Library Loot (sort of)

Library Loot is hosted by Alessandra from Out of the Blue and Eva from A Striped Armchair.

So I know you're probably thinking, sort of? How do you "sort of" have library loot? :-)

It's easy! I went back to return the books I had checked out a couple of weeks ago. (Sadly, I never got to My Lord John by Georgette Heyer, but I figure I'll check it out again when I have more time to devote to reading.) Well, right when you walk in, there's a set of shelves that has books for sale--50-cent titles on one side, 10-cent titles on the other. Naturally, even though I have a stack of probably two dozen unread books at home and a long wish list of books, I had to stop and browse. I ended up finding three titles on the 50-cent shelves, as I figured, for 50 cents, why not at least try some books out? They were hardcovers in really good condition, too! So here they are...

After the Fire by Belva Plain, published in April 2001. Here's the synopsis from BN.com:

What happens when the picture-perfect marriage dissolves?

In her stunning new novel, New York Times-bestselling author Belva Plain penetrates a shattered marriage to explore one of the most provocative issues of our time. Once again Plain proves herself the writer who sets the standard for family stories in a novel that is at once harrowing and deeply moving.

Gerald and Hyacinth had the kind of marriage others envied. She was a beautiful artist. He was a brilliant plastic surgeon. Theirs was a comfortable, happy home with two wonderful children. Then whispers of betrayal tainted Hy's perfect marriage. And in one terrible night she commits an act she will regret for the rest of her life. An act that gives Gerald the ultimate weapon: blackmail.

The price of his silence is uncontested custody of their two children. When her own beautiful, angry mother wants to know why she won't fight for custody, Hy can give no answers. But deep in her heart, Hy knows there is one question she must answer if she wants to free herself from a life of lies: What really happened that terrible night? Only then can she reclaim her children, her pride, her life—at last.

Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Not hard to understand why I picked it up...

The second book I found was Hide Yourself Away by Mary Jane Clark, published in May 2005. I've read a few of her mysteries before, and she's ridiculously similar to Mary Higgins Clark in more ways that just her name, but again, for 50 cents, why not? Here's the synopsis:

Being a KEY To America intern may be hazardous to your health. But even when one is nearly killed in an accident and another disappears, this year’s crop of hopefuls are oblivious to the menace. Grace Callahan arrives in Newport for a weeklong broadcast from"America's First Resort," determined to launch a future in television journalism. The KEY interns have been told that at the end of the summer one of them will get a full-time job. As their number dwindles, Grace must face the real danger that lurks in an otherwise idyllic town. But can she uncover a murderer who does not want the secrets--those lying buried beneath the city's fabled mansions--to come to light?

The last book I came across was Guilty as Sin by Tami Hoag, published February 1996. I still haven't read the other Hoag novel I picked up, but since I love thrillers and mysteries, I'm hopeful I won't be disappointed.

A cold-blooded kidnapper has been playing a twisted game with a terrified Minnesota town. Now a respected member of the community sits in jail, accused of a chilling act of evil. But then another boy disappears, triggering panic in tiny Deer Lake. Have the police caught the wrong man? Or is there an even more sinister mind calculating each perverse move?

Prosecutor Ellen North believes she's building a case against the right man—and that he has an accomplice in the shadows. Suddenly she's swept into their dark game, her role changed from hunter to prey. And soon she wonders if she's a match for her opponent...an evil mind as guilty as sin.

So since I actually bought these books from the library, that's why I consider them "sort of" library loot. And clearly I need a vacation where I do nothing but read, since I have so many books I need to get to. Oh well, maybe sometime this summer :-)