FICTION:
The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester. This re-creates World War II life and the enclosed world of code-breaking and plays out the suspense in a Hitchcock homage almost worthy of the master.
Before we were yours by Lisa Wingate. A South Carolina lawyer, researching her grandmother’s past, learns about a Tennessee orphanage that kidnapped children and placed them for adoption with wealthy people.
The blinds by Adam Sternbergh. A tense, broiling, 21st century Western with a crafty premise and a high body count.
Brave deeds by David Abrams. Spanning 8 hours, this follows a squad of 6 AWOL soldiers as they attempt to cross war-torn Baghdad on foot to attend the funeral of their leader.
The Captain’s Daughter by Meg Moore. A gripping novel about a woman who returns to her hometown in coastal Maine and finds herself pondering the age old question of what could have been.
The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor. A woman inherits a bookstore and discovers her family’s connection to a famous set of photographs.
Deadfall by Linda Fairstein. The Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper becomes a suspect.
Down a dark road by Linda Castillo. Kate Burkholder, an Amish-born (but excommunicated) chief of police, believes that an old friend accused of his wife’s murder may be innocent.
The duchess by Danielle Steel. A 19th century British duke’s daughter, disinherited by her half-brothers, flees to Paris to make a new life.
Exposed by Lisa Scottoline. Rosato & DiNunzio, Philadelphia’s most drama-ridden law firm, faces perhaps its most dramatic episode ever when it’s threatened both inside and out.
The followers by Rebecca Wait. A struggling single mother falls under the spell of a charismatic cult leader, but her rebellious 12 year old daughter isn’t quite so gullible.
A game of ghosts by John Connolly. The games begin anew as retired police detective Charlie Parker, along with sidekicks Angel and Louis, bring their special brand of cynicism and expertise to this paranormal thriller.
Gather the daughters by Jennie Melamed. A haunting novel about a cult on an isolated island where nothing is as it seems.
Grace by Paul Lynch. A sweeping, Dickensian story of a young girl on a life-changing journey across 19th century Ireland on the eve of the Great Famine.
The grip of it by Jac Jemc. A chilling literary horror novel about a young couple haunted by their newly purchased home.
The half-drowned king by Linnea Hartsuyker. Steeped in legend and myth, this is a swashbuckling epic of family, love, and betrayal that reimagines the Norse sagas.
House of spies by Daniel Silva. Gabriel Allon, the Israeli art restorer and spy and now head of Israel’s secret intelligence service, pursues an ISIS mastermind.
I know a secret by Tess Gerritsen. Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles pursue a shadowy psychopath keeping secrets and taking lives.
A kind of freedom by Margaret Sexton. An urgent novel that explores the legacy of racial disparity in the South through a poignant and redemptive family history.
The last laugh by Lynn Freed. A hilarious novel about the riotous, passion-filled adventures of three women who THOUGHT they were past their prime.
The late show by Michael Connelly. This introduces Rene Ballard, a fierce young detective fighting to prove herself on the LAPD’s toughest beat.
Less by Andrew Greer. You are a failed novelist and about to turn 50. A wedding invitation arrives: your boyfriend of the past 9 years is engaged to someone else. You can’t say yes – it would be too awkward – and you can’t say no – it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world. How do you arrange to skip town? You accept them all.
The lightkeeper’s daughters by Jean Pendziwol. A decades-old mystery is revisited as an elderly woman shares the story of her childhood with a troubled teen. A haunting tale of nostalgia and lost chances that is full of last-minute surprises.
The locals by Jonathan Dee. Here are the dramas of the 21st century America – rising inequality, working class decline, a new authoritarianism – played out in the classic setting of some of our greatest novels – the small town.
The lying game by Ruth Ware. This introduces 4 women who have been carrying a terrible secret since their boarding school days, a secret that is about to be literally unearthed.
The mapmaker’s daughter by Katherine Hughes. A fascinating evocation of the major players of the Ottoman renaissance. A captured Venetian encounters a strange blend of civilization and barbarism as she attains the highest rank possible for a woman in the Ottoman Empire.
Mrs. Fletcher by Tom Perrotta. A mother and son experience existential tizzies following his departure for college.
Secrets of the tulip sisters by Susan Mallery. Sisters reconnect when one returns to their tulip-centered hometown.
See what I have done by Sarah Schmidt. This recasts one of the most fascinating murder cases of all time (Lizzie Borden) into an intimate story of a volatile household and a family devoid of love.
Seven stones to stand or fall by Diana Gabaldon. A collection of short fiction – including two never-before-published novellas – featuring Jamie Fraser, Lord John Grey, Mastery Raymond, and others, all extending the story of Outlander in thrilling new directions.
Sun at midnight by Rosie Thomas. Love and adventure in this epic story set against the stunning backdrop of Antarctica.
Tom Clancy Point of Contact by Mike Maden. With typhoons, deadly Chinese and North Korean operatives wielding bats, knives, and guns, and a weaponized thumb drive – the action reaches Clancy level early and stays there.
Use of force by Brad Thor. The counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath is called in when a missing terrorism suspect drowns off the Italian coast.
We shall not all sleep by Estep Nagy. Set on a small Maine island, this is a richly told story of American class, family, and manipulation – a compelling portrait of a unique and privileged WASP stronghold on the brink of dissolution.
NEW MUSIC CDs:
Evolve by Imagine Dragons
Come From Away (original Broadway cast recording)
Melodrama by Lorde
Fake Sugar by Beth Ditto
Dear Evan Hansen (original Broadway cast recording)
Divide by Ed Sheeran
NEW DVDs:
The Lost City of Z (2017) starring Charlie Hunnam
Only angels have wings (1939) starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur
Broadcast News (1987) starring Holly Hunter and William Hurt
Westworld (1973) starring Yul Brynner and Richard Benjamin
NONFICTION:
The Cooperstown casebook by Jay Jaffe. Who’s in the baseball hall of fame, who should be in, and who should pack their plaques and go away.
Deaf daughter by Carol Lee Adams. This memoir reveals what it’s like to be born able to hear, only to be deaf by age 19.
Drawing calm by Susan Evenson. Relax, refresh, refocus with drawing, painting and collage workshops.
The history of top 40 singles: 1970-1989 by Frank Deangelis. Once you learn the histories of these hits, you’ll never hear them the same way again.
Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden. A stirring history of the 1968 battle that definitively turned the Vietnam War into an American defeat.
Magnetic City by Justin Davidson. From “New York” magazine’s architecture critic, a walking and reading guide to New York City.
Modern ethics in 77 arguments by Peter Catapano. Guns, race, and human rights are among the varied ethical issues tackled in this wide-ranging collection.
Notes on a foreign country by Suzy Hansen. Blending memoir, journalism, and history, this is a moving reflection on America’s place in the world today. It is a powerful journey of self-discovery and revelation – a profound reckoning with what it means to be American in a moment of grave national and global turmoil.
Scotland: the best 100 places by Peter Irvine. Extraordinary places to walk, eat, and sleep divided by the themes of reflective, magnificent, and human – all backed up by wonderful photos.
Sons and soldiers by Bruce Henderson. The untold story of the Jews who escaped the Nazis and returned with the US Army to fight Hitler.
Step Parenting by Randall Hicks. 50 one-minute dos and don’ts for stepdads and stepmoms.
The totally unscientific study of the search for human happiness by Paula Poundstone. This chronicles her amusing and surprisingly personal search for the key to happiness. A deeply revealing memoir in which the pathos doesn’t kill the humor and one that delivers more than it promises.
Wild things by Bruce Handy. It’s a profound, eye-opening experience to re-encounter books that you once treasured after decades apart. A clear-eyed love letter to the greatest children’s books and authors.
Would everybody please stop? by Jenny Allen. An Erma Bombeck for the new age with reflections on life and other bad ideas.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review