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The Sleep Police by Jay
R. Bonansinga (Signet/Onyx, September 2000)
Frank Janus is about to meet the most dangerous man in the world: Himself.
Burned out, hung over and haunted by four gruesome, unsolved murders,
the stressed-out police detective discovers a small package on his desk.
Nobody knows who left it there. It's an unmarked videotape. But when Frank
pops it into a VCR, his life is suddenly turned upside down. The man on
the tape is Frank. But Frank doesn't remember making any such videotape.
"I hate to break this to you, Sport," the onscreen Frank says. "But the
guy responsible for those murders that have been keeping you up at night
- the guy you're looking for - is you. Or should I say, me. That's right,
you've got another personality, and that personality is me. And I have
a nasty compulsion to make people dead." Thus begins a very unique and
horrifying story of one man's waking nightmare. Is Frank on the brink
of a psychotic breakdown? Has he already experienced one? Or is something
more sinister at work?
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Buried Evidence,
a sequel to Mitigating Circumstances by Nancy
Taylor Rosenberg (Hyperion, 2000; paperback, February, 2002)
Lily Forrester is back on top as a district attorney, but haunted by an
explosive secret. Six years prior, she tracked down and killed the man she
believed raped both her and her young daughter. Although she got away with
the murder, she killed the wrong man. Now her ex-husband, who is facing
criminal charges in a hit and run, is threatening to expose her unless she
uses her position to get him out of this mess. When Lily refuses, her life
is turned upside down. Police reopen the six-year-old homicide case and
charge Lily, catapulting her into the media spotlight. In this riveting
sequel to Mitigating Circumstances, Lily Forrester must choose between doing
what she believes is right and further hurting the one person she has always
tried to protect: her daughter.
* Doubleday Book Club main selection
* Literary Guild main selection
* Excerpted in Cosmopolitan August/September 2000
* Mystery Guild main selection
Chill
Factor by Chris
Rogers (Bantam, 2000)
Dixie Flannigan is back again, only this time, she stumbles onto a series
of strange bank robberies that may be part of a tangled web leading to
a political assassination. When Dixie finds herself in the middle of a
bank robbery, she's shocked to find her 60-year-old neighbor is the robber.
This is the third robbery staged by elderly women in two weeks. At the
urging of her neighbor's son, Dixie investigates these elderly thieves
and discovers a seemingly inane tie: they all attended the same health
club, headed by a sleek young trainer. Convinced he has devised more than
just a fitness program, Dixie uncovers an elaborate scheme of extortion,
theft and corruption that stretches far beyond Houston.
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Lioness
by Nell
Brien (Mira Books, September, 2000)
Deep in the heart of Africa lies the terrible truth about a brutal death.
And the woman searching for answers can't even imagine the consequences
exposing the truth will have on her own life.
When Joel Stanton left for Kenya to find the perfect site for a new hotel,
it was just another routine business trip for the young architect. But
when his battered body came home in a body bag, his twin sister and partner,
Cat, knew something had gone terribly wrong. Something someone was determined
to cover up.
Heading to Nairobi, Cat hires the same safari outfit her brother used.
And soon realizes that Dan Campbell, the man charged with Joel's safety-and
a man with his own demons to fight-knows more than he's saying about her
brother's death.
Retracing her brother's footsteps across the rugged and heartbreakingly
beautiful terrain of Africa, Cat embarks on a journey that will change
her life...and put her in the same kind of danger that got Joel killed.
Oblivion
by Jay
R. Bonansinga (Pan Macmillan UK, 2000)
Luther Lombardo is a streetwise, tough-as-nails ex-priest, excommunicated
from the Catholic church twenty years ago for performing an unsanctioned
exorcism. Since then, he has been living a quiet life on the north side
of Chicago, counseling addicts and trying to lead a good life. When a
former altar boy turns up to ask Luther for a favor - a simple cleansing
of one of his clients' houses - Luther can't refuse. "There will be a
few special conditions though," Jimmy Dodd explains as they board a private
jet. Since the client is very gun-shy about publicity, Luther will have
to be blindfolded. They fly hundreds of miles and arrive in an anonymous
city, and Luther is ushered into the mansion, where his blindfold is removed.
Immediately, Luther is stricken with the most powerful, vile, evil feeling
he has ever encountered. Something horrible is present in this place.
Luther can't stand it any longer and stumbles outside, nearly vomiting.
He manages to gaze back over his shoulder, and recognizes the mansion
immediately: the White House. From here, the story spirals into a nightmare
of lies, historic apparitions, violence and apocalyptic magic. Ultimately,
though, it's up to Luther - to save the house, the First Family, and himself.
Satin
Doll by Karen E. Quinones
Miller
(Simon & Schuster, 2000)
Based in part on the author's own experiences, SATIN DOLL's protagonist,
Regina Harris, is living in two worlds. Born and raised in Harlem, she's
savvy, street-smart and fiercely independent, and uses these qualities
to make it as a freelance writer and to win the heart of one of the most
eligible young bachelors around. But when her shady past comes back to
haunt her young husband's political campaign, Regina must make some difficult
choices. Caught between her high-society in-laws and her Harlem friends,
Regina is put to the test when her two worlds collide.
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Mother's
Day Murder by Wensley
Clarkson (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
This is the chilling story of how Mother's Day played a frighteningly
significant role in the life of one woman. Gina Spann's father walked
out on her, her mom and siblings on Mother's Day. Her three-month-old
daughter died on Mother's Day. And she had an illicit sexual relationship
with a teenage schoolboy who - with three friends - murdered Gina's husband,
Gulf War hero Kevin Spann... on Mother's Day. The way Gina Spann's life
weaved in and out of murder and mayhem on Mother's Day is truly riveting.
Love,
Lies, and Deceit: The Murder of Lonnie "Ted" Binion by Gary
King (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
The glamorous one-time topless dancer and her trucking contractor lover
are accused of drugging and then suffocating casino boss Lonnie "Ted"
Binion in a case that has links to a Chicago mobster and a fortune in
buried treasure. Such has been the captivation with what the media refers
to as "the crime of the century" that every moment is being beamed live
from the courtroom and the blow-by-blow newspaper accounts may already
stretch longer than the famous Las Vegas Strip. Binion's large personality,
his battles with drug addiction and his friendship with Chicago mobster
"Fat Herbie" Blitzstein made him a subject of local fascination even before
his death of a heroin overdose in September 1998. More importantly he
was the son of legendary Horseshoe casino founder Lester "Benny" Binion,
who came to Las Vegas half a century ago after being run out of Texas
and who soon lived up to his reputation as a big-time poker player. The
direct link to one of the town's founding fathers made 55-year-old Ted
Binion as close to Vegas royalty as you can get. (RIGHTS SOLD: St. Martin's
Press, Fall 2000, paperback)
How to
Be Invisible: A Step-By-Step Guide to Hiding Your Assets, Your Identity,
and Your Life by J.J. Luna (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
From Cyberspace to crawl space, new innovations in information gathering
have left our private lives open to scrutiny, manipulation, and exploitation.
Not only is your privacy at risk, but so is the security of your assets
and the safety of your family. JJ Luna, a highly-trained and experienced
security consultant, can show you how to achieve the privacy you crave,
whether you just want to shield yourself from casual scrutiny, or rake
your life savings and disappear without a trace.
For God,
Country, and Coca Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft
Drink and the Company That Makes It by Mark
Pendergrast (Basic Books, 2000)
For God, Country and Coca-Cola is the unauthorized history of the great
American soft drink and the company that makes it. From its origins as
a patent medicine in Reconstruction Atlanta through its rise as the dominant
consumer beverage of the American century, the story of Coke is as unique,
tasty, and effervescent as the drink itself. With vivid portraits of the
entrepreneurs who founded the company-and of the colorful cast of hustlers,
swindlers, ad men, and con men who have made Coca-Cola the most recognized
trademark in the world-this is business history at its best: in fact,
"The Real Thing."
Flowers
Are Forever: Stories to Nourish the Spirit by Kathy
Lamancusa (Fireside, 2000)
Christenings, courtships, and weddings...graduations, parties, and parades...anniversaries,
birthdays, family gatherings...Occasions like these are made more special
by the beauty of flowers - a gorgeous orchid, a wreath of sweet violets,
daisies handpicked by a child, a perfect rose grown and given with love.
In Flowers Are Forever, Kathy Lamancusa celebrates the countless
ways that flowers enrich our lives and touch our hearts in this bountiful
bouquet of true and inspiring stories. An accomplished author and teacher,
Lamancusa has shared the joy of flowers with thousands of people. Now,
she has collected more than 100 true stories about flowers - some of them
written by individuals who make their living by selling, arranging, and
delivering flowers for just about every occasion imaginable, others by
ordinary people who have been moved by the gift of an iris, a tulip, or
a lily. Inspiring, funny, romantic, and poignant, these stories are as
unforgettable as the scent of your favorite blossom.
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Flowers
are For Love by Kathy
Lamancusa (Fireside, 2001)
What flowers bring back fond memories for you? Is there a time in your
life when flowers brought you joy, gave you a hug, or helped you send
a message to someone you love? Flowers are Love is a collection of special
stories that illustrate the profound effect flowers have on life, celebrations,
love, romance, passion, and sorrow. Click here for information about how
to submit your story for consideration.
Cradle
of Death: A Shocking True Story of a Mother, Multiple Murder, and SIDS
by John
Glatt (St. Martin's Press, March, 2000)
In March of 1949, a healthy baby boy named Richard Noe entered this world.
Thirty-one days later, he left it-found dead in his parents' bedroom in
a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood. Over the next nineteen years,
all nine of Marie and Arthur Noe's other children would die-one a stillborn,
one in the hospital, and the other seven of unexplained causes. None lived
longer than fifteen months. Gaining national sympathy for their unbelievable
bad luck, the Noes were deemed victims of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
But as the years went on, many people found their SIDS defense a hard
pill to swallow-after all, SIDS is not a hereditary condition. As investigators
probed, they found that in each case, the child had died while home alone
with Marie Noe. Finally, in 999-fifty years after her first child died-septuagenarian
Marie Noe pled guilty to killing eight of her ten dead children. Today,
she remains at home on probation, helping psychiatric experts understand
what is perhaps one of the most disturbing and baffling mysteries of all:
how and why a mother could kill her own children. In this riveting true
crime account, author John Glatt goes behind the headlines and into the
heart of this fascinating case to reveal the shocking answers.
It's Not What you Say, It's How You Say It
by Joan Detz (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
A professional speech coach, Joan Detz advises top executives across the country. In the useful and lively book she shares expert strategies and real-life solutions for common presentation problems. You'll find easy-to-use advise on every page — whether you are talking to an audience of one or one thousand.
Blind
Passion by John
Glatt (St. Martin's Press, 2000)
She was a gorgeous swimsuit model. He was a charming Greek sailor. They
met on a cruise in November of 1997 and soon thereafter began a clandestine
love affair. Little more than a year later, thirty-one-year-old Julie
Scully left her millionaire ex-husband and three-year-old daughter behind,
and moved to Greece to be with twenty-four-year-old George Skiadopoulos.
But there was trouble in paradise. Julie, tired of Skiadopoulos' jealous
and controlling nature, and badly missing her young daughter, decided
to return to the States. Skiadopoulos wouldn't have it. When she told
him of her plans to leave-and take her $600,000 divorce settlement back
with her- Skiadopoulos took Julie to a remote area and strangled her to
death. Then, to cover up his deed, he burned her lifeless body and tried
to stuff the charred corpse into a suitcase. When it wouldn't fit, Skiadopoulos
delivered the final blow-he chopped off her head and tossed it into the
Aegean Sea. Now, find out the stunning inside story on a murder case that
made national headlines, as acclaimed true crime writer John Glatt lays
bare a shocking story of greed, betrayal, and... Blind Passion
The Babyface Killer by Jon Bellini (Pinnacle True Crime, 2000)
Young, handsome, and perfectly mannered, Lesley Eugene Warren, 20, was a magnet for the women who fell under his seductive spell—until they fell vistim to his twisted need to kill.
Here is the chilling account of a serial killer who left a terrifying tail of bodies across the East Coast of America and eluded authorities for nearly five years.
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