Wednesday, April 14, 2010

What's Releasing (04-14-10 edition)

Books available the week of 4/19/10:

Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci

Evan Waller is a monster. He has built a fortune from his willingness to buy and sell anything . . . and anyone. In search of new opportunities, Waller has just begun a new business venture: one that could lead to millions of deaths all over the globe. On Waller's trail is Shaw, the mysterious operative from The Whole Truth, who must prevent Waller from closing his latest deal. Shaw's one chance to bring him down will come in the most unlikely of places: a serene, bucolic village in Provence. But Waller's depravity and ruthlessness go deeper than Shaw knows. And now, there is someone else pursuing Waller in Provence-Reggie Campion, an agent for a secret vigilante group headquartered in a musty old English estate-and she has an agenda of her own. Hunting the same man and unaware of each other's mission, Shaw and Reggie will be caught in a deadly duel of nerve and wits. Hitchcockian in its intimate buildup of suspense and filled with the remarkable characters, breathtaking plot turns, and blockbuster finale that are David Baldacci's hallmarks, DELIVER US FROM EVIL will be one of the most gripping thrillers of the year.


The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption and Pee by Sarah Silverman

From the outrageously filthy and oddly innocent comedienne Sarah Silverman comes a memoir—her first book—that is at once shockingly personal, surprisingly poignant, and still pee-in-your-pants funny. If you like Sarah’s television show The Sarah Silverman Program, or memoirs such as Chelsea Handler’s Are You There Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea and Artie Lange’s Too Fat to Fish, you’ll love The Bedwetter.

Warning from publisher to reader:

At HarperCollins, we are committed to customer satisfaction. Before proceeding with your purchase, please take the following questionnaire to determine your likelihood of enjoying this book:

1. Which of the following do you appreciate?

(a) Women with somewhat horse-ish facial features.
(b) Women who, while not super Jew-y, are more identifiably Jewish than, say, Natalie Portman.
(c) Frequent discussion of unwanted body hair.

2. Are you offended by the following behavior?

(a) Instructing one's grandmother to place baked goods in her rectal cavity.
(b) Stripping naked in public—eleven times in a row.
(c) Stabbing one's boss in the head with a writing implement.

3. The best way to treat an emotionally fragile young girl is:

(a) Murder the main course of her Thanksgiving dinner before her very eyes.
(b) Tell her that her older sister is prettier than she, and then immediately die.
(c) Prevent her suicide by recommending she stay away from open windows.

If you read the above questions without getting nauseous or forming a hate Web site, you are ready to buy this book! Please proceed to the cashier.


Eight Days to Live by Iris Johansen

While Eve Duncan (first introduced in the more procedural Face of Deception) is present for parts of this thriller, the action focuses on her adopted daughter, Jane Maguire, and the psychopathic men determined to kill her. The why has something vaguely to do with a painting that Jane created from a dream image that connects to a prophecy and a cult that dates back to the time of Christ. In the meantime, Jane must struggle to stay one step ahead of the killers with the help of two strong but silent assassins—one who works for the CIA, the other who has some sort of extra ability to boil a person's blood from the inside out. VERDICT Johansen's latest is more than a little over the top with the villainous villains and secret sacrifices—think The Da Vinci Code crossed with an Anne Stuart romantic suspense novel, and you'll have a sense of the plot and tone. Not that that will be a bad thing for all readers. Fans of Stuart's amoral heroes and those who still follow Johansen will probably pick this one up.

No comments: