Author Linda Fairstein on her first mystery

December 9, 2016

Linda Fairstein (author of INTO THE LION’S DEN) talks about the first mystery she ever wrote… as a fifth-grader.

for the third to sixth graders you know and love…

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Into the Lion’s Den

The Devlin Quick Mysteries, Book 1

Watch out, Nancy Drew—Devlin Quick is smart, strong, and she will DEFINITELY close the case in this thrilling new mystery series for girls and boys from New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein

Someone has stolen a page from a rare book in the New York Public Library. At least, that’s what Devlin’s friend Liza thinks she’s seen, but she can’t be sure. Any other kid might not see a crime here, but Devlin Quick is courageous and confident, and she knows she has to bring this man to justice—even if it means breathlessly racing around the city to collect evidence. But who is this thief? And what could the page—an old map—possibly lead to? With her wits, persistence, and the help of New York City’s finest (and, okay, a little bit of help from her police commissioner mother, too), Dev and her friends piece the clues together to uncover a mystery that’s bigger than anyone expected—and more fun, too.

With all of the heart-pounding excitement that made her internationally bestselling Alexandra Cooper series a hit, Linda Fairstein paves the way for another unstoppable heroine . . . even if she is only twelve.

Into the Lion’s Den by Linda Fairstein. Dial Books (November 15, 2016). ISBN: 978-0399186431. 320p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah

December 8, 2016

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Stories from a South African Childhood

When it was announced that Jon Stewart was leaving The Daily Show and all but unknown (to us) correspondent Trevor Noah had been tapped to take over, the news came with an understandable amount of trepidation. Noah had appeared just a few times on the show before the announcement and basically vanished until the transition, which meant viewers didn’t really have a chance to get to know him. Unless, of course, you’d sought out his stand up. Because Trevor Noah, while new to most of the US audience, had already made a name for himself elsewhere.

Noah is charming, smart, and funny, each of which holds equal weight in The Daily Show. But again, most of us knew little about him. And though personal stories have made their way into the show’s dialogue, this debut collection of essays offers up much more of a look inside the history and childhood that made him who he is today.

The title, Born a Crime, is true. Trevor Noah was born in South Africa during apartheid when the mixing of races (socially and otherwise) was illegal. Noah intersperses his beginning tales with a basic history of apartheid, explaining not only the law but how it came to evolve as well, offering up an honest look at a truly horrific and recent piece of world history.

Noah’s own reminiscences, while perfectly illustrating the charm and humor he’s known for, are fairly dark. He recounts, for instance, the time his mother threw him from a moving vehicle in order to escape the very possible violence about to occur at the hands of a minibus driver one Sunday. And he talks honestly about how his family handled the very fact that his very existence could have meant jail for them and/or an orphanage for him.

At the heart of the collection, though, is the fact that Noah’s mother, an extraordinary woman, is responsible for the man he is today. At a time when education and opportunity were all but nonexistent for a Xhosa woman, she pursued both. And she taught her son to think, to reason, and to dream.

Born a Crime is an amazing book that is eye-opening and shocking as well as funny. It’s addictingly readable and definitely one I’d recommend not only to fans of Trevor Noah and The Daily Show but to readers interested in an inside, and again honest, look at apartheid and South Africa.

12/16 Becky LeJeune

BORN A CRIME by Trevor Noah. Spiegel & Grau (November 15, 2016). ISBN 978-0399588174. 304p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

OCEAN OF STORMS by Christopher Mari & Jeremy K. Brown

December 7, 2016

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A sudden massive explosion on the moon leaves a vast gash on the lunar surface. It also sends a titanic electromagnetic pulse to earth which becomes the cause of failure of all electrical equipment and causing plane crashes, auto accidents and the stoppage of machinery used to keep civilization running.

At this time China and the United States are embroiled in harsh disagreements looking like they will lead to war. The problem in this hostile scenario is Taiwan and if it is to be annexed by China.

Treaties provide that the United States will protect it. At the time of the explosion on the moon, the U.S. is sending a fleet to the waters near Taiwan in order to put on a show of force to prevent the Chinese Annexation.

The United States is also looking at the lunar explosion and has made the decision to send an expedition there to enter the gash created and find out what is the cause. NASA has not sent a space craft to the moon in many years and has to enter a crash program in order to bring an older ship up to snuff. China has also started to mount a lunar expedition and looks like it may beat out the U.S. in getting to the moon. But a very fortuitous chain of events cause the two rivals to become forced to send a joint expedition.

China has an excellent flight rocket, but their lander is not up to the needs required to land on the moon’s surface, while the U.S. has the lander but must bow to the Chinese rocket. A sensible combined effort is quickly put together and takes off.

There is friction at first between the International crew but quickly becomes friendship when problems arise that must be handled quickly in order for the expedition to succeed. The moon is reached and the gash is entered. What is there, and what it means forms the gist of the novel while guiding the actions of the now united International crew members.

Ocean of Storms is well done science fiction and the development of the action nicely includes the characters as well. The book provides a fast paced read and does an excellent job of keeping the reader’s interest and attention.

12/16 Paul Lane

OCEAN OF STORMS by Christopher Mari & Jeremy K. Brown . 47North (December 1, 2016). ISBN 978-1503938779. 410p.

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THE CHOSEN by Kristina Ohlsson

December 6, 2016

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The Fredrika Bergman Series, Book 5

Fredrika Bergman is a brilliant crime analyst & Alex Recht is a police inspector, and together they solve crimes in Stockholm, Sweden.

Peder Rydh, former police and newly minted head of security at the Solomon Center, a Jewish community, is immediately thrust into turmoil. A preschool teacher is shot and killed in the middle of the afternoon pickup, and a short time later two ten-year-old boys go missing.

The boys are found dead the next day, left in the woods with paper bags over their heads. The story starts escalating, landing Fredrika in Israel and involving Efraim, a Mossad agent, as well as Eden, an agent with Sago, the Swedish secret police.

This is an intricate story with tentacles that reach to an Israeli myth of “the Paper Boy”, a Mossad operation gone horribly wrong, and the Sago investigator’s personal crisis, yet never gets bogged down. If only these principal investigators weren’t all so secretive, the murders could probably have been solved a hundred pages sooner, but what’s the fun in that.
Copyright ©2016 Booklist, a division of the American Library Association.

12/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE CHOSEN by Kristina Ohlsson. Atria/Emily Bestler Books (December 6, 2016). ISBN 978-1476734064. 496p.

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DARK FISSURES by Matt Coyle

December 5, 2016

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Rick Cahill Thrillers, Book 3

Matt Coyle introduced the character of Rick Cahill in previous novels making Cahill into a person with a seemingly shady past. First, Rick’s wife was murdered 12 years ago causing Cahill to be arrested and possibly charged with the crime.

Next the La Jolla, California police department, for whom Rick once worked, is looking at him for the possible murder of a missing person. The body has never appeared, but Tony Moretti , the chief of police for La Jolla, is determined to charge and prosecute Rick for the crime.

Cahill is at the point where his seemingly shady past is preventing him from earning a proper living. When he is contacted by Brianne Colton, a beautiful country, western singer to investigate the death of her estranged husband, Rick does so for the opportunity to earn some money. Brianne’s husband’s death has been ruled a suicide by the police, but she thinks that it was murder. She wants Cahill to investigate the situation to find the real cause, if different than police findings.

Taking the case, Rick gradually changes his opinion and does believe the death was murder. He also falls for Brianne and it looks like it is mutual with a romantic set of interludes interlaced with the story taking place.

The plot thickens with both the La Jolla police and the FBI looking to stop the investigation of Brianne’s husband’s death. Police chief Moretti is constantly pursuing Rick for the possible murder he suspects him of and we have an engrossing story, well written, and of course ending with the makings of the next book in this series. Certainly Matt Coyle will intrigue the reader with both the plots and characterizations presented.

12/16 Paul Lane

DARK FISSURES by Matt Coyle. Oceanview Publishing (December 6, 2016). ISBN 978-1608092260. 416p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

Comedian Jo Firestone presents OLIVER TWIST

December 2, 2016

After reading the book in 10 minutes, comedian Jo Firestone gives a report on Charles Dickens’s OLIVER TWIST. Please sir, we’d like some more time to study.

Actually, learning to read a book in 10 minutes is an excellent skill to have when you just want some broad information about a bunch of titles. I have taught this over the years and use it myself – not to review books, but to have an idea about new books and sometimes I find a book I was to actually read. Check it out, courtesy of the American Library Association and Jessica E. Moyer:

http://www.alaeditions.org/blog/62/how-read-book-10-minutes

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Win the December ’16 bookshelf of signed thrillers!

December 1, 2016

happy-holidays-betty-boop-purple-glitter Welcome to the December bookshelf of signed thrillers! Lots of new books to win – some favorite authors or find a new author. To enter, go to the Win Books page. Best of luck!

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THE BONE COLLECTION by Kathy Reichs: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the hit Fox series “Bones” comes a collection of pulse-pounding stories featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan—including an all-new story that tells how she got her start!

WALK INTO SILENCE by Susan McBride: A woman vanishes from a Texas town. Did she simply run off, or is something darker at play? For Jo, whose own demons are shadowing her every step, finding Jenny becomes more than the typical protect-and-serve.

BETTER OFF THREAD by Amanda Lee: While playing elf to Captain MoeÆs Santa for sick children at a local hospital, embroidery shop owner Marcy stumbles upon the dead body of the hospitalÆs administrator and must, with the help of her police officer boyfriend and her Irish Wolfhound, find out who is trying to pin this murder on Moe.

PAINTED DOLL by Jonelle Patrick: When Tokyo Detective Kenji Nakamura’s phone rings with the news that his mother’s death ten years ago wasn’t an accident, his world begins to unravel.

CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE by Ronie Kendig: Kendig Ratchets Up the Action in Her New Suspense Series! Four years after a tragic mission decimated his career and his team, Cole “Tox” Russell is lured back into action when a dormant, centuries-old disease is unleashed.

AND THEN HE WAS GONE by Joan Hall Hovey: When a man disappears, his wife is always the prime suspect. But not every woman will take that accusation lying down, as Joan Hall Hovey shows us in her new thriller, AND THEN HE WAS GONE.

You can win autographed copies of all these books! If you are new to the site, each month I run a contest in conjunction with the International Thriller Writers organization. We put together a list of books from debut authors to bestsellers, so you can win some of your favorites and find some new favorites.

What makes this contest really special is that all of the books (except eBooks) are signed by the author! Books with multiple authors will be signed by at least one of the authors.

Don’t forget, if you subscribe to the newsletter or follow this blog, you get an extra entry into every contest you enter. Check out the Win Books page for more information on all these books and how you to enter this month’s contest.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

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Posted by Stacy Alesi

THE USEFUL BOOK by David Bowers and Sharon Bowers

November 30, 2016

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201 Life Skills They Used to Teach in Home Ec and Shop

I am of the age where I had to take Home Ec when I was in junior high. (FYI, spell correct is not liking the “Ec”!) And it was called junior high, not middle school, but that may be more a geographic difference than a generational one.

I was also the type of girl who would have much preferred to take Shop, but girls were not allowed and boys could not take Home Ec. I grew up in a single mom household, so learning to cook wasn’t an issue (providing I wanted to boil or broil everything to death) but learning how to use tools would have been welcome. So when I heard about this book, I was excited to give it a good look.

It is exactly as described, with lots of pictures and great information. As I perused it I thought this would have been great to have when my kids were in elementary school, there are terrific projects to share with kids here.

When I mentioned this book to a co-worker who is in her early thirties, she looked at me and said that she “has a useful book, it’s called YouTube.” That really gave me pause, was she right? Are books like this obsolete? I’m afraid to say at least for young adults, yes. And as much as I’m a book person, I admit that it is much easier to learn most skills by watching a good YouTube video than trying to follow directions in a book, illustrated or not. Which makes me a bit sad.

All that said, I think it’s a great book for kids. It will inspire them to try new things, learn new skills. And parents who aren’t sure how to do the thing that their kid wants to do in this book, you always have the YouTube option.

Note to publisher: you ought to do a web series to go along with this book!

11/16 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE USEFUL BOOK by David Bowers and Sharon Bowers. Workman Publishing Company (June 14, 2016). ISBN 978-0761171737. 416p.

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HER NIGHTLY EMBRACE by Adi Tantimedh

November 29, 2016

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A former religious scholar and teacher who sees gods around him is an unlikely candidate for a PI, and yet Ravi Chandra Singh has not only been recruited by Golden Sentinels, a London-based agency whose clientele are the crème de la crème of society, he’s become an important member of the team.

Ravi’s first big case is one that involves the new candidate for Prime Minister – and it’s a whopper. The man is, for all intents and purposes, squeaky clean and boring. Exactly what his party wants considering recent PM scandals. But he claims he’s being haunted by his ex lover, who visits him at night and… yeah. Ravi is almost certain the man is missing a few screws but knows the case could make or break his career. At the same time, the agency has taken on a local TV personality and author who’s suffering very public harassment, a missing person’s case with an unexpected result, and case involving a banker that takes a dark turn.

While I enjoyed the quirky characters and odd cases, the format of Her Nightly Embrace was not what I expected. Rather than one main case and novel to dip into, this debut in the multi format series is four connected shorts or novellas. And much of the meaty detail I want in a mystery is missing.

It’s hard to review the book alone considering there’s to be both a podcast and TV show to go alongside it. And yet, I want the book to stand on its own. Especially since it’s the first and only piece of the Ravi PI platform to have been released so far. The book is fun but is lacking quite a bit of depth and development. I suspect the stories will work better for TV but we’ll all just have to wait and see.

11/16 Becky LeJeune

HER NIGHTLY EMBRACE by Adi Tantimedh. Atria/Leopoldo & Co. (November 1, 2016). ISBN 978-1501130571. 320p.

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CONCLAVE by Robert Harris

November 28, 2016

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One of the most secret meetings to be held anywhere on earth is the Conclave, established upon the death of a Pope which is called to elect a new leader of the Catholic Church. Robert Harris has written a fascinating account about a Conclave held on the demise of a Pope. He is writing based upon conjecture and supposition since there is no manner that could have granted him the means to learn what really happens.

Beyond this, the novel is a fascinating adventure into a meeting of the Church’s Cardinals summoned from around the world to choose a new Pope. The men assembled are deeply religious, committed to a lifetime of service, and anxious to do what is right in choosing a new Pope. They reflect, pray and hope for divine guidance in making their choice. They are holy men, but do have ambition and many will attempt to influence the choice made.

Harris is very successful in bringing the reader into the mind and thoughts of several of the Cardinals assembled in shaping the events depicted. The man appointed “Dean” by the last Pope is charged with moving the conclave forward. He is a man deeply devoted to his beliefs and to his appointed task of guiding the actions of those present. Several of those in attendance want to be the next Pope and attempt to guide the others into choosing them.

The author introduces the problems that are faced by the Church both at present and in the near future. They must be confronted by both the new Pope and the other senior leaders under him. There is the place for women, the use of local language, not Latin in the litany, and the enmity radical Islam feels towards Christianity in general. Definitely not a dry discourse, but a fascinating study of human nature reacting in a stressful environment.

CONCLAVE by Robert Harris. Knopf (November 22, 2016). ISBN 978-0451493446. 304p.

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Posted by Stacy Alesi