On the shelves - April 28

The following are available for checkout at:

Clovis-Carver Public Library

“Romeo's Fight” by James Scott Bell delivers edge of your seat thrills with a pinch of romance, a dash of philosophy, and sprinkled with humor, mythology and even Shakespeare. All Romeo wanted was to chill by the pool and talk to Zane Donahue, but trouble walked up to ruin a good day when an old friend calls on Romeo to help clear him of a gruesome and unsolved Hollywood murder. Dark and twisted turns then open a wound from Romeo's own past, thrusting him into a fight for his own life.

“The Department of Sensitive Crimes” by Alexander McCall Smith brings a hilarious and heartening perspective on Scandinavian crime through a crack team that gets to the bottom of cases other detectives won’t bother to handle. Supernatural visitations at a local spa, a knee stabbing and an imaginary boyfriend gone missing all prove no case is too unusual, too complicated, or too, well, insignificant for this equally bizarre squad to solve.

“Permafrost” by Alastair Reynolds travels to the year 2080 at a remote site on the edge of the Arctic Circle where a group of scientists, engineers and physicians gather to gamble humanity’s future on one last-ditch experiment. Their goal: to make a tiny alteration to the past, averting a global catastrophe while at the same time leaving recorded history intact. However to make the experiment work they need one last recruit, an aging schoolteacher whose late mother was the foremost expert on the mathematics of paradox.

“The Hard Break” by Aaron Edelheit asserts the demands of productivity that scream our every moment must be maximized and no time wasted ironically might not be making us all that productive. Edelheit shows the wisdom of taking a hard break — a day without working long hours, emails, texts, tweets and all that keeps us connected every minute — to achieve a good balance, attain more success and put life back into perspective.

“The Revenger: The Life and Times of Wild Bill Hickok” by Aaron Woodard examines Wild Bill’s life from birth, through his early manhood and to his eventual demise. Woven into his life story are the significant role played by the Civil War in the development of his character and philosophy, the effect of popular media in the creation of his legendary status and the changing of the western landscape and lifestyle that began to eliminate the need for gunmen such as Wild Bill.

“Myths and Legends of Yellowstone” by Ednor Therriault explores strange events, unusual phenomena and mysteries in Yellowstone National Park’s history, including ghosts in Old Faithful Inn, nature’s laundromat, to Bigfoot sightings. This fun side of history pulls back the curtain on some of this national treasure’s most fascinating and compelling stories

Portales Public Library

“Black and Blue” by David Rosenfelt

Eighteen months ago Walter Brookings was shot through the heart, but with no apparent motive and no related murders, the New Jersey state police department was unable to find the killer and the investigation turned into a cold case. In the time since, state police officer Doug Brock was shot, causing amnesia, and his recovery both physically and mentally has been long and difficult, especially because Doug still can’t remember things that he should. Unable to recall his breakup with his girlfriend Jessie, he is working on earning her trust again, as well as focusing on new crimes with his partner Nate, currently having to deal with two murder cases. When a man is killed in the same way that Brookings was, and the ballistics turn out to be a match, the Brookings case — which Doug worked on — is reopened. Now Doug has to retrace the steps of his investigation, steps that he no longer remembers, and looking at things from a new angle as though for the first time, he starts to question his own previous actions and decisions.

“Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service” by Gary Sinese

Growing up outside of Chicago, Gary Sinese was always more interested in music and sports than in school, but when he auditioned for a school production of “West Side Story” on a whim, he realized that the stage was where he wanted to be. After graduating, he and a few of his friends put together the Steppenwolf Theater Company. They started out in a church basement before moving to Chicago, where not only Gary’s theater career was launched, but also the careers of other actors including Joan Allen, John Malkovich and John Mahoney. After finding considerable success on the stage, Gary broke into film and television with roles in “The Stand” and “Of Mice and Men” before being cast in the role that would make his career: Lieutenant Dan in “Forrest Gump.” Gary’s portrayal of the disabled veteran was instantly popular with the military, causing Gary to realize that American’s veterans were not receiving the gratitude, thanks and honor that they deserved. Finally finding his true purpose, Gary has worked hard to serve America’s defenders by founding the Gary Sinese Foundation, which raises funds for the nation’s military, first responders, and their families, and tours the world entertaining America’s troops by playing the bass in his Lt. Dan Band to show that he is, indeed, a “grateful American.”

“The Mother-in-Law” by Sally Hepworth

Lucy has never had a great relationship with her mother-in-law Diana, who in Lucy’s mind believed that she wasn’t good enough for her son Ollie from the first moment she met her. No one else, however, ever had anything negative to say about Diana, who was highly regarded in the community, happily married to her husband Tom, a good mother to Ollie and his sister Nettie, and an advocate for female refugees, as well as friendly, polite and generous to everyone. After five years of being Diana’s daughter-in-law, Lucy still feels as though Diana keeps her at arm’s length, not realizing that her constant attempts to impress her are actually embarrassing to the reserved Diana. She is as shocked as anyone else when Diana is found dead with a suicide note revealing that she was dying of cancer and did not want to live any longer with the disease. The autopsy, however, finds no evidence of cancer in Diana’s body, but rather evidence of suffocation and poisoning. Although Lucy isn’t exactly sad to see her mother-in-law gone, neither she nor anyone else can believe that anybody would possibly want Diana dead. When Diana’s will is revealed to have been changed right before her death, disinheriting both Ollie and Nettie as well as their spouses, suspicions arise and relationships start to break down.

— Summaries by library staff