THE RITUAL BATH by Faye Kellerman

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KELLERMAN

Detective Peter Decker is sent to investigate a rape in the sheltered community of a Los Angeles yeshiva. He finds the Orthodox Jewish residents to be uncooperative, but the beautiful widow Rina Lazarus is helpful. The attraction between them complicates everything, especially when it seems the rapist's intended target was and still is Rina. The many details of Orthodox Jewish life are fascinating. This first book is a terrific start to the now-established series.

DEATH AND THE DEVIL by Frank Schatzing

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SCHATZING

In Early Medieval Cologne, a petty thief, Jacob the Fox, witnesses Gerhard Morart, Architect of the New Cathedral, being pushed to his death from its scaffolding. He has been seen by the murderer, a longhaired, seemingly superhuman man who is a professional assassin. Jacob is now his target for he must protect a larger conspiracy which reaches to the very top of Cologne's government. This book features non-stop action as well as interesting details of Medieval Life.

POSSESSIONS by Judith Michaels

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MICHAELS

When Craig Fraser doesn't return from his business trip, his plain wife Katherine, a stay-at-home mom, cannot believe he has fled from embezzlement charges, as his boss claims. Then Ross Hayward, who claims to be Craig's cousin, comes to Vancouver to tell her that Craig, who said he was an orphan, has a wealthy family in San Francisco from whom he also fled. A college friend of Katherine's offers her a job in San Francisco. As Katherine tries to make a new and independent life, she comes to know the Haywards and the missing Craig far better. Always pulled between her new life and the possibility of rebuilding what she had with Craig, Katherine must eventually make several painful choices. Possessions is for readers for enjoy novels about the rich and famous by such authors as Danielle Steel.

PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks

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BROOKS

Hanna Heath, Rare Book Conservator, jumps at the change to work on the Sarajevo Haggadah. The book is an example of the earliest Jewish illuminated manuscripts, and Hanna traces its history using clues found in the book's binding. The trail leads through WWII-era Bosnia, late 19th century
Vienna, Venice during the Inquisition, and finally to the manuscript's creation around 1480 in Spain. The reader is privy to the Haggadah's secrets, though Hanna is not. She must cope with the newly-discovered identity of her father and the machinations of the art forgers.

ONE GOOD TURN by Kate Atkinson

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Atkinson

This sequel to Case Histories features ex-cop Jackson Brodie, again becoming involved in a series of complex, inter-connected cases which begins with an incident of road rage in Edinburgh. Set amidst the Edinburgh Festival where
Jackson’s girlfriend Julia is appearing in a Fringe production, this is another dazzling thriller full of twists and surprises.

CARAMELO by Sandra Cisneros

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CISNEROS
This is the epic tale of the Reyes family as it moves from 1920s Mexico City to 1950s
Chicago. This multigenerational story of a working class immigrant family has as its center Lala Reyes as she grows from childhood to young adulthood. Lala is the youngest in a family of seven and the only girl who regularly makes the trip from Chicago to The Awful Grandmother’s house in Mexico. She gradually forms an uneasy bond with her grandmother,inheriting from her the family stories, legends, and scandals. The family members’ destinies include experiences in the U.S. military, blue collar jobs, poverty and homelessness. Despite the harsh struggle to survive, the family never loses sight of its culture and traditions.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN by Lionel Shriver

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SHRIVER

Through dozens of letters written to her absent husband, Eva Khatchadourian tries to make sense of the events that have unfolded in her life. From the onset the reader knows that her son, Kevin, has committed a brutal crime —- he killed seven of his high school classmates, a cafeteria worker and a well-liked teacher. Eva visits him in prison though their relationship has never been close. She wonders

THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carolos Ruiz Zafon

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RUIZ-ZAFON

This adventure story begins in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in post WWII Barcelona. Daniel Sempere is taken there by his father, a bookseller, and told that he can choose one book. Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. He loves the book, but when he tries to find other works by Carax, he finds that someone is systematically destroying Carax’s books.
As Daniel tries to solve this mystery, he is drawn into the dangerous aftermath of the Spanish Civil War.
This novel features intriguing characters and a strong sense of place.

FAST WOMEN: A NOVEL by Jennifer Crusie

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Crusie

Romance — with elements of suspense and
adventure — is at the heart of this novel. If
you call dognapping an adventure. Heroine
Nell, just divorced from a cheating husband,
applies for a secretarial position at a detective
agency. After she fumbles a few investigations,
her life changes drastically when she uncovers
murder, blackmail and embezzlement.
Crusie blends humor and romance, the funny and
the serious in this antiquated detective story set
in historical Ohio. Despite Gabe and Nell’s daily
battles over trivial office matters, they fall in
love, fight some more and have mad passionate
sex. The fast-paced romance develops the plot
neatly with a predictable ending, allowing the
reader to sit back and enjoy.

IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES by Julia Alvarez

YA/PBK

by Julia Alvarez

This book embodies the wonder, horror and mystique of the era of Trujillo in the Dominican Republic. It tells the heroically heart-breaking, perhaps mythic story of the Mirabel sisters, enemies to the Failed Cattle Thief, folk heroes to the pueblo. The story is told in flashback, beginning in the present day with an interview with the one surviving sister. The story then launches into a chronological build-up to the sisters’ acts of resistance toward the ruthless dictator. This is an engrossing tale that will appeal to fans of history and magical realism, or anyone who admires strong women’s defiance in the face of heavy oppression

GHOST TRAIN TO THE EASTERN STAR by Paul Theroux

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THE

Theroux retraces his 1973 journey for “The Great Railway Bazaar” although he cannot revisit Iran and Afghanistan. This time around, however, he is able to visit Cambodia whose people are still scarred from the horrors of the Pol Pot regime and the new Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union, many now isolated under their own home-grown dictatorships. Although Theroux may have mellowed, he is still an observant and skilled interviewer.

FOUR SOULS by Louise Erdrich

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ERDRICH

Fleur Pillager seeks revenge against a wealthy land baron for the deforestation of her Ojibwe lands. She hires on as a laundress in the home of John James Mauser in order to murder him.

Her scheme becomes complicated when she decides to first cure him of a mysterious illness to enhance the cruelty of his death. Eventually, compassion rules and Fleur and Mauser marry.

Fleur, who adopts her mother's name of "Four Souls," gives birth to an autistic son who eventually helps her reclaim her ancestral lands.

Narrated by several characters, including Nanapush and his wife Margaret, and Polly Elizabeth, a member of the Mauser household who befriends Fleur, this novel picks up where Tracks ended.

HEARTS AND BONES by Margaret Lawrence

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LAWRENCE, M.

This story of historical suspense takes place in post Revolutionary War Maine and features Hannah Trevor, the village midwife, a woman who lives with her illegitimate daughter outside the bounds of convention-a sort of Hester Prynne without apologies.

A brutal murder rocks the normal activities of the village when a young woman is raped and strangled, leaving behind a letter accusing three prominent men of being her murderers. One names is Daniel Josselyn, Hannah's former lover and the father of her daughter.

With Will Quaid, the village constable, Hannah sets out to discover the truth of the tragedy, and discovers her won heart's desire as well.

THE LIGHTKEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Iain Lawrence

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LAWRENCE

When seventeen-year-old Squid returns from a four-year absence to visit her parents on their isolated island off the coast of British Columbia, she brings her three-year-old daughter. The account of her visit is interspersed with the story of what happened during the last year Squid lived on the island, leading to death of her brother and her own departure.

Though there are hints that incest might have been involved, it was not. The true story is nonetheless heartbreaking, involving family dysfunction, statutory rape, and suicide. The writing is beautiful; the story is not, though is is certainly memorable.

HARVESTING THE HEART by Jodi Picoult

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PICOULT, J.

This is the story of the growth of a young woman who needs to deal with the past and her unsettled relationship with her mother before becoming who she wants to be for her own child.

Paige O'Toole was abandoned by her mother when she was just five years old and subsequently is plagued by feelings of worthlessness. Overwhelmed by marriage and motherhood, Paige leaves her family and journeys to find her own mother. Harvesting the Heart is realistic, moving and beautifully told.

A LONG WAY DOWN by Nick Hornby

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HORNBY

The setting is New Year's Eve 2003 on the roof of Topper's House in London, a popular suicide spot. Four strangers converge there, each wanting to end his life in privacy. Maureen is a devout Catholic and single mother to a severely disable adult son. Martin, a former TV host, is just out of prison for statutory rape. JJ is an American who broke up with his girlfriend and was fired from his dream job in a rock band. Teenage Jess, the flighty daughter of a politician, was dumped by her boyfriend. The result of their rooftop meeting is a special bond. That night they forge an agreement not to kill themselves for ninety days. In their attempts to support each other, they provide a moving and lively read.

WHEN WE WERE ORPHANS by Kazuo Ishiguro

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ISH

This book is challenging, and, to my mind, much more effective as a book on tape. One reading might be inclined to skip ahead of what is incomprehensible, and therefore boring, without allowing seemingly insignificant details and images to coalesce and become meaningful.

Christoper Banks is a renowned London detective with a tragic past: his parents disappeared from their home in Shanghai when he was ten. Twenty years later he decides to return to Shanghai to solve the mystery. Why did he wait so long? Why are the only people who penetrate his isolation fellow orphans? Why do people surrounding him bolster his delusions?

When We Were Orphans is a fascinating book, certainly not for everyone, by a rewarding reading experience nonetheless.

THE GREAT INDIAN NOVEL by Shashi Tharoor

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THA

This is a brilliant, fictionalized account of modern Indian history from the time of Gandhi's struggle for independence from Great Britain to the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Although based on the 2,000-year-old epic THE MAHABHARATA, you do not need to be familiar with this work to appreciate the novel, which is written with great insight and humor.

A SIMPLE HABANA MELODY by Oscar Hijuelos

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HIJUELOS, O

World-famous Cuban composer Israel Levis returns home after being imprisoned in a World War II concentration camp. His spirit seems broken but a spark remains for the love of his life, Rita Valladores, for whom he wrote a famous rumba. This is an enchanting and captivating books.

THE DEVIL'S FEATHER by Minette Walters

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WALTERS

International war correspondent Connie Burns suspects a British mercenary with many aliases of the rapes and vicious murders of several women in Sierra Leone. When Burns is transferred to Iraq, she is taken captive by this man (aka Keith MacKenzie, who is now training Iraqi security forces) tortured and then released after three days.

Trying to recover from this devastating experience, Burns returns to England and rents an isolated house in the Dorset countryside, with the certainty that MacKenzie will come looking for her.

This is an interesting psychological thriller which incorporates several contemporary issues.

BURDEN OF PROOF by Scott Turow

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TUROW. S.

Sandy Stem, a leading defense attorney, comes home from a business trip to find that Clara, his wife of many years has committed suicide. Clara's death takes him completely by surprise. Her death forces him to examine all of his close relationships, especially his connection to his children.

Woven throughout the book is Stem's defense of his brother-in-law, Dixon Hartnell. Dixon owns a commodities brokerage and has employed Stem to keep him one step ahead of the law. Dixon's freewheeling style frustrates Stem.

The story offers suspenseful twists, and devastating revelations as Stern seeks to unravel the puzzle of Clara's death and maze of Dixon's complicated financial dealings.

AND GIVE YOU PEACE by Jessica Treadway

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TRE

This is a stunning and moving novel about a family's devastating loss and its aftermath. One summer morning Tom Dolan goes into the bedroom of his sleeping 15-year old daughter, shoots her in the head, and then shoots himself. His estranged wife Margaret, and younger daughter, Justine, respond with stupefied disbelief. The oldest daughter, Anastasia, is the only one who struggles above her own grief and shock to find the truth at the heart of the tragedy.

The author is masterful at depicting small-town life, familiar neighborhoods, the rhymes of family interplay. Especially genuine are the small ordinary words and actions that form the backdrop of earth-shattering events-cheerleaders' shouts ringing through a cemetery where the loved one's grave is newly dug. The author does not tie up all the loose ends or bestow redemption and resolution upon her characters. She leaves them damaged, but functioning and whole.

COME AND GO, MOLLY SNOW by Mary Ann Taylor-Hall

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TAYLOR-HALL. M.

This novel's appealing heroine is a bluegrass fiddler who is finally being noticed by recording companies, She has a nervous breakdown and during the course of the book comes to grips with her loss and her guilt.

An interesting look at the life of a single mom in the music business, who creates her own world almost independent of any man.

THE BEACH HOUSE by James Patterson

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PAT

Jack Mullen is a law school student who grew up in the Hamptons. He frequently heads home to his widowed father's home where his brother Patrick and grandfather also live. Jack is devastated to learn that his beloved younger brother, Peter, has drowned while working as a valet at a ritzy part. When Jack sees the body he concludes that Peter was beaten to death. The rick folk and local authorities insist the death was an accident. Jack investigates, discovering that his brother had a secret life. With the help of his grandfather and friends Jack sets out to avenge his brother's death in a way that the Hamptons will not soon forget.

THE ENGLISH PATIENT by Michael Ondaatje

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ONDAATJE

Brilliantly told tale of the mystery of the "English patient," a badly-burned man of unknown identity being cared for by a young nurse, Hannah, in a deserted Italian villa at the end of World War II.

It can be read with pleasure after seeing the movie since the book contains much that was sketch in the film version, including the romance between Hannah and Kip, the young Sikh engineer.

THE HADES FACTOR by Robert Ludlum

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LUD

What a thriller! This fast-paced novel follows a virus that threatens the lives of people around the world. Lt. Col. Jonathan Smith, a physician and researcher notices that three unrelated people in different locations have all died of the same virus. An old FBI friend calls Smith in the middle of the night to warn that he is in danger.

Once Smith and his fiancee, Dr. Sophia Russell, start to investigate the deaths, a number of attempts are made on Smith's life. When Sophia contracts the virus, Smith realizes her death is not an accident.

Smith vows to find out who is responsible. From Washington to Baghdad, the tension mounts as our hero struggles to discover the truth behind the deadly virus.

BEL CANTO by Ann Patchett

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PATCHETT

When terrorist storm the vice presidential palace of a nameless South American country during a birthday concert for the CEO of a major Japanese corporation, they take the performer, renowned soprano Roxanne Coss, and the audience members hostage. Rather than writing an account of a grim ordeal, Patchett has written a novel with a surprising sense of humor that pays tribute to the transforming power of music.

STARS FOR A LIGHT by Lynn Morris & Gilbert Morris

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MORRIS

Dr. Cheny Duvall has recently graduated from medical school. The year is 1865 and prejudice against women doctors is strong. She applies for a job as a ship's physician and the ship's owner is delighted. The ship will carry 100 marriageable women bound for Seattle via the Panama Isthmus. For the long journey Dr. Duvall needs to stock appropriate medication for malaria and other diseases. As she makes her way through the docks to the local pharmacy a couple of rough-looking characters confront and menace her. The ship's nurse rescues her. A reasonable task for the nurse, a Civil War veteran who will need both brawn and brain for the adventures and setbacks that await them on the long trip to Seattle. An interesting read and acceptable for a younger reader.

GAP CREEK by Robert Morgan

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MOR

This "Oprah" novel is set in turn-of-the-century Appalachia where life is all work and little pleasure. Teenager Julie supports her family's farm after her father dies. She expects life to be a little easier after she marries Hank, but tragedies befall their first year together. Julie deals with these difficult trials with grace.

THE SONGCATCHER by Sharon McCrumb

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McCRUMB, S.

This book is another of McCrumb's wonderful ballad novels. Like those that preceded it, The Songcatcher weaves back and forth through time, in this case 250 years, and a number of characters, past and present.

Lark McCourrie is a famous folksinger flying home to Appalachia to see her estranged and dying father and to undearth one authentic old ballad which has not yet been "discover." She is aided by the familiar Hamlin Characters, most notably Sheriff Arrowood and the redoubtable Nora Bonesteel.

McCrumb entices us throughout the snatches of the sought-after song and the accompanying tale of Malcolm McCourie, Lark's Scottish ancestor and the bearer of the song from the old country. Lovely.