Debuts - Macmillan Library

Starred Reviews for A GOOD DEATH

Posted on January 4, 2013 by Ali Fisher

Award winning journalist Christopher Cox has delivered a nail-biting debut mystery that will take your patrons through the side streets of Bangkok and across violent Lao hill county and the reviews are spectacular.

Damon is a sharp-witted and likeable though down-on-his-luck Boston PI who catches an intriguing case. Linda Watts is a beautiful, talented Lao immigrant with a promising career—or she was, until she turns up dead in a cheap Bangkok guest house. Her death seems like a straightforward overdose to the Thai authorities, but her insurance company isn’t buying it. They hire Sebastian to travel halfway around the world to investigate.

"Cox’s action-packed debut is perfect for armchair travelers who will be amazed by the author’s ability to make gaudy Bangkok and the remote hill country of Laos come alive." -Library Journal (starred review)

"A GOOD DEATH is another example of the only positive to emerge from the Vietnam War—fine writing." -Booklist (starred review)

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Monday Fun Day! (12/3/2012 Edition)

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Happy Monday, librarians!

- Tomorrow is the inaugural AAP Children's and YA Tri-State Book Buzz and we hope to see many of you there. We'll be feeding you with food and knowledge!

- We also hope so see many of our Philadelphia friends on Thursday for the publisher's book buzz and lunch at the Parkway Central Library! Details here.

- Also, it's time to check out our ALA Midwinter 2013 events schedule and start RSVPing for the fun! Take a look here.

- In reading news, Collection Development Librarian Beth from the Baltimore County Public Library blogs for about Romance on their library site. Recently she gave GRACE GROWS a lot of love! She said,

"Sumners tells the story of this slow-building romance with wit and honesty, making readers want Tyler and Grace to overcome the obstacles and find a way to be happy together. This is a love story that will appeal to fans of Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner." Read her full review here.

Have an amazing week!

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Debut of the Month: City of Saints

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Ali Fisher

We were delighted as we always are to see one of our exceptional debuts get that boxed-in-blue treatment from the fine folks at Library Journal! Andrew Hunt's debut, CITY OF SAINTS, is based on a true, unsolved case out of Salt Lake City and won him the 2011 Hillerman Prize.

It has also been getting great reviews!

Publishers Weekly calls CITY OF SAINTS "triumphant" and says, "this hard-edged whodunit with echoes of James Ellroy warrants a sequel."

And as you can see, Library Journal named it their Debut of the Month and said, "the procedural steadily builds up steam and explodes in all the right places."

Well done, Hunt!

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Best. Title. Ever. After.

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Ali Fisher

White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony.

Let's talk about SNOW WHITE MUST DIE by German mystery writer Nele Neuhaus. It's the beginning of a spell-binding new contemporary mystery series, it's already huge international bestseller, and it has the most wicked title!

On a rainy November day police detectives Pia Kirchhoff and Oliver von Bodenstein are summoned to a mysterious traffic accident: A woman has fallen from a pedestrian bridge onto a car driving underneath. According to a witness, the woman may have been pushed. The investigation quickly turns into a small town witch hunt and Pia and Oliver will have to work fast to solve the case before anyone else dies.

"Again and again, Neuhaus inserts the old Grimm fairy tale refrain—'White as snow, red as blood, black as ebony'—that describes Snow White [...] to underscore the grimmest of human emotions: white for icily plotted revenge, red for raging jealousy, black for homicidal madness." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

With more than three million copies already in print worldwide(!), your patrons will happily be the next victims of this exciting new series!

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Featured Review: Little Known Facts

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Ali Fisher

We're excited to see that the featured fiction review in the most recent American Libraries Direct newsletter (10/24) is LITTLE KNOWN FACTS, a debut by Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist Christine Sneed!

lkf

The verdict of the review says it best,

"As Sneed illuminates each facet of her percussively choreographed plot via delectably slant disclosures––overheard conversations, snooping, tabloids, confessions under duress, and journal entries, among them—she spotlights 'little known facts' about the cost of fame, our erotic obsession with movie-star power, and where joy can be found." -Booklist (starred review)

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Featured Women’s Fiction: Grace Grows

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Today we're looking at a charming, fun, and sexy women's fiction debut, GRACE GROWS by Shelle Sumners!

You might have heard us talk about it at one of our book buzzes or you might remember Alene Moroni mentioning it at the Fourth Annual Librarian Shout n' Share at BEA this year. But even if you haven't heard of it, we recommend you check out a copy when it's available later this month.

Grace Barnum edits textbooks, is engaged to a patent attorney who is steady and reliable, and feels prepared for almost anything... that is, until Tyler Wilkie shows up outside her door.

"Sumners’s endearing and charming debut will appeal to chick lit and romance readers alike. Recommended for fans of Katie Fforde, Harriet Evans, and Eileen Rendahl." —Library Journal

"Readers will fall for the swoonworthy hero and root for the couple to overcome each obstacle." —Booklist

Aside from falling for the great story, we're (obviously) also head over heels for those beautiful pups on the cover. The best part? If you look closely you can see that one of them is sitting on the man's shoe!

Also check out a great interview with Shelle on the Women's Fiction Writers blog here.

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Monday Fun Day! (10/15/2012 Edition)

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Happy Monday, librarians! Here are a few links to kick off the week and some Fall debut highlights from Library Journal!

- Cory Doctorow, author, blogger, and activist, did an AMA (ask me anything) over on Reddit. Check it out!

- The Wall Street Journal reviewed Deborah Levy's SWIMMING HOME and Juan Pablo Villalobos's DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE. Read it here!

- And Barbara Hoffert put together a list of some "Fabulous Fall Firsts" in the October 1st issue of Library Journal. We were very excited to see some excellent Macmillan debuts on that list including:

THE CURSING MOMMY'S BOOK OF DAYS by Ian Frazier

"We can trust Macmillan director of library marketing Talia Sherer when she says that Franzier's first novel, based on his long-running New Yorker series, is really hilarious."

MR. PENUMBRA'S 24-HOUR BOOKSTORE by Robin Sloan

"Sought out by more librarians than any other Macmillan title at BEA or ALA..."

RU by Kim Thuy

"An immigrants life reimagined, this work won Canada's Governor General's Award."

CITY OF SAINTS by Andrew HUnt

"Set in the 1930s Salt Lake City and featuring country deputy Art Oveson, who's Mormon, this book won the 2011 Hillerman Prize."

THE WITCH OF BABYLON by D.J. McIntosh

"This first in the Mesopotamian Trilogy won the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Elis Award for best unpublished novel, was short-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger Award, and was one of CNN's Six Enduring Historical Thrillers."

SACRIFICE FLY by Tim O'Mara

"Cop-turned-schoolmaster Raymond Donne, the game but conflicted hero of this 'resounding debut,' turns amateur sleuth whne one of his students disappears."

THE ACCOMPLICE by Charles Robbins

"Campaign-redy: bright-eyed politico Henry is compromised when working for a presidential hopeful."

CHINESE WHISKERS by Aiyar Pallavi

"A tale of two kitties."

THE HEAT OF THE SUN by David Rain

"What happened to the son of Madame Butterfly, Puccini's eponymous heroine."

WILDERNESS by Lance Weller

"From a winner of Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers, this debut features a Civil War veteran who finally returns home."

THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME by Phillipa Bornikova

"Strong storytelling, appealing charaters, and an intriguing setting."

IRONSKIN by Tina Connolly

"Connolly mixes up alternate history, fantasy, and gothic romance..."

THREE PARTS DEAD by Max Gladstone

"The story of a young necromancer who must bring a god back to life."

IN A FIX by Linda Grimes

A "fresh take on the genre."

STORMDANCER by Jay Kristoff

"A Publishers Weekly Pick of the Week and an LJ 'Books for Dudes' highlight."

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Jane Eyre… Laid Bare!

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Ali Fisher

JANE EYRE LAID BARE is the classic gothic erotic mash-up that you won't be able to put down!

The already fiery love story between Jane and Mr. Rochester is lovingly infused with even more passion and heat. In fact, I feel like I should warn you against shelving the paperbacks next to other books... they may simply burst into flame. Author Eve Sinclair writes between the lines to chart the smoldering sexual chemistry between the long-suffering governess and her brooding employer.

Don't believe me? Get out your headphones (because this is so nsfw!) and listen up:

Jane purists may protest (perhaps too much, methinks?), but Sinclair assures us that there's no cause for alarm, "I have changed very little of Brontë's original to retell the timeless story of a young girl falling for an unattainable older man and getting out of her depth in a sensual world she cannot control."

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Book Trailer Friday: Wilderness

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Between WILD and TWILIGHT, the Pacific Northwest has captured readers' imaginations of late. Lance Weller's debut, WILDERNESS, will enrapture us further.

Thirty years after the Civil War's Battle of the Wilderness left him maimed, Abel Truman has found his way to the edge of the continent, the rugged, majestic coast of Washington State, where he lives alone in a driftwood shack with his beloved dog. Wilderness is the story of Abel and his final journey over the snowbound Olympic Mountains. It's a quest he has little hope of completing but must undertake to settle matters of the heart that predate even the horrors of the war.

"This tragic tale is the best Civil War novel since COLD MOUNTAIN. It's an important, compelling book for fans of literate historical fiction, dog lovers, or true believers in the resilience of the human spirit. Only those who can't handle extreme violence should stay away." -Library Journal (starred review)

Take a closer look at the setting of the novel with author Weller in his book trailer/conversation as he roadtrips to the north coast of Washington State. Shelf Awareness named it a Book Trailer of the Day!

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Wanted: Bookshop-Sitter!

Posted on August 24, 2012 by Ali Fisher

Bookshop-sitter! Sounds like a job for a librarian, doesn't it? Well, if you're looking for a place to stay in October and November, you might consider bookshop-sitting for Tales of the Lonesome Pine Used Books in Big Stone Gap, VA.

Co-owners Wendy Welch and Jack Beck need you to run the shop and feed the cats while they're off touring for Welch's forthcoming memoir THE LITTLE BOOKSTORE OF BIG STONE GAP: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book.

Find out more about the position in Shelf Awareness!

A little bit about the book:

Wendy Welch and her husband had always dreamed of owning a bookstore. When the opportunity to escape a toxic work environment and run to a struggling Virginia coal mining town presented itself, they took it. And took the plunge into starting their dream as well. They chose to ignore the “death of the book,” the closing of bookstores across the nation, and the difficult economic environment, and six years later they have carved a bookstore—and a life—out of an Appalachian mountain community.

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