Mailbox Monday (Aug 22, 2011)

 Mailbox Monday's host for August is Staci at Life in the Thumb. In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 

The Most Dangerous Thing

by Laura Lippman

 

 

Years ago, they were all the best of friends.  But as time passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past -- and the terrible lie they all shared.

 

But now Gordon, the youngest and wildest of the five, has died and the others are thrown together for the first time in years.

 

And then the revelations start.

 

Could their long-ago lie be the reason for their troubles today?  Is it more dangerous to admit to what they've done or is it the strain of keeping the secret that is beginning to wear on them and everyone close to them?

 

Each one of these old friends has to wonder if their secret has been discovered -- and if someone within the circle is out to destroy them.

 

 

A Bitter Truth

by Charles Todd

 

When battlefield nurse Bess Crawford returns from France for a well-earned Christmas leave, she finds a bruised and shivering woman huddled in the doorway of her London residence.  The woman has nowhere to turn, and propelled by a firm sense of duty, Bess takes her in.

 

Once inside Bess's flat, the woman reveals that a quarrel with her husband erupted into violence, yet she wants to return home -- if Bess will go with her to Sussex.  Realizing that the woman is suffering from a concussion, Bess gives up a few precious days of leave to travel with her.  But she soon discovers that this is a good deed with unforeseeable consequences.

 

What Bess finds at Vixen Hill is a house of mourning.  The woman's family has gathered for a memoiral service for the elder son, who died of war wounds.  Her husband, home on compassionate leave, is tense, tormented by jealousy and his own guilty conscience.

 

Then, when a troubled houseguest is found dead, Bess herself becomes a prime suspect in the case.  This murder will lead her to a dangerous quest in war-torn France, an unexpected ally, and a startling revelation that puts her in jeopardy before a vicious killer can be exposed.

 

 

Sanctus

by Simon Toyne

 

The certainties of modern life are about to be shattered by an ancient conspiracy that has been nurtured by blood and lies.

 

A man climbs a cliff face in the oldest inhabited place on earth, a mountain known as the Citadel, a Vatican-like city-state that towers above the city of Ruin in contemporary Turkey.  But this is no ordinary ascent.  It is a dangerous, symbolic act.  And thanks to the media, it is witnessed by the entire world.

 

And few people understand its consequence.  For foundation worker Kathryn Mann and a handful of others, it's evidence that a hopeful, new beginning is at hand.  For the cowled and secretive monks who live inside the Citadel, it could mean the end of everything they have built -- and they will break every law in every country and even kill to stop it.  For reporter Liv Adamsen, it spurs the memory of the beloved brother she has lost and begins the next stage of a journey into the heart of her own identity.

 

At that journey's end lies a discovery that will change everything. . .

 

 

 

All These Things I've Done

by Gabrielle Zevin

 

In 2083, chocolate and caffeine are illegal, water is carefully rationed, books are scarce, and New York City is rife with poverty and crime.

 

And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine.  But when she finds herself falling for the son of the new assistant district attorney, and her ex-boyfriend is poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures, Anya is unwillingly thrust into the spotlight -- in the news, and, more important, within her mafiya family.

 

 

 

52 Things Kids Need From a Mom

by Angela Thomas

 

Mom, do you need inspiration? encouragement? affirmation?

 

Angela Thomas, bestselling author and mother of four, draws on personal experience and biblical principles to help you raise healthy, responsible kids and establish strong family ties.  Whether you have one baby or six children, you'll enjoy insightful stories, practical information, and loads of encouragement in each short reading.  Covering childhood through the teen years, the 52 chapters are packed with specifics to help you:

• make your children feel loved and secure
• teach and encourage communication
• establish a positive, wholesome atmosphere
• know when and how to correct behaviour and set consequences
• help your kids persevere and succeed.

52 Things Kids Need from a Mom is upbeat, guilt-free, and designed to be read in short bursts -- perfect for today's busy schedules.  You'll discover how to lead with God's love and grace and create family moments that will be recalled with delight for years to come.

 

 

 

Darn Good Cowboy Christmas

by Carolyn Brown

 

He's one hot cowboy. . .

Raylen O'Donnell is one smokin' cowboy.  He could have any woman he wants, but he's never been able to forget a certain dark-haired girl who disappeared from his life.  So when she suddenly returns to the ranch next door, Raylen's not fixing to let her get away again. . .

 

And she's out for a sizzlin' Christmas

Raised in a traveling carnival, Lizelle Hanson thought all she wanted was a house that didn't have wheels and a sexy cowboy for her very own.  But settling down's going to take some getting used to, and catching Raylen, the hotter-than-hell cowboy next door, might just take a little holiday magic. . .

 

 

Thunder of Heaven

by Tim LaHaye and Craig Parshall

In the sequel to the New York Times bestselling novel -- Edge of Apocalypse, homeland America is under attack.

Joshua Jordan's reputation is on the line when his controversial RTS system fails to protect Flight 199 as it takes off from Chicago and is shot down by a terrorist missile.  The government is taking no chances and starts an investigation of Joshua's entire defense program. Unfortunately, the Israelis, longtime allies of the United States, are desperate for the technology.  When Joshua flies to the Middle East to assure them of the RTS's reliability, he is captured by Iranians who want the secret for the defense tool for their own use.

With Joshua out of the country, Abigail Jordan is left in charge of the Roundtable and sets out to defend her husband to the media and to the commission set up to investigate RTS.  But America is under attack -- a bombing in the Mall of America and rumors of even more potential atrocities have this covert team desperate to find additional bombs before they are set off.

As man vs. man and nation vs. nation come together in an epic battle, nature takes over and makes the final blow.  And as world events begin setting the stage for the "end of days" foretold in Revelation, Joshua Jordan must weigh the personal price he must pay to save the nation he loves.

What books came home to you this week?