Looking for you next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
I recently re-read the first book in the Gabriel Allon series: The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva. In these thrillers, Allon tracks down and eliminates threats to the state of Israel. But he’s not your usual spy/operative, as his cover occupation is an art restorer.
In this first installment in the now 21-book series, it’s revealed that Gabriel’s wife and son fell victim to the danger that accompanies Allon everywhere. Much of his behavior stems from this tragedy. Gabriel is needed to thwart a Palestinian plot to destroy peace negotiations in the Middle East spearheaded by Tariq, an arch foe of Gabriel. So, this mission is both personal and professional for Gabriel. Adding to the flavor of this read are a beautiful model whose family were Holocaust victims, and the art and the art dealers that Gabriel encounters in his restoration work. It’s an exciting thriller with a fast pace. Give it a try – you too may get hooked on this series by Daniel Silva.
-Carl H., Director
“Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.” -Goodreads
This one pulled me in from the first page. When Hannah’s husband Owen goes missing, Hannah begins to realize he isn’t who he said he was. As she tries desperately to protect his daughter Bailey while searching for answers, both of them learn to rely on each other as the pieces fall into place. A thrilling mystery and a quick page-turner that kept me engaged for a whole plane trip across the country. –Brittney T.
A chance encounter with a handsome banker in a jazz bar on New Year’s Eve 1938 catapults Wall Street secretary Katey Kontent into the upper echelons of New York society, where she befriends a shy multi-millionaire, an Upper East Side ne’er-do-well, and a single-minded widow. -Google Books
At first I didn’t particularly care for this book, but as I read on I became immersed in Katey’s life. The book centers around Katey and Eve meeting a dashing young man, Tinker Grey. Both women are enchanted but Eve makes it clear he is hers. A road accident jettisons the threesome into a strained triangle they never saw coming.
Katey starts out as a law secretary, job hops her way to working for a daring new magazine, Gothem, about the spirit of New York City and its celebrities. Eve’s spontaneous decisions never failed to surprise while Katey took deliberate chances to improve her job opportunities. As details about their lives and choices they made became fleshed out, with both women intent on achieving their goals as independent women and remaining true to themselves, I fell in love with the book, enjoying the dialog and humorous conversations. I put myself inside her life, enjoyed meeting her friends, worried about them and disliked her manipulative acquaintances.
The details about living in New York City; visiting jazz clubs, speakeasies, and “cottage” mansions; the current art scene as people recover from the Great Depression; and the author’s use of mannerisms and colloquial expressions of the time transport the reader to this time period. -Cori C.
