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Week of March 18, 2024

New in Paperback

Week of March 18, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of March 18th include ZERO DAYS by Ruth Ware, an adrenaline-fueled suspense novel about a woman in a race against time to clear her name and find her husband’s murderer; Sandra Brown's OUT OF NOWHERE, a fast-paced, emotional thriller in which the lives of a young mother and a high-rolling consultant collide under devastating circumstances --- culminating in a desperate manhunt that will change their futures forever; WE SHOULD NOT BE FRIENDS, a warm and funny book from Will Schwalbe that follows an improbable and life-changing college friendship over the course of 40 years; TWO WARS AND WEDDING by Lauren Willig, a dramatic coming-of-age story with a dual timeline and a single heroine --- a bold and adventuring young woman who finds herself caught up in two very different wars on both sides of the Atlantic; and the paperback original I PROMISE IT WON’T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS, Clare Mackintosh's deeply felt memoir of unfathomable loss and infinite hope.

48 Clues into the Disappearance of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates - Literary Thriller/Mystery

March 19, 2024

What has become of Marguerite Fulmer? On an otherwise average day in upstate New York, the young woman left her family home, never to return. No note was left, no explanation --- just a messy bedroom and her sister Gigi, driven to dig through the meager clues and discover the truth behind her disappearance. As the investigation unfolds, every subtle bit of evidence becomes a potential clue. The silk Dior slip dress, left in a heap on the floor; the impression of Ferragamo boots outside in the dirt, a trail of footsteps that abruptly ends before it leaves the yard. And as Gigi trails the detectives, she finds previously unknown troubles in the life of her perfect, gorgeous, much-loved sister --- troubles that at times seem to reflect her own.

62: Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness by Bryan Hoch - Sports

March 19, 2024

Aaron Judge, the hulking superman who carried an easy aw-shucks demeanor from small-town California to stardom in the Big Apple, had long established his place as one of baseball’s most intimidating power hitters. Baseballs frequently rocketed off his bat like cannon fire, dispatching heat-seeking missiles toward the “Judge’s Chambers” seating area in right field, sending delirious fans scattering for souvenirs. But even in a high-tech universe where computers measure each swing to the nth degree, Roger Maris’ American League mark of 61 home runs seemed largely out of reach. In 62, veteran Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch unravels the remarkable journey of Judge’s run to shatter Maris’ beloved 61-year-old record.

Biography of X by Catherine Lacey - Fiction

March 19, 2024

When X --- an iconoclastic artist, writer and polarizing shape-shifter --- falls dead in her office, her widow, wild with grief and refusing everyone’s good advice, hurls herself into writing a biography of the woman she deified. Though X was recognized as a crucial creative force of her era, she kept a tight grip on her life story. Not even CM, her wife, knew where X had been born. In her quest to find out, she opens a Pandora’s box of secrets, betrayals and destruction. All the while, she immerses herself in the history of the Southern Territory, a fascist theocracy that split from the rest of the country after World War II, as it is finally, in the present day, forced into an uneasy reunification.

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh - Historical Mystery

March 19, 2024

Still reeling in the aftermath of the deadliest war the world had ever seen, the small town of Pont-Saint-Esprit collectively lost its mind. Some historians believe the mysterious illness and violent hallucinations were caused by spoiled bread; others claim it was the result of covert government testing on the local population. In that town lived a woman named Elodie. She was the baker’s wife: a plain, unremarkable person who yearned to transcend her dull existence. So when a charismatic new couple arrived in town, the forceful ambassador and his sharp-toothed wife, Violet, Elodie was quickly drawn into their orbit. Thus began a dangerous game of cat and mouse. But who was the predator and on whom did they prey?

The Devil You Know: A Hayley Chill Thriller by Chris Hauty - Political Thriller

March 19, 2024

When a justice of the Supreme Court is killed by the police officer assigned to protect him, the country is shocked. Hayley Chill’s superiors suspect the assassination is part of a major conspiracy. In Maui, where one member of the Supreme Court owns a vacation home, a busload of children is taken hostage with the justice’s death as ransom. Together with a deputy US marshal, Hayley embarks on the monumental task of rescuing the children while also protecting the justice. But with danger around every corner and no one to trust, has Hayley finally bitten off more than she can chew?

The Fake by Zoe Whittall - Fiction

March 19, 2024

After the death of her wife, Shelby is suffering from prolonged grief. In a grief support group, she meets Cammie, who gives her permission to express her most hopeless, hideous feelings. Cammie is charismatic and unlike anyone Shelby has ever met. She’s also recovering from cancer and going through several other calamities. Shelby puts all her energy into helping Cammie thrive --- until her intuition tells her that something isn’t right. Gibson is fresh from divorce and deeply depressed. Then he falls in love with Cammie. But his friends are wary of her. When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie’s stories don’t always add up. In fact, they’re far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it?

Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy by Kate Swenson - Memoir

March 19, 2024

Kate Swenson's oldest son, Cooper, was diagnosed with nonverbal autism when he was three years old. Kate had always dreamed of having the perfect family and wasn't prepared for raising a child with a disability. Over the years, she felt the frustration and exhaustion from having to fight for your child in a world stacked against them. But through hard work, resilience and personal growth, she learned that Cooper wasn't the one who needed to change. She was. It was this transformation that led Kate to acceptance --- and, ultimately, joy. Because of Cooper, Kate became the person and the mother she was truly meant to be. Now she offers support and connection to others on this path. In FOREVER BOY, she shares her inspiring journey with honesty and compassion, illuminating the strength and perseverance of mothers.

Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher - Psychological Thriller

March 19, 2024

Iris narrowly escaped her pretty, popular twin sister’s fate as a teen: kidnapped, trafficked and long gone before the cops agreed to investigate. With no evidence to go on but a few scattered memories, the case quickly goes cold. Now an adult, Iris wants one thing: proof. And if the police still won’t help, she’ll just have to find it her own way --- by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally insane, where secrets lurk in the shadows and are kept under lock and key. But Iris soon realizes that something even more sinister is simmering beneath the surface of the Shoal, and the patients aren’t the only ones being observed.

The Half Life of Valery K by Natasha Pulley - Historical Thriller

March 19, 2024

In 1963, in a Siberian prison, former nuclear specialist Valery Kolkhanov has mastered what it takes to survive. But one day, Valery's university mentor steps in and sweeps him from the frozen camp to a mysterious unnamed city. It houses a set of nuclear reactors, and surrounding it is a forest so damaged it looks like the trees have rusted from within. In City 40, Valery is expected to serve out his prison term studying the effect of radiation on local animals. But as Valery begins his work, he is struck by the questions his research raises. Why is there so much radiation in this area? What, exactly, is being hidden from the thousands who live in the town? And if he keeps looking for answers, will he live to serve out his sentence?

Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter? by Nicci French - Psychological Thriller

March 19, 2024

On the day of Alec Salter’s 50th birthday party, his wife, Charlotte, vanishes. While Alec brushes off her disappearance, their four children --- especially 15-year-old Etty --- grow increasingly anxious. Then Etty and her friend, Morgan, find the body of Morgan’s father, Duncan Ackerley, floating in the river. The police conclude that Duncan and Charlotte were having an affair before he killed her and committed suicide. Thirty years later, Morgan Ackerley returns to the small English village of Glensted with his older brother to make a podcast based on their shared tragedy with the Salters. Stricken with dementia, Alec is entering an elder care facility. But when the Ackerleys ask to interview the Salters, the entire town gets caught up in the unresolved cases. Allegations fly, secrets come to light, and a suspicious fire leads to a murder.

I Promise It Won't Always Hurt Like This: 18 Assurances on Grief by Clare Mackintosh - Memoir

March 19, 2024

When Clare Mackintosh lost her five-week-old son, she soon discovered there are no neat, labeled stages of grief like so many books insist. The shape of each loss is different; when a parent, relative or friend passes, we grieve the person in all their beauty, humanity and imperfections. For Clare, there was no preparing for the anger and excruciating ache of knowing her child's life would remain unlived. This is the book she needed then. Inspired by a viral Twitter thread Clare wrote on the anniversary of her son's death, this deeply honest, compassionate memoir will bring solace and encouragement to anyone who finds themselves walking with grief, whether for a season or for several years.

In Memoriam by Alice Winn - Historical Fiction

March 19, 2024

It’s 1914, and World War I is ceaselessly churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. The violence of the front feels far away to Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, safely ensconced in their idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. Gaunt, half German, is busy fighting his own private battle --- an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, Ellwood --- without a clue that Ellwood is pining for him in return. When Gaunt's family asks him to enlist, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt's horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow. Now death surrounds them in all its grim reality, often inches away, and no one knows who will be next.

It's One of Us by J.T. Ellison - Psychological Thriller

March 19, 2024

Olivia Bender desperately wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she’s at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park. DNA results show that the prime suspect in a murder investigation is Park’s son. Olivia is relieved, knowing this is a mistake. Despite their desire, the Benders don’t have any children. Then comes the confession. Many years ago, Park donated sperm to a clinic. He has no idea how many times it was sold --- or how many children he has sired. As the murder investigation goes deeper, more terrible truths come to light. With every revelation, Olivia must face the unthinkable. The man she married has fathered a killer. But can she hold that against him when she keeps such dark secrets of her own?

Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephan Talty - True Crime

March 19, 2024

No other event in the last 50 years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today, we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire; for its inspiration of the Oklahoma City bombing; and for the wave of anti-government militarism that followed. What we understand far less is what motivated the Davidians’ enigmatic leader, David Koresh. Drawing on first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh’s family and survivors of the siege, bestselling author Stephan Talty paints a psychological portrait of this infamous icon of the 1990s. He reveals how Koresh’s fixation on holy war, which would deliver the Davidians to their reward and confirm himself as Christ, collided with his paranoid obsession with firearms to destructive effect.

A Most Intriguing Lady: A Novel of the Victorian Era by Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York - Historical Mystery/Romance

March 19, 2024

Victorian London was notorious for its pickpockets. But in the country houses of the elite, gentleman burglars, art thieves and con men preyed on the rich and titled. Wealthy victims would never go to the police. What they needed was a society insider, a person of discretion and finely tuned powers of observation, adept at navigating intrigue. That person was Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, the youngest child of Queen Victoria’s close friends the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch. While at a house party, Lady Mary meets Colonel Walter Trefusis, a war veteran who has a desk job in Whitehall providing a front for his role in the British Intelligence Service. The two form an unlikely alliance to solve a series of audacious crimes --- and indulge in a highly charged on-off romance.

The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill - Literary Thriller/Mystery

March 19, 2024

When Theodosia Benton abandons her career path as an attorney and shows up on her brother's doorstep with two suitcases and an unfinished novel, she expects to face a few challenges. What Theo never expects is to be drawn into a hidden literary world in which identity is something that can be lost and remade for the sake of an audience. When her mentor, a highly successful author, is brutally murdered, Theo wants the killer to be found and justice to be served. Then the police begin looking at her brother, Gus, as their prime suspect, and Theo does the unthinkable in order to protect him. But the writer has left a trail, a thread out of the labyrinth in the form of a story. Gus finds that thread and follows it, and in his attempt to save his sister, he inadvertently threatens the foundations of the labyrinth itself.

Now You See Us by Balli Kaur Jaswal - Mystery/Humor

March 19, 2024

Corazon, Donita and Angel are Filipina domestic workers --- part of the wave of women sent to Singapore to be cleaners, maids and caregivers. But an explosive news story shatters Singapore’s famous tranquility, sending a chill down the spine of every domestic worker. Flordeliza Martinez, a Filipina maid, has been arrested for murdering her female employer. The three women don’t know the accused well, but she could be any of them. Every worker knows stories of women who were scapegoated or even executed for crimes they didn’t commit. Shocked into action, Donita, Corazon and Angel will use their considerable moxie and insight to piece together the mystery of what really happened on the day Flordeliza’s employer was murdered.

Old God's Time by Sebastian Barry - Fiction

March 19, 2024

Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally, fond memories return of his family --- his beloved wife, June, and their two children, Winnie and Joe. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one that Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past.

Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain - Fiction

March 19, 2024

During summer break one day, Angie, the teenage daughter of Indian immigrant Babur Singh, is walking home after swimming at the high school pool when she finds Henry McCleary, a white classmate from a wealthy family, stabbed and bleeding on the football field. The police immediately focus their investigation on Chiara Thompkins, a runaway Black girl who disappears after the stabbing and --- it’s later discovered --- wasn’t properly enrolled in the public high school. The incident sends shock waves through the community and reveals jarring truths about the lengths to which families will go to protect themselves.

Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown - Romantic Suspense

March 19, 2024

At a Texas county fair, children’s book author Elle Portman is enjoying a rare night out with her two-year-old son, Charlie. Just as they’re about to head home, a shooter opens fire into the crowd. Also caught in the melee is corporate consultant Calder Hudson. He’s frustrated and confused when he wakes up in the hospital after undergoing emergency surgery on his arm. The doctor tells him that he was lucky, but others weren’t, which instills in Calder a furious determination to get justice…a goal shared by Elle. Their chance encounter at the police station leads to a surprising and inexplicable gravitation to one another. But Elle and Calder can’t help but wonder if the unimaginable tragedy that brought them together is too painful and too complicated to sustain --- especially while the shooter remains at large.

Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner - Thriller

March 19, 2024

When Alex Hassan gets accepted to an Ivy League university, his middle-class Egyptian-American family is filled with pride and excitement. But that joy turns to shock when they discover that he has run off to the Middle East to join a holy war instead. When he refuses to communicate with everyone else, his loving grandfather Ali emails him one last plea. If Alex will stay in touch, he will share with Alex --- and only Alex --- a manuscript containing the secret story of his own life that he has kept hidden from his family, until now. It's the tale of his romantic and heartbreaking past rooted in Hollywood and the post-revolutionary Egypt of the 1950s --- which he is now forced to unearth to save his grandson, who is about to make the same tragic mistakes he made so long ago.

The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni - Supernatural/Literary Thriller

March 19, 2024

Once a promising Midwestern football star, Mike Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower --- he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can’t. But it also left him deeply isolated. Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving 30 years in prison for murder who hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent and dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.

Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash - Legal Thriller/Mystery

March 19, 2024

Lacey Bond is a 13-year-old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents’ rural daycare center. Then the Satanic Panic hits. It’s the summer of 1990 when Lacey’s parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail, and faced with a torrent of jaw-dropping accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades. As an adult, Lacey mimes a normal life as the law clerk of an illustrious judge. She has a beautiful girlfriend, a measure of security, and the world has mostly forgotten about her. But after a tiny misstep spirals into an uncontrolled legal disaster, the hysteria threatens to begin all over again.

Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina - Mystery & Thriller/Horror

March 19, 2024

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step --- an ancient tribal myth come to life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past. When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation are strong, and sometimes it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Standing Dead: A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Margaret Mizushima - Mystery

March 19, 2024

Deputy Mattie Cobb and her sister, Julia, travel to Mexico to visit their mother. But when they arrive, they discover that she and her husband have vanished without a trace. Back in Timber Creek, Mattie finds a chilling note on her front door telling her to look for “him” among the standing dead up in the high country. The sheriff’s department springs into action and sends a team to the mountains, where Mattie’s K-9 partner, Robo, makes a grisly discovery --- a body tied to a dead pine tree. Mattie is shocked when she realizes she knows the dead man. And then another note arrives, warning that Mattie’s mother is in desperate straits. In a last-ditch gambit, Mattie must go deep undercover into a killer’s lair to save her mother --- or die trying.

Two Wars and a Wedding by Lauren Willig - Historical Fiction

March 19, 2024

September 1896: An aspiring archaeologist, Smith College graduate Betsy Hayes travels to Athens, desperate to break into the male-dominated field of excavation. But when a simmering conflict between Greece and Turkey erupts into open warfare, Betsy throws herself into the conflict as a nurse, not knowing that the decision will change her life forever --- and cause a deep and painful rift with her oldest friend, Ava. June 1898: Betsy has sworn off war nursing --- but when she gets word that her estranged friend Ava is headed to Cuba with Clara Barton and the Red Cross to patch up the wounded in the Spanish-American War, Betsy determines to stop her the only way she knows how: by joining in her place.

We Should Not Be Friends: The Story of a Friendship by Will Schwalbe - Memoir

March 19, 2024

By the time Will Schwalbe was a junior at college, he already had met everyone he cared to know. He also knew exactly who he wanted to avoid: the jocks. The jocks wore baseball caps and moved in packs, filling boisterous tables in the dining hall, and on the whole seemed to be another species entirely. All this changed dramatically when Will collided with Chris Maxey, known to just about everyone as Maxey. Maxey was physically imposing, loud and a star wrestler who was determined to become a Navy SEAL. Thanks to the strangely liberating circumstances of a little-known secret society at Yale, the two forged a bond that would become a mainstay of each other’s lives as they repeatedly lost and found each other and themselves in the years after graduation.

Zero Days by Ruth Ware - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

March 19, 2024

Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband, Gabe, are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their suspect --- Jack. Suddenly on the run and quickly running out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the real killer.