New York Times Literary Treat of the Week.....

Leon, Donna. A Question of Belief. Atlantic Monthly.
Doiron, Paul. The Poacher's Son. Minotaur.
Harvey, Michael. The Third Rail. Knopf.
Mackenzie, Jassy. Random Violence. Soho.

Want a vacation that could not be conceived by any travel agent? Then follow the detective in each of these new arrivals to Merrick's mystery collection. First, fly to Italy and link up in Venice with Guido Brunetti (A Question of Belief) as he hunts the killer of a government official mixed up with a shady real estate tycoon. Next, visit the backwoods of Maine and first-year game warden Mike Bowditch (The Poacher's Son) as he tries to clear his flawed father of a murder charge. Then it is time to feel the pulse of Chicago as private eye Michael Kelly (The Third Rail) seeks to prevent the sabotage of his city's transit system. Finally, head to Johannesburg, South Africa with Jade de Jong (Random Violence) as she returns to her homeland after a decade to aid police in solving the murder of a prominent woman who was strangely outside her fortress/home.

Don't Miss These New Audiobooks!

Listen to their stories!





Laura Bush recounts her life from Midland, Texas, to becoming a teacher, a librarian, a mother and First Lady of the United States.

Drawing on lessons learned before and during his celebrated career as well as his harrowing struggles with Parkinson's disease, famed actor Michael J. Fox presents a poignant memoir about achieving success and capitalizing on personal strengths.

Actress Molly Ringwald, a teen sensation in the 1980s, discusses her career and life as a middle-aged woman.

Comedian Silverman's memoir that mixes showbiz moments with the more serious subject of her teenage bout with depression as well as stories of her childhood and adolescence.

Heart of the Matter

Emily Giffin's lates novel, "Heart of the Matter", will be released on May 11th. Her fans won't be disappointed.

In the popular Giffin's latest, Nick Russo is a pediatric plastic surgeon; his wife, Tessa (sister of Dex, from Something Borrowed), is a professor turned stay-at-home mom living a cushy life in Boston. Nick is called in to care for a six-year-old burn victim, and Nick's devotion to his work is soon tangled up in his attraction to the boy's mother, Valerie, a single attorney. Narrated in turn by Tessa and Valerie, the action centers around—will they or won't they, and, if they do, will Tessa forgive him? While unclear what Nick finds so unsatisfying in his marriage, adultery is always tempting and Tessa and Valerie both have their charms. Longtime fans will enjoy the cameos, but for the best of Giffin, don't miss her earlier works.

Lee Child

"61 Hours" Jack Reacher is Back!

After a brief stop in New York City (Gone Tomorrow), Jack Reacher is back in his element—Smalltown, U.S.A.—in bestseller Child's fine 14th thriller to feature the roving ex-military cop. When a tour bus on which he bummed a ride skids off the road and crashes, Reacher finds himself in Bolton, S.Dak., a tiny burg with big problems. A highly sophisticated methamphetamine lab run by a vicious Mexican drug cartel has begun operating outside town at an abandoned military facility. After figuring out the snow-bound, marooned Reacher's smart, great with weapons, and capable of tapping military intelligence, the helpless local cops enlist his assistance, and, as always, he displays plenty of derring-do, mental acuity, and good old-fashioned decency. While the action is slower than usual, series fans will appreciate some new insights that Child provides into his hero's psyche and background as well as a cliffhanger ending.

James Patterson New Release.

< “Don't Blink” is due to hit the shelves this fall and already people are placing their reserves on the soon to be best seller.

New York's Lombardo's Steak House is famous for three reasons--the menu, the clientele, and now, the gruesome murder of an infamous mob lawyer. Effortlessly, the assassin slips through the police's fingers, and his absence sparks a blaze of accusations about who ordered the hit.
Seated at a nearby table, reporter Nick Daniels is conducting a once-in-a-lifetime interview with a legendary baseball bad-boy. In the chaos, he accidentally captures a key piece of evidence that lands him in the middle of an all-out war between Italian and Russian mafia forces. NYPD captains, district attorneys, mayoral candidates, media kingpins, and one shockingly beautiful magazine editor are all pushing their own agendas--on both sides of the law.
Back off--or die--is the clear message Nick receives as he investigates for a story of his own. Heedless, and perhaps in love with his beautiful editor, Nick endures humiliation, threats, violence, and worse in a thriller that overturns every expectation and finishes with the kind of flourish only James Patterson knows.

Crime, Crime, Crime!

The Year's best crime novels; brought to you by Booklist.

"The Brutal Telling" by Louise Penny
"Cemetery Road" by Gar Anthony Haywood
"The Dark Horse" by Craig Johnson
"The Darkest Room" by Johan Theorin
"False Mermaid" by Erin Hart
"The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson
"The God of Hive" by Laurie R. King
"The Godfather of Kathmandu" by John Burdett
"A Thousand Cuts" by Simon Lelic
"Bad Things Happen" by Harry Dolan
"Bait" by Nick Browniee
"The Case of the Missing Servant" by Tarquin Hall
"Snow Angels" by James Thompson
"The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" by Alan Bradley

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week......

Miller, Lisa. Heaven: Our 2000-Year-Old Fascination With the Afterlife.

Librarian Bob has reviewed this piece.

This historical and present-day survey about a place which a vast majority of polled Americans say exists focuses mainly on the believers, not the beliefs. Miller, the religion editor of Newsweek, points out that the image of heaven changes as do people. Among those interviewed is archaeologist Rachel Hallotte, daughter of novelist Cynthia Ozick, who claims the ancient Israelite practice of building homes over burial caves was a form of ancestor worship. The Mormon view that marriages on earth continue in heaven was borrowed from the 18th century Swedish philosopher/mystic Emanuel Swedenborg. Miller gives more attention to moderate interpretations of Islam's Koran than the radical viewpoint that inspires violence and possible martyrdom all for the promise of attending virgins in the next life. A look into popular culture includes considering the Talking Heads song "Heaven" and Alice Sebold's acclaimed novel "The Lovely Bones."