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Week of October 13, 2025

New in Paperback

Week of October 13, 2025

Paperback releases for the week of October 13th include THE DROWNED by John Banville, a richly atmospheric mystery about a woman’s sudden disappearance in a small coastal town in Ireland, where nothing is as it seems; Kelley Armstrong's I'LL BE WAITING  a spellbinding tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted house, seances, lost loved ones and a sinister spirit out for blood;  SHOCK INDUCTION by Chuck Palahniuk, a dark, satirical parable about a string of mysterious high school disappearances, the seedy underbellies of billionaires, and the tough choices we make in the face of an uncertain future; LIFEFORM, a wild, soulful, hilarious collection of genre-bending essays from Jenny Slate depicting the journey into motherhood as you’ve never seen it before; and the paperback original THE TOURISTS by Christopher Reich, a heart-stopping thriller about a man who returns to a life of espionage to save the woman he loves and the City of Light.

The Ancients by John Larison - Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction

October 14, 2025

A young boy and his older sisters find themselves suddenly and utterly alone, orphaned in an abandoned fishing village. They set out across a breathtaking yet treacherous wilderness in search of the last of their people. Down the coast, raiders deliver the children's mother, along with the rest of their human cargo, to the last port city of a waning empire. Determined to reunite with her family, she plots her escape --- while her fellow captives plan open revolt. At the center of power in this crumbling city, a young scholar inherits his father's business and position of privilege, along with the burden of his debts. As the empire's elite prepare to flee to new utopia across the sea, he must decide where his allegiance lies. With a rapidly changing climate shifting the sands beneath their feet, these three paths converge in a struggle for the future of humanity.

Bone Chilling: An Alexa Glock Forensics Mystery by Sara E. Johnson - Mystery

October 14, 2025

Alexa Glock is spending a ski weekend with her boyfriend, DI Bruce Horne, and his two daughters. When she finds herself dangling in a crevasse waiting for the experts to rescue her, she discovers a pelvis frozen in the ice. The heartbreaking task of identifying multiple remains and bringing closure to families begins. When a body is discovered in the smoldering ruins of a nearby pizza joint, Alexa works to identify a family's long-lost loved one and the charred remains of the fire victim. Then an avalanche during a snowboard competition leaves Bruce's oldest daughter missing along with the snowboarder she's been hanging out with. As Bruce and other rescuers race to find the missing teens, evidence begins to suggest that neither the fire nor the avalanche were accidents, and that the daughter's boyfriend might have information about both.

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken - Historical Fiction

October 14, 2025

Alice, the daughter of a wealthy innkeeper in Kilkenny, grows up watching her mother wither under the constraints of family responsibilities --- and she vows that she will never suffer the same fate. In time, she discovers she has a flair for making money and takes her father's flourishing business to new heights. But as her riches and stature grow, so too do rumors about her private life. By the time she marries her fourth husband --- the three earlier are dead --- a storm of local gossip and resentment culminates in a life-threatening accusation.

A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber - Fiction/Magical Realism

October 14, 2025

Everyone knows that Addie Fullbright can’t keep a secret. Yet, 12 years ago, Addie was entrusted with a devastating truth. One so shattering that she left her hometown of Starlight, Alabama, to keep from revealing it. But when her beloved aunt gets a shocking diagnosis and asks her to return to help run the family bakery, Addie knows it is time to go home again. Tessa Jane Wingrove-Fullbright has always been able to see the lighter side of life, but lately darkness has descended. When she is called back to Starlight to help her aunt, she is barely holding herself together and fears she will never find her way back to who she used to be. Under the bright side of the stars, Addie and Tessa Jane come to see that magic can be found in trusting yourself, that falling apart is simply a chance to rise up again, and that the heart usually knows the best path through the darkness.

The Drowned by John Banville - Historical Mystery

October 14, 2025

1950s, rural Ireland. A loner comes across a mysteriously empty car in a field. Knowing he shouldn’t approach but unable to hold back, he soon finds himself embroiled in a troubling missing person case, as a husband claims his wife may have thrown herself into the sea. Called in from Dublin to investigate is Detective Inspector Strafford, who soon turns to his old ally --- the flawed but brilliant pathologist Quirke --- a man he is linked to in increasingly complicated ways. But as the case unfolds, events from the past resurface that may have life-altering ramifications for all involved.

Exposure by Ramona Emerson - Supernatural Thriller/Horror

October 14, 2025

In Gallup, New Mexico, a serial killer is operating unchecked, his targets indigent Native people whose murders are easily disguised as death by exposure on the frigid winter streets. He slips unnoticed through town, while the voices in his head guide him toward a terrifying vision of glory. As the Gallup detectives struggle to put the pieces together, they consider calling in a controversial specialist to help. Rita Todacheene, Albuquerque PD forensic photographer, is at a crisis point in her career. Her colleagues are watching her with suspicion after the recent revelation that she can see the ghosts of murder victims. Her unmanageable caseload is further complicated by the fact that half the department has blacklisted her for ratting out a corrupt fellow cop. Maybe it’s time for her to leave police work behind entirely --- if only the ghosts will let her.

Fallen Star by Lee Goldberg - Thriller

October 14, 2025

A 55-gallon drum washes up in the Malibu Lagoon stuffed with the corpse of Gene Dent, the key player in a bribery scandal that ensnared several local politicians. LASD detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan Pavone know the case --- and all the likely suspects --- well. Just as they begin their investigation, the sheriff publicly reveals evidence linking the crime to LA’s mayor. But Eve and Duncan realize the bombshell allegation arises from corruption within the sheriff’s own office…because they helped cover it up years ago. If the sheriff goes down, so will they. Eve is agonizing over her moral dilemma when a helicopter crashes in the hillside below her Calabasas home. It’s not a coincidence. Eve soon discovers among the twisted wreckage and dead passengers shocking connections to her own past.

Fathers and Fugitives written by S.J. Naudé, translated by Michiel Heyns - Fiction

October 14, 2025

Estranged from his elderly, senile father, Daniel nonetheless returns to South Africa to care for him during his final months. Shortly after arriving in Cape Town, however, Daniel learns of an unusual clause in the old man’s will. He will inherit his share of his father’s estate only if he spends time with Theon, a cousin whom he hasn’t seen since they were boys, and who lives on a sprawling farm in the Free State. With the conditions bearing on Daniel’s inheritance shifting in real time, Theon and Daniel travel to Japan to seek out an experimental cure for the son of the woman Theon lives with. The trip will change their lives forever.

A Girl Like Us by Anna Sophia McLoughlin - Thriller

October 14, 2025

As a former reality star and 2004's current it-girl, Maya Miller is the center of attention more often than not. And with her recent marriage to the most eligible bachelor in the world, Colin Sterling, of the famous Sterling family, Maya once again finds herself under scrutiny. When Colin's cousin, Arianna, is found dead, and Maya is named as her successor, it isn't long before Maya becomes the prime suspect in Arianna's murder. Rushed into lockdown with the rest of the Sterling family at Silver House, the family's ancestral estate in the English countryside, Maya now has no choice but to discover and expose the truth about the Sterling family to protect her own name. But Maya has secrets of her own, and she knows that in order to survive the Sterlings, she'll have to beat them at their own game.

Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman - Romantic Comedy

October 14, 2025

The new year had barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their "Great and Terrible Sadnesses" approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born. When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon --- once an annual tradition for him and his wife --- Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them uncertain about their future together.

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong - Supernatural Thriller/Horror

October 14, 2025

Nicola Laughton was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Medical advances let her live into her 30s, and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future…together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car crash, but he lived long enough to utter five words to her: “I’ll be waiting for you.” That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press --- the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body. A reputable medium is brought in to conduct a séance, but throughout it all Nicola is haunted by nightmares of her past. Because this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name. That’s when she finds the first body.

Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic & Betrayal by Olivie Blake - Fantasy & Romance/Short Stories

October 14, 2025

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, a wish-granting spirit rapidly approaches burnout. Meanwhile, a banished fairy answers a Craigslist ad, a Victorian orphan navigates an occult situationship, and a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. With both iconic fan-favorite stories and entirely original pieces, JANUARIES features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry, and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Escape the slow trudge of mortality by diving into these enchanting new worlds with a master of imagination.

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong - Fantasy/Romance

October 14, 2025

Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful --- to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice and to the little brother who depends on her. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. She and Mage Aurelia --- the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her --- must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident. Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents --- and each other --- they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. But magic is fickle. Add attraction, and it might spell trouble.

Lifeform by Jenny Slate - Humor/Essays

October 14, 2025

Jenny Slate was a human mammal who sniffed the air every morning hoping to find another person to love who would love her, and then we are pleased to report that she did fall in love, but also she was rabid with fear of losing this love because of past injury. And then what happened was that she became a wild-pregnant-mammal-thing, and then she exploded herself by having a whole baby blast through her vagina. Herein lies an account of this journey, told in five phases --- Single, True Love, Pregnancy, Baby and Ongoing --- through luminous, laugh-out-loud funny essays that take the form of letters to a doctor, dreams of a stork, fantasy therapy sessions, gossip between raccoons, excerpts from an imaginary olden timey play, obituaries, theories about postpartum hair loss, graduation speeches and more.

The Man Next Door by Sheila Roberts - Romantic Comedy/Mystery

October 14, 2025

Zona never thought her life was headed this way. But here she is, newly divorced and moving back in with her mom, Louise. This wasn't Louise's plan, either, laid up at home with a broken leg after one unfortunate tumble on a senior singles cruise. But if she's going to spend all her time at home, at least she has her daughter there with her. And there's some hot new eye candy next door to distract them both from their troubles. He appears to be single and just around Zona's age. But there’s something lurking under that man’s surface charm, something…dangerous? And who's the woman they can hear him in all-out shouting matches with on the other side of the fence? When the woman seems to disappear without a trace, imaginations run wild. Or at least, Zona hopes it's just her mother's imagination.

The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman - Historical Fiction

October 14, 2025

1912: Harry Widener, a promising and passionate book collector, boards the Titanic holding tight to a priceless volume he’s just purchased in London. After catastrophe strikes the ship, Harry’s last known words are that he must return to his cabin to retrieve his latest treasure. Neither the young man nor the book is ever seen again. Honoring her son’s memory, Harry’s mother builds the Harry Widener Memorial Library at Harvard to house his extensive book collection and ensure his legacy. Decades later, Violet Hutchins, a Harvard sophomore recovering from her own great loss, is working as a page at the Widener Library. When mysterious things begin happening at the library, Violet wonders if Harry Widener’s ghost is trying to communicate with her, seeking Violet to uncover a long-buried secret that Harry took with him to the grave. 

The More the Terrier: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt - Mystery

October 14, 2025

Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is relieved to be headed back to Paterson, New Jersey, after a week-long family vacation in the Adirondacks. He's ready to put the holly jolly season way behind him and settle in at home with his three dogs. But when they finally arrive, there is an extra dog eagerly awaiting them, as well as one anxious dog sitter. When the dog showed up on the doorstep a few days ago, the sitter knew Andy would know what to do. Indeed, Andy recognizes Murphy, who the Carpenters fostered before the dog went home with BJ Bremer and his mother. When Andy goes to take Murphy back to the Bremers, instead of the happy reunion he expects, he finds BJ's mother in tears. It turns out Murphy ran off…after BJ was arrested for murder. The case isn’t as simple as Andy thought it would be, with BJ suspected of killing one of his professors.

On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel - Fiction

October 14, 2025

Arcade and Daffodil are twins born one minute apart. With their fiery red hair and thirst for escape, they form an unbreakable bond nurtured by their grandmother’s stories. Together, they disappear into their imaginations and forge a world all their own. But what the two sisters can’t escape are the generational ghosts that haunt their family. Growing up in the shadow of their rural Ohio town, the sisters cling tightly to one another. Years later, Arcade wrestles with the memories of her early life, just as a local woman is discovered drowned in the river. Soon, more bodies are found. As her friends disappear around her, Arcade is forced to reckon with the past while the killer circles closer.

Polostan: Volume One of Bomb Light by Neal Stephenson - Historical Thriller

October 14, 2025

The first installment in Neal Stephenson’s Bomb Light cycle, POLOSTAN follows the early life of the enigmatic Dawn Rae Bjornberg. Born in the American West to a clan of cowboy anarchists, Dawn is raised in Leningrad after the Russian Revolution by her Russian father, a party line Leninist who re-christens her Aurora. She spends her early years in Russia but then grows up as a teenager in Montana, before being drawn into gunrunning and revolution in the streets of Washington, D.C., during the depths of the Great Depression. When a surprising revelation about her past puts her in the crosshairs of U.S. authorities, Dawn returns to Russia, where she is groomed as a spy by the organization that later becomes the KGB.

Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch - Mystery

October 14, 2025

Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with Penny, the little girl who he was separated from and hasn’t seen in years. Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Her only comfort when the past comes back to haunt her is the memory of her precious, rebellious pony. Hearing of Penny’s fate, Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, the pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny’s name and find the real killer.

The Ragpicker King by Cassandra Clare - Fantasy/Romance

October 14, 2025

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace --- and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold --- a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores. Meanwhile, to save the life of a dying friend, Lin Caster has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn. Now the terrifying leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark - Historical/Dark Fantasy

October 14, 2025

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Ku Klux Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die. Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful is brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up. Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

The Secret Christmas Library by Jenny Colgan - Mystery/Romance

October 14, 2025

Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McKinnon, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McKinnon family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home. But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser. Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside.

Shock Induction by Chuck Palahniuk - Fiction/Satire

October 14, 2025

The best and brightest students at a seemingly reputable high school are disappearing. Every day it seems another overachiever is lost to an apparent suicide. But something far more sinister is lurking beneath the surface. These kids have been under surveillance since birth, monitored and measured by an online service called “Greener Pastures.” It’s here that billionaires observe and recruit the next generation of talent. The highest test scores, the best grades and the most niche extracurriculars just might land these teenagers an enticing offer at auction. A couple billion dollars in exchange for the remainder of your life and intellectual labor sounds like a pretty fair deal. Doesn’t it? In SHOCK INDUCTION, students must choose between the risk of following their dreams or the security of money and a lifetime of servitude to the world’s wealthiest and most elite.

Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers - Historical/Literary Mystery

October 14, 2025

The London suburb of Croydon, 1964: Helen Hansford is an art therapist at the Westbury Park psychiatric hospital, where she has been having a rebellious love affair with her colleague Gil, a dashing but married doctor. One spring afternoon, they receive a call about a disturbance at a derelict, vine-covered Victorian house. There the police find a mute, 37-year-old man called William Tapping. It appears he lives in the old house with his elderly, frail aunt, who expires as soon as she’s admitted to the hospital. No one knows why William has been shut away for decades, unseen by neighbors. When it emerges that William is not only sane but a talented artist, Helen comes to see him as something of a personal project. But as she tries to solve the puzzle of the Hidden Man’s past, Helen’s own carefully constructed life of secrets begins to unravel.

Time Will Tell by Rita Mae Brown - Mystery

October 14, 2025

“Sister” Jane Arnold and her friend, Tootie Harris, are helping to lure home hunt club member Cindy Chandler’s two escaped cows, Clytemnestra and Orestes, when they discover an expensive watch carelessly abandoned on an overgrown path. The last thing Sister needs is another mystery to solve, but when one falls into her lap, she can’t help but get involved. Days later, a young man is murdered, one with seemingly no connection to the pricey jewelry or a life of crime. His mother is distraught, and Sister vows to find the murderer. But when hounds on the hunt discover a truck covered in blood --- with no body in sight --- she quickly realizes she’s in over her head with a cunning and clever adversary. Can she find the link and stop the murderer before they strike again? Only time will tell.

The Tourists by Christopher Reich - Thriller

October 14, 2025

Retired special agent Mac Dekker travels to Paris to propose to Ava Attal, once Mossad’s deadliest operative. After too long, life is good. But before he can propose, Ava leaves the table to take an urgent call. And never returns. Mac launches a frantic search, spiraling through the city’s brightest and darkest places. People are lying, agents are dying, and he finds himself caught in the crosshairs of CIA shadows and enigmatic assassins while battling a wealthy, ruthless prince planning a truly terrifying act of violence. With only hours to find Ava and save thousands of lives, Mac’s CIA training kicks in, along with his instincts: Is Ava truly missing, or did she come to Paris on a mission even more secretive than his own?

We Could Be Rats by Emily Austin - Fiction/Dark Humor

October 14, 2025

Sigrid hates working at the Dollar Pal. But having always resisted the idea of growing up into the trappings of adulthood, she did not graduate high school, preferring to roam the streets of her small town with her best friend, Greta. Her older sister, Margit, is baffled and frustrated by Sigrid’s inability to conform to the expectations of polite society. But Sigrid’s detachment veils a deeper turmoil and sensitivity. She’s haunted by the pains of her past --- from pretending her parents were swamp monsters when they shook the floorboards with their violent arguments to grappling with losing Greta’s friendship to the opioid epidemic ravaging their town. As Margit sets out to understand Sigrid and the secrets she has hidden, both sisters discover that reigniting their shared childhood imagination is the only way forward.