Adult Summer Reading

 

During the second week of the Summer Reading Program, 42 people read 107 books, bringing the total to 89 people having read 220 books.  Way to go!
 

Book Reviews by participants for Tuesday, July 6:

Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon by Nancy Atherton:  Lori is a, or tries to be, a paranormal detective.  This is the 14th in a series.  Each one is delightfull and easy reading.  By the way, Aunt Dimity is deceased but is in every book.  Lori "speaks" to her through the blue journal.  I highly recommend this to any one who enjoys a light-hearted mystery.

A Slender Thread: Rediscovering Hope at the Heart of Crisis By Ackerman, Diane 1998-03 - Vintage Books USA 9780679771333 Check Our Catalog In this intimate and compassionate record of a year's service as a counselor on a suicide and crisis hotline, the author of "A Natural History of the Senses" offers fascinating parallels between human and animal behavior and suggests that crisis is an innate part of existence. …More

By Blood We Live By Adams, John Joseph, Editor 2009-08 - Night Shade Books 9781597801560 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title "By Blood We Live" gathers together the best vampire literature of the last three decades from today's most renowned authors, including Stephen King, Joe Hill, Garth Nix, Neil Gaiman, Kelley Armstrong, Ken Macleod, Harry Turtledove, Carrie Vaughn, and Tad Williams. …More

Butterfly By Andrews, V. C. 1998-06 - Pocket Books 9780671020293 Check Our Catalog The first book in the exciting new specially priced 'Orphans' miniseries. Fate made her an orphan, yearning for the unconditional love of a real family. But a chance at a new life may not be enough for Butterfly to escape her painful past. 'Butterfly' is the first in a four-book interconnected miniseries that culminates with 'The Runaways', a full-length, original paperback which will be published in December 1998. …More

Runaways By Andrews, V. C. 1998-11 - Atria Books 9780671007621 Check Our Catalog The spellbinding Orphans series concludes in this thrilling new novel from V.C. Andrews... "All for one and one for all" was the girls' motto. In the grim foster home for orphans run by Louise and Gordon Tooey, at least Brooke, Crystal, Raven, and Butterfly had each other. Calling themselves "sisters", together they could forget the past and dream of a new chance...a real home. Then they discovered a secret even more haunting than Gordon's heavy boots pounding on the wooden floors. Their fragile hopes of a better life shattered, they escaped the only way they could. Soon they were runaways in a borrowed car, desperately wishing to wake up one morning in a place of sunshine and love. Raven hoped to be a singer, Butterfly wanted to be a dancer, Crystal planned for college, and Brooke privately hoped to find her mother in California. On the open road the chains of sadness that had bound them seemed to melt away, and the kindness of strangers made a secure future seem almost real. But the highway was a dangerous place, and soon they were penniless and more vulnerable than ever. Alone under the wide western sky, they had only each other to ask if they should give up their dreams... or if they were really halfway to a haven of safety and happiness... …More

Mark of the Lion By Arruda, Suzanne 2006-12 - New American Library 9780451219589 Check Our Catalog In 1919, when most women only dream of adventure, Jade del Cameron lives it. After driving an ambulance along the front lines of World War I, she sets off for Africa determined to fulfill a man's dying wish--never expecting to become involved in murder. …More

Aunt Dimity Slays the Dragon By Atherton, Nancy 2009-02 - Viking Books 9780670020508 Check Our Catalog Lori Shepherd's peaceful English village is being overrun by a rowdy and mischievous Renaissance fair, and she must risk her neck to keep the medieval revelry from ending in tragedy, in Atherton's latest cozy. …More

The Mammoth Hunters By Auel, Jean M. 1985-12 - Crown Publishing Group (NY) 9780517556276 Check Our Catalog Ayla and Jondalar set forth into the land of the Mamutoi. Although Ayla finds warmth andfriendship, she must choose between Jondalarand Ranec as her mate. …More

Deliver Us from Evil By Baldacci, David 2010-04 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446564083 Check Our Catalog Shaw and Katie James from "The Whole Truth" are reunited in a deadly dual of nerve and wits against a surprising, secretive enemy and lead around the world at a breakneck pace, in Baldacci's most explosive thriller to date. …More

Mister B. Gone By Barker, Clive 2008-11 - Harper Paperbacks 9780061562495 Check Our Catalog The great master of horror returns with this novel that purports to be Barker's bone-chilling discovery of a never-before-published demonic memoir. …More

The Deadly Dance By Beaton, M. C. 2004-11 - Minotaur Books 9780312304362 Check Our Catalog This classic series takes an exciting new direction as the indomitable AgathaRaisin opens her own detective agency. …More

Death of a Bore By Beaton, M. C. 2006-01 - Warner Books 9780446617192 Check Our Catalog Minor writer John Heppel has a problem--he's a consummate bore. When he's found dead in his cottage, there are plenty of suspects. But surely boredom shouldn't be cause for murder, or so thinks Constable Hamish Macbeth. …More

Death of a Gentle Lady By Beaton, M. C. 2009-01 - Grand Central Publishing 9780446615488 Check Our Catalog When the elderly Mrs. Gentle dies under mysterious circumstances, the town is shocked. Chief Detective Inspector Blair suspects members of her family, but Hamish Macbeth thinks there's more to the story and begins investigating the truth behind this lady's gentle exterior. …More

Up Pops the Devil By Benson, Angela 2008-08 - Avon a 9780061468506 Check Our Catalog What happens when the past comes back to haunt you? When Wilford Preacher Winters rejoins society after a stint in prison, four different women in his life vie for his attention, setting up a web of sin, temptation, and redemption. …More

Just Like a Man By Bevarly, Elizabeth 2005-01 - Avon Books 9780060509477 Check Our Catalog The "USA Today" bestselling author enchants once again as she "delivers romantic comedy at its sparking best" (Teresa Medeiros) in this exhilarating adventure about the headmistress of an exclusive school who is drawn to the sexy dad of one of her students. Original. …More

Breaker's Reef By Blackstock, Terri 2006-05 - Thorndike Press 9781594150975 Check Our Catalog In the fourth book of the Cape Refuge Series, a teenage girl is found murdered, and the scene matches one in a book by a famous mystery writer who just moved to the island. This murder has a connection to Hanover House, and the residents there might never be the same. …More

Cape Refuge By Blackstock, Terri 2002-03 - Zondervan 9780310235927 Check Our Catalog Mystery and suspense combine in this first book in an exciting new 4-book series by best-selling author Terri Blackstock. Thelma and Wayne Owens run a bed and breakfast in Cape Refuge, Georgia. They minister to the seamen on the nearby docks and prisoners just out of nearby jails, holding services in an old warehouse and taking many of the 'down-and-outers' into their home. They have two daughters: the dutiful Morgan who is married to Jonathan, a fisherman, and helps them out at the B& B, and Blair, the still-single town librarian, who would be beautiful if it weren't for the serious scar on the side of her face. After a heated, public argument with his in-laws, Jonathan discovers Thelma and Wayne murdered in the warehouse where they held their church services. Considered the prime suspect, Jonathan is arrested. Grief-stricken, Morgan and Blair launch their own investigation to help Matthew Cade, the town's young police chief, find the real killer. Shady characters and a raft of suspects keep the plot twisting and the suspense building as we learn not only who murdered Thelma and Wayne, but also the secrets about their family's past and the true reason for Blair's disfigurement. …More

Evidence of Mercy By Blackstock, Terri 1995-10 - Zondervan 9780310200154 Check Our Catalog The plane crash nearly ended Lynda's life. Was it an accident or sabotage? Lynda Barrett, a young lawyer, hates to sell her plane, but she can no longer afford to keep it. Enter Jake Stevens: wealthy, arrogant, and interested in buying Lynda's beloved Piper. Together, he and Lynda embark on a test flight that ends in disaster--hurling them into a terrifying sequence of events. One thing becomes clear: Someone is out to get Lynda . . . someone who will not be satisfied until she is dead. This riveting novel takes the reader on a suspense-filled flight into a world where the dark side of human nature meets with a higher power . . . where love finds root in the midst of hatred's savagery . . . and where terrifying and uncontrollable circumstances become the unlikely catalysts for forgiveness and faith. Evidence of Mercy is book one in the Sun Coast Chronicles by award-winning author Terri Blackstock. From absorbing legal drama to lightning-paced action, the Sun Coast Chronicles offers suspense at its finest, tempered with remarkable realism and penetrating insights into the human heart. Look for Ulterior Motives, Justifiable Means, and Presumption of Guilt at your favorite bookstore. …More

Justifiable Means By Blackstock, Terri 1996-05 - Zondervan 9780310200161 Check Our Catalog This rape case is an exception: The victim is more than willing to testify. And there's abundant evidence to put the suspect behind bars. Just one thing bothers Detective Larry Millsaps. Young and beautiful Melissa Nelson seems to know almost too much about the evidence needed to convict her attacker. The unfolding investigation unearths a brutal track record on the part of the suspect...and a stunning revelation of Melissa's own haunting past that could do far worse than destroy her credibility. Caught in a deadly conflict between the ironies of the law and the demands of his Christian convictions, Millsaps finds himself protecting Melissa from a psychopathic stalker's lethal game of cat-and-mouse...even as evidence collects that could send to prison not an inhuman criminal, but the woman Millsaps has come to love. …More

Line of Duty By Blackstock, Terri 2004-12 - Five Star (ME) 9781594142512 Check Our Catalog Book 5 in the "Newpointe 911" series A CBA Bestselling Author A massive blast turns the upper stories of a New Orleans high-rise into an inferno. A five-alarm call goes out to surrounding towns, and Newpointe's firefighters are on the scene. Knowing that his wife may be trapped inside, fireman Dan Nichols is frantic. But those fears are eclipsed by two more explosions. In a terrifying echo of 9/11, the firefighters become the victims. As loved ones wait for news from the rescue site, they sort through the rubble of their own lives, struggling with the riddle of God's grace in the midst of shattering losses. …More

Predator By Blackstock, Terri 2010-05 - Zondervan 9780310250661 Check Our Catalog Bestselling author Terri Blackstock presents another stand-alone novel, Predator. The murder of Krista Carmichael's fourteen-year-old sister by an online predator has shaken her faith and made her question God's justice and protection. Desperate to find the killer, she creates an online persona to bait the predator. But when the stalker turns his sights on her, will Krista be able to control the outcome? Ryan Adkins started the social network GrapeVyne in his college dorm and has grown it into a billion-dollar corporation. But he never expected it to become a stalking ground for online Predators. One of them lives in his town and has killed two girls and attacked a third. When Ryan meets Krista, the murders become more than a news story to him, and everything is on the line. Joining forces, he and Krista set out to stop the killer. But when hunters pursue a hunter, the tables can easily turn. Only God can protect them now. …More

Presumption of Guilt By Blackstock, Terri 1997-04 - Zondervan 9780310200185 Check Our Catalog Just one person can save the children from a terrifying future. But to do so, she must master her past. Beth Wright, a newspaper reporter, is hot on the trail of a story that could expose something very ugly at the St. Clair Children's Home. Someone else is hot on Beth Wright's trail---someone who wants to make sure her story never sees the press. Between them stands Nick Hutchins, a social worker who finds his own gut hunches about the children's home increasingly confirmed, first by Beth's investigation . . . then by a high-speed attempt on her life . . . and finally, by an intruder's startling confession. As the drama unfolds, a horrifying picture emerges of helpless children under the sway of a modern-day Fagin. Just one person holds the key that can save them: Beth herself. But using that key could cost Beth her reputation . . . if it doesn't first cost her life. Presumption of Guilt is a gripping portrayal of the depths of human evil, the soul-twisting influence of lies . . . and of the liberating power of truth and the far-reaching freedom of God's mercy and grace. Presumption of Guilt is book four in the Sun Coast Chronicles by award-winning author Terri Blackstock. From absorbing legal drama to lightning-paced action, the Sun Coast Chronicles offers suspense at its finest, tempered with remarkable realism and penetrating insights into the human heart. …More

Private Justice By Blackstock, Terri 1998-05 - Zondervan 9780310217572 Check Our Catalog Staying together had seemed impossible. Now it's their only hope. A dark shadow of fear has fallen over Newpointe, Louisiana. First one, then another of the town firemen's wives has been murdered, and a third has barely escaped an attempt on her life. Incredible as it seems, a serial killer is stalking this sleepy little southern community. And Mark Branning's wife may be next on the list. Mark is determined to protect her. But keeping Allie alive won't be easy---not with their marriage already dying a bitter death. Unless they renew their commitment to each other and to God, someone else may settle their problems ... permanently. And time to decide is running out. 'This tense and exciting thriller is more than a fabulous read; it has an underlying message about the place of religion within a marriage. Highly recommended.'---Library Journal Private Justice is book one in the Newpointe 911 series by award-winning novelist Terri Blackstock. Newpointe 911 offers taut, superbly crafted novels of faith, fear, and close-knit small-town relationships, seasoned with romance and tempered by insights into the nature of relationships, redemption, and the human heart. Look also for Shadow of Doubt, Line of Duty, Word of Honor, and Trial by Fire. …More

River's Edge By Blackstock, Terri 2006-01 - Walker Large Print 9781594150715 Check Our Catalog Book 3 in < I>The Cape Refuge Series< /I>< P>< b>A CBA Bestseller< /b>< P>Ben Jackson is sure to defeat Jonathan Cleary in Cape Refuge's mayoral race, until his wife turns up missing the day before a major debate. Suspecting foul play, Police Chief Cade launches an island-wide search. But it takes a psychic's vision to point police to the riverside - and Lisa's body. The evidence implicating Ben in his wife's murder is convincing, but Cade's instincts tell him to dig deeper. …More

Shadow of Doubt By Blackstock, Terri 1998-01 - San Val 9780613234757 Check Our Catalog A Poisoned Past. A Bitter Present. Is Celia a Murderer . . . or a Victim? Detective Stan Shepherd lies comatose in the hospital, a victim of arsenic poisoning. The Newpointe police have a suspect: Celia Shepherd, Stan's wife Celia is no stranger to such charges. When her first husband died of poisoning, a technicality scuttled the case against her, and Celia got off scot-free. Now it looks like the same old story -- only this time, the motive appears plain. An old flame has moved into town under circumstances bound to raise suspicion. And that's just for starters. More evidence is gathering that can put Celia away for good. But attorney Jill Clark thinks the pieces of the puzzle fit together a bit too neatly. Either her client's Christian faith is a sham, or she's the victim of a deadly frame-up-and the real killer is still afoot.... Shadow of Doubt is book two in the Newpointe 911 suspense series by award-winning novelist Terri Blackstock. Newpointe 911 offers taut, superbly crafted novels of fear, faith, and close-knit, small-town relationships, seasoned with romance and tempered by insights into the nature of relationships, redemption, and the human heart. Look for book one, the best-selling Private Justice, and the upcoming False Witness at your favorite Christian bookstore. …More

Southern Storm By Blackstock, Terri 2003-05 - Zondervan Publishing Company 9780310235934 Check Our Catalog Sequel to the #1 best-selling Cape Refuge First a dead stranger. Now a missing Police Chief. Did Chief Cade run off to elope . . . or has he met with foul play? The body in the morgue had no ID. No one knew who he was or where he came from when he walked out in front of Cade's car. And when Cade learns he had a gunshot wound before he was struck, finding his identity becomes even more urgent. Then Cade vanishes. Authorities discover the victim's name, and the woman Cade was last seen with turns out to have been the dead man's wife. Speculation abounds about Cade's relationship to the woman and his part in the victim's death. His disappearance makes him look even more suspicious. But Blair Owens doesn't believe the rumors. Something has happened to Cade, and she's determined to find him. Saving Cade's life will take faith in a God whom Blair has always doubted---but he may be her only hope. …More