April 1, 2022
New Fiction
April 1, 2022
Angels of the Pacific by Elise Hooper – The Philippines, 1941. Tess Abbott, an American army nurse, had fled the hardships of the Great Depression at home for the glamour and adventure of Manila, one of the most desirable postings in the world. But everything changes when the Japanese Imperial Army invades with lightning speed and devastating results. Tess and her band of nurses serve on the front lines until they are captured as prisoners of war and held behind the high stone walls of Manila’s Santo Tomas Internment Camp. When the Japanese occupation of her beloved homeland commences, Flor Dalisay, a Filipina university student, is drawn into the underground network of resistance, discovering within herself reserves of courage, resilience, and leadership she never knew she possessed. As the war continues, Tess and Flor face danger, deprivation, and terror, working together as unlikely allies to save lives and win their freedom.
The Summer Getaway by Susan Mallery – With her divorce settlement about to run out and a mortgage she can’t afford, Robyn Caldwell needs a plan for her future. She nurtured her family and neglected herself. But how’s she supposed to think when her daughter has become the most demanding bride ever, her son won’t even consider college, her best friend is on the brink of marital disaster and her ex is making a monumentally bad decision that could bring everything crashing down on Robyn’s head? So when her great-aunt Lillian invites her to Santa Barbara for the summer, Robyn hops on the first plane. But it’s hard to run away when you’re the heart of the family. One by one, everyone she left behind follows her across the country. Somehow, their baggage doesn’t feel as heavy in the sun-drenched, mishmash mansion. The more time Robyn spends with free-spirited Lillian, the more she sees the appeal in taking chances – on dreams, on love, on family. Life is meant to be lived on purpose. All she has to do is muster the courage to take a chance on herself.
The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer – Archie Mint has a secret. He’s led a charmed life – he’s got a beautiful wife, two impressive kids, and a successful military career. But when he’s killed while trying to stop a robbery in his own home, his family is shattered – and then shocked when the other shoe drops. Mint’s been hiding criminal secrets none of them could have imagined. While working on Mint’s body before his funeral, mortician “Zig” Zigarowski discovers a detail that leads him to Mint’s former top secret military unit and his connection to artist Nola Brown. Two years ago, Nola saved Zig’s life – so he knows better than most that she’s as dangerous as a bolt of lightning. Following Nola’s trail, he uncovers a U.S. government secret – an undisclosed military facility that dates back to the Cold War and holds the key to something far more sinister: a hidden group willing to compromise the very safety and security of America itself.
Mindful of Murder by Susan Juby – Meet Helen Thorpe. She’s smart, preternaturally calm, insightful, and a freshly trained butler. On the day she is supposed to start her career as an unusually equanimeous domestic professional serving one of the wealthiest families in the world, she is called back to a spiritual retreat where she used to work, the Yatra Institute, on one of British Columbia’s Discovery Islands. The owner of the lodge, Helen’s former employer, Edna, has died while on a three-month silent self-retreat, leaving Helen instructions to settle her affairs. But Edna’s will is more detailed than most, and getting things in order means Helen must run a retreat for a select group of Edna’s relatives to determine which of them will take over the Institute. Helen’s classmates, newly minted butlers themselves, decide they can’t let her go it alone and arrive to help. After all, is there anything three butlers can’t handle? As Helen carries out the will’s instructions, she begins to think that someone had reason to want Edna dead. Helen and her band of butlers find themselves tangled in a mystery that cannot be solved, even with the best manners.