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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of November 22nd and November 29th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.
This week, we are calling attention to our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com, where three book groups will win up to 12 copies of SUNFLOWER SISTERS. Releasing in paperback on December 28th, it's the final installment in Martha Hall Kelly’s trilogy of novels about Caroline Ferriday’s family, following LILAC GIRLS and LOST ROSES. The deadline for your entries is Wednesday, January 12th at noon ET.
We also are spotlighting Carmen Schober's debut novel, AFTER SHE FALLS, which is now in stores. After an abusive relationship derails her plans, Adri Rivera struggles to regain her independence and achieve her dream of becoming an MMA fighter. She gets a second chance, but the man who offers it to her is Max Lyons, her former training partner, whom she left heartbroken years before. As she fights for her future, will she be able to confront her past?
Carol's latest “Bookreporter Talks To” interview is with Karen White, whose new novel, THE ATTIC ON QUEEN STREET, concludes her Tradd Street series. Karen discusses the importance of giving her characters a good wrap-up and how she wove little clues into the book that will tie into her next series, which will be set in New Orleans. The first installment, THE SHOP ON ROYAL STREET, will release on March 29th. She also announces her upcoming collaboration with Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig, THE LOST SUMMERS OF NEWPORT, and explains how writing during a pandemic impacted their usual writing style. In addition, she talks about her love for Charleston as a setting and what social media means to her --- both as a connection with her readers and as a huge time commitment. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
Last Tuesday night, we hosted our sixth "Bookaccino Live" Book Group event. Our guest was Jim DeFede, whose 2002 book, THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, served as the inspiration for the smash hit Broadway musical “Come From Away”. This is one of Carol's favorite books, and the conversation was lively. She loved that Jim shared how he came to write this book and his tales of his time in Gander. She also loves that he still keeps in touch with the people there. The audience was terrific; most had read the book, and others were quick to write that they would be reading and gifting it. With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s a story of giving that really resonates. Click here to watch the video and here to listen to the podcast.
On Friday, November 12th, we hosted our 10 ½ Annual Book Group Speed Dating event for booksellers, librarians and book club leaders. Representatives from 17 publishers presented more than 75 titles perfect for book groups that will be published between now and next May. You can watch the event here. Please note that we have timestamped the video, so if you would like to hear from a specific publisher, you easily can do that!
If you would like to know more about the books, click here to access a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation of the featured titles, as well as an Excel spreadsheet that lists the books both by publisher and alphabetically by title.
For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
Now Available: AFTER SHE FALLS by Carmen Schober
AFTER SHE FALLS by Carmen Schober (Romance)
Strong-willed Adri Rivera nearly achieved her goal of being a professional mixed martial artist, but then she fell in love with a man who knocked all the fight out of her. When their abusive, tumultuous relationship finally comes to a head, Adri flees with their young daughter to her small hometown in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There, she must face the people she left behind and put her broken life back together again.
A hardened Max Lyons can't believe Adri is back in town after abruptly cutting him and everyone else off years ago. Despite the distance that grew between them, he feels compelled to help her regain her independence and offers her a job at his gym. But regaining each other's trust is another matter, made even more complicated by the lingering spark between them. As Adri dares to pursue her dream again, she trains for a big tournament with Max's help, but they'll both have to confront their own doubts in order to rise victorious.
Click here to read more about the book.
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Wednesday, November 24th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": To celebrate their 100th episode, the "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Elin Hilderbrand.
Monday, November 29th at 7pm ET: Emily Giffin's Book Club: Patti Callahan will be in conversation with Emily Giffin about her new novel, ONCE UPON A WARDROBE, which Emily selected as her November book club pick. They will talk all things magic and fairy tale and story and friendship.
Monday, November 29th at 8pm ET: JCC Literary Consortium: MJCCA Book Fest In Your Living Room presents a virtual event --- in partnership with the National JCC Literary Consortium, A Cappella Books and Books & Books --- featuring Jodi Picoult, who will be in conversation with Emily Henry about her new novel, WISH YOU WERE HERE.
Tuesday, November 30th at 12pm ET: The Country Bookshop: Kirthana Ramisetti will be in conversation with Kimberly Daniels Taws of The Country Bookshop about her debut novel, DAVA SHASTRI'S LAST DAY.
Tuesday, November 30th at 7pm ET: Murder By The Book: Patricia Cornwell will be in conversation with fellow award-winning author Harlan Coben about her new Kay Scarpetta novel, AUTOPSY.
Tuesday, November 30th at 8pm ET: Books Inc.: Award-winning and nationally acclaimed author Meg Waite Clayton joins Books Inc. for a Virtual Book Launch in celebration of her haunting, unforgettable new novel, THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS.
This Week's Bonus News:
"What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?"
Contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com
Enter to Win Up to 12 Copies of SUNFLOWER SISTERS
by Martha Hall Kelly for Your Group
Each month in our "What's Your Book Group Reading This Month?" feature, we ask book groups to share the titles they are reading that month and rate them. From all entries, three winners will be selected, and each will win up to 12 copies of that month’s prize book for their group. Note: To be eligible to win, let us know the title of the book that YOUR book group is CURRENTLY reading, NOT the title we are giving away.
Our latest prize book is SUNFLOWER SISTERS, the final installment in Martha Hall Kelly’s trilogy of novels about Caroline Ferriday’s family, following LILAC GIRLS and LOST ROSES. This concluding volume, which releases in paperback on December 28th, tells the story of Ferriday’s ancestor Georgeanna Woolsey, a Union nurse during the Civil War whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Anne-May Wilson, a Southern plantation mistress whose husband enlists. To enter, please fill out the form on this page by Wednesday, January 12th at noon ET.
SUNFLOWER SISTERS by Martha Hall Kelly (Historical Fiction)
The 2016 bestseller LILAC GIRLS introduced readers to Caroline Ferriday. Now, in SUNFLOWER SISTERS, Martha Hall Kelly tells the story of Ferriday’s ancestor Georgeanna Woolsey, a Union nurse during the Civil War whose calling leads her to cross paths with Jemma, a young enslaved girl who is sold off and conscripted into the army, and Anne-May Wilson, a Southern plantation mistress whose husband enlists. Inspired by true accounts, the novel provides a vivid, detailed look at the Civil War experience --- from the barbaric and inhumane plantations, to a war-torn New York City, to the horrors of the battlefield. It’s a sweeping story of women caught in a country on the brink of collapse, in a society grappling with nationalism and unthinkable racial cruelty.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read our review.
Click here to enter the contest.
On Sale the Week of November 22nd in Hardcover
November 22nd
FEAR NO EVIL: An Alex Cross Thriller by James Patterson (Thriller)
Dr. Alex Cross and Detective John Sampson venture into the rugged Montana wilderness --- where they will be the prey. They’re not on the job, but on a personal mission. Until they’re attacked by two rival teams of assassins, controlled by the same mastermind who has stalked Alex and his family for years. Darkness falls. The river churns into rapids. Shots ring out through the forest. No backup. No way out. Fear no evil.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316499149
November 23rd
THE BECOMING: The Dragon Heart Legacy, Book 2 by Nora Roberts (Paranormal Fantasy/Romance)
The world of magick and the world of man have long been estranged from one another. But some can walk between the two, including Breen Siobhan Kelly. She has just returned to Talamh with her friend, Marco, who is dazzled and disoriented by this realm --- a place filled with dragons, faeries and mermaids. He is welcomed kindly by her people, and by Keegan, leader of the Fey. Keegan has trained Breen as a warrior, and his yearning for her has grown along with his admiration of her strength and skills. But one member of Breen’s bloodline is not there to embrace her. Her grandfather, the outcast god Odran, plots to destroy Talamh --- and now all must unite to defeat his dark forces.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250272706
THE BONE SHARD EMPEROR by Andrea Stewart (Fantasy)
Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the north-east of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force. Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga --- the powerful magicians of legend --- have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace. But can she trust them?
Orbit | 9780316541503
THE CHRISTMAS PROMISE by Richard Paul Evans (Fiction)
Richelle Bach and her identical twin sister, Michelle, couldn’t be more different, and their paths diverge as they embark on adulthood. Years pass, until --- at their father’s behest --- they both come home for Christmas. What happens then forever damages their relationship, and Richelle vows never to see or speak to her sister again. In their father’s last days, he asks Richelle to forgive Michelle, a deathbed promise she never fulfills as her twin is killed in an accident. Now, painfully alone and broken, Richelle has one last dream: to be an author. The plot of her book, The Prodigal Daughter, is a story based on her sister’s life. It’s not until she meets Justin Ek, a man who harbors his own loss, that a secret promise is revealed.
Gallery Books | 9781982177423
CITY OF TIME AND MAGIC by Paula Brackston (Historical Fantasy)
CITY OF TIME AND MAGIC sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her: a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250260697
THE DAYS TO COME by Tom Rosenstiel (Political Thriller)
Billionaire entrepreneur David Traynor has big dreams for fixing a broken government in his first term as president of the United States. Everyone in the capital is scrambling to adapt to the new disruptor in chief’s bold agenda, though many also want to see him fail. Unsure of whom he can trust, Traynor intends to turn to an unusual group of people to advise him, including the savvy and sometimes ruthless DC fixers Peter Rena and Randi Brooks. Though he is at the height of his career, Rena finds his world in chaos. When malicious, untraceable cyberattacks related to his past start seeping from the dark corners of the internet, his doubts overwhelm him. Then an unpredictable tragedy throws the country into crisis, and he must come out of his stupor.
Ecco | 9780062892645
THE DEATHWATCH BEETLE by Kjell Eriksson (Mystery)
Four years have passed since Cecilia Karlsson disappeared from the island of Gräsö in Roslagen. When Ann Lindell receives a tip that she has been seen alive, she cannot help getting involved, even though she is no longer with the police. The black sheep of the island, Nils Lindberg, has never forgotten Cecilia Karlsson, with whom he was in love as a teenager. He may not be completely sober all the time, but he has no doubt of what he saw out on the bay just before Cecilia disappeared. While Ann struggles to put the jigsaw puzzle together, she is trying to establish herself in her new life together with her lover, Edvard. At the same time, someone is hiding in a cottage in a remote part of the island. Someone who is looking for revenge.
Minotaur Books | 9781250766168
FLYING ANGELS by Danielle Steel (Historical Fiction)
Audrey Parker’s life changes forever when Pearl Harbor is attacked on December 7, 1941. Her brother, a talented young Navy pilot, had been stationed there, poised to fulfill their late father’s distinguished legacy. Fresh out of nursing school with a passion and a born gift for helping others, both Audrey and her friend, Lizzie, suddenly find their nation on the brink of war. Driven to do whatever they can to serve, they enlist in the Army and embark on a new adventure as flight nurses. Risking their lives on perilous missions, they join the elite Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron and fly into enemy territory almost daily to rescue wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Audrey and Lizzie make enormous sacrifices to save lives alongside an extraordinary group of nurses.
Delacorte Press | 9781984821553
GO TELL THE BEES THAT I AM GONE by Diana Gabaldon (Historical Fantasy/Romance)
Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising in 1746, and it took them 20 years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same. It is 1779, and Claire and Jamie are at last reunited with their daughter, Brianna; her husband, Roger; and their children on Fraser’s Ridge. Yet even in the North Carolina backcountry, the effects of war are being felt. Tensions in the Colonies are great, and local feelings run hot enough to boil Hell’s teakettle. Jamie knows loyalties among his tenants are split, and it won’t be long until the war is on his doorstep.
Delacorte Press | 9781101885680
HARSH TIMES written by Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Adrian Nathan West (Historical Fiction)
Guatemala, 1954. The military coup perpetrated by Carlos Castillo Armas and supported by the CIA topples the government of Jacobo Árbenz. Behind this violent act is a lie passed off as truth, which forever changes the development of Latin America: the accusation by the Eisenhower administration that Árbenz encouraged the spread of Soviet Communism in the Americas. HARSH TIMES is a story of international conspiracies and conflicting interests in the time of the Cold War, the echoes of which are still felt today.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | 9780374601232
THESE PRECIOUS DAYS: Essays by Ann Patchett (Essays)
“Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of THESE PRECIOUS DAYS is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship. When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life-changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman --- Tom’s assistant, Sooki --- with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both.
Harper | 9780063092785
On Sale the Week of November 22nd in Paperback
November 23rd
THE ANOMALY written by Hervé Le Tellier, translated by Adriana Hunter (Science Fiction/Thriller)
Paperback Original
In their own way, they were all living double lives when they boarded Air France 006: Blake, a respectable family man who works as a contract killer. Slimboy, a Nigerian pop star who uses his womanizing image to hide that he’s gay. Joanna, a Black American lawyer pressured to play the good old boys’ game to succeed with her Big Pharma client. Victor Miesel, a critically acclaimed yet largely obscure writer suddenly on the precipice of global fame. About to start their descent to JFK, they hit a shockingly violent patch of turbulence, emerging on the other side to a reality both perfectly familiar and utterly strange. As it charts the fallout of this logic-defying event, THE ANOMALY takes us on a journey from Lagos and Mumbai to the White House and a top-secret hangar.
Other Press | 9781635421699
THE CITY OF MIST: Stories by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Fiction/Short Stories)
Paperback Original
A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece. Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless readers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with THE SHADOW OF THE WIND.
Harper Perennial | 9780063118096
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND by Rumaan Alam (Fiction)
Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G.H. are an older couple --- it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area --- with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service --- it’s hard to know what to believe. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple, and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
Ecco | 9780062667649
THE MITFORD TRIAL: A Mitford Murders Mystery by Jessica Fellowes (Historical Mystery)
It's lady's maid Louisa Cannon's wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered shortly after when she is approached by a secretive man asking her to spy on Diana Mitford --- who is having an affair with the infamous Oswald Mosley --- and her sister, Unity. Thus, as summer 1933 dawns, Louisa finds herself accompanying the Mitfords on a glitzy cruise, full of the starriest members of Society. But the waters run red when a man is found attacked. Back in London, the case is taken by lawyer Tom Mitford, and Louisa finds herself caught between worlds: of a love lost, a family divided and a country caught in conflict.
Minotaur Books | 9781250316844
SHELTER IN PLACE by David Leavitt (Fiction/Humor)
It is the Saturday after the 2016 presidential election, and in a plush weekend house in Connecticut, an intimate group of friends has gathered to recover from what they consider the greatest political catastrophe of their lives. They have just sat down to tea when their hostess, Eva Lindquist, proposes a dare. Who among them would be willing to ask Siri how to assassinate Donald Trump? Liberal and like-minded --- editors, writers, a decorator, a theater producer, and one financial guy, Eva's husband, Bruce --- the friends have come to the countryside in the hope of restoring the bubble in which they have grown used to living. Yet, with the exception of one brash and obnoxious book editor, none is willing to accept Eva's challenge.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781620404881
TWENTY: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller)
Jack Swyteck receives an emergency text from Riverside Day School. Both his daughter, Righley, and his wife, FBI agent Andie Henning, are in danger. Andie hears the fire alarms, then loud popping noises and screams coming from the hallway. The police find a handgun on the school grounds registered to a Muslim man named Amir Khoury. Within minutes Al Qaeda claims responsibility. Amir is married to Andie’s friend, Lilly, a WASP whose bloodline goes back to the American Revolution. When Xavier, Amir and Lilly’s oldest child, confesses to the crime, the local community’s anti-Muslim fervor explodes to levels unseen since 9/11. Jack must unearth the Khourys’ family secrets in order to expose the shocking truth and save his client from certain death.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780063087699
WAR LORD by Bernard Cornwell (Historical Fiction)
In this final installment of Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Tales series, England is under attack. Chaos reigns. Northumbria, the last kingdom, is threatened by armies from all sides, by land and sea --- and only one man stands in their way. Torn between loyalty and sworn oaths, the warrior king Lord Uhtred of Bebbanburg faces his greatest ever battle --- and prepares for his ultimate fate.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780062563248
On Sale the Week of November 29th in Hardcover
November 30th
ALL ABOUT ME!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business by Mel Brooks (Autobiography)
ALL ABOUT ME! charts Mel Brooks’ meteoric rise from a Depression-era kid in Brooklyn to the recipient of the National Medal of Arts. Whether serving in the United States Army in World War II, or during his burgeoning career as a teenage comedian in the Catskills, Mel was always mining his experiences for material and looking for the perfect joke. His book offers fans insight into the inspiration behind the ideas for his outstanding collection of boundary-breaking work, and includes details about the many close friendships and collaborations Brooks had, including those with Sid Caesar, Carl Reiner, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Alfred Hitchcock and the great love of his life, Anne Bancroft.
Ballantine Books | 9780593159118
AUTOPSY: A Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell (Mystery/Thriller)
Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia as the chief medical examiner, the state where she launched her storied career. Just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks where a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine. At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top-secret laboratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she works the first potential crime scene in space remotely, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.
William Morrow | 9780063112193
BROTHERS AND WIVES: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan by Christopher Andersen (Biography)
DIANA’S BOYS revealed the powerful bond between Princes William and Harry, and how it strengthened even more in the wake of their mother’s tragic death. Now, 20 years later, Queen Elizabeth II is in her mid-90s, Prince Charles is in his 70s, and all eyes are turned increasingly toward William and Harry again. Christopher Andersen picks up where he left off, covering everything that has happened to the brothers as they have grown up, gotten married to two remarkable women, and had children --- all while facing continual waves of controversy and questions about the ways their relationship has shifted.
Gallery Books | 9781982159726
DAVA SHASTRI'S LAST DAY by Kirthana Ramisetti (Fiction)
Dava Shastri has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. However, a brain cancer diagnosis at the age of 70 changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death into her own hands. Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries. Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her "death" reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever. In the time she has left, Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment --- and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538703861
HELLO, TRANSCRIBER by Hannah Morrissey (Mystery/Thriller)
Every night, police transcriber Hazel Greenlee listens as detectives divulge Black Harbor, Wisconsin’s gruesome secrets. An aspiring novelist, Hazel believes that writing a book could be her only ticket out of this frozen hellscape, but her life isn’t exactly brimming with inspiration. Until her neighbor confesses to hiding the corpse of an overdose victim. With an insider’s look at the investigation, Hazel becomes spellbound by the lead detective, Nikolai Kole, and the chilling narrative he shares with her. Through his transcription, she learns that the suspicious death is linked to Candy Man --- a drug dealer notorious for selling illegal substances to children --- and when Kole invites her on a covert operation to help take the dealer down, the promise of a story calls to her.
Minotaur Books | 9781250795953
LAST REDEMPTION: A Rick Cahill Novel by Matt Coyle (Hard-boiled Mystery/Thriller)
Rick Cahill's fiancée, Leah Landingham, is pregnant with their first child, and Rick is doing PI work that pays well and keeps him out of danger. Then a doctor gives him the bad news about the headaches he’s been suffering --- CTE, which leads to senility and early death --- a secret he keeps from Leah and his best friend, Moira MacFarlane. When Moira asks him to monitor her son, Luke --- who’s broken a restraining order to stay away from his girlfriend --- a simple surveillance explodes into greed, deceit and murder. Luke goes missing, and Rick’s dogged determination compels him to follow clues that lead to the exploration of high finance and DNA cancer research. Ultimately, Rick is forced to battle sadistic killers as he tries to find Luke and stay alive long enough to see the birth of his child.
Oceanview Publishing | 9781608094240
THE MIDNIGHT LOCK: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel by Jeffery Deaver (Thriller)
A woman wakes up in the morning to find that someone has picked her apartment’s supposedly impregnable door lock and rearranged personal items. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs are brought in to investigate and soon learn that the sociopathic intruder, who calls himself "the Locksmith,” can break through any lock or security system ever devised. With more victims on the horizon, Rhyme, Sachs and their stable of associates must discover his true mission. Their hunt is interrupted when an internal investigation in the police force uncovers what seems to be a crucial mistake in one of Rhyme's previous cases. He is fired as a consultant for the NYPD and must risk jail if he investigates the Locksmith case in secret.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780525536000
THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS by Meg Waite Clayton (Historical Fiction)
Wealthy, beautiful Naneé was born with a spirit of adventure. For her, learning to fly is freedom. When German tanks roll across the border and into Paris, this woman with an adorable dog and a generous heart joins the resistance. Known as the Postmistress because she delivers information to those in hiding, Naneé uses her charms and skill to house the hunted and deliver them to safety. Photographer Edouard Moss has escaped Germany with his young daughter only to be interned in a French labor camp. His life collides with Nanée’s in this sweeping tale of romance and danger set in a world aflame with personal and political passion.
Harper | 9780062946980
THE SISTERS SWEET by Elizabeth Weiss (Historical Fiction)
All Harriet Szász has ever known is life onstage with her sister, Josie. As “The Sisters Sweet,” they pose as conjoined twins in a vaudeville act conceived of by their ambitious parents, who were once themselves theatrical stars. But after Josie exposes the family’s fraud and runs away to Hollywood, Harriet must learn to live out of the spotlight --- and her sister’s shadow. As Josie’s star rises in California, the Szászes fall on hard times. Striving to keep her struggling family afloat, Harriet molds herself into the perfect daughter. She also tentatively forms her first relationships outside her family and begins to imagine a life for herself beyond the role of dutiful daughter that she has played for so long.
The Dial Press | 9781984801548
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan (Fiction)
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church. Already a bestseller in France and certain to be read worldwide for generations to come, SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE is a deeply affecting and inspiring story of hope, quiet heroism and empathy from one of our most critically celebrated and iconic writers.
Grove Press | 9780802158741
VALENTINE'S WAY: My Adventurous Life and Times by Bobby Valentine and Peter Golenbock (Sports/Memoir)
From his first year in Rookie ball, when Tommy Lasorda ordered him to send a letter to the Dodgers’ starting shortstop informing him that he should retire early to make way for the young phenom, to appearing in disguise in the Mets’ dugout following an ejection, Bobby Valentine was a lightning rod for mischievous controversy, grabbing headlines wherever he went. Mavericks are seldom welcomed to upset the status quo, and Major League Baseball was no exception. In astonishing detail, Bobby Valentine reflects on the many remarkable moments that comprised his playing and managerial careers.
Permuted Press | 9781637580943
WATCH HER FALL by Erin Kelly (Psychological Thriller)
Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession. After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for "Swan Lake." Even Mr K --- her father and the intense, terrifying director of the company --- can find no fault. Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now. But there is someone who really wants to see Ava fall.
Mobius | 9781473680838
WISH YOU WERE HERE by Jodi Picoult (Fiction)
Diana O’Toole is an associate specialist at Sotheby’s, and her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows that her boyfriend Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galápagos. But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her. It turns out the whole island is now under quarantine, and Diana is stranded until the borders reopen. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.
Ballantine Books | 9781984818416
On Sale the Week of November 29th in Paperback
November 30th
ALL THE COLORS OF NIGHT by Jayne Ann Krentz (Romantic Suspense)
North Chastain possesses a paranormal talent that gives him the ability to track down the most dangerous psychic criminals. When his father suddenly falls into a coma-like state, North is convinced it was caused by a deadly artifact that traces back to the days of a secret government program known only as the Bluestone Project. He teams up with antiques expert Sierra Raines to find the artifact, and soon they find themselves at the scene of the Incident. The town and its residents were forever changed by the disaster in the nearby Bluestone Project labs. The pair unearths shocking truths about what happened that fateful night, but someone in town knows what they’ve discovered and will do anything to make sure the secrets stay buried.
Berkley | 9781984806826
ATOMIC LOVE by Jennie Fields (Historical Fiction)
Chicago, 1950. Rosalind Porter has always defied expectations --- in her work as a physicist on the Manhattan Project, and in her passionate love affair with colleague Thomas Weaver. Five years after the end of both, her guilt over the bomb and her heartbreak over Weaver are intertwined. She has almost resigned herself to a conventional life. Then Weaver gets back in touch --- and so does the FBI. Agent Charlie Szydlo wants Roz to spy on Weaver, whom the FBI suspects of passing nuclear secrets to Russia. Despite her better instincts, Roz has never stopped loving Weaver, but something about Charlie, a former prisoner of war haunted by his past, calls out to her. As Rosalind's feelings for each man deepen, so too does the danger in which she finds herself.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593085349
CRIMSON PHOENIX: A Victoria Emerson Thriller by John Gilstrap (Political Thriller)
West Virginia Congresswoman Victoria Emerson has always put the needs of her community before the power games of Washington, D.C. Then an Army officer appears on her doorstep, deploying the code words “Crimson Phoenix” --- meaning this is not a drill. The United States is on the brink of nuclear disaster. The major will escort her to a secure bunker. She cannot bring her family. A single mother, Victoria refuses to abandon her teenage sons. Denied entry to the bunker, the family somehow survives the unthinkable. In the aftermath, the nation is in chaos. Against this total collapse, Victoria creates a new home in a small Appalachian mountain town. The community she builds around her shines like a beacon in a dark wasteland. Now she must defend it with her life --- to give hope to a new America.
Pinnacle | 9780786046645
THE DEVIL’S HAND by Jack Carr (Political Thriller)
It’s been 20 years since 9/11. Two decades since the United States was attacked on home soil and embarked on 20 years of war. The enemy has been patient, learning and adapting….and is ready to strike again. A new president offers hope to a country weary of conflict. He’s a young, popular, self-made visionary…but he’s also a man with a secret. Halfway across the globe, a regional superpower struggles with sanctions imposed by the Great Satan and her European allies, a country whose ancient religion spawned a group of ruthless assassins. Faced with internal dissent and extrajudicial targeted killings by the United States and Israel, the Supreme Leader puts a plan in motion to defeat the most powerful nation on earth.
Pocket Books | 9781982123758
DO I KNOW YOU? by Sarah Strohmeyer (Psychological Thriller)
Paperback Original
Jane Ellison is a “super recognizer” who can identify strangers by the slightest facial details. When she spies human rights activist and heiress Bella Valencia in a Boston airport, Jane is convinced she has found the person responsible for her sister Kit’s disappearance and presumed death 11 years earlier. But her attempt to detain the suspect ends with Jane herself fired and humiliated. As Bella prepares to marry Will Pease, scion of the ruthless Pease family, she grows increasingly anxious that her dire secret will be revealed. Jane is ready to risk everything for the chance to publicly expose Bella’s crimes at her upcoming celebrity wedding. But the more she digs into what happened that night, the more she questions her own assumptions.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780063091290
EVERY LAST FEAR by Alex Finlay (Psychological Thriller)
Matt Pine’s mom, dad, little brother and sister have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain. Matt’s older brother, Danny --- currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend, Charlotte --- was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. But the night Charlotte was killed, Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty. As the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison, forcing him to confront his every last fear.
Minotaur Books | 9781250817129
FOOL ME TWICE by Jeff Lindsay (Thriller)
FOOL ME TWICE opens in St. Petersburg, where thief extraordinaire Riley Wolfe steals a Faberge egg. Betrayed by the pilot he hired to help him get away, he wakes chained to a rock wall on one of the Kerguelen Islands, prisoner of a top-dog international arms dealer and a top-notch art collector. He wants Riley to steal an artwork, which happens to be “The Liberation of St. Peter,” a fresco in the Vatican. But when his captor turns him loose, he's grabbed by another arms dealer looking to do a double cross. Worse, he gives Riley a special incentive: a surveillance photograph of Monique, the love of his life and the art forger he can't pull off any heist without. Riley knows they both have only one way out.
Dutton | 9780593186381
IN THE LION’S DEN: A House of Falconer Novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford (Historical Fiction)
James Lionel Falconer has risen quickly from a mere shop worker to being the right-hand man of Henry Malvern, head of the most prestigious shipping company in London. With Malvern's daughter, Alexis, running away to the country after a terrible tragedy and refusing to return, James' ascent to head of the company seems inevitable. But even a charmed life like James' is not without its setbacks. A terrible fire threatens to end his merchant career before it's had a chance to truly begin. Mrs. Ward, James' former paramour, has a secret that could change his life forever. And his distaste for Alexis Malvern is slowly growing into feelings of quite a different sort. Can James continue to be the master of his own fate, or will all of his charm, intelligence and wit finally fail him when he has to enter the lion's den?
St. Martin’s Paperbacks | 9781250801944
JACKPOT: A Teddy Fay Novel Featuring Stone Barrington by Stuart Woods and Bryon Quertermous (Thriller/Adventure)
When Peter Barrington and Ben Bachetti come under threat while working at a film festival abroad, Teddy Fay is lured to the glittering city of Macau to resolve the problem. He'll soon come to find that world of posh casinos, luxurious developments and boundless wealth has a dark underbelly of crime and political intrigue…and that the biggest players behind the scenes may be far closer to home than anticipated. With international deals and private vendettas at stake, the villains behind the plot aren't about to let Teddy stand in their way. What they don't know is that this seemingly harmless film producer has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593188460
THE KAISER’S WEB by Steve Berry (Thriller)
Two candidates are vying to become Chancellor of Germany. One is a patriot having served for the past 16 years, the other a usurper, stoking the flames of nationalistic hate. Both harbor secrets, but only one knows the truth about the other. They are on a collision course, all turning on the events of one fateful day --- April 30, 1945 --- and what happened deep beneath Berlin in the Fürherbunker. Did Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun die there? Did Martin Bormann, Hitler’s close confidant, manage to escape? And, even more important, where did billions in Nazi wealth disappear to in the waning days of World War II? Former Justice Department agent Cotton Malone discovers the truth about the fates of Hitler, Braun and Bormann --- revelations that could finally expose a mystery known as the Kaiser’s web.
Minotaur Books | 9781250140371
MANTEL PIECES: Royal Bodies and Other Writing from the London Review of Books by Hilary Mantel (Essays)
In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, “I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.” This collection of 20 reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the next three decades tells the story of what happened next. Her subjects range far and wide: Robespierre and Danton, the Hite report, Saudi Arabia where she lived for four years in the 1980s, the Bulger case, John Osborne and the Virgin Mary. There are essays about Jane Boleyn, Charles Brandon, Christopher Marlowe and Margaret Pole, which display the astonishing insight into the Tudor mind we are familiar with from the bestselling Wolf Hall Trilogy.
Fourth Estate | 9780008430009
MOONFLOWER MURDERS by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery/Thriller)
Retired publisher Susan Ryeland is running a small hotel on a Greek island. The Trehernes come to stay and tell a story about a murder that took place on the same day and in the same hotel in which their daughter was married, which fascinates Susan and piques her editor’s instincts. One of her former writers, the late Alan Conway, author of the fictional Magpie Murders, knew the murder victim --- an advertising executive named Frank Parris --- and based the third book in his detective series on that very crime. The Trehernes’ daughter, Cecily, believes that the book proves the man convicted of Parris’ murder is innocent. When the Trehernes reveal that Cecily is now missing, Susan knows that she must find out what really happened.
Harper Perennial | 9780062955463
NANNY DEAREST by Flora Collins (Domestic Thriller)
Paperback Original
Sue Keller is lost. When her father dies suddenly, she's orphaned in her mid-20s, her mother already long gone. Then Sue meets Annie. It’s been 20 years, but Annie could never forget that face. She was Sue’s live-in nanny at their big house upstate, and she loved Sue like she was her own. Craving connection and mothering, Sue is only too eager to welcome Annie back into her life. But as they become inseparable once again, Sue starts to uncover the truth about Annie's unsettling time in the Keller house all those years ago, particularly the manner of her departure --- or dismissal. At the same time, she begins to grow increasingly alarmed for the safety of the two new charges currently in Annie's care.
Mira | 9780778311614
NEIGHBORS by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
Meredith White was one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces. But a personal tragedy cut her acting career short and alienated her from her family. For the last 15 years, Meredith has been living alone in San Francisco with two trusted caretakers. Then, on a muggy late summer day, a massive earthquake strikes Northern California. Without a moment’s hesitation, Meredith invites her stunned and shaken neighbors into her mostly undamaged home as the recovery begins. Without the walls and privacy of their own homes, one by one, new relationships are forged. In the heart of the crisis, Meredith finds herself venturing back into the world --- and suddenly sees her isolation, her estranged family and even her acting career in a whole new light.
Dell | 9781984821393
PEOPLE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD: Stories written by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Ted Goossen (Fiction/Short Stories)
Paperback Original
A bossy child who lives under a white cloth near a tree; a schoolgirl who keeps dolls' brains in a desk drawer; an old man with two shadows, one docile and one rebellious; a diplomat no one has ever seen who goes fishing at an artificial lake no one has ever heard of. These are some of the inhabitants of PEOPLE FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD. In their lives, details of the local and everyday --- the lunch menu at a tiny drinking place called the Love, the color and shape of the roof of the tax office --- slip into accounts of duels, prophetic dreams, revolutions, and visitations from ghosts and gods. In 26 "palm of the hand" stories --- fictions small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand and brief enough to allow for dipping in and out --- Hiromi Kawakami creates a universe ruled by mystery and transformation.
Soft Skull Press | 9781593767112
THE REVOLUTION ACCORDING TO RAYMUNDO MATA by Gina Apostol (Historical Fiction)
Gina Apostol’s second novel takes the form of a memoir by one Raymundo Mata, a half-blind bookworm and revolutionary, tracing his childhood, his education in Manila, his love affairs, and his discovery of writer and fellow revolutionary Jose Rizal. Mata’s 19th-century story is complicated by present-day foreword(s), afterword(s) and footnotes from three fiercely quarrelsome and comic voices: a nationalist editor, a neo-Freudian psychoanalyst critic, and a translator, Mimi C. Magsalin. In telling the contested and fragmentary story of Mata, Apostol finds new ways to depict the violence of the Spanish colonial era, and to reimagine the nation’s great writer, Jose Rizal, who was executed by the Spanish for his revolutionary activities and is considered by many to be the father of Philippine independence.
Soho Press | 9781641293150
SHED NO TEARS by Caz Frear (Mystery)
Detective Constable Cat Kinsella and her partner, Luigi Parnell, discover a connection to a notorious criminal: serial killer Christopher Masters, who abducted and killed several women in 2012. Though the cops eventually apprehended him, his final victim, Holly Kemp, was never found and he never confessed to her murder, despite the solid eyewitness testimony against him. Now, six years later, the discovery of Holly’s remains seems to be the definitive proof needed to close the case. As Cat and Parnell look closer, they find discrepancies that raise troubling questions. But someone will do anything to keep past secrets hidden --- and as they inch closer to the truth, they may be putting themselves in jeopardy.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780062979865
SMALL MAGIC: Short Fiction, 1977-2020 by Terry Brooks (Fantasy/Short Stories)
Escape to worlds full of adventure and magic in the first-ever Terry Brooks short-story collection, featuring both new and fan-favorite stories from all three of his major literary worlds: Shannara, Magic Kingdom, and The Word and the Void. Here are heroes fighting new battles and struggling to conquer the ghosts of the past. Here are quests both small and far-reaching; heroism both intimate and vast. Here we learn of Garet Jax’s childhood, see how Allanon first located Shea Ohmsford, and follow an old wing-rider at the end of his life. Here we see Knights of the Word fighting demons within and without, and witness Ben Holiday and his daughter each trying to overcome the unique challenges that Landover offers.
Del Rey | 9780525619987
STARGAZER: A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel by Anne Hillerman (Mystery)
What begins as a typical day for Officer Bernadette Manuelito takes an unexpected twist when she’s called to help find an old friend. Years ago, Bernie and Maya were roommates, but time and Maya’s struggles with addiction drove them apart. Now Maya’s brother asks Bernie to find out what happened to his sister. Tracing Maya’s whereabouts, Bernie learns that her old friend had confessed to the murder of her estranged husband, a prominent astronomer. But the details don’t align. Suspicious, Bernie takes a closer look at the case only to find that nothing is as it seems. Uncovering new information about the astronomer’s work leads Bernie to a remote spot on the Navajo Nation and a calculating killer.
Harper | 9780062908346
WE COULD BE HEROES by Mike Chen (Science Fiction/Adventure)
Jamie woke up in an empty apartment with no memory and only a few clues to his identity, but with the ability to read and erase other people’s memories --- a power he uses to hold up banks to buy coffee, cat food and books. Zoe is also searching for her past, and using her abilities of speed and strength…to deliver fast food. And she’ll occasionally put on a cool suit and beat up bad guys, if she feels like it. When the archrivals meet in a memory-loss support group, they realize the only way to reveal their hidden pasts might be through each other. As they uncover an ongoing threat, suddenly much more is at stake than their fragile friendship.
Mira | 9780778311317
December 1st
AT FIRST LIGHT by Barbara Nickless (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Paperback Original
On the muddy banks of the Calumet River, a body has been found posed next to a series of mysterious glyphs and bearing wounds from a ritualistic slaying. Chicago detective Addie Bisset knows only one man who can decipher the message left by the killer: her friend, Dr. Evan Wilding. A brilliant forensic semiotician, Evan decodes the etchings as Viking Age runes. They suggest either human sacrifice or righteous punishment. But to what god? And for what sins? Only one thing is clear from the disturbing runic riddles: there are more victims to come. As Evan races to determine the identity of the Viking Poet, he and Addie uncover the killer’s most terrifying secret yet: the motive.
Thomas & Mercer | 9781542026413
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