|
The Death of Kings
by Rennie Airth
In the fifth novel in the critically acclaimed John Madden series, the former Scotland Yard detective returns in a gripping post-World War II mystery that will delight fans of Philip Kerr On a hot summer day in 1938, a beautiful actress is murdered on the grand Kent estate of Sir Jack Jessup, close friend of the Prince of Wales. The arrest of an ex-convict and his subsequent confession swiftly bring the case to a close, but in 1949, the reappearance of a jade necklace raises questions about the murder. Was the man convicted and executed the decade before truly guilty? Though happily retired from the police force, John Madden is persuaded to investigate the case afresh.
|
|
|
Arminius : the limits of empire
by Robert Fabbri
A.D. 9: In the depths of the Teutoburg Wald, in a landscape riven by ravines, darkened by ancient oak and bisected by fast-flowing streams, Arminius of the Cherusci led a confederation of six Germanic tribes in the annihilation of three Roman legions. Deep in the forest, almost twenty thousand men were massacred without mercy; fewer than two hundred of them ever made it back across the Rhine. To Rome's shame, three sacred Eagles were lost that day. But Arminius wasn't brought up in Germania Magna -- he had been raised as a Roman. This is the story of how Arminius came to turn his back on the people who raised him and went on to commit a betrayal so great and so deep, it echoed through the ages.
|
|
| The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence: A Story of Botticelli by Alyssa PalomboShortly after her marriage to a nobleman, Simonetta Vespucci (née Cattaneo) arrives in Florence eager to experience the city's art, scholarship, and culture. Hailed as "la bella Simonetta," she becomes -- thanks to her connection to the powerful Medici family -- the muse of artist Sandro Botticelli and the inspiration for some of his most famous paintings. Fans of Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus should enjoy this lush, romantic novel set during the Italian Renaissance. |
|
| The Witchfinder's Sister: A Novel by Beth UnderdownWith the English Civil War raging and the country "falling apart at the seams," pregnant widow Alice returns to Manningtree, Essex, to live with her brother, the self-proclaimed "Witchfinder General" Matthew Hopkins. Unfortunately, in her absence Matthew has changed from a sensitive man young man set on joining the clergy to one whose mission in life is to put vulnerable women to death. Inspired by historical events, this compelling novel's leisurely pace builds to a dramatic climax as Alice gradually perceives the danger of the situation. |
|
|
Little Deaths
by Emma Flint
July 1965, and the streets of Queens, New York shimmer in the heatwave. One stifling morning, divorced cocktail waitress Ruth Malone wakes to find her two young children are missing. Sent to cover the case on his first major assignment -- a lucky break -- rookie tabloid reporter Pete Wonicke at first can't help but make the same assumptions. But the longer he spends watching Ruth, and the more he learns about the darker workings of the police and the press, Pete begins to doubt everything he thought he knew. Ruth Malone is enthralling, challenging, impenetrable -- but surely this doesn't make her a murderer?
|
|
|
Bourbon Creams and Tattered Dreams
by Mary Gibson
Handsome Frank Rossi took Matty Gilbie away from her working class roots in Bermondsey, East London and promised her fame and fortune. In America, the Cockney Canary would become a movie star. As his wife, she would be half of a power couple, feted and adored by all. But the Wall Street Crash of 1929 puts paid to all that, and as Frank becomes more violent and unstable, Matty flees in the dead of night. Once home in Bermondsey, she goes into hiding and starts desperately looking for work. But only Peak Freans, the hated biscuit factory, is hiring staff. Then, as a secret from her past comes back to haunt her, Matty learns that Frank is on the move, determined to find her and get her back.
|
|
|
Homegoing
by Yaa Gyasi
Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies. One sold into slavery; one a slave trader's wife. The consequences of their fate reverberate through the generations that follow. Taking us from the Gold Coast of Africa to the cotton-picking plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem, spanning three continents and seven generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - the intimate, gripping story of a brilliantly vivid cast of characters and through their lives the very story of America itself. Epic in its canvas and intimate in its portraits, Homegoing is a searing and profound debut from a masterly new writer.
|
|
|
Stolen Beauty
by Laurie Lico Albanese
In the dazzling glitter of 1903 Vienna, Adele Bloch-Bauer—young, beautiful, brilliant, and Jewish—meets painter Gustav Klimt. Wealthy in everything but freedom, Adele embraces Klimt’s renegade genius as the two awaken to the erotic possibilities on the canvas and beyond. Though they enjoy a life where sex and art are just beginning to break through the façade of conventional society, the city is also exhibiting a disturbing increase in anti-Semitism, as political hatred ferments in the shadows...
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|