBI presence on the case and she joins the investigation headed by local Omaha detective Tommy Pakula.  The Catholic Church tries to stonewall the investigation but it soon becomes clear that the priests are being murdered for past actions they have done.  Then, a phone call out of the blue to Maggie—from Father Michael Keller.   He tells Maggie that he has discovered there is a list of priests to be killed—and he is on it.  To save himself, he is ready to reappear from where he has been hiding and bargain for his life.  This was pretty good but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous book.




 
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Revised Aug. 31, 2006

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