Best of
Contemporary

1992

The Secret History


Donna Tartt - 1992
    But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.

One Last Wish


Lurlene McDaniel - 1992
    I can't make you live longer, I can stop you form hurting. But I can give you one wish, as someone did for me.Three letters. Three last wishes.In Mother, Help Me Live, Sarah discovers that her birth mother, whom she's never known, is the one person who may have the bone marrow she needs to survive. When Sarah journeys to find her mother, she learns the real meaning of family.Let Him Live tells the story of Megan's friendship with Donovan, who is hoping to receive a liver transplant. Megan helps make Donovan's wish for his mother and little brother come true, along the way, Megan comes to understand true giving.In Sixteen and Dying, when Anne finds out that a blood transfusion she had seven years ago has made her future uncertain, being given one wish helps her face her pain. She chooses to spend the summer with her father on a ranch out west—and there she meets someone who will change her life.

The Passions of Chelsea Kane


Barbara Delinsky - 1992
    Taking a break from her successful architecture career, she arrives in the New Hampshire town where she was born, determined to learn the truth, her only clue a tarnished silver key.One of her first discoveries, however, is something quite unexpected: the irresistibly attractive Judd Street. Buoyed by love and resolution, the determined Chelsea slowly begins to uncover the dark mystery of her past. But as she inches closer to the truth, she realizes that someone is trying to stop her, first by scaring her, then by trying to harm her. The danger escalates until one terrifying night when all secrets are laid bare.With memorable characters and writing that will stir the hearts and minds of all readers, The Passions of Chelsea Kane is the kind of compelling narrative that has earned Barbara Delinsky an ever-widening readership.

The Crow Road


Iain Banks - 1992
    I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmont to bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach." Prentice McHoan has returned to the bosom of his complex but enduring Scottish family. Full of questions about the McHoan past, present and future, he is also deeply preoccupied: mainly with death, sex, drink, God and illegal substances...

Winter Dreams, Christmas Love


Mary Francis Shura - 1992
    Ellen Marlowe is in love with Michael Tyler, handsome upperclassman, star of the swim team. And when Michael goes off to college, Ellen is left behind to wonder if she can ever get over him.

Captivated


Nora Roberts - 1992
    Fascinating and irresistible, the mysterious Donovan cousins share a secret that's been handed down through generations -- a secret that sets them apart from ordinary beings.CaptivatedHis interest in her was purely professional . . . Or so he told himself. Nash Kirkland had sought out the alluring Morgana Donovan to help him research his latest screenplay, though the hardheaded skeptic didn't believe for a minute she was what she professed to be. But, as Morgana revealed herself to him, Nash found himself falling under her bewitching spell. Nash had never trusted his feelings and always kept them in check. So how could he be sure the irresistible passion he felt for Morgana was real and not just some conjurer's trick?

Honest Illusions


Nora Roberts - 1992
    Into this colorful world comes Luke Callahan, an escape artist who captures her heart—and keeps secrets that could shatter all her illusions…

The Arcade


Judy Turner - 1992
    But a terrible event changes everything for her. Marj cooks and waits tables at the wine bar, under the watchful eye of Martin, a chef of undoubted genius, despite his passion for women. Why has he never noticed Marj, though?As the shopkeepers struggle to make a living, each of them finds their life changing over the course of one eventful year.

All My Sins remembered


Rosie Thomas - 1992
    Reprint.

The Loves And Journeys Of Revolving Jones


Leslie Thomas - 1992
    a lovely blend of humour, sexual comedy and pathos' Daily Express 'A rollicking tale of a Welsh sailor with a girl in every port, but only one true love at home...Thomas has a rare gift for words...This is his best book and a celebration of his robust talents, which combine flesh with imagination. He always had a narrative verve, and this saga develops it into a turn of the wheel of life. Revolving Jones comes back at last to his eternal miss, and hopefully, Leslie Thomas will achieve a revolution in his reputation' The Times 'This exciting adventure story is also one man's pilgrimage, a lifetime's odyssey, a ritually layered tale of the quest for humour and love' Daily Mail 'He inhabits that "bestseller author" territory that includes the likes of Jeffrey Archer, Jack Higgins and Ken Follett, but he is a far better writer than any of them' Marcel Berlins, Sunday Times

Family Man


Jayne Ann Krentz - 1992
    After nosing around, Luke claims that the business is being sabotaged from within. Meanwhile some of the Gilchrists suspect that he'll destroy the company to gain revenge: his father was disinherited by Justine when he left at the altar the bride she had handpicked (the woman who became Katy's mother). In fact, Luke plots only to win Katy, which is not easy, given that the young woman wants out of her job and away from everyone named Gilchrist. In her own saucy, upbeat style, Krentz (Sweet Fortune) turns this eccentric family and pair of mismatched lovers (so everyone tells them) into an entertaining story. Krentz is even confident enough to question the genre rules she plays by so well, as when Katy walks out on Luke during a passionate love scene, saying, There's no call to get surly. You started this. Her fans will eat it up.

A Time to Die


Lurlene McDaniel - 1992
    She doesn’t understand why she was born with cystic fibrosis. Each day she faces an uncertain future. But the close-knit bond she develops with Eric and Vince gives her the hope to live one day at a time.When an anonymous benefactor promises to grant a single wish with no strings attached, Kara can’t help but wonder if miracles might really happen. Will Kara live to see her dying wish fulfilled?

Christianity: The Faith That Makes Sense


Dennis McCallum - 1992
    Readers will consider the validity of Christian beliefs, overcome barriers to faith, and be challenged to meet Christ personally.

City Girl


Patricia Scanlan - 1992
    Their staunch three-way friendship is born while housesharing and during their twenty-something years it's the only certainty. That, and their status-symbol membership of Dublin's most exclusive health centre for high-profile women: City Girl. For Caroline, life's great purpose is not to be left on the shelf and so she considers resorting to St Jude - the patron saint of hopeless cases. But then God sends her Devlin Delaney - friend and mentor - and her 'Nellie the Elephant' days become a thing of the past. But for all that Devlin is a free spirit, with men lining up to ask her out, it is she who ends up living in hardship and facing the most tragic loss of all. While Maggie MacNamara, farmer's daughter from Wicklow, blithely turns down the 'catch of the county' to see the world - and falls in love with 'Mr Paradise on Legs' en route. But, for all those who share the gift of enduring friendship, all roads lead to home - or, for Caroline, Dev and Maggie, to a rendezvous in the plush foyer of City Girl.

The Reign of Christ the King


Michael Treharne Davies - 1992
    This book is easy to read and important for our times, in which secularism and pluralism reign supreme. Provocative on every page!

Leftover Dreams


Charlotte Vale Allen - 1992
    The author takes readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride no one will wnat to stop before its emotionally-draining, thoroughly satisfying conclusion.

The Rosamunde Pilcher Collection


Rosamunde Pilcher - 1992
    Reaching back into the past provides the key to true happiness in three piercingly romantic novels from the best-loved author

Shotgun Wedding


Barbara Catlin - 1992
    But if she can’t locate her late friend’s missing will, producing a rich, proud “papa” might be the only way to keep baby B.J. safely in her custody. Not that she needs the cash, of course, but she must convey an appearance of stability! And then, as luck would have it…In saunters sexy-as-sin, fun-loving new neighbor Nick McKenzie, with money and moxie enough for a short-term charade. His masculine tenderness instantly holds tiny B.J. spellbound. His brash sexuality rocks Maggie to her core.The man and the child flood Maggie’s hungry heart with dreams of happily ever after—but will Nick’s suggestion of a supposedly makeshift marriage turn their newfound love, as well as their plan, into an out-and-out disaster?

Waiting to Exhale


Terry McMillan - 1992
    The story of friendship between four African American women who lean on each other while "waiting to exhale": waiting for that man who will take their breath away.

Beyond Eden


Catherine Coulter - 1992
    The product of old San Francisco wealth, the daughter of a man who despises her, her life is forever changed when she is brutally assaulted by her sister's husband, and then rejected by her family.Lindsay is finally forced to face up to her past when she meets S.C. Taylor, a tough ex-cop, turned private investigator and computer troubleshooter. He is hired to protect her; but can he both win her trust and discover who is trying to kill her and why? Is it her family? A supposed friend or colleague? A faceless sicko or perhaps a mad psychiatrist? Ah, it's a mystery to savor.

The Madame Realism Complex


Lynne Tillman - 1992
    Each fiction has a terse analytical agenda, surgically dissecting the mundane, forcing quotidian life off the canvas, out of the museum dioramas and into our laps.

When Somebody Loves You


Cindy Gerard - 1992
    Was this man her worst nightmare come back to haunt her—or the one who would break down the defenses of a lifetime and cast away her pain?Slow Burn: He was a wanderer whose troubled gaze barely hid his anger and despair, but Joanna Taylor knew she’d offer Adam Dursky the handyman job at her Minnesota lodge. Drawn to a loneliness in him that echoed her own, she couldn’t fight the desire his touch awakened in her.Adam had battled his ghosts and shadows for months, but only Joanna’s touch kept the terrible memories at bay. Determined to convince her that forgiveness was better than regret, Adam insisted she make peace with her own past. Could a redheaded rebel who’d given up on love heal the pain of a hero who thought he’d lost his courage?

Poetry and Voice of Margaret Atwood


Margaret Atwood - 1992
    

The Long Way Home


Jeanne Whitmee - 1992
     The cruel betrayal of the man she loves forces Marie O’Connor to make the heartbreaking decision to give up her twin daughters at birth. And so begin Leah and Sarah’s personal stories. Separated from one another a mere few days after their birth, the two girls reach adulthood unaware of a twin sister and their tragic background. Shifted from one foster home to another, Leah is finally brought up by misguided parents trying to replace the loss of their own daughter. And Sarah is adopted by an adoring couple who smother her with love. But neither girl feels she truly belongs. Then – after an explosive row – the rebellious Leah is sent packing. Realising what she has been missing all along, Leah leaves home, determined to find her natural mother and uncover her past. Meanwhile, Marie has picked up the tattered threads of her life and achieved a successful career running a chain of hotels on the South-East coast. But hardly a day goes past by without her thinking of her lost little girls. It is not until the past and present come together in one terrifying moment of reckoning, that Marie and her daughters are free to share the love they have so long denied. But with all three women being strangers, can they trust one another to put the past behind and become a family? A gripping and moving story, The Long Way Home tells of the loyalty between friends and families and the depth of a mother’s love for her children.

The Love That Ended Yesterday in Texas


Cathy Smith Bowers - 1992
    It was first published by the Texas Tech University Press in 1992, where it was the first winner of the TTUP First Book Award (subsequently named the Walt McDonald Award.) The hard cover edition (ISBN 0-89672-301-1) went out of print in 1997, and Iris Press brought out this high quality paperback edition that same year. This book contains 48 poems. There is also a preface by Walter McDonald and a forward by Stephen Corey.

This Time Forever


Kathleen Eagle - 1992
    Condemned for a crime he did not commit, a handsome half-breed rodeo rider seeks freedom...and justice. Two lonely outcasts separated by culture, stubborn pride and prison bars, their destinies are joined by a shared duty to a helpless child—and by the blossoming of a bold and magnificent love that a cruel, intolerant society forbids...but cannot destroy.

Under the Influence of Water: Poems, Essays, and Stories


Michael Delp - 1992
    Through his poetry, essays, and short fiction, Delp writes about being haunted by fishing, about being taken over, literally, by the desire to fish and spend time alone on trout streams. He describes the experience as "a pause, a deep breath in the crush of living. It seems incredibly simple, yet trout fishing illuminates an inner life, asks the mind and body to give themselves over to another power:Under the Influence of Water is about moments-how time goes away on a river. It's about waking up and finding out that what runs in your veins is river water mixed with blood. It's also about trying to find the courage to one day stand in a river and admit your life. Delp says that's what happens when you fly fish . . . you get your life back, if only for a few moments. When you go back to your other life, the river is still with you. Ifit's not, then you haven't really been on a river.

Selected from The Joy Luck Club


Amy Tan - 1992
    

Arms & the Girl


Stevie Davies - 1992
    

Henley: Four Plays


Beth Henley - 1992
    The plays are: The Lucky Spot, The Miss Firecracker Contest, The Wake of Jamey Foster, and Abundance.