Often hilarious, moving, and always entertaining, this collection of stories takes us back to Ford County, Mississippi.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

The author of the phenomenally successful novel "The Time Traveler's Wife" returns with a spectacularly compelling and haunting second book set in and around Highgate Cemetery in London.

The lives of three very different women intertwine in this story set in New York City. 

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Rich with the brilliant plotting and compulsively readable prose that are Sanford's hallmarks, "Rough Country" is another immensely satisfying tale that features Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigator Virgil Flowers.

What happens when a washed-up musician looks for anther chance? And a childless woman looks for a change? "Juliet, Naked" is a powerfully engrossing, humorous novel about music, love, loneliness, and the struggle to live up to one's promise.

Set in and around Massachusetts, the story follows a family torn apart by a daughter's medical condition.  Or rather that is merly the crutch everyone uses to blame their dysfunctional situation.

The story opens in 1976 when the McKatch family heads to Cape Cod and the family retreat.  Paulette, Frank, and their three children--Billy, Gwen, and Scott--are joined by Paulette's brother, Roy and his family, and her sister, Martine.  It is there that Frank notices that his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, hasn't developed at the same rate as her cousin.

Frank, an MIT scientist who would rather be in his lab tha at the beach, is positive that something dire is wrong with Gwen.  Frank's suspicions are indeed correct.  Gyen is diagnosed with Turner's Syndrome, a genetic condition that will not allow her body to mature.  Gwen will forever be short.  She will never have children.

Gwen's diagnosis is merely the catalyst for the rest of the family drama.  In fact, Gwen shares the role of protaggonist with each member of her immediate family.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Chris Tusa's debut novel takes readers to the New Orleans slums and the hopelessly pathetic life of sixteen-year-old Hailey Trosclair.

Hailey's mother suffers from depression brought on by a recent miscarriage.  Her unemployed father spends most of his time hustling and drinking down at the pool hall. That leaves Hailey's nineteen-year-old brother, Cyrus, to serve as parent and protector.  Cyrus does his best, but he's still just a kid, too.  And then there's Hailey's best friend, the built-like-a-brick-outhouse Meridian.  The only true adult in young Hailey's life is an aging African-American woman, Verman, who has "more money than the Pope," but chooses to live in her "ratty apartment."  Verma suffers from severe diabetes and pays Hailey five dollars a day to help her with her chores.

Hailey prays to God to save her family.  When God doesn't answer her fervent proyers, Hailey decides that God doesn't care about the Trosclair family, so she puts her faith in Cyrus's friend, Moses, which turns out to have a shocking climax.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Rice continues the story of sisters Lucy and Pell who were introduced in The Geometry of Sisters.  Pell flies to the Isle of Capri to see Lyra, the mother who left the sisters ten years ago.  The deep lose felt by Pell and Lucy from their mother leaving and their father dying has shaped their lives in many ways, but has strengthened the bond between the sisters.  As Pell tries to get her mom to come back to them, she discovers secrets about her family that shake up her foundation.

Lyra's friends and neighbors are a big part of the story.  They include Max, the memory of his dead wife, Christine, and their grandson and recovering addict, Rafe.  Pell's boyfriend, Travis, and Lucy also arrive on the scene to complete this connected group of family and friends.

Annotation by: St. Louis Public Library staff.

Inspired by lawyer and television personality Grace's own beginnings as a prosecutor and the tragic death of her fiance, "The Eleventh Victim" is a compelling debut mystery full of intrigue that thrills from start to finish.

Chelsea Cain’s novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart , both of them multiweek bestsellers in The New York Times , USA Today , and Publishers Weekly . Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all, Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free. Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts&mdash-Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil? Chelsea Cain continues to deliver heart-stopping thrills and chills in the latest entry in this dynamic bestselling series.

The #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Other Boleyn Girl" presents the first book in a new series set amidst the tumult and intrigue of England's passionate family feud, The War of the Roses.

THE EXTRAORDINARY NEW ADVENTURE SERIES FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES- BESTSELLING AUTHOR A fortune lost for ages . . . a millionaire pursuing his destiny . . . Sam and Remi Fargo are about to encounter both. When it comes to explosive, adrenaline-charged adventure, Clive Cussler is hailed as "the master of building suspense and tension" (Richmond Times- Dispatch). Now Cussler unveils his newest heroes, a husband-and-wife team who hunt treasure for a living-even at the risk of dying. . . . Thousands of years ago, two superpowers of the ancient world went to war, and a treasure of immeasurable value was lost to the shadows of history. In 1800, while crossing the Pennine Alps with his Grand Reserve Army, Napoleon Bonaparte stumbled across a startling discovery. Unable to transport it, he created an enigmatic map on the labels of twelve bottles of rare wine. When Napoleon died, the bottles disappeared-and the treasure was lost again. Until now. Treasure-hunting husband-and-wife team Sam and Remi Fargo are exploring the Great Pocomoke Swamp in Maryland when they are shocked to discover a World War II German U-boat. Inside, they find a bottle taken from Napoleon's famous "Lost Cellar," and fascinated, they set out to find the rest of the collection. But another connoisseur of sorts is hunting his own prize, and the Lost Cellar is his key to finding it. That man is Hadeon Bondaruk, a half-Russian, half-Persian millionaire, and the treasure will be his, no matter what. Filled with the high-stakes suspense and boundless invention that are unique to Cussler, Spartan Goldis a dazzling thriller from the grand master of adventure fiction.

The one and only Pat Conroy returns with a big, sprawling novel that is at once a love letter to Charleston, South Carolina, and to lifelong friendship--a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds.

In this follow-up to "Bridge of Sighs," Russo delivers a novel of deep introspection and every family feeling imaginable, with a middle-aged man confronting his parents and their failed marriage, his own troubled one, his daughter's new life and, finally, what it is he thought he wanted and what in fact he has.

Separated by time. From his grandmother, Alex Cross has heard the story of his great uncle Abraham and his struggles for survival in the era of the Ku Klux Klan. Now, Alex passes the family tale along to his own children in a novel he's written--a novel called Trial. Connected by blood As a lawyer in turn-of-the-century Washington D.C., Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his home town to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse. United by bravery When he arrives in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful daughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror--but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross, Alex Cross's Trial is a gripping story of murder, love, and, above all, bravery.

Both a razor-sharp thriller and a poignant love story, this twisting tale of psychological suspense is Patterson's most compelling novel in years Mark Darrow grew up in a small Ohio town with no real advantages beyond his intelligence and athletic ability. But thanks to the intervention of Lionel Farr-a professor at Caldwell, the local college-Darrow became an excellent student and, later, a superb trial lawyer. Now Farr asks his still-youthful protégé for a life-altering favor. An embezzlement scandal has threatened Caldwell's very existence-would Darrow consider becoming its new president? Darrow accepts, but returning to his alma mater opens old wounds. Sixteen years ago, on the night of his greatest triumph as Caldwell's star quarterback, he discovered the body of a black female student named Angela Hall at the base of the Spire, the bell tower that dominates the leafy campus. His best friend, Steve Tillman, was charged with Angela's murder and ultimately sent to prison for life. But now, even as Darrow begins the daunting task of leading Caldwell, he discovers that the case against his friend left crucial questions unanswered. Despite his new obligations-and his deepening attachment to Farr's beautiful though troubled daughter-Darrow begins his own inquiry into the murder. Soon he becomes convinced that Angela's killer is still at large, but only when another mysterious death occurs does he understand that his own life is at risk.