In this brilliant crime novel by CWA Gold Dagger winner Peter Dickinson, a writer looks back on his past and discovers the memory of a murder that needs to be solved It's been forty years since Paul Rogers spent a night at St. Aidan's Preparatory School in Sussex and he believes he has forgotten nearly everything that happened there. When a biographer asks the now-middle-aged novelist about his youth, it triggers memories that Rogers thought he had lost forever and prompts him to begin writing about the summer of 1940, when the Nazis took Paris and his entire boarding school were evacuated to a country house in Devon. There the boys discovered a pastoral countryside whose woods held untold mysteries—one of which, Rogers realizes in hindsight, might have been a murder. To write about this long-forgotten crime, Rogers digs deep into his past, uncovering terrifying recollections that may or may not be real. Something gruesome happened that summer,... Views: 24
Keet knows the only good thing about moving away from her Alabama home is that she’ll live near her beloved grandfather. When Keet starts school, it’s even worse than she expected, as the kids tease her about her southern accent. Now Keet, who can “talk the whiskers off a catfish,” doesn’t want to open her mouth. Slowly, though, while fishing with her grandfather, she learns the art of listening. Gradually, she makes her first new friend. But just as she’s beginning to settle in, her grandfather has a stroke, and even though he’s still nearby, he suddenly feels ever-so-far-away. Keet is determined to reel him back to her by telling him stories; in the process she finds her voice and her grandfather again. This lyrical and deeply emotional novel-in-verse celebrates the power of story and of finding one’s individual voice. Views: 24
A stunning debut - part psychological thriller, part detective novel - from a powerful and distinctive new voice. The murder of a first-year university student shocks the city of Durham. The victim, Emily Brabents, was from the privileged and popular set at Joyce College, a cradle for the country's future elite. As Detective Inspector Erica Martin investigates the college, she finds a close-knit community fuelled by jealousy, obsession and secrets. But the very last thing she expects is an instant confession . . . The picture of Emily that begins to emerge is that of a girl wanted by everyone, but not truly known by anyone. Anyone, that is, except Daniel Shepherd. Her fellow student, ever-faithful friend and the only one who cares. The only one who would do anything for her . . . * * * Praise for Bitter Fruits: 'There is a gripping, economic precision in this highly charged thriller.' Ralph Fiennes 'Grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go. A compelling read, beautifully written ... A tense, captivating tale, brilliantly told' Rachel Abbott 'Once I started reading it I couldn't stop. A brilliantly plotted and utterly gripping thriller.' Emma Kavanagh 'Superbly gripping ... A very assured page-turning storm I read in one sitting.' Stav Sherez 'A psychological police procedural ... An intelligent and thrilling debut.' Peter Guttridge, author and former Observer crime critic 'Intriguing and sinister with masterful plotting and tension. A bittersweet read by a new crime author I can't wait to read again.' Mel Sherratt 'A thought-provoking, atmospheric and emotional page turning thriller - brimming with mystery and suspense. I absolutely loved this novel, and devoured it from cover to cover.' Paul Pilkington Views: 24
A David Baldacci Top Pick for Fall 2015A Boston Globe Fall 2015 PickAn EW.com Blockbuster Novel PickOne of Newsday's "20 Best Books to Read this Fall"TWAIN & STANLEY ENTER PARADISE, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Oscar Hijuelos, is a luminous work of fiction inspired by the real-life, 37-year friendship between two towering figures of the late nineteenth century, famed writer and humorist Mark Twain and legendary explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley. Hijuelos was fascinated by the Twain-Stanley connection and eventually began researching and writing a novel that used the scant historical record of their relationship as a starting point for a more detailed fictional account. It was a labor of love for Hijuelos, who worked on the project for more than ten years, publishing other novels along the way but always returning to Twain and Stanley; indeed, he was still revising the manuscript the day before his... Views: 24
Devastated by the death of his father, Zach Webster's life gets worse when his mother moves him away from his friends in the big city to Whitmer, a tiny town tucked in the farthest corner of western North Carolina. They settle into the home of his late great-great uncle, an inventor whose secretive laboratory is still in the basement, hidden behind a locked steel door, the key lost somewhere in the old, Victorian house. With little to do for entertainment in the dying town, Zach and his new friends — twin boys and their younger sister — turn to exploring the nearby national forest, where they meet a strange recluse, an enormous man with fantastic, almost supernatural abilities. Amazing things happen when they're with this giant, and together they become entangled in a bizarre mystery that will forever change their lives and those of everyone around them. Views: 24
