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Paris Undressed: The Secrets of French Lingerie
by Kathryn Kemp-Griffin
What’s the secret to a French woman’s poise and confidence? Lingerie! American ex-pat Kathryn Kemp-Griffin writes of how her first experience in a Parisian lingerie shop changed her entire outlook on underwear. She put aside her worn out Jockey for Women and embraced silk and lace. But more than that, she exposes the bra and panty stitch by stitch, informing what cotton/poly blends will last longest and the perfect style for each body type. Tasteful and simple illustrations throughout make this book a delight to read, while learning everything you need to know about the building blocks of an outfit. Recommended.
—Rachel Rich, MLS, Collection Development Librarian
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Justice Failed: How “Legal Ethics” Kept Me in Prison for 26 Years
by Alton Logan with Berl Falbaum
In 1983, Alton Logan was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Lloyd M. Wickliffe, an off-duty corrections officer. Logan was tried and sentenced to life in prison. During that time, another man confessed to his attorneys that he had committed the crime, but they were bound by attorney-client privilege and unable to speak in Logan’s defense until their client’s death in 2007. Even then, they could only disclose his confession because he had given permission for them to do so after he died. Logan served 26 years in prison for a crime that he didn’t commit. This heart-wrenching story of a miscarriage of justice brings to light the conflict that can arise between legal ethics and morality. Falbaum’s journalistic background combined with Logan’s experiences shed new light on our flawed criminal justice system. Recommended.
—Beth Reinker, MSLS, Collection Development Librarian
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See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
See What I Have Done is the novelization of the Lizzie Borden story, but with all the tension of a psychological thriller. Lizzie and the people included in the familiar tale are given unexpected character traits and flaws, and the reader is left with a feeling best described as unsettled. The novel is visceral and gritty, and Lizzie’s juvenile-like stream of consciousness is difficult to bear and yet beautifully written. Social mores of the 19th century was not friendly to such a dysfunctional family (as Sarah Schmidt writes it) and how the characters react to their situations is fascinating. The timeline is not completely chronological, so the reader is compelled to continue reading to see how another character in the scene reacted to the same action. See What I Have Done will keep readers on the edge of their seats, even though we all know how it ends…don’t we? Highly recommended for all public libraries.
—Rachel Rich, MLS, Collection Development Librarian
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George and Lizzie
by Nancy Pearl
Needing no introduction to librarians, Nancy Pearl, librarian and book commentator, has written her first novel, George & Lizzie. George and Lizzie couldn’t be any more different. George grew up in a loving home, and was kind and stable, while Lizzie grew up the only child of two psychologists who were less nurturing which resulted in Lizzie being quite less stable. In high school, Lizzie thought it would be a great idea to sleep with the whole football team, and went through with it, much to her later regret. Her great love was Jack, whom she had never gotten over. Then George came along and changed everything. George & Lizzie’s marriage was anything but conventional, and Lizzie’s continual longing for Jack was a problem. If only George wouldn’t be so nice. Pearl’s first novel is engaging and full of character. Recommended for all public libraries.
—Holly Hebert, MLIS, Collection Development Librarian
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The Dark Lake
by Sarah Bailey
Australian writer Sarah Bailey’s debut thriller The Dark Lake will hold readers’ attention from the first page to the last. Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock is called to a murder scene at the lake and learns that the victim is her high school classmate Rosalind Ryan. As Gemma investigates the murder, it becomes clear that Rosalind is still as much of an enigma as she was when they were in school. The case forces Gemma to revisit her past and remember the tragic death of her high school boyfriend as she draws closer to the truth about Rosalind’s life and death. Bringing together small town secrets, a complicated protagonist, and multiple mystery threads, Bailey delivers a gripping debut that will appeal to fans of Tana French. Recommended for popular fiction collections.
—Beth Reinker, MSLS, Collection Development Librarian
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The Trick
by Emanuel Bergmann
In Prague in the early decades of the 1900s, Moshe Goldenhirsch is the son of a rabbi. After his mother dies, Moshe’s father becomes abusive, and he runs away to join a circus, where he learns to be a magician and is rebranded “The Great Zabbatini.” He rises to fame and wealth in Berlin, and with his Jewish identity hidden, he even performs for leading members of the Nazi party. Suddenly, he is betrayed by an old rival and sent to a concentration camp. In the 21st century, Max Cohen is searching for a way to bring his estranged parents back together. When he hears of Zabbatini, he becomes convinced that the magician can perform a love spell and save his parents’ marriage. Eventually, the two form a friendship, and Zabbatini performs at Max’s birthday party, where it is revealed that Zabbatini smuggled Max’s grandmother out of Auschwitz. Emanuel Bergmann’s The Trick excels at portraying the slippery slope that led to the Holocaust—demonstrating that it did not happen overnight but was the result of the long scapegoating of an ethnic/religious group.
—Benjamin Whisenant, Reviewer
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