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Coming Soon

Curious about what books will be released in the months ahead so you can pre-order or reserve them? Then click on the months below.

Please note we have not included every book that is coming out, but rather some that caught our eye --- and that we thought should catch yours as well.

September 2021

Paperback

Adrianne Geffel: A Fiction by David Hajdu - Fiction, Women's Fiction

W. W. Norton & Company | 9780393868340 | Published September 14, 2021

Adrianne Geffel was a one-of-a-kind artist, a pianist and composer with a rare neurological condition that enabled her to make music that was nothing less than pure, unmediated emotional expression. She and her sensibility are now fully integrated into the cultural lexicon; her music has been portrayed, represented and appropriated endlessly in popular culture. But what do we really know about her? Despite her renown, Geffel vanished from public life, and her whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. David Hajdu cuts through the noise to tell the full story of Geffel’s life and work, piecing it together through the memories of those who knew her, inspired her and exploited her --- her parents, teachers, best friend, manager, critics and lovers.

Chicago's Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City by Carl Smith - History, Nonfiction

Grove Press | 9780802159120 | Published September 14, 2021

Remarkably, no carefully researched popular history of the Great Chicago Fire has been written until now, despite it being one of the most cataclysmic disasters in U.S. history. Building the story around memorable characters, both known to history and unknown, including the likes of General Philip Sheridan and Robert Todd Lincoln, eminent Chicago historian Carl Smith chronicles the city’s rapid growth and place in America’s post-Civil War expansion. The dramatic story of the fire --- revealing human nature in all its guises --- became one of equally remarkable renewal, as Chicago quickly rose back up from the ashes thanks to local determination and the world’s generosity and faith in Chicago’s future.

Deadly Cross: An Alex Cross Thriller by James Patterson - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Grand Central Publishing | 9781538703557 | Published September 14, 2021

Kay Willingham led a life as glamorous as it was public --- she was a gorgeous Georgetown socialite, philanthropist and the ex-wife of the vice president. So why was she parked in a Bentley convertible idling behind a DC private school, in the middle of the night, with the man who was the head of that school? Who shot them both, point blank, and why? The shocking double homicide is blazed across the internet, TV, newspapers --- and across Alex Cross' mind. Kay had been his patient once. And maybe more. She had many enemies, but all of them seemed to need her alive. The harder the investigators push, the more resistance they find when they leave behind the polite law offices and doctors' quarters of the state capital.

Eartheater written by Dolores Reyes, translated by Julia Sanches - Fiction, Magical Realism, Women's Fiction

HarperVia | 9780062987754 | Published September 14, 2021

Set in an unnamed slum in contemporary Argentina, EARTHEATER is the story of a young woman who finds herself drawn to eating the earth --- a compulsion that gives her visions of broken and lost lives. With her first taste of dirt, she learns the horrifying truth of her mother’s death. Disturbed by what she witnesses, the woman keeps her visions to herself. But when Eartheater begins an unlikely relationship with a withdrawn police officer, word of her ability begins to spread, and soon desperate members of her community beg for her help, anxious to uncover the truth about their own loved ones.

Farewell Blues: A Lady Adelaide Mystery by Maggie Robinson - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Mystery

Poisoned Pen Press | 9781464215193 | Published September 14, 2021

Lady Adelaide Compton had prepared herself to say goodbye forever to Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter. It would be a welcome relief not to get mixed up in any more murders, even if it meant never working alongside the handsome detective again. Wouldn't it? But then Addie's prim and proper mother, Constance, the Dowager Marchioness of Broughton, is accused of murdering her secret lover, and there can't be enough gentlemen detectives on hand to find the truth. The dead Duke of Rufford appeared to lead a blameless life, but appearances can be deceiving. And unless Addie and Dev work together, Constance will hang --- which is no one's idea of a happy ending.

Hitler: Downfall, 1939-1945 written by Volker Ullrich, translated by Jefferson Chase - Biography, History, Nonfiction

Vintage | 9781101872062 | Published September 14, 2021

In the summer of 1939, Hitler was at the zenith of his power. Having consolidated political control in Germany, he was at the helm of a newly restored major world power and now perfectly positioned to realize his lifelong ambition: to help the German people flourish and to exterminate those who stood in the way. Beginning a war allowed Hitler to take his ideological obsessions to unthinkable extremes, including the mass genocide of millions, which was conducted not only with the aid of the SS, but with the full knowledge of German leadership. Yet despite a series of stunning initial triumphs, Hitler’s fateful decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941 turned the tide of the war in favor of the Allies. Now, Volker Ullrich offers fascinating new insight into Hitler’s character and personality.

Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Montlake | 9781542007047 | Published September 14, 2021

Twenty-seven years ago, Sheriff Bree Taggert’s father killed her mother, then himself. Now Bree and her younger brother, Adam, find human bones on the grounds of their abandoned family farm. The remains are those of a man and a woman, both murdered in the same horrible way. When the investigation determines the murders occurred 30 years ago, Bree’s dead father becomes a suspect, forcing Bree to revisit the brutal night she has spent most of her life trying to forget. The only other suspect is an unlikely squatter on the Taggert farm who claims to know secrets about Bree’s past. When he mysteriously disappears and Bree’s niece is kidnapped, the cold case heats up. Bree has stoked the rage of a murderer who will do anything to keep his identity --- and motives --- a secret.

Saving Freedom: Truman, the Cold War, and the Fight for Western Civilization by Joe Scarborough - History, Nonfiction, Politics

Harper Paperbacks | 9780062950505 | Published September 14, 2021

The year was 1947. The Soviet Union had moved from being America’s uneasy ally in the Second World War to its most feared enemy. With Joseph Stalin’s ambitions pushing westward, Turkey was pressured from the east while communist revolutionaries overran Greece. The British Empire was battered from its war with Hitler and suddenly teetering on the brink of financial ruin. Only America could afford to defend freedom in the West, and the effort was spearheaded by a president who hadn’t even been elected to that office. But Truman would wage a domestic political battle that carried with it the highest of stakes, inspiring friends and foes alike to join in his crusade to defend democracy across the globe.

Sex with Presidents: The Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House by Eleanor Herman - History, Nonfiction

William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063021914 | Published September 14, 2021

While Americans have a reputation for being strait-laced, many of the nation’s leaders have been anything but puritanical. In this entertaining and eye-opening book, Eleanor Herman revisits some of the sex scandals that have rocked the nation's capital and shocked the public, while asking the provocative questions: Does rampant adultery show a lack of character or the stamina needed to run the country? Or perhaps both? While Americans have judged their leaders' affairs harshly compared to other nations, did they mostly just hate being lied to? And do they now clearly care more about issues other than a politician’s sex life?

Snow by John Banville - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Mystery

Hanover Square Press | 9781335629036 | Published September 14, 2021

Detective Inspector St. John Strafford has been summoned to County Wexford to investigate a murder. A parish priest has been found dead in Ballyglass House, the family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family. The year is 1957, and the Catholic Church rules Ireland with an iron fist. Strafford faces obstruction at every turn, from the heavily accumulating snow to the culture of silence in the tight-knit community he begins to investigate. As he delves further, he learns that the Osbornes are not at all what they seem. And when his own deputy goes missing, Strafford must work to unravel the ever-expanding mystery before the community’s secrets threaten to obliterate everything.

The Killings at Kingfisher Hill: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Mystery

William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062792389 | Published September 14, 2021

Hercule Poirot is traveling by luxury passenger coach to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned the renowned detective to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. Poirot will have only days to investigate before Helen is hanged, but he must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family. The coach is forced to stop when a distressed woman demands to get off, insisting that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. Although the rest of the journey passes without anyone being harmed, Poirot’s curiosity is aroused, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered with a macabre note attached.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Gallery Books | 9781982107833 | Published September 14, 2021

Present day: Emma Lovett has been tasked to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero, Venetia Smith. 1907: When Venetia Smith is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them a triumph. 1944: When land girl Beth Pedley arrives at a farm on the outskirts of the village of Highbury, all she wants is to find a place she can call home. Cook Stella Adderton is desperate to leave Highbury House to pursue her own dreams. And widow Diana Symonds is anxiously trying to cling to her pre-war life. When war threatens Highbury House’s treasured gardens, these three very different women are drawn together by a secret that will last for decades.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood - Comedy, Fiction, Romance

Berkley | 9780593336823 | Published September 14, 2021

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships. But her best friend does. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees. That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor --- and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.

The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021 edited by Lee Child, series edited by Otto Penzler - Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories

Mysterious Press | 9781613162385 | Published September 14, 2021

Under the auspices of New York City's legendary mystery fiction specialty bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, and aided by Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, international bestseller Lee Child has selected the 20 most suspenseful, most confounding and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume.

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever - Fiction

Harper Perennial | 9780062963642 | Published September 14, 2021

When Paul enters university in early 1970s Pittsburgh, it’s with the hope of moving past the recent death of his father. When he meets the worldly Julian in his freshman ethics class, he is immediately drawn to his classmate’s effortless charm. Paul will stop at nothing to prove himself worthy of their friendship, because with Julian life is more invigorating than he ever could have imagined. But as charismatic as he can choose to be, Julian is also volatile and capriciously cruel. As their friendship spirals into all-consuming intimacy, they each learn the lengths to which the other will go in order to stay together, their obsession ultimately hurtling them toward an act of irrevocable violence.

To Hold Up the Sky by Cixin Liu - Fiction, Science Fiction, Short Stories

Tor Books | 9781250306067 | Published September 14, 2021

In TO HOLD UP THE SKY, Cixin Liu takes us across time and space --- from a rural mountain community where elementary students must use physics to prevent an alien invasion; to coal mines in northern China where new technology will either save lives of unleash a fire that will burn for centuries; to a time very much like our own, when superstring computers predict our every move; to 10,000 years in the future, when humanity is finally able to begin anew; to the very collapse of the universe itself. Written between 1999 and 2017 and never before published in English, these stories came into being during decades of major change in China.

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence by Becky Cooper - Memoir, Nonfiction, True Crime

Grand Central Publishing | 9781538746851 | Published September 14, 2021

1969: the height of counterculture and the year universities would seek to curb the unruly spectacle of student protest; the winter that Harvard University would begin the tumultuous process of merging with Radcliffe, its all-female sister school; and the year that Jane Britton, an ambitious 23-year-old graduate student in Harvard's Anthropology Department and daughter of Radcliffe Vice President J. Boyd Britton, would be found bludgeoned to death. Forty years later, a curious undergrad named Becky Cooper will hear the first whispers of the story --- a tale of gender inequality in academia, a “cowboy culture” among empowered male elites, the silencing effect of institutions, and our compulsion to rewrite the stories of female victims.

The Man in Milan by Vito Racanelli - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Polis Books | 9781951709624 | Published September 15, 2021

When NYPD detectives Paul Rossi and Hamilton P. Turner begin investigating the Sutton Place murder of an Italian air force pilot, they find themselves sucked into the potential cover-up of the Ustica massacre, the most horrific aviation crime in Italian history. But as they begin investigating, Rossi and Turner come up against NYPD bureaucratic obstacles and stonewalling by the Italian Consulate in New York City. Lieutenant Laura Muro, the policewoman sister of the victim, comes to New York to aid the investigation, but soon the trio find themselves in the crosshairs of the Gladio, Italy’s powerful, shadowy political cabal whose reach extends to the highest reaches of New York political and ruling class.

A Song of Flight: A Warrior Bards Novel by Juliet Marillier - Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Ace | 9780451492821 | Published September 21, 2021

Bard and fighter Liobhan is always ready for a challenge. So when news arrives at Swan Island that the prince of Dalriada has gone missing after an assault by both masked men and the sinister Crow Folk, she's eager to act. While Liobhan and her fellow Swan Island warriors seek answers to the prince's disappearance, the bard Brocc, Liobhan's brother, finds himself in dire trouble. His attempts to communicate with the Crow Folk have led him down a perilous path. When Liobhan and her comrades are sent to the rescue, it becomes clear that the two missions are connected --- and a great mystery unfolds. What brought the Crow Folk to Erin? And who seeks to use them in an unscrupulous bid for power?

An Impossible Promise: A Providence Falls Novel by Jude Deveraux and Tara Sheets - Fiction, Romance, Women's Fiction

Mira | 9780778332084 | Published September 21, 2021

Liam O’Connor unknowingly changed the course of destiny when he fell in love with Cora McLeod over a century ago. Their passion was intense, brief and tragic. And the angels have been trying to restore the balance of fate ever since. Now police officers in Providence Falls, North Carolina, Liam and Cora are partners on a murder investigation. The intensity of the case has drawn them closer together --- exactly what Liam is supposed to avoid. The angels have made it clear that Cora must be with Finley Walsh. But headstrong Cora makes her own decisions, and she’s starting to have feelings for Liam --- the only thing he’s ever really wanted. Liam knows this is the last chance to save his soul. But does he love Cora enough to let her go?

Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land by Toni Jensen - Memoir, Nonfiction

Ballantine Books | 9781984821201 | Published September 21, 2021

Toni Jensen grew up around guns. As a girl, she learned to shoot birds in rural Iowa with her father, a card-carrying member of the NRA. As an adult, she’s had guns waved in her face near Standing Rock, and felt their silent threat on the concealed-carry campus where she teaches. And she has always known that in this she is not alone. As a Métis woman, she is no stranger to the violence enacted on the bodies of indigenous women, on indigenous land, and the ways it is hidden, ignored, forgotten. In CARRY, Jensen maps her personal experience onto the historical, exploring how history is lived in the body and redefining the language we use to speak about violence in America.

Catch Us When We Fall by Juliette Fay - Fiction, Women's Fiction

William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063079960 | Published September 21, 2021

On her own since the age of 18, Cass Macklin dated brilliant, troubled Ben McGreavy. They partied their way through their 20s, slowly descending into a bleak world of binge-drinking and broken promises. Now Ben is dead, and Cass is broke, homeless, scared…and pregnant. Determined to have a healthy pregnancy and raise Ben’s baby, Cass has to find a way to stop drinking and build a stable life for herself and her child. But with no money, skills, or sober friends or family, the task seems insurmountable. At wit’s end, Cass turns to the only person with the means to help her: Ben’s brother Scott, third baseman for the Boston Red Sox, a man with a temper and problems of his own. The two make a deal that neither one of them is sure they can live up to.

Double Agent by Tom Bradby - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Grove Press | 9780802157652 | Published September 21, 2021

Kidnapped in Venice by a Russian defector, Kate Henderson knows she's in trouble. But when he offers her conclusive evidence that the British Prime Minister is a live agent working for Moscow, Kate’s holiday quickly becomes the start of her next mission. The defector has proof of the PM involved in a sordid scandal --- a video supposedly used to blackmail him into Russian service decades prior --- and a financial paper trail that undeniably links him to the Russians, but his motives are anything but clear. Riddled with doubt that the evidence she is presented with may not in fact be as bulletproof as it seems, Kate reopens the investigation into the PM. As she works through the case, Kate runs up against key people at the heart of the British Establishment who refuse to acknowledge the reality in front of them.

Earthlings written by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori - Fiction

Grove Press | 9780802157010 | Published September 21, 2021

As a child, Natsuki doesn't fit in with her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut, who talks to her. He tells her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth. One summer, on vacation with her family and her cousin Yuu in her grandparents' ramshackle wooden house in the mountains of Nagano, Natsuki decides that she must be an alien, which would explain why she can't seem to fit in like everyone else. Later, as a grown woman, living a quiet life with her asexual husband, Natsuki is still pursued by dark shadows from her childhood, and decides to flee the "baby factory" of society for good, searching for answers about the vast and frightening mysteries of the universe.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction, Space Opera

Tordotcom | 9781250313218 | Published September 21, 2021

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side by side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath --- but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her. Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: Is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?