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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.

May 2026

Hardcover

Murder, She Wrote: Murder Most Trivial by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early - Fiction, Mystery

Berkley | 9780593952900 | Published May 12, 2026

Jessica Fletcher and friends Seth Hazlitt and Maureen and Mort Metzger team up for pub trivia and crush the competition. But then they are stunned to learn that the prize is a chance to appear in a five-day trivia tournament filming in LA. No one expects life-or-death stakes! But on day one of the tournament, a crew member is murdered. Who would benefit from derailing the show? Jessica has to come up with the ultimate answer. In a metafictional twist, the investigation takes Jessica and the gang to the filming locations of their favorite mystery shows, where they discuss how Columbo, Monk or Jim Rockford might go about solving the case.

New Skin by Sarah Wang - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Little, Brown and Company | 9780316594523 | Published May 12, 2026

At 26, Linli Feng is still trying to escape her mother Fanny’s orbit. But after three years of estrangement, she is dragged back by Fanny’s latest medical catastrophe and forced to return home. For decades, Fanny has been addicted to plastic surgery. Now her disfigured face is in dangerous revolt, infected and collapsing yet again from black-market injectables. But Fanny has another secret in store. She has won a spot on “America’s Beauty Extreme,” a reality television competition in which botched plastic surgery addicts compete for reconstructive surgery as riveted audiences tune in. When Linli attempts to rescue Fanny from the sinister subculture that already has claimed her mother’s face, she must confront the corrosive reality of the American Dream that is at the fraught heart of their relationship. 

Red Verdict by James Comey - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

The Mysterious Press | 9781613167830 | Published May 12, 2026

Nora Carleton is hitting her stride as Deputy US Attorney for the Southern District of New York when a high-stakes counterintelligence case pulls her into a deadly game with global implications. A Russian-style hit on an executive at an American drone manufacturer sends a chilling message. But what exactly is it? Was the victim a Russian mole or just a convenient target? Teaming up with her longtime friend, Special Agent Benny Dugan, Nora launches a criminal investigation that takes them from New York to Las Vegas with the hopes of prosecuting a traitor who has put their country at risk. But as they dig deeper into the tangled web of Russian intelligence and those who profit from its reach, Nora finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful forces determined to keep their secrets buried.

Robert B. Parker's Booked: A Sunny Randall Novel by Alison Gaylin - Fiction, Mystery

G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593854402 | Published May 12, 2026

World-famous author Melanie Joan Hall asks for Sunny Randall's help in tracking down Book Babe, the screen name of an enormously popular book reviewer, who has trolled her with a deeply insulting one-star review. This usually wouldn’t matter except that Book Babe has thousands of followers, and her unwarranted blast has Melanie's publisher threatening to pull all her books. But Sunny's investigation reveals that the reviewer and Melanie have a rich history --- in fact, she may even have good reason to hate the torn-up author. And when Book Babe suddenly turns up dead, casting Melanie as a possible suspect, Sunny finds herself in a complicated web that, if she can't untangle fast enough, just might put a target on her back.

Seek the Traitor's Son by Veronica Roth - Dystopian, Fantasy, Fiction, Romance

Tor Books | 9781250347909 | Published May 12, 2026

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her. She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts. But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy --- her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man with whom, Elegy is told, she will fall in love. In just one day, Elegy’s old life --- her job, her purpose and her future --- is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Spinning at the Edges by Elizabeth Poliner - Fiction

Harper | 9780063434530 | Published May 12, 2026

For much of her adult life, Ruth Pearl has lived in the small New England town of Wells, Connecticut, on the shore of Lake Topaqua. Decades back, when she was 14, she and her parents fled German-occupied Amsterdam after the murder of her beloved older sister, Sophia. In the wake of such loss, Ruth has long taken comfort in the natural beauty of her lake view. But in the winter of 2000, her neighbor builds an addition to his home that blocks her view. One day, Ruth heads out for a cathartic skate on the lake only to spot a boy in the distance falling through the ice. Also witnessing this event is Judge Arthur Cantrell. Together, Ruth and Arthur save Ian Lima, a despairing 16-year-old. Soon enough, this turn of events begins to impact Ruth’s daughter, Ian’s mother, and even Arthur’s love interest.

The Anniversary by Alex Finlay - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Minotaur Books | 9781250360755 | Published May 12, 2026

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney and Quinn Riley hardly know each other. Jules is high school queen bee in a small Midwestern town when she survives a brutal attack by the elusive May Day Killer --- a predator who strikes every May 1st. Quinn, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, is arrested the same night after trying to break up a fight and nearly killing someone. By morning, their lives are forever connected. A year later, Jules is tormented by one question: Why was she spared? Quinn is newly released from juvenile detention and returns home to devastating news --- the unsolved murder of his mother. Over the next decade, their lives are revisited on a single day each year: May 1st. As the years pass, secrets surface, lies unravel, and the paths of Jules and Quinn draw closer together.

The Devil and Mrs. Gooch: Household Gramarye, Book 2 by Oliver Darkshire - Fantasy, Fiction, Humor

W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324124467 | Published May 12, 2026

In the storm-drenched city of Verdigris, home to indolent sorcerers and undead hotels, something is dreadfully wrong. Buildings are starting to crumble due to the kidnapping of their hobs, the many-legged house spirits that keep each home in order. In such times, one would ordinarily blame the Devil, but he has been enchanted by a new and enticing evil: the jackbooted villainy of Gwendolyn Gooch, who has taken the hobs for her latest diabolical scheme --- apartments for rent. As the hobs retrofit the gaudy Gooch Towers, the fate of the city lies in the hands of the arboreal Professor Green; his rare, complete set of the Household Gramarye; and its famulus, the prim Mrs. Bobkins.

The Forgotten Midwife by Laura Anthony - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Gallery Books | 9781668047415 | Published May 12, 2026

New Jersey, 2023. Riley Carmichael is getting married. Yet she can’t help but feel the emptiness of her own side of the church, save for her grandmother, Betty, whose late-stage dementia has started overtaking her mind. Full of questions about her heritage, Riley embarks on a trip to Ireland to find that elusive sense of home. Tipperary, Ireland, 1954. Margaret’s older sister suddenly passes away, and it falls to her to fulfill the family’s commitment to the Church: the eldest daughter of the Lannigan family has joined the Sisters of Mercy nuns for generations. When Margaret meets a young and terrified Delia O’Rourke, the sister of her childhood best friend, she must find the strength she needs to protect this young woman and her baby in the face of a system built to ensure they disappear.

The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Women's Fiction

Mariner Books | 9780063097995 | Published May 12, 2026

When Eng and Chang Bunker arrive in Wilkes County in 1839, everyone is eager to learn if the salacious rumors about them are true. Within months, the twins have opened a general store, bought land, and begun building a plantation. Now, word has it that they’re looking for wives --- and in a place that thrives on gossip and legacy, their ambitions set the community on edge. Sarah and Adelaide Yates, daughters of a once-prominent local family brought low by scandal, are drawn into their orbit. Bold, beautiful Adelaide sees in the twins’ fame a chance to reclaim her future. Sarah, quiet and observant, isn’t so sure. When the twins’ lives become entangled with theirs, they must navigate loyalty, longing and identity in a world where everything --- including race, class and gender --- is rigidly defined.

The Fourth Option by Jack Carr and M. P. Woodward - Fiction, Political Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Atria/Emily Bestler Books | 9781668072011 | Published May 12, 2026

Disillusioned by the government and institutions he dedicated his life to serving, former Navy SEAL and CIA ground branch operative Chris Walker is about to end his life when he receives a call that saves it. The wife of a teammate he lost in Afghanistan has now lost her son to the opioid crisis and needs Walker’s help. Thrust into a conspiracy that goes deeper than he ever imagined, Walker must go up against the system and the very Constitution he once swore an oath to support and defend in order to find justice for his friend’s widow. With ambitious FBI agent Jarrett Stanton on his tail, Walker takes the law into his own hands, exposing corruption and issuing a long-forgotten brand of lethal outlaw justice.

The Good Eye: Stories by Jess Gibson - Fiction, Short Stories

Cardinal | 9781538777749 | Published May 12, 2026

A psychic harnesses her talent for animal communication to extract a perfect revenge. A stone appears in a woman’s pocket like a charm, only to end up lodged in her partner’s throat. A condescending artist, who considers his girlfriend too conventional, throws a dinner party where he’s served a painful and consequential truth. Jess Gibson brings us 12 probing, sideways tales that wrestle with the limits of perception and possibility. The men and women in her stories confront contradictory forces: the beautiful can turn grotesque, the exalted can fall into disgrace, the genius can be proved an impostor. 

The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung - Fiction, Political Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Minotaur Books | 9781250412522 | Published May 12, 2026

Alice Li, a first-generation Chinese American and former food blogger, has long lived in the shadow of her mother, Vivien Li --- a Tiananmen Square dissident turned world-renowned human rights activist and passionate advocate for a free and democratic China. When security and fire alarms go off simultaneously all around the world, setting off a panic, the signal is traced back to China. As world leaders scramble to respond, Vivien and Alice are called to the White House in hopes that Madame Li can interpret the Chinese intentions. But why involve Alice? If China isn’t behind the attack, Vivien warns, someone even more dangerous is pulling the strings. Mother and daughter must join together to overcome their estrangement if they have any hope of preventing global catastrophe.

The Lost Book of Lancelot by John Glynn - Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Grand Central Publishing | 9781538775233 | Published May 12, 2026

Hidden away on the Isle of Women, a nameless orphan grows up among a powerful sisterhood, but always at a distance. He hears whispers of a prophecy that may shed light on his destiny --- and his true identity: Lancelot. Determined to master the skills of knighthood, he begins training in tandem with the handsome Galehaut. But no matter how tightly they cling to one another, each has a role to play in the wizard Merlin's grand prophecies. When Lancelot is forced to follow Merlin to Camelot, he fights to protect his heart while seeking the fabled grail alongside King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. But when Roman legionaries encroach on their kingdom, their quest takes on new urgency, as does Lancelot's explosive secret --- the truth of what he left behind on the Isle of Women.

The May House by Jillian Cantor - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Atria Books | 9781668091159 | Published May 12, 2026

No matter what’s going on in the May sisters’ lives, the one thing they can rely on is seeing each other for one week in May at their grandmother’s beachside home in gorgeous Coronado. As adults, Julia, Emily and Nora aren’t particularly close, but their promise to return each year keeps them anchored together. Until one May when Julia, the oldest and most dependable sister, doesn’t show. Suddenly, Nora and Emily start to question how much they truly know about their sister’s life. Told in alternating points of view, spanning from their time together with Grandma Vera as kids into their adult lives, THE MAY HOUSE explores how a decades-long family secret has unknowingly shaped each sister and, ultimately, how it brings them closer together.

The Revenge Party by Emily Lynn Paulson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller, Women's Fiction

Rise Books | 9781959524175 | Published May 12, 2026

Devoted mother and party planner Katherine Valentine thought she’d finally found safety when she married Seattle’s golden boy, Shane Sutton. Charming, generous and politically untouchable, he’s the kind of man people protect. But behind the polished façade lurks a predator who collects women like trophies, and Katherine has become his latest prize. Desperate to protect her children, Katherine devises the perfect plan: use Shane's mistress against him. But Isabella Meyer is no pawn. She didn’t come to be saved. She came to settle a score. And revenge is only the beginning.

The Tapestry of Fate: An Amina al-Sirafi Adventure, Book Two by Shannon Chakraborty - Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Harper Voyager | 9780062963543 | Published May 12, 2026

Tasked with hunting down arcane artifacts for the council of immortal peris, Amina al-Sirafi can savor the occasional rollicking adventure on the high seas with her cherished criminal companions while still returning home to raise her beloved daughter, Marjana. But when Raksh, the spirit of discord with whom she is reluctantly wed, provokes the council’s wrath, Amina is charged with a seemingly impossible quest: steal a spindle capable of rewriting fate from a mysterious sorceress on an island no one can escape. Forced to leave Marjana, Amina finds her mission almost immediately thrown into peril. But deadly storms, an erratic poison mistress and old enemies are the least of her worries. For the peris’ story is unraveling, hinting at a far deadlier game whose rules Amina must swiftly puzzle out.

Vengeance: The Last Stands of Custer, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull by Tom Clavin - History, Nonfiction

St. Martin's Press | 9781250374509 | Published May 12, 2026

On June 25–27, 1876, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was fought between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. Along the Little Bighorn River in Montana Territory, the battle resulted in the devastating defeat of U.S. forces and was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. This dramatic look at the Little Bighorn battle includes not only the Native American point of view --- with two dynamic Native figures, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, on prominent display --- but also the impact it had on the Plains Indians.

We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel - Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy

S&S/Saga Press | 9781668068595 | Published May 12, 2026

As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in the ocean of abortion bans, screaming protestors, and her own all-consuming depression. When she escapes to the Indian art exhibit at her favorite museum for a brief respite, Nisha suddenly finds herself bleeding, disoriented and collapsed on the ground. The last thing she remembers is the statue that beckoned her to touch it. In the days that follow, Nisha feels a strange power coursing within her, one that attracts a host of dangerous and enigmatic characters who covet it for themselves. Facing threats both otherworldly and distinctly human, Nisha must navigate uncertain alliances to piece together the centuries-old mystery of her odd and terrifying abilities.

A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman - Fiction, Historical Fiction

Knopf | 9781101875346 | Published May 19, 2026

Miss Alice Lockey, the daughter of a tenant farmer, has raised herself to the lofty status of lady’s maid at Alderwick Park. Though her mother has advised her to work only until marriage, Alice thus far has resisted the temptations of matrimony among the neighboring widowers and pig farmers. But when a visiting servant, a valet named Charlie Wells, catches her eye, Alice begins to understand the constraints of her position. In a ploy to spend time with the object of her affection, Alice attempts to arrange a romance between Lady Jemima Alderwick and Charlie’s employer, one Baronet Sir Nigel Wynstowe. If only they would fall in love, then Alice and Charlie might live together as man and wife!

An Ordinary Sort of Evil: A Rip Through Time Novel by Kelley Armstrong - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Minotaur Books | 9781250394354 | Published May 19, 2026

Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after traveling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business. They arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Unsure if there's been a murder or not, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling --- and more dangerous --- than it first seems.

Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground by Zayd Ayers Dohrn - Memoir, Nonfiction

W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324089315 | Published May 19, 2026

Zayd Ayers Dohrn was born underground. His parents were fugitives after a decade fighting the US government; his mother was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list. All his life, Dohrn’s parents said his birth marked a clean break with violent revolutionary struggle, but in this explosive memoir, he discovers that story wasn’t entirely true. This masterpiece of personal and social history brings us inside an infamous family and their lives underground. Drawing on exclusive interviews, declassified FBI files, and long-hidden letters, photos and diaries, Dohrn tells a new story of radical resistance, including revelations about the Weathermen’s bombing campaign, their secret alliance with the Black Liberation Army, and the dramatic prison break of Assata Shakur.

Glyph by Ali Smith - Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pantheon | 9780593701584 | Published May 19, 2026

It all starts when Petra and her little sister, Patch, hear a horrifying story from the past and find themselves making up a ghost. Is it imaginary? Is it real? Then it all starts again 30 years later when Petra, now estranged from Patch, finds a phantom horse kicking the furniture to pieces in her bedroom. What to do? She phones her sister. In a chiarascuro dance through our increasingly antagonistic era, GLYPH asks if we’re attending to the history that’s made us and to the history we’re making.

Hurricane Room: A Double O Novel by Kim Sherwood - Adventure, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

William Morrow | 9780063236615 | Published May 19, 2026

James Bond is alive. But after mental and physical torture at the hands of Colonel Mora, the diabolical head of private military company Rattenfänger, 007 is not the same man he once was. Johanna Harwood, 003, has made it her mission to convince him to trust her again, because MI6 needs their deadliest weapon now more than ever. Bond may be back, but the Double O division is barely holding on. Conrad Harthrop-Vane, 000, has turned traitor. He has been systematically taking out his fellow agents right under the noses of those in power, and now he has abducted Moneypenny. To make matters worse, he may have had help from inside the organization. Joseph Dryden, 004, is left to hold down the fort in Moneypenny’s absence, but enemies are closing in on all sides. The final showdown is about to begin.

Inferno by Conn Iggulden - Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Pegasus Books | 9798897100767 | Published May 19, 2026

AD 60. Rome stands at the height of its power. On Palatine Hill, Nero Claudius Caesar rules as Emperor, a young man adored for his beauty and brilliance, feared for his temper, intoxicated by his own power. His empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia, yet his enemies are never far: generals who command legions, senators who whisper in corridors, people who cheer him in the circus but curse him on the streets. Nero has learned that power is never shared, only seized. He has seen off enemies before, not least his mother, Agrippina. Yet now, Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, leads a revolt in the north. Closer to home, Gaius Julius Vindex --- Roman by office but Gallic by blood --- denounces Nero’s corruption and declares open rebellion against the Emperor from Gaul.