Book Talk: 5 books to get you through February

February can be a tough month for some people. The holiday season is long behind us, and many of us still have a fair stretch of winter to get through before the sunny days of spring descend upon us. If you love to read, February can be a great month to get cozy, hibernate, and dive into some some great reads. Here are a few recent releases to check out!

No Man's Land, by David Baldacci

John Puller's mother, Jackie, vanished 30 years ago in Fort Munroe, Virginia. Paul Rogers has been in prison for 10 years when the book opens, but 20 years before that he, too, was in Fort Munroe. On one fateful night, their worlds collided. In No Man's Land, readers will be thrown into the tale of these two men thrown together under sinister conditions, thirty years ago. The true facts behind their meeting have been buried until now.

Released in November, this book will appeal to those who are long-standing lovers of Baldacci's work and those looking to discover a "new" author to read. Baldacci's books capture the reader and keep hold all the way through to the last page. Baldacci is a master of plot twists, compelling characters and stories that will keep you guessing.

Nick of Time, by John Gilstrap

This is a tale of a joyride. The joyride of a lifetime. It's the story of Nicki Janssen, a young girl whose days are numbered. Against everyone's best advice, she decides to hit the road with nothing more than a pocket full of cash, a bus ticket, and big dreams of running away with her childhood crush. There's only one problem: That crush, Brad Ward, has been sent to prison for felony murder. He decides to escape prison to run away with Nicki, but that's just the start of the trouble. Nicki's father partners up with the deputy sheriff to track down the two rogue youth, a search that gathers speed like a boulder rolling down a mountain.

If you've never read a Glipstrap novel, this is a great place to start. Lovers of fast-paced, thrilling stories with lots of twist, turns, and adventure will love Nick of Time. Perfect for hibernating on a cold, February evening.

How Will I Know You? by Jessica Treadway

In upstate New York on a December day, the body of high school senior Joy Enright is discovered in the woods, at the edge of a frozen pond. Although all thing point to drowning, the autopsy paints a different picture: the girl was strangled to death. The book continues on to unfurl the story of what happened to Joy from the perspective of four different characters, each with four different versions of the story. Joy's mother, her best friend, a rescue diver, and a black graduate student suspected of the murder each tell their version as the book unfolds.

This book is more than just a captivating whodunnit -- although it certainly is that. It is an exploration of the inner working of families, the nature of boundaries, and how the choices we make can have consequences we could never have foreseen. What really happened to Joy? Read the book and find out. Or will you?

The Smoke Hunter, by Jacquelyn Benson

It's London, 1898. Archivist Eleanora Mallory has found a mysterious map to a legendary city. Is it real? Is it a convincing hoax? She can't let the matter go, and has to find out the truth. She travels to Central America. Unfortunately, she's not the only one in search of the truth about the map and the secrets it may hold, and soon she finds herelf in the race of her life. She partners with archaeologist Adam Bates, but even as they work together she isn't sure she can really trust him. Together, they travel through danger and mystery in search of the truth behind the map.

Part Indiana Jones adventure, part Mummy, and part Da Vinci Code, this book will appeal to anyone who loves a book with adventure, history, mystery, with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure. This book is evocative of time and place, and will transport you into a world of intrigue that you won't soon forget.

The Wrong Side of Goodbye, by Michael Connelly

Have you ever tried to find someone who may not have ever existed? That's the task with which Harry Bosch, California's newest private investigator, has been charged. He is approached by a dying reclusive billionaire and asked to track down the child he believes was born out of a long-ago affair with a Mexican woman. Does the man have an heir? Bosch takes on the case, knowing that much is at stake. What he couldn't have expected, however, was the uncanny connections to his own past that would come to light throughout the investigation. As these facts come to light, Bosch becomes increasingly certain that he absolutely must find the truth.

There's a reason Michael Connelly is a best-selling author. He knows what he is doing. He knows how to craft a story that will keep you turning pages relentlessly. He knows how to create characters we care about, characters we can get invested in. This is the 21st book in the Harry Bosch series and fans of Connelly's work won't be disappointed.

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