Adult

In her day job as a counterterrorism wizard for a transnational cybersecurity firm, Masha Maximow made the hacks that allowed repressive regimes to spy on dissidents and manipulate their every move. The perks were fantastic, and the pay was obscene. Just for fun, and to piss off her masters, Masha sometimes used her mad skills to help those same troublemakers evade detection, if their cause was just. When her targets were strangers in faraway police states, it was easy to compartmentalize, to ignore the collateral damage of murder, rape and torture. But when it hits close to home, and the hacks and exploits she’s devised are directed at her friends and family, Masha realizes she has to choose. And whatever choice she makes, someone is going to get hurt.

St. Petersburg, 1725. Peter the Great lies dying in his magnificent Winter Palace. The weakness and treachery of his only son has driven his father to an appalling act of cruelty and left the empire without an heir. Russia risks falling into chaos. Into the void steps the woman who has been by his side for decades: his second wife, Catherine Alexeyevna. Born into devastating poverty, Catherine used her extraordinary beauty and shrewd intelligence to ingratiate herself with Peter’s powerful generals, finally seducing the Tsar himself. But even amongst the splendor and opulence of her new life, she knows the peril of her position. Can she keep the Tsar’s death a secret as she plays a lethal game to destroy her enemies and take the Crown for herself?

Lawyer Andy Carpenter can finally take a breath; he’s almost back on dry land after a family Caribbean cruise forced on him by his wife, Laurie, to get into the Christmas spirit. Andy can’t wait to get back to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that’s always been his true passion. But before the boat even docks, Andy gets several calls from his partner, Willie Miller. He needs to see Andy as soon as the Carpenters are back on solid ground. When Andy arrives home, he finds that all is not calm or bright, and Willie needs his help. Willie’s old cellmate, Tony Birch, has been arrested for murder. Andy doesn’t necessarily believe in Tony, but Willie does. And Andy believes in Willie, which is why Andy decides to take the case.

Shecky Keenan’s family is under fire --- or at least it feels that way. Bank accounts have closed unexpectedly, a strange car has been parked near the house at odd hours, and Emil Scott, an enigmatic artist and the family’s new runner, is missing --- along with the $250,000 of dirty money he was carrying. Shecky moves money for an array of unsavory clients, and his nephew Henry is his bagman. His niece Kerasha, the famed former child-thief of Bushwick, is still learning the family trade, but her quick mind and quicker fingers are already being put to use. They love one another, but trust is thin when secrets are the family trade. And someone will be coming for that missing money --- soon.

Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework. Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable. On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under --- an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures. They must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

France, 1714. In a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever --- and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name.

In June 1972, John Creighton determines to build his wife, Joan, a kitchen table. His largest project to date had been picture frames, but he promises to have the table ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired to put something delicious on the table, Joan turns to her mother’s recipes she had given to Joan when she and John married. In June 2012, Lauren Mabrey discovers she’s pregnant. On a visit to the local furniture builder, she finds a table that he bought at a garage sale but has recently refinished. Once home, a drawer is discovered under the table that contains a stack of recipe cards. Personal notes have been written on each one from the mother to her daughter. In a strange way, Lauren feels connected to them and wants to make the mother proud.

After refusing to participate in a police department cover-up involving the death of a young black man, Ashe Cayne is pushed out of the force. But he's compelled to fight for justice as a private investigator...even if it means putting himself in jeopardy. When a young woman, Tinsley Gerrigan, goes missing, her wealthy parents hire Cayne to find her. As Cayne looks into her life and past, he uncovers secrets Tinsley has been hiding from her family. His worries spike when Tinsley's boyfriend is found dead --- another black man murdered on the tough Chicago streets. Cayne must navigate his complicated relationships within the Chicago PD, leveraging his contacts and police skills to find the missing young woman, see justice done and earn his redemption.

Millicent Glenn is self-sufficient and contentedly alone in the Cincinnati suburbs. As she nears her 91st birthday, her daughter Jane, with whom she’s weathered a shaky relationship, suddenly moves back home. Then Millie’s granddaughter shares the thrilling surprise that she’s pregnant. But for Millie, the news stirs heartbreaking memories of a past she’s kept hidden for too long. Millie’s last wish? For Jane to forgive her. Sixty years ago, Millie had a husband she adored, a job of her own, a precious baby girl and another child on the way. All it took was one irreversible moment to shatter everything, reshaping Millie’s life and the lives of generations to come. As Millie’s old wounds are exposed, so are the secrets she’s kept for so long.