Previews

She’s back each Tuesday, pimpin’ out notable new releases to place on your radar, so let the tempting, publisher-provided plot descriptions begin!

FEAST DAY OF FOOLS by James Lee Burke — Sheriff Hackberry Holland patrols a small Southwest Texas border town with a deep and abiding respect for the citizens in his care. Still mourning the loss of his cherished wife and locked in a perilous almost-romance with his deputy, Hackberry feeds off the deeds of evil men to keep his own demons at bay. When alcoholic ex-boxer Danny Boy Lorca witnesses a man tortured to death in the desert and reports it, Hack’s investigation leads to the home of Anton Ling, a regal, mysterious Chinese woman known for sheltering illegals.

THE DOVE OF DEATH by Peter Tremayne — In A.D. 670, an Irish merchant ship is attacked by a pirate vessel off the southern coast of the Breton peninsula. Merchad, the ship’s captain, and Bressal, a prince from the Irish kingdom of Muman, are killed in cold blood after they have surrendered. Among the other passengers who manage to escape the slaughter are Fidelma of Cashel and her faithful companion, Brother Eadulf. Once safely ashore, Fidelma, sister to the King of Muman, is determined to bring the killers to justice.

WEREWORLD: RISE OF THE WOLF by Curtis Jobling — Imagine a world ruled by Werelords, men and women who can shift at will into bears, lions and serpents. When Drew suddenly discovers he’s not only a werewolf, but the long-lost heir to the murdered Wolf King’s throne, he must use his wits and newfound powers to survive in a land suddenly full of enemies. Drew’s the only one who can unite the kingdom in a massive uprising against its tyrant ruler, Leopold the Lion. But the king is hot on Drew’s tail and won’t rest until he’s got the rebel Wolf’s head.

GANDHI: A MANGA BIOGRAPHY by Kazuki Ebine — The life of a true 20th-century hero told in a vibrant graphic novel format. Through his quietly powerful leadership and influential use of nonviolent resistance in India’s struggle against the British Raj, Mahatma Gandhi became one of the most revered figures of the modern era. While history has recorded Gandhi’s words and deeds, the man himself has been eclipsed by maxims of virtuosity that seem to have little resonance in our everyday lives.

I LOVE LUCY: A CELEBRATION OF ALL THINGS LUCY: INSIDE THE WORLD OF TELEVISION’S FIRST GREAT SITCOM by Elisabeth Edwards — Upon the 60th anniversary of the landmark television show’s debut and the 100th birthday of superstar Lucille Ball, I LOVE LUCY includes rare backstage photos and images from the stars’ personal collections, Ball’s personal commentary on her favorite episodes, trivia, character bios, fashions, music, recipes and more.

Buy them at Amazon.

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Sexual and spiritual healer and leader Caroline Muir delivers her autobiography, TANTRA GODDESS: A MEMOIR OF SEXUAL AWAKENING, on Nov. 15. Here’s your menses-packed preview …

Susan put her hand to her yoni and from its deepest folds brought forth some of her fresh menstrual blood. Tenderly, she touched my third eye, or brow center, with it as I began sobbing uncontrollably. I could see the power of the goddess in her as she placed another drop of her blood on my throat. “You will speak highly of the power of this anointing to other women,” she said.

“Give me another taste,” I said, desiring more of her surprisingly sweet moon flow. I asked her to smear her blood on my face and my breasts and thighs that I might fully claim my return to wholeness. … Susan gave me an incredible gift.

Buy it at Amazon.

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Come Sept. 27, horror fans will want to sink their teeth into the release of THE VAMPIRE FILM: FROM NOSFERATU TO TRUE BLOOD newly updated and expanded by Alain Silver and James Ursini. Now in its fourth edition, the 488-page book tracks the genre’s evolution into the 21st century of movies and TV series. In this excerpt, Linda Brookover looks at politics in TRUE BLOOD.

TRUE BLOOD brings an unlikely array of characters out of the swamp into a soap opera of Southern seediness and short shorts. At the center of the tale, based loosely on the ten-volume Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, are the new vampires. Their mission is to coexist with humans and the myriad other weird beings that inhabit Bon Temps, Louisiana and its environs. This setting has the proper Gothic atmosphere for both the novels and the series. Both begin with all the “fangers” outed, and some wanting to be welcomed into red-neck hang outs like Merlottes’ where they can sit a spell with the breathers. Eternal alienation is TRUE BLOOD hell, and the source of its deadpan Grand Ol’ Opry-style humor.

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She’s back each Tuesday, pimpin’ out notable new releases to place on your radar, so let the tempting, publisher-provided plot descriptions begin!

LASSITER by Paul Levine — Jake Lassiter, second-string linebacker turned low-rent lawyer, is cynical about the law, but if you hire him, he’ll take a punch for you, and maybe a swing at the prosecutor, too. Amy Larkin — beautiful, angry, mysterious — accuses Lassiter of involvement in the disappearance of her sister 18 years earlier. What does Lassiter know about Krista Larkin, the runaway teen turned porn actress? More than he’s saying. Seeking to atone for his own past, Lassiter follows the cold trail of the missing Krista and butts head with the powerful men who also knew her: a porn king turned philanthropist, a Cuban prosecutor who’d love to be governor, and an aging mobster who once worked for Meyer Lansky.

SPELLBOUND by Blake Charlton — In a world where one’s magical prowess is determined by one’s skill with words and ability to spell, Nicodemus is a wizardly apprentice afflicted by a curse that causes him to misspell magical texts. Now, the demon who cursed him has hatched a conspiracy to force Nicodemus to change language and ultimately use it to destroy all human life. As Nico tries to thwart the demon’s plan, he faces challenges from all sides. But his biggest challenge is his own disability, which causes him to create chaos wherever he goes.

SANCTUS by Simon Toyne — A man climbs a cliff face in the oldest inhabited place on earth, a mountain known as the Citadel, a Vatican-like city-state that towers above the city of Ruin in modern-day Turkey. But this is no ordinary ascent. It is a dangerous, symbolic act. And thanks to the media, it is an event witnessed by the entire world. Few people understand its consequence. But for foundation worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others, it’s evidence that a revolution is at hand.

THE SLEEPWALKERS by Paul Grossman — As Hitler and his National Socialist party angle to assume control of Germany, beautiful girls are seen sleepwalking through the streets. Then, a young woman of mysterious origin, with her legs bizarrely deformed, is pulled dead from the Havel River. Willi Kraus, a high-ranking detective in Berlin’s police force, begins a murder investigation. Despite his elite status in the criminal police, he is disturbed by the direction Germany is taking. Working urgently to solve the murder, the Jewish Willi finds his superiors diverting him at every turn. 

MURDER IN THE 11TH HOUSE by Mitchell Scott Lewis — Astrological detective David Lowell must use his astrologer’s charts and knowledge to solve the murder of a state judge in a New York City parking garage. Joined by his daughter, Melinda, a young defense attorney who believes the person arrested innocent; his hacker sidekick, Mort; patient assistant, Sarah; and bodyguard Andy, Lowell races against time to prove the innocence of Johnny Colbert, a mouthy bartender accused of the crime. Birth charts and street smarts help Lowell sort out the misdirections of a cast of characters, ranging from the judge’s clerk to the judge’s life itself, to trace the crime back to a surprising source.

ANGEL by Nicole “Coco” Marrow and Laura Hayden — A beautiful woman awakens on a plane and discovers that things are going terribly wrong. The plane is about to crash into the Hudson River, and she can’t even remember her own name. After she survives, the airline determines that her name is Angela Sands. But she has no idea who she really is. Reporter Dante Kearns is fascinated by the woman the media dubs “the Angel of the Hudson,” especially once he discovers her shocking secret: Angela can hear voices in her head — the thoughts of all men around her.

JUDY: A LEGENDARY FILM CAREER by John Fricke — JUDY tells the story of Garland’s movie work in unprecedented detail. Hundreds of never-before-published photos, newly assembled contemporary reviews, insight from her costars and co-workers, and production histories are provided for each film in which she appeared. Complimenting the films are a definitive biography, an examination of Judy’s short subjects, details of the movies she did not complete, and a compendium of film projects for which she was considered or rumored. The text is illustrated by more than 500 photos, encompassing poster art, costume tests, behind-the-scenes candids, onstage and backstage glimpses of her theatrical successes, and personal snapshots.

Buy them at Amazon.

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