Relax With a New Paperback This Weekend

Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay 

Dear Reader,
I've been wishing for a miracle for my oldest boy, Stone, and this Christmas my prayers might just be answered!

Her name is Lark, and she's here in Last Chance, looking into her father's past-and stirring up a whole mess of trouble without meaning to. As the chief of police, Stone sure has his hands full trying to keep up with her. Ever since his wife died, Stone's put everything into raising his daughters and dodging the Christ Church Ladies' Auxiliary matchmakers. And it's clear Lark has been through some trouble and could use a place to finally call home. I only hope Stone can let go of the past soon enough to keep her . . .
Goodness, I need to stop talking and finish up Jane's highlights so we can make the town tree-lighting. You come back by because the Cut 'n' Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, fresh-baked Christmas cookies-and the best gossip in town.

See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

Josh by R.C. Ryan

Rancher and mountain climber Josh Conway has never backed down from a challenge. So when a photographer disappears in the wilderness during a blizzard, Josh answers the emergency call and leaps into action. Yet he's soon shocked to find the person in "distress" is doing fine--and she's a gorgeous blonde spitfire who's as brave and bold as he is.

Sierra Moore will stop at nothing to capture the perfect picture, even if it means braving a snowstrom in the mountains. She not used to being rescued, especially by a ruggedly handsome cowboy who makes her heart skip a beat. Sierra can't turn down Josh's invitation to ride out the storm at the Conway family ranch--and she can't resist his slow,steamy kisses,either. But this mysterious beauty is hiding a deadly secret. Now as a dangerous force closes in on her, sierra fears it will destroy everyone she cares about...starting with Josh.

Christmas On Nutcracker Court by Judy Duarte 

Celebrate the holidays in a small town with a big heart. Fairbrook is a town tailor-made for Christmas, with beautiful old houses on quaintly named streets like Sugar Plum Lane and Nutcracker Court. But not everyone is eager for the holidays. 

Cash-strapped single mom Carly Westbrook worries about providing a merry Christmas for her boys. Run-ins with neighbor Max Tolliver, an aspiring novelist stricken with writer's block, aren't helping. Then there's Grant Barrows, a formerly wealthy businessman whose heart seems to have shrunk along with his bank balance. Some folks are still determined to make the season sparkle--like the Diamond Lils, a ladies' group that meets weekly to play poker and socialize. 

This year, they're looking to do some good deeds--and wealthy widow Lynette thinks that a little matchmaking between Grant and Carly would be a perfect place to start.

The Wrangler by Lindsay McKenna

After Wall Street collapses, investment banker Griff McPherson trades in his suits and ties for Stetsons and cowboy boots. He returns to the Wyoming ranch he co-owns with his brother, but it's not exactly a happy homecoming. 

So to prove to everyone, including himself, that that he belongs back in Jackson Hole, he takes a post as a wrangler on another ranch. Air force lieutenant Val Hunter has just returned to the Bar H ranch to help her ailing grandmother run the property. While it is full of unhappy memories, Val is determined to do right by her home. Her new hire is easy on the eyes and a tough wrangler to boot, yet her instincts make it hard for her to trust him. 

When a nefarious neighbor endangers her land, Val is forced to accept Griff's help—but will she finally be able to open her heart?

Lookout Hill by Ralph Cotton (Western)

Arizona Ranger Sam Burrack is deep in Old Mexico, tracking two of the most heinous outlaws it’s ever been his bad luck to track. Hodding “Hot Aces” Siebert and Bobby Hugh Bellibar have nine bank robberies, three train hijackings, and more than a dozen payroll raids to their names. And they’ve left an undertaker’s fortune in dead bodies all along the border country. But there is no honor among thieves.

When the pair is caught in a tight spot, Bellibar turns on his old pal Siebert like a snake, sparking a blood feud that makes it even more dangerous for Burrack to bring them in—and nearly impossible for him to get out alive…

Lassiter Tough by Loren Zane Grey (Western)

When Brad Sanlee, the man responsible for murdering his friend, asks him to join his crew of cutthroats, Lassiter is more than happy to oblige him and uses this opportunity to exact bloody revenge.

New Additions to the Library in Adult Fiction

Sophie's Daughters Trilogy by Mary Connealy

Saddle up for sure-fire fun when three sisters meet their opposites in a collection of Old West romances. Alex Buchanan is a wanted man. Beth McClellan is an idealistic nurse. When the two cross paths, will they find enough common ground for a future together? Sally McClellan is a tomboy through-and-through. . .until she’s rescued by Logan McKenzie. But will the lady within flourish before a pair of outlaws end her chances for good? It’s a battle of wills when Tom Linscott tries to save self-sufficient widow Mandy McClellan Gray from outlaws. But will love or the outlaws win out?

The Snow Globe by Sheila Roberts

Discover an unforgettable holiday treasure in Sheila Roberts’ heartwarming tale of love and laughter, magic and miracles, friendship and coming home…
On a blustery afternoon, Kylie Gray wanders into an antique shop and buys an enchanting snow globe.  “There’s a story behind that snow globe,” the antique dealer tells her.  The original owner, he explains, was a German toymaker who lost his wife and son right before Christmas.  When the grieving widower received the handcrafted snow globe as a Christmas gift, he saw the image of a beautiful woman beneath the glass—a woman who would come into his life, mend his broken heart and bring him back to the world of the living.  For years, the snow globe has passed from generation to generation, somehow always landing in the hands of a person in special need of a Christmas miracle.

Kiley could use a miracle herself.  This year, all she wants for Christmas is someone to love.  A hopeful shake leads her on an adventure that makes a believer out of her. When Kylie shares the story of the snow globe with her best friends—two women with problems of their own—they don’t believe it.  But they’re about to discover that at Christmastime, sometimes the impossible becomes possible and miracles really do come true.

Courting Miss Amsel by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Edythe Amsel is delighted with her first teaching assignment: a one-room schoolhouse in Walnut Hill, Nebraska. Independent, headstrong, and a firm believer in a well-rounded education, Edythe is ready to open the world to the students in this tiny community. But is Walnut Hill ready for her?

Having raised his nephews since their parents' untimely deaths, Joel Townsend is thrilled to learn the town council has hired a female teacher. His sons could use a woman's influence. But he sure didn't bargain on a woman like Miss Amsel. Within the first week, she has the entire town up in arms over her outlandish teaching methods. Of course, Joel can't help but notice that she's also mighty pretty—and just might make a good mother for his boys.

When Edythe decides to take her pupils to hear Miss Susan Anthony speak on the women's suffrage amendment, the town's outcry reaches new heights. Even Joel isn't sure he can support her newfangled ideas any longer. And if he can't trust her to teach the boys, how can he trust her with his heart?

Jaclyn the Ripper by Karl Alexander

In Time After Time, H.G. Wells used his time machine to chase after Jack the Ripper who was on a killing spree in 1979 San Francisco. After H.G. met Amy Catherine Robbins, the love of his life, and banished the serial killer to the indefinite future, H.G. and Amy returned to 1893 London, believing they could live happily ever after.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. In Jaclyn the Ripper, Amy returns to the present to tell her parents what happened to their missing daughter, accidentally freeing Jack from his prison in the far future while also transforming Jack into a woman. Jaclyn the Ripper sets out on a new killing spree in 2010 Los Angeles, vowing revenge on H.G. and Amy.

H.G. follows Amy to modern L.A., but neither he nor Amy knows Jaclyn is on their trail. In the brave new world of the new millennium, H.G. must navigate a world of cell phones, the internet, and identity theft and find his wayward wife . . . before the Ripper slays her. With the panache, excitement, and thrills that made Time After Time so popular, Karl Alexander has penned another winning tale of Wells: author, inventor, and unlikely hero.

New Non-Fiction

Open Fire J. Golden Kimball Takes on the South by Scott M. Hurst

In this fast paced story filled with holy hi-jinx and missionary mayhem, Golden squares off with his characteristic cowboy sense of humor against everything from spiteful preachers to the threat of death at the hands of the terrible Ku Klux Klan. 

Join Golden as he takes on the South with these unbelievable, true stories.

New York Times Best Seller List (11/25/2012)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1 THE RACKETEER, by John Grisham.
Malcolm Bannister, an imprisoned ex-lawyer, knows who murdered a federal judge. And he concocts a scheme to exchange this information for his freedom.

2 POSEIDON'S ARROW, by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler.
Dirk Pitt and his team look for the truth about a sophisticated attack submarine.

3 FLIGHT BEHAVIOR, by Barbara Kingsolver.
An Appalachian woman becomes involved in an effort to save monarch butterflies.

4 GONE GIRL, by Gillian Flynn.
A woman disappears on her fifth anniversary; is her husband a killer?

5 THE CASUAL VACANCY, by J. K. Rowling.
The sudden death of a parish councilman reveals bitter social divisions in an idyllic English town.

6 THE PANTHER, by Nelson DeMille.
The anti-terrorist task force agent John Corey and his wife, an F.B.I. agent, pursue a high-ranking Qaeda operative.

7 THE SINS OF THE MOTHER, by Danielle Steel.
An enormously successful businesswoman tries to make up for past failings with her children, now grown.

8 THE BONE BED, by Patricia Cornwell.
A paleontologist’s disappearance in Canada turns out to be connected to crimes much closer to
home for the chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta; the 20th Scarpetta book.

9 WINTER OF THE WORLD, by Ken Follett.
Members of five interrelated families from five countries grapple with the historical events of the
years 1939-49.

10 NYPD RED, by James Patterson and Marshall Karp.
Detective Zach Jordan and his beautiful partner (and ex-girlfriend) must stop a deranged killer.

11 A WINTER DREAM, by Richard Paul Evans.
When Joseph Jacobson stands to take over his father’s business, his 12 brothers cast him out.

12 BACK TO BLOOD, by Tom Wolfe.
A Cuban-American cop is a hero turned pariah in Miami, where ethnic and class tensions threaten to explode.

13 ANGELS AT THE TABLE, by Debbie Macomber.
Angels cook up a plan to reunite a young couple.

14 THE TIME KEEPER, by Mitch Albom.
A fable about the inventor of the world’s first clock.

15 THE SECRET KEEPER, by Kate Morton.
A British actress searches for secrets in her 90-year-old mother’s past.

16 CAPTAIN VORPATRIL'S ALLIANCE, by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Ivan Vorpatril is in trouble with his superiors, the Komarran authorities and the lethal figures hunting a mysterious woman and her exotic companion.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enthralling New Arrivals

Out for Blood by Kristin Painter
House of Comarre Series # 4

After nearly dying at the hands of the Aurelian, Chrysabelle finds new determination to move beyond life as a comarré. That is until the Kubai Mata bring a new task to her doorstep: rescue the child Tatiana has kidnapped, or Mal becomes enemy number one.

On Christmas Eve by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer

Lucy and Charlie's relationship has been on the rocks, but just as Lucy's about to call it quits, a runaway teenager crosses her path. It turns out this girl has been shuffled from home to home and has decided to make her own destiny-landing in Cape Light. Lucy takes her in despite Charlie's protests. This could be the thing that makes or breaks their frayed relationship...

With a grown son embarking on his own life, and an ex-husband starting a new family, Betty realizes it's time to find a partner of her own. Then Santa bears an unexpected gift at the Rotary Club's Christmas party: himself. Beyond the red suit and the padding, she notices a twinkle in his eye. Has the holiday cheer gone to her head, or is she really attracted to a struggling magazine writer who plays dress-up? But things aren't always as they seem, especially in Cape Light-and unless Betty realizes that good things come in different packages, she risks Santa passing over her this Christmas.

Wyoming Fierce by Diana Palmer

Ranch owner Cane Kirk lost more than his arm in the war. He lost his way, battling his inner demons by challenging any cowboy unfortunate enough to get in his way. No one seems to be able to cool him down, except beautiful Bodie Mays. Bodie doesn't mind saving Cane from himself, even if he is a little too tempting for her own peace of mind.But soon Bodie's the one who finds herself in need of rescuing—only, she's afraid to tell Cane what's really going on. 

How can she trust someone as unpredictable as this fierce cowboy? When her silence only ends up getting her into even deeper hot water, it's up to Cane to save the day. And if he does it right, he won't be riding off into the sunset alone.

L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future (Volume XXVI)

This book holds between its pages the best new first-rate science fiction and fantasy stories and illustrations of the year, never before published, by the new visionaries of imagination, those that defy reality, conquer new worlds and make the impossible possible; the latest winners of the 'Writers of the Future' and 'Illustrators of the Future' contests, selected by the judges, top names in the field, a veritable who's who in the field of speculative fiction writing and illustrating.

Established in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard expressly for the aspiring writer, Writers of the Future contest and the companion contest, Illustrators of the Future (established in 1988) have become the most respected and significant forums for new talent in all aspects of speculative fiction.

Contents:
Introduction, essay by K. D. Wentworth;
* Living Rooms / Laurie Tom; illustrated by Irena Kovalenko;
* The Black Side of Memory / Lael Salaets; illustrated by Ven Locklear;
* Lisa with Child / Alex Black; illustrated by Tyler Carter;
The Golden Pen / L. Ron Hubbard;
* Not in the Flesh / Adam Colston; illustrated by Jordan Cornthwaite;
* Seeing Double / Tom Crosshill; illustrated by Olivia Pelaez;
* Exanastasis / Brad R. Torgersen; illustrated by Jingxuan Hu;
Standing Up / Dean Wesley Smith;
* Poison Inside the Walls / Scott W. Baker; illustrated by Kelsey Wroten;
* Confliction / Simon Cooper; illustrated by Cassandra Shaffer;
* Digital Rights / Brent Knowles; illustrated by Rebecca Gleason;
Advice to illustrators getting into the field / Stephen Youll;
* Coward's Steel / K.C. Ball; illustrated by R.M. Win ch;
* Written in Light / Jeff Young; illustrated by Rachael Jade Sweeney;
* The House of Nameless / Jason Fischer; illustrated by Seth J. Rowanwood.

What's New in Adult Fiction

The Little Amish Matchmaker by Linda Byler 


Simon can’t stop thinking about the pretty Amish teacher at the local one-room school. But he’s ignored the sparks between them because he’s so shy.

So Simon’s little brother, Isaac, takes matters into his own hands. He’s determined to give his brother the best Christmas present ever—a date with his favorite teacher.

Amish novelist Linda Byler brings her tender humor and skillful observation of family relationships to this holiday story. “I love Isaac’s self-confidence and scheming as he prods his reluctant older brother,” she says knowingly about her characters.

Byler takes her reader straight into the Amish world as Isaac is both charmed and annoyed by his too talkative, but quite bright, Mam. He can barely tolerate his little nieces and nephews, who substantially outnumber the grown-ups when the whole family gets together. And he loves his humble, circumspect Dat, although his father isn’t always pleased by how well Isaac sweeps the forebay in the barn.

As anticipation for the Christmas program at the schoolhouse builds, Isaac cares for troubled Ruthie who stutters miserably when she practices her poem. And he wonders how much he’ll have to help his brother Sim act on his growing affection for Teacher Catherine!

The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony

Lace is a thing like hope.
It is beauty; it is grace.
It was never meant to destroy so many lives .

The mad passion for forbidden lace has infiltrated France,
pulling soldier and courtier alike into its web. For those who want the best, Flemish lace is the only choice, an exquisite perfection of thread and air. For those who want something they don’t have, Flemish lace can buy almost anything––or anyone.

For Lisette, lace begins her downfall, and the only way to atone for her sins is to outwit the noble who now demands the impossible. To fail means certain destruction. But for Katharina, lace is her salvation. It is who she is; it is what she does. If she cannot make this stunning tempest of threads, a dreaded fate awaits.

The most lucrative contraband in Europe, with its intricate patterns and ephemeral hope, threatens to cost them everything. Lace may be the deliverance for which they all pray...or it may bring the ruin and imprisonment they all fear.

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

Optimus Yarnspinner, a young writer, inherits from his beloved godfather an unpublished short story by an unknown author. His search for the author's identity takes him to Bookholm--the so-called City of Dreaming Books. On entering its streets, our hero feels as if he has opened the door of a gigantic second-hand bookshop. His nostrils are assailed by clouds of book dust, the stimulating scent of ancient leather, and the tang of printer's ink.

Soon, though, Yarnspinner falls into the clutches of the city's evil genius, Pfistomel Smyke, who treacherously maroons him in the labyrinthine catacombs underneath the city, where reading books can be genuinely dangerous...

Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Travel writer Lea Sutter finds herself on a small island off the coast of South Carolina, the wrong place at the wrong time. A merciless, unanticipated hurricane cuts a path of destruction and Lea barely escapes with her life. In the storm’s aftermath, she discovers orphaned twin boys and impulsively decides to adopt them. The boys, Samuel and Daniel, seem amiable and immensely grateful; Lea’s family back on Long Island—husband Mark and their two children, Ira and Elena—aren’t quite so pleased. 

But even they can’t anticipate the twins’ true nature—or predict that, within a few weeks’ time, Mark will wind up implicated in two brutal murders, with the police narrowing in.

The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell

A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why. But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.

When she turns to those around her, Scarpetta finds that the danger and suspicion have penetrated even her closest circles. Her niece Lucy speaks in riddles. Her lead investigator, Pete Marino, and FBI forensic psychologist and husband, Benton Wesley, have secrets of their own. Feeling alone and betrayed, Scarpetta is tempted by someone from her past as she tracks a killer both cunning and cruel.

Winter of the World by Ken Follett

Winter of the World picks up right where the first book left off, as its five interrelated families—American, German, Russian, English, Welsh—enter a time of enormous social, political, and economic turmoil, beginning with the rise of the Third Reich, through the Spanish Civil War and the great dramas of World War II, up to the explosions of the American and Soviet atomic bombs.

Carla von Ulrich, born of German and English parents, finds her life engulfed by the Nazi tide until she commits a deed of great courage and heartbreak. . . . American brothers Woody and Chuck Dewar, each with a secret, take separate paths to momentous events, one in Washington, the other in the bloody jungles of the Pacific. . . . English student Lloyd Williams discovers in the crucible of the Spanish Civil War that he must fight Communism just as hard as Fascism. . . . Daisy Peshkov, a driven American social climber, cares only for popularity and the fast set, until the war transforms her life, not just once but twice, while her cousin Volodya carves out a position in Soviet intelligence that will affect not only this war—but the war to come.

Iced by Karen Marie Moning

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

New Orleans is in the throes of another fantastic Mardi Gras celebration when the party gets crashed by a murderer. Now a scrapbooking sleuth is going to have to stop the partying to catch the killer…

There’s a parade rolling through the historic French Quarter, with gigantic floats, silver beads, and dizzying lights—and Kimber Breeze of KBEZ-TV is broadcasting live from a small balcony on the fourth floor of the Hotel Tremain, interviewing locals and capturing the spectacle down below. Her next subject will be Carmela Bertrand, owner of Memory Mine scrapbooking shop. Carmela has never been a fan of Kimber, but she isn’t about to turn down the chance of good publicity for her shop.

But before Carmela’s shop gets its five minutes of fame, a killer slips onto the balcony and strangles Kimber with a cord, leaving her body dangling above the parade. Carmela is horrified, but she quickly discovers the nightmare isn’t over. Because someone is now leaving strange postcards at Carmela’s shop—signed by the dead Kimber. Now Carmela and her friend Ava will have to risk their own necks to find out who’s posing as a ghost—and to expose a killer…  

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume of this epic trilogy, this same group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War.

To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral—but whose side, in the end, is she really on?

Sleep No More by Iris Johansen

One woman held captive for decades…
Another one freed by the truth…
Forensic sculptor Eve Duncan knows what it's like to be haunted by the past.  For years after her daughter Bonnie was stolen from her, she fought for closure.  But now as she's striving to begin anew, she can't shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen—or maybe already has.  When her mother, Sandra, asks for help in finding a missing friend named Beth Avery, Eve is sure that she's hiding something.  It’s odd that Sandra would get involved at all, and the fact that she adamantly refuses to go to the police for help reinforces Eve’s suspicions that something is very wrong.

Eve learns that Beth has been locked away in a mental hospital for years, which makes it even harder to understand how she could have disappeared. As Sandra reluctantly reveals small pieces of the truth about Beth's identity, Eve is shocked to discover that their lives are strangely entwined, and Beth's disappearance now puts them all in grave danger.

 Desperate, Eve enlists a secret weapon to pick up Beth's trail:  rogue profiler, Kendra Michaels. With an uncanny ability to detect clues and solve puzzles, Kendra begins to uncover the bizarre circumstances of Beth's escape from what should have been the safety of her hospital room. Beth is on the run, and as her mind clears--detoxing from the drugs that have held her prisoner--she begins to see the threads of a twisted plot within the powerful Avery family, threatening to destroy Beth and anyone else who might jeopardize the high-stakes game that is already in play.

Mad River by John Sandford

Bonnie and Clyde, they thought. And what’s-his-name, the sidekick. Three teenagers with dead-end lives, and chips on their shoulders, and guns.

The first person they killed was a highway patrolman. The second was a woman during a robbery. Then, hell, why not keep on going? As their crime spree cuts a swath through rural Minnesota, some of it captured on the killers’ cell phones and sent to a local television station, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers joins the growing army of cops trying to run them down. But even he doesn’t realize what’s about to happen next.

New York Times Best Seller List (11/18/2012)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1  The Racketeer by John Grisham

2  The Sins of the Mother by Danielle Steel

3  The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

4  The Panther by Nelson DeMille

5  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

6  A Winter Dream by Richard Paul Evans

7  The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell

8  Winter of the World by Ken Follett

9  Iced by Karen Marie Moning

10  NYPD Red by James Patterson

11  Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

12  The Twelve by Justin Cronin

13  Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

14  The Giving Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini    

15  The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

16  The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

New DVDs Just In Time For Thanksgiving

Assassins 
Robert Rath is a seasoned hitman who just wants out of the business with no back talk. But, as things go, it ain't so easy. A younger, peppier assassin named Bain is having a field day trying to kill said older assassin. Rath teams up with a computer hacker named Electra to defeat the obsessed Bain.

Avenging Angel (Western)
He was just a humble preacher--before he lost everything. In the wake of a ruthless crime that stole his family, his church, and the loves of his life, a man known simply as "The Preacher" is conflicted between his faith and his need for revenge.

Behind Enemy Lines
A Navy navigator is shot down over enemy territory and is ruthlessly pursued by a secret police enforcer and the opposing troops. Meanwhile his commanding officer goes against orders in an attempt to rescue him. 

Bite the Bullet (Western)
A group of ex-rough riders, an ex-prostitute and a gunfighter enter a horse race in the desert.

Bullitt
An all guts, no glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.

A Different Kind of Christmas
When you're the city attorney you don't need the kinds of problems that her father was giving her. After her mother died, her father began doing his "Santa Schick," as she called it, much more intensely... which meant that he turned his home into a kind of year-round Santa Claus castle where children of all ages could come to see the wonderful presents and no child ever left without a gift. But there's more to it than that and the outcome is not quite what you'd expect.

Cimarron (Western)
The epic saga of a frontier family, Cimarron starts with the Oklahoma Land Rush on 22 April 1889.

The Cincinnati Kid
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game. 

The Devil's Tomb
An elite group of soldiers on a covert mission to retrieve a scientist from an underground lab encounter an ancient evil in the facility.

The Getaway
A recently released ex-con and his loyal wife go on the run after a heist goes awry. 

Formula
A detective uncovers a formula that was devised by the Nazis in WW II to make a non-polluting synthetic fuel.

Julius Caesar
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for the idealist and the republic. 

Escape from Fort Bravo (Western)
A ruthless Union captain is renowned throughout his prison fort as the toughest soldier in the business, capable of capturing every escaped convict under his supervision. However, when he falls in love with a visiting woman some of the prisoners seize the advantage and try to escape.

The Law and Jake Wade (Western)
Outlaw Clint Hollister escapes from jail with the help of Marshal Jake Wade, because once Clint did the same for him. Jake left Clint just after, but Clint finds him back and forces Jake to lead him to a loot Jake buried one year ago.

The Guys
The story of a fire captain who lost eight men in the collapse of the World Trade Center and the editor who helps him prepare the eulogies he must deliver.

Hunted
An FBI deep-woods tracker captures a trained assassin who has made a sport of hunting humans. 

Many Rivers to Cross (Western)
In this Western Comedy Bushrod Gentry, a footloose frontiersman and trapper in the early American West who winds up being pursued by a very determined Mary, a tomboyish gal who has decided her marriage to Bushrod will save her from spinsterhood.

Mutiny on the Bounty
The Bounty leaves Portsmouth in 1787. Its destination: to sail to Tahiti and load bread-fruit. Captain Bligh will do anything to get there as fast as possible, using any means to keep up a strict discipline. When they arrive at Tahiti, it is like a paradise for the crew, something completely different than the living hell aboard the ship.

Never So Few
Captain Tom Reynolds and his band of skilled O.S.S. operatives are in WWII Burma to train the Kachin natives in modern warfare. But jungle combat, particularly against a Japanese army as familiar with the terrain as the Kachin, is more grueling than Reynolds had reckoned.

An Officer and a Gentleman
A young man must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant and his new girlfriend. 

Papillon
A man befriends a fellow criminal as the two of them begin serving their sentence on a dreadful prison island, which inspires the man to plot his escape.

Private Benjamin
A sheltered young high society woman joins the army on a whim and finds herself in a more difficult situation than she ever expected. 

Reflections in a Golden Eye
Bizarre tale of sex, betrayal, and perversion at a military post.

The Return of a Man Called Horse (Western)
The English gentleman known as Horse, returns to the American west to save his adopted Indian tribe from extinction. 

Saddle the Wind (Western)
Steve Sinclair is a world a world-weary former gunslinger, now living as a peaceful farmer. Things go wrong when his wild younger brother Tony arrives on the scene with his new bride Joan Blake.

The Talking Moon (Western)
When an army scout retires to a farm in New Mexico he takes pity on a white woman and her half-breed son recently rescued from indians, and invites them to join him. He does this even knowing the child's father is a feared and murderous Apache.

The Teahouse of The August Moon
A satire on America's very own drive of a world changer: One year after world war ii, Captain Fisby is sent to the village Tobiki in Okinawa to teach the people democracy.

Thunder Heart
A young mixed-blood FBI agent is assigned to work with a cynical veteran investigator on a murder on a poverty-stricken Sioux reservation.

Tom Horn (Western)
A renowned former army scout is hired by ranchers to hunt down rustlers but finds himself on trial for the murder of a boy when he carries out his job too well.

Note: Our movie collection is available due to patron donations. If you would like to donate to the collection, we would greatly appreciate it. 

Relax With One of Our New Titles During Thanksgiving Break

Caroline by Neil Gaiman

Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. 

When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Winter White by Jen Calonita
Belles Series #2

Isabelle Scott and Mirabelle Monroe are still reeling from the revelation that they share more than just the roof over their heads. The media has pounced on their story and the girls are caught up in a flurry of talk-show appearances and newspaper interviews. They've put on a happy public face, but someone is leaking their true feelings to the press, and while it seems like the world is watching their every move, at least they have each other. 

But with cotillion season right around the corner, Izzie and Mira have barely had time to process their newfound sisterhood. Mira has dreamed of making her debut in a gorgeous white gown forever-now, if only she could find an escort. Izzie, meanwhile, is still struggling to find her place in Emerald Cove and it's seeming ever more impossible with EC mean-girls, young and old, doing their best to keep her down. As cotillion preparations heat up, though, there are dance steps to learn, manners to perfect... and secret initiations to complete? As if sophomore year wasn't hard enough! It's time for the gowns to go on and the gloves to come off. 

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Valkyrie Series #1

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there.

What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them. 

Divine Madness by Robert Muchamore
Cherub Series #5

CHERUB agents are highly trained, extremely talented—and all under the age of seventeen. For official purposes, these agents do not exist. They are sent out on missions to spy on terrorists, hack into crucial documents, and gather intel on global threats—all without gadgets or weapons. It is an extremely dangerous job, but these agents have one crucial advantage: Adults never suspect that teens are spying on them.
 
In Divine Madness, CHERUB uncovers a link between ecoterrorist group Help Earth and a wealthy religious cult known as The Survivors. James is sent to their isolated outback headquarters on an infiltration mission. It’s a thousand kilometers to the closest town, and James is under massive pressure form the cult’s brainwashing techniques. This time he’s not just fighting terrorists. He has to battle for his own mind.

Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkle Trousers by Dav Pilkey

Tra-la-laaa! Captain Underpants is back in an all-new epic adventure that's the zaniest, funniest, outrageousest, and time-travelingiest yet!

When we last saw our heroes, George and Harold, they were under arrest and headed for prison. Then Harold foolishly uttered the fateful words "What could be worse than going to jail for the rest of our lives?" and changed the course of human history.

In this ninth epic novel, Dav Pilkey takes readers back in time to the carefree days of kindergarten, when the worst thing George and Harold had to face was NOT evil mad scientists or alien cafeteria ladies but a sixth-grade bully named Kipper Krupp, the nephew of their clueless school principal. And because George and Harold don't actually invent Captain Underpants until fourth grade, the two clever kindergartners are on their own -- using their brains to beat the bully. 

The Adventures of Ook and Gluk Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future by Dav Pilkey (George Beard and Harold Hutchins)

Tra-la-laaa! The wait is over! Dav Pilkey--ahem--we mean, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, the bestselling authors of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPER DIAPER BABY, are back with their second graphic novel!

Meet Ook and Gluk, the stars of this sensationally silly graphic novel from the creators of Captain Underpants! It's 500,001 BC, and Ook and Gluk's hometown of Caveland, Ohio, is under attack by an evil corporation from the future. When Ook, Gluk, and their little dinosaur pal Lily are pulled through a time portal to 2222, they discover a future world that's even more devastated than their own. Luckily, they find a friend in Master Wong, a martial arts instructor who trains them in the ways of kung fu. Now all they have to do is travel back in time 502,223 years and save the day! 

The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman
Land of Elyon Series Book #1


The Dark Hills Divide introduces readers to Alexa Daley, who annually visits the town of Bridewell. Alexa is curious about what lies beyond the massive ramparts that surround the city and the walled roads that link Bridewell to nearby towns; soon after town leader Thomas Warvold passes away, Alexa finds herself outside the walls, acquires a stone with remarkable powers, and discovers that she's meant to stop a potential war from occurring. 

Fortunately, Alexa has a number of allies, including a fierce wolf named Darius, and after she uses her smarts to prevent a ruthless convict from gaining power, the storm facing Bridewell is calmed, with a hint of what's to come in Book 2. 

What's New: Get Cozy With A Good Book

Morning's Refrain by Tracie Peterson

As dark family secrets threaten the tranquility of the life he's come to love, Dalton Bjorklund must make difficult choices about the future. To complicate matters, Phoebe Robbins falls into his life quite literally when Dalton rescues her after she falls overboard in the Sitka Harbor. He quickly loses his heart.

But Dalton is not the only one who decides to seek Phoebe's attentions--his best friend, Yuri, decides to court her when Dalton must travel from Sitka. But when Dalton realizes the depth of his love for Phoebe and returns, the two friends find that their battle for Phoebe's affection is only the start of the problems that face them.

With Good Behavior by Jennifer Lane 

In a world gripped by organized crime, family dysfunction, and dim hopes of redemption, can true love persevere? For Sophie Taylor, a beautiful psychologist who lost everything when she violated an ethical boundary, and Grant Madsen, a handsome naval officer who sacrificed everything to protect a loved one, finding that love may carry an unbearable cost.

Starting their lives over in Chicago, both are fighting influences from their family and running as fast as they can to escape the past. When their paths cross outside the parole officer's door, the attraction is instantaneous. But a hidden connection may not only shatter their fledgling love, but prove deadly to them both.

Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson

Newly widowed Lydia Sellers discovers that through an unforeseen fluke, she is the sole recipient of her husband's fortune. But instead of granting her security, it only causes strife as her adult stepchildren battle to regain the inheritance for themselves. Lydia, longing to put the memories of her painful marriage behind her, determines to travel to Alaska to join her aunt. 

Lydia's arrival in Sitka, however, brings two things she didn't expect. One is the acquaintance of Kjell Bjorklund, the handsome owner of the sawmill. Second is the discovery that she is pregnant with her dead husband's child. What will this mean for her budding relationship with Kjell? And what lengths will her stepchildren go to reclaim their father's fortune? Lydia soon finds her life--and that of her child's--on the line.

Dead Men's Dust by Matt Hilton

The electrifying debut of ex-military officer and all-around tough guy Joe Hunter, who is on the trail of his missing and estranged brother . . . and the madman who may have taken him

Joe Hunter solves problems. Or, as he likes to put it, he's "the weapon sent in when all the planning is done and all that's left is the ass kicking." And as a former military operative and ex-CIA agent, he's good at what he does. But when he's told that his brother--with whom he hasn't been on the best of terms--has disappeared, he learns that everything he's faced before is child's play compared to what's coming.

Tubal Cain is a killer--smart, stealthy, and arrogant--but he's also sentimental. His most precious possession is the set of knives he uses, and when one of them (his favorite Bowie) is stolen along a deserted stretch of highway, Cain will stop at nothing to get it back.

Unfortunately for Hunter, the thief is his brother, a man who has been on the run from his own mis-takes but is now in the crosshairs of a seriously deranged man. To find his brother, Hunter must find Cain, and the chase takes all three men on a hair-raising journey across the country to a barren spot in the American Southwest, where bones have become nothing more than dead men's dust.

Those in Peril by Wilbur Smith

Hazel Bannock is heir to the Bannock Oil Corporation, one of the major global oil producers. While cruising the Indian Ocean, her yacht is hijacked by Somalian pirates and her nineteen-year-old daughter, Cayla, kidnapped. The pirates demand a crippling twenty-billion-dollar ransom for her release, and complicated political and diplomatic sensitivities render the major powers incapable of intervening.

With growing evidence of the horrific torture to which Cayla is being subjected, Hazel calls on Hector Cross to help her rescue her daughter. Hector is the man behind Cross Bow Security, the company contracted to Bannock Oil Corporation to provide all their protection. He is a formidable fighting man. Between them, Hazel and Hector are determined to take the law into their own hands.

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Whatever happened to Calico Joe?

 It began quietly enough with a pulled hamstring. The first baseman for the Cubs AAA affiliate in Wichita went down as he rounded third and headed for home. The next day, Jim Hickman, the first baseman for the Cubs, injured his back. The team suddenly needed someone to play first, so they reached down to their AA club in Midland, Texas, and called up a twenty-one-year-old named Joe Castle. He was the hottest player in AA and creating a buzz.

In the summer of 1973 Joe Castle was the boy wonder of baseball, the greatest rookie anyone had ever seen.  The kid from Calico Rock, Arkansas dazzled Cub fans as he hit home run after home run, politely tipping his hat to the crowd as he shattered all rookie records.

Calico Joe quickly became the idol of every baseball fan in America, including Paul Tracey, the young son of a hard-partying and hard-throwing Mets pitcher. On the day that Warren Tracey finally faced Calico Joe, Paul was in the stands, rooting for his idol but also for his Dad. Then Warren threw a fastball that would change their lives forever…

Lonestar Angel by Colleen Coble

Eden's hope is rekindled when Clay delivers astounding news: their daughter has been found.

Five years ago Eden and Clay Larson's baby was stolen and never found. Eden blamed herself, Clay lost himself in work. Their young and rocky marriage ended. Or so Eden thought.

Now Eden's moved to a new town. She's found faith and is trying to rebuild her life. She's even dating again-a sweet guy who plans to marry her someday. But then Clay arrives out of the blue and delivers shocking news: they're still married. What's more, Clay has been searching for Brianna all this time. And he believes he's found her: their daughter is in Bluebird, Texas, at a youth ranch.

To uncover the truth, Eden and Clay sign on as counselors at Bluebird Ranch. Working together, they rediscover their love for each other. But danger is closing in-Eden, Clay, and their young charges are in jeopardy. As they fight to save their family, Eden realizes that God has been fighting for them all along. And His plans are for a more abundant life than they've dared to hope.

Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh

There's a saying at Hollywood station that the full moon brings out the beast--rather than the best--in the precinct's citizens. One moonlit night, LAPD veteran Dana Vaughn and "Hollywood" Nate Weiss, a struggling-actor-turned cop, get a call about a young man who's been attacking women. Meanwhile, two surfer cops known as Flotsam and Jetsam keep bumping into an odd, suspicious duo--a smooth-talking player in dreads and a crazy-eyed, tattooed biker. 

No one suspects that all three dubious characters might be involved in something bigger, more high-tech, and much more illegal. After a dizzying series of twists, turns, and chases, the cops will find they've stumbled upon a complex web of crime where even the criminals can't be sure who's conning whom.

Book Trailer for Justin Cronin's The Twelve

The Twelve is the long awaited, epic continuation of Justin Cronin's The Passage trilogy. The Passage begins with a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility. The diabolical product of a chilling military experiment is unleashed, causing chaos overnight. The viral plague leaves only a small group of survivors in a world that has been transformed into a nightmare.  

About The Twelve At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume of this epic trilogy, this same group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War. To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral—but whose side, in the end, is she really on?

The Passage Trilogy reading order:

1 The Passage

2 The Twelve

3 The City of Mirrors (to be released in 2014)

 

New York Times Best Seller List (11/11/2012)

Note: 
Titles highlighted in BLUE are currently available for checkout.
Titles highlighted in RED have been ordered and will be available for checkout soon.

FICTION BEST SELLERS

1  The Racketeer by John Grisham

2  The Panther by Nelson DeMille

3  The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

4  Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

5  The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury

6  The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell

7  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

8  NYPD Red by James Patterson

9  Angels at the Table by Debbie Macomber

10  Winter of the World by Ken Follett

11  The Twelve by Justin Cronin

12  The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

13  The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

14  Mad River by John Sandford 

15  The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

16  The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith 
        

November Movie Madness

3:10 to Yuma
A small-time rancher agrees to hold a captured outlaw who's awaiting a train to go to court in Yuma. A battle of wills ensues as the outlaw tries to psych out the rancher. 

Angels and Demons
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican. 

The Astronaut's Wife
A space shuttle in orbit to repair a damaged satellite is forced to return to Earth after NASA loses contact with astronauts Spencer Armacost and Alex Streck for two minutes.

The Bourne Supremacy
When Jason Bourne is framed for a botched CIA operation he is forced to take up his former life as a trained assassin to survive.

Deeply
A reclusive woman's unpublished story about a curse, told to a grieving girl, turns out to be something other than a fairy tale. 

End of Days
At the end of the century, Satan visits New York in search of a bride. It's up to an ex-cop who now runs an elite security outfit to stop him. 

Gettysburg
In 1863, the Northern and Southern forces fight at Gettysburg in the decisive battle of the American Civil War. 

The Net
Angela Bennett's a software engineer type who works from home and has few friends outside of cyberspace. Taking her first vacation in years she becomes embroiled in a web (sic) of computer espionage. 


Gone With the Wind
American classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man carry on a turbulent love affair in the American south during the Civil War and Reconstruction. 

The Hoax
In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.

Hollow Man
Scientists discover how to make people invisible, but their test subject becomes an insane killer who stalks them. 

Iron Will
When Will Stoneman's father dies, he is left alone to take care of his mother and their land. Needing money to maintain it, he decides to join a cross country dogsled race. This race will require days of racing for long hours, through harsh weather and terrain. This young man will need a lot of courage and a strong will to complete this race.

I'll Be Home For Christmas
A college student experiences difficulty in getting home for Christmas after being hazed by his friends. While struggling to get home in time for Christmas, he learns quite a bit about himself and the true meaning of the holiday.

Rumor Has It

Sarah Huttinger is a woman who learns that her family was the inspiration for the book and film "The Graduate" -- and that she just might be the offspring of the well-documented event. 

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
John Connor is now in his 20's, and a female terminator, called T-X or Terminatrix, is after him. Another T-101 is sent back through time to protect John once again on the verge of the rise of the machines. 

Terminator Salvation
After Skynet has destroyed much of humanity in a nuclear holocaust, a group of survivors led by John Connor struggles to keep the machines from finishing the job. 

Thicker Than Water
After discovering her late father once married a rodeo queen, an attorney travels into horse country and finds more family.

Man on Fire
In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect. 

Michael
Two tabloid reporters checking out a report of the Archangel Michael living with an old woman find that it's true. But that's not the only surprise. 

Note: Our movie collection is available due to patron donations. If you would like to donate to the collection, we would greatly appreciate it.

What's New in Large Print

Sixkill by Robert B. Parker

On location in Boston, bad-boy actor Jumbo Nelson is accused of the rape and murder of a young woman. From the start the case seems fishy, so the Boston PD calls on Spenser to investigate. Things don't look so good for Jumbo, whose appetites for food, booze, and sex are as outsized as his name. He was the studio's biggest star, but he's become its biggest liability.

In the course of the investigation, Spenser encounters Jumbo's bodyguard: a young, former football-playing Native American named Zebulon Sixkill. He acts tough, but Spenser sees something more within the young man. Despite the odd circumstances, the two forge an unlikely alliance, with Spenser serving as mentor for Sixkill. As the case grows darker and secrets about both Jumbo and the dead woman come to light, it's Spenser-with Sixkill at his side-who must put things right.

Love and the Single Mom by C.J. Carmichael

She was an ex-wife, ex-lawyer and soon-to-be ex-owner if her restaurant didn't turn around. To top things off, Margo Evans's ex was getting married again. What if her two children preferred their new stepmom?
But all was not lost. A new lunchtime regular, Robert Brooks, seemed likely to add some spice to her life--or he would if a single mom hadn't recently left him standing at the altar, wrenching away the child he'd begun to love.

Could Margo coax the conservative banker to swallow his fear of women with kids? And show him to a table for four?

Over His Head by Carolyn McSparren

This was supposed to be paradise.

That's why Tim Wainwright moved his three children to Williamston, Tennessee, population 123. It was to be a refuge from the tragedy that had fractured their lives, a place where Tim could forget his mistakes.

That's what the place meant to Nancy Mayfield. The veterinary technician thought she had finally achieved balance and peace in her life, and had put her past behind her.

Except no one and no place is perfect -- not even Williamston. But maybe two imperfect people make one whole lot of sense.

Wanted Man by Ellen Hartman


"Rhian's Rooftop Resolutions: 1. Write a children's book

2. Learn to play basketball

3. Have a summer fling"

Between caring for her orphaned nephew and working as a tech writer, Rhian MacGregor has spent several years perfecting the art of abstinence. But the arrival of Nathan Delaney-- her gorgeous housepainter-- has her contemplating a new instruction manual: "Seducing Your Handyman."

She's not thinking of getting serious, of course. She's only got the summer to herself before it's back to real life. Besides, Rhian doesn't "do" serious, because the consequences are too painful.

Just as they will be when she finds out who Nathan really is...

A Place Called Home by Margaret Watson

The past always comes back to bite Zoe McInnes. So of course everybody believes she's to blame when her former father-in-law strokes out in the middle of a fight...with her. Thank God the man's going to be okay. 

But--of course--Zoe ends up behind bars.And of course the very sexy man she thought her lawyer had sent to bail her out turns out to be none other than Gideon Tate, the estranged brother of her late husband. Impossible as it should be, he seems to really get Zoe, despite her past involvement with his family. He seems to admire the job she does defending the abused women in her shelter. He even seems to love her just a little bit.... Must appearances always be deceiving?

Split Image by Robert Parker

The body in the trunk was just the beginning.

Turns out the stiff was a foot soldier for local tough guy Reggie Galen, now enjoying a comfortable "retirement" with his beauti­ful wife, Rebecca, in the nicest part of Paradise. Living next door are Knocko Moynihan and his wife, Robbie, who also happens to be Rebecca's twin. But what initially appears to be a low-level mob hit takes on new meaning when a high-ranking crime figure is found dead on Paradise Beach.

Stressed by the case, his failed relationship with his ex-wife, and his ongoing battle with the bottle, Jesse needs something to keep him from spinning out of control. When private investigator Sunny Randall comes into town on a case, she asks for Jesse's help. As their professional and personal relationships become intertwined, both Jesse and Sunny realize that they have much in common with both their victims and their suspects-and with each other.