These adult fiction books and more will be arriving at the Library in December.
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FICTION, SCIENCE FICTION, AND MYSTERY
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I Might Be in Trouble / Daniel Aleman
A suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead—and must then decide how far he’s willing to go to spin the misadventure into his next big book.
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Private Rites / Julia Armfield
It’s been raining for a long time now, so long that the land has reshaped itself and old rituals and religions are creeping back into practice. Sisters Isla, Irene, and Agnes have not spoken in some time when their father, an architect as cruel as he was revered, dies. In the grand glass house they grew up in, their father’s most famous creation, the sisters sort through the secrets and memories he left behind, until their fragile bond is shattered by a revelation in his will. But something even more sinister might be unfolding, something related to their mother’s long-ago disappearance and the strangers who have always seemed unusually interested in the sisters’ lives.
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The Voyage Home / Pat Barker
Pat Barker has crafted the latest in a brilliant reimagining of Greek mythology, and in this third outing, follows the young Ritsa and the Cassandra on their return journey to Mycenae. Cassandra has acquired the powers of prophecy from Apollo, but he has taken away the people’s belief in her abilities. Though she warns of the carnage that awaits the Greek warrior king Agamemnon, her shipmates disregard her. Ritsa instead remains focused on surviving. When a mysterious girl shadows them, and Agamemnon’s cruelty takes a new turn, Ritsa must find a safe place for Cassandra. But it’s the ongoing ire between Queen Clytemnestra and Agamemnon that could prove fatal for everyone.
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Havoc / Christopher Bollen
An atmospheric psychological suspense about a meddlesome elderly guest at a decadent luxury hotel who believes she has left her problematic past behind, until she decides to interfere in the lives of a young mother and her eight-year-old son, and finally meets her wicked match. The war between age and youth has never been so vicious.
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Gabriel’s Moon / William Boyd
Gabriel Dax, haunted by his mother’s death in a fire, is a travel writer during the Cold War. After an assignment in the Congo, he falls under the influence of Faith Green, an MI6 handler, and becomes her reluctant spy, drawn into the world of espionage and obsession.
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The Greatest Lie of All / Jillian Cantor
A glamorous romance novelist and an aspiring starlet share an unexpected secret in this addictive story about love, ambition and how far we’re willing to go to protect our hearts.
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Bellevue / Robin Cook
A first-year resident experiences life-shattering visions that reveal the truth behind some of the greatest medical advances in the history of medicine.
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The Close-up / Pip Drysdale
A struggling author discovers the dark side of fame when a stalker begins reenacting violent events from her thriller.
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The Last One / Rachel Howzell Hall
Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help. As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath. And no one is what – or who – they appear to be in the kingdom of Vinevridth, including the man whose secrets might be as deadly as the land itself.
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Deadbeat / Adam Hamdy
Peyton Collard was a good man once, but his life changed after a horrific car accident. Divorced, drunk, and severely damaged, Peyton is offered a life-changing sum of money to kill an evil man. But as he goes on a vigilante journey that leaves a trail of bodies across California, Peyton wonders about the identity of his anonymous patron. Soon, his questions become an obsession, and he embarks on a tense and potentially deadly investigation to discover the truth about the murders he’s committed.
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What the Wife Knew / Darby Kane
Dr. Richmond Dougherty, a renowned pediatric surgeon and national hero, dies from a fall down the stairs. His neighbors blame his new wife, Addison, who became a rich widow after their 97-day marriage, during which Richmond had two suspicious “accidents.” As law enforcement circles and hostility grows, sides are taken, led by Kathryn, Richmond’s first wife. Despite the tension, Addison is determined to unravel Richmond’s legacy. A threatening note on her wall reads: “You will pay.” But Addison’s plan to ruin Richmond isn’t over, even after his death.
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Sister Snake / Amanda Lee Koe
Su, a politician’s wife in Singapore, and Emerald, a sugar baby in New York, share a secret past as snakes in Tang dynasty China. After a violent encounter, Su flies to New York, and they reconcile. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore, but worries about being exposed.
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The Champagne Letters / Kate Macintosh
Reims, France, 1805: Barbe-Nicole Clicquot has just lost her husband but is determined to pursue their dream of creating a premier champagne house in France, now named for her new identity as a widow: Veuve Clicquot. With the Russians poised to invade, competitors fighting for her customers, and she must set herself apart if she, and her business, are to survive. In present day Chicago, divorced Natalie Taylor runs away to Paris. In a book stall, she finds a collection of the Widow Clicquot’s published letters and uses them as inspiration to create a new, empowered life for herself. But when her Parisian escape takes a shocking and unexpected turn, she’s forced to make a choice.
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Knife Skills for Beginners / Orlando Murrin
The Chester Square Cookery School in the heart of London offers students a refined setting in which to master the fine art of choux pastry and hone their hollandaise. True, the ornate mansion doesn’t quite sparkle the way it used to—a feeling chef Paul Delamare is familiar with these days. Yet despite his misgivings, Paul starts to enjoy imparting his extensive knowledge to the recruits—until someone turns up dead, murdered with a cleaver Paul used earlier that day.
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Definitely Better Now / Ava Robinson
A touching and deeply funny debut about starting over sober only to discover life’s biggest messes are still waiting right where you left them.
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Wind and Truth / Brandon Sanderson
Dalinar Kholin challenges the god Odium to a contest of champions, with Roshar’s future at stake. The Knights Radiant have ten days to prepare, but the sudden rise of Taravangian as Odium’s new vessel causes chaos. Battles rage worldwide. Former assassin Szeth, with Kaladin’s help, must cleanse Shinovar of the Unmade’s influence. Meanwhile, Shallan, Renarin, and Rlain investigate the Unmade Ba-Ado-Mishram’s role in enslaving the singer race and the ancient Knights Radiant’s betrayal of their spren. Dalinar and Navani seek an advantage against Odium’s champion in the Spiritual Realm, where memory and possibility intertwine. The fate of the Cosmere hangs in the balance.
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Sweet Vidalia / Lisa Sandlin
This life-affirming novel explores marriage, community, and the power of dignity for a fifty-seven-year-old woman forced to rebuild her life, unexpectedly and alone, in 1960s Texas.
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The Rest Is Memory / Lily Tuck
The heartbreaking story of a young Catholic girl transported to Auschwitz becomes a Rashomon-like rondo in the hands of one of our greatest novelists.
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Rental House / Weike Wang
Keru and Nate are college sweethearts who marry despite their family differences: Keru’s strict, Chinese, immigrant parents demand perfection, while Nate’s white, working-class family distrusts his intellectual ambitions and his “foreign” wife. Some years into their marriage, the couple invites their families on vacation. At a Cape Cod beach house, and at a luxury Catskills bungalow, Keru and Nate navigate visits from in-laws and unexpected guests, wondering if they can answer the big questions: How do you cope when your spouse and your family of origin clash? How many people make a family? And when the pack starts to disintegrate, what can you do to shepherd everyone back together?
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Stuart Woods’ Golden Hour / Brett Battles
Teddy Fay is ready to embark on the European press tour of Peter Barrington’s latest film Storm’s Eye, when he receives an unexpected visit from Lance Cabot, director of the CIA. Several CIA agents have been turning up dead. The commonality? They were all part of a mission Teddy was involved in: Golden Hour. Lance wants Teddy to use his trip as a cover to investigate who is behind these killings.
SHC: 11/2024