SPECIAL NOTICE: The Library will be closing at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17. An electrical transformer is being replaced so there will be no computers, no photocopier, no lights, and no heat. I know you will forgive us for this inconvenience when I tell about the great new books on the shelf this week. "Hello, Darkness," by Sandra Brown. For Paris Gibson, her popular late-night radio show is both an escape and her one real contact with the outside world. Since moving to Austin to ease the pain of past, tragic mistakes, she has led a life of virtual solitude, coming alive only when she hosts her show. To her loyal listeners, she is a wise and trusted friend. Paris's world of isolation is brutally threatened, however, when one listener — a man who identifies himself only as Valentino — tells her that her on-air advice to the girl he loves has caused her to leave him and that now he intends to exact his revenge. First he plans to kill the girl, whom he has abducted -— which he says he will do in 72 hours —- then he will come after Paris. Joined by the Austin police department, Paris plunges into a race against time in an effort to find Valentino before he can carry out his threat to kill. As the clock ticks down, and Valentino's threats come closer and closer to becoming a reality, Paris suddenly finds herself forced to deal with a killer who may not be a stranger at all. "Split Second," by David Balducci. It was only a split second — but that's all it took for Secret Service agent Sean King's attention to wander and his "protectee," third-party presidential candidate Clyde Ritter, to die. King retired from the Service in disgrace, and now, eight years later, balances careers as a lawyer and a part-time deputy sheriff in a small Virginia town. Then he hears the news: Once again, a third-party candidate has been taken out of the presidential race — abducted right under the nose of Secret Service agent Michelle Maxwell. King and Maxwell form an uneasy alliance, and their search for answers becomes a bid for redemption as they delve into the government's Witness Protection Program and the mysterious past of Clyde Ritter's dead assassin. But the truth is never quite what it seems, and these two agents have learned that even one moment looking in the wrong direction can be deadly. "The Ultimate Weight Solution," by Dr. Phil McGraw. You have a decision to make. Those are the opening words Dr. Phil uses in his new and groundbreaking weight loss book. You know he is talking to you if you are among the millions who have chased one fad diet after another, none of whichever works. Dr. Phil is talking about the decision you have to make to change all of that. You know those crash diets never last, and you have to quit lying to yourself and get real about making the ultimate choice to finally take control of your weight and your life. "If you are overweight, you are out of control. That's not a natural place to be," says Dr. Phil. The Ultimate Weight Solution will give you the control that you crave.
