New Releases - September 2023

Bright Lights, Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews 
Newly single and unemployed Kerry Tolliver needs a second chance. When she moves back home to her family's Christmas tree farm in North Carolina, she is guilt-tripped into helping her brother, Murphy, sell trees in New York City. She begrudgingly agrees, but she isn't happy about sharing a trailer with her brother in the East Village for two months. Plus, it's been years, since before her parents' divorce, that she's been to the city to sell Christmas trees. Then, Kerry meets Patrick, the annoying Mercedes owner who parked in her spot for the first two days. Patrick is recently divorced, a father to a six-year-old son, and lives in the neighborhood. Can Kerry's first impressions about the recently divorced, single father, and--dare she say, handsome--neighbor be wrong? Surrounded by warm childhood memories, sparkling possibility, and the magic of Christmas in the City, will Kerry finally get the second chance she needs to find herself... and maybe even find love? 

A Royal Christmas by Melody Carlson 
Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales. She's been working hard to put herself through law school, and she's determined to stay focused on her goals. Then she receives a letter notifying her that she is a direct descendant of King Maximillian Konig V, the ruler of a small European principality called Montovia. What? No. That's the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life. Still, curiosity gets the best of her, leading to a Christmas break trip chock-full of surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousies, a handsome young member of Parliament, and the chance at a real-life fairy tale romance 

The Armor of Light by Ken Follett 
The Spinning Jenny was invented in 1770, and with that, a new era of manufacturing and industry changed lives everywhere within a generation. A world filled with unrest wrestles for control over this new world order: A mother's husband is killed in a work accident due to negligence; a young woman fights to fund her school for impoverished children; a well-intentioned young man unexpectedly inherits a failing business; one man ruthlessly protects his wealth no matter the cost, all the while war cries are heard from France, as Napoleon sets forth a violent master plan to become emperor of the world. As institutions are challenged and toppled in unprecedented fashion, ripples of change ricochet through our characters' lives as they are left to reckon with the future and a world they must rebuild from the ashes of war.  

All the Dead Shall Weep by Charlaine Harris 
Following the murderous events of Serpent of Heaven, Lizbeth Rose is awaiting the arrival of her sister Felicia and her husband's younger brother Eli in Texoma. Both needed to leave the seat of the Holy Russian Empire in San Diego after Felicia's burgeoning wizardly power in death magic became the reason for kidnapping and assassination attempts from her mother's family of high-powered wizards in Mexico. Yet bad news has traveled ahead of them, as Eli is called back to San Diego, taking Peter along with him, splitting them apart in more ways than one as their enemies' plans for revenge come to fruition. 

Blessing of the Lost Girls by J.A. Jance 
Driven by a compulsion that challenges his self-control, the man calling himself Charles Milton prowls the rodeo circuit, hunting young women. For years, he has been meticulous in his methods, abducting, murdering, and disposing of his victims while leaving no evidence of his crimes--or their identities--behind. Indigenous women have become his target of choice, knowing law enforcement's history of ignoring their disappearances. A cold case has just been assigned to Dan Pardee, a field officer with the newly formed Missing and Murdered Indigenous People's Task Force. Rosa Rios, a young woman of Apache descent and one-time rodeo star, vanished three years ago. Human remains, a homicide victim burned beyond recognition, were discovered in Cochise County around the time she went missing. They have finally been confirmed to be Rosa. With Sheriff Joanna Brady's help, Dan is determined to reopen the case and bring long-awaited justice to Rosa's family. As the orphaned son of a murdered indigenous woman, he feels an even greater, personal obligation to capture this killer. Joanna's daughter Jennifer is also taking a personal interest in this case, having known Rosa from her own amateur rodeo days. Now a criminal justice major, she's unofficially joining the investigation. And as it becomes clear that Rosa was just one victim of a serial killer, both Jennifer and Dan know they're running out of time to catch an elusive predator who's proven capable of getting away with murder. 

Holly by Stephen King 
When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her own mother has just died, and Holly is supposed to be taking time off. But something in Penny Dahl's desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down. Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie's disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are smart, they are patient, and they are ruthless. Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver this brilliant and twisted pair. 

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger 
On Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service. Even before Dern has the results of the autopsy, vicious rumors begin to circulate that the killer must be Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran who has recently returned to Jewel with a Japanese wife. As suspicions and accusations mount and the town teeters on the edge of more violence, Dern struggles not only to find the truth of Quinn's murder but also put to rest the demons from his own past. Caught up in the torrent of anger that sweeps through Jewel are a war widow and her adolescent son, the intrepid publisher of the local newspaper, an aging deputy, and a crusading female lawyer, all of whom struggle with their own tragic histories and harbor secrets that Quinn's death threatens to expose. 

The Heirloom by Beverly Lewis 
Clara Bender believes a visit to Hickory Hollow may help her find direction after her father remarries. While restoring an heirloom quilt with her great-aunt Ella Mae Zook, the two form a warm bond. When Claras life is again upended by an unexpected incident and a young Amish man, will she find where her heart belongs? 

Santa and Company by Fern Michaels 
When longtime friends Amy, Frankie, Rachael and Nina reunited for a holiday singles cruise, it not only deepened their bond, it changed their lives. Now they're getting together for another adventure, and what better winter setting than a fabulous ski lodge? Crisp snow and fresh air by day, cozy fires and delicious food by night, capped off by meeting up with their significant others for a New Year's Eve celebration it's perfect. At least, it's perfect until Frankie decides to go snowshoeing alone. When she twists her ankle right after losing her phone in the snow, Frankie wonders how she ll be able to summon help only to be rescued by a reclusive Grizzly Adams lookalike who lives nearby and introduces himself as Troy Manchester. Troy saves the day by helping the injured Frankie back to the ski lodge, but in the process, encounters a part of the L.A. life he's tried to leave behind. Nina, visiting the gift shop to buy magazines for a recuperating Frankie, is similarly shocked to glimpse someone to whom she was once connected. Even in this unlikely spot, it seems there's no way to avoid their pasts. And as the mischievous Rachael and her sidekick Amy go to great lengths to patch up old friendships and spread the spirit of the season, the New Year may contain all kinds of new beginnings. 

23 ½ Lies by James Patterson 
23 1/2 LIES: Lindsay Boxer's estranged father is gunned down execution-style, and her investigation uncovers life-altering truths. FALLEN RANGER: To Rory Yates, being a Texas Ranger means absolute loyalty to the badge. But he's put through the ultimate test when an armored car robbery suspect might be an ex-Ranger gone rogue. WATCH YOUR BACK: When a starving artist is paid to expose his client's cheating wife, can he paint the picture that will save his own life? 

12 Months to Live by James Patterson  
Tough-as-nails criminal defense attorney Jane Smith is hip-deep in the murder trial of the century. Actually, her charmless client might've committed several murders. She's also fallen in love with a wonderful guy. And an equally wonderful dog, a mutt. But Jane doesn't have much time. She's just received a terminal diagnosis giving her twelve months. Unless she's murdered before her expiration date.  

The Traitor Among Us by Anne Perry 
Not far from the sprawling grounds of Wyndham Hall, longtime MI6 agent John Repton's body is found with a bullet hole through the heart. The corpse's proximity to the estate sends ripples of concern through the intelligence community: Repton was killed while surveilling the members of a household with alleged ties to fascists - who threaten the security of the country as Hitler's control spreads across Europe. Elena Standish is assigned the case since she has a connection to the Wyndham family; Lady Wyndham's brother is courting Elena's older sister Margot. Elena secures an invitation to Wyndham Hall for herself and a "date,"--her colleague James Allenby. To covertly investigate Repton's murder, the pair must uncover the true loyalties of the people in the house while protecting Margot from her beau's potentially dangerous relatives. But Elena is torn, for her sister has finally found happiness after years of heartbreak and sorrow, and having to take down the Wyndhams would destroy her new relationship. As Elena and Allenby dig deeper into the Wyndham family's nefarious connections, Margot grows suspicious. Can Elena reconcile her political and professional obligations with her loyalty and love for her sister? Will Elena and Allenby get to the bottom of their colleague's murder? 

Payback in Death by J.D. Robb 
Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes. An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note-Eve's gut says it's a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback--and she will not rest until the case is closed