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Strawberry Lane: A Touching Texas Love Story (Someday Valley #1)
Par Jodi Thomas. 2023
Set in Someday Valley, surrounding the charming small town of Honey Creek, Texas, New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas&’s…
latest novel tells the heartwarming, tenderly romantic tale of a man who drives his car off a cliff—straight into a life he never imagined . . . Starri Knight is a big believer in fate. How else to explain the compelling connection she feels to the stranger she pulls out of a wrecked car on the very same road where her parents died twenty years earlier? Alongside Auntie Ona-May, the only mother she&’s ever known, Starri saves Rusty O&’Sullivan&’s life—just as Ona-May once did when Starri was an orphaned babe. But convincing Rusty he has something to live for is going to take all of Starri&’s faith in miracles . . . Like a wish he hadn&’t even known to make, Starri landed in Rusty&’s life, filling him with a longing for a family. . . . Then Jackson Landry, a new lawyer, turns up to present a surprise that will change the direction of his life: An inheritance from the father Rusty never knew—and the promise of the family he&’d never had. It&’s a lot for the hard-bitten loner to accept as love from an unexpected direction rushes into his life . . . A sense of duty has Rusty heading to Honey Creek to deal with his father&’s estate—and find his lost siblings. But having family is one thing, learning to love them is another. Good thing new friends are by his side to help him along the way.Death by Chocolate Marshmallow Pie (A Death by Chocolate Mystery #6)
Par Sarah Graves. 2023
The island village of Eastport, Maine, is full of delights—including the delicious treats sold at The Chocolate Moose, the waterfront…
bakery run by Jacobia &“Jake&” Tiptree and Ellie White. But a new bakery in town is proving that you can have too much of a good thing . . . Summer in Eastport means lobsters and blueberries, though tourists and locals alike always leave a little room for baked goods from the Chocolate Moose. This year&’s arts fair means even more sweet-toothed customers. But it&’s also bringing competition from a new rival, Choco&’s, trying to slice into the action. Choco&’s owner, Brad Fairway, is pulling sneaky stunts to divert Moose patrons to his own shop, and Ellie finally confronts him about his tactics. But when Brad is found dead the next day—and the weapon is a gun that belongs to Ellie—it&’s only a matter of time before she is charged with the crime. Sifting through the victim&’s connections, Jake and Ellie sense they&’re getting close to the real culprit—a little too close. Can they serve up the solution before the killer dishes up another helping of murder?Tell Me (Pierce Reed/Nikki Gillette #3)
Par Lisa Jackson. 2013
When Savannah, Georgia&’s most hated woman is set free, one mother&’s long ago crime ignites a new killing spree in…
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson&’s blockbuster Southern thriller featuring crime writer Nikki Gillette and Detective Pierce Reed. Now in paperback and perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Sandra Brown, and Lisa Gardner. The most hated woman in Savannah, Georgia, is about to be set free. Twenty years ago, Blondell O&’Henry was convicted of murdering her eldest daughter, Amity, and wounding her two other children. The prosecution argued that beautiful, selfish Blondell wanted to be rid of them to be with her lover. But Blondell&’s son has now recanted his testimony and demolished the case in the process . . . Reporter Nikki Gillette is determined to get the truth, and not just for professional reasons. Amity was Nikki&’s childhood friend. The night she died, Amity begged Nikki to meet with her, insisting she had a secret to tell, but Nikki didn&’t go. Wracked with guilt, as Nikki digs for answers, her fiancé, Detective Pierce Reed, worries for her safety. Everyone involved seems to have secrets. And somehow, the events of that tragic night connect to Nikki&’s own fractured family. But now the killing has begun again. Is Amity&’s murderer still at large, or is this a new, darker danger? Soon Nikki will discover what really happened twenty years ago, but the answers may come too late to save her life . . .Paper Cuts: An Enchanting Cozy Mystery (A Secret, Book, and Scone Society Novel #6)
Par Ellery Adams. 2023
Miracle Springs, North Carolina, is famed for its healing springs. But bookstore owner Nora Pennington has a tendency to land…
in a different kind of hot water. Though she loves to practice bibliotherapy by finding the perfect books for her customers while listening to their secrets, she also likes to bury her nose in the occasional local crime . . . Nora escaped her past a decade ago. So it feels like a visit from another world when Kelly Walsh—the woman her ex-husband left her for—walks through the door of Miracle Books along with her son. Kelly hasn&’t come to gloat, though. As it turns out, she&’s been dumped too. She&’s also terribly ill, and all she wants from Nora is forgiveness. Shockingly, however, this woman who&’s been the victim of so much misfortune is about to become a murder victim. Who would do such a thing? Certainly not Nora, but that doesn&’t stop the gossip and suspicion—especially after Kelly&’s brother claims that he saw the two women arguing. In seeking justice for Kelly, The Secret, Book, and Scone Society joins forces with the sheriff&’s department, but they&’ve barely begun their probe when life throws another wrench. After serving a twenty-year sentence, Estella&’s father returns to Miracle Springs. And when his past comes back to haunt him, it might be more than the four friends can handle.The Idea of You: A Novel
Par Robinne Lee. 2017
Now an original movie on Prime Video starring Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine! When Solène Marchand, the thirty-nine-year-old owner of…
a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, takes her daughter, Isabelle, to meet her favorite boy band, she does so reluctantly and at her ex-husband’s request. The last thing she expects is to make a connection with one of the members of the world-famous August Moon. But Hayes Campbell is clever, winning, confident, and posh, and the attraction is immediate. That he is all of twenty years old further complicates things.What begins as a series of clandestine trysts quickly evolves into a passionate relationship. It is a journey that spans continents as Solène and Hayes navigate each other’s disparate worlds: from stadium tours to international art fairs to secluded hideaways in Paris and Miami. And for Solène, it is as much a reclaiming of self, as it is a rediscovery of happiness and love. When their romance becomes a viral sensation, and both she and her daughter become the target of rabid fans and an insatiable media, Solène must face how her new status has impacted not only her life, but the lives of those closest to her.Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord: A Mystery (Lady Petra Inquires #1)
Par Celeste Connally. 2023
Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a captivating…
new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin from Celeste Connally.London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After losing her beloved fiancé in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London’s loosest lips that she will never marry. A woman of independent means—and rather independent ways—Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without any expectations.But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her “melancholia” while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom—and possibly her life—in jeopardy.Last Call at the Nightingale: A Mystery (The Nightingale Mysteries #1)
Par Katharine Schellman. 2022
First in a captivating Jazz age mystery series from author Katharine Schellman, Last Call at the Nightingale beckons readers into…
a darkly glamorous speakeasy where music, liquor, and secrets flow."Schellman is at the top of her craft and delivers a murder mystery with clever twists and turns and memorable personalities."—Denny S. Bryce, Bestselling Author of Wild Women and the BluesNew York, 1924. Vivian Kelly's days are filled with drudgery, from the tenement lodging she shares with her sister to the dress shop where she sews for hours every day.But at night, she escapes to The Nightingale, an underground dance hall where illegal liquor flows and the band plays the Charleston with reckless excitement. With a bartender willing to slip her a free glass of champagne and friends who know the owner, Vivian can lose herself in the music. No one asks where she came from or how much money she has. No one bats an eye if she flirts with men or women as long as she can keep up on the dance floor. At The Nightingale, Vivian forgets the dangers of Prohibition-era New York and finds a place that feels like home.But then she discovers a body behind the club, and those dangers come knocking.Caught in a police raid at the Nightingale, Vivian discovers that the dead man wasn't the nameless bootlegger he first appeared. With too many people assuming she knows more about the crime than she does, Vivian finds herself caught between the dangers of the New York's underground and the world of the city's wealthy and careless, where money can hide any sin and the lives of the poor are considered disposable...including Vivian's own.In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Lady Emily Mystery (Lady Emily Mysteries #14)
Par Tasha Alexander. 2020
In skillfully intertwined storylines from the dawn of the twentieth century and the heyday of the Roman Empire, Tasha Alexander's…
In the Shadow of Vesuvius, the latest installment to her bestselling series, brings Lady Emily and her husband to Pompeii, where they uncover a recent crime in the ancient city. Some corpses lie undisturbed longer than others. But when Lady Emily discovers a body hidden in plain sight amongst the ruins of Pompeii, she sets in motion a deadly chain of events that ties her future to the fate of a woman whose story had been lost for nearly two thousand years. Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, have accompanied her dear friend Ivy Brandon on a trip to Pompeii. When they uncover a corpse and the police dismiss the murder as the work of local gangsters, Emily launches an investigation of her own. She seems to be aided by the archaeologists excavating the ruins, including a moody painter, the enigmatic site director, and a free-thinking American capable of sparring with even the Duke of Bainbridge. But each of them has secrets hiding among the ruins. The sudden appearance of a beautiful young woman who claims a shocking relationship to the Hargreaves family throws Emily’s investigation off-course. And as she struggles to face an unsettling truth about Colin’s past, it becomes clear that someone else wants her off the case—for good. Emily’s resolve to unearth the facts is unshakable. But how far below the surface can she dig before she risks burying herself along with the truth?Rhythm and Clues: The Record Shop Mysteries (The Record Shop Mysteries #3)
Par Olivia Blacke. 2024
The rhythm is gonna get you.It’s been five whole months since the last murder in Cedar River, Texas, and Juni…
Jessup and her sisters Tansy and Maggie have been humming along when disaster strikes again.Their struggling vinyl records shop/coffee nook, Sip & Spin Records, is under pressure from predatory investors, though the Jessup sisters aren’t ready to face the music and admit defeat. But the night after their meeting, the sketchy financier is killed outside their shop during a torrential Texas thunderstorm that washes out all the roads in and out of town. Now the sisters find themselves trapped in Cedar River with a killer, and Juni is determined to solve the case.When the river spits out an unexpected surprise, Detective Beau Russell asks for Juni’s help, never predicting her investigation will spin her into danger. Up until now, the Jessup sisters have been playing it by ear, but with the whole town watching, can they catch a killer before he strikes again?Deep into the Dark: A Mystery (The Detective Margaret Nolan Series #1)
Par P. J. Tracy. 2021
“Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review New York Times…
bestseller P. J. Tracy returns with Deep into the Dark, a brand new series set in LA and featuring up-and-coming LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and murder suspect Sam Easton.Sam Easton—a true survivor—is home from Afghanistan, trying to rebuild a life in his hometown of LA. Separated from his wife, bartending and therapy sessions are what occupy his days and nights. When friend and colleague Melody Traeger is beaten by her boyfriend, she turns to Sam for help. When the boyfriend turns up dead the next day, a hard case like Sam is the perfect suspect.But LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, whose brother recently died serving overseas, is sympathetic to Sam's troubles, and can't quite see him as a killer. She's more interested in the secrets Melody might be keeping and the developments in another murder case on the other side of town.Set in an LA where real people live and work--not the superficial LA of Beverly Hills or the gritty underbelly of the city--Deep into the Dark features two really engaging, dynamic main characters and explores the nature of obsession, revenge, and grief.P. J. Tracy is known for her "fast, fresh, and funny" characters (Harlan Coben) and her "sizzling" plots (People); the Monkeewrench series was her first, set in Minneapolis and co-written with her mother. Now with Deep into the Dark she's on her own—and it's a home run.Public Anchovy #1: A Deep Dish Mystery (Deep Dish Mysteries #3)
Par Mindy Quigley. 2024
Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.While…
Geneva Bay’s upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O’Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah’s love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.But Delilah’s hopes of perfecting a new “free-from” pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.These Silent Woods: A Novel
Par Kimi Cunningham Grant. 2021
A father and daughter living in the remote Appalachian mountains must reckon with the ghosts of their past in Kimi…
Cunningham Grant's These Silent Woods, a mesmerizing novel of suspense.No electricity, no family, no connection to the outside world.For eight years, Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, have lived in isolation in a remote cabin in the northern Appalachian woods. And that's exactly the way Cooper wants it, because he's got a lot to hide. Finch has been raised on the books filling the cabin’s shelves and the beautiful but brutal code of life in the wilderness. But she’s starting to push back against the sheltered life Cooper has created for her—and he’s still haunted by the painful truth of what it took to get them there.The only people who know they exist are a mysterious local hermit named Scotland, and Cooper's old friend, Jake, who visits each winter to bring them food and supplies. But this year, Jake doesn't show up, setting off an irreversible chain of events that reveals just how precarious their situation really is. Suddenly, the boundaries of their safe haven have blurred—and when a stranger wanders into their woods, Finch’s growing obsession with her could put them all in danger. After a shocking disappearance threatens to upend the only life Finch has ever known, Cooper is forced to decide whether to keep hiding—or finally face the sins of his past.Vividly atmospheric and masterfully tense, These Silent Woods is a poignant story of survival, sacrifice, and how far a father will go when faced with losing it all.Dog Eat Dog: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel #23)
Par David Rosenfelt. 2021
Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, work to free a man who risked it all to help a…
dog in need Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife, Laurie, enjoy walking their dogs, Tara and Sebastian. By this point in their marriage, it’s routine. When out for one of their strolls, their simple ritual isn’t so simple anymore. Across the street, a man is mistreating his dog. Three things happen at once: Andy yells, Laurie runs to stop the abuse, and so does a closer passerby, who so thoroughly beats the owner that both are arrested when the cops arrive.Andy scoops up the dog and takes him to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that’s always been his true passion. Meanwhile, at the police station, the passerby is identified as Matthew Jantzen, and he’s wanted for murder. Andy and Laurie are struck by the fact that Jantzen, a man on the run, would nevertheless intervene to help a dog, and decide to find out more.Dog Eat Dog, the twenty-second installment in the Andy Carpenter series, features the charming cast of characters - old and new - that David Rosenfelt is known for and the dogs that accompany them.Tell-Tale Bones: A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery (A Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery #26)
Par Carolyn Haines. 2023
Carolyn Haines's Tell-Tale Bones marks the next novel in the series that Kirkus Reviews characterizes as “Stephanie Plum meets the…
Ya-Ya Sisterhood” featuring sassy Southern private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney.Private Investigator Sarah Booth Delaney and her partner Tinkie are in Sheriff Coleman Peters's office, consulting Coleman about cold cases, when Elisa Redd storms in with a case of her own. She wants Coleman to reopen the investigation of her missing daughter, Lydia Redd Maxell, the heiress to a large fortune who disappeared along with her friend Bethany nearly seven years ago. Lydia and Bethany were rumored to be working as human rights organizers abroad, but Elisa suspects Lydia’s problems might have stemmed closer to home. Now Lydia’s husband, Tope, is set to inherit the fortune, and Elisa believes he’s behind the disappearance.Sarah Booth and Tinkie soon connect the case to a series of mysterious disappearances over the years, as well as to a perplexing recurring dream. With another woman’s life at stake, the friends follow an increasingly twisty trail all over Sunflower County, leading them to a tree and an empty grave in the county cemetery. A grave that’s said to be haunted…In a Hard Wind: A McKenzie Novel (Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie Novels #20)
Par David Housewright. 2023
Once a homicide detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, Rushmore McKenzie is, through a series of unlikely events, both a millionaire…
and an occasional private investigator. As an unofficial PI, McKenzie only looks into the occasional situation for friends or friends of friends. Jeanette Carrell stretches McKenzie’s guidelines but she's in a bind. She's been arrested, indicted, and about to go on trial for murder. The body of the victim was found buried in a shallow grave at the far edge of her property. The victim was not only a neighbor, he was real estate developer accused of tricking a man with dementia, a friend of Carrell's, into signing away his property for development, property that he'd worked to keep pristine. When the developer was last seen, Carrell was heard threatening to kill him. Even more damning, a potential witness swears she saw Carrell digging near the grave site shortly after the victim disappeared. The final nail in the proverbial coffin is her alibi—she has none. With all the evidence—motive and means and opportunity—pointing to her guilt, and precious little in her defense, perhaps the most confusing aspect is Carrell’s calm attitude. Rushmore McKenzie is now faced with a challenging case—how to protect Carrell and unearth the truth of what really happened when all the circumstantial evidence is against her.Addie thinks she knows everything about her mother. But when a stranger appears claiming to be her sister, she realises…
that her life so far has been a lie. But why?'Intriguing, twisting... I loved it' Dinah Jefferies. 'A gripping family mystery told in lush, evocative prose' Erin Kelly. 'A well-written, intriguing read full of family secrets... Brilliant' FabulousA NO. 1 BESTSELLER IN NORWAYA BESTSELLER IN ISRAELPerfect for fans of BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate. Hartland House has always been a faithful keeper of secrets...1958. Sent to beautiful Hartland to be sheltered from her mother's illness, Liz spends the summer with the wealthy Shaw family. They treat Liz as one of their own, but their influence could be dangerous...Now. Addie believes she knows everything about her mother Elizabeth and their difficult relationship until her recent death. When a stranger appears claiming to be Addie's sister, she is stunned. Is everything she's been told about her early life a lie?How can you find the truth about the past if the one person who could tell you is gone? Addie must go back to that golden summer her mother never spoke of...and the one night that changed a young girl's life for ever.'A compelling family story... Beautifully written and evokes vivid pictures of an English summer in the 1950s' Sheila O'Flanagan.'Trembles with family secrets' Victoria FoxWhat readers are saying about My Mother's Shadow: 'One of the most enthralling, heartbreaking books that I have read in quite some time' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'The poignant storyline is deeply affecting. Definitely a book that is going to stay with me for a long time' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'So beautifully written. In places it made me laugh out loud and in other places it made me cry. Poignant' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'I was hooked from beginning to end! Vivid characters and evocative scenes make this an enchanting read' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'Stunning and emotional' Amazon reviewer, 5 stars'This novel absolutely blew me away! I was left emotional and teary. It had me gripped from the startand is loaded with scenes that pull at the heartstrings! I cannot recommend this novel enough' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'A stunning read and I can't wait to read more from this author' Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsBirding
Par Rose Ruane. 2024
In a small seaside town, autumn is edging into winter, gulls ride winds over the waves, and two women pass…
each other on the promenade, as yet unaware of each other's existence.In the nineties Lydia was a teen pop star, posed half naked on billboards everywhere with a lollipop between her lips and no idea how to live, letting the world happen to her. Now, three decades later, Lydia is less and less sure that what happened to her was in the least bit okay. The news cycle runs hot with #MeToo stories, and a famous former lover has emerged with a self-serving apology, asking her to forgive him. Suddenly, the past is full of trapdoors she is desperately trying not to fall through.Joyce, in middle age, has never left home. She still lives with her mother Betty. With their matching dresses, identical hairdos and makeup, they are the local oddballs. Theirs is a life of unerring routine: the shops, biscuits served on bone china plates, dressing up for a gin and tonic on Saturday. Nice things. One misstep from Joyce can ruin Betty's day; so Joyce treads carefully. She has never let herself think about a different kind of life. But recently, along with the hot flushes, something like anger is asserting itself, like a caged thing realising it should probably try and escape.Amid the grey skies, amusement parks and beauty parlours of a gentrifying run-down seaside resort, these two women might never meet. But as they both try to untangle the damaging details of their past in the hope of a better future, their lives are set on an unlikely collision course.With mordant wit and lyrical prose, Birding asks if we can ever see ourselves clearly or if we are always the unreliable narrators of our own experiences. It is a story about the difference between responsibility and obligation, unhealthy relationships and abusive ones, third acts and last chances, and two women trying to take flight on clipped wings.'I was blown away by this dark, enchanting story of witchcraft, power and injustice. ..nothing short of brilliant' Mary ChamberlainErzsébet…
Báthory, whose infamous place in history characterises her as the 'Blood Countess', was accused of the murder of over 600 peasant girls in Hungary, 1610. The Nightingale's Castle tells the story of a woman fighting for her survival and the complicated, often cruel, household over which she presides.Praise for The Nightingale's Castle'Moving, fascinating and haunting.. A mesmerising combination of gothic horror and elegant restraint' Francesca De Tores, author of Saltblood'Gripping... a fascinating exploration of women's struggle to have their truth heard' Louise O'NeillIn 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gave birth to an illegitimate child. The infant, a girl, was swiftly bundled up and handed to a local peasant family to be brought up in one of the hamlets surrounding the Castle. Many years later, 15-year-old Boróka reluctantly leaves the safety of the only home she has ever known in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Trusted members of the countess's household have been sent out to gather new serving girls, and the kindly old man who has taken care of Boróka for almost all her life knows that it is dangerous to turn them away.Boróka struggles to find her place at Cachtice Castle: she is frightened of the countess's reputation as an alleged murderer of young girls, and the women who run the castle are terrifyingly cruel. When plague comes into the heart of the castle, a tentative bond begins to form between Boróka and the Countess Báthory. But powerful forces are moving against a woman whose wealth poses such a threat to the king: can the countess really trust the women who are so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous 'Blood Countess' where will Boróka's loyalties lie?The Italian Garden: The perfect historical fiction to fall in love with this spring!
Par Charlotte Betts. 2024
Lake Como, 1919.The garden of Villa Marchese was once a sight to behold. Now, overgrown and unloved, the flowers that…
once bloomed are nothing but a reminder of the tragic events of Flora Marchese's death.When horticulturist Violet Honeywell is commissioned to restore the once exquisite garden, she immediately accepts and sets off on a life-changing adventure.Violet instantly becomes enchanted by the Italian way of life, and under the beguiling warmth of the Bellagio sun, she falls in love with a man who can never truly be hers - Flora's grandson.But when a discovery at the Lake uncovers buried truths that have haunted the family for decades, Violet starts to delve deeper into the dark secrets of their past, and she quickly begins to realise that not everything in the Marchese family is what it seems . . .----Why readers love Charlotte Betts:'Lush, romantic and full of intrigue' Tracy Rees, Richard & Judy bestselling author'A deeply romantic novel whose vivid characters will linger in your mind' Margaret Kaine'Romantic, poignant and gripping . . . a fabulous holiday read' Deborah Swift'A stunning and captivating read . . . full of drama, love, loss and life' Book Literati'Lingers in the heart long after the final page is turned . . . a must read for anyone who wants to be absorbed as well as utterly enchanted' Carol McGrath'A compelling story, beautifully written and brought alive with rich historical detail' Liz HarrisThe Book of Words
Par Jenny Erpenbeck. 2007
A searing novella about coming of age in a land of tyranny, by one of Germany's most brilliant young authors.…
In The Book of Words, Jenny Erpenbeck captures with amazing virtuosity the inner life of a young girl who survives the totalitarian regime of a curiously unnamed South American country (most likely Argentina during its "dirty war"). Raised by parents whose real identity ends up shocking her, the girl comes of age in a country where gunshots are mistaken for blown tires, innocent citizens are dragged off buses, and tortured and disappeared friends and family return to visit her from the dead.