Mailbox Monday

This meme is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page and Kristi at The Story Siren.


I received four books in the mail last week. That's a good week for me!




Think Of A Number by John Verdon. From the Random House website, the book description reads:

Arriving in the mail one day is a taunting letter that ends with a simple declaration "See how well I know your secrets-just think of a number." Eerily, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD's top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial-murder investigation. Brought in as an investigative "consultant," Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that have local police in awe. Yet, with each taunting move by his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney feels his tragedy-marred past rising up to haunt him, his marriage approaching a dangerous precipice, and, finally, a dark, cold fear building that he's met an adversary who can't be stopped.

I could not find the product description of The Fall by Guillermo del Toro, but it is the second book in a vampire trilogy. My husband was very excited when he saw this book - he loved the first one. He was only disappointed because it doesn't look to be a big book!








The News Where You Are by Catherine O'Flynn was a win from the LibraryThing early reviewers programme. From Penguin's website the description reads:

Set in Birmingham, The News Where You Are tells the funny, touching story of Frank, a local TV news presenter. Beneath his awkwardly corny screen persona, Frank is haunted by disappearances: the mysterious hit and run that killed his predecessor Phil Smethway; the demolition of his father's post-war brutalist architecture; and the unmarked passing of those who die alone in the city. Frank struggles to make sense of these absences while having to report endless local news stories of holes opening up in people's gardens and trying to cope with his resolutely miserable mother.

The result is that rare thing: a page-turning novel which asks the big questions in an accessible way, and is laugh-out-loud funny, genuinely moving and ultimately uplifting.

The last book I received is Stash by David Klein. From the author's website, the book description reads:

It’s a typical Friday morning in late summer, and Gwen is anticipating a long-awaited weekend away at the lake with her overworked husband, Brian, and their two young children. After dropping off her daughter at swim class, Gwen drives across town to purchase a small bag of marijuana from Jude, an old boyfriend. On the way home, she gets into a car accident that leaves her bruised but the other driver dead. The local police can see the accident isn’t her fault, but when they find the pot in Gwen’s car, they throw the book at her. There have been problems with drugs in the schools, and the police are determined to crack down.

Meanwhile, Brian, a pharmaceutical company executive, is embroiled in an ethical dilemma over the marketing of a drug for "off-label" use. Jude has gotten in way over his head with his little side business. And Jude's daughter, Dana—a talented college athlete—collides head-on with a damaged ex-soldier addicted to painkillers.

Told from multiple perspectives and driven by psychological suspense and an escalating plot, this ambitious and deeply satisfying novel examines the moral complications that arise when one’s determination to do the right thing collides head-on with human fallibility and desire.