Showing posts with label Vince Flynn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vince Flynn. Show all posts

Friday, August 28, 2015

Fall's Bounty of Books!



Survey by Jeanne

Elly Griffiths, author of the mystery series featuring forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway, is starting a new series.  The premise is that there was a special ops unit in WWII composed of magicians and illusionists who used their skills to confound and confuse the enemy.  Now the war is over, but there’s a killer who seems to be using some of their old tricks.  Look for The Zig Zag Girl  in September.

Fans of Stieg Larsson may want to check out The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz.  It's a continuation of Larsson's Millennium series, authorized by his father and brother.  The early descriptions promise international intrigue, computer hacking, the NSA, and the return of Lisbeth Salander.

Also due out in September is Catherine Coulter’s new book in her Brit in the FBI series.  Entitled End Game, it’s co-authored by J.T. Ellison, and has Drummond and Caine investigating a radical environmental group which is planning a violent attack.  The reviews promise plot twists, thrills, and perhaps some romantic complications.

Local favorite Adriana Trigiani has written several fiction books based on family stories.  Now she’s written the story of movie star Loretta Young using the same blend of fact and fiction.  Young was much in demand as an actress during Hollywood’s Golden Age and weathered both success and scandal.  She worked and socialized with Clark Gable, Cary Grant, John Wayne, David Niven, and many more.  This should be a fascinating, entertaining book!  The title is All the Stars in the Heavens.

Homer Hickam is another local favorite, best known for Rocket Boys (aka October Sky) and  The Coalwood Way. His stories of growing up in a small coal mining town in West Virginia where his father was  a miner struck a chord with readers here. His new novel is Carrying Albert Home:  The Somewhat True Story of a Man, His Wife, and Her Alligator.  I’m not quite sure what it is about, but the title alone makes me want to read it. (Actually, on his website Mr. Hickam says it's about love and is a sort of prequel to Rocket Boys, since it's based on an event in his parents' lives. I stand by my earlier statement, however:  the title alone is enough to make me want to read it!)

When the first mystery by Robert Galbraith appeared, it rather slipped under the radar—until it was revealed that J.K. Rowling was the author.  Then sales soared and critics either loved or hated the book with equal passion.  Now Rowling—er, Galbraith—has brought private detective Cormoran Strike back in a third novel, The Career of Evil.  When Strike’s assistant receives a package containing a woman’s severed leg, the search is on for someone from the detective’s past with a penchant for violence and brutality.  It’s due out October 20.

Nicholas Sparks fans, October 13 is going to be your lucky day!  Sparks’ new book, See Me, should be out that day.  The plot revolves around a young man who falls in love with the daughter of Mexican immigrants.  Then a danger from her past threatens their relationship and perhaps their lives.

When Vince Flynn passed away in 2013, he was working on the 14th Mitch Rapp book.  His estate and his long time editor engaged the services of thriller writer Kyle Mills to complete The Survivor, which will be out in October.  Mills will write two more Mitch Rapp books.

John Grisham has made quite the career writing about the legal profession.  His latest is Rogue Lawyer, due out October 20.  Sebastian Rudd defends those that no other attorney wants to touch: drug lords, child molesters, a man who shot at a SWAT team.  He has a mobile office in a van complete with bullet-proof glass, a bar, and a hidden gun compartment.  He believes in very little—except that everyone is entitled to a fair trial.  

Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sargeant Barbara Havers are back in Elizabeth George’s new novel, A Banquet of Consequences. What do a suicide in Dorset and a murder in Cambridge have in common? That’s just what Lynley and Havers are trying to unravel in this new mystery. Early reviews suggest that this is a return to form for George, and should be welcome news to those fans who have been a bit disappointed with her recent novels. Everyone should be able to judge come October.

In November, David Baldacci fans can look forward to the return of Will Robie, whom we first met in The Innocent.  Will and his father have been estranged since Will left his home in Mississippi right after high school.  Now his father has been arrested for murder, and Will is determined to find out exactly what happened in The Guilty.

Another view of Albert
And here's one of the actual descriptions of the book: 

CARRYING ALBERT HOME is the story of a love triangle. Homer loves Elsie.  Elsie loves Albert. It's classic. Except there's a difference to this ménage à trois, a rather large, scaly one. Albert is an alligator.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Big Books for July

Round Up by Jeanne

Every month has its share of eagerly awaited books, though it must be said some months get more than their share as publishers try to bring out the best in beach books or Christmas gifts.  In publishing as in most endeavors, timing is everything.  We’re going to start posting a list of book highlights for the month just to let folks know what they have to look forward to that month—plus maybe some hints of things to come later and other book news.

First of all, fans have been saddened to learn of the death of Vince Flynn on June 19 after a three year battle with cancer.  He was 47 years old.  He leaves behind a wife and three children.  His thirteen Mitch Rapp political thrillers kept readers on the edge of their seats. Reportedly, there will be one more book released in October, entitled The Survivor.

Mystery fans have much to look forward to in July! Donna Andrews has another entry in her very popular Meg Lanslow series, all of which mention some sort of bird in the title.  With names like We’ll Always Have Parrots and Owl’s Well That Ends Well, you know the author has a sense of humor.  The new book is Hen of the Baskervilles.

I enjoyed Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway series.  Dixie is a pet sitter and former cop who lives in Siesta Key, Florida, and who ends up involved in more than her share of mysteries.  I was saddened to learn of Ms. Clement’s death in 2011 and assumed that would be the end of the series, but her son John Clement has picked up the torch. I’m looking forward to reading  Cat Sitter’s Cradle.

Not only do Mike Lawson fans have the new Joe Demarco book House Odds to look forward to, but Lawson is starting a whole new series! All we know so far is that the first title is Rosarito Beach and it will be out in January, 2014.

Iris Johansen is putting out a new Eve Duncan trilogy.  The first book, Taking Eve, came out in April; Hunting Eve will be out in July; and the grand finale, Silencing Eve will be out in January, 2014.

Margaret Coel’s new book, Watching Eagles Soar, is a collection of short stories featuring Father John and Vicky.

Other mystery & thriller picks:
James Lee Burke Light of the World (Dave Robicheaux)
 Linda Castillo  Her Last Breath
Catherine Coulter  Bombshell (FBI series)
Jo Nesbo The Bat
Alex Kava Stranded
James Rollins Eye of God
Daniel Silva The English Girl
Karin Slaughter Unseen
Brad Taylor Widow’s Strike
Brad Thor Hidden Order



Historical fiction fans have treats in store as well!  Philippa Gregory continues the “Cousins’ War” saga with The White Princess.  Elizabeth of York, mistress to the late Richard III, sister to the boys in the tower, is sought as a bride by Henry Tudor even though she’s still in love with the man he deposed.   

Sara Dunant has already earned kudos with her stories set during the Italian Renaissance, but now in Blood and Beauty she takes on one of the great families of history:  the Borgias.


 Later on in the year will be the new Dexter book by Jeff Lindsay, a new Bridget Jones by Helen Fielding, and at long last a sequel to John Grisham's first novel A Time to Kill! Stay tuned to the BPL bookblog for more book news!

Happy reading!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

What's Hot for February!



This month, we’ll be listing the top 15 books our patrons have put on reserve in February.  Several have yet to be published, even!  Without further ado, we’ll get to the list.
15. Loving by Karen Kingsbury
This is the fourth book in the Bailey Flannagan series and will be published in March.  Fans will want to start with the first book in the series, Leaving.

14.  The Look of Love:  A Piper Donovan Mystery by Mary Jane Clark
This is the second book in the “Wedding Cake Mysteries” by a former daughter-in-law of Mary Higgins Clark.  Her previous series was centered on a fictional news network and the reporters there, which allowed her to draw on her background as a former writer and producer at CBS News.


13. Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Although she’s been writing since the 1990s, it’s just been recently that Kristin Hannah has hit the best-seller lists with her well written books that deal with contemporary family relationships. In Home Front, a young couple’s marriage is already in trouble when the wife is deployed to Iraq.

12.  Unwritten Laws by Greg Iles
There’s still no word on exactly when this sequel to The Devil’s Punchbowl will be published.  Iles was severely injured in a traffic accident so the book has been delayed.

11. Left for Dead by J.A. Jance
Jance has several popular mystery series.  This one features former television news anchor Ali Reynolds.

10.  Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke
This is the newest entry in the Hannah Swensen mystery series. Hannah is a baker in addition to be a sleuth, and all the books contain recipes.

9.  Catch Me by Lisa Gardner
Gardner is a thriller writer who does both series and standalone books.  This is the newest entry in the DD Warren series.  The veteran police investigator has just returned from maternity leave when she’s approached by a young woman who believes she’s about to become a serial killer’s next victim.

8.  77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
 The Pendleton was built in the late 1800s as a millionaire’s residence.  From the very first, the people who lived there tended to meet unhappy ends.  Now it’s become an apartment building, and the tenants have no idea just what they’re getting into.

7.  11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
The new entry in the Women’s Murder Club will be out in May.

6.  Celebrity in Death by J.D. Robb
Eve Dallas returns for her first of two cases this year; the second is due out in September.

5.  Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris
Word has it that this is the next to last book in the Sookie Stackhouse series.

4.  Kill Shot:  An American Assassin Thriller by Vince Flynn
The long-awaited Mitch Rapp book is finally out, after being delayed for several months.

3.  Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln continues to fascinate, especially as we observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.

2.  Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis
This stand alone thriller from Patterson & Ellis will be published in March.

And the top reserve book is:

Private Games by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan
This is the third in Patterson’s new series about an international private detective agency.