Hello, readers – this week at Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester we have an abundance of thrillers and science fiction novels hot off the presses!
First of all, 3 DAYS TO LIVE by James Patterson is a collection of 3 different stories by James Patterson, in which the people closest to you may prove to be your most dangerous enemies.
Mark Greaney’s Gray Man series continues with BURNER, in which Court Gentry is caught between the Russian mafia and the CIA in this latest electrifying thriller.
EVERY MAN A KING: A KING OLIVER NOVEL by Walter Mosley is an African American & Black Mystery. In this highly anticipated sequel ,Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he’s asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up.
THE LAST KINGDOM by Steve Berry is the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of a lost historical document challenges the global might of the United States. Lots of history in his books!
In SCORCHED GRACE: A SISTER HOLIDAY MYSTERY by Margot Douaihy, the main character, Sister Holiday, is a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, punk-rocker, queer nun. When Saint Sebastian’s School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding New Orleans community are thrust into chaos. Sister Holiday puts her sleuthing skills to the test to find the arsonists.
Getting into the science fiction books, STAR WARS: THE BATTLE OF JEDHA by George Mann is a prequel to the original STAR WARS series. The Jedi want to end a Forever War between two warring planets, but many problems ensue, as some believe that they bring war in their wake.
ARCH-CONSPIRATOR by Veronica Roth is a gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Antigone, in a world of tomorrow, outside the last city of Earth.
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: THE HIGH COUNTRY by John Jackson Miller is the first novel written for Paramount’s TV series, STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS. Some of the crew were on an experimental shuttlecraft that gets stranded on a very strange planet, one stranger than any of them have ever seen, and they get scattered all over the planet.
As always, thank you for making our shelves your destination.
MYSTERIES/THRILLERS
3 DAYS TO LIVE by James Patterson
The people closest to you can be your most dangerous enemies in this heart-pounding collection of 3 brand-new thrillers from the master of suspense.
3 Days to Live: A CIA-agent bride is on her European honeymoon when she and her husband are poisoned—leaving her seventy-two hours to take revenge (with Duane Swierczynski).
Women and Children First: When a deal goes bad on a tech executive in Washington, DC, he turns an order to kill his family into a chance to relive his military glory days (with Bill Schweigart).
The Housekeepers: A Los Angeles doctor trusts her two housekeepers, but when she’s murdered in a botched attempt to steal drugs, the pair of grifters vie to control their former employer’s estate—facing off against the Russian mob (with Julie Margaret Hogben).
BURNER by Mark Greaney
Court Gentry is caught between the Russian mafia and the CIA in this latest electrifying thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling Gray Man series.
Alex Velesky is in a world of trouble. He has the key that can unlock the truth behind a web of illicit payments the Russians have spread around the globe. The money is used to subvert governments, pay off politicians, and bankroll terrorist groups—among other things. Incredibly powerful forces will do anything to keep this particular secret from getting out.
But the only man who can put the information together and share it with the world is 4000 miles away in New York City. There’s no way a Swiss banker like Velesky can hope to stay ahead of the killers on his trail for that long.
Lucky for him, he’s got an ace up his sleeve. Zoya Zakharova—former Russian intelligence officer, former CIA agent, and the Gray Man’s current lover—is determined to get the information and its courier safely to their destination.
What she doesn’t know is that there is one particularly dangerous force standing in her path—Court Gentry. In the past, he and Zoya have always worked together, but even two people who have spent their lives in the shadows can lose themselves in the dark.
EVERY MAN A KING: A KING OLIVER NOVEL by Walter Mosley
In this highly anticipated sequel from Edgar Award-winning “master of craft and narrative,” Walter Mosley, Joe King Oliver is entangled in a dangerous case when he’s asked to investigate whether a white nationalist is being unjustly set up. (National Book Foundation)
When friend of the family and multi-billionaire Roger Ferris comes to Joe with an assignment, he’s got no choice but to accept, even if the case is a tough one to stomach. White nationalist Alfred Xavier Quiller has been accused of murder and the sale of sensitive information to the Russians. Ferris has reason to believe Quiller’s been set up and he needs King to see if the charges hold.
This linear assignment becomes a winding quest to uncover the extent of Quiller’s dealings, to understand Ferris’ skin in the game, and to get to the bottom of who is working for whom. Even with the help of bodyguard and mercenary Oliya Ruez—no regular girl Friday—the machine King’s up against proves relentless and unsparing. As King gets closer to exposing the truth, he and his loved ones barrel towards grave danger.
Mosley once again proves himself a “master of craft and narrative” (National Book Foundation) in this carefully plotted mystery that is at once a classic caper, a family saga and an examination of fealty, pride and how deep debt can go.
THE LAST KINGDOM by Steve Berry
From celebrated New York Times bestselling author, Steve Berry, comes the latest Cotton Malone adventure, in which the discovery of a lost historical document challenges the global might of the United States.
King Ludwig II of Bavaria was an enigmatic figure who was deposed in 1886, mysteriously drowning three days later. Eccentric to the point of madness, history tells us that in the years before he died Ludwig engaged in a worldwide search for a new kingdom, one separate, apart, and in lieu of Bavaria. A place he could retreat into and rule as he wished. But a question remains: did he succeed?
Enter Cotton Malone. After many months, Malone’s protégé, Luke Daniels, has managed to infiltrate a renegade group intent on winning Bavarian independence from Germany. Daniels has also managed to gain the trust of the prince of Bavaria, a frustrated second son intent on eliminating his brother, the duke, and restoring the Wittelsbach monarchy, only now with him as king. Everything hinges on a 19th century deed which proves that Ludwig’s long-rumored search bore fruit–legal title to lands that Germany, China, and the United States all now want, only for vastly different reasons.
In a race across Bavaria for clues hidden in Ludwig’s three fairytale castles–Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee–Malone and Daniels battle an ever-growing list of deadly adversaries, all intent on finding the last kingdom.
SCORCHED GRACE: A SISTER HOLIDAY MYSTERY by Margot Douaihy
Sister Holiday, a chain-smoking, heavily tattooed, queer nun, puts her amateur sleuthing skills to the test in this “unique and confident” debut crime novel (Gillian Flynn).
When Saint Sebastian’s School becomes the target of a shocking arson spree, the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and their surrounding New Orleans community are thrust into chaos.
Patience is a virtue, but punk rocker turned nun Sister Holiday isn’t satisfied to just wait around for officials to return her home and sanctuary to its former peace, instead deciding to unveil the mysterious attacker herself. Her investigation leads her down a twisty path of suspicion and secrets, turning her against colleagues, students, and even fellow Sisters along the way. And to piece together the clues of this high-stakes mystery, she must at last reckon with the sins of her own past.
An exciting start to a bold series that breathes new life into the hard-boiled genre, Scorched Grace is a fast-paced and punchy whodunnit that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
SPECULATIVE FICTION:
STAR WARS: THE BATTLE OF JEDHA by George Mann
After the events of The High Republic: Convergence, the Jedi travel to Jedha in this all-new Star Wars original.
Jedha. The worn streets of this ancient world serve as a confluence for the galaxy. Visited by all, yet owned by none. Here, the Jedi are but one creed among many worshipping and studying the Force. From the Guardians of the Whills to the Path of the Open Hand, countless beings come to learn, and to share, in peace.
As all of Jedha prepares for its Festival of Balance, the galaxy still reels from the violence on Eiram and E’ronoh. But after foiling a plot to escalate the war between the two planets, the Jedi believe that a lasting peace may be within reach. Master Creighton Sun and Jedi Knight Aida Forte arrive on Jedha with delegations from both planets to formally end the “Forever War.” The Jedi hope that the harmony of Jedha’s many factions, along with the signing of a peace treaty, will create a symbol to the rest of the galaxy of what can be accomplished through unity.
But not all are happy with the Jedi’s involvement or ready to concern themselves with peace. Rumors begin to swirl that the Jedi bring war in their wake. The distrust and anger that for so long fueled the Forever War now threaten to corrupt the communities of Jedha. When violence breaks out on the sacred moon, the war that was meant to end on Jedha may soon engulf the entire world.
ARCH-CONSPIRATOR by Veronica Roth
In this gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Antigone, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected.
“I’m cursed, haven’t you heard?”
Outside the last city on Earth, the planet is a wasteland. Without the Archive, where the genes of the dead are stored, humanity will end.
Antigone’s parents—Oedipus and Jocasta—are dead. Passing into the Archive should be cause for celebration, but with her militant uncle Kreon rising to claim her father’s vacant throne, all Antigone feels is rage.
When he welcomes her and her siblings into his mansion, Antigone sees it for what it really is: a gilded cage, where she is a captive as well as a guest.
But her uncle will soon learn that no cage is unbreakable. And neither is he.
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS: THE HIGH COUNTRY by John Jackson Miller
An all-new Star Trek adventure—the first novel based on the thrilling Paramount+ TV series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds!
When an experimental shuttlecraft fails, Captain Christopher Pike suspects a mechanical malfunction—only to discover the very principles on which Starfleet bases its technology have simply stopped functioning. He and his crewmates are forced to abandon ship in a dangerous maneuver that scatters their party across the strangest new world they’ve ever encountered.
First Officer Una finds herself fighting to survive an untamed wilderness where dangers lurk at every turn. Young cadet Nyota Uhura struggles in a volcanic wasteland where things are not as they seem. Science Officer Spock is missing altogether. And Pike gets the chance to fulfill a childhood dream: to live the life of a cowboy in a world where the tools of the 23rd century are of no use.
Yet even in the saddle, Pike is still very much a starship captain, with all the responsibilities that entails. Setting out to find his crewmates, he encounters a surprising face from his past—and discovers that one people’s utopia might be someone else’s purgatory. He must lead an exodus—or risk a calamity of galactic proportions that even the Starship Enterprise is powerless to stop….
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