SOUTHERN TALES Marking the 50th anniversary of the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the latest thriller by former Atlanta attorney Steve Berry opens up a Pandora’s box of unanswered questions surrounding the murder of the civil rights icon. In a riveting adventure, told in Berry’s trademark style of pairing meticulously researched history with unexpected twists, hero agent Cotton Malone must reckon with the truth of what really happened that fateful day in Memphis. His perilous trek down dark roads and up blind alleys leads to a cadre of startling revelations (many of which are true) about this country, the FBI, Dr. King’s death, and the machinations of unrestrained power.
the bishop’s pawn, steve berry (Minotaur Books, March 20)
flashback
n A lecture/book signing with the author will be held March 25 at The Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta and March 26 at the Gwinnett County Public Library during the national book tour. steveberry.org. A fast-paced story set against a background of hospital rounds and lifeor-death decisions, the debut novel of Kimmery Martin, an ER doctor herself, explores the fascinating world of practicing physicians and the heart’s capacity for forgiveness. Zadie Anson and Emma Colley, best friends since medical school, are now happily married wives and mothers with successful careers – Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, N.C., are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years. The reappearance of Nick Xenokostas shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made during their third year in med school. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both of them, Zadie starts to question everything about her closest friend.
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS, KIMMERY MARTIN (BERKLEY HARDCOVER)
Natasha Boyd’s captivating work of historical fiction is based on the true story of Eliza Lucas Pinckney, who changed agriculture in colonial South Carolina after developing indigo as one of its most important cash crops. The year is 1739 and 16-year-old Eliza is left in charge of the family’s three plantations as her father pursues his military ambitions and her mother longs to return to England. As tensions with the British and Spanish rise, and their livelihood is threatened, Eliza believes that indigo dye is the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it’s impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturist, a gentleman lawyer and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-yearold secret process of making indigo dye and, in return, she will teach the slaves to read. Romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships and politics intertwine in this heroic tale of a remarkable young woman.
Sharing stories about the city’s unique history, the Sandy Springs Gazette features weekly online articles based on archives and oral histories from residents. A 2017 compilation magazine is available online and in print. heritagesandysprings.org.
just for fun
THE INDIGO GIRL: a novel, NATASHA BOYD (BLACKSTONE PUBLISHING)
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www.southernSeasons.net
THE GREAT RACE, CHRISTOPHER CORR (FRANCES LINCOLN CHILDREN’S BOOKS) Whimsically illustrated with folk-art-style paintings of colorful animal characters, Christopher Corr’s retelling of the Chinese zodiac story offers an enchanting introduction to culture and folklore.