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Thrillers and Suspense
November 2014
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"The city looked like a hunk of third-world flotsam that had somehow drifted into the middle of America." ~ from S. Craig Zahler's
Mean Business on North Ganson Street
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Best and Worst Children's Books of the Year
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If you enjoy children's and young adult books, make sure not to miss the popular
Best and Worst Children’s Books of the Year
event at Upper Riccarton Library on Wednesday 19 November, 7-9pm.
Come and join us for a fun evening with raffles and refreshments. You might even spot some Christmas present ideas!
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New and Recently Released!
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A vision of fire: a novel
by
Gillian Anderson and Jeff Rovin
Some readers might recognize Gillian Anderson's name from her years playing Agent Dana Scully on television's popular X-Files. Prepare to get to know her as an author -- A Vision of Fire is the 1st in a planned series. Starring Manhattan psychiatrist Caitlin O'Hara, this science-fiction-tinged thriller begins with the bizarre, self-harming behaviour of the 16-year-old daughter of the Indian ambassador to the U.N. -- though soon adolescents around the world are exhibiting similar symptoms. Gripping and well-paced, this is one for fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast novels to try.
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Bitter remedy
by Conor Fitzgerald
Fleeing his job and family in the wake of health problems that worsen in an Italian villa, Alec Blume gains a new enemy in a natural remedies class before agreeing to help a Romanian girl track down a missing friend.
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The monogram murders: the new Hercule Poirot mystery
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Sophie Hannah
A brand-new mystery featuring Agatha Christie's legendary hero follows Hercule Poirot as he tries to solve a diabolically clever puzzle in 1920s London that will put his keen skills of detection to the test.
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The day of atonement: a novel
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David Liss
Readers familiar with author David Liss' series featuring 18th-century thief-taker Benjamin Weaver will appreciate this spinoff, which stars Weaver's protégé, Sebastian Foxx. When Sebastian was 13, his father was taken by the Inquisition; now 23, Sebastian has returned to Lisbon to avenge his father and tie up other loose ends. But in trying to help the man who saved him a decade ago, Sebastian is betrayed by others he thought he could trust. Set in richly depicted Lisbon (reduced to rubble in the earthquake of 1755), this historical thriller packs in plenty of spirited adventure.
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A demon summer
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G. M. Malliet
Investigating what appears to be an attempt on the life of the reviled earl of Lislelivet, former MI5 agent turned vicar Max Tudor interrupts wedding plans and concludes that the event was accidental before a body is discovered in the cloister well. By the Agatha Award-winning author of Pagan Spring.
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The golden hour
by
Todd Moss
Stymied by infighting and turf battles after being appointed director of the new State Department Crisis Reaction unit, Judd Ryker attempts to prove himself during a coup in Mali that becomes a violent maelstrom of dominating personalities and shifting loyalties.
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Hostage
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Kristina Ohlsson
Flight to New York takes off from Stockholm and there's a bomb threat on board. Fredrika Bergman returns to the police force as negotiator.
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Trust your eyes
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Linwood Barclay
Thomas Kilbride is a schizophrenic, map-obsessed shut-in who believes he's in touch with both the CIA and former President Bill Clinton. He also believes he's seen a murder. His brother Ray, in town for their father's funeral and to decide what's to be done with Thomas, reluctantly agrees to investigate. His amateur efforts expose them both to some truly dangerous people who want nothing more than to hide all evidence of their activities. Sympathetic characters and a gripping, wildly twisting plot characterise this fast-paced suspense story; for a similar experience with another doubt-defying individual, try Chris Ewan's Safe House.
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The legal limit
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Martin Clark
Mason Hunt grew up with an abusive father, a cowed mother, and a deadbeat but protective older brother, Gates, who is now in prison. In contrast, Mason is a successful attorney in their home state of Virginia. Yet despite their differences, the brothers are close. But when Mason refuses to help get Gates out of prison, Gates retaliates in a manner that not only ruins their relationship but may destroy Mason's hard-won career. Though The Legal Limit, which is based on one of the author's real-life cases, will certainly appeal to fans of legal thrillers, it is also a thought-provoking take on the bonds of family and a close-up look at a small Southern community.
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The prophet
by
Michael Koryta
In Chambers, Ohio, two very different brothers, estranged over their sister's abduction and murder when they were teens nearly 20 years ago, are forced into a reunion when another teenage girl is killed. While Kent is the well-respected coach of a winning football team, Adam is a bail bondsman, and the guilt-ridden, unwitting catalyst of both his sister's death and the more recent murder. His desire to find the person responsible for the latter may push him over the edge he already teeters near. Like John Hart's Iron House, this is a complex and "compulsively readable" (Kirkus Reviews) novel about brothers, family ties, and morality.
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The last kind words: a novel
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Tom Piccirilli
Two Rand family traditions: naming children after dog breeds, and stealing without violence. Five years ago, however, Collie Rand killed eight people, including a nine-year-old girl. Now on death row, just days away from his final hour, Collie wants to tell his brother Terry something important. Terry (short for "terrier"), who moved out west to pursue an honest life, wants nothing to do with his dysfunctional family, but finds himself returning home anyway. As it turns out, Collie's not guilty of one of the murders he was sentenced for, and Terry's resolved to find out what really happened that day. Peopled with unforgettable criminals (the kind you can't help but like), The Last Kind Words is atmospheric and bleak.
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Airtight
by
David Rosenfelt
New Jersey police officer Luke Somers has become a public hero since being forced to kill Steven Gallagher, the chief suspect in the murder of a high-profile judge. But Steven's older brother, Chris, a member of an elite military squad, is convinced that Steven was innocent and so he's kidnapped Luke's brother -- and will kill him unless Luke proves Steven's innocence in the next seven days. The suspense is palpable and effectively ratcheted up by the ethical issues Luke must confront to save his brother, while the engaging tone and humour that author David Rosenfelt is known for in his Andy Carpenter series is evident here as well.
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That's how I roll
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Andrew Vachss
Maybe there's good and bad in everyone, but at least where Esau Till grew up, "it's the bad in you that's more often the most useful." Now on death row, 40-something Esau, a wheelchair-bound assassin and master bomb maker, writes his life story (his last "bomb") to protect his beloved mentally challenged younger brother, Tory-boy. In the process, he recalls their murderously violent father (he was known by everyone as Beast), how he got into his line of work despite his spina bifida, and his brother's fierce loyalty and physical strength. If you like gritty, grim novels, this "chilling tour de force" (Publishers Weekly), packs plenty of punch.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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