Recreation

New Titles Fiction December 2015 (arrived in November 2015)

Adventure

The explorers guild. Volume one, A passage to Shambhala, Jon Baird with Kevin Costner and Stephen Meyer ; illustrated by Rick Ross.
Set against the backdrop of World War I, with western civilization on the edge of calamity, the first installment in The Explorers Guild series concerns the Guild's quest to find the golden city of Buddhist myth.
The guilty, David Baldacci.
When Special Agent Will Robie gets the call to make his first visit home since he was a teenager, it's because his father, the local judge, has been arrested for murdering a man who came before him in court.
The pharaoh's secret, Clive Cussler and Graham Brown.
As head of the US National Underwater and Maritime Agency's Special Assignments Team, Kurt Austin is no stranger to danger above or below the waves. Kurt's global assignments often bring him head to head with dastardly attempts to use the world's resources for evil, but he's never failed on a mission yet.
One man's flag, David Downing.
Spring 1915. As the Great War burns its way across Europe, Jack McColl, a spy for His Majesty's Navy, is stationed in India, charged with defending the Empire against Bengali terrorists and their German allies. Sequel to "Jack of spies."
Trigger mortis, Anthony Horowitz
Horowitz is the latest author to have a go at James Bond.
The prisoner's gold, Chris Kuzneski.
The travels of Marco Polo are known throughout the world. But what if his story isn't complete? What if his greatest adventure has yet to be
Detonator, Andy McNab.
Ex-SAS, ex-Black Ops Nick Stone returns and this time he wants vengeance. At any cost.
Crimson shore, Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.
A seemingly straightforward private case turns out to be much more complicated and sinister than Special Agent A.X.L. Pendergast ever could have anticipated. Pendergast, together with his ward Constance Greene, travels to the quaint seaside village of Exmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate the theft of a priceless wine collection. But inside the wine cellar, they find something considerably more disturbing: a bricked-up niche that once held a crumbling skeleton.

American Fiction

A cure for suicide, Jesse Ball.
A man and a woman have moved into a small house in a small village. The woman is an "examiner," the man, her "claimant." The examiner is both doctor and guide, charged with teaching the claimant a series of simple functions. An unusual and clever novel that has been likened to the work of Margaret Atwood.
The gilded life of Matilda Duplaine, Alex Brunkhorst.
A modern-day Gatsby tale of forbidden love, family secrets and the true price of wealth. The story begins with a dinner party invitation. When young journalist Thomas Cleary is sent to dig up quotes for the obituary of a legendary film producer, the man's eccentric daughter offers him entree into the exclusive upper echelons of Hollywood society.
The early stories of Truman Capote, Foreword by Hilton Als.
Christmas bells, Jennifer Chiaverini.
Jennifer Chiaverini celebrates Christmas, past and present, with a story inspired by the classic poem, Christmas Bells, by Henry Wadsworth
The clasp, Sloane Crosley.
Smart and entertaining comedy of manners that looks at modern relationships and combines wit and satire.
The mare : a novel, Mary Gaitskill.
Dominican girl living in Brooklyn stays with family in upstate New York where her love for horses is fostered.
Carrying Albert home : [the somewhat true story of a man, his wife, and her alligator], Homer Hickam.
Described as "Big fish' meets "The notebook." The story of a man, a woman and an alligator, a good natured and funny story based on fact.
Winter stroll, Elin Hilderbrand.
While preparing for Christmas at the Winter Street Inn, Kelley Quinn and his family find the holiday season thrown into chaos when three of their exes show up.
Avenue of mysteries, John Irving.
As we grow older most of all, in what we remember and what we dream we live in the past. Sometimes, we live more vividly in the past than in the present. As an older man, Juan Diego will take a trip to the Philippines, but what travels with him are his dreams and memories; he is most alive in his childhood and early adolescence in Mexico.
After Alice, Gregory Maguire.
When Alice toppled down the rabbit-hole 150 years ago, she found a Wonderland as rife with inconsistent rules and abrasive egos as the world she left behind. But what of that world? How did 1860s Oxford react to Alice's disappearance? Ada, a friend of Alice's mentioned briefly in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, is off to visit her friend, but arrives a moment too late and tumbles down the rabbit-hole herself.
The tsar of love and techno : stories, Anthony Marra.
Interwoven stories about family, sacrifice and the legacy of war.
The abbey : a story of discovery, James Martin, SJ.
As divorced single mother Anne attempts to deal with the death of her young son, a former architect named Mark struggles with his life decisions, and Father Paul rethinks his decision to serve as an abbot, and all three work to allow God to bring wholeness to their lives.
The real deal, Fern Michaels.
Risking her life to protect the First Lady of the United States, Quinn Star stumbles upon a conspiracy on the part of advisors to hide the president's debilitating illness to seek their own political agenda, but her efforts to stop the plots could be undermined by the reappearance of an old lover.
The November criminals, Sam Munson.
'What are your best and worst qualities?' This is the title of the essay Addison Schacht has to submit to gain a place at his chosen university. Straightaway, Addison, 18, sees an opportunity to tell his story-so-far: to unburden himself, so to speak. And he has a lot to unburden.
Paris, he said, Christine Sneed.
Jayne Marks is questioning the choices she has made in the years since college she is struggling to pay her bills in Manhattan when she is given the opportunity to move to Paris with her wealthy lover and benefactor, Laurent Moller, who owns and operates two art galleries: one in New York, the other in Paris.
All the stars in the heavens, Adriana Trigiani.
The movie business is booming in 1935 when twenty-one-year-old Loretta Young meets thirty-four-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild.

Australian fiction

Tom Houghton, Todd Alexander.
Boy growing up in Sydney's western suburbs lives in the world of Hollywood's golden age.
A few days in the country and other stories, Elizabeth Harrower.
Perceptive short stories from one of Australia's best novelists.
The waiting room, Leah Kaminsky.
Dina is a family doctor living in the melting-pot city of Haifa, Israel. Born in Australia in a Jewish enclave of Melbourne to Holocaust survivors, Dina left behind a childhood marred by misery and the tragedies of the past to build a new life for herself in the Promised Land.
Charlie Anderson's general theory of lying, Richard McHugh.
Charlie Anderson is sure of himself. He's sure he's the best consultant in town. He's completely sure his clever wife Anna, in line to be the first female CEO in the Bank's history, is the love of his life and his three smart, happy daughters are the centre of his world. And there's no question in his mind he's a first-class liar and seducer
The mountain shadow, Gregory David Roberts.
By the escaped Aussie bank robber who was extradited home to complete his jail term and then published the bestselling "Shantaram." This novel takes the story further.

British Fiction

The marble collector, Cecelia Ahern.
A forgotten childhood. A discovered life. What if you only had one day to find out who you really were? When Sabrina Boggs stumbles upon a mysterious collection of her father's possessions, she discovers a truth where she never knew there was a lie.
Just for the summer, Judy Astley.
Every July, the lucky owners of Cornish holiday homes set off for their annual break. They close up their desirable semis in smartish London suburbs - having turned off the Aga and turned on the burglar alarm - and look forward to a carefree, restful, somehow more fulfilling summer. Clare is more than usually ready for her holiday.
Don't tell the boss, Anna Bell.
When newlywed Penny turns her hand to some casual wedding planning, she only wants to help other women afford the big day of their dreams. But taming bridezillas turns out to be a full-time occupation, and what began as a hobby becomes a personal and professional nightmare.
A few of the girls, Maeve Binchy.
Brings together over 40 short stories from the much loved late Irish novelist.
Meet me on the beach, Hilary Boyd.
When pillar-of-the-community Harry Stewart dies of a sudden heart attack, the whole village is devastated except for his maligned wife Karen, the only one who really knew the abusive alcoholic Harry had become. Suddenly freed from this oppressive marriage but feeling guilty, she strikes out on her own.
The great village show, Alexandra Brown.
Tindledale is in a titter. The Village Show competition is coming around again and after last year's spectacular failure, the villagers are determined to win. Meg, a local teacher is keen to help and impose some much-needed order. Enter a famous bad boy chef. Light British comedy.
The other half of my heart, Stephanie Butland.
Fifteen years ago Bettina May's life's veered off course in one disastrous night. Still reeling from the shock of losing everything she thought was hers, Bettina opens a bakery in a village and throws herself into the comfort of bread-making.
According to yes, Dawn French.
The Foreign Land of the Very Wealthy otherwise known as Manhattan's Upper East Side has its own rigid code of behaviour. It's a code strictly adhered to by the Wilder-Bingham family. Emotional displays unacceptable. Unruly behaviour definitely not welcome. Fun no thanks.
The beachside guest house, Vanessa Greene
When Rosa and Bee get together in the run-up to Bee's wedding, they reminisce about the holiday they took together as teenagers to the beautiful Greek island of Paros.
The letter, Kathryn Hughes.
Two women born decades apart are linked by a letter found in the pocket of a coat in a charity shop.
Shopaholic to the rescue, Sophie Kinsella.
Becky's biggest ever challenge takes her to Las Vegas and beyond in a fast-paced, fun-filled, road-trip adventure.
The diamond caper, Peter Mayle.
When a Riviera socialite's diamonds are stolen the latest in a string of seemingly unconnected but ever-more-audacious jewelry heists across France Elena flies in to investigate the insurance claim.
The continuity girl, Leah McLaren.
A detail-oriented script supervisor turns her life upside down when she decides to become a "sperm bandit" and search for a man to father her child, discovering the secret of her own paternity along the way.
I'll be home for Christmas, Roisin Meaney.
It's three days before Christmas. Tilly boards a plane on the other side of the world. She's determined to reach Roone, a small island off the west coast of Ireland, in time for Christmas Day. Tilly carries a troubling secret and Laura, a woman she's never met, might be the only one who can help her.
Oliver : the cat who saved Christmas, Sheila Norton.
Oliver the cat is a timid little thing, and rarely ventures from his home in the Foresters' Arms. Then his life changes dramatically when a fire breaks out in the pub kitchen and he is left homeless and afraid. But, with the kindness of the humans around him, he soon learns to trust again.
The little red chairs, Edna O'Brien.
A wanted war criminal. Pretending to be a healer, settles in a small Irish village and one of the local women falls for him.
The enchanted island, Ellie O'Neill.
When Maeve O'Brien's boss sends her to a dreary old island to finalise some paperwork, she couldn't be happier. It's the career boost she needs to become a fully-fledged lawyer besides, it hasn't been so great on the home front in Dublin. Maeve's oldest friend and flat-mate has kicked her out.
The Christmas cafe, Amanda Prowse.
Bea is fifty three, and she's just lost her husband after thirty years of marriage. To distract herself from grief, she throws herself into her work running the Reservoir Street Kitchen in one of Sydney's most fashionable districts. But then an email from a cafe-owner in Edinburgh prompts her to take a trip to Scotland in the depths of winter.
That day in June, Martina Reilly.
Sandy and Max are unlikely friends. Sandy is a runaway, who has left her unhappy past behind and now roams the streets of High Hills. Max is a high- flying PR executive, a man about town, a mover and shaker.
Two years eight months and twenty-eight nights, Salman Rushdie.
Highly imaginative tale of worlds colliding narrated by our descendants 2000 years hence.
A gift for you, Patricia Scanlan.
Collection of short stories witjh Christmas themes.
Star teacher : the alternative school logbook 1985-1986, Jack Sheffield.
It's 1985, and as Jack returns for another year as headteacher at Ragley village school, some changes are in store. It's the year of Halley's Comet, Band Aid, Trivial Pursuit, Dynasty shoulder pads, Roland Rat and Microsoft Windows.
Public library and other stories, Ali Smith.
Why are books so very powerful? What do the books we've read over our lives our own personal libraries make of us? What does the unravelling of our tradition of public libraries, so hard-won but now in jeopardy, say about us? The stories in Ali Smith's new collection are about what we do with books and what they do with us.
Hester & Harriet, Hilary Spiers.
Hester and Harriet have their Christmas celebrations turned upside down with the arrival of their runaway teenage nephew and a young refugee woman and her baby.
An Irish doctor in love and at sea, Patrick Taylor.
Long before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly came to the colourful Irish village of Ballybucklebo, young Surgeon-lieutenant O'Reilly answered the call of duty to serve in World War II.
Along the infinite sea, Beatriz Williams.
Each of the three Schuyler sisters has her own world-class problems, but in the autumn of 1966, Pepper Schuyler's problems are in a class of their own. When Pepper fixes up a beautiful and rare vintage Mercedes and sells it at auction, she thinks she's finally found a way to take care of herself and the baby she carries, the result of an affair with a married, legendary politician.
The gap of time : The winter's tale retold, Jeanette Winterson.
Modern retelling of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale" moves from London after the 2008 financial crisis to the storm- ravaged American city of New Bohemia, in a story of the destructive effect of jealousy and the redemptive power of love.

Fantasy

Half a war, Joe Abercrombie.
Third in the "Shattered sea" series.
Otherworld secrets, Kelley Armstrong.
An anthology featuring witches, werewolves, necromancers and vampires from the Otherworld series.
Faces, E.C. Blake.
The third novel of The Masks of Aygrima is set in a land where people are forced to wear spell-imbued Masks that reveal any traitorous thoughts they have about their ruler, the Autarch.
The dread wyrm, Miles Cameron.
Third book in the Traitor Son Cycle.
Demon child, Kylie Chan.
Second in the "Celestial battle" series.
The king's justice : two novellas, Stephen R. Donaldson.
Two new, original novellas. Donaldson's first publication since finishing the Thomas Covenant series.
Born of betrayal, Sherrilyn Kenyon.
Ninth book in the "League" series.
A knight of the seven kingdoms, George R.R. Martin ; illustrations by Gary Gianni.
Three not previously connected novellas taking place ninety years before "Game of thrones."
Jeweled fire, Sharon Shinn.
Third in the "Elemental blessings" series.

Fiction from the rest of the World

The Japanese lover, Isabel Allende
1939. As Poland falls under the shadow of the Nazis, Alma Belasco's parents send her to live with an aunt and uncle in San Francisco. There, as the rest of the world goes to war, she encounters Ichimei Fukuda, the quiet and gentle son of the family's Japanese gardener.
The foundling's war, Michel Deon
In the aftermath of French defeat in July 1940, twenty-year-old Jean Arnaud and his ally, the charming conman Palfy, are hiding out at a brothel in Clermont-Ferrand, having narrowly escaped a firing squad. Intriguing tale of France during the war.
His whole life, Elizabeth Hay.
Canadian story about a boy who wants a dog is the catalyst for a touching tale of a family in the mid 1990s that falls apart and eventually comes back together.
Under the udala trees, Chinelo Okparanta.
Inspired by Nigerian folk tales, this is the story of two girls who fall in love.
Scarlet lies, Lani Young.
Lies are beautiful - when the truth hurts. Sixteen years ago, Scarlet's family sent her away in disgrace. She's been back once - with disastrous consequences. Now, her little sister is getting married and Scarlet's headed home once more. Intriguing Samoan novel.

Fiction Selector's Recommendation

Vertigo, Boileau-Narcejac
Remember the classic Hitchcock film where James Stewart followed Kim Novak through the streets of San Francisco. This is the original novel that became the film.
Darkness the color of snow, Thomas Cobb.
Story of secrets. Lies and revenge from the authot of "Crazy heart" (became the Jeff Bridges movie) where a tragic accident in a small town has strong repercussions. Very readable and real.
The past, Tessa Hadley.
Hurts and secrets spill out as three sisters, their brother and their children gather at their country house for a visit before it is sold.
Thirteen ways of looking, Colum McCann.
Irish author's story collection includes the title novella, in which an octogenarian retired judge's musings on his life are interrupted by police updates about his murder later that afternoon.
The unfriended, Jane McLoughlin.
Coming of age novel about a generation of women, played out in Ireland, where what happens during and after the troubles becomes a metaphor for the women's struggle to make peace with one another. Set in the swinging sixties.
Slade House, David Mitchell.
Down the road from a working-class British pub, along the brick wall of a narrow alley, if the conditions are exactly right, you'll find the entrance to Slade House: a surreal place where visitors see what they want to see, including some things that should be impossible. Another brilliant imaginative tale from the author of "The bone clocks."
The drowning lesson, Jane Shemilt.
Couple go to Botswana for a gap year with their children and one of their children goes missing.

Graphic novel

Deadenders, Ed Brubaker
The fade out. Act two, Ed Brubaker
Bitch Planet. [Book one, Extraordinary machine], Kelly Sue DeConnick
Black Widow. [3], Last days, Nathan Edmondson
Injection. Volume one, Warren Ellis
The wicked + the divine. Vol. 2, Fandemonium, Gillen, McKelvie, Wilson, Cowles.
Tokyo ghoul. 3, Sui Ishida
Coffin Hill. Volume 3, Haunted houses, Caitlin Kittredge
Jupiter's circle. [Book one], Mark Millar
Aama. 4, You will be glorious, my daughter, Frederik Peeters
Judge Dredd : the mega collection. The heavy mob, John Smith, Chris Standley, Robbie Morrison, John Wagner, Michael Carroll
Wytches. [Volume 1], Scott Snyder
Swamp Thing. Volume 6, The Sureen, Charles Soule, Jeff Parker
Saga. [Volume five], Fiona Staples

Historical

Now is the time, Melvyn Bragg.
14th century and the Peasants Revolt is examined by Bragg to show the epic struggle between the powerful and the powerless.
A tattooed heart, Deborah Challinor.
Sequel to "The silk thief,"
Rembrandt's mirror, Kim Devereux.
Hendrickje, a girl from a strict Calvinist family leaves her provincial home to find work as a housemaid. She enters Rembrandt's flourishing workshop five years after the death of the great artist's wife, an event that continues to haunt him.
Helen had a sister : a tale of Ancient Greece, Penelope Haines.
From Homer's Iliad comes the story of one woman's fight for her family, her kingdom and her own survival.
The stolen queen, Lisa Hilton.
The year is 1199, and King Richard the Lionheart is dead, leaving his brother John to inherit both his French and English lands. Young Isabelle of Angouleme is betrothed to the son of her father's enemy.
Cleopatra's shadows, Emily Holleman.
The only way to survive her dynasty is to rule it Abandoned by her beloved older sister Cleopatra and an indifferent father, Arsinoe, a young Egyptian princess, must fight for survival in the bloodthirsty royal court after her half-sister Berenice seizes power.
Napoleon's last island, Tom Keneally.
Whilst living in exile on St Helena, Napoleon exerted an extraordinary influence on young Betsy Balcombe. How did she get from Napoleon's side to the Australian bush?
Alexander. [Vol. 3], The ends of the earth, Valerio Massimo Manfredi
Alexander's epic quest continues through the heart of Asia and on towards the mystery of India.
Wrath of the furies, Steven Saylor.
Third volume of hi9s Ancient World series.
The winter isles, Antonia Senior.
Account of the battles for the title of Lord of the Isles in medieval Scotland.
Salt Creek, Lucy Treloar.
An English family settle in Southeastern Australia in the 1850s on an isolated cattle and sheep station.

Horror

Ghostly : a collection of ghost stories, Edioted & illustrated by Audrey Niffenegger.
Robert Kirkman's The walking dead. Invasion, Jay Bonansinga.
Out of the ashes of a devastated Woodbury, Georgia, two opposing camps of ragtag survivors are on a collision course. Underground, in the labyrinth of ancient tunnels and mine shafts, Lilly Caul and her motley crew of senior citizens, misfits, and children struggle to build a new life.
Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
From the creators of the wildly popular Welcome to Night Vale podcast comes an imaginative mystery of appearances and disappearances that is also a look at the ways in which we all struggle to find ourselves no matter where we live.
The grownup, Gillian Flynn.
A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behaviour, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. Note: this is a short story not a full length novel.
The bazaar of bad dreams : stories, Stephen King.
Collection of stories of all types.

Mystery

Silent nights : Christmas mysteries, Edited by Martin Edwards
Mycroft Holmes : a novel, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse.
The brother of Sherlock becomes embroiled in a mystery in Trinidad.
The adventuress : a Lady Emily mystery, Tasha Alexander.
Emily and husband Colin have come to the French Riviera for what should be a joyous occasion the engagement party of her lifelong friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge, and Amity Wells, an American heiress. But the merrymaking is cut short with the shocking death of one of the party in an apparent suicide.
Dishing the dirt, M.C. Beaton.
In her latest case Agatha Raison is the suspect when a new in town therapist is murdered.
The great deception, David Belbin.
Crime in Nottingham, the third in the series featuring Labour M.P. and her ex partner, Nick Bone, now going straight but lured back into the crime and drugs scene.
The mystery of the skeleton key, Bernard Capes
If Hugh had returned from hunting by another path, or if he had left his gun behind him, or if one could have told just when the shot was heard, perhaps the murder of beautiful Annie Evans might have been cleared up without so much effort on the part of the famous Sergeant Ridgeway from Scotland Yard. Reprint of a Golden Age Collins mystery.
Get even, Martina Cole.
Hard men and other ratbags down the West End again.
Night music, John Connolly.
A mixture of mystery tales and horror stories.
Called back : a story of crime, Hugh Conway
By the purest of accidents the man who is blind accidentally comes on the scene of a murder. He cannot see what is happening but he can hear. Collins Crime Club reprint, this one being from 1883.
Depraved heart, Patricia Cornwell.
Dr. Kay Scarpetta is working a suspicious death scene in Cambridge, Massachusetts when an emergency alert sounds on her phone. More nasties await her attention.
Medusa, Torkil Damhaug
If you like the Scandinavian crime novels of Jo Nesbo and Camilla Lackberg, try this one, the first in the Oslo Crime Files quartet in English.
Blood will tell, Jeanne M. Dams.
American Anglophile Dorothy Martin tackles a tricky puzzle in the historic university town of Cambridge.
Romanzo criminale, Giancarlo De Cataldo
Rome's gangland, corruption, terrorism and kidnapping in this novel, a big bestseller in Italy that was adapted into a film and two hit television
The Scottie barked at midnight, Kaitlyn Dunnett.
The latest title in the Liss MacCrimmon series, detection stories with dogs.
Paul Temple and the Kelby affair, Francis Durbridge.
Collins Crime Club reissue of one of those Kensington style mysteries featuring Paul Temple and his wife Steve.
Goodbye to the dead, Brian Freeman.
The latest book in his gripping thriller series featuring Jonathan Stride.
A thing of blood, Robert Gott.
The fatally over-confident hero of Good Murder returns to pit his meagre detective skills against military intelligence, belligerent in-laws, a town full of G.I.s, and a creepy conspiracy to bring on an Australian sectarian nightmare.
Good murder, Robert Gott.
It's 1942, and war is raging in Europe and in the Pacific. The Japanese army is on Australia's doorstep, and the small coastal Queensland town of Maryborough is on full war footing. When an acting troupe hits town things get even more complicated.
Rogue lawyer, John Grisham.
A nomadic lawyer because of frequent death threats, Sebastian Rudd takes on a case involving a brain-damaged young man accused of murder.
The grave soul, Ellen Hart.
When Guthrie Hewitt calls on restaurateur and private investigator Jane Lawless, he doesn't know where else he can turn. Guthrie has fallen for a girl-Kira Adler. In fact, he was planning to propose to her on Christmas Eve. However, she has secrets.
The rescuer, R.S. Hill.
Debut in the mystery genre for a western writer is set in 1870s Devon where a woman who'd rescued someone from drowning is murdered.
The theory of death, Faye Kellerman.
Now living in upstate New York, former LAPD lieutenant Peter Decker is plunged into a bizarre web involving academia, underworld crime, and calculating killers in the latest ion the Decker/Lazarus series.
The golem of Paris, Jonathan & Jesse Kellerman.
Second in series mixing suspense and supernatural mystery featuring burned-out LAPD detective Jacob Lev.
False nine, Philip Kerr.
Third in series featuring football coach Scott Manson has him searching for a missing star player.
Art in the blood : a Sherlock Holmes adventure, Bonnie MacBird.
1888. After a disasterous Ripper investigation, Holmes sinks into a deep depression. Watson can do nothing to help his friend, but an encoded letter from the French singer, Emmeline La Victoire, rekindles the detective's interest.
Ash Island, Barry Maitland.
Second in the Belltree trilogy featuring homicide detective Harry Belltree.
Bloody kin, Margaret Maron.
Recently widowed Kate Honeycutt returns to North Carolina and finds that another of her husband's old war buddies from Vietnam has been killed and that the man who may have the answers has disappeared.
Dance of death, Edward Marston.
Set in 1916, the fifth book in the Home Front Detective series.
The company she kept, Archer Mayor.
Latest in the long running Joe Gunther series.
Death of Anton, Alan Melville
Another in the series of British Library Crime Classics series, this one dealing with murder in the world of the circus.
City of strangers, Louise Millar.
Promising first novel set in Scotland and dealing with murder in a circus.
The chosen, Kristina Ohlsson
On a cold winter's day, a pre-school teacher is shot to death in front of parents and children at the Jewish Congregation in Stockholm. Just a few hours later two Jewish boys go missing on their way to tennis practice. Intriguing Swedish mystery.
Cross justice, James Patterson.
The umpteenth title in the Alex Cross series.
Murder House, James Patterson & David Ellis.
Number 7 Ocean Drive is a multimillion-dollar beachfront house in the Hamptons, but its beautiful exterior hides a horrific past. This house was the setting for a series of depraved killings that have never been solved. Neglected, empty and rumoured to be cursed, it's known as the Murder House.
A Christmas escape, Anne Perry.
Her thirteenth noel to the season, transports us to the Mediterranean island of Stromboli for an unconventional Yuletide adventure.
Even dogs in the wild, Ian Rankin.
The 20th title in the Rebus series.
Dark corners, Ruth Rendell.
Possibly the last novel by one of Brtiain's best mystery novelists who died this year.
Alone in the dark, Karen Rose.
Former Army Ranger Marcus O'Bannion and homicide cop Scarlett Bishop have met only briefly but when Scarlett receives a phone call in the middle of the night, she immediately recognises his voice asking her to meet him in one of Cincinnati's roughest areas.
Corrupted, Lisa Scottoline.
Taking the case of a former classmate who has been wrongly accused of murdering a bully who sent him to juvenile detention when they were children, Bennie is forced to relive some of the darkest memories of her life in order to defend the boy she once failed.
Foreign affairs, Stuart Woods.
The 35th title in the long running Stone Barrington series.
The undesired, Yrsa Sigurardottir
Scandinavian crime meets horror thriller in this decidedly creepy tale.

New Zealand Fiction

King Rich, Joe Bennett.
The haunting story of two people linked by disaster and a desire for the truth, set amid the physical and emotional devastation of a post-earthquake Christchurch.
Not our problem, Ian Cowan.
Christchurch radiologist's novel about the health reforms of the 1990s and the impact it has on a young surgical trainee.
Strait men : and other tales, Murray Edmond.
These pieces are richly strange, often funny and poignant, full of memories and contradictions, magic and rationalism.
The glass jar, Royce Elliott.
Fictional account of the life and times of orphans in two Methodist orphanages in Auckland during the 1930s and 1940s.
Backwards into the future, Bronwyn Elsmore.
Everyone knows you can't go back. Everyone except Mary apparently, because here she is - back in her old hometown. That's because of two women - Kui and Ana. One of them is pushing her, the other is holding back, and between the two there's much to be resolved.
She bid me take love easy, John Hicks.
Daniel Page, a sexually naive young man, is disturbed by the shifting standards of morality he encounters at university.
Forest affairs abroad, Roger Keey.
Dave Spencer leaves New Zealand for America to seek a forestry job that turns out to be a chimera. Caught up in a logging protest he escapes from the police to get a temporary job in the conservation of some ancient forest remnants in England.
The stories of Bill Manhire., Bill Manhire
Collects the stories from The New Land : A Picture Book (1990) and the stories added to South Pacific (1994) and Songs of My Life (1996). In addition there are previously uncollected and unpublished stories, the choose-your-own-adventure novella The Brain of Katherine Mansfield (1988), and the memoir Under the Influence (2003).
Billionaire Phin, Don E. McGregor.
An unexpected inheritance arrives in our hero's unwilling lap. Sensibly, he doesn't want a bar of the $4+billion fortune, preferring a simple life, but young paraplegic teenager Millie convinces him to accept the legacy. Weirdly, he succeeds in changing the whole US economic and business landscape.
Phin, Don E. McGregor.
Story of a superachiever, who seems to effortlessly succeed, although of course he doesn't particularly want to.
But for the grace, Gaye Sutton.
A group of women living in violent relationships meets each week in a community house. Their advocates, feisty, radical feminists, Leah Gunn and her partner Kelly, have developed a liberating practice, from their own lived experience, which helps women to evaluate their lives and make decisions.
Breaking connections, Albert Wendt.
A dynamic group has emerged in Auckland whose members refer to themselves as the Tribe. Mainly Polynesian, they grow up together, rise from poverty and become successful professionals, bound by love and fierce loyalty. At the centre, is Aaron, who lives at the edge of danger, shady dealings and self-destruction.
How to grow an addict, J.A. Wright.
Randall Grange has been tricked into admitting herself into a treatment centre and she doesn't know why. She's not a party hound like the others in her therapy group - but then again, she knows she can't live without pills or booze.

Romance

One moonlit night : Moonlight Square : a prequel novella, Gaelen Foley.
Buying thyme, TJ Hamilton.
Brown-eyed girl, Lisa Kleypas.
Stars of fortune, Nora Roberts.

Saga

Wild lands, Nicole Alexander.
New South Wales, 1837. Settlers in search of fertile country are venturing far outside the colony. Literally cutting a swathe through the bush with their bare hands, they lay claim to territory beyond government jurisdiction and the reach of the law.
Sidney Sheldon's Reckless, Tilly Bagshawe.
Once upon a time, Tracy Whitney was one of the best thieves in the business. Then she settled down, had a baby, and planned to spend the rest of her days quietly, living anonymously, devoted to her son. Mix of romantic saga and thriller.
House of dreams, Fanny Blake.
In the hilltop villa with its spectacular views across rolling countryside to the straits of Gibraltar, Lucy anxiously awaits the arrival of her brother and sister. They're spending the weekend together to say farewell to Casa de Suenos, the house in the mountains of southern Spain where they grew up.
When Christmas bells ring, Katie Flynn.
It's Christmas in the Courts, and single mother Rosheen Clarke and her mischievous twin daughters April and May have no idea of the cataclysmic events which will soon overtake them.
Storms over Blackpeak, Holly Ford.
Will love weather the storms in this romantic tale set in our very own high country.
A brief affair, Margaret Leroy.
September 1940. England is a war once again and London has become an ever-fragile place for widowed Livia Ripley and her two young daughters, Polly and Eliza. When Livia meets charismatic publisher Hugo Ballantyne, she is hopeful that her life is about to change for the better. But this may not be.
The perfumer's secret, Fiona McIntosh.
On the eve of the First World War, Fleurette, the only daughter of the wealthy Delacroix perfume dynasty, is being forced to marry a man she loathes, Aimery De Lasset, head of the pre-eminent perfume manufacturer in France.
Rain music, Di Morrissey.
Inspired by her adventures in rural Queensland,the leading Aussie outback saga specialist should please her fans once more.
The orphans of Halfpenny Street, Cathy Sharp.
First in a series featuring Sister Beatrice and her orphanage in London's East End in 1948. If you like "Call the midwife" you should like this.
Precious gifts, Danielle Steel.
One act of love will change one family's destiny. As a devoted mother, Veronique Parker has dedicated herself to her three daughters, before and since her divorce. Her world is turned upside down when her former husband dies suddenly, leaving her and their daughters astonishing inheritances.
Undercover, Danielle Steel.
Marshall Everett and Ariana Gregory are about to collide, and life will never be the same again. Marshall is an ex-undercover agent who has just survived the toughest assignment of his career amidst the jungles of Colombia, and is happy to put living in danger behind him.
The bourbon kings, J.R. Ward.
First in a new series about a Southern family of wealth and privilege who are beset by scandal, deceit and secrets.

Science fiction

Killing Titan, Greg Bear.
Second in the War dogs series.
Our lady of the ice, Cassandra Rose Clarke.
A female private eye goes up against a gangster in a colony in Argentine Antarctica. Described as "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" meets "The windup girl."
Ancillary mercy, Ann Leckie.
Third in the Imperial Radch series.
The dark forest, Cixin Liu
Excellent sf from China's top writer of the genre.
The Daedalus incident, Michael J. Martinez.
Freak quakes are rumbling over the long-dormant tectonic plates of the planet, disrupting its trillion-dollar mining operations and driving scientists past the edges of theory and reason. However, when rocks shake off their ancient dust and begin to roll seemingly of their own volition things move out of control.
Hell's foundations quiver, David Weber.
The 8th in the Safehold series.
A borrowed man, Gene Wolfe.
SF noir with deadpan humour about a man living on a library shelf in a future where the population has severely diminished.
Futuristic violence and fancy suits, David Wong.
Set in a violent near-future where superhero vigilantes bagttle supervillains and the Fancy Suits struggle to keep things calm.