2009 Fiction that I'm looking forward to reading!
Discover the most anticipated fiction books of 2009! Explore thrilling new releases and must-read novels that captivated readers this year.
Book
Runner
by Thomas Perry
Native American guide Jane Whitefield returns from retirement to the world of the runner determined to hide a young pregnant girl who has been tracked across the country by a team of hired hunters.
Book
Pictures at an Exhibition
by Sara Houghteling
In the wake of World War II, Max Berenzon, the son of an art dealer and his pianist wife, wanders Paris in an effort to recover his family's lost masterpieces, looted by the Nazis during occupation, uncovering in the process stories about the heroism of Rose, his father's beautiful gallery aide, the disappearance of his closest friend, and an old family secret. A first novel. 40,000 first printing.
Book
Grave Goods
by Ariana Franklin
When the bodies of two people are discovered in the remains of an arson fire that destroyed Glastonbury Abbey, Adelia Aguilar, Mistress of the Art of Death, is ordered by Henry II to determine if one of the sets of bones belongs to the legendary Celtic savior Arthur.
Book
Death of a Pilgrim
by David Dickinson
When a pilgrim is killed in Le Puy en Velay, France, Lord Francis Powerscourt must investigate.
Book
The Merry Misogynist
by Colin Cotterill
In peaceful Buddhist Laos, Dr. Siri confronts a deadly Casanova targeting lovely young women.
Book
Agincourt
by Bernard Cornwell
"The greatest writer of historical adventures today" (Washington Post) tackles his richest, most thrilling subject yet—the heroic tale of Agincourt. Young Nicholas Hook is dogged by a cursed past—haunted by what he has failed to do and banished for what he has done. A wanted man in England, he is driven to fight as a mercenary archer in France, where he finds two things he can love: his instincts as a fighting man, and a girl in trouble. Together they survive the notorious massacre at Soissons, an event that shocks all Christendom. With no options left, Hook heads home to England, where his capture means certain death. Instead he is discovered by the young King of England—Henry V himself—and by royal command he takes up the longbow again and dons the cross of Saint George. Hook returns to France as part of the superb army Henry leads in his quest to claim the French crown. But after the English campaign suffers devastating early losses, it becomes clear that Hook and his fellow archers are their king's last resort in a desperate fight against an enemy more daunting than they could ever have imagined. One of the most dramatic victories in British history, the battle of Agincourt—immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry V—pitted undermanned and overwhelmed English forces against a French army determined to keep their crown out of Henry's hands. Here Bernard Cornwell resurrects the legend of the battle and the "band of brothers" who fought it on October 25, 1415. An epic of redemption, Agincourt follows a commoner, a king, and a nation's entire army on an improbable mission to test the will of God and reclaim what is rightfully theirs. From the disasters at the siege of Harfleur to the horrors of the field of Agincourt, this exhilarating story of survival and slaughter is at once a brilliant work of history and a triumph of imagination—Bernard Cornwell at his best.
Book
The Devil's Punchbowl
by Greg Iles
The poster boy of southern gothic thrillers ("Kirkus Reviews") delivers a powerful and unforgettable reading experience with "The Devil's Punchbowl," which marks the return of Penn Cage, the protagonist of "The Quiet Game" and "Turning Angel".
Book
Among the Mad
by Jacqueline Winspear
In the thrilling new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of An Incomplete Revenge, Maisie Dobbs must catch a madman before he commits murder on an unimaginable scale It’s Christmas Eve 1931. On the way to see a client, Maisie Dobbs witnesses a man commit suicide on a busy London street. The following day, the prime minister’s office receives a letter threatening a massive loss of life if certain demands are not met—and the writer mentions Maisie by name. After being questioned and cleared by Detective Chief Superintendent Robert MacFarlane of Scotland Yard’s elite Special Branch, she is drawn into MacFarlane’s personal fiefdom as a special adviser on the case. Meanwhile, Billy Beale, Maisie’s trusted assistant, is once again facing tragedy as his wife, who has never recovered from the death of their young daughter, slips further into melancholia’s abyss. Soon Maisie becomes involved in a race against time to find a man who proves he has the knowledge and will to inflict death and destruction on thousands of innocent people. And before this harrowing case is over, Maisie must navigate a darkness not encountered since she was a nurse in wards filled with shell-shocked men. In Among the Mad, Jacqueline Winspear combines a heart-stopping story with a rich evocation of a fascinating period to create her most compelling and satisfying novel yet.
Book
The Silent Man
by Alex Berenson
Haunted by his harrowing recent missions, CIA agent John Wells is devastated by an attack on Washington that kills his fiance, an event that takes him to Russia, where he uncovers a devastating plot. By the author of The Ghost War. 150,000 first printing.
Book
The Devlin Diary
by Christi Phillips
From the acclaimed author of "The Rossetti Letter" comes a haunting novel of intrigue, romance, and murder that shifts tantalizingly between present-day Cambridge, England, and Restoration-era London.
Book
Silent On The Moor
by Deanna Raybourn
Despite his admonitions to stay away, Lady Julia arrives in Yorkshire to find Brisbane as remote and maddeningly attractive as ever. Cloistered together, they share the moldering house with the proud but impoverished remnants of an ancient family—the sort that keeps their bloodline pure and their secrets close. Lady Allenby and her daughters, dependent upon Brisbane and devastated by their fall in society, seem adrift on the moor winds, powerless to change their fortunes. But poison does not discriminate between classes…. A mystery unfolds from the rotten heart of Grimsgrave, one Lady Julia may have to solve alone, as Brisbane appears inextricably tangled in its heinous twists and turns. But blood will out, and before spring touches the craggy northern landscape, Lady Julia will have uncovered a Gypsy witch, a dark rider and a long-buried legacy of malevolence and evil.
Book
The Age of Orphans
by Laleh Khadivi
"The Age of Orphans" tells the heart-wrenching story of a Kurdish boy who is forced to betray his people in service of the new Iranian nation, and the tragic consequences as he grows into manhood.
Book
A Matter of Justice
by Charles Todd
The superb new entry in the Inspector Ian Rutledge mystery series the "New York Times Book Review" hails as outstanding and the "Washington Post" proclaims as one of the best being written today.
Book
Lethal Legacy
by Linda A. Fairstein
Assistant district attorney Alex Cooper and her crew are drawn into the strange and privileged world of rich collectors, eccentric library trustees, and the treasures of the great New York Public Library, in this latest breathtaking thriller from "New York Times"-bestselling author Fairstein.
Book
Land of Marvels
by Barry Unsworth
In this thriller set in the Middle East of 1914, Somerville, a British archaeologist, and his team are excavating a long-buried Assyrian palace when an American geologist from an oil company posing as an archaeologist arrives one day and insinuates himsel
Book
The Spare Room
by Helen Garner
A powerful, witty, and taut novel about a complex friendship between two women—one dying, the other called to care for her—from an internationally acclaimed and award-winning author How much of ourselves must we give up to help a friend in need? Helen has little idea what lies ahead—and what strength she must muster—when she offers her spare room to an old friend, Nicola, who has arrived in the city for cancer treatment. Skeptical of the medical establishment, and placing all her faith in an alternative health center, Nicola is determined to find her own way to deal with her illness, regardless of the advice Helen offers. In the weeks that follow, Nicola’s battle for survival will turn not only her own life upside down but also those of everyone around her. The Spare Room is a magical gem of a book—gripping, moving, and unexpectedly funny—that packs a huge punch, charting a friendship as it is tested by the threat of death.
Book
The Believers
by Zoe Heller
The highly anticipated new novel from the author of the acclaimed "What Was She Thinking?" is a rich, comic chronicle of one family's struggles with the consolations of faith and the trials of doubt.
Book
Murder on Waverly Place
by Victoria Thompson
Reluctantly attending two séances in order to help her mother to make peace with the death of Sarah's older sister, Sarah Brandt is shocked when one of their fellow attendees dies during a séance, a situation that forces Sarah to protect her mother from an ensuing scandal. Original.