Hide the wallets, here comes this week's new releases!
The Accident by Chris Pavone (Crown, March 11, 2014). The Accident is the much anticipated second novel from Pavone who won the coveted Best First Novel Edgar Award with his smash debut effort, The Expats. And I'm here to tell you, The Accident does not disappoint. An anonymous book manuscript, international espionage, and all sorts of delectable glimpses into the world of publishing make this one a page turner that kept me up to the wee hours. Peek in tomorrow for a full review, but for now suffice it to say that Pavone is one author who just keeps nailing it. I feel like I should be giving him a standing ovation.
The Detainee by Peter Liney (Jo Fletcher Books, March 11, 2014). Jo Fletcher Books, an imprint of Quercus Books, has been releasing some damned good novels recently. The Detainee, a debut dytopia novel and allegedly the first in a proposed trilogy, is a fine example. In Liney's imagined future, America's sick and elderly are considered societal leeches and banished to the Island to die. No one escapes from the Island and the horrors there are nearly unimaginable. Retired mob hitman Clancy certainly never imagined he would be banished to the Island but once there he finds himself thrown together with the most unlikely of allies. Liney takes a chance writing dystopia for a non-YA audience and the result is admirable. He also offers something not often found in the genre: hope. Overall The Detainee is a welcome addition to the genre and I think it will appeal to fans. I know I will eagerly await the next book in the series. If dystopia appeals to you, keep your eyes open for this one.
The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh (Spiegel & Grau, March 11, 2014). Deep in the Ozarks, a young woman is murdered and a small town is hiding secrets in this gripping debut mystery. Told in a multiple narrative that alternates between past and present, The Weight of Blood is swathed in Gothic Southern darkness that simply oozes creepy atmosphere. I'll be featuring a full-blown review of this one later in the week...I loved it that much!
Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler (Thomas Dunne Books, March 11, 2014). I've been seeing the buzz on this book for weeks and I think I've had a library hold on the darned thing since it was first listed in my library's catalog. Butler's novel about four men who grew up together in a a small town in Wisconsin and are reunited for a wedding is being lauded everywhere I look. The dynamics of friendship, loyalty, trust --- all taking place in the American heartland --- makes this book sound like a must-read. I'll be letting you know just as soon as I get my grubby little mitts on it.
The Setup Man by T. T. Monday (Doubleday, March 11, 2014). Okay, baseball fans. I've got my eye on this new mystery series that features an aging major league pitcher who, lacking any meaningful savings from his glory days in baseball, decides to moonlight as a private investigator. Not only is this title garnering a lot of good advance press, but this gal is thinking 'Father's Day.' Oh yes, it's never too early, my friends. It's on my radar.
What good new releases did I miss?
Damn damn damn. This is becoming a dangerous post for me to read. You know, I have The Expats, but haven't read it yet. Mayhap that will have to be what I read after I finish The Wicked Girls and Wolf! You know that guy is going to be at our local book festival in early April. Better get in gear. Even though I am sick to death of dystopia, this one for big boys and girls appeals to me.
ReplyDeleteI completely loved Shotgun Lovesongs :D It is set in a town very close to me. That always makes me feel swoony towards a book. Especially since Wisconsin doesn't get a whole lot of literary action.
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