New Releases by Jennie Finch

In a departure from her popular crime series, Jennie Finch has teamed up with her cousin, Jem Cooney, to tell the story of promises, hope and Woodstock, the little underdog who achieved extraordinary things. "Puppy Brain" is the tale of two women who adopt the dog of an old friend. As well as taking Lucy, a Tibetan Spaniel, they also promise to honour his last wishes - for Lucy to have puppies and to train them to show. Although Liv and Petra are experienced dog owners, they are total amateurs in the breeding and showing world. They gather a small group of people around them from the dog showing community - the Puppy Brain group - and embark on a new and challenging course. Over several years, they face opposition and hostility from several sources as some in the insular world of dog showing try to drive them out, including Liv''s own sister. Determined to honour their promise they persist, making new friends and allies in unexpected places as they aim for the "Big One" - a place at Crufts. Inspired by their mutual love and admiration for these lovely and tricky little dogs, Jennie and Jem shared stories and experiences to produce this novel, the first of three. "Puppy Brain" is not a typical "fluffy dog" story but it can amuse and inspire with its humour and its heart.

In Somerset it is carnival season once more, but Alex Hastings is not in the mood to join the festivities. Struck down by a potentially lethal illness, she is beset by problems both at work and within her family. Meanwhile, the demise of Derek Johns'' gang has left a power vacuum, and an uneasy alliance of criminals forms, determined to take control of the area for their own gain. Then, one night out on the marshes a local man is found dead amidst reports of flickering lights and strange music? and rumours grow of the return of an ancient evil. This second book in the Alex Hastings series.

Probation officer Alex is struggling with the customs, dialect and prejudice she faces as an ''in-comer'' to the Somerset Levels. When one of her probationers, Kevin Mallory, is charged with robbing and murdering a man who operated in the highly lucrative poaching underworld she is thrust, centre stage, into the investigation.

The evidence is overwhelming: sports help girls grow into strong women. Both scientific studies and anecdotal evidence confirm that athletic girls not only grow up to be healthier; they learn teamwork, gain inner confidence, and grow into society''s leaders. Sports help preteen and teenage girls make the right choices in a society that is sending them incredibly mixed messages about who they are supposed to be. Yet no one is speaking directly to these girls. Jennie fills the role of girlfriend, big sister, team captain, and mentor. A smart, credible, and accomplished voice from an athlete who is strong and feminine, fiercely competitive, and fashionably cool, Jennie is someone young women will listen to and take to heart. Jennie''s message: Believe in yourself. Go for it, girls.