Hutchinson Library

Adult Fiction

Adult Fiction

This list combines recent additions received at both
Bishop Auckland Town Hall and
Woodhouse Close Branch Libraries.

August 2011
Alliott, Catherine	A rural affair
	Newly widowed Poppy Shilling should be feeling distraught at the death of her husband, Phil. But, in fact, she can't help feeling relieved. No longer will she have to endure Phil's iron fist ruling over her and their two young children, or his unfortunate penchant for lycra cycling wear.
Baxter, Lily	Spitfire girl
	It is 1940 and 18 year-old Susan longs to do her duty. Her secret ambition is to learn to fly. She meets Tony, a flying instructor, and friendship blossoms into love. Susan is forced to flee London and is taken in by a kindly innkeeper. She then receives news that Tony is missing in action. Will she realise her dreams of love and flying?
Beaton, M.C.	The skeleton in the closet
	When his miserly mother dies, Fellworth Dolphin is shocked to learn that he has inherited a sizable sum. He teams up with Maggie, a girl of similar background, to discover the source of the riches - but what secrets will the two sleuths uncover?
Bradford, Barbara Taylor	Just rewards
	The conclusion of the story of Emma Harte, the original "Woman of Substance.”
Britton, Fern	New beginnings
	Fern's warmth, insight and humour combine to deliver a novel that will speak to women everywhere. Christie Lynch is a journalist and single mother of two when she gets a lucky break - an appearance on daytime TV talk show, Tart Talk.
Bruce, Alison	The calling
	Kaye Whiting went to buy a birthday present and didn't come back. She isn't dead, or injured. But she is alone and very, very scared. 50 miles away in Cambridge town centre a deeply disturbed young woman is standing by a payphone. She knows she often feels compelled to do harmful things and is driven by a desire to make a call.
Burke, Alafair	Long gone
	After months of unemployment, Alice Humphrey lands her dream job managing a Manhattan art gallery. But she arrives one morning and walks into a nightmare: the space is empty except for the dead body of recruiter Drew Campbell. Alice soon finds herself at the centre of the police investigation and realises that she has been set up.
Campbell, Jack	Fearless
	Outnumbered by the superior forces and firepower of the Syndicate Worlds, the Alliance Fleet continues its dangerous retreat across the enemy star system.
Canavan, Trudi	Priestess of the white
	Trudi Canavan, author of 'The Black Magician' trilogy, embarks upon a wonderful new fantasy series, set in a classical world of magic, holy war, gods and heroes.
Chamberlain, Diane	The midwife's confession
	The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her family - described a woman who embraced life. But they didn't know everything.
Cobbold, Marika	Drowning Rose
	Eliza Cummings is leaving work when she receives an unexpected phone call. On the other end is a voice which draws her back 25 years - to the tragic death of her best friend. But why does Rose's father want her to visit him? And why is he killing her with kindness when he blames her for what happened?
Coe, Amanda	What they do in the dark
	This novel is about two very different girls growing up in a Yorkshire town in the 1970s - spoilt Gemma, who seems to have everything, and neglected Pauline, who has less than nothing. But that is not the only story. A tale of penny sweets, swimming trips and Butlins holidays makes way for something more sinister!
Connelly, Michael	The scarecrow
	Delving into the case of a 16-year-old drug dealer who has confessed to murder, crime reporter Jack McEvoy soon realises that the confession is bogus. When his investigation leads him into the digital world of data collocation services, Jack sets off a digital tripwire and the killer - the Scarecrow - now knows he's coming.
Cook, Gloria	Unforgettable
	1947. Widow Dorrie Resterick continually finds herself confidante to others' troubles. Once she even found a scrap of evidence in a dreadful local crime - the double murder of two villagers. The police decided the scrap of paper Dorrie brought to them solved the case but Dorrie was never sure and wonders if someone is keeping secrets.
Corbin, Julie	Where the truth lies
	Claire's husband has been keeping secrets. About the whereabouts of the witness to the murder trial he's prosecuting. And about the letters he's been getting, threatening to kill their three-year old, unless he tells the blackmailer where the witness is hiding.
Douglas, Louise	The secrets between us
	When Sarah meets dark, brooding Alex, she grasps his offer of a new life miles away from her own. They've both recently escaped broken relationships, and need to start again. Why not do it together? But something doesn't add up about the disappearance of Alex's beautiful wife, Genevieve. Does he know more than he's letting on.
Edwards, Martin	The hanging wood
	When Orla Payne was seven years old, her brother, Callum, mysteriously vanished from the Hanging Wood in the Lake District. Shrouded in complicated family matters and with no clear leads, the case was eventually dismissed. His body was never found.
Falconer, Duncan	Pirate
	Stratton and Hopper are sent to Yemen to snatch an al-Qaeda buyer in the market for a hand held ground to air missile. But things go very wrong when they are themselves captured by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Flynn, Katie	A mother's hope
	Martin is hitching to Liverpool when a bus approaches. It stops, ejects a weeping girl, and then speeds off. Companions in misfortune, Martin and Rose slog on together. Each has a secret which neither wishes to part with and, when they go their separate ways, they don’t expect to meet again. But fate decrees otherwise.
French, Nicci	Blue Monday
	The abduction of five-year-old Matthew Farraday provokes a national outcry and a desperate police hunt. And when his face is splashed over the newspapers, psychotherapist Frieda Klein is left troubled: one of her patients has been relating dreams in which he has a hunger for a child. The child he describes is the spitting image of Matthew.
Gerritsen, Tess	The silent girl
	In the murky shadows of an alley in Boston's Chinatown a hand has been discovered. On the rooftop above lies a woman's severed head. Two strands of silver hair - not human - cling to the body that lies nearby. These are Detective Jane Rizzoli's only clues, but they are enough for her and Dr Maura Isles to make a startling discovery.
Griffin, Kate	The Neon Court
	A daimyo of the Neon Court is dead. So are two warriors of the Tribe. And a freshly-prophesied 'chosen one' is missing. Each side blames the other and Matthew Swift is right in the middle of it, trying to keep the peace. Because when magicians go to war, everyone loses. But Swift has even bigger problems.
Griffiths, Elly	The house at Sea's End
	Ruth Galloway has just returned from maternity leave and is struggling to juggle work and motherhood. When a team from the University of North Norfolk, investigating coastal erosion, finds six bodies at the foot of the cliff, she is immediately put on the case.
Harris, Rosie	The price of love
	Lucy Collins and her brother Sam have lived side by side with the Tanner family all their lives. Lucy and Robert Tanner long for the day when they can marry and the future is full of promise for all three. Until tragedy strikes when Lucy's parents are killed in a car crash and Sam is left gravely injured and in need of careful nursing.
Hill, Casey	Taboo
	Forensic investigator Reilly Steel imagined Dublin to be a far cry from bustling San Francisco. She's arrived in Ireland to drag the Irish crime lab into the 21st century, plus keep tabs on her Irish-born father who's increasingly seeking solace in the bottle. But a brutal serial killer soon puts paid to that.
Holland, James	Hellfire
	August, 1942, North Africa. Jack Tanner, recovering from wounds in a Cairo hospital, is astonished to receive a battlefield commission which will propel him into a very different world when he returns to action. Fit once more, he finds himself facing the full onslaught of Rommel's latest offensive.
Hollinghurst, Alan	The stranger's child
	In the late summer of 1913 the aristocratic young poet Cecil Valance comes to stay at 'Two Acres', the home of his close Cambridge friend George Sawle. The weekend will be one of excitements and confusions for all the Sawles, but it is on George's 16-year-old sister Daphne that it will have the most lasting impact.
Holt, Anne	Fear not
	The silent, snow-covered streets of Oslo are a perfect scene of Christmas tranquility. But over the tolling of bells for the last Sunday of Advent, a black note sounds. A boy's body washes up near the city's Aker Bridge. His corpse is bloated by the water, almost unrecognisable. Nobody has even bothered to report him missing.
Howell, Katherine	Cold justice
	On an early morning walk, a young girl finds the body of her classmate, Tim Pieters, hidden amongst some bushes. The boy's family are desperate for answers but the killer is never found. Almost two decades later, political pressure sees the cold case reopened and Detective Ella Marconi inherits the job.
Kava, Alex	Hotwire
	In New York Times best-selling author Alex Kava's new thriller, Special Agent Maggie O'Dell investigates the death of three teenagers, only to find herself in the middle of a government conspiracy.
Kaye, Erin	The promise of happiness
	Louise McNeill arrives home to the idyllic Irish town of Ballyfergus, hoping that it will provide the sanctuary she desperately craves. But, will she and her three-year-old son Oli be able to build the life they dream of?
Kirkpatrick, Russell	Across the face of the world
	From the tiny snowbound village of Loulea, six men and women will begin a dangerous quest to challenge an ancient evil, fulfil a prophecy and change the course of their world's history.
Kirkpatrick, Russell	Path of revenge
	Husk is the remnant of a once-powerful magician, defeated decades ago by the undying man, Lord of Bhrudwo. He lies, his body in ruins, in the dungeon of Andratan, gnawing on dreams of revenge. Husk needs three things to realise his goal, and his carefully selected pawns will bring these to him.
Larke, Glenda	Stormlord rising
	The last Stormlord is dead - and war has arrived. The nomadic Reduners have put the Quartern's rainlords to the sword, leaving their cities without water or hope. Shale still lives, despite being betrayed, drugged and sold to his greatest enemy. Yet Shale needs his adversary more than his freedom.
Leather, Stephen	Fair game
	Dan 'Spider' Shepherd is working for MI5, investigating Somali pirates with links to terrorism in Britain. Meanwhile, the crew of a yacht has been kidnapped by the pirates and are being held hostage in Somalia. A covert operation run by MI5 hopes to kill two birds with one stone.
Lloyd, Tom	The stormcaller
	In a land ruled by prophecy and the whims of Gods, a young man finds himself at the heart of a war he barely understands, wielding powers he may never be able to control.
Masterton, Graham	Demon's door
	It is the first day of a new fall semester at West Grove College. Remedial English teacher and psychic Jim Rook has been feeling exhausted and things go from bad to worse when he accidentally runs over his much loved pet cat. A new Korean student then arrives with a gift for his teacher, she has resurrected his pet cat.
Mazzantini, Margaret	Twice born
	Gemma hasn't been back to Sarajevo in 16 years. She returns to teach her son about the city of his birth and the father he never knew. But the visit brings with it impassioned memories of her love affair with Pietro's father, their determination to have a child whatever the cost, and their deep connection with the city.
McCaffrey, Anne	Dragon's time
	Although Lorana cured the dragons sickness, so many died from the disease that there are no longer enough dragons to fight the deadly Thread, and more dragons and their riders die each Threadfall. With their numbers dwindling, Lorana made the decision to fly forward in time in a desperate bid to bring dragons from the future.
McIntosh, Fiona	Odalisque
	book 1. Pleasure and politics collide in Fiona McIntosh's exotic new fantasy trilogy, set in the harem of the great Stone Palace of Percheron.
Miller, Karen	Empress
	When an unwanted child - so lowly that she does not even have a name - is sold into slavery, a chain of events is set in motion that will have a profound impact on all the civilised world. Naming herself Hekat, the girl is taken in chains to Mijak's largest city, but makes a bargain with a ruthless god and escapes her captors.
Miller, Karen	The reluctant mage
	It's been months since Rafel ventured over Barl's Mountains into the unknown, in a desperate bid to seek help. With his father's weather magic exhausted and Lur ravaged by polluting magics, there seemed no other hope. Now this too has died. Only Deenie believes Rafel still lives, sensing her brother in tortured dreams.
Miller, Karen	The innocent mage
	The Doranen have ruled Lur with magic since arriving as refugees centuries ago. Theirs was a desperate flight to escape the wrath of a powerful mage who started a war in their homeland. To keep Lur safe, the native Olken inhabitants agreed to abandon their own magic.
Miller, Karen	The prodigal mage
	The weather magic that holds Lur safe is failing, and the earth feels twisted and broken. Among Lur's sorcerers only Asher can mend the antique weather map that controls the seasons, using the magic he loathes - but this could cost him his life.
Morgan, Alexis	The darkness beyond
	Between fighting the Kalith who try to invade the world & honing his hacking skills, D.J. Clayborne's life has become predictable. D.J. knows he must do something to keep the hidden world of the Regents & their extraordinary warriors, the Paladins, hidden.
Murray, Annie	All the days of our lives
	It is 1946: the war is over and three young women face a new kind of life. But peacetime brings its own pressures. "All the Days of Our Lives" is the story of three girls who first met in a Birmingham classroom in the 1930s, each facing life with all its joys, sorrows and surprises.
Nobbs, David	It had to be you
	One man, five very different women. James Hollingshurst is a man shaped by those who surround him. Be it his trusty wife Deborah, his hapless PA Marcia or his ex-girlfriend Jane. And there's one woman in James's life who looks set to upset the status quo. But a tragic accident is about to shake the bedrock of life as James knows it.
Patterson, James	Private London
	‘Private London' is a hard-hitting thriller set in the London office of the world's most exclusive detective agency.
Patterson, Richard North	The devil's light
	August 2011. Terrorist operative Amer Al Zaroor masterminds and executes the theft of a Pakistani military weapon: a 200-pound nuclear warhead, capable of causing destruction on a mass scale. A chilling transmission is then broadcast to the world, in which Osama Bin Laden pledges to attack a major US city on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
Pearse, Lesley	Belle
	15 year-old Belle, though raised in a London brothel, is an innocent. But when she witnesses one of the girls brutally strangled by a client, she is cast into a cruel heartless world. Snatched from the streets and sold into prostitution, she is made a courtesan in New Orleans.
Phinn, Gervase	The little village school
	Ethne Devine is something of a mystery. Why should a highly successful head teacher of an inner-city primary school move to a small rural school in the Yorkshire Dales to face so many challenges?
Slaughter, Karin	Fallen
	In the blazing heat of an Atlanta summer, Special Agent Faith Mitchell of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation returns home to a nightmare. Expecting to find her mother minding her new baby, Emma, she is horrified to discover Emma locked in the shed, her mother's safe open, her gun missing and a bloody handprint on the front door frame.
Smith, Tom Rob	Agent 6
	This is the hotly anticipated follow-up to Tom Rob Smith's widely celebrated, Booker-longlisted debut novel 'Child 44'.
Snyder, Maria V.	Sea glass
	Student glass magician Opal Cowan's newfound ability to steal a magician's powers makes her too powerful. Ordered to house arrest, Opal dares to defy her imprisonment, travelling to the Moon Clan's lands in search of Ulrick, the man she thinks she loves. 'Thinks' because she is sure another man has switched souls with Ulrick.
Somers, Jeff	The terminal state
	Avery Cates is in better shape than ever with the top-class augments the army's fitted him with. Pity he's no more than a puppet then, because they've also got a remote that can fry his brain at any second. And now a corrupt colonel is selling his controls to the highest bidder.
Somers, Jeff	The final evolution
	The world is dying. With avatars replacing humans and the birth rate non-existent, the human race is almost extinct. Only one man could save it - and it's not Avery Cates.
Steel, Danielle	Happy birthday
	For April Wyatt, turning 30 is not what she expected. She isn't married with a family, but she does at least have a successful career - running one of the best restaurants in New York. She would do anything for her business, so when a respected restaurant critic pays April a visit, she wants to impress him.
Tate, June	Their guilty pleasures
	1940s. War alters lives, and for three women from different walks of life, the choices they make will change everything forever. This novel explores how, by following your heart, there is always a price to pay.
Thompson, Kate	More mischief
	A tale of life, love and lust in Ireland's Tinsel Town, this is the sequel to the bestselling IT MEANS MISCHIEF.
Thornton, Margaret	Time goes by
	When Kathy Leigh's father dies, Kathy uncovers his shocking secret, a secret which threatens to blow their family apart.
Thorpe, Gavin	The purging of Kadillus
	Faced with an ork invasion of Piscina IV, the 3rd Company of the Dark Angels believes the threat to be minimal. As enemy numbers continue to increase, their commander, Captain Belial, insists that his company are strong enough to resist. But Scout-Sergeant Naaman knows just how dangerous this foe can be.
Tremayne, Peter	Behold a pale horse
	AD 664. Sister Fidelma finds herself in the seaport of Genua, en route from Rome back to her native Cashel. Her old teacher, Brother Ruadan, lies dying in the abbey of Bobium. Fidelma is determined to see Brother Ruadan before he dies. But from the moment she enters the beautiful valley of the Trebbia, there is danger on every side.
Weaver, Pam	There's always tomorrow
	When Dottie's husband Reg receives a mysterious letter through the post, Dottie has no idea that this letter will change her life for ever. Traumatised by his experiences fighting in World War II, Reg isn't the same man that Dottie remembers when he is demobbed and returns home to their cottage in Worthing.