Staff Picks
Stay in touch with the personal favorites of the KDL Staff. Each title is handpicked.
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The Reserve by Russell Banks Losing her father to a heart attack on the same night she meets a politically liberal artist, scandal-marked heiress Vanessa Cole hides a dark family secret that takes her from the Adirondacks to war-torn Europe and threatens everyone she encounters. Catalog Link |
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The Lace Reader: A Novel by Brunonia Barry Having left her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts, fifteen years ago under troubling circumstances, psychic Towner Whitney reluctantly returns after her eighty-five-year-old great-aunt Eva suddenly disappears and joins local cop John Rafferty in his investigation into the mystery. Catalog Link |
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The Echo from Dealey Plaza by Abraham Bolden A personal memoir by the first African-American agent to serve on the White House Secret Service detail describes the hostility and racism he confronted, the team’s frequent irresponsible behavior, his efforts to expose the Secret Service’s negligence in the wake of JFK’s assassination, and the destruction of his career thanks to on a trumped-up bribery charge. Catalog Link |
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The Killer's Wife: A Novel by Bill Floyd Six years after her former husband had been sentenced to death for a series of brutal killings, Leigh Wren has built a new life for herself and her young son, until the father of one of her ex-husband’s victims reveals her past, forcing her to confront her memories of life with a deviant serial killer and bringing her face to face with another, vicious murderer. Catalog Link |
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Silks by Dick Francis After his client, the arrogant Julian Trent, is convicted and sentenced to jail, Geoffrey Mason, a defense barrister with a passion for horse racing, finds himself caught in the middle of a sinister web of intimidation and danger when he reluctantly becomes involved in the case of jockey Steve Mitchell, accused of killing a fellow steeplechase rider. Catalog Link |
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Fisherman's Bend (Jane Bunker) by Linda Greenlaw Hoping for a respite after the events of Slipknot, former big-city detective Jane Bunker has an unexpected encounter with the dark underworld of her sleepy Maine coastal community when a dark secret from the past strikes close to home. Catalog Link |
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The Other by David Guterson Two boys from profoundly different backgrounds—John William Barry, the wealthy scion of two elite Seattle families, and the blue-collar Irish Neil Countryman—brought together by their fierce love of the natural world, grow up to pursue vastly different paths in life, Neil as a devoted schoolteacher, and John William, a recluse seeking refuge in the wilderness. Catalog Link |
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Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan Fact and fiction blend in a historical novel that chronicles the relationship between seminal architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, from their meeting in Oak Park, Illinois, when they were each married to another, to the clandestine affair that shocked Chicago society. Catalog Link |
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Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs Tiring of playing the hostess as her fiftieth birthday approaches, celebrity chef Augusta Simpson endeavors to distance herself from her overly dependent loved ones and receives assistance from handsome fellow chef Oliver in her efforts to launch an on-air cooking class. Catalog Link |
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Damage Control (Joanna Brady Mysteries, Book 13) by J. A. Jance Feeling overwhelmed by paperwork and the responsibilities of caring for a newborn, Arizona sheriff Joanna Brady struggles with a case involving a woman who shot the wrong man while defending herself from a stalker and a fatal car accident that may have been staged. Catalog Link |
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Jack With A Twist (Red Dress Ink) by Brenda Janowitz When Manhattan lawyer Brooke Miller lands her first big case, she discovers that the opposing attorney is her fiancé and starts to suspect that he is not the man she thought he is when he pulls every dirty trick in the law books to win. Original. Catalog Link |
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Family Outing: What Happened When I Found Out My Mother Was Gay by Troy Johnson Describes the author’s teenage discovery about his mother’s sexual orientation in the years prior to modern understandings about homosexuality, tracing his personal journey from a mom-hating homophobe to a gay-rights advocate with a unique perspective about sexual identity and social awareness. Catalog Link |
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The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City. Catalog Link |
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Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation by Cokie Roberts A sequel to Founding Mothers shares the stories of remarkable women who shaped American history between 1796 and 1828, including Dolley Madison, Theodosia Burr, and Sacajawea. By the author of We Are Our Mothers’ Daughters. Catalog Link |
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Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It by Elizabeth Royte A narrative investigation into the commercialization of drinking water traces the process through which companies acquire, bottle, and market water, in an account that addresses a range of issues, from the sources of drinking water and the environmental challenges of plastic bottles to the moral issue of paying for water and the risks of water-decontaminating practices. Catalog Link |
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My Mother the Cheerleader by Robert Sharenow When a stranger from the North arrives at her mother’s boardinghouse, thirteen-year-old Louise uncovers secrets about her family and her neighborhood during the violent protests over school desegregation in 1960 New Orleans. Catalog Link |
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Lost on Planet China: The Strange and True Story of One Man's Attempt to Understand the World's Most Mystifying Nation by J. Maarten Troost The author chronicles his odyssey in China, from the urban megalopolises of Beijing and Shanghai to the desolate wastes of the Gobi desert and the distant mountains of Tibet, as he describes the cultural wonders and strange perils he encountered. Catalog Link |