Dangerous Lies

Fitzpatrick, Becca. Dangerous Lies. 2015. 416p. 616 mins. ISBN 978-1-48142492-9. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

Stella has just moved to Thunder Basin, Nebraska. It is the middle of nowhere, with not much to do. She used to live in Philadelphia, but she can’t tell anyone. Stella is not her real name. She’s in the witness protection program because she saw a dangerous drug dealer and the head of the local cartel murder another dealer right in her house, in front of her drug-using mother. And that dealer then severely beat Reed, her boyfriend. With the dealer and his crew looking for her, the U.S. government is protecting them both in exchange for their testimonies. While in Thunder Basin, she will live with Carmina, a retired police chief, and cannot communicate with her boyfriend, nor reveal her true identity.

With nothing to do, Stella quickly finds a job at the local diner, and begins to meet new people, pretending to be a foster care kid from Tennessee. Stella also meets Carmina’s neighbor, nineteen-year-old Chet Falconer. Stella finds herself attracted to Chet, but since she doesn’t plan on being here very long she sees no need to become friendly with him. As days, then weeks pass, however, and Reed never communicates with her through their secret email account she accesses at the local public library, Stella becomes worried at the prospect that the dealer’s men found him. At the same time, her attraction to Chet continues to grow, and Stella feels torn between the two of them.

Meanwhile, local high school baseball captain and sure major league prospect Trigger, who also happens to be the town bully, has set his sights on Stella and makes her life miserable. Plus, he looks familiar to Stella, and he also looks like he recognizes her from somewhere. With Trigger lurking around her, drug dealers chasing her, and Chet’s dark secrets, danger is lurking everywhere. As she’s about to discover, dangerous lies could get her killed...

Modern-Day Serial Killers

Raul, Don. Modern-Day Serial Killers. Part of the Psychology of Serial Killers series. 2016. 144p. ISBN 978-0-7660-7298-5. Available at 364.15 RAU on the library shelves.

The FBI define serial killers as individuals who kill three or more victims at three or more locations with a span of time in between. Serial killers have always haunted the cultural consciousness of the nation since the days of Jack the Ripper, but in the last fifty years there have been many serial killers who have been arrested and prosecuted by law enforcement. These modern-day serial killers commit their crimes for many reasons. Some enjoy the power they have over their victims. Other kill to gain sexual gratification. There are those who kill for the thrill of taking away a human life. Others hope to gain money, fame, or recognition, while some kill with a distorted sense of ending suffering or cleaning the streets. All are people who have killed multiple times in multiple locations.

This volume explore the lives of several types of killers in the last half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st. These are divided into eight categories, from psychotic killers to sexual predators, charmers, and angels of death. The biograpies of several infamous individuals like the Green River killer, Ted Bundy, the Son of Sam, the Killer Clown, and former nurse Kristen Gilbert are all discussed, and their common traits examined. Fans of the morbid will appreciate the probing of the serial killer’s mind in this book.

Other books in the series include Medical Serial Killers, Cannibal Serial Killers, Female Serial Killers, and Historical Serial Killers.

Monument Men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history

Edsel, Robert M. Monument Men: Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history. 2009. 473p. 885 mins. ISBN 1599951495. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.

As the German war machine was rolling through Europe during World War II, it became clear to museum curators and staff, as well as art experts around the world, that Hitler and his cadre of committed Nazis were systematically looting the art and historical collections of conquered countries and shipping it out to Germany for “safekeeping.” Hitler’s goal was to create the best art museum in the world in his hometown of Linz.

As early as 1940, plans were made by the museum community in the United States to help locate, retrieve, and return these works of art, but it wasn’t until 1943 that the U.S. Army recognized the need to have an official cultural policy and officers in charge of cultural preservation and recuperation that the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program was established. Led by George Stout, the head of the conservation department at Harvard University’s Fogg Art Museum, Monument Men landed with the invasion force on D-Day and spread throughout Europe as the Allies slowly pushed back the German armies towards Germany.

A lack of political will meant that the Monument Men were always under equipped, lacked basic necessities, did not receive proper recognition for their mission from military authorities, and had to fight tooth and nail to preserve and rescue the cultural heritage of Europe. Racing against time and the advancing Russians who were intent on extracting war repairs through capturing the art looted by the Germans, the Monument Men were able to save Western Europe’s most significant cultural masterpieces and worked tirelessly for decades to reunite art with their former owners.

This story of courage and undaunting drive from men who were in their forties, fighting a young man’s war, illustrate clearly why they are called the greatest generation. Without them, our cultural heritage would be significantly smaller.

Black Butler, Vol 7

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 7. 2011. 176p. ISBN 978-0-316-18963-7. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

In Black Butler, Vol 6, Earl Ciel Phantomhive and his butler Sebastian joined Noah’s Ark Circus so they could investigate the disappearance of children. During their search, Ciel discovered a letter from Baron Kelvin indicating that he knew of Ciel’s origins and secrets. Now, in this volume, Phantomhive manages to extricate himself from the Circus and from the Grim Reaper only to fall sick with a fever. Having recovered and trying to escape from Prince Soma's tender care, Ciel and Sebastian travel to the Baron’s estate to confront him. Kelvin has captured the children and is using them for his own sordid purposes, one of which is to recreate the devilish ritual Ciel was involved in as a youngster, with Ciel as the victim again...

The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 8.

King Dork

Portman, Frank. King Dork. 2006. 344p. ISBN 0-385-73291-0. Available at FIC POR on the library shelves.

Sophomore Tom Henderson refers to himself as King Dork, the dorkiest person at his school. For the last several years, Tom has had a hard life. His father, who worked for the police department, died in a hit and run years ago. His mother never recovered, and even though she remarried (to a man named Tom), she’s not very present in her children’s life. His little sister Amanda hates Tom (the new husband, nor her brother, although that is still up for debate). Tom doesn’t have many friends, and he spends most of his time with Sam Hellerman, a fellow dork. The two of them have been talking about forming a band for years, but they don’t have instruments so that’s a problem.

They are picked on at school, both by the hateful girls and the depraved jocks as well as by Mr. Teone, the assistant principal responsible for freshmen and sophomores. Tom and Sam do not have girlfriends, and are unlikely to ever find any. In brief, their lives are the stereotypical maladjusted teenager suffering from angst and a propensity for prescription medication (in Sam’s case). So, the beginning of their sophomore year is guaranteed to be terrible, with books like Siddhartha. And it is, when for the second year in a row they are assigned The Catcher in the Rye to read. Tom really hates the Catcher in the Rye, not necessarily because of the story but because all of the adults consider it a rite of passage and apparently have drunk the Holden Caulfield kool-aid.

But when Tom discovers his father’s book collection, everything changes. There are several notes, underlined passages, and secret codes that seem to indicate that his father and a character named Tit, were involved in something big. Was his father actually murdered? Did he commit suicide? Who is Tit? Tom will take steps to investigate this mystery but by doing so will find himself hopelessly entangled with the Hillmont High School community. Who knows, he might even get a girlfriend out of this terrible year.

Fans of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will thoroughly enjoy Tom’s outlook on life and the coarse language and vulgar thoughts that populate his mind. This book doesn’t mince words but is also hilariously funny. Want to experience rock and roll, teen angst and sex, and discover a mystery at the same time? King Dork is the book for you.

Medical Serial Killers

Latta, Sara L. Medical Serial Killers. Part of The Psychology of Serial Killers series. 2016. 144p. ISBN 978-0-7660-7296-1. Available at 364.15 LAT on the library shelves.

There have always been people who kill others for thrill, power, lust, or greed. Individuals who kill three or more people at three or more different times in different locations are labelled serial killers by the FBI. Of all the serial killer types, the medical serial killer is by far the most chilling kind, for doctors and nurses are dedicated to preserving life, not ending it. Medical serial killers act within the confines of hospital, hospice care, and retirement facilities and are able to hide their dastardly deeds behind an environment that is often affected by death.

This book examines the most prolific medical serial killers in the United States and around the world. A profile of each killer is presented, along with how they eventually were caught and what the consequences were on the families of their victims and on themselves. These creepy individuals will make you think twice about going to the hospital.

Other books in the series include Cannibal serial killers, Female serial killers, Historical serial killers, and Modern-day serial killers.

Black Butler, Vol. 4

Toboso, Yana. Black Butler, Vol 4. 2011. 192p. ISBN 978-0-329-84157-7. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

Following the Grimm Reaper case, Young Phantomhive has been called down to London to investigate a bizarre string of attacks against merchants, restaurant owners, and military personnel. All of them have been found strung up against buildings with dire warnings, but fortunately none of them have been killed. The one common trait they share is that they are all Anglo-Indians, meaning they served time in India. The Earl and his very capable butler, Sebastian, must investigate this matter to see if it is connected to the capital’s underworld organizations.

In the course of his investigation, Phantomhive meets young Prince Soma Asman Kadar of Bengal, who is here in London searching for his favorite servant girl, Mina. The Prince is a spoiled youth who has never worked in his life, but he comes with his own very dedicated butler, who, though human, is endowed with a gift from the Hindu goddess Kali. Sebastian’s master butler skills are about to be tested to their limits!

The story continues in Black Butler, Vol. 5.

Female Serial Killers

Rauf, Don. Female Serial Killers. Part of the Psychology of Serial Killers series. 2016. 144p. ISBN 978-0-7660-7288-6. Available at 364.15 RAU on the library shelves.

The FBI defines a serial killer as someone who has killed three people at three different times. When thinking of the words “serial killer,” people have in mind a violent and psychotic man who kills then dismember his victim before moving on to the next. However, though not as numerous as male serial killers, there have been female serial killers who have been as prolific as their male counterparts. These women kill for the same reasons men do: the thrill of the hunt, revenge, sexual lust, or the acquisition of wealth. Unlike men serial killers, however, most women poison their victims over a period of time instead of a deadly attack.

This book describes some of the more infamous women serial killers. Their series of crime is presented, along with how they eventually got caught and how they were punished by society. Fans of the morbid and of the criminal mind will enjoy this look into the darker side of humanity. Other volumes in this series include Historical Serial Killers.

Rip Tide

Falls, Kat. Rip Tide. Book 2 of the Dark Life series. 2011. 320p. ISBN 9780545178433. Available at FIC FAL on the library shelves.

A few months after the events in Dark Life that allowed Gemma to find a new family, she has moved out of Ty’s family home and has returned to live on the surface at the trading station. Ty is disappointed, but Gemma admits she just can’t live in the ocean because she sees ghosts.

During one of his underwater swims off the continental shelf, Ty discovers a large underwater craft. The Nomad belongs to Surfs, and the ship itself has been sunk, and all of the doors have been chained … from the outside. The inhabitants were condemned to a freezing death far below the surface as their heat ran out faster than their oxygen.

At the same time, Ty’s parents are attempting to bypass the Commonwealth by securing a new market for their undersea agricultural goods. They have negotiated a deal with another group of Surfs that will allow farmers and Surfs to exchange goods and services, making each of them less dependent on the Commonwealth.

But when they are kidnapped by the same Surfs they were supposed to deal with, Ty and Gemma must discover where they are. Unfortunately, the first place to go look for clues is Riptide, a station filled with outlaws, criminals, Topsiders, and … the Seablite Gang. In a race against time, Ty and Gemma will need to make desperate choices and decide who they can trust. The lives of two communities depend on the answers they find ...

The Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker and Holmes Novel

Gleason, Colleen. The Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker and Holmes Novel. 2013. 356p. ISBN 1452110700. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Mina Holmes is the daughter of Mycroft Holmes, older brother of Sherlock. Just as her uncle, Mina is very observant and has already dabbled in the family business of sleuthing. Evaline Stoker is the very much younger sister of Bram Stoker, and descends from a family of vampire hunters imbued with superhuman strengths and skills. The only time she faced a vampire, the sight of blood prevented her from killing it. Neither of them really want to become like their older, more famous relatives, but both of them still find themselves attracted to these professions.

In the last month, one high society girl has been found dead, while another one has gone missing. Stoker and Holmes are approached by an agent of the Crown to investigate these acts and attempt to discover who is behind it. Stoker, with her strength and passion, and Mina with her intellect and power of deduction, are ideally suited to solve these events with only the one clue that was discovered: a mechanical Egyptian scarab.

As the girls investigate, they quickly realize that there is a vast conspiracy at work to bring back an Egyptian goddess, and that many high society girls are involved. Out of their elements, the girls will nevertheless risk it all to save a steampunk London from troubles. If they are not careful, however, they will become the next victims!

Fans of Etiquette and Espionage and Leviathan will enjoy this steampunk tale.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 2005. 160p. ISBN 1416500219. Available at FIC STE on the library shelves.

Can man ever separate himself from his baser instincts and become wholly good? Dr. Jekyll is a most appreciated doctor, whose company is sought out by everyone. Yet, he has a terrible secret. Mr. Hyde is a violent, vicious and deformed man. Every time he meets someone, that individual feels an air of evilness about him. He, too, has a secret.

This is a tale of danger and warning about the dual nature of humankind, the fight between good and evil that takes place inside all of us. An instant success when it was first published in 1866, this story endures and remains read today because of its appeal and of the universal truths it contains.

Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

Blankman, Anna. Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke. Book 2 of the Prisoner of Night and Fog series. 2015. 406p. ISBN 9780062278845. Available both as an eBook on Overdrive and at FIC BLA on the library shelves.

Gretchen escaped Germany and the Nazi takeover of the country, but in the process alienated her uncle, Adolf Hitler. With Daniel Cohen, the love of her life, they settled in Oxford where he works as a social reported while she lives with a gentle English family and attends school. For Gretchen, life is great, but for Daniel, not so much. He longs for the days of hard reporting instead of socialite events.

When he gets a telegram informing him of a tragedy in his family, Daniel decides to go back to Germany, even though he is a wanted by the Nazis. He departs without telling Gretchen, leaving her a note where he professes his love. Then a newspaper article appears, linking Daniel to the murder of a prostitute.

Gretchen decides to follow him back to Germany, knowing that she will be in extreme danger. Returning to Munich, she discovers that the Nazis are cracking down on the free press, and reporters are being arrested. Has Daniel already been caught? Fortunately she finds him at the train station, heading to Berlin, and she joins him to investigate the murder so he can clear his name.

What ensues is a race against time as Hitler’s S.A. are slowly closing in on the lovers and the date of the Enabling Law debate furiously approaches. Will they be able to discover the grim truth behind Monika’s murder and the proof that would bring down the Nazi government once and for all?

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline

Springer, Nancy. The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline : an Enola Holmes Mystery. 2009. 160p. ISBN 978-0-399-24781-1. Available at FIC SPR on the library shelves.

The adventures of Enola Holmes, younger sister to Sherlock and Mycroft, continue in this 5th volume of the series. Trying to stay one step ahead of Sherlock, Enola has taken lodging in a small room in East London. Her landlady, a Mrs. Tupper, is a widow who survived the Crimean War. Hard of hearing and a horrible cook, Mrs. Tupper nonetheless is the closest person in Enola’s life.

When a scary letter arrives telling Mrs. Tupper to turn in the secret message that was supposed to be delivered to the Bird, Enola is perplexed. Who could possibly want something from old Mrs. Tupper? This letter is then quickly followed by an abduction, and Enola returns home to find her landlady gone. Is the secret message connected in any way to Mrs. Tupper’s trip to Crimea?

Now it is up to Sherlock’s little sister to solve the mystery. What is that secret message? How does Mrs. Tupper’s abduction connect to Florence Nightingale, the world famous nurse who revolutionized healthcare? What did happen to poor old Mrs. Tupper? And, more importantly, why is her brother Sherlock involved?

A great mystery, middle school students will appreciate Enola’s brand of humor and decency as she attempts to resolve her investigation in a short volume. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will also appreciate his feminine version.

A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium II

Geary, Rick. A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium II. 2015. 400p. ISBN 1561639079. Available on the library shelves at 364.152 GEA.

Before modern forensics and criminal investigation techniques, horrendous crimes were still investigated using methods of the day. The Victorian era was not any different than any other time in history, but the rapid expansion of literacy and news media help propel some events to the national consciousness.

This book features five stories of true crime that occurred in Victorian America and Scotland. The double ax murder of the Borden family patriarch and his wife is eventually linked to their daughter Lizzie. Mary Rogers, a lively woman is found dead in the Hudson River and all fingers point to her boyfriend. The Benders run an inn, but most guests never seem to come out alive. Madeline Smith loves a man but is forced to abandon him when her father threaten to disown her. Unfortunately, he then drops dead of poisoning. Finally, President Lincoln predicted his own assassination.

These true crime stories are well illustrated and documented, including biography of resources used by Geary to recreate them in ink. Not for the faint of heart, these stories still fascinate today. Fans of illustrated history like The Battle of the Bulge will enjoy the style of this book.

Naked

Trombley, Stacy. Naked. 2015. 345p. ISBN 978-1633750074. Available at FIC TRO on the library shelves.

Anna Rodriguez ran away to New York City from her suburban life at thirteen. She quickly fell in love with Luis. Their relationship evolved until she became Exquisite, a teen prostitute and he became her pimp. Three years later a personal tragedy leads to her arrest.

Sarah, her social worker, helps her return home. Nothing has changed in her relationship with her overbearing father and his dominated trophy wife, however. Anna’s integration at the local high school is even more difficult as she is quickly recognized as that girl from the missing posters still visible around town. Speculations abound as to where she was and what she did. Fortunately there’s Jackson, a normal teen boy who likes her for whom she is, and not for the sex she can offer. Lurking in the shadows, however, is someone who knows she was Exquisite and who could reveal her past to the entire school.

Trombley does an excellent job portraying the devastating impacts prostitution has on participating teens through Anna’s first hand account. Anna’s fears and loss of normalcy makes her reintegration back to school and to her family is portrayed realistically, as are the reactions of those around her as they spread rumors and react to her reappearance. Fans of hard hitting fiction and personal tragedy such as Kiss of Broken Glass will clamor for this title, but the explicit language, the vivid descriptions and the subject topic make it more appropriate for older students.

Loot

Watson, Jude. Loot. 2014. 272p. ISBN 9780545468022. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

Alfie McQuinn is one of the most accomplished cat burglar. With his son, 13-years-old March, they have travelled the world, stealing riches and fencing them. Sometimes life is a feast, with vacations and plenty of money. At other times, life is a fast, with canned food and not enough sleep. But always, life is exciting.

So when Alfie falls from the rooftop of an Amsterdam building with March looking on in horror, life changes for the worst. With the cops on their way, and his life ebbing, Alfie has barely enough time to tell his son to find jewels. March barely manages to escape. With no plan, he returns to their hotel room and retrieves his father’s day pack. In it are strange items along with the more mundane. But one thing is clear. Alfie was trying to steal the seven moonstones, presently scattered around the world.

Then March makes an extraordinary discovery. He has a twin sister, named Jules. That’s who Alfie was talking about. An acrobat, Jules performs in an act with their aunt, Blue. But just as they meet, they are shipped to a foster home. There they meet Darius and Izzy, other teens also at the foster home. And they are threatened by not one but two people, one an eccentric old woman, a millionaire who offers them a fortune to retrieve the moonstones March and Jules’ father stole from her ten years ago, and the other an old cop, now the star of a reality detective show, who wants the money for himself.

Since both twins have grown apart, they don’t share the same goals. But they do share many of the same skills, and together with Darius and Izzy, they will attempt to get their hands on the stones. But with other professional thieves hunting the stones, the teens are in it for a wild ride of a crime spree that could cost them their very lives…

Short chapters and intense action make this a great book for adventure seekers, and even reluctant readers will appreciate the ease of reading and the pacing.

Conversion

Howe, Katherine. Conversion. 2014. 402p. ISBN 9780399167775. Available at FIC HOW on the library shelves.

Colleen Rowley is in the middle of her senior year at all girls St. Joan’s Academy, the elite religious school she attends. Life is very stressful for Colleen and her friends. There are college applications to be sent out and decisions on where to attend made. There are relationships and boyfriends. Colleen herself is in a battle for the valedictorian spot, with a mere 0.1% separating her from her rival. There are issues with parents and siblings at home. Even with all of these activities, however, everyone, including Colleen, is expected to remain polite, graceful, and dedicated.

Upon returning for the 2nd semester, Colleen’s AP history teacher is gone and has been replaced by a substitute. And though they were going to read The Crucible, the substitute informs them that they will no longer do that. Her friends Deena and Anjali are shocked, but her best friend Emma seems to hold something back.

When Carla, one of the most appreciated students at school suddenly falls ill in school and must taken away in an ambulance, everyone is concerned for her. But then more and more girls begin to fall sick, with fits, shakes, and visions. Suddenly everyone knows someone who is getting sick. When the media hear of this story a frenzy ensues.

Meanwhile, three hundred years earlier, Anne Putnam is square in the middle of the Salem witch trials. She, along with a few younger girls, is responsible for setting the whole thing in motions and now she doesn’t know how to get out of it.

The two stories quickly intertwine and connect both Colleen’s and Anne’s lives in parallel ways. Is witchcraft real? And, if not, what is affecting Colleen and the girls at St. Joan’s?