English books

When a brutal rapist is murdered, a loving father stands accused of the crime and defense attorney Dismas Hardy must defend his brother-in-law and old friend Moses McGuire in a thrilling case that hits far too close to home. New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart’s most beloved protagonist returns in a masterful novel that showcases his extraordinary storytelling gifts: a cast of flesh-and-blood characters, morally complex situations, and relentless, nail-biting suspense. When his brother-in-law and old friend Moses McGuire is the prime suspect in the murder of his own daughter’s rapist, attorney Dismas Hardy agrees to defend him. But McGuire has fallen off the wagon, and his stay in prison could bring to light old secrets that would destroy Hardy and his closest colleagues’ careers. As the overwhelming evidence against McGuire piles up, Hardy focuses on planting doubt in the minds of the jurors—until, in a feat of legal ingenuity that is staggering in both its implications and its simplicity, he sees a new way forward that might just save them all. But at what price?

The eighth Virgil Flowers novel by internationally bestselling author John Sandford Barns, the chairman, looked around the room and said, 'Okay. We can do this. Let's see a show of hands. It's unanimous, or it's prison. Do we kill Clancy Conley?' "They all looked around at each other, each of them reluctant to go first. Then the fat man raised his hand, and then Kerns, and then the rest of them. "'It's unanimous,' Barns said." In southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. "Issues" is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. There are no votes against. Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier -- a team of dognappers supplying medical labs -- when he gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A murdered body has been found -- and the victim is a local reporter... * * * Praise for John Sandford and the Virgil Flowers novels * * * ‘Along the way to the satisfying ending, Virgil displays the rough humor and rough justice that make him such an appealing character’ Publishers Weekly on Deep Freeze ‘A knowing portrait of small-town life layered into a very well plotted mystery. Virgil understands that, in small towns, no one ever outgrows high school... One of the very best novels in a superior series’Booklist (starred review) on Deep Freeze ‘Add a gripping storyline, a generous helping of exquisitely conceived characters and laugh-out-loud humor that produce explosive guffaws, not muted chuckles, and you’re in for the usual late-night, don’t-even-think-of-stopping treat when Flowers hits town’ Richmond Times-Dispatch on Deep Freeze ‘An outstanding novel’ Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Escape Clause ‘Perfect entertainment’ Kirkus Reviews on Escape Clause

When a gang carry out a daring drugs raid on a hospital pharmacy, during which several staff are injured and one medical orderly is brutally killed, the Minneapolis police department can only conclude that it must have been an inside job. For Lucas Davenport, this case is about to get personal. Weather Karkinnen, Lucas's surgeon wife, was due to perform a high-profile operation on the day of the raid, and as an unwitting observer of the criminals' desperate getaway, she is now in grave danger. As the culprits embark on a series of vicious murders in an attempt to silence any witnesses, it becomes apparent that a city gangster ring known as 'The Seed' is behind the attacks. With the body-count rising, Davenport knows that time is running out to identify the inside plant in the hospital before the gang catches up with Weather once and for all.