Kicking off an autumn of adventure

 

Take a break from back-to-school business with a brilliant book from our September Texas Books Preview. We’ve scored the news on the latest books releasing from authors all over the Lone Star state. Whether you’re in the mood for mystery, on the hunt for history, or up for an adventure, we have the latest and greatest rounded up and ready for reading.

 

 

Artistic Deception

CA Humer

 

Sam Slater steps back from his fieldwork with Homeland Security to focus on life with his new bride, Kate Hunter. He returns to work to take on the challenge of stopping the human trafficking and exploitation of illegal immigrants while Kate dives into exposing the tawdry business through her writing. When Sam’s folks come to visit for Thanksgiving, Sam learns his mom is dying of cancer and her last wish is for Sam to rebuild the relationship both he and his dad, Ray, lost years ago and now desperately need.

 

Moving back to Fort Worth, Sam’s dad befriends a widow raising her two grandchildren who become both friends and victims of Victor Marchetti, owner of several adult entertainment businesses in the southwest. Sam suspects the Marchetti Syndicate is working with the Coyotes to bring illegal immigrants into the country, and into the sex trades. The clever manipulations used by Marchetti’s ‘talent scouts’ lures young innocents into the evil business of adult entertainment and worse.

 

Sam must find it in his heart to forgive his father, protect his wife when her articles hit too close to Marchetti, rescue the women being exploited and put a stop to the human-trafficking perpetrated by both sides of the border.
 

 

The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball

Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis

 

Did the autographed golf ball that famed astronaut Alan Shepard give his barber and friend Carlos Villagomez fly to the moon? The Barber, The Astronaut, and the Golf Ball paints an colorful portrait of two incredible men set against the backdrop of the space program.

 

 

Future Unfolds

J.L. Yarrow

 

Generations from now, the future of humanity is grim. To save their fate, the Time Forward Project pins their hopes on their force-of-nature time agent, Kristen Winters. She's sent on missions into the past through an unstable wormhole in deep space, attempting to change historical events. The central theme of time travel is explored in depth, highlighting the complexities and far-reaching consequences of tampering with time. The interplay between the present, past, and future is skillfully handled, showcasing the ripple effects of the characters’ actions.

 

A finely tuned science fiction thriller with cleverly orchestrated twists and well-crafted future technology, Future Unfolds has all the hallmarks and style of a first-rate bestseller.

 

 

Lethal Standoff

DiAnn Mills

 

In LETHAL STANDOFF, Carrington Reed faces her toughest negotiation yet as the Kendrix brothers hold hostages for a justice that hides a sinister truth. Through the help of investigative reporter Levi Ehrlich, the two face lies and deceit.

 

Award-winning author DiAnn Mills crafts a tale of suspense, redemption, and the power of uncovering the hidden.

 

 

Murder on the Colorado

Bruce Hammack

 

One body in the river. A flood of suspects on shore.

 

Artist and part-time private investigator Fen Maguire's location scouting takes a dark turn when kayakers pull a corpse from the Colorado River. The grisly discovery sets off a chain of events that plunge Fen into a web of small-town intrigue.

 

Weeks later, with the wrong man behind bars and threatening a lawsuit against the city, Fen is recruited to find the real killer. Under the guise of teaching an art class, he's tasked with uncovering the truth and preventing a costly legal battle.

 

Long-standing feuds and small-town politics muddy the waters, making potential suspects as numerous as the trees lining the river. Can Fen navigate the currents of deceit to expose the real killer?

 

 

Palm Island: The Daxton Shaw Adventures, Book One

Jason Bradshaw

 

Palm Island is a current day action adventure novel that takes place in a small chain of islands down in southern Mexico. Daxton Shaw, a washed up pilot and boat captain falls into a dark place in his life after a tragic flight accident took place years earlier. When a submarine goes missing near an uninhabited island he is contacted from an unexpected source to assist in its retrieval. His skill and expertise in the air and on the water lead him to locate and retrieve the missing submarine but little did he know that the contents would change he and his family’s lives forever.

 

 

The Personal Assistant

Becki Willis

 

I lost my phone. My purse was snatched. And I got fired . . . by my best friend.

 

But now I’ve got a lifeline. That very day I’m offered a new job. PA to the millionaire businesswoman Mrs. Lillian Samson. An amazing salary. Impressive benefits package.

 

I soon realize there’s something not quite right about Lillian. Sometimes, when she thinks I’m not looking, I catch her watching me with a strange look in her eye, like a lion stalking its prey.

 

And things are about to get even crazier.

 

My boss is dangerous. Things are about to get very personal for this personal assistant.

 

 

Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time

Preston Lewis & Harriet Kocher Lewis

 

Children tread lightly through the pages of Old West history. Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time gives frontier children their due for all the work they did to help their families survive. In the process, they helped tame the Old West. Even at early ages, frontier youngsters helped families make ends meet and handled chores that today seem unbelievable. Written for today's young adults, Pintsized Pioneers offers lessons on frontier history and on the value of work for contemporary youth.

 

 

They Call You Back, A Memoir

Tim Z. Hernandez

 

In this highly anticipated memoir, Tim Z. Hernandez takes us along on an investigative odyssey through personal and collective history to uncover the surprising conjunctions that bind our stories together.

 

Hernandez’s mission to find the families of the twenty-eight Mexicans who were killed in the 1948 plane wreck at Los Gatos Canyon formed the basis for his acclaimed documentary novel All They Will Call You, which the New York Times hailed as “painstaking detective work by a writer who is the descendant of farmworkers.”

 

In this riveting new work, Hernandez continues his search for the plane crash victims while also turning the lens on himself and his ancestral past, revealing the tumultuous and deeply intimate experiences that have fueled his investigations.

 

 

Whispered Melodies: Lost Creek, Texas Hill Country, Book Five

Alexa Aston

 

A man emotionally closed off from the world. A woman starting a new life. Two individuals who have suffered tragedies—and now have a second chance at love…

 

Country songwriter Tucker Young lost his pregnant wife to a drunk driver. He moves to Lost Creek, where he spent summers with his cousin, hoping to find solace and inspiration.

 

Reagan Bradley’s fiancé was killed a week before their wedding, and she returns to Texas with hopes she can heal emotionally and find a new purpose in life.

 

Friendship blossoms between them, as they feel safe sharing their stories of grief.

 

Will Tucker and Reagan navigate their complicated feelings for one another and face their fears, even as they learn to trust—and love—again?

 

 

1828

David Preston

 

In the high-stakes rematch of 1828, two titans of American politics clash in a battle that will determine the nation's fate. John Quincy Adams, the embattled incumbent, faces Andrew Jackson, the fiery populist and war hero, in an election riddled with political machinations and deep-seated animosities.

 

As accusations of corruption and backroom deals surface, the country teeters on the brink of chaos. Jackson's supporters cry foul, decrying Adams' victory as a stolen triumph, igniting a powder keg of regional tensions. The South, seething with anger and feeling betrayed, edges closer to secession, threatening to fracture the young nation.

 

 

The Burning Tree

Helen Dent

 

In Ellie Caster’s town of Bishop’s Gap, the Casters and the powerful Levy family have been feuding for generations. The families share one thing in common—they both dread the mark, a scorch that appears at random on their doors, bringing a curse from the Burning Tree.

 

When the mark hits Ellie’s door, her sister Jean falls into a coma. Ellie knows the Burning Tree is to blame, and desperate to save her sister, she braves the forbidden woods to confront it. But this choice ignites a chain of unintended consequences, forcing her to work with her nemesis, Charlotte Levy.

 

Together, they must complete an impossible task, uncover the secret of Bishop’s Gap, and end the curse before time runs out for their entire town.

 

 

Haunted Weatherford

Teal Gray

 

A phantom stagecoach materializes on Weatherford’s Main Street, the galloping hooves of invisible horses tugging witnesses back towards the nineteenth century. A stroll through the enchanting Chandor Gardens might lead to an encounter with its creator, renowned English portrait artist Douglas Chandor. The apparition of a former judge lingers around Parker County Courthouse, while the Old Jail Museum’s corridors are filled with disembodied voices and echoing footsteps. Visitors to Old Greenwood Cemetery might hear the quiet sobbing of the woman who was murdered by a jealous lover or feel a cold nudge against their hands when they pass by a canine buried alongside his owner. Author Teal Gray walks through miles of Weatherford's history to unwind years of its haunted lore.

 

 

 

Merry Christmas, Dear Mars

Penny Parker Klostermann

 

An out-of-this-world remix of the classic poem “A Visit from Saint Nicholas”! It’s Christmas Eve. The Martians have hung their stockings and decorated their trees in hopes that Santa will finally visit the red planet. But what are the excited Martians to do when Santa’s sleigh shudders and shimmies and stops? Then teeters and totters and drops? It’ll take a dose of Christmas magic and some help from the Outer Space Rescue Division to get this holiday back on track.

 

Humorous, rhyming text and vibrant illustrations combine to make a perfect winter read-a-loud, destined to become a classic.

 

 

The Pink Dress, A Memoir of a Reluctant Beauty Queen

Jane Little Botkin

 

Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970’s counterculture movement began to take off. A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane’s time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes reality: the author’s failed relationship with her mother, and her parents’ failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs.

 

 

Worse Than You Think: The Mostly True Story of Two Teachers Running for Congress Deep in the Heart of Texas

Todd Allen and Heath Hamrick

 

In a political landscape where absurdity often overshadows reality, Worse Than You Think offers a refreshingly candid and witty account of what happens when ordinary individuals leap into the political arena. Follow the real-life journey of high school teacher Edward "Todd" Allen as he runs for Congress in 2018, with best friend Heath Hamrick by his side. Their quest to fix the "crazy circus" of partisan divide leads to comical, eye-opening encounters with bizarre characters. This book delivers laughter, surprises, and a spark of inspiration for anyone considering their role in democracy.

 

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

There are so many Texas-connected books publishing this month that we couldn’t feature all of them. The following books also publish in September:

 

CHILDREN'S, MIDDLE GRADE, & YOUNG ADULT BOOKS 

Bear's Big Idea by Sandra Nickel

Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou

The Blue Deer by David Bowles

Cindy Ella by Amanda Moore Vingren

Giddy Up, Unicorn! by Dani Gomez; Translator Luisana Duarte Armendariz

The Immortal Abyss by Katherine Briggs

Last I Saw Him by Arthur Herbert

The Letter by Irene Verdu; Translator Luisana Duarte Armendariz

Mamá’s Magnificent Dancing Plantitas by Jesús Trejo; Illustrated by Eliza Kinkz

Molt by Laura Galán-Wells

The Monstrous Kind by Lydia Gregovic

Off Edge by Addison Brae

Ring of Rosin by Nancy Golden

The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Cormac McCarthy

Stephen King: His Life, Work, and Influences by Bev Vincent

Temple of Secrets by Christina Soontornvat

Three Cow Eggs by Christin James

The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Lobo by Edgar Garcia

Wish Upon a Streaming Star Volume 1 by Krissi Dallas

Wish Upon a Streaming Star Volume 2 by Krissi Dallas

 

MYSTERY / HORROR

The Accomplice by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson

Betrayed by Silence by Karen Randau

Capture or Kill by Don Bentley

Cold Trail by Taylor Moore

Comedy Can Be Deadly by Ryan Rivers

The Con by Jackie Layton

A Dark and Devious Tail by Rachel Woods

Dating CHAOS by D.W. Brooks

Death by Midnight by Brittany E. Brinegar

Devils Kill Devils by Johnny Compton

The Glass Bottom Hoax by Diane Vallere

Guide Me Home by Attica Locke

Illusions by J.T. Bishop

Marsh Madness by Jana DeLeon

Reel Trouble by Karen MacInerney

Veil of Hope by Vannetta Chapman

 

NONFICTION 

Afterward: Murder of a Soldier by Terri Schlack

The Anti-Civil Rights Movement: Affirmative Action as Wedge and Weapon by Mike Steve Collins

The Best American Newspaper Narratives, Volume 11 by Gayle Reaves

Birding Texas by Randi Minetor and Nic Minetor

Duval County Tejanos by Alfredo E. Cárdenas

Eleven Days on the Colorado by James Brasher

Empires and Indigenous Peoples by Michael Maas And Fay A. Yarbrough

Flying for Peanuts by Frank Lorenzo

The Gangs of Zion by Ron Stallworth

The Ghostly Tales of Old Town Spring by Lisha Cauthen

Globalizing the Lower Rio Grande by Kyle B. Carpenter

Habits of a Peacemaker by Steven T. Collis

Haunted Fredricksburg by Michelle Hamilton

Love at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith by Brian T Atkinson

Mestizaje: The Feminist Art of Kathy Sosa by Kathy Sosa

A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places by Christopher Brown

Obadiah James: Hell's Heart by Greg Bower

Reentry by Eric Berger

The Road to Texas by Victor Considerant, Paola Tettamanzi Buckley (Translator)

Scam Goddess by Laci Mosley

Texas Teachin by DC McAvoy

Texas Women Are On the Money by Cynthia Devlin

Tracking the Texas Ranger Historians by Bruce A. Glasrud, Harold J. Weiss, Jr. — editors

Wards of the League by Mike Cobern

Wesley Women by Risa Brown

 

OTHER FICTION

Cracked Fairy Tales (Anthology)

Death Aesthetic by Josh Rountree

Edge of the Known World by Sheri T. Joseph

Entangled Vengence by JD Broyhill

Exile by M.R. Parsons

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan

Firmament: Progenitor by J. Grace Pennington

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen

The Innocent and Others by Jerry Whitus

Innocents of Marbella by R.C. Mogo

Into the Cauldron by Lee Jackson

The Iron Bear by Renee Jagger and Michael Anderle

Legal Flames by Michael Anderle

The Living, The Dead, and The Unwed by Tyranny Hovey

The Only Saloon in Town by Reavis Z. Wortham

Particle Two by Jaxon Reed

The Primal Instigator by Sarah Noffke & Michael Anderle

Revivant by J.R. Tate

Secret Inheritance by Michael Anderle

Still Life by Katherine Packert Burke

Violent the Night by Michael Anderle

When It Rains by Cristin Martin Wenninger

Witch's Wrath by T.R. Cameron, Martha Carr, and Michael Anderle

The Wright Way to Begin by Maria Grace

 

POETRY

Autobiomythography Of by Ayokunle Falomo

The Book of Wounded Sparrows by Octavio Quintanilla

Processing by Amanda Russell

Those We Can No Longer See by Bob Ross

What Good is Heaven by Raye Hendrix

 

ROMANCE

Come Home to the Doctor's by Lacey Davis

Cowboy Law by P. Creedon

Cowboying Up by Delores Fossen

The Cozy Corner Book Store by Nova Walsh

Crossing Lines by Barb Shuler

Dawn of Service by Regina Morris

Double Exposure by Elissa R. Sloan

Forever Favored by Ginny Sterling

Forever Vows by Kathryn Kaleigh

Fortune's Faux Engagement by Carrie Nichols

Found in Obscurity by A.M. Rose

Friction by Kindle Alexander

Give It to Me by Angelina Lopez

The Growly Outcast's Promise by Kat Baxter

Guarded from Corruption by Gia Cobie

Her Texas Cowboy by Casey Dawes

Her Texas Cowboy Protector by Janalyn Knight

Hot Hex Boyfriend by Carly Bloom

Hurricanes & Halloween by Katrina Marie

Joy's Flame by Carolyn L. Dean, Patti Larsen, & Jenna St. James

Just One Look by Chris Keniston

Lone Star Secrets by Delores Fossen

Love on the Prairie by RB Bartels

Making a Texas Cowboy by Justine Davis

The Marquess' Quest for Love by Alexa Aston

Mister McStudmuffin by Kat Baxter

Mountain Man Bad Boy by Natasha L. Black

My Only Mistake by Emma Lee Jayne

No One Does It Like You by Katie Shepard

Nocturnal by Clio Evans

One Night with the Wealthy Rancher by Brenda Jackson

Promised Vows by Bree Livingston

A Proper Governess by Kasey Stockton

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean by Ann Rose

Soaring and Saucy by Ginny Sterling

Soaring and Sweet by Ginny  Sterling

Somebody New by L.J. Breedlove

Spinster No More by Kathleen Ball

Stealing the Rake's Heart by Dorothy Sheldon

Stolen by Her Alien Mate by Kat Baxter

Stolen Secrets by Denise Diana Huddle

Strong Love by Ashley Christin & RD Berg

The Sugar Stop Chocolate Shop by Nova Walsh

Sweet Little Lies by Lexie Blake

Taco 'Bout Love by Candice Y. Johnson

Texas Revenge Target by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Texas White Gold by Caryl McAdoo

The Undercover Cowboy by Jamie K. Schmidt

Vanished in Texas by Karen Whiddon

Wish Upon a Streaming Star (volumes 1 and 2) by Krissi Dallas

The Witness Rescue by Jenna Brandt

 

Want to make sure your forthcoming Texas-connected titles are included in our feature? Email us at Publicity@LoneStarLiterary.com with the details!

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