River Jordan
WaterBrook Press
352 pages
$13.99
“River Jordan’s Saints in Limbo is a compelling story of the mysteries of existence and, especially, the mysteries of the human heart.”
Ron Rash, author of Serena
Jennie Bentley
Berkley Prime Crime
309 pages
$6.99
“A great whodunit … Fans will enjoy this fine cozy.”
Midwest Book Review
Susan Gregg Gilmore
Three Rivers Press
304 pages
$14
“If I had to make a comparison, I would compare Susan Gregg Gilmore to Fannie Flagg, but Gilmore more than holds her own. This is an unusually engaging novel by a very fine writer who knows exactly what she is doing.”
Lee Smith, author of The Last Girls
Gary Slaughter
Fletcher House
416 pages
$24
“Author Gary Slaughter’s previous books Cottonwood Summer and Cottonwood Fall established the identity of the small town of Riverton MI during the mid-1940’s. He’s created in the characters of two 10-year-old boys, Jase and Danny, a vehicle that helps guide readers through the landscape of Riverton during the war years. … Operating with the innocence and resilience of children, the pair always manages to save the day. They also help others in the town find a way to feel grateful despite the many problems and worries that still affect them.”
Ron Wynn, Nashville City Paper
Four college roommates reunite some twenty years later for a beach trip where old wounds resurface, secrets are revealed, and decisions get made that will change their lives. Sound familiar? It should. This is not remotely a new plotline for so-called “women’s novels,” but Chattanooga resident Cathy Holton brings a depth, humor, and warmth to Beach Trip that make this novel more than just a beach read.
Peter Taylor (1917-1994) is usually referred to as a writer of place; his settings are most often the lower Ohio Valley and, as he called it, “the long green hinterland that is Tennessee.” But Taylor’s themes—change, evil, and political and private morality—are universal. A new edition of The Collected Stories of Peter Taylor, first published in 1969, reminds us of the author’s position in the pantheon of American short story writers and makes a powerful argument for his continued relevance in a changing world where relationships, both to place and to people, are more complex than they seem.
