This is a monthly feature where I pick out just a few of the hundreds of new books coming out soon.
If I see a review of one of them I'll put a link to it. 
Unsaid by Neil Abramson
Published: 6 Oct 2011 - UK ….. 4 Aug 2011 - USA
Genre: General Fiction
UNSAID is told from the perspective of Helena Colden, a veterinarian who has just died of breast cancer. Helena is forced to witness the rapid emotional deterioration of her husband David. With Helena's passing, David, a successful Manhattan attorney, loses the only connection that made his life full. He tries to carry on the life that Helena had created for them, but he is too grief-stricken, too angry, and too quickly reabsorbed into the demands of his career.
Helena's animals likewise struggle with the loss of their understanding and compassionate human companion.
Because of Helena, David becomes involved in a court case to save the life of a chimpanzee that may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of animals consciousness.
Through this case all the threads of Helena's life entwine and explode - unexpectedly, painfully, beautifully.
There are lots of mixed reviews on Goodreads for this book, many are 5 stars.
Beautiful colours on the cover.
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Published: 17 Oct 2011 - UK …... 30 Aug 2011 - USA
Genre: Fantasy
Cal MacDonnell is a happily married New York City cop with a loving family. Seth Raincrest is a washed-up photographer who has alienated even his closest friends. The two have nothing in common - except that they both suffer from retrograde amnesia. It's as if they just appeared out of thin air thirteen years ago, and nothing has been able to restore their memories. Now their forgotten past has caught up to them with a vengeance.
Cal's and Seth's lives are turned upside down as they are stalked by otherworldly beings who know about the men's past lives. But these creatures aren't here to help; they're intent on killing anyone who gets in their way. In the balance hangs the life of a child who might someday restore a broken empire to peace and prosperity. With no clue why they're being hunted, Cal and Seth must accept the aid of a strange and beautiful woman who has promised to unlock their secrets. The two must stay alive long enough to protect their loved ones, recover their true selves - and save two worlds from tyranny and destruction.
“Lazellari’s debut fantasy foretells a promising career. Read Awakenings and get in on the ground floor with a great new writer.”
--Glen Cook, author of The Black Company series
"Edward Lazellari is a talent to watch with high expectations."
-- Ben Bova, six-time Hugo Award Winner
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The Faithless by Martina Cole
Published: 18 Oct 2011 - UK
Genre: Mystery
Gabby looked at the woman she had hated nearly all her life. Then she sat down on the ladder-backed chair, put her face into her bloodied hands and cried.
To the outside world, Cynthia Tailor is a woman to envy; she has a devoted husband, a lovely home and two gorgeous children. But Cynthia is deeply unhappy with her lot; she has always craved the best things in life, and is determined to see that she gets them. Cynthia will let nothing stand in her way, even if it means devastation and tragedy for those nearest to her. And the casualties are many: her husband Jimmy, weak and unable fight the wife he can never please; her sister Celeste, from whom Cynthia steals her most precious possession; and her parents, Mary and Jack, who pick up the pieces. But the victims who suffer the most are Cynthia's children. For James Junior and Gabby, the pain she causes will stay with them for ever...
Martina Cole is a British crime writer and most of her stories are about London’s gangster underworld. She has sold over 10 million copies of her books in the UK alone. Most of her novels feature a female protagonist or antihero.
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As The Pig Turns (Agatha Raisin, Book 22) by MC Beaton
Genre: Mystery
The picturesque Cotwsold village of Winter Parva has decided to warm the winter months after the holidays by roasting a pig in the town square. Agatha, always one for a good roasting, has arrived with her former protegée and current rival in the private detection racket, Toni, to enjoy the merriment. But as the rotary spit is placed over a bed of fiery charcoals and the pig is carried toward its final resting place, Agatha realizes that things are not as they seem....
'Stop!' she screams suddenly.
The "pig," in fact, is Gary Beech, a policeman not exactly beloved by the good people of the village. Although Agatha has every intention of leaving matters to the police, everything changes when Gary's ex-wife hires Toni to investigate. With that provocation, how could any sleuth as obviously vain and competitive (and secretly insecure) as Agatha could do anything other than solve the case herself?
I really should get round to reading one of these books, as they sound like just the type of cosy mysteries I enjoy. Agatha Raisin’s website can be found here.
MC Beaton is also well known as the author of the Hamish Macbeth mystery series set in the Highlands.
A full list of all her books can be found at fantasticfiction.co.uk
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Published: 22 Oct 2011 - UK ….... 1 Feb 2012 - USA
Genre: Saga
1909, Northumberland. When Shona Hardy’s worst fears come true and her fisherman husband James’ boat is lost at sea, she finds herself alone in a village where she has always been an outsider.
But little does she know that, a world away, wealthy bank manager Harry Darling has never forgotten the horror of his impoverished childhood, nor the kindness of a young girl, Shona Hardy.
So when a man slips and dies outside his bank, and Harry recognizes him as Tam, Shona’s estranged father, his past and present collide, altering his - and Shona’s - lives forever . . .
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Published: 27 Oct 2011 - UK & USA
Genre: Romance
Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a devastating fire sweeps through the thriving Greek city where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou's home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she flees across the sea to an unknown destination in Greece. Soon her life will become entwined with Dimitri's, and with the story of the city itself, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people.
Thessaloniki, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents' life story for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of the people who were forced to leave. Should he become their next custodian and make this city his home?
Victoria Hislop’s debut novel set in Greece, The Island, (which I’ve read and enjoyed) was a No.1 bestseller in the UK. “To Nisi” the 26 part adaptation of the novel is the most successful series in the history of Greek television, watched by some two-thirds of the population!
Her website can be found here.
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Published: 27 Oct 2011 - UK & USA
Genre: Horror/Quirky Urban Fantasy
From olde London Town to the juicy heart of the Big Apple, something is waiting to bite In a Manhattan gallery, a strange, undead woman, who's been lost for centuries, is found in a basement and becomes the centrepiece of Shelley's new museum show. Nicknamed Bessie, the Scottish Bride, she becomes an overnight celebrity as Christmas approaches.
From the dusty vaults beneath the famed bookshops in Charing Cross Road, Shelley's bibliophile aunt Liza receives crumbling volumes by post, while her friend Jack prefers brand-new books and his brand-new lover.
When a small leather-bound book of spells arrives, Liza finds it repellent. But its arcane magic brings Bessie to life, and enthrals Shelley's posh boyfriend Daniel - literally. It contains the quintessence of evil in the form of a dark bloodstain marking several pages: vampire blood.
As Daniel's power grows, everyone's lives are infected. Soon the vicious vampire infestation rife in NYC threatens to spread to London - and only the Scottish Bride and her new friends can stop it...
I have had Paul Magrs Hell’s Belles on my bookshelf for ages, I’ve heard great reviews about it but, for some reason, I’ve just never got round to reading it.
The huge list of his books can be seen at FantasticFiction.co.uk
** If you would like to win a copy of this book (and you're in the UK) head on over to BookChickCity where you'll find a review and a chance to win 1 of 4 copies!
Ends 31 October 2011 -- Good Luck! **
I love this feature on your blog Carole. Thank you for taking the time - all the books I haven't heard of and some of them intrigue me :)
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I'm really pleased you enjoy it, Sharon, thanks for your comments.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy picking out the different books. I think I'll expand it from next month, I've had some lovely feedback about it as it does seem to be a popular feature. :-)
Unsaid by Neil Abramson is more than just a novel. It is a character study of the human condition. It examines how life, lives and loss can impact that condition and how ulitmately it can lead us to a place of true healing.
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