Category Archives: New Hanover

New Hanover

by | April 22, 2009 · 2:06 pm

Ellyn Bache. Daughters of the Sea. Banks Channel Books, 2005.

Veronica, Guy and their daughter Simpson have made a life moving from one beach town to another, always in search of a better climate or a better construction job for Guy. When Veronica decides she’s finished with the nomadic existence, she and Simpson move into the home of an old friend in Whisper Springs, Maryland. Simpson settles into their new life and begins a relationship with a local. Veronica’s friend Ernie’s health is failing and she appreciates the help of the younger women. Although the move was her idea, Veronica gets restless and begins missing the sea and her husband. Most of the story is centered on the three women in Maryland, but readers also get the occasional glimpse of Guy as he works in the film industry in Wilmington.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2005, Bache, Ellyn, Coast, Dare, New Hanover

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by | December 10, 2008 · 3:43 pm

Robert W. Hester. The Battle for North Carolina: Historical Novel of the War between the States. Charleston, SC: BookSurge Publishing, 2008.

In this novel, the Civil War is far from over in December of 1864.  Confederate naval fighters in the waters off North Carolina defeat the Union navy’s blockade.  Wilmington and eastern North Carolina are still threatened, even though Sherman’s march through Georgia has destroyed his army, not Georgia.  This book tells a tale of fierce fighting along the Carolina coastal plain during the early months of 1865.  Historical figures appear, along with fictional characters whose presence adds romantic interest to the narrative and gives the reader a vivid sense of the war’s cost to civilians.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2008, Craven, Docufiction, Hester, Robert W., Historical, New Hanover

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by | December 3, 2008 · 4:42 pm

Ellen Elizabeth Hunter. Christmas Wedding. Greensboro, NC: Magnolia Mysteries, 2007.

Ashley and Melanie have each found true love, and they are ready to marry their beaus. Ultra-organized Melanie has arranged every detail of the Christmas-themed double wedding, but that will not stop things from spinning out of control as relatives start acting strangely, a Melanie-double is seen around town, and a bridesmaid reads impending disaster in the tarot cards.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2007, Coast, Hunter, Ellen Elizabeth, Mystery, New Hanover, Novels in Series

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by | November 6, 2008 · 11:21 am

T. Lynn Ocean. Southern Fatality. New York : St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2007.

At the opening of Southern Fatality, Jersey Barnes retires from the day-to-day business of her security firm to concentrate on her other Wilmington business, a pub called the Barter’s Block. She has plans for living a (more) quiet life and maybe even marrying her boyfriend, a model named Bill. When Bill asks her to use her security expertise to help an old friend catch her cheating husband, she reluctantly agrees and quickly finds herself caught up in a case that involves computer crimes, kidnapping, huge amounts of money, and murder. Along for the ride are Jersey’s business partner Ox, her dog Cracker, her pill-trading, poker-playing father, and a computer hacker named Soup.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2007, Coast, Humor, Mystery, New Hanover, Novels in Series, Ocean, T. Lynn, Romance/Relationship

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by | · 11:21 am

T. Lynn Ocean. Southern Poison. New York: St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008.

Although she has been out of the anti-terrorist game for five years, the small print on Jersey Barnes’ government contract says that she can be recalled into service at any time. When her old handler shows up in her pub, she ends up working undercover. While looking for suspicious activity at an ammunition port outside Wilmington, Jersey uncovers one terrorist plot. But the obvious target isn’t the only one, and she stumbles upon a different scheme that hits much closer to home. In the meantime, she just begins exploring the possibility of a romance with Ox, her sexy friend and business partner, when his daughter and ex-wife arrive in town. This is the second of the Jersey Barnes mysteries and among the returning characters are computer-hacker Soup; Jersey’s dad, Spud; and her white lab, Cracker.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2008, Coast, Humor, Mystery, New Hanover, Novels in Series, Ocean, T. Lynn, Romance/Relationship, Suspense/Thriller

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by | October 30, 2008 · 4:10 pm

Ellen Elizabeth Hunter. The Murder in Wilmington Series.

It should come as no surprise that old houses hold secrets, but readers need to be prepared for a mix of old crimes and new ones in this series featuring historic preservationist and old house restorer Ashley Wilkes.  Ashley and her sister Melanie are part of Wilmington’s social elite.  As such they attend seasonal events around town, from the Azalea Festival to the Cape Fear Crime Festival to the Olde Wilmington Candlelight Tour, and also many posh parties related to these events.  No matter how nice the event, murders have a way of happening when Ashley is present.  Each novel is a happy mix of fun and danger, featuring Ashley and the interesting characters in her family and circle of friends.   The books also contain a good dose of Wilmington history and lore, and many readers will recognize places and businesses mentioned in the novels.

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Filed under 2000-2009, Coast, Hunter, Ellen Elizabeth, Mystery, New Hanover, Novels in Series, Series

by | October 20, 2008 · 5:26 pm

Judy Nichols. Tree Huggers. Austin, TX: Zumaya Enigma, 2008.

When a local environmentalist and a real estate agent die in a blaze at a new shorefront McMansion, everyone suspects that a militant environmental group has committed the arson. Kate Dennison is new to Wilmington and as she covers the story for the Winslow Beach Beacon she begins to attract unwanted attention.  Threatening messages and a dead rat left on her desk are preludes to more dangerous actions.  Kate has to balance her work with her responsibilities as a single mom.  A rekindled romance also complicates matters. Can Kate keep herself and her daughter safe while probing into an shadowy environmental group and a developer who may not be all that he seems?

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2008, Coast, Mystery, New Hanover, Nichols, Judy

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by | · 5:10 pm

Richard H. Triebe. On a Rising Tide. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2006.

By June 1864, Wilmington was the only open Confederate port on the eastern seaboard.  Cargo brought into the port allowed the Confederacy to fight on.  Blockade running and Sherman’s March to the Sea changed Wilmington, bringing to the city thousands of desperate refugees, wheeler-dealers, and dangerous men.  This novel contains good scenes of the blockade runner Atlantis negotiating the waters at Cape Fear, eluding Union ships, and loading up in Nassau, but the heart of the story is what happens in Wilmington.  It is a book of adventure, war, and romance, with scenes of betrayal and violence.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2006, Brunswick, Coast, Historical, New Hanover, Triebe, Richard H.

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by | August 28, 2008 · 3:57 pm

P. T. Deutermann. The Moonpool. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008.

Cam Ritcher leaves his home turf in the mountains of western North Carolina when one of his employees dies in Wilmington. Allie Gardner was doing simple surveillance of a wayward spouse when she died of radiation poisoning. No divorce case is that hot, so Cam begins his own investigation. His inquiries lead him Helios, the nearby nuclear power plant, and before long he is threatened by the head of their physical security squad. As Cam investigates Allie’s death he gets crosswise with not just the power plant staff but also the local police and several federal agencies.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC-Chapel Hill Library Catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2008, Coast, Deutermann, Peter T., New Hanover, Novels in Series, Suspense/Thriller

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by | June 27, 2008 · 2:52 pm

Dana Sachs. If You Lived Here. New York: Harper Collins, 2007.

Wilmington resident and mortician’s wife Shelley Marino desperately wants a child and after several miscarriages and failed domestic adoptions, she begins trying to adopt a little boy from Vietnam. While this strains her relationship with her husband, it helps her forge a new friendship with Mai, a local woman who fled Vietnam in the late 1970s. The narration switches between the voices of Shelley and Mai, both as the women get to know one another in the United States and later when they travel to Asia.

Check this title’s availability in the UNC Library Catalog.

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Filed under 2000-2009, 2007, Coast, New Hanover, Sachs, Dana

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