New Books 8/21/17

Science, science fiction, suspense and sisters are topics portrayed in this week’s offerings.

 

 

American Eclipse by David Baron
Baron, a science journalist and editor, tells the story of the total solar eclipse on July 29, 1878, and three scientists who raced to the American West to see it: James Craig Watson, who thought he would discover Vulcan, an “intra-Mercurial” planet hidden by the sun; Maria Mitchell, who led a group of female students to observe the eclipse; and Thomas Edison.

Any Dream will Do by Debbie Macomber
After serving two years in prison, Shay Benson, who is determined to start fresh, finds friendship with widowed pastor Drew Douglas, who teaches her how to trust again, but when her brother returns to town it may undo her new life.

Barely Legal by Stuart Woods
Rendered a capable partner at the white-shoe law firm of Woodman & Weld by mentor Stone Barrington, Herbie Fisher finds his training put to the test by the most daring adventure of his career.

Battlefront II: Inferno Squad by Christie Golden
A prequel to the upcoming Battlefront II video game connects the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to the formation of the game’s elite team: Inferno Squad.

The Color of Fear by Marcia Muller
When her father is left in a coma by a racially driven beating during the holiday season, private investigator Sharon McCone resolves to bring the attackers to justice, only to find herself targeted by hate-filled, racist threats.

The Conscience of a Conservative by Jeff Flake
Republican Senator Jeff Flake takes his party to task for embracing nationalism, populism, xenophobia, and the anomalous Trump presidency with an urgent call for a return to bedrock conservative principle and a cry to once again put country before party.

Dead, to Begin With by Bill Crider
When a wealthy recluse joins his small Texas community to lead the restoration of an old opera house before dying in a suspicious fall, Sheriff Dan Rhodes investigates long-ago motives while navigating ridiculous local troubles.

The Driver by Hart Hanson
Former Army special forces sergeant Michael Skellig, now a limo driver, hears a whispered warning of imminent danger and finds himself implicated in a murder, a situation that is further complicated by his crush on the case’s lead detective.

Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker
When one of two sisters who disappeared three years earlier returns to tell how they were held on an island, Abby Winter investigates their family and uncovers evidence of violated boundaries, betrayal, and narcissistic parenting.

Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave
A social media lifestyle guru with millions of followers is disgraced by revelations about her identity, a downfall that compels brave choices that save her in more ways than she can imagine.

Knife Creek by Paul Doiorn
Investigating the horrifying discovery of a baby’s body in a shallow woodland grave, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch uncovers links between the victim and a woman believed to have died years earlier.

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory
Reimagines the lives of Lady Jane Grey and her two sisters, who respectively endure imprisonment, a secret marriage, and marginalization under the eyes of the Tudor queens Mary and Elizabeth.

The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond
Picture-perfect newlyweds Alice and Jake are unexpectedly initiated into a mysterious organization designed to keep marriages happy and intact through seemingly sensible rules that become increasingly exacting and subject to brutal enforcement.

The Misfortune of Marion Palm by Emily Culliton
Embezzling a small fortune from her daughters’ private school to finance personal luxuries, Marion goes on the lam when her activities are exposed by a school audit, in a story also told from the points of view of her baffled husband and heartsick daughters.

Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker
A guide to self-esteem and resiliency in accordance with Christian principles counsels women of faith to reevaluate their perspectives about the role of pain and failure in life, sharing frank and often riotous stories from the author’s own experiences with missteps and setbacks.

Persons Unknown by Susie Steiner
Pregnant detective Manon Bradshaw becomes embroiled in the murder of her sister’s ex-boyfriend when the case threatens her family and pits her against close colleagues.

The Punch Escrow by Tal M. Klein
When he’s accidentally duplicated while teleporting, Joel Byram must outrun the most powerful corporation on the planet and find a way back to his wife in a world that now has two of him.

Roboteer by Alex Lamb
A hard science fiction novel set in a future in which the colonization of the stars has turned out to be anything but easy, and civilization on Earth has collapsed under the pressure of relentless mutual terrorism.

Science in the Soul by Richard Dawkins
An evolutionary biologist and provocateur, in a collection of 42 essays, focuses on what science is and how it is done, the inexhaustible wonders of nature, the importance of critical thinking and the great minds who have changed his life

Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery
Estranged by their mother’s abandonment and their own secrets, sisters Kelly and Olivia harbor crushes for brothers Griffith and Ryan, whose return a decade after high school leads to memories, disillusionment, and romantic closure.

To Wager Her Heart by Tamera Alexander
Sylas Rutledge, former gambler and new owner of the East Line Railway, and Southern Belle-turned-teacher Alexandra Donelson find a way to work together to achieve their dreams in the new reality of the post-Civil War South.

The Twenty-Three by Linwood Barclay
When hundreds of people are sickened by deliberately contaminated water in a small New York community’s water supply, Detective Barry Duckworth scrambles to identify the culprit while investigating the murder of a college student whose crime scene disturbingly resembles those of two other victims.

The Wildling Sisters by Eve Chase
Anticipating a quiet English country summer upon arriving at Applecote Manor in 1959, 15-year-old Margot and her three sisters find their aunt and uncle still reeling from the disappearance of their cousin five years earlier until Margot is inexplicably drawn into the life her cousin left behind.