#true crime

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Check out this selection of new releases for your enjoyment coming this week!

LOCKED IN

On the day after Christmas, head of Department Q, Detective Carl Mørck, finds himself handcuffed in a police car headed for Copenhagen’s Vestre prison. After fifteen years, a violent case from his past has caught up with him. Charges of drug trafficking and murder threaten to destroy his life and career. But he is being framed. Someone has a million-dollar bounty on his head to make sure he doesn’t talk, putting him in grave danger among the prison’s incarcerated criminals and corrupt officers. The question that remains is, Why?

BELLEVUE

Twenty-three-year-old Michael “Mitt” Fuller starts his surgical residency with great anticipation at the nearly three-hundred-year-old, iconic Bellevue Hospital, following in the footsteps of four previous, celebrated Fuller generations. The pressure is on for this newly minted doctor, and to his advantage he’s always had a secret sixth sense, a sensitivity to the nonphysical.

GOLDEN HOUR

Teddy Fay is ready to embark on the European press tour of Peter Barrington’s latest film Storm’s Eye, when he receives an unexpected visit from Lance Cabot, director of the CIA. Several CIA agents have been turning up dead. The commonality? They were all part of a mission Teddy was involved in: Golden Hour. Lance wants Teddy to use his trip as a cover to investigate who is behind these killings.

TRIAL BY AMBUSH

Delves into the sensationalized true story of Barbara Graham, a neglected woman wrongfully portrayed as a femme fatale during a media frenzy surrounding a 1953 robbery-murder case, exposing the sexism, misinformation, and critical evidence overlooked by the prosecution that shaped her tragic narrative.

THE GREATEST LIE OF ALL

Fledgling actress Amelia Grant is at rock bottom when offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to star in a biopic about the world-renowned romance author Gloria Diamond, who used her own tragic love story as inspiration for her bestselling books. To prepare for the role, she’ll spend a week with Gloria at her secluded Washington estate. It’s a chance to get out of LA, away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, and to make her recently deceased mother proud.

DEFENSE PROTOCOL

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island.

THE SILENT WATCHER

Far from the neon glare of the Vegas Strip, attorney Piper Danes walks away from a hotshot law firm to work as a guardian ad litem (GAL). Piper was once a vulnerable youth herself, and a GAL gave her hope when she needed it most. Now she’s committed to paying it forward.

SECRET THREE FATES

American heiress Ruby Vaughn still hasn’t entirely forgiven her octogenarian employer and housemate Mr. Owen for bringing the occult into their lives during her recent trip to Cornwall. He claims their journey to Manhurst Castle in the Scottish Borders is simply to appraise and acquire illuminated manuscripts for their rare books shop, however when Ruby discovers there are no manuscripts and receives news of a séance to be held that very night, she begins to grow suspicious about the true reason why they have come.

MY DARLING BOY

In a close-knit English village, Chrissy and Alice were once best friends. So were their sons, Leo and Robbie. Until the night Leo killed Robbie with a single, devastating punch. Now Leo has gone to prison, Chrissy has lost her pub, and Alice has been pouring her anger into a twisted project . . .

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Take a look at some of the exciting new releases coming to our shelves in this week…

JOY

Abandoned by her free-spirited mother and raised by an emotionally distant father, Allegra finds solace in books and love, only to face the harsh realities of war and its impact on her husband, who returns from Afghanistan nearly unrecognizable.

ANGEL OF VENGEANCE

An FBI Special Agent poses as a cleric in New York’s notorious Five Points slum to help catch a dangerous serial killer, in the latest addition to the long-running series following The Cabinet of Dr. Leng.

WORST CASE SCENARIO

When a pilot suffers a heart attack at 35,000 feet, a commercial airliner filled with passengers crashes into a nuclear power plant in the small town of Waketa, Minnesota, which becomes ground zero for a catastrophic national crisis with global implications.

I NEED YOU TO READ THIS

When her childhood hero, Francis Keen, the woman behind a famous advice column, is brutally murdered, Alex takes over as her replacement and begins receiving threatening letters, drawing into her inter her predecessor’s murder, which takes her all the way up to the power centers of Manhattan where a killer waits.

BURIED TOO DEEP

Accused of a break-in he did not commit, Phineas Bishop, a nighttime security guard at a private investigator’s office resolves to track down the intruder and earn back everyone’s trust. By the author of Cheater.

NEVER SAW ME COMING

A money-grabbing tech genius shares her deeply personal story of how she, after the FBI said “these are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit,” pulled off an ingenious white-collar scheme, stealing $40 million dollars, and after receiving an outrageous prison sentence, orchestrated her own release.

THE MURDERS IN GREAT DIDDLING

Moving to a run-down Cornwall village, author Berit Gardner, when a man blows up during a tea party, decides to snoop around to both help the police and gain ideas for her new book, discovering the villagers are using this murder as an opportunity to attract tourists to Great Diddling.

BORN OF BLOOD AND ASH

After freeing themselves from captivity at the hands of the false King of the Gods, Sera and Nyktos race to maintain peace in the Shadowlands, in the fourth novel of the series following A Fire in the Flesh.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

There’s an abundance of exciting new book releases on the horizon, and you won’t want to miss them…

CALDER COUNTRY

Making a deal to keep her smuggler father out of prison, Ruby Weaver agrees to help the Feds break up a bootlegging ring in 1920s Blue Moon, Montana, in the third novel of the series following A Calder at Heart.

THE HAUNTING OF HECATE CAVENDISH

In 1881 England, assistant librarian for the Hereford cathedral, Hecate Cavendish, who can see ghosts, guards an ancient chained library where some lost souls become her dearest friends, others seek her helping in finding peace and others threaten the lives of everyone she loves.

A HUNGER TO KILL

Describes the true story of Ashland, Ohio detective Kim Mager who used psychological expertise to unravel the crimes of serial killer Shawn Grate, known as “The Ladykiller,” through a series of high-stakes interviews during which he confessed.

THE WRONG HANDS

While dealing with his dead wife’s yet-to-be-solved murder and a briefcase containing a pair of severed hands, unconventional Detective Declan Miller finally has leverage against Wayne Cutler, whom he suspects killed his wife, which lands him in a mess he might not be able to dance his way out of.

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE

A warrior who cannot be killed, known simply as “B,” wants to die and a U.S. black-ops group has promised they can help with that if he helps them in return, but when an all-too-mortal soldier comes back to life, the impossible event points to a force even more mysterious than B himself.

THE BEST LIES

Diagnosed a pathological liar with unimaginable skeletons in his family’s closet, crusading attorney Leo Balanoff, when his fingerprints show up on the murder weapon used to kill a ruthless drug dealer, is forced to go undercover for the FBI, finding himself backed into a corner, but has a few more cards left to play.

BAD RIVER

While investigating his brother’s mysterious death in South Dakota, Arliss Cutter returns to Alaska after the discovery of a woman’s body in the permafrost indicates the two have things in common in the sixth novel of the series following Breakneck.

WHAT WE’LL BURN LAST

Sixteen years after the disappearance of her sister, Grace, and Grace’s boyfriend Adam, Leyna, when something strange happens, returns home to find answers, and as a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly because someone knows what really happened that night?—?and how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

semanurLeave a comment

Here we have some new exciting releases for you to take a look at this week!

AN HONEST LIE by Tarryn Fisher – A girls’ weekend in Las Vegas takes a violent, desperate turn when one of the group is kidnapped by a killer, leaving the rest to piece together the diabolical clues he leaves behind for them.

I’LL BE YOU by Janelle Brown – An identical twin and former child TV star reassesses the complicated bond with her estranged sister after their panicked father says she stopped answering her phone and has checked into a mysterious spa in Ojai that might be a cult.

THE BAXTERS: A Prequel by Karen Kingsbury – On Kari Baxter’s wedding day, a building storm brings conflict and doubt to the family until a moment of danger reveals important truths, which could bring them back together or tear them apart.

CITY ON FIRE by Don Winslow – A mid-1980s longshoreman who does occasional stints for the Irish crime syndicate becomes embroiled in a conflict between rival factions in the first book of a new series from the New York Times best-selling author of The Force.

THE GOOD LEFT UNDONE by Adriana Trigiani – This richly woven tapestry of three generations of women faced with impossible choices follows Matelda, the family’s matriarch, as she, facing the end of her life, must decide what is worth fighting for and when to let go.

THE PALACE PAPERS: Inside the House of Windsor – The Truth and the Turmoil by Tina Brown – The #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Diana Chronicles takes readers inside the British royal family since the death of Princess Diana, showing the Queen’s stoic resolve as family drama raged around her.

COUNTRY BORN  by Linda Lael Miller – Discovering that he’s falling for his best friend’s sister, J.P. McCall decides to do whatever it takes to protect her after someone from her past returns to Painted Pony Creek in the third novel of the series following Country Proud.

UNMASKED: My Life Solving America’s Cold Cases by Paul Holes – An icon in the true crime world, the cold case investigator who finally caught the Golden State Killer provides an insider account of some the most notorious cases in contemporary American history and opens up to the most intimate scenes of his life.

THE WRONG VICTIM by Allison Brennan – When a charter boat holding nine people explodes near the San Juan Islands, FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt Costa and his Mobile Response Team must discover which one of the dead was the target—and who committed the largest act of murder in San Juan Islands history.

LITTLE SOULS by Sandra Dallas – In 1918 Colorado, as the Spanish Influenza runs rampant, sisters Helen and Lutie, after their tenant dies, must care for her daughter, which leads to murder, placing them both in danger from the ensuing investigation and the flu.

~Semanur

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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In this week’s special picks there are new exciting detective, mystery, suspense, and many more genres for you to choose from! Enjoy!

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler – Describes the multiple scandals, family triumphs and disasters that took their toll on the ten children of celebrated Shakespearean actor, Junius Booth as the North and the South reached a boiling point and the Civil War broke out.

The Darkest Place by Phillip Margolin – After a pro bono case upends her life, defense attorney Robin Lockwood retreats home to Elk Grove where she defends a surrogate accused of kidnapping the baby she carried for another couple – a case that may result in unexpected, deadly consequences.

Hideout by Louisa Luna – Alice Vega and Max Caplan re-open the cold case of a cult-hero football player who disappeared from a game in 1984 after they uncover a possible connection to white supremacists, in the third novel of the series following The Janes.

High Stakes by Daniella Steel – Five women work together at a boutique literary and talent agency while the challenges of their individual lives causes chaos both inside and outside the office in a new novel by one of the world’s best-selling authors.

The Golden Couple by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen – A maverick therapist who lost her license due to controversial methods, Avery agrees to help golden couple Marissa and Mathew Bishop overcome Marisa’s cheating, setting all three of them on a collision course because the biggest – and most dangerous – secrets have not yet been revealed.

The Lightning Rod by Brad Meltzer – Mortician “Zig” Zigarowski, while working on the body of a successful military man, discovers something he was never meant to see, and, to get the answers he needs, sets out to find military artist Nola Brown – a search that reveals one of the U.S. government’s most intensely guarded secrets.

Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson & Dolly Parton – On the rise and on the run, a young singer-songwriter arrives in Nashville to claim her destiny, but it’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her – and destroy her.

Shadows Reel by C. J. Box – Game warden Joe Pickett, while dealing with the brutal murder of a fishing guide, must help his wife solve a mystery involving a photo album that belonged to an infamous Nazi officer, placing them in the crosshairs of a killer.

The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton – Arriving at St. Dunstan’s Academy in Maine, shy, sensitive Laura Stearns falls under the spell of charismatic, neurotic overachiever Virginia, who gives her purpose until the new school chaplain challenges Virginia, forcing Laura to decide how far she will let her devotion to Virginia go.

Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson – Drawing on hours of interviews and exclusive sources and access, a New York Times journalist documents Sandy Hook and its aftermath, where a conspiracy theorists have forced the victims and survivors to defend that an event even occurred.

~Semanur

True Crime Book Review: Diamond Doris by Doris Payne

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Diamond Doris: The True Story of the World’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief

Diamond Doris

In honor of Black History Month I’d like to share this gem of a memoir. Pun intended.

How did a Black girl who grew up in a segregated, Depression-era, West Virginia coal town become the world’s most notorious jewel thief? The desire to help her mother out of an abusive relationship and revenge. Tired of being dismissed from jewelry counters when a white woman approached, the young and beautiful Doris, armed with charm, a quick wit, and a love of magic, started to help herself to small pieces. As her skills and confidence grew, her heists became more daring and lucrative. Her race actually helped her get away with her crimes for as long as she did. It turned out that white store owners were reluctant to admit that they were duped by a Black woman. The law sometimes caught up with her. Sometimes she escaped. Diamond Doris eventually served her time, wrote her memoir, and now, at 91, lives a quiet life in Atlanta.

This book is a fascinating look at race in America. Doris is a hilarious and audacious person, and it’s hard not to admire her, despite her 60 years of crime! Do yourself a favor and meet Doris. She is fascinating. And for our local readers, she has a Cleveland connect!

True Crime Book Review: Good Kids, Bad City by Kyle Swenson

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Find a copy here

On May 19, 1975, Harry Franks, a white salesman, was robbed, assaulted, and murdered in broad daylight in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood. Three black youth were sentenced and spent a combined 106 years in prison for the crime. The murderer was never caught. The entirety of the prosecution’s case against Wiley Bridgeman, Kwame Ajamu, and Ricky Jackson was based on the eye-witness testimony of 12-year old Ed Vernon. Nearly 40 years later Vernon recanted his story, revealing that the police used fear and coercion to convince him to tell the story they wanted him to tell.
In Good Kids, Bad City, journalist Kyle Swenson weaves the personal stories of the young men who were sentenced to grow up in prison with the corruption and injustice that plagued the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland police department. Swenson’s narrative is a scathing indictment of systematic discrimination that continues to this day.

True Crime Book Review: Couple Found Slain by Mikita Brottman

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Find a copy here

As an avid listener of true crime podcasts, I am drawn to stories that focus on the victims. In this case, everyone is a victim. In many ways each person-both the murder victims and their son, their killer-was the victim of untreated mental illness. The family history leading up to the deadly event is just part of the story. The rest of the story is Brian’s and what happens to the criminally insane. This is a well-researched, deep dive into life in a mental institution. Readers are left wondering about Brian and his fate. Lots to unpack and discuss.

New Books Tuesday @ RRPL

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Here are some of the new books coming to our shelves this week for you to add to your book list!

The Defense Lawyer: The Barry Slotnick Story by James Patterson & Benjamin Wallace – Takes readers inside the courtroom to witness defense lawyer and Bronx-native Barry Slotnick, known for his brilliant legal mind, sharp suits and bold courtroom strategies, as he never loses a case for his notorious and dangerous clients.

The Good Son by Jacquelyn Mitchard – When her son is released from prison after serving time for the negligent homicide of his girlfriend, Thea is committed to helping him make amends until attempts on their lives are made, leading her to believe that those who are threatening them having something to hide.

Joan Is Okay by Weike Wang – An ICU physician at a busy NYC hospital, 30-something Joan, a workaholic with little interest in having friends, let alone lovers, is required to take mandatory leave until the day she must return to the city to face a crisis larger than anything she’s encountered before.

You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays by Zora Hurston – Spanning more than 35 years of work, this anthology showcases the writings of one of the most acclaimed artists of the Harlem Renaissance, providing a window into her world and time.

Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins – Boston PI Spenser takes on a new case in this installment in Robert B. Parker’s iconic New York Times best-selling series.

Lightning in a Mirror by Jayne Ann Krentz – When her speed dating experiment leads her to Harlan Rancourt, who—long believed dead—needs her help locating a legendary lab, psychic investigator Olivia LeClair must use her unique gift to get them to the top-secret lab before innocent people die.

Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn – A 30-something, Oxford-educated, British Nigerian woman with a high-paying job and good friends, Yinka, whose aunties frequently pray for her delivery from singledom, must find a date for her cousin’s wedding with the help of a spreadsheet and her best friend.

Desolation Canyon by P. J. Tracy – While coping with the loss of her brother, an LAPD detective discovers the body of a successful attorney in Swan Lake at the Hotel Bel-Air bar, leading to a series of shocking revelations about a sinister cabal.

One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner – Searching for a young man who disappeared without a trace, missing persons expert and recovering alcoholic Frankie Elkin, with her very life on the line, goes up against something very dark to find what she is looking for.

Targeted by Stephen Hunter – When the court in where he is accused of reckless endangerment from his last assignment is attacked by violent operatives, Bobby Lee Swagger must rely on his instincts, shooting skills and the help of a mysterious rogue sniper on the outside, to save the very people who accused him.

~Semanur

True Crime Book Review: The Five by by Hallie Rubenhold

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Find a copy here

Mary Ann “Polly” Nichols. Annie Chapman. Elizabeth Stride. Catherine Eddowes. Mary Jane Kelly. Everyone knows the moniker Jack the Ripper, but very few know the names of his victims. For over a century the focus has been on the killer and the nature of his crimes, the meticulous and brutal murder of prostitutes. Author Hallie Rubenhold flips the script on traditional Ripper lore, and presents the lives of the five women whose lives have been reduced by history to their victim status and alleged unsavory activities. These women were more than victims. They were servants, business owners, wives, and mothers. The press of the day was so eager to allay fear amongst Londoners that they painted a portrait of a madman who preyed on prostitutes. This narrative was not only false, it prevented the truth about these women to be known. They were not perfect, but their greatest crime was being born poor women and being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

This is a fascinating look at poverty in Victorian London as well as an exciting new chapter in the Jack the Ripper case. Modern day true crime fans will appreciate that author’s work in humanizing and respecting the victims of these brutal crimes. 

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