Eclectic selections

Peruse this eclectic grouping of new exciting titles - short stories, speculative fiction and suspense.

1. Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks

“Seventeen wide-ranging and whimsical stories—with a typewriter tucked into each one. Only one of the stories in Hanks' debut features an actor: it's a sharp satire with priceless insider details about a handsome dope on a press junket in Europe. The other 16 span a surprisingly wide spectrum...Hanks can write the hell out of typing, and his dialogue is excellent, too. Has he read William Saroyan? He should. While these stories have the all-American sweetness, humor, and heart we associate with his screen roles, Hanks writes like a writer, not a movie star.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Wait—Tom Hanks can write, too? Funny, moving, deftly surprising stories? That's just swell. Maybe there's no crying in baseball, pal, but it's perfectly acceptable in the book business. That's how we drown envy.”—Carl Hiaasen

2. The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens

Homicide Detective Max Rupert never fully accepted his wife’s death, even when he believed it was an accident. When Max learns his wife was murdered, he devotes himself to hunting down those responsible as a vengeful husband and as a law enforcement officer. He is on the edge, questioning who he is and what he stands for.

“Eskens infuses the old this-time-it's-personal trope with raw urgency, righteous indignation, and enough scorching action to melt every trace of the Minnesota snow in his finest hour to date.” –Kirkus Reviews

3. Even If It Kills Her by Kate White

Bailey Weggins’ college friend, Jillian Lowe, had everything going for her - pretty, popular and smart. All of that dramatically changed her sophomore year when a neighbor murdered her family. Jillian left school and Bailey has felt guilty for not staying in contact. Sixteen years later, Bailey is shocked when Jillian approaches her with a case. The man accused of murdering her family is about to be cleared of the crime. Jillian needs Bailey’s help to identify the real killer. They return to Jillian’s hometown to investigate and their sleuthing causes problems. Someone starts watching their every move. They uncover deeply-guarded secrets that put them in danger. How much are they willing to risk to discover the truth?

“Compulsively readable and skillfully plotted, Even If It Kills Her is Kate White’s dynamic return to the Bailey Weggins series. It entertains and excites from the very first page – I dare you to put it down!” -Karin Slaughter, New York Times and international bestselling author

4. The Power by Naomi Alderman

Women develop a power that can be used to shock or kill. As the Power spreads, political and religious power changes, which causes a war between the sexes. This speculative fiction won the 2017 Baileys Women's prize for fiction.

"The Power is a subtly funny, lyrical and utterly subversive vision of an impossible future. As all the best visionaries do, Alderman shines a penetrating and yet merciful light on to our present and the so many cruelties in which we may be complicit."―A.L. Kennedy

5. The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine

Some women get everything. Some women get everything they deserve.

Amber Patterson is tired of blending into the background. She wants a life of money and power like the one Daphne Parrish takes for granted. Daphne, a socialite and philanthropist, and her real-estate mogul husband, Jackson, are an ideal couple. Amber insinuates herself into the their life. Before long, Amber is Daphne’s closest confidante and she is growing closer to Jackson. A skeleton from Amber’s past may undermine her plan.

“A wonderfully clever story, filled with suspense and a shocking twist, that kept me turning the pages.”   --Jane Green, New York Times bestselling author of The Sunshine Sisters