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Week of December 29, 2025

New in Paperback

Week of December 29, 2025

Paperback releases for the week of December 29th include BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeney, a deliciously dark thriller about marriage...and revenge; Minette Walters' THE PLAYERS, a gripping historical tale of espionage, treason and surprising alliances set against the backdrop of the Bloody Assizes --- the trials that would determine the fate of over a thousand treasonous rebels; TILT, a heart-racing debut from Emma Pattee, set over the course of a single day, about a woman facing the unimaginable, determined to find safety; and the paperback original RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, CALLIE KINGMAN by Allie Frank and Asha Youmans, a witty, celebratory novel about a hard-fought comeback in which a blindsided soon-to-be divorcée rediscovers herself.

An Arcane Inheritance by Kamilah Cole - Dark Fantasy/Romance

December 30, 2025

Ellory Morgan is determined to prove that she belongs at Warren University, an ivy league school whose history is deeply linked to occult rumors and dark secrets. But as she settles into her freshman year, something about the ornate buildings and shadowy paths feels strangely…familiar. And, with every passing day, that sense of déjà vu grows increasingly sinister. Despite all logic, despite all reason, despite all the rules of reality, Ellory knows one thing to be true: she has been here before. And if she can't convince brooding legacy student Hudson Graves to help her remember a past that seems determined to slip through her fingers as if by some insidious magic…this time, she may lose herself for good.

Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney - Psychological Thriller/Mystery

December 30, 2025

Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there…but his wife has disappeared. A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible --- a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

Far From Home by Danielle Steel - Historical Fiction

December 30, 2025

In July 1944, Arielle von Auspeck arrives at the glamorous Hotel Ritz in occupied Paris. Half French, half German, she is happy to be back in France, where her husband, Gregor, a retired colonel, will join her soon from Germany. But then she receives word that Gregor was part of Operation Valkyrie, a failed attempt to assassinate Hitler in Poland, and has been shot as a traitor. Now, she is whisked away from Paris under cover of darkness for her own safety. As the Allies storm the beaches, she goes into hiding in a small village in Normandy under an assumed name. There, she forms a friendship with Sebastien Renaud, whose wife and daughter were deported in 1941, and who eventually reveals himself as a forger in the Resistance. As war rages on, Arielle and Sebastien work for the Resistance and hold out for the time when they can search for their loved ones.

Her Beautiful Life by Brianna Labuskes - Psychological Thriller

January 1, 2026

When journalist Holland Tate is granted an interview with Catriona Bouchard, her former best friend turned mega-popular tradwife, she jumps at the chance to also possibly rewrite their bitter ending. But at the Bouchards’ gated compound, what she finds is not the independent woman she once knew. Cat may have six beautiful children and be married to the man she calls the love of her life, but she’s a ghost of her former self. With each passing hour behind those locked gates, Holland uncovers dark secrets, darker obsessions and hidden motives that shine a new light on the events that ended their friendship. Even as danger mounts, Cat sticks to the narrative she’s selling: She lives a perfect life with her perfect husband. Holland came to the compound to get the killer story behind that glossy image. Now all she cares about is getting out of there alive.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha - Psychological Thriller

December 30, 2025

The Agarwals have gathered on a private, luxury island for a much-anticipated family reunion. Raj, a business tycoon, is about to announce to his wife and three children the succession plan for his multimillion-dollar Delhi-based company. Shalini is ready to have her husband to herself after years of sacrifice to the family business. Myra, owner of the island and host of the reunion, is (unbeknownst to her family) on the brink of bankruptcy. Aseem, the supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to family. Aisha, a party girl whose antics are legendary, can’t pass up an opportunity to wreak havoc. And then there’s Zoe, Aseem’s wife, the outsider whose #InstaPerfect life is built on a foundation of lies. They all have secrets they would die to protect. Who will survive this high-stakes reunion, and who will become a victim of their own greed?

The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey - Historical Fiction

December 30, 2025

It’s 1979 in Yorkshire, England, and 12-year-old Miv is panicking. Life has been complicated since her mom got sick, and now her dad is talking about wanting to move their family away from the town Miv has lived in her whole life --- because of the murders. Young women are dying, and no one knows who the culprit might be. But as far as Miv is concerned, leaving Yorkshire and her best friend, Sharon, simply isn't an option. Perhaps if she could solve the case of the disappearing women, they could stay after all. So Miv and Sharon decide to make a list: a list of all the suspicious people and things on their street. But their search for the truth reveals more secrets in their neighborhood, within their families --- and between each other --- than they ever thought possible.

The Night Guest written by Hildur Knútsdóttir, translated by Mary Robinette Kowal - Psychological Thriller/Horror

December 30, 2025

Iðunn is in yet another doctor's office. She knows her constant fatigue is a sign that something is not right, but practitioners dismiss her symptoms and blood tests haven't revealed any cause. When she talks to friends and family about it, the refrain is the same: Have you tried eating better? Exercising more? Establishing a nighttime routine? She tries to follow their advice, buying everything from vitamins to sleeping pills to a step-counting watch. Nothing helps. Until one night Iðunn falls asleep with the watch on and wakes up to find she has walked over 40,000 steps in the night. What is happening when she’s asleep? Why is she waking up with increasingly disturbing injuries? And why won’t anyone believe her?

The Players by Minette Walters - Historical Fiction

December 30, 2025

England, 1685. Decades after the end of the English Civil War, the country is once again divided when Charles II's illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth, arrives in Dorset to incite rebellion against his Catholic uncle. Armed only with pitchforks, Monmouth's army is quickly defeated by King James II's superior forces and charged with high treason. Those found guilty will be hanged, drawn and quartered. As Dorset braces for carnage, the formidable Lady Jayne Harrier and her enigmatic son, assisted by the reclusive daughter of a local magistrate, contrive ways to save men from the gallows.

Run For Your Life, Callie Kingman by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans - Fiction

December 30, 2025

Two decades have passed since Callie Kingman begrudgingly followed her husband, Thomas, across the country in pursuit of his career at the expense of her own. Today, Callie is an empty nester with no job prospects, a declining mother, and a spouse who announces his intention to leave her --- in Sacramento, the dullest city in America. His parting potshot: “It’s not me, it’s you.” Taking to bed, Callie relies on delivery for food, her neighbor for booze, and her college best friend for commiseration. When an overdue annual exam leads to a health scare, Callie is forced to contend with her fractured and unfulfilled life by revisiting the vibrant, indomitable woman she used to be.

Tilt by Emma Pattee - Fiction

December 30, 2025

Annie is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. With no way to reach her husband, no phone or money, and a city left in chaos, there’s nothing to do but walk. Making her way across the wreckage of Portland, Annie experiences human desperation and kindness: strangers offering help, a riot at a grocery store, and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career, and her anxiety about having a baby. If she can just make it home, she’s determined to change her life.

The Water Lies by Amy Meyerson - Psychological Thriller

January 1, 2026

Heavily pregnant with her second child, Tessa Irons has enough on her mind without her toddler throwing tantrums at the local coffee shop. The boy is inconsolable, shouting “Gigi!” to a woman Tessa has never seen before --- and never will again. The next morning, the woman’s body is dredged up from the canal outside the Ironses’ posh Venice Beach home, and Tessa’s gut tells her it’s no coincidence. Barb Geller refuses to believe that her daughter’s death was just some drunken accident. She heads to California for answers, where she crosses paths with Tessa. Together they hunt for the truth, certain they’ll find a connection between their children. But the police don’t believe them. Tessa and Barb only have each other, their intuition, and the creeping sense of danger that grows with every shocking revelation.