New Books June 2021

Dive into some summer reading

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A borrowed life : a novel

A borrowed life : a novel

King, Kerry Anne, author
2020

"For twenty-six years Liz has perfectly played the part of Mrs. Thomas Lightsey, exemplary pastor's wife and mother. But maintaining appearances for the congregation and catering to her demanding husband takes a toll, and she's lost herself in meeting the expectations of others. When Thomas suddenly dies, Liz feels shock, grief, and, to her surprise, the siren song of freedom. Dare she dream of a life to call her own? Despite the resistance of her daughter, Abigail, to even the smallest changes, Liz lands a role at the community theater. Inspired by new friends and the character she plays, she explores life's possibilities, including an unexpected--and steamy--relationship with her leading man. Just when Liz thinks she might be winning, life hits her with an unthinkable shock. She's pregnant at forty-nine. Torn between conflicting loyalties to her daughter, her lover, her unborn baby, and herself, can Liz find a way to rebuild her dream life one more time?" --Back cover.

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The downstairs neighbor

The downstairs neighbor

Cooper, Helen (Helen Mary), 1985- author
2021

From her downstairs apartment in suburban London, Emma has often overheard the everyday life of the seemingly perfect family upstairs. Until one day, she hears that teenager Freya has vanished and the police are questioning her parents, Steph and Paul. The effects of Freya's disappearance ripple outward, affecting everyone who lives in the building. Each character's life is thrown into sharp focus as devastating mistakes and long-held secrets are picked apart and other crimes come to light that make clear that the past never stays where we leave it, and that homes can be built on foundations of lies.

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The drowning kind : a novel

The drowning kind : a novel

McMahon, Jennifer, 1968- author
2021

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister Lexie, she assumes that it's just another one of her sister's episodes. But the next day, Lexie is dead. When Jax returns to the house to go through her sister's things, she learns that Lexie was researching their family's and the house's history. And as Jax dives deeper into that research, she discovers that the land holds a far darker history than she could have ever imagined.

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Every last fear

Every last fear

Finlay, Alex, author
2021

"In one of the year's most anticipated debut psychological thrillers, a family made infamous by a true crime documentary is found dead, leaving their surviving son to uncover the truth about their final days. "They found the bodies on a Tuesday." So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears. After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastatingnews: nearly his entire family-his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister-have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain-and they won't tell Matt why. The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn't the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt's older brother, Danny-currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte-was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he's never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime. When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he's faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, andmemories he'd hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny's case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison-putting his own life in peril-and forcing him to confront his every last fear. Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Every Last Fear is not only a page-turning thriller, it's also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and livingthrough a fame they never wanted"-- Provided by publisher.

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Every now and then

Every now and then

Kagen, Lesley
2020

The summer of 1960 was the hottest ever for Summit, Wisconsin. For kids seeking relief from the heat, there was a creek to be swum in, sprinklers to run through, and ice cream at Whitcomb's Drugstore. But for Frankie, Viv, and Biz, eleven-year-old best friends, it would forever be remembered as the summer that evil paid a visit to their small town--and took their young lives as they'd known them as a souvenir.

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Every vow you break : a novel

Every vow you break : a novel

Swanson, Peter, 1968- author
2021

"Abigail Baskin never thought she'd fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He's a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind--a refreshing twist from her previous relationships. But right before the wedding, Abigail has a moment of uncertainty. The drunken one-night stand from her bachelorette weekend, the sexy guy who wouldn't give her his real name, didn't really mean anything she keeps telling herself. She puts the incident out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Their honeymoon on a luxurious, secluded island in Maine will be the beginning of their blissful lives together. Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears--and Abigail's future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real--and he's tracked her down to prove it. Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon--and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss . . . including her perfect new husband."-- Provided by publisher.

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Find me

Find me

Frasier, Anne, author
2020

Convicted serial killer Benjamin Fisher has finally offered to lead detectives to the isolated graves of his victims. One catch: he'll only do it if FBI profiler Reni Fisher, his estranged daughter, accompanies them.

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The Forest City Killer : a serial murderer, a cold-case sleuth, and a search for justice

The Forest City Killer : a serial murderer, a cold-case sleuth, and a search for justice

Brown, Vanessa, 1980- author
2019

Fifty years ago, a serial killer prowled the quiet city of London, Ontario, marking it as his hunting grounds. As young women and boys were abducted, raped, and murdered, residents of the area held their loved ones closer and closer, terrified of the monster or monsters stalking the streets. Homicide detective Dennis Alsop began hunting the killer in the 1960s, and he didn't stop searching until his death 40 years later. For decades, detectives, actual and armchair, and the victims families and friends continued to ask questions: Who was the Forest City Killer? Was there more than one person, or did a depraved individual commit all of these crimes on his own? Combing through the files Detective Alsop left behind, researcher Vanessa Brown reopens the cases, revealing previously unpublished witness statements, details of evidence, and astonishing revelations. And through her investigation, Vanessa posits the unthinkable: is it possible that the Forest City Killer is still alive and, like the notorious Golden State Killer, a simple DNA test could bring him to justice?

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Gathering dark

Gathering dark

Fox, Candice, author
2021

In this new standalone thriller set in Los Angeles, Dr. Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected pediatric surgeon, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She's determined to keep her nose clean and win back custody of her son. But when her former cellmate begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line. It's been ten years since Detective Jessica Sanchez arrested Blair for cold-blooded murder. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor she expects abuse, maybe even violence. What comes next is a plea for help.

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Gilly the Ghillie : more chronicles of a West Coast fishing guide

Gilly the Ghillie : more chronicles of a West Coast fishing guide

Giblin, David, 1951- author
2020

Tall tales of coastal adventures, colourful locals, privileged tourists, and elusive fish abound in this hilariously offbeat sequel to The Codfish Dream. David Giblin's stint as a seasonal salmon fishing guide on Stuart Island provides a seemingly endless supply of hilarious and bizarre stories that reveal as much about the quirkiness of small coastal communities as they do about human nature itself. Now, in his second book of short interconnected stories set in the 1980s, Giblin introduces us to Gilly, the first female fishing guide to grace the tiny island, whose mere presence is enough to shake the foundations of the very insular, all-male guiding community. With the return of delightfully eccentric characters including VOP, Troutbreath, Lucky Peterson, and Wet Lenny, this rollicking maritime adventure will appeal to anyone who ever gutted a fish and lived to tell the tale.

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The girl in the mirror : a novel

The girl in the mirror : a novel

Carlyle, Rose, author
2020

Twin sisters Iris and Summer are startlingly alike, but beyond what the eye can see lies a darkness that sets them apart. Called to Thailand to help her sister sail the family yacht to the Seychelles, Iris nurtures her own secret hopes for what might happen on the journey. But when she unexpectedly finds herself alone in the middle of the Indian Ocean, everything changes. Iris allows herself to be swept up by Summer's husband Adam, who assumes that she is Summer. Not only does Iris finally have the golden life she's always envied, with her sister gone, she's one step closer to the hundred-million-dollar inheritance left by her manipulative father. All Iris has to do is be the first of his seven children to produce an heir.

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Horse owner's field guide to toxic plants : identifications, symptoms, and treatments

Horse owner's field guide to toxic plants : identifications, symptoms, and treatments

McQuinn, Sandra, author
2020

Horse Owner's Guide to Toxic Plants is organized according to types of plants. Since visuals are very important for correct identification, clear color photographs are shown, including wherever possible a close-up photograph and line drawing to better identify each plant. Horsewoman Sandra McQuinn has researched and compiled information on more than 100 more common but toxic plants that grow in backyards, pastures, and on the range and trail. Also included is advice from a veterinarian on how to recognize the symptoms of poisonings in your horse and what steps you or your own veterinarian should take if you suspect your horse has eaten a toxic plant.

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Hour of the witch

Hour of the witch

Bohjalian, Chris, 1962- author
2021

Boston, 1662. Mary Deerfield is twenty-four-years-old and the second wife of Thomas Deerfield, a man as cruel as he is powerful. When Thomas, prone to drunken rage, drives a three-tined fork into the back of Mary's hand, she resolves that she must divorce him to save her life. But in a world where every neighbour is watching for signs of the devil, a woman like Mary soon finds herself the object of suspicion and rumour. Mary must fight to not only escape her marriage, but also the gallows.

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In the deep : a novel

In the deep : a novel

White, Loreth Anne. author
2020

Real-estate mogul Martin Cresswell-Smith is the best thing that has ever happened to Ellie. After her daughter's devastating death, a divorce, and an emotional breakdown, he's helped her move as far as possible from the grief, the rage, and the monsters of her past. Ellie imagines her new home with Martin in an Australian coastal town will be like living a fairy tale. But behind closed doors is another story - one that ends in Martin's brutal murder. And Ellie seems almost relieved...Naturally, everyone thinks Mrs. Cresswell-Smith is guilty. Senior Constable Lozza Bianchi has reasonable doubt. She sees evidence of a twisted psychological battle and a couple who seemed to bring out the worst in each other - adultery, abuse, betrayal, and revenge. If anything Ellie says can be believed, that is. As the case takes twist after spiraling twist, Lozza can't shake the gut instinct that she's being manipulated. That Ellie is hiding something. That there are secrets yet to surface. Lozza has no idea.

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Later

Later

King, Stephen, 1947-, author
2021

The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine -- as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.

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Somewhere in the dark : a novel

Somewhere in the dark : a novel

Jacobs, R. J.
2020

Do the mistakes of the past mark us as guilty for life? After a childhood marred by neglect, Jessie Duval's finally got it together. With an apartment in Nashville and a job with a catering company, she's thriving. But all that changes when Jessie works an event where celebrities will be in attendance--including the one person from her past she must avoid at all costs: singer Shelly James. Jessie doesn't hate Shelly. Quite the opposite. One summer, she followed Shelly's tour everywhere. Only, Shelly wasn't flattered; she was terrified by Jessie's devotion--especially after Jessie was arrested. But after a year of therapy, Jessie understands what happened. She's not the same person anymore. Jessie keeps her head down, but when Shelly is found dead, Jessie's troubled past comes tumbling out and she quickly becomes a suspect in the high-profile murder. As the police close in on her, ignoring other credible leads, Jessie realizes Shelly's murder will be pinned on her--the perfect scapegoat--unless she finds the real killer. And no one knows Shelly's life and inner circle better than her. But she will have to go deeper into the dark--if ever she wants to find her way out.

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Sorrow and bliss : a novel

Sorrow and bliss : a novel

Mason, Meg, author
2021

Pushing away her devoted husband, a once-successful writer moves back into her bohemian childhood home, where she struggles to come to terms with the mental illness that has overshadowed her life.

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Sparks like stars

Sparks like stars

Hashimi, Nadia, author
2021

Kabul, 1978: ten-year-old Sitara's world is shattered when her entire family is assassinated. Smuggled out of the palace, Sitara is brought to America and takes on a new name - Aryana. New York, 2008: forty years after that fatal night, Aryana's world is rocked again when an elderly patient appears in her examination room - the soldier who saved her, yet may have murdered her entire family. Realizing that she cannot go on without finding the truth, Aryana embarks on a quest that takes her back to Kabul and through shadowy memories of the world she loved and lost.

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The stalker

The stalker

Gray, Alex, author
2019

A murder on their doorstep. A case that's too close to home… The body of a young woman has been discovered in Bellahouston park, the second in a matter of months. It's clear to Detective Superintendent William Lorimer of Police Scotland that they have a repeat killer on their hands, who is sure to strike again. Lucky for DSI Lorimer that his wife, Maggie, is miles away from potential danger, touring Scotland to promote her first book. Faced with strangers at every event, Maggie doesn't notice the quiet, non-descript man sitting in the back row. But he has noticed Maggie Lorimer. And soon his will be a face she never forgets. If you like Val McDermid, Stuart MacBride and Ann Cleeves, you will be utterly gripped by this twisty, heart-stopping crime novel.

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Surviving Savannah

Surviving Savannah

Henry, Patti Callahan, author
2021

Savannah history professor Everly Winthrop is asked to guest-curate a new museum collection focusing on artifacts recovered from the steamship Pulaski. The ship sank after a boiler explosion in 1838, and the wreckage was just discovered, 180 years later. Everly's research leads her to the astounding history of a family of eleven who boarded the Pulaski together, and the extraordinary stories of two women from this family. These aristocratic women were part of Savannah's society, but when the ship exploded, each was faced with difficult and heartbreaking decisions.

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Too good to be true

Too good to be true

Lovering, Carola, author.
2021

Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to have the world at her fingertips--she's smart, beautiful, and from a well-off family--she's also battled crippling OCD ever since her mother's death when she was eleven, and her romantic relationships have suffered as a result. But now Burke--handsome, older, and more emotionally mature than any man she's met before--says he wants her. Forever. Except Burke isn't who he claims to be. And interspersed letters to his therapist reveal the truth: he's happily married, and using Skye for his own deceptive ends.

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We begin at the end

We begin at the end

Whitaker, Chris, author
2021

Thirty years ago, a teenage Vincent King was sent to prison. But now, he's served his sentence and is returning to his hometown. The hometown where his childhood best friend, Walk, is now the chief of police. The town where his childhood sweetheart, Star Radley, still lives. The same Star Radley whose sister he killed. Duchess, Star's daughter, is a self-proclaimed outlaw. She needs to be. Who else is going to take care of her and her five-year-old brother? Star is still dazzling, still beautiful, but she hasn't shined as bright since Vincent was sent away. Too often it's Duchess and Walk who are the ones taking care of her. But when Duchess exacts her own vigilante revenge, she will set into motion a series of events that threatens not only her own family, but everyone she grows close to.

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When she was good

When she was good

Robotham, Michael, 1960- author
2020

Six years ago, Evie Cormac was found hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a brutal murder. But nobody has ever discovered her real name or where she came from, because everybody who tries ends up dead. He needs answers. Forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven believes the truth will set Evie free. Ignoring her warnings, he begins to dig into her past, only to disturb a hornet's nest of corrupt and powerful people, who have been waiting to find Evie -- the final witness to their crimes. Unbeknownst to him, Cyrus is leading them straight to Evie. The truth will not set her free. It will get them killed.

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