Reading Ahead: May 2017, part 1

Hi there! You know, a number of library patrons have said to me over the last month or so, "Where are all the new books? I feel like I've read everything!" And they're not wrong! There's often a publishing lull between the holiday rush and the big push for summer vacation and beach-read titles. Well, wait no more, because May starts your summer rolling in a big, BIG way. Get your dance-cards ready, readers!

No Middle Name, by Lee Child. Jack Reacher fans, be on high alert! Child's new book is a complete collection of short stories (eleven in all, plus a new novella) about the hero, often referred to as "today's James Bond." From a summer in Reacher's adolescence during the summer blackout of 1977 in New York City, to an older Reacher trying to take a vacation in Maine only to find his plans for a pleasant hike turning into a walk on the wild side, Child's stories cover a range of Reacher backstories. Also available in Large Print.

Testimony, by Scott Turow.  At the age of fifty, former prosecutor Bill ten Boom has walked out on everything he thought was important to him: his law career, his wife, Kindle County, even his country. Still, when he is tapped by the International Criminal Court--an organization charged with prosecuting crimes against humanity--he feels drawn to what will become the most elusive case of his career. Also available in Large Print.

Since We Fell, by Dennis Lahane. Rachel Childs is a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths. Also available in Large Print. 

Dragon Teeth, by Michael Crichton. Crichton's legacy of imagination and meticulous research lives on in this novel, published posthumously by his estate. The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars. Based on true events. Also available in Large Print.