"The Double Bind"
by Chris Bohjalian
A recent speaker at Salem Public Library, Chris Bohjalian discussed the inspiration for his newest book, which came from a box of photographs left at a homeless shelter after the death of a resident. From that box of photos came the character Bobbie Crocker, also a photographer who became homeless in his later years. After his death, homeless shelter employee Laurel Estabrook reviews his photos and finds what looks like a picture of her, taken several years before on the day when she was brutally attacked. As Laurel becomes more and more intent on learning the history of Bobbie Crocker, and how their paths may have come to cross years before, her own life begins to unravel. Actual photos taken by Bob "Soupy" Campbell, the man whose photos inspired the book, are shared throughout the text.

"Me & Emma"
by Elizabeth Flock
Carrie, the book's 8-year-old narrator, and Emma, her younger sister, are as different as two sisters can be. Carrie is introverted and cautious while Emma is fearless. Each watches closely over the other in a home occupied by an abusive stepfather and an emotionally absent, willingly oblivious mother. Things continue to get worse for the girls when their stepfather gets a new job and they are moved across the state, away from the little stability that they had. When their stepfather quickly loses his new job, and instead stays home each day to drink, the danger from him escalates, and the girls no longer have anyone to turn to but each other.

"Shutter Island"
by Dennis Lehane  
Dennis Lehane, author of the New York Times bestseller "Mystic River," spins a tale of intrigue and mystery as U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule, find themselves aboard a ferry on their way to investigate the escape of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane. As they begin their investigation they are stymied by the lack of evidence and the staff's unwillingness to cooperate. With an entire island to search and a hurricane moving in, Teddy and Chuck must uncover the secrets of the hospital before it is too late -- for the missing patient, and for themselves. This book is a popular choice for many book discussion groups.

"Nineteen Minutes"
by Jodi Picoult  
The most recent book by popular author Jodi Picoult begins with a school shooting that, in a span of 19 minutes, leaves nine students and one teacher dead and many more injured. Told from the perspective of many who are affected, we see into the lives of some of the students, the mother of the shooter, the judge assigned to the trial, as well as the lawyers involved, while flashbacks begin to show us the events in the life of the 17-year-old shooter that brought him to this point.