The Associate by John Grisham

Released January 27, 2009

Perennial bestseller John Grisham is back with a new legal thriller that may remind readers of the author’s early work. Shortly after graduating from Yale Law School, Kyle McAvoy discovers that someone else is aware of a secret in his past.  And that secret is caught on tape.  His blackmailers have a creative demand: that Kyle take a job at a high profile firm in New York City and pass them inside information on crucial trials.

It isn’t long before Kyle is inextricably caught up in his role as a lawyer, an informant and an inexperienced associate desperate to save his future.

Any reader who enjoys cerebral suspense stories should find great satisfaction in Grisham’s latest.  — Sara Wedell, Adult Services Librarian

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Released November 11, 2008

Starred Review. Most of these 13 tales show him at the top of his game, molding the themes and set pieces of horror and suspense fiction into richly nuanced blends of fantasy and psychological realism. The Things They Left Behind, a powerful study of survivor guilt, is one of several supernatural disaster stories that evoke the horrors of 9/11. Like the crime thrillers The Gingerbread Girl and A Very Tight Place, both of which feature protagonists struggling with apparently insuperable threats to life, it is laced with moving ruminations on mortality that King attributes to his own well-publicized near-death experience. Even the smattering of genre-oriented works shows King trying out provocative new vehicles for his trademark thrills, notably N., a creepy character study of an obsessive-compulsive that subtly blossoms into a tale of cosmic terror.  - Publisher’s Weekly

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Released: September 16, 2008

Amazon Best of the Month, September 2008: Once you start The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, there’s no turning back. This debut thriller–the first in a trilogy from the late Stieg Larsson–is a serious page-turner rivaling the best of Charlie Huston and Michael Connelly.

Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch–and there’s always a catch–is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues.

Little is as it seems in Larsson’s novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don’t want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.  — Amazon.com

Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

Released Sept. 9, 2008

“Will The 39 Clues be the next Webkinz—creating an online frenzy, this time with a literary tie-in instead of stuffed animals? Scholastic hopes so, especially now that the Harry Potter publishing phenomenon has ended. Time will tell, but the publisher may well be onto something big, with a project that should appeal to readers, gamers and collectors.

The 39 Clues series includes 10 books, each by a different well-known author (such as Gordon Korman and Jude Watson), with a new one coming out every two or three months. The series presents a giant mystery that readers must try to decipher, using trading cards and a website, along with the books. Each book also contains six cards, and readers can buy additional clue-laden packs (350 cards in all). As for the jackpot, Scholastic will provide $100,000 in cash and prizes, some awarded for skill and others as part of a sweepstakes.

The bottom line is that the first book [Maze of Bones] is quite good—full of suspense, humor, likable characters and a riveting plot. Rick Riordan, the wildly successful author of the Percy Jackson series, delivers an intricate web of suspense, a sort of Da Vinci Code for kids (without the religious overtones).

Amy and Dan Cahill are orphans who live with their not-so-nice aunt. Their world falls apart with the death of their beloved (and wealthy) grandmother, Grace. At the funeral, the lawyer calls together her many heirs in the mansion’s Great Hall and offers them each a choice: take a one-million-dollar inheritance and leave, or, instead of money, be given the first of 39 clues. The clue, the lawyer explains, “might lead you to the most important treasure in the world and make you powerful beyond belief.” Of course, Amy and Dan take a clue, and the action begins. Other family members take the clue too, so the race is on. As Dan and Amy try to piece the puzzle pieces together, they travel the world and learn a bit of history too.”  –BookPage

Bitten to Death by Jennifer Rardin

Released August 12, 2008

This is the fourth novel starring Jaz Parks, a smart-mouthed CIA assassin who, with her vampire boss Vayl, battles paranormal activity and the threats of mythological beings.  These mysteries are light-hearted, laugh-out-loud funny romps through a well-imagined supernatural side of the world.

In “BItten to Death,” more of Jaz and Vayl’s personal histories are revealed against the dramatic backdrop of an ancient Greek city plagued by a shadowy Vampire Trust and a devious criminal mastermind.  Jump in and get carried away with Jaz’ fast-paced and funny narration, or start at the beginning with Book 1 – “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”, Book 2 – “Another One BItes the Dust” and Book 3 – “Biting the Bullet.”

Death Angel by Linda Howard

Released: July 1, 2008

Drea Rousseau used to live a life of luxury and sin as the professional escort of a dangerous crime lord. After stealing his cash and making a dash for it, Drea has a second chance at life, and an opportunity to live it better. But after partnering and sharing information with the FBI, she finds herself in more danger, physically and romantically, than she ever could have expected.