1. Herge – The Adventures of Tintin: The Broken Ear
The world’s most famous travelling reporter must call on a feathered friend to track down a famous artifact …and solve a murder in the process. The Arumbaya fetish has been stolen! But with the help of a talking parrot, Tintin is soon on the hunt for the famous artefact, which can be distinguished by its broken ear. He must solve a murder and discover the true value of the fetish, and quick – because he is not the only one on the trail!
2. Brooks, Max – World War Z
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. “World War Z” is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
3. Connelly, Michael – The Lincoln Lawyer
In the hierarchy of American lawyers, Lincoln Lawyers are not held in the highest esteem. These are criminal defense attorneys who run their practices from a travelling Lincoln car, traversing the county of Los Angeles to hoover up whatever work is available, however basic. Connelly’s tarnished hero is Mickey Heller, who has fine-tuned this less-than-impressive side of the legal profession to such a degree that few can match him: he knows all the ins and outs of the system, including precisely who to slip a back-hander to when appropriate. But Mickey finds a way to move upmarket when he acquires a well-heeled client. A rich young man from Beverly Hills has been arrested for savagely assaulting a woman and the case falls in Mickey’s lap. Though the lawyer is used to defending clients who are guilty as sin, it actually looks (for once) that his client is innocent.
4. Funke, Cornelia – Inkspell
Although a year has passed, not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of Inkheart, the book whose characters came to life – and changed her life forever. But for Dustfinger, the fire-eater brought into being from words, the need to return to the original tale has become desperate. When he finds a crooked storyteller with the magical ability to read him back, Dustfinger leaves behind his young apprentice Farid and plunges into the medieval inkscape once more. Distraught, Farid goes in search of Meggie, and before long both are caught inside the book, too. There they meet Inkheart’s author, Fenoglio, now living within his own story. But the tale is much changed, and threatening to evolve in ways none of them would have ever imagined. Will Meggie, Farid, and Fenoglio manage to right the wrongs of a charmed world? Or is their story on the brink of a very bad ending?
5. French, Nicci – What to do when someone dies
It’s devastating to hear that your husband has died in a horrific car accident. But to learn that he died with a mystery woman as his passenger is torment. Was Greg having an affair? Drowning in grief, Ellie clings to Greg’s innocence, and her determination to prove it to the world at large means she must find out who Milena Livingstone was and what she was doing in Greg’s car. But in the process those around her begin to question her sanity and motive and the louder she shouts that Greg must have been murdered, the more suspicion falls on Ellie herself. Sometimes it’s safer to keep silent when someone dies.
6. Gerritsen, Tess – Playing with Fire
Imagine if you were home alone and your daughter violently attacked you. Julia doesn’t understand what is happening to her daughter, but she thinks she knows what’s causing it. She is terrified for Lily, and for herself, but what scares her more is that no one believes her. If she is going to help Lily, she will have to find the answers alone, embarking on a search that will take her to the shadowy back streets of Venice. There, Julia uncovers a heartbreaking, long-buried tale of tragedy and devastation – a discovery that puts her in serious danger. Some people will do anything in their power to keep the truth silent…
7. Smith, Jim – Barry Loser and the Holiday of Doom
My best friend Bunky is sort of like my pet dog, so it was weird when he suddenly started fancying a cat one day. “Barry can’t wait to tell his friends that they’ve been invited on his family minivan vacation to Plonkton. But the weekend by the sea doesn’t turn out to be the keelfest Barry was hoping for. It’s all his best mate Bunky’s fault for going and falling in love.
8. Korman, Gordon – The 39 Clues One False Note
Amy and Dan Cahill were spotted on a train, hot on the trail of one of 39 Clues hidden around the world. BUT WAIT! Police report a break-in at an elite hotel, and the suspects ALSO sound suspiciously like Amy and Dan. UPDATE! Amy and Dan have been seen in a car . . . no, in a speedboat chase . . . and HOLD EVERYTHING! They’re being chased by an angry mob?!? When there’s a Clue on the line, anything can happen.
9. Feist, Raymond E. – Jimmy and the Crawler
The Crawler: a name whispered in fear…
In the crime-ridden back alleys of Krondor a rival gang has sprung up to threaten the Upright Man’s Mockers. Does the Crawler control the rival gang? Where does his power come from? And does it threaten the peace of the Kingdom? James, personal squire to Prince Arutha of Krondor, but in the underworld known as the thief and trickster Jimmy the Hand, must travel to Kesh in disguise. There, working with William, lieutenant of the prince’s household guard and son of the magician Pug, and Jazhara, niece to the Keshian lord Hazara-Khan, he must attempt to unmask the mysterious Crawler and rid Krondor of his influence.
10. Pastis, Stephan – Timmy Failure: Mistakes were made
He may be clueless, but the comically self-confident Timmy Failure is CEO of the best detective agency in town, perhaps even the nation. Additional material includes step-by-step instructions on how to draw Timmy and his impressively lazy business partner, the polar bear Total—including a trick to making them both look a tiny bit nuts (hint: the secret is in the eyes).