Win, Lose, or Die

Gardner, John. Win, Lose, or Die. Book 8 of the James Bond series. 1989. 319p. ISBN 9780425122617.

M receives intelligence that BAST (Brotherhood of Anarchy and Secret Terrorism) plans to infiltrate and destroy the "Stewards' Meeting," a top-secret summit aboard a Royal Navy aircraft carrier involving President George H. W. Bush, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev. To counter this threat, James Bond is reactivated to duty in the Royal Navy and promoted to Captain, tasked with infiltrating HMS Invincible to identify potential sleeper agents before the summit, scheduled a year later.

In the months leading up to the summit, Bond undergoes training to fly a Navy Sea Harrier jet. BAST, aware of his mission, attempts to eliminate him, first during a training exercise and later while he is on holiday in Italy, where his girlfriend, Beatrice Maria da Ricci, is seemingly killed. Upon returning, Bond boards HMS Invincible to manage security for the "Stewards' Meeting" amidst a massive joint war game, Landsea '89. However, he soon finds himself at the center of a murder investigation involving an American Naval Intelligence officer, and while he leaves to report the incident, BAST seizes the opportunity to capture the ship and hold the world leaders for a staggering $600 billion ransom.

Rise of the Wolf

Nielsen, Jennifer. Rise of the Wolf. Book 2 of the Mark of the Thief series. 2016. 352p. ISBN 9780545562041. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

While Nic and his younger sister Livia now live in Rome, away from the slave mines where he was forced to work in The Mark of the Thief, dangers continue to surround him as his grandfather, General Radulf, moves forward with his plan to destroy the Roman Empire from within, using cunning and magic. However, Radulf's enemies, the Praetors, are themselves on the move, and they seek to awaken the Mistress, a Vestal virgin who was buried alive after betraying Julius Caesar three hundred years ago. She possesses a powerful magical artifact that can then be used to craft a Jupiter stone, delivering power to their faction. Their ultimate goal is to help the goddess Diana overthrow the gods and, by extension, Rome.

Despite his misgivings and his fraught relationship with Aurelia and his grandfather, Nic finds he has no choice but to help the Praetors, for they hold his mother captive. Short on time and ideas, Nic makes one more bargain with their leader, Brutus. In four days' time, there will be a chariot race, and Nic will compete against whomever the Praetors want to send against them. If he wins, they will leave him alone, free his mother, and never seek to use his magical abilities again. If he loses, he agrees to go with them and sacrifice himself to create the Jupiter stone.

With his life and that of his friends and family, yet alone the fate of Rome, in the balance, Nic is about to discover whether his magic is powerful enough to defeat an ancient threat ...

Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR's White House Triggered Pearl Harbor

Koster, John. Operation Snow: How a Soviet Mole in FDR's White House Triggered Pearl Harbor. 2012. 350p. ISBN 9781596983229.

When the Soviet Union was attacked by Germany in June of 1941, Stalin could not believe it. Despite warnings from his secret police and his spies across Europe, this surprise attack by Adolf Hitler and his forces came as a shock. Having gutted his own forces with paranoiac purges, Stalin needed to stall the German advance. But with rumblings of war in the Pacific, he also needed to avoid a Japanese attack on his eastern flank.

Using an extensive network of Communist agents and supporters of the Soviet Union (presented with great effectiveness in A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares), Stalin forcibly sought to promote divisions between Japan and the United States. Employing Harry Dexter White, a Soviet mole deep inside the US Government in June 1941, hostile policy towards the Japanese were implemented, leading to the eventual attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entering the Second World War as allies of Britain and of the Soviet Union.

What has been deemed by some an intelligence failure to detect Japanese intentions, or what others considered a conspiracy by President Roosevelt to provide a rationale for entering the war, was in fact a large-scale successful covert Soviet operation bent on preventing a Japanese attack on its far-east territories while it struggled with Germany in Europe.

Fans of history will appreciate the meticulous research that went into this book and will be provided with a more rounded understanding of a day that will live in infamy.

Dune

Herbert, Frank. Dune. Book 1 of the Dune series. 1990. 535p. ISBN 978-0-329-05537-0. Available at FIC HER on the library shelves.

Duke Leto Atreides represents an ascending House in the Imperium, and his strong military is perceived as a menace by the Emperor. Hatching a plan to get rid of this troublesome House, Duke Atreides is given command of the planet Arrakis, once controlled by House Harkonnen. Arrakis is important because this is where spice is harvested. Spice enables space navigators to travel the stars, and he who controls the spice trade sits on a colossal fortune. Following the transition of power, Harkonnen troops, assisted by imperial elite units, will attack Arrakis, eliminate Atreides, and allow the Emperor to avoid the appearance of choosing sides.

Sensing a trap, Duke Leto nonetheless accepts the command, as he hopes to strike an alliance with the Fremen, the fanatical inhabitants of Arrakis. He moves to Arrakis with his concubine, Jessica, and their son, Paul. Accompanied with military experts, they take control of the planet and foil several Harkonnen assassination attempts. Undermined from within, Duke Leto succumbs during a surprise attack, and the Atreides are defeated at the hands of Baron Harkonnen. Paul and Jessica escape into the desert, and soon join forces with the Fremen. 

Acclaimed as the savior, Paul soon takes control of the Fremen, and leads them into an assault on the Harkonnens and the imperial troops. 

One of the best science fiction adventures, Dune is part political treatise, part philosophy, part religious allegory, and a whole lot of adventure. Fans of gritty space stories will appreciate Paul's drive to survive and defeat his enemies while understanding his struggle to accept his destiny as savior.

Champion

Lu, Marie. Champion. Book 3 of the Legend series. 2013. 369p. ISBN 9780399256776. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

Having thrown their support to the new Elector in Prodigy, June and Day are separated once again as the disease that is progressively killing Day is making any lasting relationship impossible in his mind, and he does not explain himself to June. When the Colonies attack the Republic with the help of the African Republic, the Republic finds itself isolated and vulnerable. The introduction of a mutating plague first engineered by the Republic to attack the Colonies, and instead deployed back to harm the Republic is ravaging the population. Facing these dual threats, the Elector is forced to ask Day to let his scientists examine his brother once again, something Day vehemently refused before.

As the Colonies' military power overwhelms first Denver, and then Los Angeles, the Republic finds itself in a race against time, for Antarctica, the world's prominent power, will come to the Republic's aid only of a cure to the virus is developed. During the attack on Denver, Captain Jamesons and Thomas both escape from their death sentences, and June and Day become the hunted.

With the Republic ready to collapse, can Day once again summon the people to aid the Republic in stopping its enemies before it is too late? Can Day and June secure a happy future together, or does their history doom any chance at love they might have had?

Prodigy

Lu, Marie. Prodigy. Book 2 of the Legend series. 2013. 371p. ISBN 9780399256769. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves.

It has been seven days since the end of Legend where June and Day escaped the clutches of the Republic by throwing their lot with the Patriots, a group dedicated to destroying the Republic and its chief, the Elector. Reaching the Colonies, they meet with more Patriots who propose a plan to assassinate the Elector. June would be used as bait, and lure the Elector away from a fake assassination attempt, only to lead him to the real deal. With the head of government dead, the Patriots would seize control of the Republic and end the deadly war with the Colonies.

Day and June begrudgingly agree to once again be separated. While Day remains with the Patriots and trains for the real assassination attempt, June returns to the Republic and is arrested. Following her interrogation by Captain Thomas, her brother's best friend, she meets the young Elector, and realizes that he doesn't have a good grip on the levers of power. The Senate is actively working to undermine him. Meanwhile, Day comes to the conclusion that the Patriots are not financed by the Colonies as he has been led to believe all of these years, but rather by the Republic, who keeps this paramilitary group in its pocket to foment trouble, and now they have been tasked by conspirators to eliminate the Elector and replace him with someone more pliable.

With the wheels already set in motion on the plot to kill the Elector, and with no possibilities of communicating with each other, June and Day must figure a way to stop the Elector's killing to save the Republic from itself...

The story concludes in Champion.

Legend

 Lu, Marie. Legend. Book 1 of the Legend series. 2011. 305p. ISBN 9780399256752. Available at FIC LU on the library shelves and as an audiobook from Overdrive.

June is the only teen to score a perfect 1500 on the Republic's grueling entrance examination, granting her a life of privilege and wealth as one of the elite members of society. Her brother Metias, a captain in the Republic's armed forces, was proud of her for accomplishing such a feat, and she looks forward to following in his footsteps.

Day failed the entrance examination, and he has been on the run ever since. Considered a terrorist by the Republic, but scorned by the Patriots who are in open rebellion for failing to join them, Day navigates between the two factions, hoping to keep his brothers safe. When his younger brother contracts the plague, Day is forced to break into the hospital to acquire the vaccine that will help him recover.

During the daring mission, Day is confronted by Metias, the officer in command of the hospital's protection, and Metias ends up stabbed to death, while Day barely escapes with his life. Filled with rage, June vows to track down the fugitive and bring him to justice. But what if it wasn't Day who actually killed her brother? As she begins to uncover more information following Day's arrest, she discovers that the Republic is implicated in a secret conspiracy so vast no one would ever believe her. But Day would. As his execution nears, June must make a difficult choice. Renounce her life of wealth and certainty by helping Day escape, or respect order by siding with those who killed her brother. There's only one choice ...

Two engaging characters discover each other in this dystopian novel. Both of them are realistically portrayed and experience doubt and conflicting emotions. The supporting cast of characters help propel the story forward. Fans of the underdog will gobble up this story.

The story continues in Prodigy.

The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan

 Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan. Book 4 of the Enola Holmes series. 2008. 183p. ISBN 9780399247804.

Following her resolution of the mystery of the bouquets and the disappearance of Dr. Watson in The Curious Case of the Mysterious Bouquets, Enola attempts to return to a semblance of normalcy. Secure in her knowledge that her enterprise of solving mysteries has not been detected by her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, Enola nonetheless has put off finding her mother.

When she runs into Lady Cecily, from The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, she is very perplexed. Last time she had seen Lady Cecily she had revealed her true identity to the left-handed youth. Imagine her surprise, then, to see Lady Cecily flanked by two aristocratic matrons and being forced into an arranged marriage. Using a pink fan, Cecily manages to communicate her distress to Enola, who decides to investigate the manner.

Her inquiries reveal that Lady Cecily's mother has departed the family home with the children, and that Lady Cecily's father, concerned that his daughter is now damaged goods following her disappearance, has decided to marry her off to a less than desirable suitor. Enola runs into her brother Sherlock, who is on the same trail but possesses less information than she. Putting her grievances against her brother aside, the two of them team up to discover where Lady Cecily is being kept against her will. With the revelation that Lady Cecily is being held in an orphanage on the outskirts of London and that the wedding is this very day, Enola must infiltrate the place and device a plan to rescue Lady Cecily without being captured by her brothers!

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets. Book 3 of the Enola Holmes series. 2008. 170p. ISBN 9780399245183. Available at FIC SPR on the library shelves.

After successfully escaping her brother Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, Enola returns to her home to recuperate and consider her next move. When Dr. Watson goes missing, however, Enola knows she cannot remain hidden and must help find the good doctor, especially since even her own brother is despairing of finding a solution. Weary it is a trap to lure her out in the open so Sherlock can capture her and make a proper lady out of her, she approaches Dr. Watson's wife only to discover that Dr. Watson is indeed missing and hasn't been seen for days. One of the bouquets of flowers left by well-wishers attracts her attention. Why would there be flowering aspargus?

Armed with this smallest of puzzle piece, Enola sets forth on a dangerous path to discover what might have happened to the good doctor, who might have done it, and, more importantly, whether or not he is still alive. This time, Enola will have to effect the most radical disguise of all, and turn herself into a beauty the world cannot ignore. With dangers lurking, time is of the essence to resolve this mystery!

Fans of the style of mysteries popularized by Sherlock Holmes will appreciate this take on his younger sister, who is both more motivated and more interesting!

The story continues in The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan.

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. Book 2 of the Enola Holmes series. 2007. 234p. ISBN 9780399245176. Available at FIC SPR on the Library Shelves.

Having escaped her brother Sherlock Holmes in The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline, Enola has set up shop as an investigator of missing persons, hiding behind the persona of a recluse doctor and acting as his secretary. Her mother has gone with the gypsies, and Enola at 14 finds herself living alone in London, away from the strictures that were bounding her to be a "proper" lady. That's the way she wants to keep it, and she will do anything she can to escape the reach of her famous detective brother.

When Lady Cecily goes missing, Enola is intrigued. Acting as the young wife of her persona, she visits Cecily's mother to get more information about what happened. Cecily disappeared on a ladder from the fourth story of her house, and she took no clothes. No ransom note has been received, and no other details were noticed. Elona quickly realizes that Lady Cecily was left handed, which is rare in the British nobility. 

Following the clues, Elona visits a department store where the owner's son works. He was rumored to have a relationship with Cecily, but his lodgings were searched and no clue as to Cecily's whereabouts were found. From him, she discovers that Cecily was very interested in radical idea like Marxism, and that she thought workers should have a better deal than what they were getting. As she continues looking, however, Elona almost becomes the victim of a garroter. Looking for Lady Cecily has just turned deadly!

Fans of the style of mysteries popularized by Sherlock Holmes will appreciate this take on his younger sister, who is both more motivated and more interesting!

The story continues in The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets.

All These Monsters

 Tintera, Amy. All These Monsters. Book 1 of the Monsters series. 2020. 464p. ISBN 9780358012405. Available at FIC TIN on the library shelves.

In the recent past, a breed of underground monsters called scrabs have emerged throughout the world. Three variants of them exist in Asia, Europe, and North America. Squat and armor plated, scrabs are hard to kill. They dig holes and emerge in populated centers, trying to kill, maim, and destroy as much as possible. Most of the scrabs in North America have been killed, but Europe remains plagued with them.

Greyson, a millionaire teen famous for being rich, has decided to assemble mercenary teams and send them to Europe to fight the scrab problem, now that the United States has pulled its military back to the country, and people are flocking to the trials.

At seventeen, Clara does not like school. She's too focused on surviving her abusive father and her always-in-denial mother, so when the chance presents itself Clara escapes her stifling Dallas life and travels to Atlanta on no money, with the hope of making the team. She's not the best fighter, or the most dedicated, but she's driven and she makes the cut and is assigned to Team 7, the only team of teens from the United States.

Scrabs are deadly, however, and soon members of the team are killed in battles. Clara falls for Julian, the 19-year-old in charge of Team 7, while the rest of the team tries to figure out how to work together. As they continue to fight monsters, however, Clara realizes that a conspiracy is afoot to smuggle European scrabs back to the United States. Scrabs may be violent, but they may not be the worst enemies ...

Fans of dystopian fiction and those who liked Reboot will appreciate Tintera's new series.

Queen of Ruin

Banghart, Tracy. Queen of Ruin. Book 2 of the Grace and Fury series. 2019. 336p. ISBN 978-0-3164-7145-9. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Exiled by Asa, the new King, following his assassination of his father and the presumed death of his brother Malachi at the end of Grace and Fury, Nomi finds herself exiled to the prison island of Mount Ruin, while Malachi's almost-dead body is dropped overboard. Arriving on the island, the prison ship is attacked by Serina's women rebels, and Nomi is rescued. Serina and her allies have seized control of the island and are planning on capturing a boat and escaping. Unfortunately, the boat that transported Nomi is too small for the entire prisoner population to escape.

When Prince Malachi is found and brought ashore, the rebels gain hope of overthrowing Asa and replacing him with the legitimate ruler. Serina, Nomi, and the leaders of the various factions hatch a plan. Nomi and Malachi will leave the island on the small boat, and attempt to rouse troops in Viridia's provinces to then march on the palace. Meanwhile, the women will await the next large prison ship, take it over, and escape to another country.

Unfortunately Asa saw some of the fires that were set when the women overthrew the prison guards. As a result the next ship is not the prison ship,  but instead an armada of navy ships carrying large contingents of soldiers. The women are recaptured and brought back to the capital to be publicly executed.

Nomi and Malachi land, and find that in the short time Asa has been in power he has crushed the provinces and stolen and abuse all of the pretty girls. The troops have been sent to the capital, so Nomi and Malachi make their way there, only to discover that the women from Mount Ruin are about to be executed. Can the sisters reunite and manage to overthrow Asa while at the same time not lose their hard-fought revolution at the hands of Malachi?

All Fall Down

Carter, Ally. All Fall Down. Book 1 of the Embassy Row. 2015. 301p. ISBN 978-0-545-65474-6. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

Three years ago, Grace witnessed the brutal murder of her mother by a man sporting a large facial scar. The fire that then destroyed her mother's bookstore led the authorities to rule her death an accident, but Grace saw the man shoot her mother. Despite her pleas for help and for tracking that man, she was ignored, or worse, deemed mentally unstable by those around her. With her loving older brother now gone to serve in the military, and with her father also deployed, Grace returns to Adria, where her grandfather runs the United States embassy.

Once back on Embassy Row, Grace meets several of the teens whose parents serve as ambassadors or staff of national embassies. Alexei lives next door and is the son of the Russian ambassador. He remembers Grace from ten years ago when she would visit her grandfather. Somehow he always seems to find himself near Grace when she tries to escape the stifling environment of the U.S. Embassy. It soon becomes obvious that he is acting as a babysitter, but on who's behalf?

Grace also realizes that no one is interested in her mother's murder. Everyone wants to her put on a show, pretend to be happy, and go on with her life. When Grace recognizes a denizen of Embassy Row as her mother's killer, her desire for revenge is rekindled. But trying to solve a murder can prove to be deadly, and soon Grace finds herself implicated in a deadly conspiracy ...

Grace and Fury

Banghart, Tracy. Grace and Fury. 2018. 320p. 519 mins. ISBN 9781549172595. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

In a world where girls are not allowed to read and have very limited options, being a Grace is one of the most attractive positions in Viridia. Upon her birth, Serina's parents saw that she would be very beautiful. They spent their meager income insuring that she would learn the proper skills necessary to be a Grace, a consort to the Superior. Every three years, three Graces are selected by the Superior to join his household. They provide entertainment, companionship, and heirs. Serina has grown up training mercilessly to ensure that she would be one of the girls picked, which should secure her family a future free from wants.

Her younger sister, Nomi, has trained as a handmaiden, the girl that accompanies a Grace, and the sisters hope to stay together. Whereas Serina is compliant and graceful, however, Nomi is willful and strong-headed. She learned how to read when her brother illegally taught her, and she wants more from life than servitude, even if it is to help her sister. She wishes to break the bonds that tie women to a second-class status.

At the Superior's court, Nomi catches the eye of the Heir, who appoints her one of his three Graces. Serina is humiliated but agrees to serve Nomi as her handmaiden. Both girls find themselves in roles for which they have not been prepared. Nomi, who stole a book from the Superior's library, is resistant to the Heir's approach. Serina is caught with Nomi's book, and to protect her sister she takes the blame, but is condemned to prison on Mount Ruin. There she discover a deadly world where girls fight against each other under the watchful eye of the male prison guards. Nomi, meanwhile, becomes part of a plot designed to overthrow the Superior and free her sister. Both of them make deadly choices, however, and soon find themselves in a perilous situation ...

Another example of girls pitted against themselves for the hand of the crown, Grace and Fury is nevertheless different enough to be intriguing. By flipping the roles on Serina and Nomi, the reader experiences the sudden change in their life circumstances, and roots for both of them to emerge unharmed, if not psychologically unscathed, from their experiences. Fans of The Selection, Red Queen, and others will appreciate the story and grit displayed by both main characters.

Flame in the Mist

Ahdieh, Renée. Flame in the Mist. Book 1 of the Flame in the Mist series. 2017. 392p. ISBN 978-0-399-17163-5. Available at FIC AHD on the library shelves.

Mariko is on her way to the imperial capital to marry the eldest son of the Emperor. She resent this trip and her upcoming nuptials to a man she has never met. She resents her father for forcing her into this arranged marriage that will benefit him. But most of all, she resents having been born a girl and be bound by customs and traditions, instead of having been born a boy like her twin brother Kenshin. She wishes she had every opportunity available, including becoming a samurai and enjoy the way of bushido, the code of honor that joins every warrior. She has extensively studied the art of alchemy, and prides herself in noticing everything around her.

Near the edge of a forest reputed to be haunted, her heavily guarded convoy is ambushed by brigands of the Black Clan, and all of her guards are slaughtered. When it is clear that the bandits are not here to steal but rather to kill her, Mariko manages to escape in the forest, but becomes hopelessly lost. Found by a ruffian intend on either trading her back to the Black Clan or claiming her as his consort, Mariko kills a man for the first time, steals his clothes, and heads deeper in the forest.

Notified of the attack on the convoy, her brother Kenshin, the Dragon of Ki and one of the best samurai of the Empire, cannot believe that his twin sister is dead. He begins tracking her down, and when he finds the site of the ambush he discovers enough clues to reveal that his sister has escaped.

Now dressed as a boy, Mariko devises a plan of action. She will infiltrate the Black Clan, and take down those who were responsible for the killings of her convoy. Finally locating the Clan on the outskirts of the forest, she is taken prisoner and brought to their camp. Still able to hide her gender, Mariko is dubbed Lord Lackbeard, and is forced to do many of the menial tasks of the camp. She quickly realizes, however, that the Clan's leader, and the man ultimately responsible for her capture, is intent on training her and letting her join. Finally valued for her ideas and her abilities more than just for her gender, Mariko now finds herself thorn between seeking revenge, and pursuing a growing sense of finally belonging somewhere.

But with her brother hot on her trails, and with the Wolf, second in command of the Clan keeping a close eye on her, Mariko will need all of her wits to survive this subterfuge and the deadly game she became involved in the day the convoy left her father's palace.

The UFO Cover-Up: What World Governments Don't Want You to Know

Friedman, Stanton T. and Kathleen Marden. The UFO Cover-Up: What World Governments Don't Want You to Know. Part of the Alien Encounters series. 2018. 211p. ISBN 978-1-50817699-2. Available at 001.94 FRI on the library shelves.

Conspiracies abound about the presence (or absence) or Unknown Flying Objects (UFO). Many encounters have been proven as fake, but just as many have never been truly disproven. This book seeks to make the case that a conspiracy to deny the mere existence of UFOs has taken place throughout Earth's societies, with powerful government officials and scientists using misinformation and bully tactics to denigrate and deny that UFOs had ever been to Earth.

Though references in the Bible and in other holy books indicate that aliens visited Earth in the past, the advent of the nuclear age seems to have attracted attention from outside our solar system, with more and better documented encounters, especially in the United States. This book explores several encounters and how, despite the evidence presented, scientific and government authorities ridiculed witnesses and ignored the science.

Readers interested in UFOs and aliens will appreciate the research examined by the authors that reveal how government agencies, scientists, and mainstream media created a campaign of denying alien visitations. Conspiracy theorists will enjoy the case laid presented that a vast conspiracy is not only possible, but has actually happened. Even readers who don't believe in aliens and in UFOs will be puzzled by the evidence accumulated over the last seventy years of the nuclear age.

These Shallow Graves

Donnelly, Jennifer. These Shallow Graves. 2015. 487p. ISBN 978-0-385-73765-4. Available at FIC DON on the library shelves.

Jo Montfort, a member of New York City’s social elite, is soon to be married to a wealthy young man from an upstanding family. Jo, however, has ambitions that don’t fit very well with her family’s desire for this perfect union. She wishes to become a writer, and joins the rank of upstanding reporters like Nellie Bly, making a difference in the lives of poor and unfortunate people. There is no way, however, that her family will allow her this choice.

Tragedy strikes with the death of Jo’s father, Charles Montfort, partner in a shipping company. When the death is ruled a suicide, more questions arise than are answered. Jo decides to investigate her father’s death. Digging and uncovering clues, she runs into Eddie Gallagher, a young reporter at her father’s newspaper. Igniting an infuriating friendship, the two of them expose a conspiracy aimed to protect a family secret. As they get closer to this buried secret, however, they have to dig deeper and the stakes get deadlier. With a killer on the loose and the city’s criminal underbelly involved, Jo and Eddie’s quest to discover the truth could cost them everything.

A great mystery taking place during the height of investigative journalism, fans of suspenseful novels will appreciate Jo Montfort’s tale that begins with her and Eddie digging up a grave at New York’s insane asylum, and then flashes back to how they got there. A great page turner that will have the reader worried for Jo’s sanity and for her very life!

One of Us is Lying

McManus, Karen. One of Us is Lying. 2017. 360p. ISBN 978-1-52471468-0. Available at FIC MCM on the library shelves.

When five seniors show up to My. Avery’s detention room at Bayview High School on a Monday afternoon, they have almost nothing in common. All of them are here because they were found in possession of a cellphone, a clear violation of Mr. Avery’s rules. Even though they all protest that these are not their phones, Mr. Avery is inflexible, and so they must spend their afternoon together writing an essay.

Bronwyn is the soon-to-be class valedictorian, and she is working hard for early admission to Yale, her parents’ alma mater. Addy is the beautiful and popular one, with the perfect boyfriend and a great circle of friends. Cooper is the school’s premier athlete, with a real shot at a Major League Baseball pitching position right out of high school. Simon is the creator of an app where all of Bayview’s juicy (and true) gossip is posted. Nate is the school’s drug dealer who’s currently on probation for a previous offence.

After drinking water from a cup, Simon goes into shock and is taken by ambulance. Someone has stolen his Epipen, and all of the Epipens in the nurse’s office. Simon dies that night of an allergic reaction to peanut oil, which was smeared all over his glass, and now the four students in the classroom are the prime suspects in Simon’s murder. As police investigate, the lives of these four students take a turn for the worse, and secrets they hoped to keep are suddenly in the open. Simon planned to release true gossip spilling the beans on each of them Tuesday. Would that be motive enough to kill Simon?

With lives spiralling out of control and secrets to protect, to what extent will the Bayview Four be ready to go to save themselves

Wires and Nerves, Volume 2: Gone Rogue

Meyer, Marissa. Wires and Nerves, Volume 2: Gone Rogue. Part of the Lunar Chronicles series. 2018. 324p. ISBN 978-1-250-07828-5. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

At the end of Wires and Nerve, Volume 1, Alpha Lysander Steele and his rogue army of bioengineered Lunars managed to evade Iko’s skillful chase. They remain on the loose on Earth, nursing hopes of vengeance against the Lunars who transformed them and the humans who are now helping the Lunars. Steele has devised a plan to bring Cinder to him so he can rip her heart out and avenge himself. He will capture Princess Winter, the Lunar ambassador to Earth, and use her to bring Cinder into a trap.

Cinder publicly announces her desire to renounce the Lunar crown, and focuses on cementing the peace with the countries of Earth. With Iko still on Steele’s heels, she has a plan of her own to finally defeat what remains of Queen Levana’s mutant army. Iko, meanwhile, continues to struggle with her quest for humanity, but finds it hard to deal with Sir Liam Kinney, who never fails to remind her she’s but an android. When she comes across information about her creation and programming, she discovers that, like humans, it’s what you do that makes you unique, now what you are.

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles will enjoy this latest installment. All of the main characters of the Lunar Chronicles appear in this book and the overarching plot is moved forward, but the story remain focused on Iko and her growing relationship with Liam.

Gunslinger Girl

Ely, Lindsay. Gunslinger Girl. 2018. 422p. ISBN 9780316555104. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Following the Second Civil War and the “Pacific Incident,” the Confederation of North America emerged triumphant. Those who called themselves Patriots ended up on the losing side, and fled West into the deserts and badlands. Serendipity Jones’ mother was one of these. She eventually settled in a small border town commune controlled by CONA and had three kids, two boys and Pity. A sharpshooter, alcohol eventually did her in.

Now seventeen, Pity’s cruel and unforgiving father plans to sell her to another community since she is fertile. Pity had been planning to leave with her mechanic friend, but events cascade out of control. She retrieves the one thing her mother left behind, a pair of unique guns, from her father’s chest, and she flees. Originally planning to head to Columbia, CONA’s capital, they are ambushed and her best friend is killed. Pity ends up in Cessation, the cesspool of the world, but, more importantly, outside CONA’s control.

There she is accepted by Miss Celine, who controls Cessation and owns Halcyon Singh's Theatre Vespertine. Max, who rescued her from the desert, also works at the theatre. Pity’s sensational shooting act quickly becomes part of the performance, but when she’s asked to participate in a finale, where she will be responsible to end a man’s life, Pity is not sure she can do it. It doesn’t help that forces larger than Cessation are gearing up for a fight over the lawless city. With all the cards in the air, will Pity have enough bullets to survive a showdown between CONA and its rebellious neighbor?