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Pay dirt road / by Allen, Samantha Jayne,author.;
"Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown in this small-town mystery about an unlikely private investigator searching for a missing waitress. Pay Dirt Road is the mesmerizing debut from the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Samantha Jayne Allen. Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship with Garnett, Texas. Recently graduated from college and home waitressing, lacking not in ambition but certainly in direction, Annie is lured into the family business-a private investigation firm-by her supposed-to-be-retired grandfather, Leroy, despite the rest of the clan's misgivings. When a waitress at the cafae goes missing, Annie and Leroy begin an investigation that leads them down rural routes and haunted byways, to noxious-smelling oil fields and to the glowing neon of local honky-tonks. As Annie works to uncover the truth she finds herself identifying with the victim in increasing, unsettling ways, and realizes she must confront her own past-failed romances, a disturbing experience she'd rather forget, andthe trick mirror of nostalgia itself-if she wants to survive this homecoming"--Winner of the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Novels.; Murder; Private investigators;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The herd : a novel / by Bartz, Andrea,author.;
"The name of the elite, women-only coworking space stretches across the wall behind the check-in desk: THE HERD, the H-E-R always in purple. In-the-know New Yorkers crawl over each other to apply for membership to this community that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. Among the hopefuls is Katie Bradley, who's just returned from the Midwest after a stint of book research blew up in her face. Luckily, Katie has an "in," thanks to her sister Hana, an original Herder and the best friend of Eleanor Gleason, its charismatic founder. Eleanor is a queen among The Herd's sun-filled rooms, admired and quietly feared, even as she strives to be warm and approachable. As head of PR, Hana is working around the clock in preparation for a huge announcement from Eleanor-- one that would change the trajectory of The Herd forever. Though Katie loves her sister's crew, she secretly hopes she's found her next book subject in Eleanor, who's brilliant, trailblazing-- and extremely private. Then, on the night of the glitzy Herd news conference, Eleanor vanishes without a trace. Everybody has a theory about what made Eleanor run, but when the police suspect foul play, everyone is a suspect: Eleanor's husband, other Herders, the men's rights groups that have had it out for The Herd since its launch-- even Eleanor's closest friends. As Hana struggles to figure out what her friend was hiding and Katie chases the story of her life, the sisters must face down the secrets they're keeping from each other-- and confront just how dangerous it can be when women's perfect veneers start to crack, crumble, and then fall away all together"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Women; Missing persons; Sisters; Secrecy; Authors;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mégantic : a deadly mix of oil, rail, and avarice / by Saint-Cerny, Anne-Marie,1954-author.; translation of:Saint-Cerny, Anne-Marie,1954-Mégantic.English.; Wilson, W. Donald,1938-translator.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Lac-Mégantic, Québec, Canada--July 6, 2013. During a hot summer night, a driverless, out-of-control train, firing explosive crude-oil bombs, descends the slope that leads to the scenic town below, pulverizing the downtown area, charring forty-seven trapped victims. The devastation leaves the people dazed ... but is quickly the object of an intentional and tortuous cover-up. Who are the tragedy's real culprits? How did the accident lead to the brutal death of forty-seven people, the suicides of several others, and the devastation of a whole community? Who took control of the crime scene? Who carried out the reconstruction, and for whose good? In this fascinating piece of investigative journalism, written like a thriller, Saint-Cerny reveals the inner workings of the 2013 Lac-Mégantic rail disaster. She reveals how the tragedy, far from being just the "error of a faulty system," was knowingly caused by powerful people and institutions distant from the town itself. Iconic in more ways than one, Lac-Mégantic is a perfect capitalist tale. Conceived in the offices of Wall Street hedge funders, of Dakota black-gold cowboy magnates, of oil conglomerates, and set up by a political class entirely devoted to the interests of the rail industry, the disaster hit a population which, while still in shock, found itself at the mercy of local predators--the perfect illustration of Naomi Klein's shock doctrine. Despite everything, the transport of crude oil and dangerous products today has increased so much that it constitutes the rail industry's main source of profit. But the Government of Canada stubbornly refuses to shed light on the 2013 tragedy and identify its causes. The fruit of five years of work and interviews with nearly a hundred people from various backgrounds, including victims and their relatives, Mégantic: A Tragedy in Waiting, tells the story of the disaster in three acts--before, during, and after--in an investigation whose ultimate goal is to prevent the preventable."--
Subjects: Disaster victims; Lac-Mégantic Derailment, Lac-Mégantic, Québec, 2013.; Railroad accidents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Hope in the balance : a Newfoundland doctor meets a world in crisis / by Furey, Andrew,author.; Doyle, Alan,1969-writer of foreword.;
"How the caring spirit of Newfoundland was exported to a world in crisis. Dr. Andrew Furey, an orthopedic surgeon, was sitting by a large fireplace at home in St John's, watching an even larger flat-screen TV, when dreadful images of the aftermath of an earthquake in Haiti burst in on the cosy domestic scene. Human suffering on an epic scale was being documented in real time. Dr. Furey spent a sleepless night, and woke knowing he had to help in some way. In what has been a theme throughout Newfoundland and Labrador's history, he found himself answering the call for help. Dr. Furey formed a team of three--himself; his wife and pediatric emergency room physician, Dr. Allison Furey; and orthopedic surgeon Will Moores--and together they travelled from to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where they spent a week volunteering. The challenge seemed overhelming: a multitude of badly injured victims, horrendous working conditions and the official agencies who left much to be desired in terms of organization. But somehow the trio did not lose hope. Instead, they redoubled their efforts. After returning from that first mission, Dr. Furey founded Team Broken Earth--an expert, unbureaucratic, fleet-footed volunteer task force of physicians, nurses and physiotherapists committed to providing aid in Haiti. The organization has continued to grow, recruiting volunteers from all over Canada. It has carried out many more missions to Port-au-Prince and has expanded its operations to other countries like Nepal, Bangladesh, Guatemala and Nicaragua. And its mission has expanded in other ways, with education and training for local medical professionals now at the heart of its endeavour. Dr. Andrew Furey tells the story of Team Broken Earth's founding and remarkable work with vivid immediacy and raw honesty. He shares his doubts and failures and moments of near-despair. He explores how his Newfoundland upbringing has informed his efforts abroad. And he reaches an optimistic conclusion that will leave readers inspired to bring about positive change in their own lives."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Furey, Andrew; Team Broken Earth (Organization); Medical assistance; Medical assistance; Humanitarian assistance, Canadian; Humanitarian assistance, Canadian; Physicians; Physicians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Before she knew him : a novel / by Swanson, Peter,1968-author.;
Hen and her husband, Lloyd, have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she's found some stability and peace. But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband's office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she's long had a fascination with this unsolved murder - an obsession she doesn't talk about anymore, but can't fully shake either. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate? The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he's planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she's been watching him, that she's really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape ...
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Married people; Manic-depressive persons; Neighbors; Murder;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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At a loss for words : conversation in the age of rage / by Off, Carol,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Award-winning author and broadcast journalist Carol Off digs deep into six words whose meanings have been distorted and weaponized in recent years -- including democracy, freedom and truth -- and asks whether we can reclaim their value. As co-host of CBC Radio's As It Happens, Carol Off spent a decade and a half talking to people in the news five nights a week. On top of her stellar writing and reporting career, those 25,000 interviews have given her a unique vantage point on the crucial subject at the heart of her new book -- how, in these polarizing years, words that used to define civil society and social justice are being put to work for a completely different political agenda. Or they are being bleached of their meaning as the values they represent are mocked and distorted. As Off writes, "If our language doesn't have a means to express an idea, then the idea itself is gone -- even the range of thought is diminished." And, as she argues, that's a dangerous loss. In six, wide-ranging chapters, Off explores the mutating meanings and the changing political impact of her six chosen words -- freedom, democracy, truth, woke, choice and taxes -- unpacking the forces, from right and left, that have altered them beyond recognition. She also shows what happens when we lose our shared political vocabulary: we stop being able to hear each other, let alone speak with each other in meaningful ways. This means we stop being able to reckon with the complexity of the crises we face, leaving us prey to conspiracy theories, autocrats and the machinations of greed. At a Loss for Words is both an elegy and a call to arms."--
Subjects: Interpersonal communication.; Miscommunication.; Semantics.;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Humor me / by Shook, Cat,1993-author.;
"Presley Fry is not amused. She's been an assistant at the Late Night Show for way too long, she's adopted a "business casual" approach to dating to save herself from the embarrassment of seeking genuine connection, and she's content to allow her gregarious roommate, Isabelle, to orchestrate her entire social life. And yet, Presley is absolutely enamored with her job and the world of stand-up comedy. The joy she finds in discovering up-and-coming comedians, the beauty and connection in their shared humor - it's enough for now. Enter Susan Clark, the childhood best friend of Presley's late mother, whose death still knocks the wind out of Presley whenever she reaches for the phone. Susan is married to the head of the network where Presley works, and she is determined to take Presley under her wing and ease her way through life in the big city. She's also determined to connect Presley with her son, the bright and affable Lawrence, who couldn't be further from Presley's type. As Presley grapples with the loss of her mother and finds her people among those who seek out comedy to make the world a bit brighter, Humor Me reminds us that friendship can emerge from where you least expect it, and shared laughter can ease some of the deepest pain"--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Novels.; Friendship; Grief; Man-woman relationships; Mothers and daughters; Mothers; Stand-up comedy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Stay true : a memoir / by Hsu, Hua,1977-author.;
"From the New Yorker staff writer Hua Hsu, a gripping memoir on friendship, grief, the search for self, and the solace that can be found through art. In the eyes of 18-year-old Hua Hsu, the problem with Ken--with his passion for Dave Matthews, Abercrombie & Fitch, and his fraternity--is that he is exactly like everyone else. Ken, whose Japanese American family has been in the United States for generations, is mainstream; for Hua, a first-generation Taiwanese American who has a 'zine and haunts Bay Area record shops, Ken represents all that he defines himself in opposition to. The only thing Hua and Ken have in common is that, however they engage with it, American culture doesn't seem to have a place for either of them. But despite his first impressions, Hua and Ken become best friends, a friendship built of late-night conversations over cigarettes, long drives along the California coast, and the textbook successes and humiliations of everyday college life. And then violently, senselessly, Ken is gone, killed in a carjacking, not even three years after the day they first meet. Determined to hold on to all that was left of his best friend--his memories--Hua turned to writing. Stay True is the book he's been working on ever since. A coming-of-age story that details both the ordinary and extraordinary, Stay True is a bracing memoir about growing up, and about moving through the world in search of meaning and belonging"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Hsu, Hua, 1977-; Hsu, Hua, 1977-; Ishida, Kenneth N., 1977-1998.; University of California, Berkeley; Children of immigrants; Coming of age.; Murder victims; Popular culture; Taiwanese Americans; Taiwanese Americans;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Murder at la Villette / by Black, Cara,1951-author.;
"Parisian private investigator Aimée Leduc has been framed for the murder of her daughter's father-now she's on the lam, and must find the real killer to clear her name in this thrilling 21st installment of Cara Black's New York Times bestselling mystery series. Aimée Leduc's ex Melac, her daughter's father, has been hounding her for weeks, pressuring her to move little Chloe to Brittany, threatening to take her to court for custody-all but stalking her. Harassed and fed up, Aimée has stopped taking his calls. That's why she doesn't know as she's leaving a client's office late one night that Melac is waiting for her by the Bassin de la Villette-where an assailant attacks him just in time for Aimee to find his still-bleeding body in the canal. Interrupted, the killer knocks Aimée unconscious and plants the bloody knife in her hands for the police to find. Now Aimée is in police custody, debilitated by her concussion, with overwhelming evidence working against her. She has to figure out who set Melac up-but he was a man with many pasts, a former homicide investigator and the target of criminal grudges. Cut off from her typical network and forced to operate under multiple layers of cover, Aimée must go deep into the underbelly of Paris's 19th arrondissement, where she rubs shoulders with biker gangs, paranoid journalists, grieving parents, and frustratingly tight-lipped ex-cops on her hunt for truth and justice"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Novels.; Divorced mothers; Leduc, Aimee (Fictitious character); Murder; Suspects (Criminal investigation); Undercover operations; Women private investigators;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The last drop of hemlock / by Schellman, Katharine,author.;
"The rumor went through the Nightingale like a flood, quietly rising, whispers hovering on lips in pockets of silence. Life as a working-class girl in Prohibition-era New York isn't safe or easy. But Vivian Kelly has a new job at the Nightingale, an underground speakeasy where the jazz is hot and the employees look out for each other in a world that doesn't care about them. Things are finally looking up for her and her sister Florence ... until the night Vivian learns that her friend Bea's uncle, a bouncer at the Nightingale, has died. His death is ruled a suicide, but Bea isn't so convinced. She knew her uncle was keeping a secret: a payoff from a mob boss that was going to take him out of the tenements and into a better life. Now, the money is missing. Though her better judgment tells her to stay out of it, Vivian agrees to help Bea find the truth about her uncle's death. But they uncover more than they expected when rumors surface of a mysterious letter writer, blackmailing Vivian's poorest neighbors for their most valuable possessions, threatening poison if they don't comply. Death is always a heartbeat away in Jazz Age New York, where mob bosses rule the back alleys and cops take bootleggers' hush money. But whoever is targeting Vivian's poor and unprotected neighbors is playing a different game. With the Nightingale's dangerously lovely owner, Honor, worried for her employees' safety and Bea determined to discover who is responsible for her uncle's death, Vivian once again finds herself digging through a dead man's past in hopes of stopping a killer"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Extortion; Murder; Nightclubs; Nineteen twenties; Prohibition; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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