Monday, August 24, 2009

Mailbox Monday


Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.
We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

Here's what I got ~

The Riesling Retribution: A Wine Country Mystery (Wine Country Mysteries) by Ellen Crosby ~ When a tornado rips through Montgomery Estate Vineyard, it not only destroys some of Lucie Montgomery's newest grapevines but also unearths a grave in an abandoned field. The discovery sets tongues wagging in the small town of Atoka, Virginia, especially after the police inform Lucie that the odds are good someone in her family is responsible -- possibly for murder.But Lucie has more to worry about than family secrets buried with the victim in her vineyard. Her charming new farm manager clashes constantly with Quinn Santori, her winemaker, and accidents, broken equipment, and injuries fuel the combustible atmosphere around the winery. Lucie's complicated feelings for Quinn -- romantic and professional -- are tested when she learns he may be involved in disturbing activities that could cost him his job.Meanwhile, Lucie has granted permission to a group of Civil War reenactors to use a field near the grave site to stage the local Battle of Ball's Bluff, though she is unsettled by stories of ghosts who still haunt the real battlefield and its cemetery of unknown soldiers. As the day for the reenactment draws near, the ghosts of her own family's past converge for an outcome she could never have anticipated.With an intriguing combination of colorful characters, fascinating history, and winemaking detail, The Riesling Retribution combines an entertaining mystery with luminous prose that has become Crosby's trademark.

The White Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory ~ Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills. With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

After You: A Novel by Julie Buxbaum (For Review) ~ The complexities of a friendship. The unexplored doubts of a marriage. And the redemptive power of literature... Julie Buxbaum, the acclaimed author of The Opposite of Love, delivers a haunting, gloriously written novel about love, family, and the secrets we hide from each other--and ourselves. It happened on a tree-lined street in Notting Hill to a woman who seemed to have the perfect life. Ellie Lerner’s best friend, Lucy, was murdered in front of her young daughter. And, as best friends do, Ellie dropped everything--her marriage, her job, her life in the Boston suburbs--to travel to London and pick up the pieces of Lucy’s life. While Lucy’s husband, Greg, copes with his grief by retreating into himself, eight-year-old Sophie has simply stopped speaking. Desperate to help Sophie, Ellie turns to a book that gave her comfort as a child, The Secret Garden. As the two spend hours exploring the novel’s winding passageways, its story of hurt, magic, and healing blooms around them. But so, too, do Lucy’s secrets--some big, some small--secrets Lucy kept hidden, even from her best friend. Over a summer in London, as Ellie peels back the layers of her friend’s life, she’s forced to confront her own as well: the marriage she left behind, the loss she’d hoped to escape. And suddenly Ellie’s carefully constructed existence is spinning out of control in a chain of events that will transform her life--and those around her--forever. A novel that will resonate in the heart of anyone who’s had a best friend, a love lost, or a past full of regrets, After You proves once again the unique and compelling talent of Julie Buxbaum.

Working Stiff by Annelise Ryan (ARC) ~ Former nurse-turned deputy coroner Mattie Winston has gone from working on live patients to cutting open corpses. But she has no idea that trading in her nurse's cap for a deputy coroner's badge will take her closer to her own death than she'd ever imagined...Mattie Winston's decision to change careers had nothing to do with a mid-life crisis or desire to suddenly spend a lot of time with a bunch of corpses. But catching her surgeon husband David Winston in the act of receiving some very special loving care from R.N. Karen Owenby was enough to make Mattie never want to show her face again in the hospital where they both worked. When her best friend Izzy suggests she'd be a natural as a deputy coroner, she reluctantly gives it a try. Now, instead of taking patients' pulses, she's weighing their hearts and livers. But living in Izzy's cottage, which just happens to be next door to her ex's house, is a little too close for comfort, and Mattie can't resist spying on her husband one night. Peeking into a window, Mattie glimpses Karen Owenby and David in the middle of a heated argument - one that leads to David shaking Karen violently by the shoulders...The next day when Izzy takes Mattie on her first homicide call, Mattie's shocked to discover the victim is none other than Karen. Recalling the previous night's scene, she refuses to believe David could be a killer. Keeping mum about what she saw, Mattie is also left speechless by the sight of hunky Detective Steve Hurley...Mattie's investigation soon turns up a host of dizzying revelations, including the fact that Karen wasn't who she said she was. From learning the ropes on her new job to sorting out her feelings about her ex and dealing with her growing attraction to Detective Hurley, Mattie's in deep water and in danger of sinking quickly, especially when she places herself dead center in the path of a desperate - yet determined - killer...

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (For Review) ~ Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them.

Vanished by Joseph Finder ~ Nick Heller is tough, smart, and stubborn. And in his line of work, it's essential. Trained in the Special Forces, Nick is a high-powered intelligence investigator--exposing secrets that powerful people would rather keep hidden. He's a guy you don't want to mess with. He's also the man you call when you need a problem fixed.Desperate, with nowhere else to run, Nick's nephew, Gabe makes that call one night. After being attacked in Georgetown, his mother, Lauren, lies in a coma, and his step-dad, Roger, Nick's brother, has vanished without a trace.Nick and Roger have been on the outs since the arrest, trial, and conviction of their father, the notorious "fugitive financier," Victor Heller. Where Nick strayed from the path, Roger followed their father's footsteps into the corporate world. Now, as Nick searches for his brother, he's on a collision course with one of the most powerful corporations in the world--and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.

Vengeance Road by Rick Mofina ~ The murder of a brokenhearted woman...The body of Bernice Hogan, a troubled young former nursing student with a tragic past, is found in a shallow grave near a forest creek....and the chilling disappearance of her friend...Jolene Peller, a single mom struggling to build a new life with her little boy, vanishes the night she tries to find Bernice....raise questions about their ties to a respected detective... Hero cop Karl Styebeck is beloved by his community, but privately police are uneasy with the answers he gives to protect the life and the lie he's lived....and lead to one journalist's obsession to find the truth... The case haunts Jack Gannon, a gritty, blue-collar reporter whose own sister ran away from their family years ago. Gannon risks more than his job to pursue the story behind Styebeck's dark secret, his link to the women, and the mysterious big rig roaming America's loneliest highways on its descent into eternal darkness.

3 comments:

Lori (sugarandgrits) said...

WOW! You got some great books! After You looks like a good one. :)

Here's the link to my list:
http://sugarandgrits.blogspot.com/2009/08/mailbox-monday-3.html

Thank you,
~ Lori

Lesley (aka Upper West Side Writer) said...

Heh, I LOVE the title of the first book!

Minding Spot said...

Some good reading there!! Lots of mystery and suspense :) You enjoy!!