Click the images below for a full list of January's popular new titles

This page is updated monthly to reflect our collection of current bestsellers. If any title should be checked-out when you visit the library, we will be happy to place you on the reserve list and call you when the book is returned.

1. The Judas Gate by Jack Higgins
Availability: 9780399156847
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The massacre of 12 U.S. Army Rangers and a British medical team in Afghanistan reveals that an Irishman, code-named Shamrock, is applying IRA tactics to the Taliban's struggle against the West in Higgins's less than satisfying 18th Sean Dillon thriller. Fearful that British-born Muslims may be heeding the call to jihad, officials employ Daniel Holley, a former IRA terrorist turned arms dealer, whose rich network of contacts may allow him to track down the elusive Shamrock. Since the well-connected Shamrock's own sources have alerted him that Holley is on his tail, Holley and his allies soon find themselves targeted by the very people they were supposed to neutralize. Fortunately for Holley, Shamrock, whose skills should have made him a close match for Holley, proves an inept foe. Nearly every move against the invincible Holley is foredoomed, and only minor characters are ever in true peril, robbing the book of dramatic tension. - Publishers Weekly

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2. Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag
Availability: 9780525951926
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A horrific murder rocks the town of Oak Knoll, Calif., in the chilling sequel to Hoag's Deeper than the Dead), set in 1986. The victim is 28-year-old artist Marissa Fordham, the single mother of Haley, a four-year-old found partially strangled and barely clinging to life next to her mother's stabbed and mutilated body. Det. Tony Mendez and his capable crew investigate the crime, while child advocate Anne Leone and her husband, former FBI special agent Vince Leone, take temporary custody of Haley. Among the several suspects is attorney Steve Morgan, the estranged husband of Sara Morgan, whose daughter, Wendy, found a victim of the accused See-No-Evil killer, Peter Crane, who's about to go on trial. Adding extra tension are Anne's efforts to help disturbed 12-year-old Dennis Farnham and the disappearance of Marissa's best friend, Gina Kemmer. Newcomers will have no trouble getting into this suspense novel rich in pre-DNA detecting methods. - Publishers Weekly

3. What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz
Availability: 9780553807721
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The author's first book, Star Quest, an sf paperback, was published in 1969. Since then, Koontz has written scores of titles in a wide range of genres from children's books to graphic novels. Yet, from his always-popular body of work there sometimes emerges one of particular merit, one likely to add even more readers to his fan base. This spooky ghost story is such a book. It succeeds as an outstanding work of horror because of several elements: the appeal of the main character, homicide detective John Calvino, whose family was murdered by a serial killer when he was 14; the unstoppable evil of the killer, Alton Turner Blackwood, whose spirit returns from death to embody others so that he can force them to do his bidding; and Koontz's adherence (as outlined in his 1972 Writing Popular Fiction) to his own creed for writing suspense in which The Chase, The Race Against Time, and The Anticipation of a Violent Event are of equal importance. - Library Journal

4. Damage by John Lescroart
Availability: 9780525951766
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San Francisco homicide chief Abe Glitsky takes on a particularly nasty villain in Lescroart's hair-raising 16th novel featuring Glitsky and lawyer Dismas Hardy. After Ro Curtlee serves 10 years of a long prison sentence for the rape and murder of one of his family's housekeepers, an appeals court orders a new trial and his wealthy and powerful parents post bail of million for his release. Cocky and ruthless, Curtlee eliminates one of the witnesses who testified against him and threatens Glitsky's family, while his parents, who own San Francisco's #2 newspaper, and their favorite columnist, Sheila Marrenas, apply other kinds of pressure to new DA Wes Farrell, among others. Either influence or lack of hard evidence frustrates every move Glitsky and his colleagues make to try to nail Curtlee. What at first appears to be a stunningly stark black-and-white portrayal reveals many subtle shadings by book's end. - Publishers Weekly

5. The Sentry by Robert Crais
Availability: 9780399157073
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Near the outset of Crais's impressive third thriller featuring L.A. PI Joe Pike, Pike notices two suspicious characters enter a Venice, Calif., sandwich shop. Pike, an ex-Marine and former LAPD patrol officer, walks into the shop just in time to rescue its owner, Wilson Smith, from a vicious assault. Pike soon takes an interest in Smith's niece, Dru Rayne, whose "smart eyes" and warm smile lure him into a lethal gangland battle involving La Eme, the Mexican mafia, and a Bolivian drug connection. The LAPD and the FBI both try and fail to warn Pike off, but PI Elvis Cole, the lead in nine other Crais books, is as ever ready to support his pal. Heartbreaking ironies, frustrated desires, and violent nonstop action make this a standout. Crais just keeps getting better at giving depth to the laconic Pike and the anguished Cole, who still pines for his lost love, Louisiana attorney Lucy Chenier. - Publishers Weekly

6. The Border Lords by T. Jefferson Parker
Availability: 9780525952008
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Year after year, T. Jefferson Parker delivers powerful novels of depth and intelligence that make it clear that Dutton is not just publishing one of the best crime writers of his generation, but perhaps one of the greatest crime writers ever. The novels in the Charlie Hood cycle are the most accomplished in Parker's long career, and The Border Lords is the pinnacle of what has become the most groundbreaking crime series in decades. In this riveting new novel, Parker demonstrates once again why The Washington Post said he writes "the best of today's crime fiction," and why he has won the Edgar Award three times. ATF agent Sean Ozburn is deep undercover supporting the sicarios of the Baja Cartel when he suddenly goes completely dark, his only communications being the haunting digital videos he sends to his desperately worried wife, Seliah. Charlie Hood must determine if Oz is simply chasing demons deeper undercover than anyone has ever gone, or whether his friend has suffered a permanent break with his mission and his moral compass. A crime novel of unprecedented scope and unrivaled storytelling ambition by one of our most treasured talents, The Border Lords revisits the fevered landscape of America's southern border-and confronts the unexplored depths of humanity's dark soul. - From the Publisher

7.  The Outlaws by W.E.B. Griffin & William E. Butterworth IV
Availability: 9780399156830
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In Griffin and Butterworth's long and exceedingly detailed sixth presidential agent thriller, the U.S. president has ordered Lt. Col. Carlos "Charley" Castillo to disband his secret organization, the Office of Organizational Analysis, and to "fall off the face of the earth." When the president dies of a ruptured aorta, Charley elects instead to reorganize his outfit. He soon becomes entangled in intrigue involving several barrels of virulent biological weaponry and a demand from Vladimir Putin to return the two Russian spies who defected in Black Ops. The new U.S. president, who hates Charley's guts, wants to turn him over to Putin along with the two defectors. Charley and his intrepid gang engage in meticulous planning, fill in the backstory, banter among themselves, and fly around in exotic planes. Series fans who love these characters will find the novel fulfilling; newcomers and those expecting a big payoff will be disappointed. - Publishers Weekly

8. Cross Fire (Alex Cross Series #17) by James Patterson
Availability: 9780316036177
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"The stakes are higher than ever before...More than a crime thriller, it's an absorbing family drama." - NightsandWeekends.com

"[Patterson's] books don't pussyfoot around when it comes to the villains. These are bad, bad people. - Al Roker, The Today Show

"I truly believe that James Patterson has an IV hooked up to his writing arm and Great Ideas, Great Plots, and Great Characters dribble constantly into his bloodstream. . . Alex Cross stuns." - TheReviewBroads.com

9. Dead or Alive by Tom Clancy
Availability: 9780399157233
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For years, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his colleagues at the Campus have waged an unofficial and highly effective campaign against the terrorists who threaten western civilization. The most dangerous of these is the Emir. This sadistic killer has masterminded the most vicious attacks on the west and has eluded capture by the world's law enforcement agencies. Now the Campus is on his trail. Joined by their latest recruits, John Clark and Ding Chavez, Jack Ryan, Jr. and his cousins, Dominick and Brian Caruso, are determined to catch the Emir and they will bring him in . . . dead or alive. - Penguin Group

10. Port Mortuary (A Scarpetta Novel) by Patricia Cornwell
Availability: 9780399157219
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Two baffling cases of carefully conceived murder, one in the distant past and one all too recent, dominate this new Kay Scarpetta novel. A South African hate crime at the very beginning of Kay's career merges with an insidious "post-mortem" slaying that could be the portent of almost unimaginable mass terror. Intense forensic action in true Scarpetta style. - Barnes & Noble Online

NonFiction                                                                                              

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1. Cinderella Ate My Daughter : Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein
Availability: 9780061711527 (Not Yet Available)
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Orenstein, who has written about girls for nearly two decades, finds today's pink and princess-obsessed girl culture grating when it threatens to lure her own young daughter, Daisy. In her quest to determine whether princess mania is merely a passing phase or a more sinister marketing plot with long-term negative impact, Orenstein travels to Disneyland; visits a children's beauty pageant; attends a Miley Cyrus concert; and interviews parents, historians, psychologists, marketers, and others. While she uncovers some disturbing news (such as the American Psychological Association's assertion that the "girlie-girl" culture's emphasis on beauty and play-sexiness can increase girls' susceptibility to depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and risky sexual behavior), she also finds that locking one's daughter away in a tower like a modern-day Rapunzel may not be necessary. Orenstein concludes that parents who think through their values early on and set reasonable limits, encourage dialogue and skepticism, and are canny about the consumer culture can combat the 24/7 "media machine" aimed at girls and hold off the focus on beauty, materialism, and the color pink somewhat. With insight and biting humor, the author explores her own conflicting feelings as a mother as she protects her offspring and probes the roots and tendrils of the girlie-girl movement. - Publishers Weekly

2. Little Princes : One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
Availability: 9780061930058 (Not Yet Available)
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Grennan, who once worked at the East West Institute in Prague, embarked on a round-the-world trip in 2006, starting with a stint volunteering for an orphanage six miles south of Kathmandu. The orphanage, called the Little Princes Children's Home, housed 18 children from the remote province of Humla, rescued from a notorious child trafficker who had bought the children from poor villagers terrified of the Maoist insurgents eager for new recruits; the parents hoped to keep their children safe, but the children often ended up as slaves. Grennan was stunned by the trauma endured by these children, who he grew to love over two months, and after completing his world tour, returned to the orphanage and vowed not only to locate seven Humla orphans who had vanished from a foster home, but also to find the parents of the children in the orphanage. This required starting up a nonprofit organization in America, Next Generation Nepal, raising funds, buying a house in Kathmandu for the children's home, and trekking into the mountains of Humla to locate the parents. Grennan's work is by turns self-pokingly humorous, exciting, and inspiring. - Publishers Weekly

3.  The Kennedy Detail : JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin
Availability: 9781439192962
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Subtitled JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence, the bookis the first to be written by a member of JFK’s security detail - and to have the involvement /endorsement of other agents. Though students of the assassination tend to be either pro or anti-conspiracy, this book should be of interest to both camps. While Blaine strongly supports the Oswald-as-lone-assassin conclusion (a contention that HBE strongly disagrees with), that is not the central focus of the book. Rather, its aim is to lift the shroud of secrecy that has plagued the agency for nearly five decades. While some readers will take issue with certain of the author’s opinions, they should also appreciate the unique point of view that separates this account from the thousands of others that have come before it. - Hartford Books Examiner Online

4.  My Passion for Design by Barbra Streisand
Availability: 9780670022137
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In her first book, Barbra Streisand shares her love of American architecture and design by showcasing her homes and the rooms she has so meticulously decorated. This truly lavish coffee table hardcover contains Streisand's own photographs of her houses; gardens and grounds; and interiors. To the book's impressive illustrations, the multi-talented icon adds personal childhood memories and reflections on what collecting and living in her homes has meant to her. Yet another side of Barbra. - Barnes & Noble Online

5. Decision Points by George Bush
Availability: 9780307590619
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In one of the most arresting memoirs of a United States president, Richard Nixon focused his story on the crises that defined his early career. George W. Bush's new Decision Points breaks the conventions of political autobiography in a similar way, describing his tumultuous presidency through the moments when decisiveness was most essential. Thus, the 43rd President of the United States writes candidly about the fiercely contested 2000 election; the hours, days, and weeks after September 11th; the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; Iran and other Middle East conflicts; the gathering financial crisis that burst into the 2007-2008 Recession; Hurricane Katrina, and other events during his White House years. - Barnes & Noble Online

6. Autobiography of Mark Twain : The Complete and Authoritative Edition, Vol. 1 by Mark Twain, Sharon K. Goetz, Leslie Diane Myrick, Harriet Elinor Smith and Victor Fischer
Availability: 9780520267190
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Before his death in 1910, Mark Twain left instructions that his autobiography, on which he'd been working by fits and starts, be left unpublished for 100 years. Now, at the century mark, from the army of Twain scholars at the University of California's Mark Twain Project, comes the dazzling first volume of the ultimate, authoritative three-volume Autobiography of Mark Twain. With no fear of reprisals, always in the center of mid-19th-century America's political, social, and cultural life, and acquainted with everyone of note, Twain wrote briskly and both favorably and fiercely on how he felt about people and events. Twain's writing here is electric, alternately moving and hilarious. He couldn't write a ho-hum sentence. Disappointed with other systems of organization, Twain settled on writing on a topic that interested him before switching to another when it so moved him. To read this volume is to be introduced to Twain as if, thrillingly, for the first time.  This may overwhelm Twain newcomers, but it is essential for specialists. - Library Journal

7. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
Availability: 9780385533577
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Novelist Conroy is first and foremost a storyteller, but the foundation of his storytelling ability is his love of reading. Here, he tells the story of how reading shaped his life and made him who he is today. His memoir is partially a love letter to those who introduced him to life-changing works. While books about the power of reading abound, Conroy's stands apart because he simply tells a good story, one of a Southern boy whose mind was molded by mentors and great authors, and whose life was transformed accordingly. Economical prose is, Conroy admits, not prevalent in his work. His writing is lush, hyperbolic, and supremely Southern; to anyone not acquainted with the style, it can seem bombastic, but when he overreaches with language, he does it purposefully. Readers who enjoy Conroy's work, Southern literature, contemporary memoirs, or books about reading will like this personable and accessible book, which will surely get a boost from good word of mouth and would make a good book club pick. - Library Journal

8. Decoded by Jay-Z
Availability: 9781400068920
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From the onset, the rapper known as Jay-Z was fighting destiny. Growing in a Bedford Stuyvesant house project; abandoned by his father; when he was just 12, he shot his older brother when he caught him stealing jewelry; three years later, he was selling crack on the streets. Mercifully he had an obsession." "Everywhere I went I'd write. If I was a crossing a street with my friends and a rhyme came, I'd break out my binder, spread it on a mailbox or lamppost and write the rhyme. . . Even back then, I thought I was the best, writing dozens of rhymes about how I was the king of hip-hop." This autobiography describes how that obsession became a reality. - Barnes & Noble Online

9. America by Heart : Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag by Sarah Palin
Availability: 9780062010964
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Palin hasn’t yet declared herself a candidate for president, but America By Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith and Flag bears all the claw marks of the next stop on Mama Grizzly’s map. Don’t be fooled by the feel-good title. This is an aggressive bear hug of a book far more ferocious in its partisanship and attitude than her first book, Going Rogue. To be sure, those who want to belittle Palin will find plenty of cocktail party ammunition. . . But this book was written for Palin’s kind of people, and they will be pleased by America By Heart’s salty mix of pickle barrel banter and verbal waterboarding. There is not just disgust with Obama, but dire warning. - The Chicago Sun-Times

10. Oogy: The Dog Only a Family Could Love
Availability: 9780446546317
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Attorney Levin shares the by turns horrifying and heartwarming story of Oogy, his gentle pit bull who went from brutalized bait for fighting dogs to beloved family member and therapy dog. The four-month-old pup was discovered near death: maimed, missing an ear and half his face, with numerous other life-threatening injuries. A kindly animal hospital worker marveled at his sweetness despite his intense suffering and persuaded the shelter not to euthanize him. Oogy finds a home with the author, his wife, and their twin sons - both adopted - and the puppy's hijinks (eating homework, opening and raiding the fridge and pantry) ensue. As remarkable in spirit as he is distinctive in appearance, the extraordinary Oogy receives a hero's biography from adoring Levin, who both recognizes himself in and feels rescued from the grip of his own childhood traumas by his indomitable companion's capacity to survive. - Publishers Weekly