Prepub Alert, November 15, 2010
Nov 15, 2010FICTION
Clark, Carol Higgins. Mobbed: A Regan Reilly Mystery. Scribner. Apr. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9781439170281. $25; eISBN 9781439170304. CD: S. & S. Audio.
As she traipses from idyllic Cape May to good-time Atlantic City to scruffy Asbury Park on a case with her husband, PI Regan Reilly runs into old friends—she grew up in New Jersey, after all. But one of them just isn’t herself. Look for a big pitch around Mother’s Day, as the author does a national tour and competes with her mom (see Mary Higgins Clark’s I’ll Walk Alone, below).
Clark, Marcia. Guilt by Association. Mulholland: Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. 368p. ISBN 9780316129510. $25.99.
She may be one tough D.A., but even Rachel Knight is shaken when colleague Jake is killed in an awful fashion and she must then take over a particularly thorny case involving the assault of a young woman from a high-profile family. Things get even tougher when she decides to look into Jake’s death. Clark of all people should know exactly how such situations feel. Pony up for this debut thriller from the debut thriller imprint Mulholland.
Clark, Mary Higgins. I’ll Walk Alone. S. & S. Apr. 2011. 304p. ISBN 9781439180969. $25.95; eISBN 9781439186794. CD: S. & S. Audio.
It’s bad enough that Alexandra Moreland’s toddler disappeared in Central Park a few years back. Now Alexandra is being accused of identity theft and possibly murder. Looks as if someone is trying to drive her insane. Clark is a powerhouse, though a few fans thought her last book sounded same old, same old. Watch this one.
Connelly, Michael. The Fifth Witness. Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9780316069359. $27.99. lrg. prnt. CD: Random Audio.
No, not Harry Bosch but Mickey Haller, who’s done so well (starting with The Lincoln Lawyer in 2005) that Connelly keeps bringing him back for more. In this up-to-the-minute thriller, criminal defense attorney Haller has taken on foreclosure work, which creates complications; one of his clients is accused of killing the banker threatening to foreclose on her home. Buy multiples.
Davidson, Diane Mott. Crunch Time: A Novel of Suspense. Morrow. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780061348150. $25.99. lrg. prnt.
First, the apartment building where Yolanda Garcia lives with her aunt is torched; then, when they move in with PI Ernest McLeod, he’s shot dead and his house is set ablaze. So Goldy Schulz invites them to stay with her—and swings into action. Morrow’s lead fiction title for April and, with a one-day laydown, a 250,000-copy first printing, and a six-city tour, another nice showing for Davidson.
Evans, Richard Paul. Miles To Go. S. & S. (Walk, Bk. 2). Apr. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9781439191378. $22; eISBN 9781439191477. CD: S. & S.
Having lost everything, Alan Christoffersen has elected to walk across America, from Seattle to Key West. The first book in this five-parter left him in Spokane, so in his search for hope he has a long way to go. I sense that for some readers this walk got off to a slow start, so you might want to gauge interest before deciding how many to order.
Feist, Raymond E. A Kingdom Besieged. Morrow. (Chaoswar Saga, Bk. 1). Apr. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780061468391. $27.99.
Now a mature magician, Pug is back in what will reportedly be the final trilogy in the long-running “Riftwar” cycle. Alas, he’s starting to question everything, including his beloved son. Fans will want, of course; with a 75,000-copy first printing.
Fforde, Jasper. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing: A Thursday Next Novel. Viking. Mar. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9780670022526. $25.95.
Where’s Thursday Next when you need her? A Genre war is raging in the BookWorld, but Thursday has retired to the Realworld. In desperation, the Council of Genres turns to the written Thursday for help. Got that? Fforde returns to his Thursday series after the dystopian (but still funny) Shades of Grey and should sustain that series’ success. With a ten-city tour.
George, Margaret. Elizabeth I. Viking. Apr. 2011. 688p. ISBN 9780670022533. $30. CD: Penguin Audio.
George has fictionalized Henry VIII and Mary, Queen of Scots, with breathtakingly detailed success, so why not Elizabeth? This re-creation of the queen and her era is told from the perspective of her lookalike cousin Lettice Knollys, who’s also in love with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Fans of historicals will love; with an eight-city tour.
Grippando, James. Afraid of the Dark. Harper: HarperCollins. Apr. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9780061840289. $25.99. lrg. prnt.
Sgt. Vince Paulo is blinded in a blast but not before the young woman bleeding to death in his arms imparts the name of her murderer, ex-boyfriend Jamal. Now Jamal is threatened with the death penalty for terrorist activity, and criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck is hustling to prove that at the time, he had been kidnapped and held in a mysterious detention center—the real issue here. Grippando makes the extended New York Times best sellers list and is a good addition to thriller collections; with a 60,000-copy first printing.
Hagedorn, Jessica. Toxicology. Viking. Apr. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780670022571. $25.95.
Departing from familiar territory (that is, the Philippines), Hagedorn takes us to Manhattan’s West Village to visit Mimi Smith, a maker of low-budget slasher films who’s struggling with a wild daughter and newly sober brother, and neighbor Eleanor Delacroix, an elderly, gin- and cocaine-addicted writer of erotic fiction. Hagedorn proved she could write with her National Book Award finalist, Dogeaters, and literary types should be intrigued.
Hannah, Kristin. Night Road. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 400p. ISBN 9780312364427. $27.99. CD/MP3: Macmillan Audio.
Former foster child Lexi has become Mia’s best friend, and Mia’s twin brother, Zach, has fallen in love with her. The twins’ mom, Jude, couldn’t be happier that her children are happy—until one dark night when Lexi is implicated in a terrible accident and the family is torn apart. Years later, Jude must consider reconciling with Lexi. Get multiples; great for book clubs.
Johansen, Iris. Eve. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9780312651206. $27.99.
Fans of Johansen know that forensic sculptor Eve Duncan’s fierce commitment to her work results partly from the pain of her daughter’s disappearance many years ago. Now CIA agent Catherine Ling, whose son Eve helped find (see Chasing the Night), reveals that a shadowy man from Eve’s past was in town around the time little Bonnie was last seen. Expect huge demand and questions about Quinn, the second in this new trilogy; it’s coming October 2011.
Kerr, Philip. Field Gray. Putnam. Apr. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9780399157417. $26.95. lrg. prnt. CD/MP3: Penguin Audio.
In this latest Bernie Gunther thriller, which opens in 1931 Berlin and ranges up to postwar Germany, Bernie’s a disheartened cynic who nevertheless tries to stick to his moral code. London- and Cornwall-based Kerr will be touring here for the first time in years, a sign of support for this series.
Lutz, Lisa & David Hayward. Heads You Lose. Putnam. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780399157400. $24.95.
Lutz, who gave us the insanely funny and popular Spellman series, launches a new one starring an offbeat brother-and-sister team who seem to work harder at battling each other than they do at solving a murder. No, Lutz still can’t stay away from the whole family thing. Coauthor Hayward isn’t family, though he and Lutz used to date, which evidently colors those fight scenes. With an eight-city tour; there should be lots of interest in this one.
O’Nan, Stewart. Emily, Alone. Viking. Mar. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9780670022359. $25.95.
Her husband dead and her neighborhood changing, Emily is indeed alone in this follow-up to O’Nan’s best-selling Wish You Were Here. But she’s learning to manage her indepen- dence. O’Nan, as his publicist points out, does beautifully with women characters, and the older protagonist is a plus.
Quick, Amanda. Quicksilver: An Arcane Society Novel. Putnam. (Looking Glass Trilogy, Bk. 2). Apr. 2011. NAp. ISBN 9780399157370. $25.95.
This is such a new trilogy that Book 1, In Too Deep (by Quick’s alter ego Jayne Ann Krentz, go figure), isn’t even out until January 2011. In that book, paranormal investigator Fallon Jones settles in Scargill Cove, blessed with powerful energy fields likely to attract the nuttier among us. Here, Jones and assistant Isabella are being hounded by a paranormal killer. Classic Quick; fans can get special collectors’ packets of the trilogy assembled by the author by visiting her website.
Ross, Ann B. Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle. Viking. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780670022557. $25.95.
Miss Julia is too busy helping pregnant Hazel Marie get ready for her due date to worry much about the dead body discovered in a neighbor’s tool shed—and, anyway, she promised not to get involved. Then again, why is someone obviously innocent being blamed for the crime? Ross has a solid fan base, and her efforts don’t seem to be flagging; with a five-city tour.
Scottoline, Lisa. Save Me. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 384p. ISBN 9780312380786. $27.99. CD: Macmillan Audio.
Susan Pressman is volunteering at her daughter’s school to make sure she doesn’t get bullied by mean girl Amanda when an explosion occurs. She hustles both girls to safety, but Amanda runs off and is injured, leaving Susan with the blame. To avoid hostility (and a lawsuit), Susan tries to figure out what really happened that day. With this title, best seller Scottoline will hit a nerve for many readers.
Spindler, Erica. Watch Me Die. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780312363949. $24.99.
Mira Gallier, who restores stained glass, is getting on with her life after losing her husband to Hurricane Katrina. Then a man called the Preacher assails her, her house is broken into and one of her restored windows vandalized, her husband seems to appear in a crowd, and she’s blamed for the grotesque murder of an assistant. If you like them really chilly, this is for you.
Wallace, David Foster. The Pale King. Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. 496p. ISBN 9780316074230. $27.99. lrg. prnt. CD: Hachette Audio.
When a character named David Foster Wallace arrives at the IRS Regional Examination Center in Peoria, IL, he takes on a job so joyless and machinelike that (along with other new recruits) he’s given boredom-survival training. This last, unfinished work by the author of Infinite Jest will be getting a big push and likely considerable attention, given Wallace’s reputation and tragic death. Readings and discussions are being scheduled nationwide at the time of publication. Wow, I want to see; pitch to all your literary readers.
Woodrell, Daniel. The Bayou Trilogy. Mulholland: Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. 496p. ISBN 9780316133654. pap. $16.99.
Combining three earlier works (Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do), all set in the lowdown parish of St. Bruno, this paperback should prove to readers of crime fiction everywhere that the author of Winter’s Bone is a sharp and wondrous writer. From Mulholland, a new thriller imprint.
Woods, Stuart. Bel Air Dead: A Stone Barrington Novel. Putnam. Apr. 2011. NAp. ISBN 9780399157363. $25.95.
Stone Barrington is all set to manage the sale of Centurion Studio, owned by the recently deceased husband of Arrington Calder, Barrington’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his son. Alas, Hollywood high-ups have other ideas about the studio. From the ever-popular Woods; look for a tour to support this one.
NONFICTION
Achenbach, Joel. A Hole at the Bottom of the Sea: The Race To Stop the BP Oil Gusher.
S. & S. Apr. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9781451625349. $27; eISBN 9781451625387.
I was right about Carl Safina’s Blowout being one of the first books to appear on the BP oil spill (Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/10). Two more big titles are also appearing in April, in time for the horrific gusher’s first anniversary (see also Tom Shroder and John Konrad’s Fire on the Horizon). Science writer Achenbach, who covered this story for the Washington Post, offers both a detailed account of efforts to cap the well and an “engineering whodunit”: Why did the well blow, and who’s to blame?
Banks, Ralph Richard. Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Dutton. Apr. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780525952015. $25.95.
The Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Banks points out that across classes black marriages are declining. In fact, black women are three times as likely as white women to remain unmarried. Why? As black women surge forward in terms of earnings and education, says Banks, they face marrying down or marrying out. Expect some controversy.
Barcott, Rye. It Happened on the Way to War: A Marine’s Path to Peace. Bloombury, dist. by Macmillan. Apr. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781608192175. $26.
Barcott did something unusual before joining the U.S. Marines; he lived in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya, trying to understand the roots of ethnic violence. There, he joined with a widowed nurse and a community organizer to form Carolina for Kibera (CFK), now a leader in the global movement called Participatory Development. And he continued working with CFK even while serving as a marine intelligence officer. Some forward thinking here; I hope this gets the attention it deserves. With a six-city tour.
Bono, Chaz with Billie Fitzpatrick. The Story of How I Became a Man. Dutton. Apr. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780525952145. $25.95. CD: Penguin Audio.
Bono (child of Sonny & Cher) traces his very public transition from Chastity to Chaz in a two-part work that first discusses his gender-identity issues in childhood and struggle with addiction as an adult and then recounts, step by step and with photos, his transition from woman to man. Interest will be sparked as much by Bono’s high profile as by his story.
Breslin, Jimmy. Branch Rickey: A Penguin Life. Viking. Mar. 2011. 160p. ISBN 9780670022496. $19.95.
In 1947, Rickey, president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, followed his conscience (and made history) by bringing Jackie Robinson into the major leagues. Here, newspaper legend Breslin tells his life story. Not just for baseball fans.
Crow, Sheryl & Chuck White. In the Kitchen. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780312658953. $29.99.
For rock star Crow, summer means touring—and cooking with corn and tomatoes. After battling breast cancer, she’s become aware of eating healthily and focusing on what’s local and seasonal. Here are Crow’s favorite recipes, put together with an assist from personal chef White; there are some rise-to-stardom memories, too. Sure there will be interest.
Edgar, Stacey. Global Girlfriends: How One Mom Made It Her Business To Help Women in Poverty Worldwide. St. Martin’s. Apr. 2011. 256p. ISBN 9780312621735. $24.99.
Edgar started Global Girlfriend with a $2000 tax return and a dream of helping women around the world lift themselves out of poverty. Now it’s a million-dollar enterprise offering handmade clothing, accessories, and other gifts that meet ecoconscious and fair-trade standards. Pair with Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel’s More Than Good Intentions, previewed below.
Fey, Tina. Bossypants. Reagan Arthur Bks: Little, Brown. Apr. 2011. 272p. ISBN 9780316056861. $26.99. CD: Hachette Audio.
In this big biggie, as the publicist puts it, Fey doesn’t give a blow-by-blow account of her life but reflects on the joys (ha, ha) of balancing work, marriage, and motherhood. Watch her agonize drolly over finding the perfect beauty rou-tine and embodying Sarah Palin. Be prepared to buy a couple; with a big national tour.
Greitens, Eric. The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL.
Houghton Harcourt. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780547424859. $27.
Both during and after college, from Gaza to Croatia to Calcutta, Greitens worked in various refugee camps. But he felt he had to help stop the violence that creates refugees, so he joined the Navy SEALs. This tale of his dual military/humanitarian effort could be paired with Rye Barcott’s It Happened on the Way to War, previewed above. The publisher’s lead April title.
Karlan, Dean & Jacob Appel. More Than Good Intentions: How a New Economics Is Helping To Solve Global Poverty. Dutton. Apr. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780525951896. $26.95.
What does it take to fight global poverty? More money? Better intentions? Actually, Yale economist Karlan and field researcher Appel instead advocate making small but indelible changes in banking practices, health care, and more to improve the lives of the poor. And they’re not armchair pedants; they traveled the world to get the ideas furnished in this book. Good work for informed readers.
Kihn, Martin. Bad Dog: A Love Story. Pantheon. Apr. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780307379153. $22.95.
Marley has nothing on Hola, possibly a Bernese Mountain dog but definitely out of control. After all, overdrinker Kihn was himself out of control when he got her, failing to train her not to chase Volvos and drug dealers in his Wash-ington Heights, NY, neighbor-hood. But then his wife left, and Kihn decided to straighten himself out—by getting involved in competitive dog training. A story about recovery (and about a dog who loves cheesecake), this reportedly sharp and acidulous mix of Cesar Millan and Augusten Burroughs should have an audience beyond dog folks.
Means, Howard. Right Fresh from Heaven: Johnny Appleseed; The Man, the Myth and the American Story. S. & S. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9781439178256. $26; eISBN 9781439178270.
He was a pacifist and vegetarian in the often violent, unsettled world of postrevolutionary America—and a canny nurseryman/speculator who could sense where the population was heading and get there first with his seeds. Former Washingtonian magazine senior editor Means revisits a legend; buy wherever Americana is popular.
O’Rourke, Meghan. The Long Goodbye: A Memoir. Riverhead: Putnam. Apr. 2011. NAp. ISBN 9781594487989. $25.95.
Stunned by the strength of her reaction when her mother died at age 55, award-winning poet and Slate culture critic O’Rourke began keeping a record of her slow passage through grief, which she eventually shared with Slate readers. Her nine-part series got huge response and even sparked comparisons to Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking. That’s a good recommendation.
Pacelle, Wayne. The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals and Our Call To Defend Them. Morrow. Apr. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780061969782. $26.99. lrg. prnt.
Plenty of books on the human-animal bond have appeared lately, but this one is special: the author is the high-profile president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. The book is rich with anecdotes (like Pacelle’s confronting seal clubbers and Michael Vicks), and profits go to the Humane Society. With a 100,000-copy first printing and a six-city tour.
&Seligman, Martin. Flourish: The New Positive Psychology and the Search for Well-Being. Free Pr: S. & S. Apr. 2011. 336p. ISBN 9781439190753. $27; eISBN 9781439190777. CD: Hachette Audio.
After Seligman’s best-selling Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness, surely you have found a way to Flourish. But if not, Seligman gives you the means, stressing that well-being is founded on positive emotions, relationships, accomplishment, meaning, and purpose. Anecdotes and exercises; for the self-help crowd.
Shroder, Tom & John Konrad. Fire on the Horizon: The Untold Story of the Gulf Oil Disaster.
Harper: HarperCollins. Mar. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780062063007. $27.99. lrg. prnt.
This is a real insider’s view of the BP spill. A veteran oil-rig captain, Konrad was a longtime employee of TransOcean, owner of the Deepwater Horizon, and knew many of the crewmembers personally. His one-on-ones with the crew here meld with former Washington Post editor/writer Shroder’s reporting. The argument: there’s a particular culture on an offshore oil rig that made it inevitable.
Sixx, Nikki. This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx. Morrow. Apr. 2011. 224p. ISBN 9780062061874. $29.99.
“If you don’t deal with your demons, they will deal with you, and it’s gonna hurt,” says Mötley Crüe’s Sixx, author of the New York Times best-selling The Heroin Diaries. Here Sixx reflects on his postaddiction commitment to music, photography, and family. The 150,000-copy first printing says it all.
Styron, Alexandra. Reading My Father: A Memoir. Scribner. Apr. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9781416591795. $25; eISBN 9781416595069.
Memoir? Or biography? Actually, it’s both, with Styron (All the Finest Girls) reconstructing the life of her famous author father, William Styron, while recalling how hard it could be to live with his demanding and (as he himself revealed) depressive personality. With a four-city tour; the reading group guide will doubtless be much used.
Wells, Patricia. Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main-Dish Salads for Every Season. Morrow. Apr. 2011. 352p. ISBN 9780061238833. $34.90.
Multiple James Beard Foundation Award winner Wells is here to say (with 150 recipes) that salads taste good, they’re good for you, and they don’t have to include lettuce. Given Wells’s high profile and the book’s useful focus, this can’t miss wherever cookbooks are popular. With a 75,000-copy first printing; eight-city tour.
Wert, Jeffry D. A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days to Gettysburg. S. & S. Apr. 2011. 416p. ISBN 9781416593348. $30; eISBN 9781416598473.
An acclaimed Civil War historian (who used to teach high school, bless him), Wert here revisits the early campaigns (June 1862–July 1863) of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which met with unparalleled success. History buffs will swarm.
MY PICKS
Gordon, Mary. The Love of My Youth. Pantheon. Apr. 2011. 288p. ISBN 9780307377425. $24.95.
Back in the Sixties, when they were in high school, singer Miranda and Adam, a piano prodigy, were each other’s first, passionate love. Then came betrayal and decades of silence. Now they both happen to be in Rome and have contacted a mutual acquaintance, who brings them together for what is first an explosion and later many thoughtful, penetrating conversations on who they were, what they meant to each other, and what their lives are like now. Since this is Gordon, you can rightly expect many thoughtful, penetrating insights on how we manage ourselves as we grow older, all couched in shining and gently acidic prose. Fabulous for reading groups of all ages.
Conant, Jennet. A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child; Love, Loyalty and Betrayal in the OSS. S. & S. Apr. 2011. 448p. ISBN 9781439163528. $28; eISBN 9781439168509.
Breaking news, fall 2008: before she started cooking, Julia Child secretly served in the OSS in the Far East during World War II. In addition, she and her husband were hounded during the McCarthy witch hunts, remaining loyal to a best friend accused of being a spy and eventually leaving government service. Best-selling biographer Conant should bring to life the Child we didn’t know. Even without the Julie & Julia phenomenon, this would have been so interesting. Now it will attract fans of all types.
