The following items are available at the Hancock County Public Library, 900 W. McKenzie Road. For more information on the library’s collection or to reserve a title, visit hcplibrary.org.
Adult Fiction
“The Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins,” by Antonia Hodgson
It’s London in 1728. Tom Hawkins is headed to the gallows, accused of murder, but he is innocent. He’s merely found his way into a spot of bad luck.
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It’s hard to say when Tom’s troubles began. In spite of his neighbors’ disapproval, he was happily living in sin with his beloved, Kitty Sparks. He probably shouldn’t have told London’s most cunning criminal mastermind that he was “bored and looking for adventure.” Nor should he have offered to help the king’s mistress in her desperate struggles with her brutal and vindictive husband.
And he definitely shouldn’t have trusted the calculating Queen Caroline. She’s promised him a royal pardon if he holds his tongue, but then again, there is nothing more silent than a hanged man.
Now Tom must scramble to save his life and protect those he loves. But as the noose tightens, his time is running out.
Adult Nonfiction
“The Search for the Man in the Iron Mask: A Historical Detective Story,” by Paul Sonnino
The Man in the Iron Mask is a puzzle that has stumped historians for centuries and seduced novelists and filmmakers to this day. Who was the man who was rumored to be in prison and treated royally during the reign of Louis XIV, all while being forced to wear an iron mask?
Was he the twin brother of the Sun King? Historian Paul Sonnino discounts this theory, instead taking the reader on an adventure to uncover the truth behind this ancient enigma.
Exploring the hidden, squalid side of the France court, the author uncovers the full spectrum of French society, from humble servants to wealthy merchants to kings and queens.
Presenting his dramatic solution to the mystery, Sonnino contends that no one can tell the story of the man in the iron mask without taking into account the array of evidence he has uncovered.
Teen Materials
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” by Jack Thorne
Written in script form and based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany have written the eighth story in the Harry Potter series.
It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son, Albus, must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.
As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.
