March 18, 2025

March 18, 2025

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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of March 17th and March 24th 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 current Word of Mouth contest. Let us know by Friday, March 28th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall (the Reese's Book Club pick and Barnes & Noble Book Club selection for March, as well as an upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On title) and THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry.

Join Us Tomorrow Evening!

This Week's Bonus News:
Bookreporter.com's Word of Mouth Contest
Win a Copy of BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall and THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are six upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.

Wednesday, March 19th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Natasha Pulley will talk about her new book, THE HYMN TO DIONYSUS, a timely reimagining of the story of Dionysus --- Greek god of ecstasy, revelry and ruin --- and a captivating queer love story.

Wednesday, March 19th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Emma Donoghue about her latest book, THE PARIS EXPRESS, a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.

Wednesday, March 19th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Spring Preview Event: Carol Fitzgerald will talk about a number of books releasing this spring that we think you will enjoy reading over the next few months. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction.

Wednesday, March 19th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Katy Hays will talk about her latest novel, SALTWATER, an electrifying thriller about an opulent family retreat to Italy that’s shattered by the resurfacing of a decades-old crime.

Tuesday, March 25th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Katy Hays for a live virtual discussion of SALTWATER as part of their B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Katy will be in conversation with the bestselling author of THE HEIRESS, Rachel Hawkins.

Tuesday, March 25th at 4pm ET: Killer Author Club: Join the Killer Author Club --- Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda --- for an afternoon chat with dynamo killer author duo Nicci French about their latest thriller, THE LAST DAYS OF KIRA MULLAN.

On Sale the Week of March 17th in Hardcover

March 17th

THE WRITER by James Patterson and J.D. Barker (Thriller)
NYPD Detective Declan Shaw gets a call: How fast can you get to the Beresford building on Central Park West? In the tower apartment, Shaw finds a woman waiting for him. She’s covered in blood. A body is lying dead on the floor of the luxurious living room. Every book in the apartment’s floor-to-ceiling shelves is by the same author: bestselling true-crime writer Denise Morrow. "This is you?" Shaw asks the woman. "You're a writer?" Only one person knows the ending to this story. Is it the victim or the killer?
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316570008

March 18th

BEACH VIBES by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
While Beth is proud of her Malibu beach shop, Surf Sandwiches, she's even prouder of her charismatic brother Rick, who rose from foster care through surgical residency. She makes subs, he saves lives. Life takes a turn for the happy after she finds out Rick is dating her new best friend, Jana. Then Jana’s handsome brother adds even more sparkle to Beth’s days...and nights. But when she catches Rick with another woman, her visions of an idyllic family future disappear in one awful instant. Either she betrays her brother, or she keeps his secret and risks losing the man she loves and her best friend.
Canary Street Press | 9781335402530

THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER by Stephen Graham Jones
(Historical Fantasy/Horror)
A diary, written in 1912 by a Lutheran pastor, is discovered within a wall. What it unveils is a slow massacre, a chain of events that go back to 217 Blackfeet dead in the snow. THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER is told in transcribed interviews by a Blackfeet named Good Stab, who shares the narrative of his peculiar life over a series of confessional visits.
S&S/Saga Press | 9781668075081

BUZZ KILL by J. Robert Lennon (Thriller)
The Pool sisters have gone into business together: a down-home, if unequal, PI enterprise. But then Lila receives a shocking piece of news from an old friend of their Aunt Ruth's: their aunt's suicide more than a decade earlier might not have been what it seemed. A lawyer, she had represented a disgraced chemist working on a dangerous synthetic opioid. But once the client, Travis Nutt, was poised to lose, he went rogue and unleashed the adulterant as a street drug, in conjunction with a shadowy cartel. Meanwhile, Jane has been invited to attend a writers' conference, an outlet she relishes until her dangerously confessional prose is seen by the wrong eyes. Her teenage daughter, Chloe, becomes the victim of a deepfake video while campaigning for class president. And old Harry, Jane's father, has stumbled upon a piece of unknown history that opens an unexpected door.
Mulholland Books | 9780316551403

FRIENDS HELPING FRIENDS by Patrick Hoffman (Thriller)
Bunny Simpson grew up poor in Grand Junction, Colorado. Now in his 20s and working in Denver, he has simple dreams: He wants to help his uncle pay rent, save a little money, and maybe start a business one day. His best friend, Jerry LeClair, fantasizes about moving to California. The problem is they don’t have any prospects. Enter Helen McCalla, an attorney with an ax to grind against her ex-husband, who happens to be a judge in the local court. She offers the boys a deal: scare the man, rough him up a little, and she’ll give them a few thousand dollars. It’s simple --- just friends helping friends, right?
Atlantic Monthly Press | 9780802164124

THE HAUNTING OF ROOM 904 by Erika T. Wurth (Paranormal Thriller/Horror)
Olivia Becente was never supposed to have the gift. The ability to commune with the dead was the specialty of her sister, Naiche. But when Naiche dies unexpectedly and under strange circumstances, somehow Olivia suddenly can’t stop seeing and hearing from spirits. A few years later, she’s the most in-demand paranormal investigator in Denver. She’s good at her job, but the loss of Naiche haunts her. That’s when she hears from the Brown Palace, a landmark Denver hotel. The owner can’t explain it, but every few years, a girl is found dead in room 904, no matter what room she checked into the night before. Olivia’s investigation forces her to confront a mysterious and possibly dangerous cult, a vindictive journalist, betrayal by her friends, and shocking revelations about her sister’s secret life.
Flatiron Books | 9781250908599

HOT AIR by Marcy Dermansky (Fiction/Dark Humor)
Joannie hadn’t been on a date in seven years when Johnny invites Joannie and her daughter to dinner. His house is beautiful, his son is sweet, and their first kiss is, well, it’s not the best, but Joannie could convince herself it was nice enough. But when Joannie’s childhood crush, a summer-camp fling turned famous billionaire, crash-lands his hot-air balloon in Johnny’s swimming pool, Joannie dives in. Soon she finds herself alighting on a lost weekend with Johnny the bad kisser, Jonathan the billionaire, and Julia, his smart, stunning wife. Does Joannie want Jonathan? Does Julia want her husband? Or Joannie? Or Joannie’s beautiful little girl? Does Johnny want Julia? Does Jonathan want Joannie, or Julia, or maybe his much younger personal assistant, Vivian, who is tasked to fix it all?
Knopf | 9780593320907

THE HYMN TO DIONYSUS by Natasha Pulley (Historical Fiction)
Raised in a Greek legion, Phaidros has been taught to follow his commander's orders at all costs. But when Phaidros rescues a baby from a fire at Thebes' palace, his commander's orders cease to make sense: Phaidros is forced to abandon the blue-eyed boy at a temple and to keep the baby's existence a total secret. Years later, struggling with panic attacks and flashbacks, Phaidros is enlisted by the Queen to find her son, Thebes' young crown prince, who has vanished to escape an arranged marriage. The search leads him to a blue-eyed witch named Dionysus, whose guidance is as wise as the events that surround him are strange. In Dionysus' company, Phaidros witnesses sudden outbursts of riots and unrest. And everywhere Dionysus goes, rumors follow about a new god, one sired by Zeus but lost in a fire.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781639732364

IF YOU WERE MY DAUGHTER: A Memoir of Healing an Unmothered Heart by Marianne Richmond (Memoir)
At nine years old, Marianne Richmond's life is upended when she collapses on her kitchen floor with full-body convulsions. "Pinched nerve," says the ER doctor, a baffling explanation. But when one episode becomes many, it's clear something is wrong. Marianne desperately hopes for help and healing, but her emotionally unavailable mother --- still reeling from her own past trauma --- refuses medication on her behalf, preferring to try prayer and homeopathy. At age 18, a full-body seizure in Marianne's dorm room leads her to a diagnosis, medication and neurological intervention. Physically, she feels "fixed," but emotional healing proves more elusive. When her mother becomes ill, Marianne has a choice to make. Will she be present for the mother who rarely felt present to her?
Sourcebooks | 9781464231902

THE LIBRARY GAME: A Secret Staircase Novel by Gigi Pandian (Mystery)
Tempest Raj couldn’t be happier that the family business, Secret Staircase Construction, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Known for enchanting architectural features like sliding bookshelves and secret passageways, the company is now taking on a dream project: transforming a home into a public library that celebrates history's greatest fictional detectives. Though the work is far from done, Gray House Library’s new owner is eager to host a murder mystery dinner and literary-themed escape room. But when a rehearsal ends with an actor murdered and the body vanishes, Tempest is witness to a seemingly impossible crime. Fueled by her grandfather’s Scottish and Indian meals, Tempest and the rest of the crew must figure out who is making beloved classic mystery plots come to life in a deadly game.
Minotaur Books | 9781250880239

THE LOVE WE FOUND by Jill Santopolo (Fiction)
It’s been nearly 10 years since Gabe has been gone when Lucy finds a tiny piece of paper in a box of his old photos. An address in Rome. Why did Gabe keep it, and what was he doing in Italy? Lucy buys a last-minute plane ticket. Impulsive, but Gabe always brought that out in her. Lucy’s journey to uncover Gabe’s secret leads her to Dr. Dax Armstrong, a New Yorker in Italy working with an NGO. His broad shoulders and sad, intense eyes draw Lucy in. His touch reaches her in a forgotten place --- one that no one has neared since Gabe. But her old life awaits, along with an earth-shattering decision --- whether she and Darren should tell their son, Samuel, the truth about his father. How can Lucy move forward while she’s rooted in the past? Fate broke her heart once. Can finding new love set her free?
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593419205

A MAP TO PARADISE by Susan Meissner (Historical Fiction)
With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation. Then one early morning, Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone? As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own.
Berkley | 9780593332863

MURDER, SHE WROTE: SNOWY WITH A CHANCE OF MURDER by Jessica Fletcher and Barbara Early (Mystery)
Jessica Fletcher has taken a nasty spill on the ice, leaving her in a wheelchair for several weeks. She tries to work on her latest manuscript but finds herself distracted by a new neighbor moving in across the street. Soon after unpacking his sparse belongings, Mr. Rymer is out in the front yard, building somewhat risqué (read: naked) snow sculptures. While Cabot Cove debates whether the sculptures are a protected form of art or a public display of lewdness, someone starts destroying them at night. Rymer doesn’t seem upset. He just makes new ones. No need to get the police involved over a little snow, he says. Especially when there’s plenty more of it and a blizzard in the forecast. The morning after the storm, Jessica looks out the window to see a new sculpture across the street --- and the body of Mr. Rymer half-buried in the snow.
Berkley | 9780593820049

O SINNERS! by Nicole Cuffy (Fiction)
Faruq Zaidi, a young journalist processing the recent death of his father, who was a devout Muslim, takes the opportunity to embed himself in a cult called “the nameless.” Based in the California redwoods and shepherded by an enigmatic Vietnam War veteran named Odo, the nameless adhere to the 18 Utterances, including teachings such as “all suffering is distortion” and “see only beauty.” Faruq, skeptical but committed to unraveling the mystery of the nameless, extends his stay over months, as he gets deeper into the cult’s inner workings and alluring teachings. But as he gets closer to Odo, Faruq himself begins to unravel, forced to come to terms with the memories he has been running from while trying to resist Odo’s spell.
One World | 9780593597446

THE PARIS EXPRESS by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction)
Based on an 1895 disaster that went down in history when it was captured in a series of surreal, extraordinary photographs, THE PARIS EXPRESS is set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.
S&S/Summit Books | 9781668082799

RED SCARE: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America by Clay Risen (History)
The film Oppenheimer has awakened interest in this vital period of American history. Now, for the first time in a generation, RED SCARE presents a narrative history of the anti-Communist witch hunt that gripped America in the decade following World War II. The cultural phenomenon, most often referred to as McCarthyism, was an outgrowth of the conflict between social conservatives and New Deal progressives, coupled with the terrifying onset of the Cold War. This defining moment in American history was marked by an unprecedented degree of political hysteria. Drawing upon newly declassified documents, journalist Clay Risen recounts how politicians like Joseph McCarthy, with the help of an extended network of other government officials and organizations, systematically ruined thousands of lives in their deluded pursuit of alleged Communist conspiracies.
Scribner | 9781982141806

STOP ME IF YOU'VE HEARD THIS ONE by Kristen Arnett (Fiction)
Cherry Hendricks might be down on her luck, but she can write the book on what makes something funny. She’s a professional clown who creates raucous, zany fun at gigs all over Orlando. Between her clowning and her shifts at an aquarium store for extra cash, she’s always hustling. Not to mention balancing her judgmental mother, her messy love life, and her equally messy community of fellow performers. Things start looking up when Cherry meets Margot the Magnificent, a much older lesbian magician. With Margot’s mentorship and industry connections, Cherry is sure to take her art to the next level. Plus, Margot is sexy as hell. It’s not long before Cherry must decide how much she’s willing to risk for Margot and for her own explosive new act --- and what kind of clown she wants to be under her suit.
Riverhead Books | 9780593719770

THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry (Historical Fiction)
In 1927, Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just 12 years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. One day, a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. At the Jameson family’s retreat, Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.
Atria Books | 9781668011874

THE SUMMER GUESTS by Tess Gerritsen (Thriller)
When former spy Maggie Bird retired to the seaside hamlet of Purity, Maine, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything. Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club, the circle of ex-CIA friends in her cocktail-sipping book club. Their handiwork, however, caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance. After a teenager vanishes --- and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect --- she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.
Thomas & Mercer | 9781662515149

THEFT by Abdulrazak Gurnah (Fiction)
At the turn of the 21st century, three young people come of age in Tanzania. Karim returns to his sleepy hometown after university with new swagger and ambition. Fauzia glimpses in him a chance at escape from a smothering upbringing. The two of them offer a haven to Badar, a poor boy still unsure if the future holds anything for him at all. As tourism, technology, and unexpected opportunities and perils reach their quiet corner of the world, each arrives at a different understanding of what it means to take your fate into your own hands.
Riverhead Books | 9780593852606

On Sale the Week of March 17th in Paperback

March 18th

BABY X by Kira Peikoff (Speculative Thriller)
In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety. Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip --- love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.
Crooked Lane Books | 9798892421416

BECOMING MADAM SECRETARY by Stephanie Dray (Historical Fiction)
Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century. When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with whom she falls deeply in love. But when Frances meets a young lawyer named Franklin Delano Roosevelt at a tea dance, sparks fly in all the wrong directions. Neither knows it yet, but over the next 20 years, they will form a historic partnership that will carry them both to the White House.
Berkley | 9780593437070

THE BLACK BOX: Writing the Race by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
(Literary Criticism/History)
Distilled over many years from Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s legendary Harvard introductory course in African American Studies, THE BLACK BOX is the story of Black self-definition in America through the prism of the writers who have led the way. From Phillis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, to Zora Neale Hurston and Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Toni Morrison --- these writers used words to create a livable world (a "home") for Black people destined to live out their lives in a bitterly racist society. It is a book grounded in the beautiful irony that a community, formed legally and conceptually by its oppressors to justify brutal sub-human bondage, transformed itself through the word into a community whose foundational definition was based on overcoming one of history’s most pernicious lies.
Penguin Books | 9780593299807

CAMINO GHOSTS by John Grisham (Thriller)
Mercer Mann, a popular writer from Camino Island, is back on the beach, marrying her boyfriend, Thomas, in a seaside ceremony. Bruce Cable, the infamous owner of Bay Books, performs the wedding. Afterward, Bruce tells Mercer that he has stumbled upon an incredible story. Mercer desperately needs an idea for her next novel, and Bruce now has one. The true story is about Dark Isle, a sliver of a barrier island not far off the North Florida coast. It was settled by freed slaves 300 years ago, and their descendants lived there until 1955, when the last one --- Lovely Jackson --- was forced to leave. But now Tidal Breeze, a huge, ruthless corporate developer, wants to build a resort and casino on the island, which Lovely knows is rightfully hers. She also knows something about the island that could seriously cloud the dollar signs in the developer’s eyes: the island is cursed.
Vintage | 9780593157800

DAUGHTER OF MINE by Megan Miranda (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
When Hazel Sharp, the daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town --- and people --- she left behind almost a decade earlier. But Hazel is not the only relic of the past to return. A drought has descended on the region, and as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.
S&S/Marysue Rucci Books | 9781668010457

THE DAY TRIPPER by James Goodhand (Fiction)
It’s 1995, and Alex Dean has it all: a spot at Cambridge University next year and the love of an amazing woman. But a brutal encounter with a ghost from his past sees him beaten, battered and almost drowning in the Thames. He wakes the next day to find he’s in a messy, derelict room he’s never seen before, with no idea of how he got there. A glimpse in the mirror tells him he’s older --- much older --- and has been living a hard life, his features ravaged by time and poor decisions. He snatches a newspaper and finds it’s 2010 --- 15 years since the fight. After finally drifting off to sleep, Alex wakes the following morning to find it’s now 2019. But the next day, it’s 1999. Never knowing which day is coming, he begins to piece together what happens in his life after that fateful night by the river. But what exactly is going on?
Mira | 9780778368557

THE DIVORCÉES by Rowan Beaird (Historical Fiction)
Lois Saunders thought that marrying the right man would finally cure her loneliness. But as picture-perfect as her husband is, she is suffocating in their loveless marriage. In 1951, though, unhappiness is hardly grounds for divorce --- except in Reno, Nevada. At the Golden Yarrow, the most respectable of Reno’s famous “divorce ranches,” Lois finds herself living with half a dozen other would-be divorcées, all in Reno for the six weeks’ residency that is the state’s only divorce requirement. But it isn’t until Greer Lang arrives that Lois’ world truly cracks open. Greer is unlike anyone Lois has ever met --- and she sees something in Lois that no one else ever has. Under her influence, Lois begins to push against the limits that have always restrained her. How far will she go to forge her independence, on her own terms?
Flatiron Books | 9781250896605

FALLING OVERBOARD by Sariah Wilson (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
Lucky Salerno’s dream is to own a bakery. To earn enough money to achieve it, she has secured a lucrative job as chief stewardess on a superyacht cruising the Mediterranean. Aboard the ship, there’s one unbreakable rule: no hookups among the crew. The last thing Lucky has time for is a man. Then she meets Hunter Smith, the gorgeous new deckhand sharing her cabin. Who needs the drama that comes with a relationship? Not Hunter. Who can ignore a witty, beautiful bunkmate like Lucky? Also not Hunter. There’s something just as enticing for Lucky: a tantalizing mystery behind Hunter’s piercing blue eyes she can’t wait to solve. But at what risk? As they get to know each other, a secret romance buds at sea, and Lucky has to choose. Abide by the rules to make her career dreams come true, or pursue her love for Hunter.
Montlake | 9781662514265

FINDING MARGARET FULLER by Allison Pataki (Historical Fiction)
In the company of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his circle of enlightened friends, Margaret Fuller becomes “the radiant genius and fiery heart” of the Transcendentalists. However, Margaret’s soul yearns for more than poetry and drama. From hosting a women-only literary salon in Boston to becoming the first woman permitted entry to Harvard’s library, Margaret defies societal conventions as an activist for women’s rights and a champion for humanity. On the gritty New York streets, she spars with Edgar Allan Poe and reports on the work of Frederick Douglass. And when offered an assignment in Europe by editor Horace Greeley, Margaret becomes the first female foreign news correspondent. In Rome, she embarks on a passionate love affair with a Roman count, causing an international scandal. As a mother and a countess, Margaret enters a new fight for Italy’s unification.
Ballantine Books | 9780593600252

FIRST WIFE’S SHADOW by Adele Parks (Psychological/Domestic Thriller)
Paperback Original
When Emma meets Matthew, a kind, handsome widower, he seems to be just what she needs. Yet as their relationship moves fast, Emma’s friends worry that she might be exploited. She’s a rich woman after all. Emma doesn’t care that Matthew has no money. But as the memory of his perfect first wife hangs over them, Emma does have one tiny doubt. If Matthew’s wife hadn’t died, he wouldn’t be with her. And Emma wonders if she’s second best. Can she ever fill the dead woman’s shoes? As jealousy and suspicion blossom between Emma and Matthew, events take a darker, dangerous turn. Suddenly Emma doesn’t know who she can trust. Her friends? Her husband? Or even herself?
Mira | 9780778368137

THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio (Fiction)
When Lauren returns home to her flat in London late one night, she is greeted at the door by her husband, Michael. There’s only one problem --- she’s not married. She’s never seen this man before in her life. But according to her friends, her much-improved decor, and the photos on her phone, they’ve been together for years. As Lauren tries to puzzle out how she could be married to someone she can’t remember meeting, Michael goes to the attic to change a light bulb and abruptly disappears. In his place, a new man emerges, and a new, slightly altered life re-forms around her. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a light bulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?
Vintage | 9780593687512

KINGDOM OF PLAY: What Ball-bouncing Octopuses, Belly-flopping Monkeys, and Mud-sliding Elephants Reveal about Life Itself by David Toomey (Nature)
Acclaimed science writer David Toomey takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution? Through a close examination of both natural selection and play, Toomey argues that life itself is fundamentally playful.
Scribner | 9781982154479

LEAVE NO TRACE: A National Parks Thriller by A. J. Landau (Thriller)
In a daring, brutal act of terrorism, an explosion rocks and topples the Statue of Liberty. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is sent to New York as the agent-in-charge. Gina Delgado of the FBI has been placed in charge of the investigation as the lead of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and threats of a second terrorism attack are already being called into the media. While barred from the meetings of the Joint Task Force for his lack of security clearance, Walker finds a young boy among the survivors with a critical piece of information --- a video linking the attackers to the assault. As a radical domestic terrorist group threatens further attacks against America's cultural symbols, powerful forces within the government are misleading the investigation to further their own radical agenda.
Minotaur Books | 9781250371003

THE LIGHT THROUGH THE STORM by Margalit Ganor (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
August 1942. When they realize the danger of remaining under the rule of the Nazi occupation, Dr. Leon Schmelzer, his wife Donya, and their baby daughter attempt to flee Romania under the cover of darkness. Joining a dozen other brave souls, they hastily board a small ship, leaving behind family, friends, and the only life they ever knew --- for a slim chance at survival. But their path to freedom does not sail over smooth waters. As endless waves threaten to drown what little hope they have, the desperate refugees find that the hatred in the hearts of men is more terrifying than any force of nature. And when they are shipwrecked and taken captive in a foreign land, Leon’s own faith and resolve are put to the ultimate test. Can he find the courage and resourcefulness to protect his wife and only daughter?
Seventh Street Books | 9781645061076

LUCKY by Jane Smiley (Historical Fiction)
Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky --- and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then --- through a combination of hard work and serendipity --- she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?
Vintage | 9780593468302

THE MARS HOUSE by Natasha Pulley (Science Fiction/Romance)
In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, his life is dictated by his status as an Earthstronger --- a person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity. A xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale wants all Earthstrongers to naturalize, a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly. When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, January's life is thrown into chaos, but Gale's political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five-year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure January's future without naturalization and ensure Gale's political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781639735303

MEMORY PIECE by Lisa Ko (Fiction)
In the early 1980s, Giselle Chin, Jackie Ong and Ellen Ng are teenagers drawn together by their shared sense of alienation and desire for something different. They envision each other as artistic collaborators and embark on a future defined by freedom and creativity. By the time they are adults, their dreams are murkier. As a performance artist, Giselle must navigate an elite social world she never conceived of. As a coder thrilled by the internet’s early egalitarian promise, Jackie must contend with its more sinister shift toward monetization and surveillance. And as a community activist, Ellen confronts the increasing gentrification and policing overwhelming her New York City neighborhood. Over time, their friendship matures and changes, their definitions of success become complicated, and their sense of what matters evolves.
Riverhead Books | 9780593542118

NO JUDGMENT: Essays by Lauren Oyler (Essays)
Lauren Oyler has emerged as one of the most trenchant and influential critics of her generation, a talent whose judgments on works of literature have become notorious. But what is the significance of being a critic and consumer of media in today’s fraught environment? How do we understand ourselves, and each other, as space between the individual and the world seems to get smaller and smaller, and our opinions on books and movies seem to represent something essential about our souls? And, to put it bluntly, why should you care what she --- or anyone --- thinks? In her first collection of essays, Oyler writes about topics like the role of gossip in our exponentially communicative society, the rise and proliferation of autofiction, why we’re all so “vulnerable” these days, and her own anxiety.
HarperOne | 9780063235366

THE SAINT LAURENT MUSE by C. W. Gortner (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
It's the 1970s, and reluctant aristocrat Loulou de la Falaise is desperately seeking adventure. Having escaped an early, unhappy marriage, she arrives on a whim in Paris. Glamour, sex and cocaine nights fuel the Paris fashion scene. Its crown prince is the soulful and intensely gifted Yves Saint Laurent. Loulou's bohemian flair immediately captures Yves’ attention, and they embark on a glorious intimate friendship as artist and muse. Their course collides with eccentric designer Karl Lagerfeld. Karl’s bitter professional rivalry with Yves divides Paris even in an era when anything goes. As Yves plunges into a dangerous, secret affair with Karl's enigmatic young companion, and Loulou finds herself falling in love with a colleague's handsome boyfriend, evanescent illusion and savage deception will bring them to the brink of ruin.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063319837

THE SEARCH FOR THE GENUINE: Nonfiction, 1970-2015 by Jim Harrison (Essays)
New York Times bestselling author Jim Harrison (1937–2016) was a writer with a poet’s economy of style and a trencherman’s appetites. Praised as a “national treasure” (Chicago Tribune) and published in 27 languages, he was one of this country’s most beloved and critically acclaimed authors. Best known for his poetry and fiction, such as LEGENDS OF THE FALL, DALVA and RETURNING TO EARTH, Harrison was also a prolific nonfiction writer, with columns running in Sports Illustrated and Esquire, and work in Outside, Field & Stream and others. The first collection of Harrison’s general nonfiction in 30 years, THE SEARCH FOR THE GENUINE is a sparkling, definitive volume of essays and journalism --- from the near-classic to the never-published.
Grove Press | 9780802157225

THIS IS SALVAGED: Stories by Vauhini Vara (Fiction/Short Stories)
Pushing intimacy to its limits in prose of unearthly beauty, Vauhini Vara explores the nature of being a child, parent, friend, sibling, neighbor or lover, and the relationships between self and others. A young girl reads the encyclopedia to her elderly neighbor, who is descending into dementia. A pair of teenagers seek intimacy as phone-sex operators. A competitive sibling tries to rise above the drunken mess of her own life to become a loving aunt. One sister consumes the ashes of another. And in the title story, an experimental artist takes on his most ambitious project yet: constructing a life-size ark according to the Bible’s specifications. In a world defined by estrangement, where is communion to be found?
W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324076094

THE WIDOW SPY by Megan Campisi (Historical Thriller)
Kate Warne is many things: the country’s first female detective, a Pinkerton agent and a Union spy. It’s August 1861, and her latest assignment could end the bloody Civil War and bring the fractured United States together again. All she must do is win the trust of her captive: Confederate spy and socialite Rose Greenhow. But with Rose well aware of Kate’s working-class background and belief in abolitionism, it seems an impossible task. Worse, Kate has secrets that make her vulnerable, such as her forbidden love affair with a colleague. With time running out, Kate faces not only the moral and political divides between herself and Rose but also the ones she’s made in her own heart. She must decide which divides are worth crossing and how far she’s willing to go to defeat the Confederacy.
Atria Books | 9781668024874

THE WIVES: A Memoir by Simone Gorrindo (Memoir)
When her new husband joins an elite Army unit, Simone Gorrindo is uprooted from New York City and dropped into Columbus, Georgia. With her husband frequently deployed, she is left to find her place in this new world, alone --- until she meets the wives. Gorrindo gives us an intimate look into the inner lives of a remarkable group of women and a tender, unflinching portrait of a marriage. A love story, an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, and a bracing tour of the intractable divisions that plague our country today, THE WIVES offers a rare and powerful gift: a hopeful stitch in the fabric of a torn America.
Gallery/Scout Press | 9781982178505

On Sale the Week of March 24th in Hardcover

March 25th

ELPHIE: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire (Fantasy)
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy. Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and her brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education --- until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.
William Morrow | 9780063445826

FREE: My Search for Meaning by Amanda Knox (Memoir)
Amanda Knox spent nearly four years in prison and eight years on trial for a murder she didn’t commit --- and became a notorious tabloid story in the process. Though she was exonerated, it’s taken more than a decade for her to reclaim her identity and truly feel free. FREE recounts how Knox survived prison, the mistakes she made, and the misadventures she had reintegrating into society, culminating in the untold story of her return to Italy --- and the extraordinary relationship she’s built with the man who sent her to prison. It is the gripping saga of what happens when you become the definition of notorious, but have quietly returned to the matters of a normal life --- seeking a life partner, finding a job, or even just going out in public.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538770719

I WOULD DIE FOR YOU by Sandie Jones (Psychological Thriller)
California, 2011: A writer knocks on Nicole Forbes’ door asking for her personal insight into the downfall of the biggest British band of the 1980s. The same day, her daughter goes missing. The school claims her aunt picked her up…but she doesn’t have an aunt. Convinced of a link between the two, Nicole is forced to revisit long-abandoned memories from her past to protect everything she now holds dear. London, 1986: Sixteen-year-old Cassie is obsessed with Secret Oktober, the hottest band of the moment. Harboring an intense crush on the leading man, Ben Edwards, she will do anything she can to capture his attention. But when Ben discovers her older sister, Nicole, singing at a local bar one night, he can’t help but feel drawn to her, setting in motion a collision course that could tear their family apart.
Minotaur Books | 9781250910035

THE INVISIBLE SPY: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America’s First Secret Agent of World War II by Thomas Maier (History)
Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a city hall lawyer and “Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight. During this time, Cuneo began a close friendship with British spy Ian Fleming and helped inspire Fleming's James Bond novels. He also began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center, Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin. Cuneo’s transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained “invisible” in the public eye --- until now.
Hanover Square Press | 9781335000606

LETHAL PREY: A Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford (Mystery/Thriller)
Doris Grandfelt, an employee at an accounting firm, was brutally stabbed to death, but nobody knew exactly where the crime took place. Despite her twin sister Lara Grandfelt’s persistent calls to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the killer was never found. Twenty years later, Lara has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is determined to find Doris’ killer once and for all. She dumps the entire investigative file on every true-crime site in the world and offers a $5 million reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest. Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers are called in to review anything that might be a new lead. When one of the bloggers locates the murder weapon, Lucas and Virgil begin to uncover vital details about the killer’s identity. But what they don’t know is that the killer lurks in plain sight.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593718407

LUCKY NIGHT by Eliza Kennedy (Fiction)
After six years of a stolen hour here, another there, tonight is going to be different for Nick Holloway and Jenny Parrish. They’ve booked a room in a new luxury hotel in Manhattan, where they’ll spend the entire night together for the first time. Expectations are running high for this brief reprieve from ordinary life: they both need a good bout of ravishing sex and witty conversation. But that’s not what they get. Because they’ve barely gotten started when a smoke alarm goes off. Nick is annoyed but not worried about what must be only a minor glitch. Jenny is anxious and guilty. Is karma coming for them at last? LUCKY NIGHT seamlessly shifts between Nick and Jenny’s perspectives as the reality of their situation becomes apparent, and all their secrets, evasions and regrets come spilling out.
Crown | 9780593800836

NOBODY'S FOOL by Harlan Coben (Thriller)
Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. And beside him is the lifeless body of his girlfriend, Anna. He doesn’t know what happened. His screams drown out his thoughts --- and then he runs. Twenty-two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by doing low-level surveillance jobs and teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. It’s unmistakably Anna. As soon as Kierce makes eye contact with her, she bolts. For Kierce, there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538756355

THE OTHER PEOPLE by C.B. Everett (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house, and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who --- or what --- lurks in the cellar?
Atria Books | 9781668058305

THE RELUCTANT SHERIFF: A Mick Hardin Novel by Chris Offutt (Literary Thriller)
Mick Hardin never wanted to be sheriff. An ex-Army CID officer, he’s supposed to be retired --- or he was until his sister, Linda, was shot in the line of duty, requiring him to step in as interim sheriff while she recovered. Now he’s stuck in Rocksalt, the place he was most hoping to escape. Back in uniform, Mick is chafing at the sudden dissolution of his retirement plans, wearied by the petty squabbles of Rocksalt’s townsfolk. It’s all business as usual, until the murder of a local bar owner draws an unlikely suspect who threatens to fan the flames of Mick’s past. When two more bodies turn up, seemingly unconnected to the first, Mick is forced to reckon with the mysterious circumstances of a case that is not so open-and-shut as everyone believes.
Grove Press | 9780802164032

THE RIDE: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America by Kostya Kennedy (History)
On April 18, 1775, a Boston-based silversmith, engraver and anti-British political operative named Paul Revere set out on a borrowed horse to fulfill a dangerous but crucial mission: to alert American colonists of advancing British troops, which would seek to crush their nascent revolt. Revere had completed at least 18 previous rides across New England and other colonies, disseminating intelligence about British movements. But this ride was like no other, and its consequences in the months and years to come --- as the American Revolution morphed from isolated skirmishes to a full-fledged war --- became one of our founding legends. In THE RIDE, Kostya Kennedy presents a dramatic new narrative of the events of April 18 and 19, 1775, informed by fresh primary and secondary source research into archives, family letters and diaries, contemporary accounts, and more.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250341372

SALTWATER by Katy Hays (Psychological Thriller)
In 1992, Sarah Lingate is found dead below the cliffs of Capri, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter, Helen. Despite suspicions that the old-money Lingates are involved, Sarah’s death is ruled an accident. And every year, the family returns to prove it’s true. But on the 30th anniversary of Sarah’s death, the Lingates arrive at the villa to find a surprise waiting for them --- the necklace Sarah was wearing the night she died. Haunted by the specter of that night, the legendary Lingate family unity is pushed to a breaking point, and Helen seizes the opportunity. Enlisting the help of Lorna Moreno, a family assistant, the two plot their escape from Helen’s paranoid, insular family. But when Lorna disappears and the investigation into Sarah’s death is reopened, Helen has to confront the fact that everyone who was on Capri 30 years ago remains a suspect.
Ballantine Books | 9780593875551

THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE by Ron Currie (Literary Thriller)
Babs Dionne --- proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch --- rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. When a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs' youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem at all like a coincidence. In 24 hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’ wrath.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593851661

SISTER EUROPE by Nell Zink (Fiction)
Naema, an elderly princess dedicated to her pet causes, is in a bind. Struck by a malady that maroons her in Montreux, she’s unable to host an exclusive gala dinner in Berlin to honor author Masud al-Huzeil for his lifetime achievement in Arabic literature. Not only is she unable to attend, RSVPs have been slow to materialize. Masud invites his old friend Demian, a native Berliner, who in turn invites his two best friends: the troubled, innocent Livia and an American publisher, Toto. But Toto doesn’t come alone. In tow are his younger internet date and Demian’s 15-year-old daughter, Nicole. Not to mention the cop who’s been trailing Nicole since she left the red-light district. Presiding over the affair is Naema’s infinitely rich, endlessly disaffected grandson, Prince Radi, whose pass at Nicole culminates in an epic midnight food run that changes all their lives.
Knopf | 9780593534915

SUMMER IN THE CITY by Alex Aster (Romantic Comedy)
Elle has the chance of a lifetime to write a big-budget movie set in New York City. The only problem? She’s had writer’s block for months, and her screenplay is due at the end of the summer. In a desperate attempt at inspiration, Elle ends up back in the city she swore she would never return to, in an apartment she could never afford. It’s the perfect place to write her screenplay…until she realizes that her new neighbor is tech “Billionaire Bachelor” Parker Warren, her stairwell hookup from two years ago. When seeing him again turns into a full night of hate-fueled writing, Elle realizes that her enemy/twisted muse just might be the key to finishing her screenplay. He needs to fake a buzzy relationship during his company’s precarious acquisition. She needs to write a movie around a list of NYC locations. Summers always end, and so will this agreement. It’s all pretend. Until it isn’t.
William Morrow | 9780063445802

TED BELL'S MONARCH: An Alex Hawke Novel by Ryan Steck (Thriller/Adventure)
Following a successful but costly mission to destroy an enemy outpost in Antarctica, Alex Hawke is looking forward to some quiet time at Teakettle Cottage, his home in Bermuda, along with his family. But he's not a man who can avoid trouble. Former Chief Inspector of Scottland Yard Ambrose Congreve calls him with stunning news. Just days away from a controversial vote threatening to tear the United Kingdom apart at the seams, King Charles has disappeared while vacationing at Balmoral Castle. The prime minister believes she can keep the news quiet for no more than 72 hours. After that, Britain will be plunged into chaos. With the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance, it's up to Lord Hawke to find and rescue the missing monarch before it's too late.
Berkley | 9780593817230

THIS BOOK WILL BURY ME by Ashley Winstead (Psychological Thriller)
After the unexpected death of her father, college student Jane Sharp longs for a distraction from her grief. She becomes obsessed with true crime, befriending armchair detectives who teach her how to hunt killers from afar. So when news of the shocking deaths of three college girls in Delphine, Idaho, takes the world by storm, and sleuths everywhere race to solve the crimes, Jane and her friends are determined to beat them. But the case turns out to be stranger than anyone expected, and they begin to suspect that the killer may be smarter and more prolific than any they've faced before. Told one year after the astounding events that concluded the case, when Jane has finally decided to break her silence about what really happened, she tells the true story of the Delphine Massacres. And what she has to confess will shock even the most seasoned true crime fans.
Sourcebooks Landmark | 9781728270005

TILT by Emma Pattee (Fiction)
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.
S&S/Marysue Rucci Books | 9781668055472

TWIST by Colum McCann (Fiction)
Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence --- words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses --- travels through the tiny fiber-optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break, at an unfathomable depth. Fennell’s journey brings him to the west coast of Africa, where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets a fellow Irishman, the mysterious John Conway, who is a skilled engineer and a freediver capable of reaching extraordinary depths. When the ship is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel.
Random House | 9780593241738

THE UNLUCKY ONES: A Black Harbor Novel by Hannah Morrissey (Mystery/Thriller)
Black Harbor is a tinderbox. Temperatures and violent crime have both risen to all-time highs, a new drug razes the city, and the scene to which Sergeant Nikolai Kole responds is anything but a rote homicide. In the back of a clubhouse lies a body wrapped in garbage bags and doused in bleach. Tommy Greenlee, the ex-husband of Kole’s former lover, Hazel, has been shot several times and left for dead. What’s more, the killer left what appears to be a calling card. Elsewhere, Hazel is haunted by her memories of Black Harbor. Lured there after eight years, she returns to find out who killed Tommy and why. Now back in Kole’s orbit, their love affair can hardly pick up where it left off. As they work together to solve this murder, not only will they unearth Black Harbor’s deepest, darkest secrets, they each will have to face their own.
Minotaur Books | 9781250369741

WHEN THE GOING WAS GOOD: An Editor's Adventures During the Last Golden Age of Magazines by Graydon Carter (Memoir)
When Graydon Carter was offered the editorship of Vanity Fair in 1992, he knew he faced an uphill battle --- how to make the esteemed and long-established magazine his own. Not only was he confronted with a staff that he perceived to be loyal to the previous regime, he arrived only a few years after launching Spy magazine, which gloried in skewering the celebrated and powerful --- the very people Vanity Fair venerated. With curiosity, fearlessness, and a love of recent history and glamour that would come to define his storied career in magazines, Carter succeeded in endearing himself to his editors, contributors and readers, as well as many of the faces that would come to appear in Vanity Fair’s pages. WHEN THE GOING WAS GOOD is Carter’s lively recounting of how he made his mark as one of the most talented editors in the business.
Penguin Press | 9780593655900

WHEN THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE by John Scalzi (Science Fiction/Humor)
The moon has turned into cheese. Now humanity has to deal with it. For some it’s an opportunity. For others it’s a moment to question their faith: in God, in science, in everything. Still others try to keep the world running in the face of absurdity and uncertainty. And then there are the billions looking to the sky and wondering how a thing that was always just there is now...something absolutely impossible. Astronauts and billionaires, comedians and bank executives, professors and presidents, teenagers and terminal patients at the end of their lives --- over the length of an entire lunar cycle, each get their moment in the moonlight. To panic, to plan, to wonder and to pray, to laugh and to grieve.
Tor Books | 9780765389091

WITNESS 8 by Steve Cavanagh (Psychological Thriller)
A former resident of the ultra-elite Manhattan upper class, Ruby Johnson now works as a maid in the type of houses she used to live in. Unassuming, she sees everyone’s dirty secrets from the inside of their beautiful, renovated brownstones. But when Ruby witnesses a murder, she has wicked plans in mind that don’t involve telling the authorities the truth. Eddie Flynn, a streetwise ex-con-artist-turned-defense attorney, is the only lawyer in New York City willing to take on hopeless cases. And none is more hopeless than John Jackson’s --- the gun that killed his neighbor was found, with Jackson’s DNA, in his own home. Flynn and his unconventional team will need to use every trick they know to keep an innocent man from being locked up. But to save his client’s life, Eddie must first protect his own, as the scariest organized criminals in the city are out for his head.
Atria Books | 9781668049372

YOKO: A Biography by David Sheff (Biography)
John Lennon once described Yoko Ono as the world’s most famous unknown artist. “Everybody knows her name, but no one knows what she does.” She has only been important to history insofar as she impacted Lennon. Throughout her life, Yoko has been a caricature, curiosity and, often, a villain --- an inscrutable seductress, manipulating con artist and caterwauling fraud. The Lennon/Beatles saga is one of the greatest stories ever told, but Yoko’s part has been missing --- hidden in the Beatles’ formidable shadow, further obscured by flagrant misogyny and racism. This definitive biography of Yoko Ono’s life will change that. In this book, Yoko Ono takes center stage.
Simon & Schuster | 9781982188245

On Sale the Week of March 24th in Paperback

March 25th

ALL THE WORLD BESIDE by Garrard Conley (Historical Fiction)
Cana, Massachusetts: a utopian vision of 18th-century Puritan New England. To the outside world, Reverend Nathaniel Whitfield and his family stand as godly pillars of their small-town community, drawing Christians from across the New World into their fold. One such Christian, physician Arthur Lyman, discovers in the minister’s words a love so captivating it transcends language. As the bond between these two men grows more and more passionate, their families must contend with a tangled web of secrets, lies and judgments that threaten to destroy them in this world and the next. And when the religious ecstasies of the Great Awakening begin to take hold, igniting a new era of zealotry, Nathaniel and Arthur search for a path out of an impossible situation, imagining a future for themselves that has no name.
Riverhead Books | 9780525537342

ANNIE BOT by Sierra Greer (Science Fiction/Speculative Thriller)
Annie Bot was created to be the perfect girlfriend for her human owner, Doug. Designed to satisfy his emotional and physical needs, she has dinner ready for him every night, wears the pert outfits he orders for her, and adjusts her libido to suit his moods. True, she’s not the greatest at keeping Doug’s place spotless, but she’s trying to please him. She’s trying hard. She’s learning, too. Doug says he loves that Annie’s AI makes her seem more like a real woman, so Annie explores human traits such as curiosity, secrecy and longing. But becoming more human also means becoming less perfect, and as Annie’s relationship with Doug grows more intricate and difficult, she starts to wonder: Does Doug really desire what he says he wants? And in such an impossible paradox, what does Annie owe herself?
Mariner Books | 9780063312708

BEAUTYLAND by Marie-Helene Bertino (Literary Science Fiction)
At the moment when Voyager 1 is launched into space carrying its famous golden record, a baby of unusual perception is born to a single mother in Philadelphia. Adina Giorno is tiny and jaundiced, but she reaches for warmth and light. As a child, she recognizes that she is different: She possesses knowledge of a faraway planet. The arrival of a fax machine enables her to contact her extraterrestrial relatives, beings who have sent her to report on the oddities of Earthlings. For years, as she moves through the world and makes a life for herself among humans, she dispatches transmissions on the terrors and surprising joys of their existence. Then, at a precarious moment, a beloved friend urges Adina to share her messages with the world. Is there a chance she is not alone?
Picador | 9781250338020

BLESSED WATER: A Sister Holiday Mystery by Margot Douaihy (Mystery)
Tattooed from her neck to her toes and sporting a gold tooth as sharp as her wisecracks, Sister Holiday struggles to stay on the righteous path. Never one to make things easy for herself, she’s committed to taking her permanent vows with the Sisters of the Sublime Blood and joining former fire inspector Magnolia Riveaux’s latest venture, Redemption Detective Agency --- both in service of satisfying her eternal quest for answers. When Sister Holiday and Riveaux set out to bust a philandering husband, they instead find the body of a priest floating in the swollen Mississippi River. It’s significantly more gruesome than their original mission, but Sister Holiday feels called on by God to hunt down the murderer and keep her community safe.
Zando – Gillian Flynn Books | 9781638932376

BREAKING THE DARK: A Jessica Jones Marvel Crime Novel by Lisa Jewell (Thriller)
Jessica Jones is a retired superhero turned private investigator. One morning, a distraught Amber Randall comes into her office. She is adamant that something happened to her teenage twins while they were visiting their father in the UK. The twins don’t act like themselves, and they now have flawless skin, have lost their distinctive tics and habits, and keep talking about a girl named Belle. Traveling to a small village in the British countryside, Jessica meets the mysterious Belle, who lives a curiously isolated life in an old farmhouse with a strange woman who claims to be her guardian. Can this unworldly teenager really be responsible for the Randall twins’ new personas? Why does the strange little village of Barton Wallop seem to harbor dark energies and mysteries in its tight-knit community?
Hyperion Avenue | 9781368099813

CLOSE TO DEATH by Anthony Horowitz (Mystery)
Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate. It is the perfect idyll, until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, gaggle of shrieking children, and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. The Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close and quickly offend every last one of the neighbors. When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator they can call to solve the case. Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
Harper Perennial | 9780063305656

COVER STORY by Celia Laskey (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
It's 2005, and Ali is a publicist for Hollywood's biggest stars. Part of her job entails keeping gay celebrities in the closet --- which is pretty ironic, since she's a lesbian herself. When Ali is assigned a new gay client, Cara Bisset, who's breaking onto the scene with a (hetero) romantic blockbuster, keeping Cara's sexuality under wraps becomes Ali's biggest challenge yet. After a series of increasingly close calls, Ali is sent on the worldwide promotional tour for the movie to help keep Cara in line. Instead, she finds herself drawn to Cara's confidence and bravery. For the past year, Ali has been mired in grief after losing her partner in a freak accident. But with Cara, Ali's fears about the world subside, and she begins to question the Hollywood closeting system she’s helped perpetuate.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538765609

DANCING ON COALS: A Memoir of an Overperformer by Cynthia Moore (Memoir)
Paperback Original
In DANCING ON COALS, Cynthia Moore describes a multi-decade, harebrained search for love in all the wrong places, starting when her narcissistic mother abandons her to a Swiss finishing school. Desperately seeking belonging, she leapfrogs from a polyamorous commune into a high-octane all-male performance group, dancing as if her life depends on it. When she finally quits the theater, earns a masters degree in psychology and develops her own therapeutic approach, she is able to heal herself and find the true belonging and peace she longs for. At times humorous and self-deprecating, at times poignant and heartbreaking, this is the story of one woman's path from abandonment to wholeness and authenticity.
She Writes Press | 9781647428563

DAY ONE by Abigail Dean (Psychological Thriller)
A village hall, a primary school play, a beautiful Lake District town in England. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere. In the weeks following the cataclysm, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. Two young people find themselves at the epicenter of the uproar: Marty, the town’s golden girl and daughter of a teacher killed that day, and Trent, whose memories of his brief time trying to fit into Stonesmere fuel his attachment to the conspiracies. But what really happened at the Day One assembly? What secrets is Marty keeping, and what blindspots does Trent miss? In this world where news travels fast, and videos and gossip travel faster, how does a community move forward together?
Penguin Books | 9780593295892

THE EVENING SHADES by Lee Martin (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
One afternoon in the autumn of 1972, a lonely widow in Mt. Gilead, Illinois, makes the impromptu decision to rent out a room in her house to a stranger who has come to town. It is risky; she doesn’t know anything about him. But Edith Green can no longer bear a life lived alone. And Henry Dees is haunted by the past he carries with him from another small town, particularly by the death of a little girl that some people think was his fault. And slowly, Henry and Edith's suspenseful dance between secrets and trust leads them to start revealing things to each other --- and themselves.
Melville House | 9781685891732

THE FAMILIAR by Leigh Bardugo (Historical Fantasy)
In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers that the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position. What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. The king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen --- and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain his favor. As Luzia's notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath.
Flatiron Books | 9781250884275

FELINE FATALE: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown (Mystery)
Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen’s dear friend, Ned Tucker, is in the House of Delegates, advocating for a bill to improve road clearing during bad weather. Tensions are high between political parties, and no one can agree on anything for long enough to get something done. The bill’s chief detractor is Amanda Fields, a former newscaster turned delegate whose flair for the dramatic has earned her a formidable reputation --- and made her more than a few enemies. Amanda’s claws-out approach to politics might have some of her colleagues wishing she was dead, but the statehouse is rocked when one of the young pages who assists the delegates dies under mysterious circumstances. Could his death be related to the political infighting? Or is something even more sinister threatening the lives of Virginia’s finest representatives?
Bantam | 9780593357651

GLORIOUS EXPLOITS by Ferdia Lennon (Historical Fiction)
On the island of Sicily amid the Peloponnesian War, the Syracusans have figured out what to do with the surviving Athenians who had the gall to invade their city: they’ve herded the sorry prisoners of war into a rock quarry and left them to rot. Looking for a way to pass the time, Lampo and Gelon, two unemployed potters, head down into the quarry to feed the Athenians if, and only if, they can manage a few choice lines from their great playwright Euripides. Before long, the two mates hatch a plan to direct a full-blown production of Medea. But as opening night approaches, what started as a lark quickly sets in motion a series of extraordinary events. Our wayward heroes begin to realize that staging a play can be as dangerous as fighting a war, with all sorts of risks to life, limb and friendship.
Holt Paperbacks | 9781250893680

A GOOD BAD BOY: Luke Perry and How a Generation Grew Up by Margaret Wappler (Biography)
Best known for playing loner rebel Dylan McKay on “Beverly Hills 90210,” Luke Perry was 52 years old when he died of a stroke in 2019. There have been other deaths of ’90s stars, but this one hit different. Gen X was reminded of their own inescapable mortality and robbed of an exciting career resurgence for one of their most cherished icons --- with recent roles in the hit series “Riverdale” and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood bringing him renewed attention and acclaim. Only upon his death, as stories poured out online about his authenticity and kindness, did it become clear how little was known about the exceedingly humble actor and how deeply he impacted popular culture. In A GOOD BAD BOY, Margaret Wappler attempts to understand who Perry was and why he was unique among his Hollywood peers.
Simon & Schuster | 9781668006276

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE by Jeneva Rose (Domestic Thriller)
After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. While going through their parents’ belongings, they stumble upon a collection of home videos and decide to revisit those happier memories. However, the nostalgia is cut short when one of the VHS tapes reveals a night back in 1999 that none of them have any recollection of. On screen, their father appears covered in blood. What follows is a dead body and a pact between their parents to get rid of it, before the video abruptly ends. Beth, Nicole and Michael must now decide whether to leave the past in the past or uncover the dark secret their mother took to her grave.
Blackstone Publishing | 9798874812706

HOW TO SOLVE YOUR OWN MURDER by Kristen Perrin (Mystery)
It’s 1965, and teenager Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances’ night takes a hairpin turn when a fortune teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn’t happened yet. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously, until nearly 60 years later, when Frances is found murdered. In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great-aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances’ lifelong habit of digging up secrets and lies, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager just might have a motive for her murder.
Dutton | 9780593474020

JUST OUR LUCK by Denise Williams (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
Sybil Sweet is worried that she’s the directionless, floundering daughter her family thinks she is. All she really wants now is a little financial stability and carb comfort. Lucky for her, she has just enough in the bank to buy a lottery ticket, and the late-night donut store is open. Kieran Anderson put his dreams of becoming a doctor on hold to take over running his family’s bakery. After fighting a losing battle to save the place, he’s exhausted, broke and no closer to getting back to school. But when a whirlwind of a woman sweeps in late one night, flirty energy gives way to more…until she runs out the next morning, leaving behind her winning lottery ticket. Kieran’s attempt to return the ticket goes viral, sending sales through the roof. In an effort to keep the store afloat and to convince Sybil’s family she can make good relationship choices, they agree to fake a relationship for three months.
Berkley | 9780593641439

LIKE HAPPINESS by Ursula Villarreal-Moura (Fiction)
It's 2015, and Tatum Vega feels that her life is finally falling into place. Living in sunny Chile with her partner, Vera, she spends her days surrounded by art at the museum where she works. More than anything else, she loves this new life for helping her forget the decade she spent in New York City orbiting the brilliant and famous author M. Domínguez. When a reporter calls from the US asking for an interview, the careful separation Tatum has constructed between her past and present begins to crumble. Domínguez has been accused of assault, and the reporter is looking for corroboration. As Tatum is forced to reexamine the all-consuming but undefinable relationship that dominated so much of her early adulthood, long-buried questions surface. What did happen between them? And why is she still struggling with the mark the relationship left on her life?
Celadon Books | 9781250882851

ONE LAST SUMMER by Kate Spencer (Romantic Comedy)
Clara Millen’s life is spiraling out of control: her dream job is a nightmare, she’s resoundingly single, and it’s been years since she’s taken some time off. Thankfully, this year she’ll join her friends on their annual summer vacation to their beloved childhood sleepover camp for a much-needed escape. But when Clara arrives at Pine Lake Camp, she faces yet another unwelcome change: the owners are retiring and selling the property. The news turns her plans for revelry into a night of reminiscing…and prompts a surprise heart-to-heart between Clara and Mack, her old camp nemesis and constant competitor. Soon the campfires aren't all that's throwing off sparks. And when one wildly passionate night turns into two (then too many to count!), Clara begins to wonder if she and Mack could have a future together.
Forever | 9781538737682

ONE PERFECT COUPLE by Ruth Ware (Psychological Thriller)
Lyla’s post-doctoral research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure they won’t extend her contract, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, “One Perfect Couple,” she decides to try out with him. A whirlwind audition process later, Lyla finds herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, where they will compete against four other couples to win a cash prize. But not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start to go wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. As tensions run high and fresh water runs low, Lyla finds that this game show is all too real --- and the stakes are life or death.
Gallery/Scout Press | 9781668025604

THE ORDER OF THE FURIES: 1795 by Niklas Natt och Dag (Historical Thriller)
For more than a year, Emil Winge has dedicated himself to capturing the diabolical Tycho Ceton, with the invaluable assistance of one-armed army veteran and watchman Jean Michael Cardell. Their mission is made more difficult by the ever-increasing paranoia gripping Sweden’s royal family, who fear that a bloody revolution is brewing. A letter with the names of the revolutionary conspirators is said to be in the possession of Anna Stina Knapp, a good friend to Cardell. Now, Anna is missing and Cardell is determined to find her before the secret police take her into custody. While Winge and Cardell fight for justice and for life, they find themselves caught between powerful enemies --- those who will do anything to maintain the status quo, and those who will only be satisfied with its total destruction.
Atria Books | 9781982145989

REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Khong (Fiction)
REAL AMERICANS begins on the precipice of Y2K in New York City, when 22-year-old Lily Chen, an unpaid intern at a slick media company, meets Matthew. Matthew is everything Lily is not: easygoing and effortlessly attractive, a native East Coaster and, most notably, heir to a vast pharmaceutical empire. Lily couldn't be more different: flat-broke, raised in Tampa, the only child of scientists who fled Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Despite all this, Lily and Matthew fall in love. In 2021, 15-year-old Nick Chen has never felt like he belonged on the isolated Washington island where he lives with his single mother, Lily. He can't shake the sense she's hiding something. When Nick sets out to find his biological father, the journey threatens to raise more questions than it provides answers.
Vintage | 9780593685143

SLEEPING GIANTS by Rene Denfeld (Mystery/Thriller)
Twenty years ago, a nine-year-old boy was swept away by powerful waves on a remote Oregon beach, his body lost to the sea. Only a stone memorial remains to mark his tragic death. For most of her life, Amanda Dufresne had no idea she had an older brother named Dennis Owens or that he had died. Adopted as a baby, she learned about him while looking into her late birth mother and is curious to know more about this lost sibling. A solitary young woman, Amanda has always felt distanced from the world around her. Her one true companion is the orphaned polar bear she cares for working at the zoo. By getting to know her birth family, she hopes to understand more about herself. Retired police officer Larry Palmer is a widower who offers to help Amanda find answers. The search leads to shocking and heartbreaking discoveries.
Harper Perennial | 9780063014749

THE SUMMER WE STARTED OVER by Nancy Thayer (Fiction)
Eddie Grant is happy with her life and her work as a personal assistant to renowned romance author Dinah Lavender. But being a spectator to notoriety and glamour isn’t as fulfilling as she once thought. Thankfully, Eddie has the perfect excuse for a vacation: Her hardworking younger sister, Barrett, is opening her gift shop on Memorial Day weekend and could use all the help she can get. But going home to the beautiful island of Nantucket means facing the family’s difficult past. Shortly after the death of Eddie and Barrett’s brother, their mother left them, and their father made the spontaneous decision to buy a small farm. Eddie stayed there for only a year before her family’s grief threatened to consume her as well and had been living in Manhattan ever since. Now that she is back, Eddie must face all she left behind.
Ballantine Books | 9780593724019

TRY AGAIN: An Ex-Con's Path from Prison to Prosperity by Nick Marshall (Memoir)
Paperback Original
After serving three years in prison for armed robbery, Nick Marshall wondered what kind of life he could lead as an ex-con. As he soon came to find, life on parole had its limits, but he was fortunate enough to have a salaried job, a roof over his head, and a car. Yet something still tugged at him: his yearning to be an artist. Aware of the immense time and effort it would take to fulfill such a dream, he gave up his safety net and took his place at the bottom of the totem pole in the hospitality industry. What Nick did not expect was for a series of jobs in bars and restaurants to catapult him into the exciting yet treacherous world of New York City nightlife. By connecting with all of the right movers, shakers, gatekeepers and the like, he began to blaze a new trail. Before he knew it, he was a power player who had it all. Or so he thought.
Viva Editions | 9781632280985

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