New Fiction October '21
"The Kew Garden Girls" discover "The Art of Dying" in the "City of Dark Corners" while "Chasing the Boogeyman"
Apples never fall : a novel
Moriarty, Liane, author
2021
After fifty years of marriage, Stan and Joy Delaney are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy's door. She says she chose their house because it looked the friendliest. And since Savannah is bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend, the Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted. Later, everyone will wonder what exactly went on in that house after Savannah entered that night. Because now Joy is missing, no one knows where Savannah is, and the Delaneys are re-examining their family history with fresh, frightened eyes.
The art of dying
Parry, Ambrose.
2021
"Edinburgh, 1850. Despite being at the forefront of modern medicine, hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. But it is not just the deaths that dismay the esteemed Dr James Simpson - a whispering campaign seeks to blame him for the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances. Simpson's protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher are determined to clear their patron's name. But with Raven battling against the dark side of his own nature, and Sarah endeavouring to expand her own medical knowledge beyond what society deems acceptable for a woman, the pair struggle to understand the cause of the deaths. Will and Sarah must unite and plunge into Edinburgh's deadliest streets to clear Simpson's name. But soon they discover that the true cause of these deaths has evaded suspicion purely because it is so unthinkable."-- Provided by publisher.
Chasing the boogeyman : a novel
Chizmar, Richard T. author.
2021
"In the summer of 1988, the mutilated bodies of several missing girls begin to turn up in a small Maryland town. The grisly evidence leads police to the terrifying assumption that a serial killer is on the loose in the quiet suburb. But soon a rumor begins to spread that the evil stalking local teens is not entirely human. Law enforcement, as well as members of the FBI are certain that the killer is a living, breathing madman--and he's playing games with them. For a once peaceful community trapped in the depths of paranoia and suspicion, it feels like a nightmare that will never end."--Provided by publisher.
China room
Sahota, Sunjeev, 1981-, author
2021
1929. Fifteen-year-old Mehar is one of three wives married to three brothers on a farm in small-town Punjab. The problem is, she doesn't know which of them is her husband. When at last Mehar glimpses her husband's identity, a passion is ignited that will put more than one life at risk. 1999. A British Sikh man's experiences of racist ostracism and violence led him to seek a dangerous form of escape. Now, as he rides out his withdrawal at an old farmstead belonging to the family, he meets a woman, an outcast who offers him friendship.
City of dark corners
Talton, Jon, author
2021
"Phoenix, 1933: A young city with big dreams and dark corners Great War veteran and rising star Gene Hammons lost his job as a homicide detective when he tried to prove that a woman was wrongly convicted of murder to protect a well-connected man. Now a private investigator, Hammons makes his living looking for missing persons-a plentiful caseload during the Great Depression, when people seem to disappear all the time. But his routine is disrupted when his brother-another homicide detective, still on the force-enlists his help looking into the death of a young woman whose dismembered body is found beside the railroad tracks. The sheriff rules it an accident, but the carnage is too neat, and the staging of the body parts too ritual. Hammons suspects it's the work of a "lust murderer"-similar to the serial strangler whose killing spree he had ended a few years earlier. But who was the poor girl, dressed demurely in pink? And why was his business card tucked into her small purse? As Hammons searches for the victim's identity, he discovers that the dead girl had some secrets of her own, and that the case is connected to some of Phoenix's most powerful citizens-on both sides of the law"-- Provided by publisher.
Count the ways : a novel
Maynard, Joyce, 1953- author
2021
Eleanor and Cam are parents to three children, two daughters and a red-headed son. Then comes a terrible accident, caused by Cam's negligence. Over the decades that follow, the five members of this fractured family make surprising discoveries and decisions that occasionally bring them together, and often tear them apart. Tracing the course of their lives - through the gender transition of one child and another's choice to completely break with her mother - this novel captures a family forced to confront essential, painful truths of its past, and find redemption in its darkest hours.
Denial : a novel
McLachlin, Beverley, 1943- author
2021
"Jilly Truitt has made a name for herself as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the city. Where once she had to take just about any case to keep her firm afloat, now she has her pick--and she picks winners. So when Joseph Quentin asks her to defend his wife, who has been charged with murdering her own mother in what the media are calling a mercy killing, every instinct tells Jilly to say no. Word on the street is that Vera Quentin is in denial, refusing to admit to the crime and take a lenient plea deal. Quentin is a lawyer's lawyer, known as the Fixer in legal circles, and if he can't help his wife, who can? Against her better judgment, Jilly meets with Vera and reluctantly agrees to take on her case. Call it intuition, call it sympathy, but something about Vera makes Jilly believe she's telling the truth. Now, she has to prove that in the courtroom against her former mentor turned opponent, prosecutor Cy Kenge--a man who has no qualms about bending the rules. As the trial approaches, Jilly scrambles to find a crack in the case and stumbles across a dark truth hanging over the Quentin family. But is it enough to prove Vera's innocence? Or is Jilly in denial herself? Thrumming with tension, Denial is a riveting thriller about the lengths we will go to for the ones we love and the truths we hold dear."-- Provided by publisher.
Forgotten in death
Robb, J. D., 1950- author
2021
"In the latest novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, homicide detective Eve Dallas sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer. The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change-and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel on litterers and other such offenders is nowhere to be found. Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains-in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing-unearthed by recent construction work. She isn't happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke-not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away ..."-- Provided by publisher.
From something old
Alexander, Nick, author
2021
"At thirty-three, nurse Heather is desperately waiting for her romantic life to begin. Then she meets handsome, strong Anthony and is sure she's found the one. Brushing any doubts aside, she projects all her hopes for true love onto him. Meanwhile, at a yoga retreat in Spain, happy-go-lucky Joe can't believe his luck when he meets vivacious, witty Amy. She's the sharpest, most beautiful woman he has ever dated, and the fact that she's interested in him feels like a dream come true. But new love can be blind, and when the two couples meet, the cracks are easy to see. Will their crossed paths lead the way to happiness? Or are they all destined for heartbreak?" -- Provided by publisher.
I don't forgive you
Thompson, Aggie Blum, author
2021
It all starts at a neighbourhood party when a local dad corners accomplished photographer and the devoted mom Allie Ross and calls her by an old, forgotten nickname from her dark past. The next day, he is found dead. Soon, the police are knocking at her door. She learns that she's been hacked and someone is impersonating her online. As the killer closes in, Allie must reach back into a past she vowed to forget in order to learn the shocking truth of who is destroying her life.
Island queen : a novel
Riley, Vanessa, author
2021
A remarkable, sweeping historical novel based on the incredible true life story of Dorothy Kirwan Thomas. Born into slavery on the tiny Caribbean island of Monserrat, Doll bought her freedom - and that of her sister and her mother - from her Irish planter father and built a legacy of wealth and power as an entrepreneur, merchant, hotelier, and planter that extended from the marketplaces and sugar plantations of Dominica and Barbados to a glittering luxury hotel in Demerara on the South American continent.
The Kew Gardens girls : a novel
Lovell, Posy, 1973- author.
2021
"A heart-warming novel inspired by real life events, about the brave women during WWI who worked in the historic grounds of London's Kew Gardens. Can the women of Kew keep the gardens alive in the midst of war? London, 1916. England is at war. Desperate to help in whatever way they can, Ivy and Louisa enlist as gardeners at Kew, the Royal Botanic Gardens, taking on the jobs of the men who have gone to fight. Under their care, the gardens begin to flourish and become a safe haven for those seeking solace--but not everyone wants women working at Kew. The pair begin to face challenges on the home front. When a tragedy overseas affects the people closest to them, can the women of Kew pull together to support themselves and their country through the darkest of times?"--Provided by publisher.
The night she disappeared : a novel
Jewell, Lisa, author
2021
On a beautiful summer night in a charming English suburb, a young woman and her boyfriend disappear after partying at the massive country estate of a new college friend. One year later, a writer moves into a cottage on the edge of the woods that border the same estate. Known locally as the Dark Place, the dense forest is the writer’s favorite area for long walks and it’s on one such walk that she stumbles upon a mysterious note that simply reads, “DIG HERE.” Could this be a clue towards what has happened to the missing young couple? And what exactly is buried in this haunted ground? With her signature “rich, dark, and intricately twisted” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) prose, Lisa Jewell has crafted a dazzling work of suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page.
Save me from dangerous men
Lelchuk, S. A. author
2019
"Nikki Griffin isn't your typical private investigator. In her office above her bookstore's shelves and stacks, where she luxuriates in books and the comfort they provide, she also tracks certain men. Dangerous men. Men who have hurt the women they claim to love. And Nikki likes to teach those men a lesson, to teach them what it feels like to be hurt and helpless, so she can be sure that their victims are safe from them forever. When a regular PI job tailing Karen, a tech company's disgruntled employee who might be selling secrets, turns ugly and Karen's life is threatened, Nikki has to break cover and intervene. Karen tells Nikki that there are people after her. Dangerous men. She says she'll tell Nikki what's really going on. But then something goes wrong, and suddenly Nikki is no longer just solving a case--she's trying hard to stay alive."--Publisher.
Should we stay or should we go : a novel
Shriver, Lionel, author
2021
For ten years, Kay watched helplessly as Alzheimer's ravaged her father. Her husband of twenty-eight years, Cyril, found his brief exposure to her father's decline intolerable. Healthy and full of vitality, both Kay and Cyril, now in their early 50s make a pact: on Kay's 80th birthday they will commit suicide together. Their deal is made in 1991. They will have thirty more years together. But as time passes and their "final" day approaches, doubts begin to arise.
Songs in Ursa Major
Brodie, Emma, author
2021
Raised by a mother who wrote songs for famous musicians, Jane Quinn is singing in her own band before she's old enough to even read music. When folk legend Jesse Reid hears about Jane, a star is born - and so is a passionate love affair. Wary of being cast as his girlfriend, Jane shields her relationship from the public eye, but Jesse's star power pulls her into his orbit of fame. Caught up in the thrill of the road and the profound and lustful connection she has with Jesse, Jane is blind-sided by the discovery she makes about the dark secret beneath his music.
The summer seekers
Morgan, Sarah, 1948- author
2021
Kathleen is eighty years old. After she has a run-in with an intruder, her daughter wants her to move into a residential home. But she's not having any of it ... Martha is having a quarter-life crisis. Unemployed, unloved and uninspired, she just can't get her life together ... When Martha sees Kathleen's advertisement for a driver and companion to share an epic road trip across America with, she decides this job might be the answer to her prayers ... Anyway, how much trouble can one eighty-year-old woman be?
A summer to remember
Montgomery, Erika, author
2021
When a mysterious package arrives containing a photograph of thirty-year-old Frankie Simon's mother the year before Frankie's birth, her life begins to unravel in ways unimaginable. What begins is a journey along a path revealing buried family secrets, betrayals between lovers, bonds between friends. And for Frankie, as the past unlocks the present, the chance to learn that memories define who we are, and that they can show us the meaning of home and the magic of true love.
The tiger mom's tale
Butler, Lyn Liao, author
2021
Lexa Thomas has never quite fit in. Having grown up in a family of blondes, she's neither white enough nor Asian enough. When her estranged father dies unexpectedly, Lexa is faced with the choice to return to Taiwan and claim her place in her heritage - or leave her Taiwanese family to lose their home for good. As the truth of the last fateful summer in Taiwan slowly unfolds, Lexa must stand up for herself and open her heart to family and love, or allow the repercussions of her family's choices to forever dictate the path of her life.
What's done in darkness
McHugh, Laura author
2021
Seventeen-year-old Sarabeth had become increasingly rebellious since her parents found God. She'd all but given up on escaping the farm when a masked man kidnaps her. A week passes before she is found alive. Five years later, Sarabeth is struggling to keep her past buried when investigator Nick Farrow calls. Convinced that her case is connected to the strikingly similar disappearance of another young girl, Farrow wants Sarabeth's help - even if that means dragging her back to the last place she wants to go - to face her estranged family and all her deepest fears.
Yours cheerfully : a novel
Pearce, A. J. (Amanda-Jane), author
2021
London, November 1941. Things are looking up for Emmeline Lake as she takes on the challenge of becoming a young wartime advice columnist. When the Ministry of Information calls on Britain's women's magazines to help recruit desperately needed female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young woman who shows them the very real challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must tackle a life-changing dilemma between doing her duty and standing by her friends.