EVERY DEAD THING
John Connolly
John Connolly of the Irish Times has written a detective novel that draws the reader into the pursuit of a serial killer with rather gruesome tendencies. When Charlie Parker, a former NYPD detective, agrees to help track down a missing girl, the trail leads him to the murderer who killed his wife and daughter. Charlie finds himself hunting down a man who likes to use the bodies of his victims for macabre works of art, and it seems that only Charlie can stop him. Simon & Schuster. 395 pp. $25.
BORDER CROSSINGS
Carole Bellacera
In her debut novel, Carole Bellacera shows us a very personal side to the everyday violence that goes on during the Troubles. Kathy O’Faolin’s life is turned up-side-down when her Irish brother is killed by loyalist terrorists. Her husband feels it is his obligation to move to the North and continue his brother’s Republican campaign. Kathy tries to do her part too by founding a youth center where Catholic and Protestant teens can interact, but the intolerance of the Troubles threatens to tear the center and Kathy’s hope for peace asunder. St. Martin’s Press. 381 pp. $25.95.
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VOLUME 2: RELEASE
Afro Celt Sound System
Afro Celt Sound System has followed up their critically acclaimed Volume 1: Sound Music with a second installation of their unique blend of Celtic and West African music in their latest release. As the vanguard of a new, more eclectic brand of World Music, they create a musical tradition all of their own. The group utilizes a wide variety of instruments and guest performers, such as Sinead O’Connor, to charge their album with an exotic beauty. A Real World CD, Narada.
A GOD IN RUINS
Leon Uris
From the pen of the best-selling author of "Trinity" comes another tale in which Leon Uris weaves fiction with historical fact. Covering the years from World War II to 2008, "A God in Ruins" tells the story of the man who hopes to become America’s second Irish-Catholic president. only problem is that he was Jewish before being adopted by his Irish-American parents, and he has very powerful enemies that would like nothing more than to see him lose. Harper Collins. 483 pp. $26.