She’s back, pimpin’ out notable new releases to place on your radar!

THE FORGERY OF VENUS by James Gruber – Painter Chaz Wilmot is suddenly working with a fervor he hasn’t felt in years, but his burst of creative activity is accompanied by strange interludes: Without warning, he finds himself reliving moments from his past – not as memories, but as if they are happening all over again. Soon, it is no longer his own past he’s revisiting; he believes he can travel back to the 17th century, where he lived as the Spanish artist Diego Rodríguez de Silva Velázquez, one of the most famous painters in history. Wilmot begins to fantasize that as Velázquez, he has created a masterpiece, a stunning portrait of a nude. When the painting actually turns up, he doesn’t know if he painted it or if he imagined the whole thing.

VIEWPOINTS CRITICAL by L.E. Modesitt Jr. – This is the first story collection ever from the bestselling fantasy and science fiction writer L. E. Modesitt Jr. He began publishing as a short story writer in the SF magazines in the 1970s, mostly in Analog. Some of the earliest stories are kernels for his early SF novels, others display the wide range of his talents and interests, from satire to military adventure. This collection includes selections of stories from his entire career, as well as three new stories that have never been published before: “Black Ordermage,” set in the world of Modesitt’s bestselling Recluce series; “Beyond the Obvious Wind,” set in his Corean Chronicles universe; and “Always Outside the Lines,” which is related to the Ghosts of Columbia books.

THE SUDOKU PUZZLE MURDERS by Parnell Hall – Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady (who actually couldn’t solve a crossword puzzle to save her life), is surprisingly good at sudoku, so it’s no problem when a Japanese publisher asks her to write a sudoku book. But when two Japanese publishers show up in Bakerhaven to vie for her services, Cora is a little confused. Which one did she actually sign with? Which one has the stunning geisha wife? And which one is about to be arrested for murder? The two men are archenemies, but would they stoop to murder? Someone is littering the town with sudoku, crossword puzzles and dead private eyes. It’s up to Cora, to solve the puzzle before the killer strikes again.

LAVINIA by Ursula K. Le Guin – In THE AENEID, Vergil’s hero fights to claim the king’s daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire. Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem. Now, Ursula K. Le Guin gives Lavinia a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills. Lavinia grows up knowing nothing but peace and freedom, until suitors come. Her mother wants her to marry handsome, ambitious Turnus. But omens and prophecies spoken by the sacred springs say she must marry a foreigner – that she will be the cause of a bitter war – and that her husband will not live long. When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to make her own destiny, and she tells us what Vergil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.

HOLD TIGHT by Harlan Coben – Tia and Mike Baye never imagined they’d become the type of parents who spy on their kids. But their 16-year-old son Adam has been unusually distant lately, and after the suicide of his classmate Spencer, they can’t help but worry. They install a sophisticated spy program on Adam’s computer, and within days are jolted by a message from an unknown correspondent addressed to their son: “Just stay quiet and all safe.” Meanwhile, browsing through an online memorial for Spencer put together by his classmates, Betsy Hill is struck by a photo that appears to have been taken on the night of her son’s death … and he wasn’t alone. She thinks it is Adam Baye standing just outside the camera’s range; but when Adam goes missing, it soon becomes clear that something deep and sinister has infected their community.

LORD OF LIES by David Zindell – The seventh and youngest Valeri, Valashu Elahad, noble warrior and prince of the royal house of Mesh, has sought the mythical Lightstone in a quest to stop the dreaded Dark Angel Morjin from enslaving all of Ea. With his stalwart companions, Val braved great dangers and fought many battles in their search for this elusive totem. And find the sacred object they did. But sometimes fulfilling a quest doesn’t bring serenity but instead madness untold. Now that the Lightstone has finally been found, Morjin will use all of his talents to get it back. Val’s victory in Argattha was only the beginning of a war with Morjin.

THE FINDER by Colin Harrison – Here is the story of a young, beautiful, secretive Chinese woman, Jin-Li, who gets involved in a brilliant scheme to steal valuable information from corporations in New York City. When the plan is discovered by powerful New Yorkers who stand to lose enormous sums of money, Jin-Li goes on the run. Meanwhile, her former lover, Ray Grant, a man who was out of the country for years but has recently returned, is caught up in the search for her. Ray has not been forthcoming to Jin-Li about why he left New York or what he was doing overseas, but his training and strengths will be put to the ultimate test against those who are unmerciful in their desire to regain a fortune lost. Ray is going to have to find Jin-Li, and he is going to have to find her fast.

THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES by Campbell Black, James Kahn and Rob Macgregor – With bullwhip in hand, Indiana Jones has unearthed a wealth of ancient treasures. In RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, the fearless archeologist journeys from Nepal to Cairo to the Mediterranean, dodging poisons, traps, and snakes, battling rivals old and new – all in pursuit of an ancient artifact that holds the key to dazzling, invincible power. INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM finds our intrepid hero in a remote village in India, where a mysterious old shaman tells him that his arrival has been foreseen – and that he must retrieve a stolen mystical stone. And finally, Indy must face the most challenging and personal endeavor of his life: rescue his estranged father, the eminent professor Dr. Henry Jones, from a Nazi’s lair, and recover the legendary Holy Grail. Yet INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE doesn’t mean the adventure is over.

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