NextReads @ HPL

New and Recently Released!

Evil at Heart - by Chelsea Cain

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2009
ISBN-13: 9780312368487
ISBN-10: 0312368488
Call Number: MYST CAIN

In the 3rd book to feature stunning serial killer Gretchen Lowell and Archie Sheridan, the Portland detective she's got a sadistic grip on, Archie's in a mental hospital convalescing after his last interaction with Gretchen. Meanwhile, spunky reporter Susan Hunt (there's no telling what color her hair is this time around) is following the public's obsession with Gretchen, and it appears that there are copycat killers out there. Bodies--and body parts--continue to appear around the city, and it's only a matter of time before Archie and Gretchen come face to face again. Susan's fans will appreciate her larger role here, but as always, the gruesome manner in which Gretchen kills may be too much for the faint of heart.

More books by Chelsea Cain

Red to Black - by Alex Dryden

Publisher: Ecco
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061803864
ISBN-10: 0061803863
Call Number: DRYDE

Spy Fiction. This complex thriller unfolds not rapid-fire over the course of a couple of days, but rather over a drawn-out period of years instead. When they first meet, Anna is a KGB agent assigned to seduce her MI6 counterpart, Finn, who is fully aware of her goals. But surprisingly, they fall in love and together seek to discover--and prevent--a Russian plan that threatens the rest of the world. Narrated by the beautiful Anna, Red to Black is an "absorbing debut" (Publishers Weekly); fans of Le Carré's The Little Drummer Girl shouldn't miss it.

The Hidden Man - by David Ellis

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2009
ISBN-13: 9780399155796
ISBN-10: 0399155791
Call Number: ELLIS

Legal Thriller. Lost in grief and guilt after the death of his wife and daughter, attorney Jason Kolarich has been hired by the pseudonymous "Mr. Smith" to defend his best friend from childhood, Sammy Cutler. Sammy's been charged with the murder of the man whom he believes kidnapped and killed his sister 26 years ago. But who's Mr. Smith? And why, when Jason starts to pull away from Mr. Smith's legal strategy, do things suddenly start to go wrong? With believable characters, rising tension, and dialogue that's "smart and edgy" (Booklist), The Hidden Man is sure to appeal to fans of smartly written legal thrillers. It's also reputedly the 1st in a new series by Edgar Award-winning David Ellis.

More books by David Ellis

Dexter by Design - by Jeffry P. Lindsay

Publisher: Doubleday
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2009
ISBN-13: 9780385518369
ISBN-10: 0385518366
Call Number: LINDS

In the 4th Dexter book, we find blood-spatter analyst (and serial-killer-with-a-manufactured-conscience) Dexter Morgan back from his honeymoon and ready to get to work catching a killer who decorates his victims with suntan lotion, beach towels, and sunglasses. Of course, for Dexter, this literally means catching--and not letting go. Dexter's mix of sociopathy and humor is irresistible--as proven by the popularity of the Showtime television show based on him--and this entry is no different: Booklist refers to him as a "lightly comic version of Hannibal Lecter" and a "genuinely memorable, disturbingly compelling antihero."

More books by Jeffry P Lindsay

Top Producer: A Novel of Dark Money, Greed, and Friendship - by Norb Vonnegut

Publisher: Minotaur Books
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2009
ISBN-13: 9780312384616
ISBN-10: 0312384610
Call Number: MYST VONNE

Financial Thriller. Hedge fund operator Charlie Keleman's gruesome murder took place in front of hundreds of shocked party-goers. The victim's best friend, investment expert Grove O'Rourke, is trying to help Charlie's widow figure out Charlie's financial dealings. But the more Grove digs in, and the more he uncovers, the more he realizes that Charlie had a lot of dark and dangerous secrets. And the consequences of those secrets are starting to taint Grove himself, which is just the beginning of a desperate fight to save his name--and his life. Suspenseful and well-versed in financial-speak, Top Producer is author Norb Vonnegut's debut; look for his second book to come out next year.

Books You Might Have Missed

The Deceived - by Brett Battles

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 6/2008
ISBN-13: 9780385341578
ISBN-10: 0385341571
Call Number: BATTL

Jonathan Quinn is a professional "cleaner"--after a hit, he's the one who goes in to dispose of bodies and clean up loose ends. But his latest task is to eliminate all traces of Steven Markoff, a former CIA agent and one of his best friends. Determined to do right by his friend, Quinn risks everything to find out what happened to Markoff--and to find Markoff's girlfriend Jenny, an aide to a congressman, who has disappeared. With plenty of action worldwide, lots of tradecraft, and nonstop pacing, The Deceived is every bit as good as the 1st in the series, The Cleaner. The 3rd, Shadow of Betrayal, came out earlier this year.

First Chapter Audiobook More books by Brett Battles

Skin Deep - by Gary Braver

Publisher: Forge
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 7/2008
ISBN-13: 9780765309754
ISBN-10: 0765309750
Call Number: MYST BRAVE

Psychological Suspense. It's going to be difficult to talk about this book without giving too much away, but here's the basic setup: detective Lieutenant Steve Markarian is in charge of finding the person who killed beautiful Terry Farina, despite the lack of clues conclusively pointing to murder. Steve's marriage is falling apart, and he's got a bit of an alcohol problem, but as more beautiful women die in the same peculiar manner, Steve begins to realize that not only may his own wife be a potential future victim, but that he himself may somehow be involved. Don't miss this latest from an author "who gets better with each book" (Booklist).

First Chapter More books by Gary Braver

The 7th Victim - by Alan Jacobson

Publisher: Vanguard Press
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 9/2008
ISBN-13: 9781593154943
ISBN-10: 1593154941
Call Number: JACOB

Psychological Suspense. Lucky Special Agent Karen Vail: the first female profiler in the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, she's been assigned the case of the incredibly creepy Dead Eyes Killer, who uses steak knives to forcibly remove his female victims' eyes. While the serial killer gets increasingly confident, Karen struggles with a personal life that threatens her investigation and her career, especially after the seventh victim points to the possibility that Karen herself might be the eighth... Look for this story to hit theaters eventually, as film rights have already been sold.

More books by Alan Jacobson

Nemesis - by Jo Nesbø; translated from the Norwegian by Don Bartlett

Publisher: Harper
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 1/2009
ISBN-13: 9780061655500
ISBN-10: 0061655503
Call Number: MYST NESBO

Suspense Fiction. Recovering alcoholic Harry Hole, an Oslo detective, has woken up with a raging hangover and no clear memory of the previous evening, during which he'd had dinner with ex-girlfriend Anna Bethsen. When he's called to a death scene, he finds Anna dead, apparently by suicide. But Harry's gut tells him that there's foul play involved, and his investigation into her death seems to connect with a bank robbery and fatal shooting days earlier. As the complexities of the two cases deepen, Harry's in danger of being blamed for murder, and must depend on an unlikely ally for help.

Large Print More books by Jo Nesbo

Old City Hall - by Robert Rotenberg

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Check Library Catalog Pub Date: 3/2009
ISBN-13: 9780374225421
ISBN-10: 0374225427
Call Number: ROTEN

Legal Thriller. Early one morning, popular Toronto radio show host Kevin Brace opens the door to his newspaper deliveryman with blood on his hands and the confession, "I killed her." But what should have been a simple case (the suspect did confess, after all, and he's refusing to talk to his lawyer) becomes more complicated when the police and lawyers involved start noticing that things don't quite add up. Readers who enjoy police procedurals or legal thrillers will enjoy this book, and those of you who are familiar with Toronto will appreciate the standout role that the city's neighborhoods and multiculturalism play. And fans are in luck--this debut is said to be the start of a series.

Large Print

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In This Issue

New and Recently Released!
Books You Might Have Missed
Contact your librarian for more great books!

Events

At the Houston Public Library...

An Evening with Sarah Cortez
and Lucha Corpi
11/4/09 7:00PM
Central Library
Ages: Adults.

Book'em Mystery Book Club
11/5/09 6:00PM
Alief Neighborhood Library
Join us for a discussion of an adult mystery book. The selected title for November is, The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse. Ages: Adult.

At Murder by the Book...

Peter Lovesey / James R. Benn / Stuart Neville
Tuesday, 10/20/09, 6:30PM
The Soho writers will sign and discuss their new books.

Michael Connelly and Reed Farrell Coleman
Wednesday, 10/21/09, 6:30PM
The NYT best-selling author, Connelly will
sign and discuss his new novel, 9 Dragons.

John Connolly
Tuesday, 10/27/09, 6:30PM
The NYT best-selling thriller author will sign
and discuss his new young adult novel, The Gates.

Andie Ryan
Wednesday, 10/28/09, 6:30PM
The thriller writer will sign and discuss her
new novel, Shakedown.

Wendy Hornsby
Saturday, 10/31/09, 4:30PM
Edgar Award-winning crime writer will sign
and discuss her new novel, In the Guise of Mercy.

Houston Chronicle Book and Author
Dinner
Sunday, 11/1/09, evening at Hilton Americas
Lee Child, Charlaine Harris, Oscar Casares, David Cross, Julie Powell. Tickets available online.

Lucha Corpi
Tuesday, 11/6/09 6:30PM
Crime writer will sign and discuss her new novel, Death at Solstice.

Susan Kandel
Thursday, 11/5/09 6:30PM
Mystery writer will sign and discuss her new novel, Dial "H" for Hitchcock.

Greg Herren
Saturday, 11/7/09, 4:30PM
New Orleans crime writer will sign and
discuss his new novel, Murder in the Garden District.

Links