May 21, 2021
Library Corner
New Fiction
The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett – It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her ninetieth birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted by the shocking and untimely death of a guest in one of the castle bedrooms. The scene leads some to think the young Russian pianist strangled himself, yet a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play. When they begin to question the Household’s most loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they’re looking in the wrong place. For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her teenage years as “Lilibet.” Away from the public eye and unbeknownst to her closest friends and advisers, she has the most brilliant skill for solving crimes. With help from her assistant private secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian officer recently appointed to the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen discreetly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth won’t hesitate to use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave – Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers – Owen’s sixteen year old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her stepmother. As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity – and why he really disappeared. Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future – one neither of them could have anticipated.
A Daughter’s Return by Josephine Cox – When Florence Stanville moves to Guisethorpe on the east coast of England, the townsfolk are intrigued by the beautiful, red-headed stranger who always keeps to herself. Florence doesn’t care about the local gossips – she’s drawn to the peaceful seaside town by the pull of her childhood, where she lived for a brief but happy time with her beloved late mother. The riddle of those days remains and now Florence can only snatch at half-gotten memories and shadowy figured in her dreams. As Florence is drawn into the lives of her new neighbours, the layers of her own life are revealed, though it’s clear not everyone wishes her well. Far from finding peace, Florence has found turmoil and secrets. Can she put the pieces of her past together, or will it remain a closed book forever…?
The Last Night in London by Karen White – London, 1939. Beautiful and ambitious Eva Harlow and her American best friend, Precious Dubose, are trying to make their way as fashion models. When Eva falls in love with Graham St.John, an artistocat and Royal Air Force pilot, she can’t believe her luck – she’s getting everything she’s ever wanted. Then the Blitz devastates her world, and Eva finds herself slipping into a web of intrigue, spies, and secrets. As Eva struggles to protect her friendship with Precious and everything else she holds dear, all it takes is one unwary moment to change their lives forever… London, 2019. American journalist Maddie Warner, whose life has been marked by the tragic loss of her mother, travels to London to interview Precious about her life in pre-WWII London. Maddie has been careful to close herself off to others, but in Precious she recognizes someone whose grief rivals her own – but unlike Maddie, Precious hasn’t allowed it to crush her. Maddie finds herself drawn to both Precious and Colin, her enigmatic surrogate nephew. As Maddie gets closer to her, she begins to unravel Precious’s haunted past – a story of friendship, betrayal, and unremembered acts of kindness and love.