Books Previews 13-20 Aprile 2010
aprile 22, 2010 by Silbietta
Questi i libri in uscita negli Stati Uniti in questo periodo.
Mysteries
- The Inheritance by Simon Tolkien (336 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Minotaur
ISBN-13: 9780312539078)
When a famed Oxford historian is found dead in his study one night, all evidence points to his son, Stephen. About to be disinherited from the family fortune, Stephen returns to home after a long estrangement — and it happens to be the night his father is shot to death. When his fingerprints are found on the murder weapon, Stephen’s guilt seems undeniable. But there were five other people in the manor house at the time, and as their stories slowly emerge — along with the revelation that the deceased man was involved in a deadly hunt for a priceless relic in Northern France at the end of World War II — the race is on to save Stephen from a death sentence.
Everyone has a motive, and no one is telling the truth. Unwilling to sit by and watch the biased judge condemn Stephen to death, an ageing police inspector decides to travel from England to France to find out what really happened in that small French village in 1945 — and what artifact could be so valuable it would be worth killing for.
Thrillers
- Eight Days to Live: An Eve Duncan Forensics Thriller by Iris Johansen (400 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press ISBN-13: 9780312368159)
Eve Duncan and her adopted daughter, Jane Macguire, are pitted against the members of a secretive cult who have targeted Jane and have decided that she will be their ultimate sacrifice. In eight days they will come for her. In eight days, what Jane fears the most will become a reality. In eight days, she will die. It all begins with a painting that Jane, an artist, displays in her Parisian gallery. The painting is called ‘Guilt’ and Jane has no idea how or why she painted the portrait of the chilling face. But the members of a cult that dates back to the time of Christ believe that Jane’s blasphemy means she must die. But first, she will lead them to an ancient treasure whose value is beyond price. This elusive treasure, and Jane’s death, are all that they need for their power to come to ultimate fruition. With Eve’s help, can Jane escape before the clock stops ticking?
- Deliver Us from Evil by David Baldacci (416 pages Publisher: Grand Central Publishing ISBN-13: 9780446564083)
Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything … and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe.
On Waller’s trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw’s one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence.
But Waller’s depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence – Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate – and she has an agenda of her own.
Hunting the same man and unaware of each other’s mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits.
Novels
- I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson (272 pages Publisher: Algonquin Books ISBN-13: 9781565125971)
For Paul Gustavson, a hack writer for the wildly popular For Morons series, life is a succession of obstacles. His wife has left him, his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, his girlfriend is dating another man, he has impotency issues, and his overachieving brother invested his parents’ money in stocks that tanked. Still, Paul has his friends at Bay State bar, a steady line of cocktails, and a new pair of running shoes (he’s promised himself to get in shape). And then there’s Stella, the one constant in his life, who gives him sage advice, doesn’t judge him, and gives him unconditional love. However, Stella won’t accompany Paul into his favorite dive bar. “I’ll roll on dead carp, I’ll even eat cat turds, but that place grosses me out.” Stella, you see, is Paul’s aging Lab-shepherd mix, and she knows Paul better than he knows himself.
- My Wife’s Affair by Nancy Woodruff (288 pages Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books ISBN-13: 9780399156298)
Georgie and Peter, very much in love, move to London with their three children. Once there, Georgie’s dormant acting career takes off and she wins the role of Dora Jordan in a one-woman show. Dora Jordan was the most famous comic actress of the eighteenth century (she had thirteen illegitimate children, including ten by the future king of England).
As Georgie rehearses for her part, she becomes increasingly drawn to Dora Jordan, who she sees as a working mother with struggles exactly like her own. And when Georgie can no longer fight her attraction to the playwright, she begins an affair with tragic results.
Narrated by Peter, a failed-writer -turned-businessman, My Wife’s Affair is about infidelity, passion, duty, and about finally getting what you want and then wanting still more.
Historical Fiction
- The Heretic’s Wife by Brenda Rickman Vantrease (416 pages Publisher: St. Martin’s Press ISBN-13: 9780312386993)
Tudor England is a perilous place for booksellers Kate Gough and her brother John, who sell forbidden translations of the Bible. Caught between warring factions—English Catholics opposed to the Lutheran reformation, and Henry VIII’s growing impatience with the Pope’s refusal to sanction his marriage to Anne Boleyn—Kate embarks on a daring adventure that will lead her into a dangerous marriage and a web of intrigue that pits her against powerful enemies. From the king’s lavish banquet halls to secret dungeons and the inner sanctums of Thomas More, Brenda Rickman Vantrease’s glorious new novel illuminates the public pageantry and the private passions of men and women of conscience in treacherous times.
Children’s Books
- The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon by David Almond & Polly Dunbar
(128 pages Publisher: Candlewick Press ISBN-13: 9780763642174)
Crackpot notions, community spirit, and sky-high aspirations transform a quiet boy’s life in this whimsical tale from the stellar team of David Almond and Polly Dunbar.
There are some strange ideas floating around in Paul’s apartment block. There’s Mabel, who now calls herself Molly and whose brother hides under a paper bag. Then there’s Clarence, the poodle who thinks he can fly. But the strangest notion of all is Paul’s. You see, Paul believes that the moon is not the moon but a great hole in the sky. And he knows that sausages are better than war. How on earth (or not) will he find out if he is bonkers or a genius? With a few equally bonkers (or genius) helpers and a very long ladder, that’s how! From a master of magical realism and a celebrated artist comes another delightfully outrageous expedition.
- Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine (240 pages Publisher: Philomel
ISBN-13: 9780399252648)
In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.
Teen’s Books
- Efrain’s Secret by Sofia Quintero (272 pages Publisher: Knopf Children’s Books ISBN-13: 9780375847066 – Ages 12 up)
Ambitious high school senior Efrain Rodriguez dreams of escaping the South Bronx for an Ivy League college like Harvard or Yale. But how is his family going to afford to pay for a prestigious university when Moms has to work insane hours to put food on the table as it is? And Efrain wouldn’t dare ask that good-for-nothing father of his who has traded his family in for younger models. Left with few options, Efrain chooses to do something he never thought he would. He embarks on a double life—honor student by day, drug peddler at night—convinced that by temporarily capitulating to society’s negative expectations of a boy like him, he can eventually defy them.
Sofia Quintero makes a stunning debut writing for young adults with this gritty, complex, and real exploration of the life of an urban teen whose attempt to leave one world behind for a better one could cost him everything.
- Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (224 pages Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
ISBN-13: 9781596435926 Ages 12 up)
A loaded gun, stolen gold. And a menacing stranger. A taut frontier survivor story, set at the time of the Alaska gold rush.
In an isolated cabin, fourteen-year-old Sig is alone with a corpse: his father, who has fallen through the ice and frozen to death only hours earlier. Then comes a stranger claiming that Sig’s father owes him a share of a horde of stolen gold. Sig’s only protection is a loaded Colt revolver hidden in the cabin’s storeroom. The question is, will Sig use the gun, and why?
J.K Rowling is probably one of the most amazing writers in modern times. Her Harry Potter series has been responsible for so many young people starting to read books because they want to, not because they have to.