Recreation

New Titles Fiction January 2020 (arrived in December 2019)

ADVENTURE

Secret service, Tom Bradby.
Kate Henderson's life must seem perfectly ordinary. Civil servant, wife, parent of two teenagers, daughter of a sick and aging mother. But she is also a senior MI6 officer, and her mission to bug a Russian oligarch's super-yacht in Istanbul has yielded the startling intelligence that the British Prime Minister has prostate cancer and that one of the leading candidates to replace him may be a Russian agent of influence.
Tom Clancy Code of honor, Marc Cameron.
Father Pat West, S.J. was a buddy of the young Jack Ryan when they were both undergraduates at Loyola University. He is now working with the poor in Indonesia and has been arrested and accused of blasphemy against Islam. President Ryan is desperate to rescue his old friend, but he can't move officially against the Indonesians. Instead he relies on the Campus team to find out who is framing the priest.
The grid, Nick Cook.
Every day the President of the United States receives death threats. Every day his security team tell him there's nothing to worry about. Today is different. Today he doesn't believe them. Because he has been dreaming about his own death over and over. A repeating nightmare that is so real, it feels like a warning.
Under occupation : a novel, Alan Furst.
After the Nazi victory over Poland in 1939, thousands of Poles were sent to Germany as slave laborers. From inside enemy territory, they found ways to get valuable information to resistance fighters in France. Paul Ricard, a French writer of detective novels, is drawn in to working in the resistance, as a spy against the Reich, and is charged with getting the information from the Polish prisoners to the Allied forces.
Storm of steel, Matthew Harffy.
AD 643. Anglo-Saxon Britain. Heading south to lands he once considered his home, Beobrand is plunged into a dark world of piracy and slavery when an old friend enlists his help to recover a kidnapped girl.
Hunt the leopard, Don Mann.
The charismatic Boko Haram leader Ratty Festus, also known as the Leopard, has been terrorizing drought-ridden northeastern Nigeria: raiding villages, blowing up government buildings, and kidnapping schoolgirls. Thomas Crocker's SEAL Team Six crew deploys to the Nigerian jungle to combat arms and human trafficking by Boko Haram.
Oppo : a novel, Tom Rosenstiel.
It is presidential primary season, and at campaign rallies for all the candidates there are disturbing incidents of violence and protest and shocking acts of civil disobedience. When Wendy Upton, the highly respected centrist senator, is offered the VP slot by both parties' leading candidates, she receives an anonymous threat that could destroy her career.
Shadow, James Swallow.
Marc and his partner former US Delta Force sniper Lucy Keyes are pitted against their most terrifying challenge yet, when a genius bio-researcher with the ability to create a deadly biological weapon is kidnapped by a ruthless terrorist.
Separated at the border : a novel, Michael Walsten.
Diamond Herrera, a 24-year-old freelance journalist, and Jason Taylor, an ex-Army Ranger and journalism professor, team up with the ACLU and the Catholic Church to fight human trafficking and abuse at a privately-run immigrant youth detention facility in the Florida Everglades.

FANTASY

Foxfire, wolfskin and other stories of shapeshifting women, Sharon Blackie.
These twelve, beautifully written stories are original for modern readers, but based on existing folklore and fairy tales. They all focus on women who have the ability to transform themselves, or who have been transformed or enchanted to shape-shift, to renew themselves, to cross over from one element to another from land to water, this world and the Otherworld, woman-kind to wild creature.
The girl with no face, M. H. Boroson.
It's the end of the Nineteenth Century. San Francisco's cobblestone streets are haunted, but Chinatown has an unlikely protector in a young Daoist priestess named Li-lin. Using only her martial arts training, spiritual magic, a sword made from peachwood, and the walking, talking spirit of a human eye, Li-lin stands alone to defend her immigrant community from supernatural threats.
The song of the Sycamore, Edward Cox.
On the broken world of Urdezha, Wendal Finn died on the hostile plains of the wasteland, one more casualty in the endless war between the city-dwellers and the clansfolk. But now Wendal has returned to his home city of Old Castle, possessed by something he brought back from the wasteland, something old and best left forgotten.
The impossible contract, K. A. Doore.
An assassin's reputation can mean life or death. This holds especially true for Thana Basbowen, daughter of the legendary Serpent, who rules over Ghadid's secret clan of assassins. When a top-tier contract drops in her lap death orders against foreign ambassador Heru Sametket, Thana seizes the opportunity. Yet she may be in over her head.
Hateful things, Terry Goodkind.
The House of Rahl would not die out; the lineage of Confessors would not end. Richard and Kahlan are having twins: a boy and a girl. But their birth will also be their death sentence: the magic that grows with them will attract those who are evil, who wish to rampage unrestrained across the world. Is there any way to protect them?
The scribbly man, Terry Goodkind.
They are the monsters under the bed when you are little, the shape just caught out of the corner of your eye when you thought you were alone, the shadow of something in a dark corner that surprises you and then isn't there. They stop you dead with a knot of unexpected terror in the pit of your stomach. We have all seen fleeting glimpses of them. Never long enough to see them as I saw them, but it was them.
Wasteland, Terry Goodkind.
Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell are fighting on all fronts. The Golden Goddess, Collector of Worlds, has infiltrated the People's Palace, able to insinuate herself into the minds of those without the gift of magic. Richard can trust no-one but the gifted. So, when Vika, one of his sworn Mord-Sith bodyguards is abducted, he has to get her back.
Warrior of the Altaii, Robert Jordan.
The watering holes of the Plain are drying up, the fearsome fanghorn grow more numerous, and bad omens abound. Wulfgar, a leader of the Altaii people, must contend with twin queens, warlords, prophets, and magic in hopes of protecting his people and securing their future.
The blue eye, Ausma Zehanat Khan.
The Companions of Hira have used their cunning and their magic in the battle against the patriarchal Talisman, an organization whose virulently conservative agenda restricts free thought. One of the most accomplished Companions, Arian, continues to lead a disparate group in pursuit of the one artifact that could end the Talisman's authoritarian rule: The Bloodprint.
Novice dragoneer, E. E. Knight.
Ileth grew up in an orphanage, but she's dreamed of serving with the dragons ever since a childhood meeting with a glittering silver dragon and its female dragoneer. When she is old enough to join, Ileth runs away to become a novice dragoneer at the ancient human-dragon fortress of the Serpentine.
Steel crow saga, Paul Krueger.
Tala lost her family to the empress's army. In avenging them in battle Tala has committed crimes against the laws of magic-- and against her own flesh and blood. Jimuro has inherited the ashes of an empire. He must depend on Tala to bring him home safe, but it was his army who murdered her family.
Soul veil, Kayette la Mane.
As Abe and Kira's love relationship grows closer, she discovers something else she'd thought impossible, and as Kira realises that angels and dark shadows exist with purpose in a supernatural realm around her, she then finds out there's also a very real battle brewing in the heaven lies over her soul.
Good company, Dale Lucas.
In the most dangerous district in the city, Rem and Torval have been perfecting their good cop, bad cop routine while protecting residents from the likes of drug-dealing orcs and mind-controlling elves. Now, Rem and Torval must leave the city to escort a notorious thief through a dangerous forest. But the thief's companions are waiting, and the soldiers Rem and Torval journey with might not be so honourable.
The name of all things, Jenn Lyons.
Since Kihrin D'Mon he destroyed the Stone of Shackles and set demons free across Quur, he has been on the run from the wrath of an entire empire. His attempt to escape brings him into the path of Janel Theranon, a mysterious Joratese woman. Janel's plea for help pits Kihrin against all manner of dangers: a secret rebellion, a dragon capable of destroying an entire city, and Kihrin's old enemy, the wizard Relos Var.
The starless sea, Erin Morgenstern.
Zachary Ezra Rawlins is a graduate student in Vermont when he discovers a mysterious book hidden in the stacks. As he turns the pages, entranced by tales of lovelorn prisoners, key collectors, and nameless acolytes, he reads something strange: a story from his own childhood.
The heart and other viscera : stories, Felix J. Palma.
An enchanting collection of twelve evocative and macabre stories delving into the magical, ordinary, and darker aspects of love in all its powerful forms.
The rise of Magicks, Nora Roberts.
Fallon Swift has spent all her life preparing for this moment. No longer can she stand by whilst her fellow Magicks are hunted by the fanatical Purity Warriors or rounded up and experimented on by the government. Fallon must follow her destiny to restore the magical shield that once protected them all. But she can't do it alone.
Incorruptible, Lilith Saintcrow.
Jenna Delacroix is determined to keep her life as simple as possible. Maybe if she tries hard enough to be normal the nightmares and strange occurrences plaguing her all her life will finally recede. But then the monsters arrive and with them, the man who says he's her protector.
We are the dead, Mike Shackle.
Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day. Somehow Tinnstra a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived.
The deep, Rivers Solomon.
Yetu holds the memories for her people water-dwelling descendants of pregnant African slave women thrown overboard by slave owners who live idyllic lives in the deep. Their past, too traumatic to be remembered regularly, is forgotten by everyone, save one the historian. This demanding role has been bestowed on Yetu.
Realm of ash : the books of Ambha, Tasha Suri.
Widowed by the infamous, unnatural massacre at Darez Fort, Arwa was saved only by the strangeness of her blood a strangeness she had been taught all her life to suppress. She offers up her blood and service to the imperial family, and makes common cause with a disgraced, illegitimate prince who has turned to forbidden occult arts to find a cure to the darkness hanging over the Empire.

FICTION

Find me, Andre Aciman.
Elio has left behind his first love. Now a classical pianist living in Paris, he believes his youthful desires are behind him yet after a glancing encounter at a chamber music concert, he once again finds himself falling for an older man. As their affair intensifies, his thoughts turn to the past, and to Oliver, whose presence in Elio's heart has never dimmed.
The anatomy of dreams, Chloe Benjamin.
Sylvie Patterson joins scientist Adrian Keller and former flame Gabe on a quest to introduce people to lucid dreaming, but a mysterious couple inspire Sylvie to question the ethics of their work, while she grapples with the shifting boundaries of reality.
The Confession Club : a novel, Elizabeth Berg.
When Iris Winters and Maddy Harris are invited to the club, they find that it's just what each of them needs. Iris hasn't yet told anyone about the unlikely man who has captured her attention, and Maddy has come back home to escape a problem too big for her to confront.
The desert and the drum, Mbarek Ould Beyrouk.
Everything changes for Rayhana when foreigners with strange machines arrive to mine for metal near her Bedouin camp. One of them is the enigmatic Yahya. Her association with him leads to Rayhana to abandon all that she has ever known and flee alone to the city. But when her tribe discover she has stolen their sacred drum, they pursue her to exact their revenge.
Naamah, Sarah Blake.
Revisits the story of the Ark that rescued life on earth, and rediscovers the agonizing burdens endured by the woman at the heart of the story. Naamah is a parable for our time: a fable of body, spirit, and resilience.
Armadillo, William Boyd.
Lorimer Black young, good-looking, but with a somewhat troubled expression does not understand why his world is being torn apart, though he does know that for the most part it is made up of bluster and hypocrisy. His business, trying to keep insurance companies from paying out the money they've promised, is a con game run with the protection of the law.
One winter morning, Isabelle Broom.
Evangeline isn't feeling festive this December. The frost and fairy lights only remind her it's been a year since she lost the mother who took her in as a baby and raised her. She's never felt more alone until she discovers her birth mother's identity and where to find her.
The woman in the photograph, Stephanie Butland.
1968. Veronica Moon, a teenage ingenue from an estate in Essex is teaching herself the art of photography. Then she visits the picket line at Dagenham Ford Factory fighting fight for equal pay for women workers. She meets Leonie a privileged, angry activist and Veronica is captivated. She breaks off her engagement and moves to London with Leonie to begin a game-changing career and an intoxicating friendship.
Pickle's progress : a novel, Marcia Butler.
A fierce, mordant New York story about the twisted path to love. Over the course of five weeks, identical twin brothers, one wife, a dog, and a bereaved young woman collide with each other to comical and sometimes horrifying effect. Everything is questioned and tested as they jockey for position and try to maintain the status quo. Love is the poison, the antidote, the devil and, ultimately, the hero.
The Christmas boutique : an Elm Creek quilts novel, Jennifer Chiaverini.
Just weeks before Christmas, severe wintry weather damages the church hall hosting the Christmas Boutique an annual sale of handcrafted gifts and baked goods that supports the county food pantry. Determined to save the fundraiser, Sylvia Bergstrom Compson offers to hold the event at Elm Creek Manor, her ancestral family estate and summertime home to Elm Creek Quilt Camp.
I'll be home for Christmas, Abbey Clancy.
Popstar Jessika Malone can't believe her luck! Not only has she signed a major record deal and is topping the charts with her latest single, she's just been offered the chance of a lifetime: a tour with gorgeous megastar Cooper Black.
The innocents, Michael Crummey.
A novel about an orphaned brother and sister who must fend for themselves on a remote fishing outpost in the late 1800s.
Dominicana, Angie Cruz.
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate.
The crossed out notebook, Nicolas Giacobone.
Pablo, a failed Argentine novelist-turned-screenwriter, has been kidnapped by the greatest Latin American film director of all time and is kept in a basement where he works, day after day, on what he is told must at all costs be a great, world-changing screenplay.
Hard mouth : a novel, Amanda Goldblatt.
For ten years, Denny's father has battled cancer. Denny rents a secluded cabin in the mountains when she discovers life in the wilderness isn't the perfect detachment she was expecting and that she isn't as alone as she'd hoped. She is forced to reckon with this failure while confronting a new life with its own set of pleasures and dangerous incursions.
The love child, Rachel Hore.
London, 1917. When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby. But all Alice can think about is the child she gave away and she mourns the father, a young soldie who will never have the chance to know his daughter.
Starve Acre, Andrew Michael Hurley.
The worst thing possible has happened. Richard and Juliette Willoughby's son, Ewan, has died suddenly at the age of five. Starve Acre, their house by the moors, was to be full of life, but is now a haunted place. Juliette, convinced Ewan still lives there in some form, seeks the help of the Beacons, a seemingly benevolent group of occultists.
Fishnet, Kirstin Innes.
Rona Leonard was only twenty years old when she walked out of her sister Fiona's flat and disappeared. Six years later Fiona's mundane existence is blown apart by the revelation that Rona had been working as a prostitute before she vanished. Driven to discover the truth, Fiona embarks on an obsessive quest to investigate the sex industry that claimed her sister.
The paper nautilus : a trilogy, Michael Jackson
The Paper Nautilus is about loss - the forms it takes, how we go on living in the face of it, and the mysterious ways that new life and new beginnings are born of brokenness. A vivid image of this interplay of death and rebirth since, for new life to begin, the angelically beautiful but fragile shell that sustained a former life must be shattered.
In the company of others, Jan Karon.
Father Tim and Cynthia arrive in the west of Ireland, intent on researching his Kavanagh ancestry. The charm of their lakeside B & B is broken when Cynthia startles a burglar and sprains her already-injured ankle. Then a cherished and valuable painting is stolen from the lodge owners, and Cynthia's pain pales in comparison to the wound at the center of this bitterly estranged Irish family.
The ten loves of Mr Nishino, Hiromi Kawakami.
Over the course of his life, Mr Nishino falls hopelessly in love again and again. One woman is a colleague, another a chance encounter; one is the girlfriend of a classmate, another the best friend of Nishino's latest conquest. As we come to learn of the torments, desires and delights of each woman, a portrait emerges of a complicated man whose great capacity for love may well be the cause of his downfall.
The swing of things, Linda Keir.
Attorney Jayne Larsen loves her stay-at-home husband. Eric is attentive and a great father to their daughter. But things have gotten too predictable. Enter Theo and Mia Winters, the effortlessly cool, attractive couple who are the centre of everyone's attention. They are blissfully happy and ready to share their secret for keeping things spicy. But there are rules, and breaking them has consequences.
Miracle Creek, Angie Kim.
In rural Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic 'dives' with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility. When the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos' small community.
Closer home : a novel, Kerry Anne King.
When Lise Redding's estranged sister, country-pop star Callie Redfern, is killed during a publicity stunt, the small-town music teacher is dragged from her quiet life into the spotlight. Lise hadn't spoken with Callie in ten years, ever since Callie's betrayal split them apart, so she's shocked to discover that she's inherited her sister's massive estate.
Everything you are : a novel, Kerry Anne King.
One tragic twist of fate destroyed Braden Healey's hands, his musical career, and his family. Now, unable to play, adrift in an alcoholic daze, and with only fragmented memories of his past, Braden wants desperately to escape the darkness of the last eleven years. When his ex-wife and son are killed in a car accident, Braden returns home, hoping to forge a relationship with his troubled seventeen-year-old daughter, Allie.
Baron Wenckheim's homecoming, Laszlo Krasznahorkai.
Set in contemporary times, Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming tells the story of a Prince Myshkin-like figure, Baron Bela Wenckheim, who decides to return at the end of his life to the provincial Hungarian town of his birth. Having escaped from his many casino debts in Buenos Aires, where he was living in exile, he wishes to be reunited with his high school sweetheart Marika.
What happened? : stories and essays, Hanif Kureishi.
Comic, dark and insightful, What Happened? is Hanif Kureishi's new collection of essays and fiction. No topic is too fringe or too mainstream for this insatiable-and much-loved-author. From social media to the ancient classics, from appraisals of David Bowie to Georges Simenon to Keith Jarrett, this is the latest literary 'event' in a unique body of work that displays Kureishi's characteristic boundless curiosity and wit.
That's what frenemies are for : a novel, Sophie Littlefield.
A Manhattan socialite turns her spin instructor into a fitness superstar to impress her friends. Can she keep her little project under control or has she created a monster?
England, their England, A.G. Macdonell.
Banished from his native Scotland by a curious clause in his father's will, Donald Cameron moves to London and decides to conduct a study of the English people; a strange race who, he is told, have built an entire national identity around a reverence for team spirit and the memory of Lord Nelson.
Prophecies : stories, Rupa Maitra
Rupa Maitra's debut collection of short stories lures us into diverse worlds. Some of her stories spring from her background in music and medicine, some from her Bengali heritage - and all from a vivid imagination.
Brilliance, Anthony McCarten.
This is the story of how two brilliant men came together and changed the world. But while the banker, J.P. Morgan left the relationship unscathed, the renowned inventor, Thomas Edison, went from being hailed as the "bringer of light" to being derided as "Wall Street's executioner."
The man I thought you were, Leah Mercer.
One fine autumn evening, Anna returns from work and starts making dinner, eager to welcome home her husband, Mark. It's just like any other day in their ten-year, until he says he's leaving her. Discovering that the man she thought she knew better than anyone else is capable of abandoning it all sends Anna reeling.
The puzzle of you, Leah Mercer.
When Charlotte McKay wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, all she wants is to go back to the perfect London flat she shares with her husband, and the impressive career she's worked so hard to build. But something's not right. Her husband David is at her bedside but so is a three-year-old girl, and she's calling Charlotte 'Mummy'.
Who we were before, Leah Mercer.
Zoe knows that it wasn't really her fault. Of course it wasn't. But if she'd just grasped harder, run faster, lunged quicker, she might have saved him. Edward doesn't really blame her, though his bitter words at the time still haunt her, and he can no more take them back than she can halt the car that killed their son.
An Italian affair, Caroline Montague.
Italy, 1937. Alessandra Durante is grieving the loss of her husband when she discovers she has inherited her ancestral family home, Villa Durante, deep in the Tuscan Hills. The terms of the will are that she must live in the Villa Durante for at least twelve months. Longing for a new start, she moves to Italy and sets about rebuilding her life, but the shadow of war hangs heavy over the Tuscan hills and life will never be the same again.
Rumpole and the Primrose Path, John Mortimer.
Horace Rumpole has returned from the grave, commencing with his no-nonsense escape from the dubious convalescent home in which he's been immured. Times have changed, he finds on his return to number 4 Equity Court. Samuel Ballard, QC, the Head of Chambers, has hired Luci Gribble as Director of Marketing and Administration, and the hard-bitten Luci has responded by falling for Soapy Sam.
So lucky, Dawn O'Porter.
Beth shows that women really can have it all. Ruby lives life by her own rules, and then there's Lauren, living the dream. Beth hasn't had sex in a year. Ruby feels like she's failing. Lauren's happiness is fake news, and it just takes one shocking event to make the truth come tumbling out. Fearless, frank and for everyone who's ever doubted themselves.
The factory, Hiroko Oyamada.
In an unnamed Japanese city, three seemingly normal and unrelated characters find work at a sprawling industrial factory. They each focus intently on their specific jobs: one studies moss, one shreds paper, and the other proofreads incomprehensible documents. Eventually the factory expands and begins to take over everything. The very margins of reality seem to be dissolving: all forms of life capriciously evolve, strange creatures begin to appear.
A wedding on Christmas Street, Ivy Pembroke.
Sam is about to propose to his girlfriend Libby, and his neighbours in Christmas Street all think they know the right way to do it. With their help and sometimes hinderance Sam gains a fiancee and the wedding planning begins. Meanwhile, Sam's nine-year-old son Teddy and his friend Pari - with their constant companion Jack the street dog are fascinated by the arrival of a mysterious new neighbour on the street who has rented the empty, run-down house.
How fires end : a novel, Marco Rafalo.
After soldiers vacate the Sicilian hillside town of Melilli in the summer of 1943, the locals celebrate, giving thanks to their patron saint, Sebastian. Amid the revelry, all it takes is one fateful moment for the destiny of nine-year-old Salvatore Vassallo to change forever. When his twin brothers are killed playing with an unexploded mortar shell, the family unravels, and fear ignites among their neighbours that the Vassallo name is cursed, one tragedy begets another.
The marriage clock : a novel, Zara Raheem.
To Leila Abid's traditional Indian parents, finding a husband is as easy as match, meet, marry. Leila wants to marry, but she is looking for a Bollywood romance, where real love happens before marriage, not the other way around. After a series of speed, blind, online and even ambush dates, the marriage clock ticking: she's facing her 3-month deadline before her parents arrange a marriage for her!
Daughter of the tigris, Muhsin Al-Ramli.
On the third day of Ramadan, Qisma leaves for Baghdad with her husband-to-be to find the body of her father. But in the bloodiest year of a bloody war, how will she find one body among thousands?
All the better part of me, Molly Ringle.
It's an inconvenient time for Sinter Blackwell to realize he's bisexual. He's a 25-year-old American actor working in London, living far away from his disapproving parents in the Pacific Northwest, and enjoying a flirtation with his director, Fiona. But he can't deny that his favorite parts of each day are the messages from his gay best friend, Andy, in Seattle. Finally he decides to return to America to visit andy and discover what's between them.
The affairs of the Falcons : a novel, Melissa Rivero.
Ana Falcon, along with her husband Lucho and their two young children, has fled the economic and political strife of Peru for a chance at a new life in New York City in the 1990s. Being undocumented, however, has significantly curtailed the family's opportunities.
Bruny, Heather Rose.
How far would your government go? A right-wing US president has withdrawn America from the Middle East and the UN. Daesh has a thoroughfare to the sea and China is Australia's newest ally. When a bomb goes off in remote Tasmania, Astrid Coleman agrees to return home to help her brother before an upcoming election. But this is no simple task with her brother and sister on either side of politics.
Manual of painting and calligraphy, Jose Saramago.
H. is a struggling artist with a commission to paint a portrait of a well-known industrialist. Whilst the industrialist sits for the portrait, H. begins an affair with his subject's secretary. Meanwhile the painting starts to fail. For inspiration H. takes a trip to Italy to contemplate the works of the great artists, but when his friend back home is arrested by the secret police of Salazar's regime, H. is pulled back to Portugal.
The double, Jose Saramago.
A history teacher rents a video on the recommendation of a friend. Not a great fan of cinema, he watches the film unmoved, but wakes later that night unaccountably troubled by something he has subconsciously viewed. He gets up to watch the film again and discovers, to his horror, an actor who could be his twin, identical in every way except for the moustache he himself has not worn for five years.
In persuasion nation, George Saunders.
Contains a collection short stories that provide a humorous and satiric vision of America.
The grammarians, Cathleen Schine.
Laurel and Daphne Wolfe, identical, inseparable redheaded twins, share an obsession with words. As adults making their way in 1980s Manhattan, their verbal infatuation begins to push them apart. Their fraying twinship finally shreds completely when the sisters go to war over custody of their most prized family heirloom: Merriam Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition.
The revisioners : a novel, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton.
In 1925, Josephine is the proud owner of a thriving farm. As a child, she channeled otherworldly power to free herself from slavery. Now, her new neighbor, a white woman named Charlotte, seeks her company, and an uneasy friendship grows between them. However, Charlotte has also sought solace in the Ku Klux Klan, a relationship that jeopardizes Josephine's family.
Holding on to nothing : a novel, Elizabeth Chiles Shelburne.
Lucy Kilgore has her bags packed for her escape from her rural Tennessee upbringing, but a drunken mistake forever tethers her to the town and one of its least-admired residents, Jeptha Taylor, who becomes the father of her child.
Inexpressible island, Paullina Simons.
Julian has lost everything he ever loved and is almost out of time. His life and death struggle against fate offers him one last chance to do the impossible and save the woman to whom he is permanently bound. Together, Julian and Josephine must wage war against the relentless dark force that threatens to destroy them.
Agnes, Peter Stamm.
"Write a story about me," Agnes said to her lover, "so I know that you think of me." So he started to write the story of everything that had happened to them from the moment they met. At first, he works with Agnes to create a narrative that is most true to life, but as time passes and he grows more enamored with the narrative he has begun, he continues writing on his own, imagining a future for them after he reaches the present.
The model wife, Tricia Stringer.
Natalie King's life is full. With her teaching job, a farm to run, three grown daughters, a reserved husband and a demanding mother-in-law, most days she is too busy to think about whether she is happy. When an odd gift from her mother-in-law - an old book in the form of stern and outdated advice for young wives surfaces again, it brings with it memories she thought she had buried deep. Has this insidious little book exerted some kind of hold over her?
A map of the damage, Sophia Tobin.
A story about two women, a century apart, united by one place: the Mirrormakers' Club. A building which holds echoes of past loves and hates, and hides the darkest of secrets in its foundations.
She was like that : new and selected stories, Kate Walbert.
In these twelve deft, acutely funny and often heartbreaking stories, Kate Walbert delves into the hearts and minds of women. Her characters are searchers, uneasy in one way or another. They yearn for connection, question the definitions assigned to them as wives, mothers, and daughters; they seek their own way within isolated, and often isolating, circumstances, reveling in small, everyday epiphanies and moments of clarity.
Friends don't lie, Cath Weeks.
Everyone knows Melissa Silk and her two best friends in their small Dorset town. When tragedy strikes and one of the three women, Jenny, is found dead, Melissa can't move on. She knows that something isn't right and she owes it to Jenny to find out what it is. But what if learning the truth means losing everything she cherishes?
Dreams of falling, Karen White.
It's been nine years since Larkin fled Georgetown, South Carolina, vowing never to go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she knows she has no choice but to return to the place that she both loves and dreads and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.
Filter this, Sophie White.
Wannabe influencer Ali spends much of her time on Instagram in a scroll-hole of envy and comparison, seeking refuge from the bleak reality of her father's illness. When Ali inadvertently leads her followers to believe she is pregnant and immediately gains thousands of new devotees, she realises that the one vital 'hero' accessory of this season is not to be found in Penneys. But she decides to run with it and hatches an ill-conceived plan to fake a foetus.
Nothing to see here, Kevin Wilson.
Lillian and Madison were unlikely, yet inseparable friends at their boarding school. Then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal, and they have barely spoken since. Years later, Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.

GRAPHIC NOVEL

JoJo's bizarre adventure. Part 4, Diamond is unbreakable. 3, Hirohiko Araki.
Josuke and the gang find themselves in hot water in a brand-new Italian restaurant thanks to its overly aggressive chef. Is he an enemy Stand user or just a foodie gone off the deep end?
Naomi. Season one, Brian Michael Bendis.
When a fight between Superman and Mongul crashes into a small northwestern town, a local teenager named Naomi starts looking into what happened the last time a super-being visited her hometown--and how that visit might tie into her own origins as an adopted child. But Naomi's seemingly harmless curiosity exposes more than just her family's startling secrets--it attracts the attention of forces that could threaten the Earth itself!
Bad gateway, Simon Hanselmann.
Perpetually drunk and high, lovable degenerates Megg and Mogg have drifted through a life full of raucous antics and free of consequences. But their heavy drug use, once a gateway to adventure, has begun to take a grim psychological toll.
Cells at work! : code black. 02, Shigemitsu Harada.
This new take stars a fresh-faced Red Blood Cell and his friend, the buxom White Blood Cell, as they struggle to keep themselves and their world together through alcoholism, smoking, erectile dysfunction, athlete's foot, gout it's literal body horror!
Maria M., Gilbert 'Beto' Hernandez.
Femme fatale Maria M.'s life south of the border is a sordid cacophony of sex, drugs, and power. She emigrates to America in search of a better life, only to find that it takes more than a change of scenery to break the cycle of violence.
The ogre gods. Book three, The great man, Gatignol Hubert
This time focusing on those humans who live outside the kingdom amidst the dangerous surrounding wilderness. Lours is an aging leader of a passionate rebel clan who seeks to defend their traditions and territory from those who would take it from them, including the Chamberlain of the nearby kingdom and the giant Ogre Gods who rule above them.
Attack on Titan. 29, Hajime Isayama.
As a Marleyan invasion dangles like a guillotine blade over the island of Paradis, allies have become enemies, and former friends are at each other's throats. The Yeagerists are in all-out revolt, fighting to dismantle military rule before the potential for world war explodes into certain doom.
Doomsday clock. Part 1, Geoff Johns.
Seven years after the events of Watchmen, Adrian Veidt has been exposed as the murderer of millions. Now a fugitive, he has come up with a new plan to save his once-adoring world: find Dr. Manhattan. Alongside a new Rorschach and the deadly Mime and Marionette, he arrives in the DC Universe and finds it on the brink of collapse.
No guns life. 1, Tasuku Karasuma.
After the war, cyborg soldiers known as the Extended were discharged. Juzo Inui is one of them, a man whose body was transformed, his head replaced with a giant gun! With no memory of his previous life or who replaced his head and why Inui now scratches out a living in the dark streets of the city as a Resolver, taking on cases involving the Extended.
Kakegurui twin. 1, Homura Kawamoto.
As a first-year student of the renowned Hyakkaou Private Academy, Mary Saotome knows her future is set for a one-way cruise to the top. That is, until an encounter with an old-classmate-turned-housepet throws the newbie princess into the world of gambling!
Kakegurui twin. 2, Homura Kawamoto.
After losing her hard-earned profits to student council member Aoi Mibuomi, a penniless Mary is given a chance to take it all back on just one condition: she must team up with Aoi to oust the student council president! But in order to do so, she needs to first prove her skills in one of the academy's most popular annual events-the Coupling Party! Will Mary be able to use her gambling prowess to survive this dirty game of cupid?
Kakegurui twin. 3, Homura Kawamoto.
Thanks to their strong bond, Mary and her team overcome the coupling gamble, and the now-famous gambling star joins forces with Aoi Mibuomi. But as she climbs the ranks of the wealthy institution, more and more begin to challenge her seat, including Aoi's fiance, Sakura Miharutaki and Juraku's housepet, Mikura Sado. Will Mary be able to handle this baptism by fire?
Kakegurui twin. 4, Homura Kawamoto.
After narrowly escaping defeat by Aoi's admirer, Sakura Miharutaki, Mary is sucked deeper into the secret scheme to overthrow the student council. Just when things couldn't get any worse, a gambling fever begins to take over her entire class. Will Mary be able to take the heat?
The death of the master, Patrick Kyle.
After the sudden death of a beloved patriarch who promised eternal life to his followers, a topsy-turvy society attempts to reconcile the deluded teachings of their late leader with the harsh reality he left behind.
Batman and son, Grant Morrison.
Batman receives the shock of his life when he discovers that he has a son, Damian! After violent conflict with Robin and Damian, Batman must teach his son what it means to carry the legacy of Gotham's Dark Knight. Meanwhile, mysterious Batman imposters begin to appear on the streets of Gotham.
Golden kamuy. 12, Satoru Noda.
In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi Sugimoto searches the wilderness of Hokkaido for a hoard of hidden gold. With only a cryptic map and a native Ainu girl to help him, Saichi must also deal with every murderous cutthroat, bandit and rogue who knows about the treasure!
Rain, Mary M Talbot.
Set against the backdrop of disastrous flooding in the North of England, Rain dramatically chronicles the developing relationship between two young women, one of whom is a committed environmental campaigner. Their wild Bronte moorland is being criminally mismanaged. Birds and animals are being slaughtered. Across the country, crops are being systematically poisoned, even the soil itself.
Food wars! : shokugeki no soma. 32, A subversive visitor, Yuto Tsukuda.
While investigating the illicit shokugeki happening across the country, Soma and Erina dig into the identity of the mysterious "Saiba," who is responsible for sending the cuisiniers noir to Japan. Before Soma's able to uncover any information, new Totsuki professor Suzuki challenges him to a shokugeki!
Fables. [10], The good prince, Bill Willingham.
Prince Ambrose is released from trauma-induced amnesia and must pass a test after traveling through the lands of the dead in order to help Fabletown and the Homelands.
Invisible kingdom. Volume 1, Walking the path, G. Willow Wilson.
In a small solar system in a far-flung galaxy, two women one a young religious acolyte and the other a hard-bitten freighter pilot uncover a conspiracy between the leaders of the most dominant religion and an all-consuming mega-corporation.

HISTORICAL

We shall see the sky sparkling, Susana Aikin.
Like other well-bred young women in Edwardian England, Lily Throop is expected to think of little beyond marriage and motherhood. Passionate about the stage, Lily has very different ambitions. To her father's dismay, she secures an apprenticeship at London's famous Imperial Theatre. Soon, her talent and beauty bring coveted roles and devoted admirers. Yet to most of society, the line between actress and harlot is whisper-thin.
Magnus and the Crossroads Brotherhood, Robert Fabbri.
Marcus Salvius Magnus, leader of the Southern Quirinal Crossroads Brotherhood, has long dominated his part of Rome's criminal underworld. From rival gangs and unpaid debts to rigged chariot races and blood feuds if you have a problem, Magnus is the man to solve it. He'll do everything in his power to preserve his grip on the less-travelled back alleys of Rome, and of course, make a profit.
Rivers ran red, J.A. Grierson.
In a whirlwind of fire and carnage, Attila the Hun wheels half a million horsemen towards Roman territory. In his path, corruption and greed have undermined the ancient empire and the vacillating emperor, Valentinian III, has cut her legions to a sliver, but out of this smoke a wily, battle-scarred general, Avitus, rises in her defence.
One for the blackbird, one for the crow : a novel, Olivia Hawker.
Wyoming, 1870. For as long as they have lived on the frontier, the Bemis and Webber families have relied on each other. With no other settlers for miles, it is a matter of survival. But when Ernest Bemis finds his wife, Cora, in a compromising situation with their neighbor, he doesn't think of survival. In one impulsive moment, a man is dead, Ernest is off to prison, and the women left behind are divided by rage and remorse.
Shepherd, Catherine Jinks.
Fourteen-year-old convict Tom Clay lives in a shepherd's hut in the bush, protecting his master's sheep from wild dogs. When a vicious fellow shepherd returns to ensure there are no witnesses to his crimes, the bush-crafty Tom and his hapless mate Rowdy face a life-and-death battle to survive.
Lady Osbaldestone's plum puddings, Stephanie Laurens.
Therese, Lady Osbaldestone again welcomes her younger daughter's children, Jamie, George, and Lottie, plus their cousins Melissa and Mandy, all of whom have insisted on spending the three weeks prior to Christmas at Therese's house, Hartington Manor, in the village of Little Moseley. Therese and her staff are making plum puddings for the entire village. While cleaning the coins donated as the puddings' good-luck tokens, the children discover that three aren't coins of the realm.
Damascus, Christos Tsiolkas.
Based around the gospels and letters of St Paul, and focusing on characters one and two generations on from the death of Christ, as well as Paul (Saul) himself, Damascus nevertheless explores the themes that have always obsessed Tsiolkas a writer: class, religion, masculinity, patriarchy, colonisation, refugees; the ways in which nations, societies, communities, families and individuals are united and divided: it's all here.

HORROR

The Valancourt book of Victorian Christmas ghost stories, Tara Moore.
During the Victorian era, it became traditional for publishers of newspapers and magazines to print ghost stories during the Christmas season for chilling winter reading by the fireside or candlelight. Now for the first time thirteen of these tales are collected here, including a wide range of stories from a diverse group of authors, some well-known, others anonymous or forgotten.
The last seance : tales of the supernatural, Agatha Christie
For lovers of the supernatural and the macabre comes this collection of ghostly and chilling tales from legendary mystery writer Agatha Christie. Fantastic psychic visions, spectres looming in the shadows, encounters with deities, a man who switches bodies with a cat--be sure to keep the light on whilst reading these stories.
Ghosts of Berlin : stories, Rudolph Herzog.
In these hair-raising stories from the celebrated filmmaker and author Rudolph Herzog, millennial Berliners discover that the city is still the home of many unsettled and deeply unsettling ghosts, and those ghosts are not very happy about the newcomers.
Blood sugar, Daniel Kraus.
At the end of Yellow Street, in a ruined junkyard of a house, an angry outcast hatches a scheme to take revenge for all the wrongs he has suffered. With the help of three alienated neighbourhood kids, he plans to hide razor blades, poison, drugs, and broken glass in Halloween candy and use the deadly treats to maim or kill dozens of innocent children.
Things we say in the dark, Kirsty Logan.
The characters in this collection find their aspirations for happy homes, happy families and happy memories dissected and imbued with shimmering menace. Alone in a remote house in Iceland a woman is unnerved by her isolation; another can only find respite from the clinging ghost that follows her by submerging herself in an abandoned swimming pool.
Anno Dracula. 1999, Daikaiju, Kim Newman.
Vampire princess Christina Light is throwing a New Year's Eve party in Daikaiju Plaza in Tokyo, attended by world leaders of technology, finance and culture. The party is crashed by less enlightened souls and distinguished guests are held hostage by yakuza assassins and Transylvanian mercenaries. Vampire schoolgirl Nezumi sword-wielding agent of the Diogenes Club finds herself alone, pitted against the world's deadliest creatures.
Suicide woods : stories, Benjamin Percy.
Benjamin Percy delivers a potent brew of horror, crime, and weird happenings in the woods. A boy in his uncle's care falls through the ice on a pond and emerges in a frozen, uncanny state. Patients in therapy for suicidal ideation undergo a drastic session in the woods with fatal consequences, and in a pulse-quickening novella, thrill seekers on an expedition in Alaska are stranded on a sinister island that seems to want them dead.
The possession, Michael Rutger.
Still recovering from the shocking revelations they uncovered deep in uncharted territory in the Grand Canyon, American myth and legend investigator Nolan Moore and his team take on a new mission, investigating a rumoured case of witchcraft and possession.
The ruins : a novel, Scott Smith.
In Cancun, Mexico, for a peaceful vacation, a group of tourists sets off in search of one of their group who disappeared during an excursion to some nearby Mayan ruins, only to come face to face with an insidious evil that threatens their lives.

MYSTERY

Frozen summer, Ian Austin
Frozen Summer is the nickname Dan Calder's girlfriend Tara gives to a cold case, the coldest one of all. Who else but Calder would contemplate investigating the unsolved killing where he's the only suspect? The time's come to revisit the scene of his blackest experience in order to try and move on once and for all. At stake are the relationships with Tara, their new son Bradley and possibly his very liberty.
Surfeit of suspects, George Bellairs.
Following a mysterious explosion, the offices of Excelsior Joinery Company are no more, the three directors are killed and the peace of a quiet town in Surrey lies in ruins. When the supposed cause of ignited gas leak is dismissed and the presence of dynamite revealed, Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard is summoned to the scene.
The body in the dumb river, George Bellairs.
Jim Teasdale has been drowned in the Dumb River, near Ely, miles from his Yorkshire home. His body has been discovered before the killer intended disturbed by a torrential flood. With critical urgency, it's up to Superintendent Littlejohn of Scotland Yard to trace the mystery of the unassuming victim's murder to its source, leaving waves of scandal and sensation in his wake as the hidden, salacious dealings of Jim Teasdale begin to surface.
Here comes Santa paws : a Melanie Travis Canine mystery, Laurien Berenson.
It's the most wonderful time of the year in Connecticut, but mystery-solving Poodle parent Melanie Travis finds surviving this December may take a real Christmas miracle when a yuletide murderer comes to town.
Playing dirty, Helen Black.
Things are looking up for Liberty Greenwood. She's brokered a deal with the local rival gangster and it looks like the police have finally stopped investigating her. She even has a plan to steer her family away from their criminal activities. But when a spate of violence on the estates points to a hostile takeover bid from a crew from out of the area, Liberty is forced to take decisive and dangerous action which ends up with her doing a stint in prison.
Anything for you, Saul Black.
Awatchful neighbour locks eyes with an intruder and unwittingly alerts the police to a vicious crime scene next door: a lavish master bedroom where a man lies dead. Next to him, his wife is bleeding out onto the hardwood floor, clinging to life. The victim, Adam Grant, was a well-known San Francisco prosecutor a man whose connection to Homicide detective Valerie Hart brings her face-to-face with a life she's long since left behind.
Good dark night, Harry Brett.
For the first time in years, Tatiana Goodwin feels in control. She has survived events which would make most people give up and go into hiding. Yet Tati is still here, surrounded by her loyal family and even daring to expand the Goodwin empire. But when her son Ben gets kidnapped by a rival gang and the blame lies with her, the ghosts of Tati's past catch up and she begins to crumble.
Last breath, Robert Bryndza.
He's your perfect date. You're his next victim. When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it's not her case. While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can't help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier.
Nine Elms : a Kate Marshall thriller, Robert Bryndza.
Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol. Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster.
City of fear : a novel, Alafair Burke.
Chelsea Hart, a fresh-faced Indiana college student, spends the final night of her spring break in the VIP room of an elite New York City nightclub with her girlfriends and a fake ID. The next morning, joggers find her in East River Park, her celebrated blonde hair hacked off. NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher catches the case and quickly homes in on a group of privileged men who were last seen partying with Chelsea
Blue moon, Lee Child.
In a nameless city, two ruthless rival criminal gangs, one Albanian, the other Ukrainian, are competing for control. But they hadn 't counted on Jack Reacher arriving on their patch. Reacher is trained to notice things. He's on a Greyhound bus, watching an elderly man sleeping in his seat, with a fat envelope of cash hanging out of his pocket. Another passenger is watching too ... obviously hoping to get rich quick. As the mugger makes his move, Reacher steps in.
Kiss the girls and make them cry : a novel, Mary Higgins Clark.
When investigative journalist Gina Kane receives an email from a "CRyan" describing her "terrible experience" while working at REL, a high-profile television news network, including the comment "and I'm not the only one," Gina knows she has to pursue the story. But when Ryan goes silent, Gina is shocked to discover the young woman has died tragically in a jet ski accident while on holiday.
The House of Brides : a novel, Jane Cockram.
Miranda Courteney'receives a letter from a young cousin in England about Tessa Summer's book The House of Brides following the notorious women who married into the infamous Summers family. Barnsley House, the family's estate, is now an exclusive culinary destination and hotel and Tessa Summer was Miranda's mother. Posing as a nanny Miranda investigates fthe darkness which lies in Barnsley?
The off-islander, Peter Colt.
Boston, 1982. Private investigator Andy Roarke's childhood friend, Danny Sullivan, a lawyer, wants Roark to help one of his clients with a sensitive request: Deborah Swift, wealthy wife of an aspiring California politician, is trying to trace her father, last seen on Cape Cod, who walked out on her and her mother long ago.
Genesis, Robin Cook.
When the body of social worker Kera Jacobsen, shows up on Chief Medical Examiner Laurie Montgomery's autopsy table, it appears at first that she was the victim of a tragic drug overdose. But for Laurie and her new pathology resident, the brilliant but outspoken Dr. Aria Nichols, further investigation reveals an alarming discovery.
The perfect wife, JP Delaney.
Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He's an icon of the tech world, the founder of a lucrative robotics company. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband's motives and his version of events.
The butterfly girl, Rene Denfeld.
Naomi Cottle is an investigator who finds missing children. But the one child she has never been able to find is her sister. The two were abducted when they were very young, but only Naomi managed to escape. Now, twenty years later, there is at long last a clue that her sister might still be alive.
One way out, A. A. Dhand.
DCI Harry Virdee has just enough time to get his son and his mother to safety before the bomb blows. But this is merely the beginning.
I will make you pay, Teresa Driscoll.
It seems like an ordinary Wednesday, until the phone rings. A mysterious caller with a chilling threat. Journalist Alice Henderson hangs up, ready to dismiss it as a hoax against the newspaper. However, the next Wednesday, the stalker makes another move and it becomes clear that this is all about Alice. Someone wants her to suffer, but for what?
Remembering the dead : a Penny Brannigan mystery, Elizabeth J. Duncan.
Welsh amateur sleuth Penny Brannigan attends a dinner party at a posh country house where a historic chair disappears and a waiter is murdered. When Penny learns that the victim was the nephew of one of her employees, she is determined to find the killer.
A merciful promise, Kendra Elliot.
The job: infiltrate a militia amassing illegal firearms in an isolated forest community. FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick is the ideal candidate. She knows Oregon. She's near the compound and having been raised among survivalists, Mercy understands the mind-set of fanatics.
Twisted 26, Janet Evanovich.
Grandma Mazur is a widow again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster and lothario (senior division). It's a sad day, but if she can't have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. Jimmy's former 'business partners' are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself.
You don't know me, Sara Foster.
Lizzie Burdett was eighteen when she vanished, and Noah Carruso has never forgotten her. She was his first crush, his unrequited love. She was also his brother's girlfriend. Tom Carruso hasn't been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared, under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he's back for the inquest into Lizzie's death intent on telling his side of the story.
Dead heat, Dick Francis.
Max Moreton is a rising culinary star, until nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning. At his next exclusive luncheon for forty a bomb blast kills some of Max's trusted staff and many of the guests. Two close calls are too close for comfort, and Max vows to protect his name, and himself, before it's too late.
Guilty not guilty, Felix Francis.
Bill Russell is acting as a volunteer steward at Warwick races when he confronts his worst nightmare the violent death of his much-loved wife. Accused of killing her and hounded mercilessly by the media, he loses his job and his home and even his best friends believe he's guilty. Bill sets out to clear his name but finds that proving his innocence is not easy.
Death has deep roots, Michael Gilbert.
A London crowd awaits the trial of Victoria Lamartine, suspected for the murder of her former lover. Lamartine, who years ago escaped from the Gestapo. One final opportunity remains: solicitor Nap Rumbold is called to replace the defence counsel, granting an eight-day reprieve. Without any time to spare, Rumbold crosses the Channel to trace the roots of the crime back into the war-torn past.
False positive : a novel, Andrew Grant.
Alabama detective Cooper Devereaux makes no apologies for his luxe lifestyle or his high-risk tactics. However, he may have met his match in fellow detective Jan Loflin. Devereaux's just beat an abuse charge and Loflin is fresh off a long undercover stint in Vice when they're partner on a case that will test them both beyond their wildest dreams.
An artful assassin in Amsterdam, Michael Grant.
The last thing fugitive crime writer David Mitre expects as he's cruising along an Amsterdam canal is to be the focus of a bizarre murder attempt. Why is he being targeted? After the would-be assassin tries again, David is rescued by Delia Delacorte, the FBI Special Agent he locked horns with in Cyprus. In return, Delia wants his help to prevent the theft of a priceless painting from the Rijksmuseum.
Dry county, Jake Hinkson.
Richard Weatherford is a successful small-town preacher in the Arkansas Ozarks. While he is a man of influence and power and a big force in local politics,he also is a man with secrets. Weatherford's world is threatened when he's blackmailed by a former lover. Collecting the money the blackmailer demands will be a nearly impossible feat, so he will need to turn to the darkest corners of their small town in a desperate attempt to keep his world from falling apart.
The bad fire, Quintin Jardine.
Nine years ago, divorcee Marcia Brown took her own life. A pillar of the community, she had been accused of theft, and it's assumed that she was unable to live with the shame. Now her former husband wants the case reopened. Marcia was framed, he says, to prevent her exposing a scandal and he wants justice.
Drowning with others, Linda Keir.
Ian and Andi Copeland have successful businesses, a beautiful house in St. Louis, and their eldest daughter, Cassidy, is following in their footsteps by attending prestigious Glenlake Academy. Then, a submerged car is dredged from the bottom of a swimming hole with the remains of a former writer-in-residence who vanished twenty years ago. When Cassidy's journalism class begins investigating the death, Ian and Andi's high school secrets rise to the surface.
Die alone, Simon Kernick.
Alastair Sheridan has a real chance of becoming British Prime Minister. But Alastair also has a secret. He's a serial killer with a and only a handful of people know what kind of monster he is, Disgraced detective Ray Mason is one of them. Awaiting trial for murder, Ray is unexpectedly broken free by armed men and given an offer: assassinate Alastair Sheridan and begin a new life abroad with a new identity.
Death of a gigolo : a Jaine Austen mystery, Laura Levine.
Daisy Kincaid is in her sixties, heiress to a fortune and now a romance author, with a little help from Jaine. As Jaine labors away on love scenes, she gets to know the wealthy woman's gentleman friend, her household staff, and her social circle. When Daisy falls under the spell of a much younger stud named Tommy (a fixture in Daisy's Bel Air mansion), and they announce their engagement someone stabs Tommy.The challenging part is trying to narrow down the list of suspects.
Little voices : a thriller, Vanessa Lillie.
Devon Burges is in the throes of a high-risk birth when she learns of her dear friend's murder. The police quickly name another friend as the chief suspect, but Devon doesn't buy it, and despite her difficult recovery, she decides to investigate.
Fell murder, E.C.R. Lorac.
The Garths had farmed their fertile acres for generations. Robert Garth, still hale and hearty at eighty-two, ruled his household with a rod of iron. The peaceful dales and fells of the north country provide the setting for this grim story of a murder, a setting in fact which is one of the attractive features of an unusual and distinctive tale of evil passions and murderous hate in a small rural community.
Murder in the mill-race, E.C.R. Lorac.
When Dr Raymond Ferens moves to a practice at Milham in the Moor in North Devon, he and his wife are enchanted with the beautiful hilltop village lying so close to moor and sky. At first they see only its charm, but soon they begin to uncover its secrets envy, hatred and malice. Everyone says that Sister Monica, warden of a children's home, is a saint but is she?
Her last move, John Marrs.
Struggling to balance her personal and professional life, young DS Becca Vincent has landed the biggest case of her career and she knows that it will make or break her. But she can't catch the culprit alone. Together with facial recognition expert Joe Russell, she strives to get a lead on the elusive murderer, who is always one step ahead of them.
Welcome to wherever you are, John Marrs.
How far would you run to escape your past? For eight strangers in a Los Angeles backpacking hostel, even the other side of the world isn 't far enough. The craving for a new identity and the chance to start again is something they have in common. But the search for a fresh start isn't as easy as they'd imagined.
When you disappeared, John Marrs.
Catherine's cosy life as a housewife and mum-of-three is quickly thrown into disarray when husband Simon disappears without explanation. She is convinced he hasn't left by choice as confusion and spiraling debts threaten to tear her family apart. Meanwhile Simon has begun a carefree new life travelling the world. He's determined not to disclose his past to all he meets, even if it means resorting to extreme and violent measures. But why did he leave?
The turning tide, Catriona McPherson.
It's the breezy Scottish summer of 1936 and aristocratic sleuth Dandy Gilver, along with trusted colleague Alec Osborne, has been called to solve the strange case of the Cramond Ferrywoman, on the Firth of Forth.
Fire storm, Nancy Mehl.
When FBI profiler Kaely Quinn visits Nebraska to care for her ailing mother, she notices suspicious connections among a series of local fires and calls on her partner, Noah Hunter, to help find the arsonist. They embark on a twisted path to catch a mad man intent on Kaely's death.
Dead man switch, Tara Moss.
Meet PI Billie Walker smart and sexy, with a dash of Mae West humour, she's a hard-boiled detective with a twist. World War II has left Billie Walker a widow, but she's determined not to rely on any man for her future so she re-opens her late father's detective agency. Billie's bread and butter is tailing cheating husbands it's easy, pays the bills and she has a knack for it. But her latest case, the disappearance of a young man, is not proving straightforward.
Death in the East, Abir Mukherjee.
1905, London. As a young constable, Sam Wyndham is on his usual East London beat when he comes across an old flame, Bessie Drummond, attacked in the streets. The next day, when Bessie is found brutally beaten in her own room, locked from the inside, Wyndham promises to get to the bottom of this. But the case will cost the young constable more than he ever imagined.
Beijing payback : a novel, Daniel Nieh.
Victor Li is devastated by his father's murder, and shocked by a confessional letter he finds among his father's things. In it, his father admits that he was never just a restaurateur, in fact he was part of a vast international crime syndicate that formed during China's leanest communist years. Victor travels to Beijing, where he navigates his father's secret criminal life, confronting decades-old grudges, violent spats, and a shocking new enterprise that the organization wants to undertake.
Cold fear, Mads Peder Nordbo.
When journalist Matthew Cave's half-sister disappears, leaving behind a trail of blood in an abandoned hut, he realises that they are both pawns in a game of life and death. As a young US soldier stationed in Greenland, their father took part in a secret experiment with deadly consequences. Accused of double homicide, Tom Cave fled. Now his case is reopened, and the demons of the past are unleashed.
Unknown male, Nicolas Obregon.
Tokyo. 2020. As Japan prepares to host the Olympic Games an English exchange student is found bludgeoned to death in a love hotel. She lies in an empty room with only a dead spider for morbid company. Could this be a calling card from her killer? The world's eyes are on Tokyo's Homicide department who are so desperate that the Commissioner picks up the phone and calls his old protege, Kosuke Iwata.
The great divide, L.J.M. Owen.
Twisted secrets. Hidden victims. Monstrous crimes. In the rural Tasmanian town of Dunton, the body of a former headmistress of a children's home is discovered, revealing a tortured life and death. Detective Jake Hunter, newly-arrived, searches for her killer among past residents of the home.
Desert flowers, Paul Pen.
Rose and Elmer have created an idyllic sanctuary for themselves and their five daughters in Mexico's Baja California desert. In the middle of nowhere, cut off from the burdens of modern society, they're free to raise their family and preserve its secret. Then a young hiker named Rick comes looking for a place to stay. It's just for the night, he says but long enough for Rose and Elmer to fear they've made a horrible mistake.
Under the water, Paul Pen.
From the outside, Frank and Grace seem to have the perfect family. He's a loving husband, she's a devoted wife, and together they have two happy children. But appearances can be deceiving. A strange series of misfortunes has left them reeling: an unexplained break-in, a catastrophic handgun accident, and a bizarre poisoning that's left Grace feeling especially unnerved.
Come a little closer, Kasren Perry.
Leah is in love. It should be the happiest summer of her life, but she can't help feeling lonely with Jake's attention divided between her, his ex-wife and his young son. She meets her upstairs neighbour, Anton, who has recently moved back in after a long absence from the street. Leah has no idea that nineteen years before, Anton was convicted of killing his wife. A wife who looked a little bit like Leah. Is she befriending a killer intent on luring her closer and closer?
Mystery stories, Elizabeth Peters.
A thriller writer is embroiled in a real-life whodunit when a friend drops dead in front of her, with her own hatpin impaled in his back. The violation of a sealed West Bank tomb, its rock walls intact, provides a Thebes investigator with a mystifying conundrum, and two sisters take shelter from a storm in a shuttered old house at the end of a country road only to discover they're not alone.
Best kept secrets : a novel, Tracey S. Phillips.
Morgan Jewell and Fay Ramsey are enjoying their last summer together before college. Fay is shy, with a controlling mother, and Morgan is the perfect, wild, loud-mouthed yang to Fay's ying. But when Fay is found dead, Morgan's entire world crumbles.
Tuesday Mooney talks to ghosts : an adventure, Kate Racculia.
2012. Vincent Pryce, Boston's most eccentric billionaire, dies leaving behind an epic treasure hunt through the city, with clues inspired by his hero, Edgar Allan Poe. Teams from around the city vie for the prize: a share of Pryce's immense wealth. The clues involve knowledge, wit and the courage to face painful ghosts from their pasts.
Westwind, Ian Rankin.
After his friend suspects something strange going on at the launch facility where they both work and then goes missing - Martin Hepton doesn't believe the official line of "long- term sick leave". Refusing to stop asking questions, he leaves his old life behind, aware that someone is shadowing his every move. The only hope he has is his ex-girlfriend Jill Watson the only journalist who will believe his story.
Burnt island, Kate Rhodes.
As the sun sets on St Agnes on bonfire night, a man's charred body is found on Burnt Island, surrounded by threats in the old Cornish language. Deputy Chief of Police Ben Kitto has no choice but to ban all travel between the islands, forcing the community of just eighty islanders to remain within reach, while he hunts for the killer.
Into the dark, Karen Rose.
Michael Rowland is not your typical teenager. Deaf from birth, he's always looked out for his five-year-old brother, Joshua. When his stepfather comes after Joshua, Michael takes the child and runs. He's determined to protect his brother at all costs, even if that means making himself vulnerable to a danger he can't hear coming. And the danger intensifies when Michael witnesses a stranger kill his stepfather.
Don't tell : a Jack Ryder novel, Willow Rose.
Jack Ryder is skiing with his family in the mountains of North Carolina. When the body of a teenage boy turns up in the cold waters of the creek behind the cabin they have rented the fun stops. The find shocks the rural community of Maggie Valley and rattles local law enforcement. Soon more bodies are found, and Jack Ryder digs into the case that seems to be anything but ordinary.
Her final word : a Jack Ryder novel, Willow Rose.
Jack Ryder is visiting the Bahamas with his adopted daughter Emily. They're trying to find Emily's relatives, but it turns out to be easier said than done. The only living relative they can track down is a woman in jail. She's doing time for murdering Ella Maria Chauncey, but as Jack digs into the case, he starts to wonder if she was wrongfully convicted and the murderer is still out there, hunting for his next prey.
Bloody genius, John Sandford.
At the local state university, two feuding departments have faced off on the battleground of PC culture. Each carries their views to extremes that may seem absurd, but highly educated people of sound mind and good intentions can reasonably disagree, right? Then someone winds up dead, and Virgil Flowers is brought in to investigate and soon comes to realize he's dealing with people who, on this one particular issue, are functionally crazy.
Stealth, Stuart Woods.
Stone Barrington is trying to enjoy some downtime at his English retreat when he's unceremoniously sent off to the remote reaches of the UK and into a deadly snare. As it turns out, this is only the first volley by a rival power, one that has its eyes set on disrupting the peace of the nation. With the help of two brilliant and stunning women, Stone must leverage a new position of power to capture a villain with a lethal agenda.

New Zealand Fiction

From a shadow grave, Andi C. Buchanan.
A novella inspired by the life and death of Phyllis Symons. Set in Wellington in 1931, seventeen-year-old Phyllis Symons was murdered by her lover in the construction site of the Mount Victoria Tunnel. The novella explores 3 different ways that Phyllis' life could have gone. It includes supernatural creatures as well as elements of urban fantasy and time slips. It is a story of love, loss and survival.
Soldier's son, Ian Dodds.
David sees his father's World War II ex-soldier macho behaviour as being destructive and abusive. He rejects the New Zealand rugby tough guy role and sets himself the task of finding new ways to be a sensitive partner and father.
The wideawake hat, Amanda Giorgis.
From the Scottish Highlands to the South Island of New Zealand, life was harsh for the early pioneers. On Boxing Day, 1848 Sophia steps ashore with her new husband, George, and begins her perilous journey inland to seek a place to call home. Sophia and George are joined by other young folk who form a small but growing community of fellow pioneers. However, not all pioneers are honest and true, as Sophia discovers to her cost.
Crazy days, sleepless nights, Isabella Morisson-Mathai.
Set in Palmerston North looking at three generations of one family who suffer from various forms of mental distress. The central character, Ken, is diagnosed with bi polar affective disorder. His mother suffers from depression and his son Daniel considers suicide as a teenager but doesn't act on it. This story is mainly about love, hope and recovery and is based on true stories.
Selected stories, Vincent O'Sullivan.
Presenting thirty-five stories from seven collections published over more than forty years, Vincent O'Sullivan's Selected Stories is a milestone in the career of one of New Zealand's leading writers.
A madness of sunshine, Nalini Singh.
Golden Cove is a small settlement on the savage West Coast of the South Island. When Golden Cove resident Miri Hinewai goes out for a run and fails to return, Detective Will Gallagher finds himself heading up a missing person's search that rapidly escalates into an official investigation after this case is connected with similar ones from the past.
The history speech, Mark Sweet.
In 1960s provincial New Zealand, conventional middle-class lives are not always as respectable as they appear. Adolescent Callum Gow's family and their social circle are influential and prosperous, but below the surface intrigue thrives. When Callum's grandfather's life is threatened, he confronts authority and power and uncovers forces hell-bent on destruction, but also attracts kindred souls determined to find resolution and harmony.

ROMANCE

Someone to remember, Mary Balogh.
Matilda Westcott has spent her life tending to the needs of her mother, the Dowager Countess of Riverdale, never questioning the life of solitude she has spun for herself. Game. Her modest, quiet life of order unravels when a dashing gentleman from her past reappears, threatening to charm his way into her heart yet again.
A christmas kiss with her ex-army doc, Tina Beckett.
Nurse Hollee Cantrell is stunned when ex-army doc Clancy de Oliveira begins working at her hospital. Years ago they shared a passionate kiss but then Clancy left and Hollee married his best friend. Now widowed, Hollee reslises that it's time to admit that her marriage was a sham and she's never stopped thinking about Clancy.
Claiming my hidden son, Maya Blake.
My marriage to Calypso was simply business. Until our unexpectedly passionate wedding night shook us both! Suddenly feeling emotions I'd always steeled myself against, I left. Now, discovering the baby in my estranged wife's arms is mine, I will claim my hidden son - and negotiate this uncharted territory with the captivating woman who is turning my world and my heart upside down.
Highland doc's Christmas rescue, Susan Carlisle.
Search-and-rescue worker Cassandra Bellow arrives at Heatherglen Clinic injured and reeling from the loss of her faithful rescue dog. A Christmas romance with gorgeous clinic manager Dr Lyle Sinclair, along with Heatherglen's adorable therapy dogs, restores Cass's lust for life. Except soon she must return to America unless guarded Lyle asks her to stay.
Festive fling with the single dad, Annie Claydon.
Single dad vet Aksel Olson doesn't have time for romance. his recently discovered daughter is his priority now. But his vivacious new neighbour, physiotherapist Flora McNeith, is helping Aksel connect with his little girl in the way he longs to and as they spend time together neither can resist their attraction. Can a Christmas fling open their hearts to a new beginning together?
Bound by their nine-month scandal, Dani Collins.
Painfully insecure and media-shy heiress Pia is duty-bound to marry well. Illegitimate Angelo is completely unsuitable husband material, yet this irresistible Spanish tech titan seduces Pia with a night of bliss that leaves her pregnant! Pia can't afford a scandal, but Angelo wants to claim his heir publicly. Now, to control the headlines and her unexpected emotional response to Angelo Pia must step into the spotlight with the wedding of the century!
Bride behind the billion-dollar veil, Clare Connelly.
Fantastically wealthy Thanos Stathakis requires just one last company to complete his empire. However, to acquire it he must counter his scandalous reputation with a wife! His executive assistant Alice is the perfect choice oh-so-respectable and needing financial support for her family. He persuades her their vows are purely for show. Until he lifts Alice's veil and their intense electrifying kiss complicates everything.
Unwrapping the innocent's secret, Caitlin Crews.
Self-made billionaire Pascal Furlani prides himself on his rigid emotional control. So it infuriates him beyond measure that he can't forget the forbidden passion he once shared with breathtakingly innocent Cecilia Reginald. This Christmas he's determined to shake off those memories until shockingly they come face-to-face!
Her Christmas pregnancy surprise, Jennifer Faye.
When Pepper Kane's home and bakery are burnt down the week before Christmas, billionaire CEO Simon Ross the man she spent one unforgettable night with comes to the rescue! Pepper knows this playboy doesn't do relationships, but when she stays with him in his penthouse, caring for an abandoned puppy, their spark is rekindled.
In the time we lost, Carrie Hope Fletcher.
Luna Lark doesn't want pity, what she wants is a fresh start. For that Luna needs the most remote place she can find: Ondingside, a magical little island off the wild coast of Scotland. When the town is cut off on her first night by a freak July snow storm it feels like fate. People are curious about her handsome, kind, coffee shop owner Beau in particular. Will history repeat itself or will they have a future?
Second chance with the surgeon, Robin Gianna.
When occupational therapist Jillian Keyser breaks her wrist, the last thing she wants is treatment from her ex-husband Conor McCarthy. But he's a leading orthopaedic surgeon and she knows she needs his help! Forced to live again with the man who broke her heart, she discovers a new understanding. With their connection as strong as ever, will the Christmas lights over New York shine on their relationship for a second time?
Confessions of a pregnant Cinderella, Abby Green.
Kind-hearted waitress Skye has imagined this moment: her chance to finally tell imposing Spanish billionaire Lazaro that their unexpected and intensely passionate night together has had consequences. Yet, after confronting him with the truth at an exclusive party, she finds their still-sizzling connection hits her again like a thunderbolt. What Lazaro says to her next is even more shocking.
Soldier prince's secret baby gift, Kate Hardy.
Tia Phillips and Prince Antonio of Casavalle shared one passionate night. Now she's on the palace doorstep pregnant with his baby. Another royal scandal is all Casavalle needs, so Antonio whisks Tia away to a secret hideaway. Soon Antonio's falling for her but will Tia accept his hand in marriage when she thinks he's only asking out of duty?
Unwrapping the neurosurgeon's heart, Charlotte Hawkes.
ER doc Anouk Hart wishes she could ignore her traitorous body's reaction to high-flying neurosurgeon Solomon Gunn. Yet beneath his playboy reputation Anouk sees flashes of compassion which are even more dangerous than his charm!
The promise of summer, Rachael Johns.
When Ellie Hughes returns to the small country town of Hope Junction to care for her injured godmother, it's not long before the gossips start questioning why she broke Flynn Quartermaine's heart ten years ago. But Ellie is not the only one with secrets. When all is uncovered, can they overcome the past, or is Flynn destined to be jilted again?
His contract Christmas bride, Sharon Kendrick.
As new guardian to his orphaned nephew, wealthy CEO Drakon must marry! Sweet, caring Lucy is the ideal candidate. While Lucy accepts, and loves being a stand-in mother, she soon realises she can't be just a wife in name only. Can guarded Drakon give anything more to his contract bride?
Return to Stringybark Creek, Karly Lane.
When Hadley Callahan returns to Stringybark Creek without her husband, Mitch Samuals, she plans to tell her parents one major piece of news while determinedly hiding another even more explosive secret. For Oliver Dawson, the Callahans' neighbour, Hadley's celebrity wedding two years ago had killed any hopes he'd nurtured that one day they might end up together.
Twice in a blue moon, Christina Lauren.
During a whirlwind two-week vacation abroad, Sam and Tate fell for each other. Sam was the first, and only, person that Tate the long-lost daughter of one of the world's biggest film stars ever revealed her identity to. So when it became clear her trust was misplaced, her world shattered for good.
Christmas baby for the Greek, Jennie Lucas.
Facing the worst news imaginable, Stavros Minos seeks oblivion in an incredible encounter with Holly Marlowe. A year later he discovers she's had his child. In his mind, nothing could be more logical than legitimising his heir with marriage this Christmas. Yet Holly disagrees. Stavros will have to break down the emotional walls he's spent years building if he's to claim his bride and son.
Riverstone Ridge, Mandy Magro.
After making a mistake that felt like the end of the world to her teenage self, Nina Jones fled the small town of Huntingvale. Now sixteen years later her beloved adoptive mother, Bea, has passed away, forcing Nina to return and decide whether to sell her family home, Riverstone Ridge. For Logan Steele, Nina's return is the catalyst he's needed to finally move beyond his tragic past and start living again.
Hot holiday rancher, Catherine Mann.
Being stranded for Christmas never had so much sizzle! Texas Cattleman's Club member Jesse Stevens just hired a matchmaker to lure an appropriate wife to his remote ranch. But when a flash flood dumps Houston heiress Esme Perry on his doorstep instead, days before Christmas, is it a sign?
The gift of happiness : a gorgeously uplighting and heartwarming Christmas romance, Holly Martin.
This December Ruby Marlowe is relocating her little Christmas shop and everything she owns to the pretty seaside village of Happiness on the Cornish coast. With her best friend Willow already living there, and a heartbreaking past she'd rather forget, the last person Ruby expects to find in Happiness is her summer fling, the very gorgeous Jacob Harrington.
Coming home to Maple Cottage, Holly Martin.
Isla Rosewood is creating a new life for herself and her sweet nephew Elliot in their cosy cottage in Sandcastle Bay. Leo Jackson was her dead brother Matthew's fun-loving and wild best friend. His role as Elliot's godfather is the most important thing to him. As the three of them enjoy time together Isla begins to see a softer side to charming Leo,
Seven letters, J. P. Monninger.
Kate Moreton is in Ireland on sabbatical from her teaching position at Dartmouth College when she meets Ozzie Ferriter, a fisherman and a veteran of the American war in Afghanistan. The two fall deeply in love and attempt to live on an island of their own making, away from the pressures of the outside world.
Right beside you, Mary Monroe.
Felicia Hawkins has a successful career, money in the bank, a solid future and is hopelessly in love with her co-worker, widower Richard Grimes. Richard has his hands full juggling pre-Christmas work demands and raising two teen daughters. With messy, well-meaning matchmaking from family and friends, and a long-distance transfer Richard can't refuse, it will take all their courage and compassion to risk opening their hearts to each other.
Child of the mist, Kathleen Morgan.
In the harsh Scottish Highlands of 1565, superstition and treachery threaten a truce between rival clans. It's a weak truce at first, bound only by an arranged engagement between Anne MacGregor and Niall Campbell the heirs of the feuding families. While Niall wrestles with his suspicions about a traitor in his clan, Anne's actions do not go unnoticed. As accusations of witchcraft abound, Campbell heir must fight for Anne's safety among disconcerted clan members.
Guarding his heart : a Half Moon Bay novel, Annie Seaton.
Bestselling author Liam Wyndham needed an escape, and Half Moon Bay, with its small town charm and beautiful ocean, is the perfect place to hide out from the scandal surrounding his estranged dead wife. A place where he can enjoy his writer's block in sweet isolation. All of his recluse plans disappear when carpenter Georgie Sacchi marches into his house.
Their festive island escape, Nina Singh.
Jilted at the altar exactly three years ago, Celeste wants sun, sea and exotic cocktails so escaping to Jamaica is perfect. But her peace is disturbed when the hot Santa from the beach turns out to be Reid Evanson the luxury resort's CEO and best man at her non-wedding!
Her convenient Christmas date, Barbara Wallace.
Ex-footballer Lewis Matolo urgently needs to clean up his reputation and heiress Susan Collier is the only woman who can help. Their agreement's clear: they'll be each other's fake date for the holiday season no feelings involved! But as Christmas Eve draws near Lewis becomes intrigued by the side of Susan she keeps hidden from the world.
The doctors' Christmas reunion, Meredith Webber.
Losing the baby they desperately wanted tore doctors Ellie and Andy Fraser's marriage apart. Though they still share a home, they no longer share their lives. When they find themselves caring for an abandoned baby they must temporarily join forces and Ellie and Andy start to fall in love all over again.
The Italian's Christmas proposition, Cathy Williams.
Tycoon Matteo Moretti has one goal this Christmas: to land the deal of the century. Rescuing enchanting stranger Rosie from a romantic scandal is honourable. However, when it puts his deal in jeopardy Matteo sees only one solution making this English beauty his fake fiancee.
Rancher's wild secret, Maisey Yates.
He's come to Gold Valley with a hidden agenda not to fall for his enemy's daughter! Emerson Maxfield is the perfect pawn for rancher Holden McCall's purposes. She's engaged to a man solely to win her father's approval, and the sheltered beauty never steps out of line, until one encounter changes everything.

SAGA

In the lion's den, Barbara Taylor Bradford.
London 1889: Victorian London is a place of wealth, privilege and poverty, a city of extremes. For James Falconer, who grew up as a barrow boy on a London market, it is a city of opportunity. Working his way up Henry Malvern's trading company in Piccadilly, James faces fraud and betrayal. A fierce rivalry develops with Henry's daughter and heir Alexis but their animosity masks a powerful attraction.
Wearing paper dresses, Anne Brinsden.
Discover the world of a small homestead perched on the sunburnt farmland of northern Victoria. Meet Elise, whose urbane 1950s glamour is rudely transplanted to the pragmatic red soil of the Mallee when her husband returns to work the family farm. But you cannot uproot a plant and expect it to thrive, and so it is with Elise.
The eighth life (for Brilka), Nino Haratischvili.
At the start of the twentieth century, on the edge of the Russian Empire, a family prospers. It owes its success to a delicious chocolate recipe, passed down the generations with great solemnity and caution. A caution which is justified: this is a recipe for ecstasy that carries a very bitter aftertaste. Stasia learns it from her Georgian father and takes it north, following her new husband, Simon, to his posting at the centre of the Russian Revolution in St Petersburg.
The sun sister : Electra's story, Lucinda Riley.
To the outside world, Electra d'Apliese seems as though she is the woman who has everything: as one of the world's top models, she is beautiful, rich and famous.Beneath the venee however; and fuelled by the pressure of the life she leads, Electra's already tenuous control over her mental state has been rocked by the death of her father, Pa Salt, the elusive billionaire who adopted his six daughters as babies from around the globe.
Spy, Danielle Steel.
At eighteen, Alexandra Wickham is presented to King George V and Queen Mary in an exquisite white lace and satin dress her mother has ordered from Paris. With her delicate blond looks, she is a stunning beauty who seems destined for a privileged life. But fate, a world war, and her own quietly rebellious personality lead her down a different path.
Country lovers, Fiona Walker.
Glamorous Ronnie Percy has been back home in the Cotswolds for a year. Not everyone has forgiven her for abandoning her family twenty-five years ago. Ronnie's daughter Pax is fighting for custody of her small son as her own marriage disintegrates. Now she is furious to have to spend New Year's Eve waiting to meet some stranger, invited by her mother to help run the family stud farm.

SCIENCE FICTION

World engines. Destroyer, Stephen Baxter.
Hundreds of years in the future, on a stagnating and almost empty Earth, a space shuttle pilot from the early days of the 21st century is awoken from the cryogenic sleep he entered after a devastating accident. As he comes to terms with this new world, he begins to realise that their history does not match what he remembers and that only he may be able to stop the coming catastrophe destined to destroy the planet.
Xenocide, Orson Scott Card.
The Starways Congress decides that the deadly virus on Lusitania must be wiped out and sends a fleet to destroy it. After the fleet disappears, Gloriously Bright is selected to solve the mystery.
Alliance rising, C. J. Cherryh.
For years, the stations of the Hinder Stars, those old stations closest to Sol, have lagged behind the great megastations of the Beyond, like Pell and Cyteen. But new opportunities and fears arise when Alpha station receives news of an incoming ship with no identification. The denizens of Alpha wait anxiously for news about the outsiders, each with their own suspicions about the ship and its origins.
Salvation lost, Peter F. Hamilton.
The comparative utopia of twenty-third century Earth is about to go dreadfully awry when a seemingly benign alien race is abruptly revealed to be one of the worst threats humanity has ever faced. Driven by an intense religious extremism, the Olyix are determined to bring everyone to their version of god as they see it.
Apocalypse Nyx, Kameron Hurley.
Move over Mad Max here comes Nyx. Ex-government assassin turned bounty-hunter Nyxnissa is good at solving other people's problems. Her favorite problem-solving solution is punching people in the face. Then maybe chopping off some heads. Hey it's a living.
The widening gyre, Michael R. Johnston.
Eight hundred years ago, the Zhen Empire discovered a broken human colony ship drifting in the fringes of their space. The Zhen gave the humans a place to live and folded them into their Empire as a client state. But it hasn't been easy. Not all Zhen were eager to welcome another species into their Empire, and humans have faced persecution.
Supernova era, Cixin Liu.
Eight light years away, a star has died, creating a supernova event that showers Earth in deadly levels of radiation. Within a year, everyone over the age of thirteen will die. And so the countdown begins. Parents apprentice their children and try to pass on the knowledge needed to keep the world running. But when the world is theirs, the last generation may not want to continue the legacy left to them.
The exile waiting, Vonda N McIntyre.
Mischa is a thirteen-year old sneak thief, struggling to support her drug-addict elder brother Chris, and their predatory uncle who uses their telepathic link with their captive younger sister Gemmi to control them. The alien pseudosibs Subone and Subtwo have come to Earth to take over Center's resources. Subone is attracted by the decadent living on offer and begins to unlink from his sibling's conditioning.
Star Wars. Resistance reborn, Rebecca Roanhorse.
The Resistance is in ruins. In the wake of their harrowing escape from Crait, what was once an army has been reduced to a handful of wounded heroes. Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, Chewbacca, Leia Organa their names are famous among the oppressed worlds they fight to liberate. But names can only get you so far, and Leia's last desperate call for aid has gone unanswered.
The Andromeda evolution : a novel, Daniel H. Wilson.
In 1967, an extraterrestrial microbe came crashing down to Earth and nearly ended the human race. Accidental exposure to the particle designated The Andromeda Strain killed every resident of the town of Piedmont, Arizona, save for an elderly man and an infant boy. Over the next five days, a team of top scientists assigned to Project Wildfire worked valiantly to save the world from an epidemic of unimaginable proportions.
The third lynx, Timothy Zahn.
Former government agent Frank Compton races to stop the Modhri, an ancient, telepathically linked intelligence that has possessed unwitting hosts, but his quest is threatened by a secret agent who suspects him of murder.