April 8, 2025

April 8, 2025

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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of April 7th and April 14th 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 Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks feature for April, which includes Indie Next, LibraryReads, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, the PBS Books Readers Club, the "Read with Jenna" Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and the Target Book Club.

Join Us Tomorrow Afternoon!

This Week's Bonus News:
Our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks for April

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

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

Wednesday, April 9th at 2pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Preview: Carol Fitzgerald will present titles releasing between April 8th and May 6th, along with a few from June, that we would like to get on your radar. Included will be fiction; historical fiction; thrillers and mysteries; and memoirs, biographies and other nonfiction.

Wednesday, April 9th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Dolen Perkins-Valdez about her enthralling new novel, HAPPY LAND, in which a woman learns the incredible story of a real-life American Kingdom --- and her family’s ties to it.

Friday, April 11th at 4pm ET: A Mighty Blaze: Jennifer Haigh will be in conversation with Jenna Blum about her latest novel, RABBIT MOON, a tense, propulsive drama set in Shanghai about a fractured American family, secret lives, and the unbreakable bond between two sisters.

On Sale the Week of April 7th in Hardcover

April 8th

THE 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road by E.A. Hanks (Memoir)
In her trusted loaded-up minivan “Minnie,” E.A. Hanks follows the same route as a long-ago road trip with her mother in an attempt to better understand the complicated woman who gave her life. Along the way, as she follows her mother’s diaries and her own recollections of the route, she begins to uncover secrets --- some unexpectedly wonderful, and others darker and more violent than she ever imagined ---- that bring more questions than answers. Reckoning with the past, the present, her memories and herself, Hanks brings us along a beautiful voyage towards understanding how the stories we tell about the places we’re from ultimately become the stories we tell about the people we are.
Gallery Books | 9781982131296

AUDITION by Katie Kitamura (Fiction)
Two people meet for lunch in a Manhattan restaurant. She’s an accomplished actress in rehearsals for an upcoming premiere. He’s attractive, troubling and young --- young enough to be her son. Who is he to her, and who is she to him? In AUDITION, two competing narratives unspool, rewriting our understanding of the roles we play every day --- partner, parent, creator, muse --- and the truths every performance masks, especially from those who think they know us most intimately.
Riverhead Books | 9780593852323

BIG CHIEF by Jon Hickey (Fiction)
Mitch Caddo, a young law school graduate and an aspiring political fixer, is an outsider in the homeland of his Anishinaabe ancestors. But alongside his childhood friend, Tribal President Mack Beck, he runs the government of the Passage Rouge Nation and the tribe’s Golden Eagle Casino and Hotel. On the eve of Mack’s reelection, their tenuous grip on power is threatened by a nationally known activist and politician, Gloria Hawkins, and her young aide, Layla Beck, none other than Mack’s estranged sister and Mitch’s former love. In their struggle for control over Passage Rouge, the campaigns resort to bare-knuckle political gamesmanship. But when an accident claims the life of Mitch’s mentor, a power broker in the reservation’s political scene, the election slides into chaos and pits Mitch against the only family he has.
Simon & Schuster | 9781668046463

BLOOD IN THE WATER: The Untold Story of a Family Tragedy by Casey Sherman (True Crime)
When Nathan Carman, a young man with a complicated past, is miraculously rescued from a lifeboat bobbing in the unforgiving North Atlantic, questions swirl about the fate of his mother, who is presumed to have drowned when their fishing boat sank. Nathan is in remarkably good shape for being lost at sea for a week, and his account of what exactly happened out there on the waves raises questions from family members and law enforcement. Nathan's story of a fishing trip gone awry doesn't quite add up, and suspicion mounts. The mysterious murder of Nathan's multi-millionaire grandfather a few years before had made Nathan's mother an extremely wealthy woman. With a seven-million-dollar fortune at stake, did Nathan commit the ultimate betrayal? Or is there more to this tragic tale than meets the eye?
Sourcebooks | 9781728298191

THE CAT WHO SAVED THE LIBRARY written by Sosuke Natsukawa, translated by Louise Heal Kawai (Fiction)
Thirteen-year-old Nanami loves to read and happily spends much of her free time in the library. Despite the library being as deserted as ever, one day she notices that some of her favorite books are disappearing from the shelves. Then she spots a suspicious man in a gray suit and follows him. The chase is cut short when Nanami suffers an asthma attack. By the time she catches her breath, the man has disappeared, and all that is left behind is a mysterious light filtering through the library’s familiar passageways. That’s when Tiger, the talking tabby cat who saves books, comes to the rescue. Are Nanami and Tiger prepared to face the dangerous challenges that lie ahead? Why are faceless gray soldiers burning books in a stone castle? And what happened to Rintaro, the socially withdrawn hero who helped Tiger save books in a second-hand bookshop?
HarperVia | 9780063419247

THE CUT by C. J. Dotson (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage. On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250335449

DON'T SLEEP WITH THE DEAD by Nghi Vo (Historical Fantasy)
Nick Carraway --- paper soldier and novelist --- has found a life and a living watching the mad magical spectacle of New York high society in the late ’30s. He's good at watching, and he's even better at pretending: pretending to be straight, pretending to be human, pretending he's forgotten the events of that summer in 1922. On the eve of the second World War, however, Nick learns that someone has been watching him pretend and that memory goes both ways. When he sees a familiar face one very dark night, it quickly becomes clear that dead or not, damned or not, Jay Gatsby isn't done with him. In all paper there is memory, and Nick's ghost has come home.
Tordotcom | 9781250362612

THE FLOAT TEST by Lynn Steger Strong (Fiction)
The Kenner siblings are at odds. Jenn is a harried mom struggling under the weight of family obligations. Fred is a novelist who can’t write, maybe because she’s lost faith in storytelling itself. Jude is a recovering corporate lawyer with her own story to tell, and a grudge against her former favorite sister, Fred. George, the baby, is estranged from his wife and harboring both a secret about his former employer and an ill-advised crush on one of his sisters’ friends. Gathered after a major loss, each sibling needs the others more than ever --- if only they could trust each other.
Mariner Books | 9780063390737

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY by Jennifer E. Smith (Fiction)
The four Endicott siblings were once inseparable, a bond created by the absence of their dazzling, mercurial mother, who would return for a few weeks each summer to whisk them off on sprawling road trips around the country. Decades later, the unthinkable has happened: the Endicotts haven’t spoken in years…until an out-of-the-blue text arrives from Jude, now a famous actress, summoning them to a small town in North Dakota. Each sibling is at a crossroads, though Jude is the only Endicott who seems to have it all together. But appearances can be deceiving. As the weekend unfolds, and the siblings wrestle with their shared past and uncertain futures, they’ll discover that Jude has been keeping three secrets…each of which could change everything.
Ballantine Books | 9780593358306

THE GRIFFIN SISTERS' GREATEST HITS by Jennifer Weiner (Fiction)
Cassie and Zoe Grossberg were thrust into the spotlight as The Griffin Sisters, a pop duo that defined the aughts. Together, they skyrocketed to the top, gracing MTV, "SNL" and the cover of Rolling Stone. Cassie, a musical genius who never felt at ease in her own skin, preferred to stay in the shadows. Zoe, full of confidence and craving fame, lived for the stage. But fame has a price, and after one turbulent year, the band abruptly broke up. Now, two decades later, the sisters couldn’t be further apart. Zoe is a suburban mom warning her daughter, Cherry, to avoid the spotlight, while Cassie has disappeared from public life entirely. But when Cherry begins unearthing the truth behind their breathtaking rise and infamous breakup, long-buried secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront their choices, their desires, and their complicated bonds.
William Morrow | 9780063445819

HAPPY LAND by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Historical Fiction)
Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen. The more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her family’s secrets are wrapped up in these hills.
Berkley | 9780593337721

HARD TOWN by Adam Plantinga (Thriller)
After surviving a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. Then Kristin Reed shows up, begging him to find her missing husband and son. Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona, is more than meets the eye. First there's the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there's the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. Finally, there's a man with no name with unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that's taken a whole town to cover up.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538739907

THE MAID'S SECRET: A Maid Novel by Nita Prose (Mystery)
As the esteemed Head Maid and Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, two good things are just around the corner for Molly Gray --- a taping of the hit antiquities TV show “Hidden Treasures” and her wedding to Juan Manuel. When Molly brings in some old trinkets to be appraised on the show, one item is revealed to be a rare and coveted artifact worth millions. Molly becomes a rags-to-riches sensation, and a media frenzy swirls as she prepares to sell her priceless treasure. Then, on auction day, the treasure suddenly vanishes, and Molly and her friends find themselves at the center of the boldest art heist in recent memory. But the key to this mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about her grandmother’s secrets. As fate would have it, Gran’s greatest love was someone Molly knows quite well.
Ballantine Books | 9780593875414

MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING by Zee Carlstrom (Thriller)
The newly nameless narrator of MAKE SURE YOU DIE SCREAMING has rejected the gender binary, has flamed out with a vengeance at their corporate gig, is most likely brain damaged from a major tussle with their now ex-boyfriend, and is on a bender to end all benders. A call from their mother with the news that their MAGA-friendly, conspiracy-theorist father has gone missing launches the narrator from Chicago to deep red Arkansas in a stolen car. Along the way, the narrator and their new bestie --- a self-proclaimed "garbage goth" with her own emotional baggage (and someone on her tail) --- unpack the narrator’s childhood and a recent personal loss that they refuse to face head-on.
Flatiron Books | 9781250365675

MURDER AT GULLS NEST by Jess Kidd (Historical Mystery)
1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop, Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent. A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest, it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.
Atria Books | 9781668034033

MY DOCUMENTS by Kevin Nguyen (Fiction)
Ursula, Alvin, Jen and Duncan grew up as cousins in the sprawling Nguyen family. As young adults, they’re on the precipice of new ventures. But their lives are upended when a series of violent, senseless attacks across America creates a national panic, prompting a government policy that pushes Vietnamese Americans into internment camps. Jen and Duncan are sent with their mother to Camp Tacoma, while Ursula and Alvin receive exemptions. Cut off entirely from the outside world, Jen and Duncan try to withstand long, dusty days in camp and acclimate to life without the internet. That is, until Jen discovers a way to get messages to the outside. Her first instinct is to reach out to Ursula, who sees this connection as a chance to tell the world about the horrors of camp --- and as an opportunity to bolster her own reporting career in the process.
One World | 9780593731680

SKY DADDY by Kate Folk (Fiction/Dark Humor)
During the week, Linda earns $20 an hour moderating comments for a video-sharing platform, and then rides the bus home to the windowless garage she rents on the outskirts of San Francisco. But on the last Friday of each month, she indulges her true passion, taking BART to SFO for a round-trip flight to a regional hub. The destination is irrelevant, because each trip means a new date with a handsome stranger --- a stranger whose intelligent windscreens, sleek fuselages and powerful engines make Linda feel a way that no human ever could. Linda knows that she can’t tell anyone she’s sexually obsessed with planes. Nor can she reveal her belief that it’s her destiny to “marry” one of her suitors, uniting with her soulmate plane for eternity. But then an opportunity arises to hasten her dream of eternal partnership, and the carefully balanced elements of her life begin to spin out of control.
Random House | 9780593231494

TERRESTRIAL HISTORY by Joe Mungo Reed (Science Fiction)
Hannah is a fusion scientist working alone at a remote cottage off the coast of Scotland when she sees a figure making his way from the sea. It is a visitor from the future, a young man from a human settlement on Mars, traveling backwards through time to try to make a crucial intervention in the fate of our dying planet, and he needs Hannah’s help. Laboring in the warmth of a Scottish summer, Hannah and the stranger are on the path towards a breakthrough --- and then things go terribly wrong. Joe Mungo Reed’s novel expands from this extraordinary event, drawing together the stories of four lives reckoning with what it means to take fate into their own hands, moving from the last days of civilization on Earth through the birth of another on Mars.
W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324079378

THEIR MONSTROUS HEARTS by Yiğit Turhan (Gothic Horror/Mystery)
A mysterious stranger shows up at Riccardo’s apartment with some news: his grandmother Perihan has died, and Riccardo has inherited her villa in Milan along with her famed butterfly collection. The struggling writer is out of options. He’s hoping the change of scenery in Milan will inspire him, and maybe there will be some money to keep him afloat. But Perihan’s house isn’t as opulent as he remembers. The butterflies pinned in their glass cases seem more ominous than artful. Perihan’s group of mysterious old friends is constantly lurking. And there’s something wrong in the greenhouse. As Riccardo explores the decrepit estate, he stumbles upon Perihan’s diary, which might hold the key to her mysterious death. Or at least give him the inspiration he needs to finish his manuscript. But he might not survive long enough to write it.
Mira | 9780778368274

THESE DAYS by Lucy Caldwell (Historical Fiction)
April 1941: Belfast has escaped the worst of the Second World War --- so far. Over the next two months, it will be so destroyed from above that people will say, in horror, “My God, Belfast is finished.” Many won’t make it through, and those who do will be forever changed. Living amid the rubble are sisters Emma and Audrey. One is engaged to be married; the other is in a secret relationship with another woman. As the bombs fall, and tomorrow feels further and further away, these young women must grapple with the cultural expectations standing firm around them and try to seize control of their destinies. After all, Emma thinks, if one is to survive, one must survive for something.
Zando – SJP Lit | 9781638931836

On Sale the Week of April 7th in Paperback

April 8th

THE CALIFORNIA DREAMERS by Amy Mason Doan (Fiction)
Paperback Original
It’s 1980s California, and everyone is dreaming of the endless summer. For the Merrick siblings, this idyllic vision is their reality, as they travel up and down the coast with their parents in a van year-round, surfing and swimming their days away. But when a photographer secretly snaps a stunning photo of the family with their boards in the sand, and the image ripples across the country, the only life they’ve ever known is put at risk. Decades after, the now-distant siblings gather on a gorgeous, wild island to honor their late father. But their reunion is complicated when a journalist, eager for the truth behind the famous photo, discovers their identity and tracks them down. As the siblings reckon with the possibility that more of their lives could be shared, a revelation about their past forces them to confront long-held heartaches.
Graydon House | 9781525804687

DID I EVER TELL YOU?: A Memoir by Genevieve Kingston (Memoir)
Genevieve (Gwen) Kingston was just 11 years old when her mother passed away, leaving behind a chest filled with gifts and letters to celebrate the milestones of Gwen’s life and each of her birthdays until age 30. When DID I EVER TELL YOU? opens, just three packages remain: engagement, marriage and first baby. Tracing Gwen’s coming-of-age, the book reveals a treasure hunt, with each gift and letter unveiling more about her mother, her family and --- ultimately --- herself. Like CRYING IN H MART by Michelle Zauner and THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch, DID I EVER TELL YOU? is a riveting book filled with unexpected twists and powerful life lessons. Through her mother’s fierce and courageous love, Gwen was granted the tools not only to move through grief but to cherish life.
S&S/Marysue Rucci Books | 9781668006306

FI: A Memoir of My Son by Alexandra Fuller (Memoir)
It’s midsummer in Wyoming, and Alexandra Fuller is barely hanging on. Grieving her father and pining for her home country of Zimbabwe, reeling from a midlife breakup, freshly sober, and piecing her way uncertainly through a volatile new relationship with a younger woman, Alexandra vows to get herself back on even keel. And then, her 21-year-old son, Fi, dies suddenly in his sleep. Alexandra is painfully aware that she cannot succumb and abandon her two surviving daughters as her mother before her had done. From a sheep wagon deep in the mountains of Wyoming to a grief sanctuary in New Mexico to a silent meditation retreat in Alberta, Canada, Alexandra journeys up and down the spine of the Rocky Mountains in an attempt to find how to grieve herself whole.
Grove Press | 9780802164964

FLIRTING LESSONS by Jasmine Guillory (Romance)
Paperback Original
Fresh off a breakup, Avery Jensen is tired of always being so uptight and well-behaved. She wants to get a hobby, date around (especially women), flirt with everyone she sees, and wear something not from the business casual section of her closet. But Avery doesn't know where to start. She doesn't have a lot of dating experience, with men or women, and doesn't have a lot of confidence when it comes to romance. Enter Taylor Cameron, Napa Valley's biggest flirt and champion heartbreaker. Taylor just broke up with her most recent girlfriend, and her best friend bet her that she can't make it until Labor Day without sleeping with someone. So she offers to give Avery flirting lessons. It should keep her busy and stop her from texting people she shouldn't. With Taylor’s help, Avery finally has the life she always wanted. The only issue is: now she wants Taylor.
Berkley | 9780593100912

THE GARDEN by Clare Beams (Historical Fiction/Gothic Horror)
In 1948, Irene Willard, who’s had five previous miscarriages in a quest to give her beloved husband the child he desperately desires and is now pregnant again, comes to an isolated house-cum-hospital in the Berkshires, run by a husband-and-wife team of doctors who are pioneering a cure for her condition. Warily, she enlists herself in the efforts of the Doctors Hall to “rectify the maternal environment,” both physical and psychological. In the meantime, she also discovers a long-forgotten walled garden on the spacious grounds, a place imbued with its own powers and pulls. As the doctors’ plans begin to crumble, Irene and her fellow patients make a desperate bid to harness the power of the garden for themselves --- and must face the incalculable risks associated with such incalculable rewards.
Vintage | 9780593466544

HABITATIONS by Sheila Sundar (Fiction)
Vega Gopalan is adrift. Still reeling from the death of her sister years earlier, she leaves South India to attend graduate school at Columbia University. In New York, Vega straddles many different worlds, eventually moving in and out of a series of relationships that take her through the striving world of academia, the intellectual isolation of the immigrant suburbs, and, ultimately, the loneliness of single motherhood. But it is the birth of Vega’s daughter that forces the novel’s central question: What does it mean to make a home?
Simon & Schuster | 9781668016114

THE HOUSE OF BROKEN BRICKS by Fiona Williams (Fiction)
Tess is a Londoner whose relationship with Richard transports her from a Jamaican diaspora in the city to the English countryside, where predatory birds hover over fields, buses run twice a day, neighbors barter honey for cider, and no one looks like her. As Tess and Richard settle in, the dramatic arrival of their fraternal twins --- one who presents as Black and the other as white --- recasts the family dynamic, stirring up complicated feelings and questions of belonging. Tess yearns for the comforting chaos of life as it once was, instead of Max and Sonny tracking dirt through the kitchen where cooking Caribbean food becomes her sole comfort. And Richard obsesses over getting his crops planted rather than deal with the conversation he cannot bear to have.
Holt Paperbacks | 9781250896759

IN THE PINES: A Lynching, A Lie, A Reckoning by Grace Elizabeth Hale
(True Crime/History)
Grace Hale was home from college when she first heard the family legend. In 1947, while her beloved grandfather had been serving as a sheriff, he prevented a lynch mob from killing a Black man who was in jail on suspicion of raping a white woman --- only for the suspect to die the next day during an escape attempt. Years later, Hale revisited this story. The more she learned about what had happened that day, the less sense she could make of her family's version of events. With the support of a Carnegie fellowship, she immersed herself in the investigation. What she discovered would upend everything she thought she knew about her family, the tragedy, and this haunted strip of the South --- because Johnson's death was actually a lynching. But guilt did not lie with a faceless mob.
Back Bay Books | 9780316564755

KNIFE: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie (Memoir)
On the morning of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie was standing onstage at the Chautauqua Institution, preparing to give a lecture on the importance of keeping writers safe from harm, when a man in black --- black clothes, black mask --- rushed down the aisle toward him, wielding a knife. His first thought: So it’s you. Here you are. What followed was a horrific act of violence that shook the literary world and beyond. Now, for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, Rushdie relives the traumatic events of that day and its aftermath, as well as his journey toward physical recovery and the healing that was made possible by the love and support of his wife, Eliza, his family, his army of doctors and physical therapists, and his community of readers worldwide.
Random House Trade Paperbacks | 9780593730256

THE LAST VERSE by Caroline Frost (Fiction)
When aspiring musician Twyla Higgins arrives in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1977, the 19-year-old Texan is dazzled by the fringe-and-rhinestones country music scene. Live music flows from bars, open mic nights tempt with the chance of stardom, and record label execs seek the next hot new act. With nothing but the songs in her head and her daddy's guitar, Twyla finds her way in the vibrant but cutthroat music business. A chance meeting with a rakish singer and son of blue-blooded Nashvillians veers Twyla off path and into a dizzying romance. Caught between the dream she’s always wanted and the affection she's always craved, Twyla must decide what future she wants for herself. But when her song is stolen by a rival and hits the country music charts, how much will she sacrifice to take back what's hers?
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063265493

THE LITTLE LIAR by Mitch Albom (Historical Fiction)
Eleven-year-old Nico Krispis has never told a lie. When the Nazis invade his home in Salonika, Greece, the trustworthy boy is discovered by a German officer, who offers him a chance to save his family. All Nico has to do is persuade his fellow Jewish residents to board trains heading “north,” where new jobs and safety await. Unaware that this is all a cruel ruse, the innocent boy reassures passengers on the station platform every day. But when the final train is loaded, Nico sees his family being herded into a boxcar. Only then does he discover that he has helped send them --- and everyone he knows and loves --- to their doom at Auschwitz. Nico escapes, but he never tells the truth again.
Harper Paperbacks | 9780062406668

THE MADEMOISELLE ALLIANCE by Natasha Lester (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
Morocco, 1928. Marie-Madeleine Méric Polyglot is a woman of many skills. Her unconventional interests earn her a daredevil reputation. But dabbling in intelligence work to assist her military officer husband and the French government helps her recognize who she is at heart: an adventurer. Paris, 1936. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, Marie-Madeleine is living in France, her marriage now in shambles, when a chance encounter with an enigmatic spy turns her life upside down. He recruits her to help build a resistance network, and she conceals her identity --- and gender --- as she navigates a perilous double life. Eventually, she steps into the role of leader of what is now known as Alliance. She achieves seemingly impossible feats of espionage that help turn the tide of the war. But the most impossible, and dangerous, feat of them all? Falling in love.
Ballantine Books | 9780593726532

MANIA by Lionel Shriver (Dystopian Fiction)
In an alternative 2011, the Mental Parity movement takes hold. Americans now embrace the sacred, universal truth that there is no such thing as variable human intelligence. Because everyone is equally smart, discrimination against purportedly dumb people is "the last great civil rights fight." A college English instructor, Pearson Converse rejected her restrictive Jehovah’s Witness upbringing as a teenager. Made impotent in the university classroom, she’s also enraged by the crushing of her exceptionally bright children’s spirits in primary school. Fortunately, she enjoys the confidence of a best friend with whom she can speak frankly about her socially unacceptable contempt for the MP movement. Until one day the political chasm between the two women becomes uncrossable, and a lifelong relationship implodes.
Harper Perennial | 9780063345409

NEXT OF KIN by Samantha Jayne Allen (Mystery)
At a gathering for her cousin’s wedding party, newly licensed PI Annie McIntyre gets asked an age-old question: What really makes us who we are: nature or nurture? Clint Marshall, an up-and-coming musician and an adoptee at a personal crossroads, wants to hire Annie to find his biological parents, and that question is on his mind. When Annie discovers that her client's father is a bank robber who her granddad, Leroy, arrested back when he was sheriff, reverberations sound between the past and the present, igniting old flames and rivalries. When the brother of her client dies suddenly, his death ruled a suicide, Annie questions whether or not it was in fact a homicide --- and who in this family of outlaws would rather some secrets stay buried.
Minotaur Books | 9781250373991

NO BETTER TIME: A Novel of the Spirited Women of the Six Triple Eight Central Postal Directory Battalion by Sheila Williams (Historical Fiction)
In the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Dorothy Thom joins the Women’s Army Corps. Women from all levels of society work together to navigate a military segregated by race and gender. In early 1945, Dorothy and 800 African American WACs cross the turbulent North Atlantic to their post in England. Their orders are to process the mail sent to GIs from their loved ones back home. They arrive to find mail stockpiled for over two years in warehouses and airplane hangars. Many pieces are in poor condition, and the names are illegible. In England and France, the WACs traverse a landscape of unimagined possibilities. With their outlooks changed forever, they return to the United States as the catalysts for change in America and build lives that transcend anything their ancestors ever dreamed of.
Amistad | 9780063307957

THE PAGE TURNER by Viola Shipman (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Emma Page grew up the black sheep in a bookish household, raised to believe that fine literature is the only worthy type of fiction. Her parents, self-proclaimed “serious” authors who run their own vanity press, The Mighty Pages, mingle in highbrow social circles that look down on anything too popular or mainstream. Her sister, Jess, is a powerful social media influencer whose stylish reviews can make or break a novel. Hiding her own romance manuscript from her disapproving parents, Emma finds inspiration at the family cottage among the “fluff” they despise: the juicy summer romances that belonged to her late grandmother. But a chance discovery unearthed from her Gigi’s belongings reveals a secret that has the power to ruin her parents’ business and destroy their reputation in the industry.
Graydon House | 9781525804878

A SPY LIKE ME: A Double O Novel by Kim Sherwood (Thriller/Adventure)
James Bond is alive. Or at least he was when he left a clue at the black site where the insidious private military company Rattenfänger held him captive. MI6 cannot spare any more lives attempting to track down one missing agent. But Johanna Harwood, 003, has her own agenda. Sidelined by her superiors while she grieves the loss of a loved one, Harwood goes on an unsanctioned mission: to find 007. Meanwhile, MI6 has another problem. A bomb has detonated in London. Double O agents on the trail of the terrorists responsible acted quickly to prevent mass destruction and save lives. But MI6 failed to neutralize the nation’s enemies before they could strike, and one of their own was seriously injured in the blast. They won’t fail again.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063236738

TABLE FOR TWO: Fictions by Amor Towles (Fiction/Short Stories)
Millions of Amor Towles fans are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood. The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise that operate at the heart of modern marriages. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood” describes how one of Towles’ most beloved characters, the indomitable Evelyn Ross from RULES OF CIVILITY, crafts a new future for herself --- and others --- in a noirish tale that takes us through the movie sets, bungalows and dive bars of 1930s Los Angeles.
Penguin Books | 9780593296394

THE TITANIC SURVIVORS BOOK CLUB by Timothy Schaffert (Historical Fiction)
For weeks after the sinking of the Titanic, Yorick spots his own name among the list of those lost at sea. As an apprentice librarian for the White Star Line, his job was to curate the ship’s second-class library. But the day the Titanic set sail, he was left stranded at the dock. After the ship’s sinking, Yorick takes this twist of fate as a sign to follow his lifelong dream of owning a bookshop in Paris. Soon after, he receives an invitation to a secret society of survivors where he encounters other ticket holders who didn’t board the ship. Haunted by their good fortune, they decide to form a book society, where they can grapple with their own anxieties. But with the Great War on the horizon and the unexpected death of one of their own, the surviving book club members are left wondering what fate might have in store.
Vintage | 9780593469002

THE WAITING: A Ballard and Bosch Novel by Michael Connelly (Thriller)
Renée Ballard and the LAPD’s Open-Unsolved Unit get a hot shot DNA connection between a recently arrested man and a serial rapist and murderer who went quiet 20 years ago. His father was the Pillowcase Rapist, responsible for a five-year reign of terror in the City of Angels. But when Ballard and her team move in on their suspect, they encounter a baffling web of secrets and legal hurdles. Meanwhile, Ballard’s badge, gun and ID are stolen. She works the burglary alone, but her mission draws her into unexpected danger. So she knocks on the door of Harry Bosch. At the same time, Ballard takes on a new volunteer to the cold case unit: Bosch’s daughter, Maddie, now a patrol officer. But Maddie has an ulterior motive for getting access to the city’s library of lost souls --- a case that may be the most iconic in the city’s history.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316563802

On Sale the Week of April 14th in Hardcover

April 15th

THE ASHFIRE KING by Chelsea Abdullah (Fantasy/Adventure)
After fleeing a patricidal prince, legendary merchant Loulie al-Nazari and banished prince Mazen bin Malik find themselves in the realm of jinn. But instead of sanctuary, they find a world on the cusp of collapse. The jinn cities, long sheltered beneath the Sandsea by the magic of its kings, are sinking. Amid the turmoil, political alliances are forming, and rebellion is on the rise. When Loulie assists a dissenter --- one of her bodyguard’s old comrades --- she puts herself in the center of a centuries-old war. Trapped in a world that isn’t her own and wielding magic that belongs to a fallen king, Loulie must decide: Will she carry on someone else’s legacy or carve out her own?
Orbit | 9780316369060

THE DEATH OF US by Abigail Dean (Psychological Thriller)
Together, Edward and Isabel move to London. They are young and in love, occupied by friends, work and fun. But late on a spring evening when they are 30 years old, their home is invaded by a serial killer. In the wake of this violation, each tries to come to terms with a night that changed everything --- and their marriage begins to crumble. Twenty-five years later, their tormentor is caught, and Edward and Isabel reunite for his sentencing. Isabel has waited years for the man who nearly ended her life to be brought to justice. Edward has tried to think about anything else. As they prepare to deliver impact statements in the public eye, it is time to revisit their love story. Will they finally be able to confront the secrets, longings and lies that tore them apart? Or will the horror of that night be the death of them?
Viking | 9780593831137

FRIENDS OF THE MUSEUM by Heather McGowan (Fiction/Dark Humor)
When Diane Schwebe, the director of a major New York museum, is awakened in the early morning by a text message from the museum’s lawyer, it is the start of a 24-hour roller-coaster ride. Diane has sacrificed many things in her life to help the fading institution stave off irrelevance and financial ruin. In this battle, she’s surrounded by her stalwart supporters. Orbiting her is a motley assortment of museum employees, each on the precipice of collapse or revelation --- among them a line cook staring down a huge opportunity he’s not sure he wants; a costume curator stuck in an inescapable rut; and the ambivalent curator of the museum’s film program, whose first day on the job might very well be his last. On this day of the museum’s annual gala, every plate that Diane has kept spinning will fall --- and by daybreak, someone will be dead.
Washington Square Press | 9781668031278

THE GUILT PILL by Saumya Dave (Fiction)
Maya Patel has it all. Or does she? Because behind closed doors, Maya is drowning. Her newborn is taking a toll on her marriage, her best friend won't return her calls, and her company is hanging on by a thread. If she could just be a better boss, mother, wife, daughter and friend, maybe she wouldn't feel so guilty all the time. Enter: #Girlboss Liz Anderson, who introduces her to the "guilt pill," an experimental supplement that erases female guilt. At first, it’s the perfect antidote to Maya’s self-blame and imposter syndrome. But there's a catch: for Maya to truly "have it all," she needs to be ready to risk it all. And as Maya falls deeper and deeper down the pill's guilt-free rabbit hole, her growing ruthlessness could threaten everything she's built for herself --- and the family she's worked so hard to protect.
Park Row | 9780778368342

MIDNIGHT IN SOAP LAKE by Matthew Sullivan (Literary Thriller/Mystery)
When Abigail agreed to move to Soap Lake, Washington, for her husband’s research, she expected old-growth forests and craft beer, folksy neighbors, and the world’s largest lava lamp. Instead, after her husband jets off to Poland for a research trip, she finds herself alone, in a town haunted by its own urban legends. When a young boy runs through the desert into Abigail’s arms, her life becomes entwined with his and the questions surrounding the death of his mother, Esme. In Abigail’s search for answers, she enlists the help of a quirky cast of friends to unearth Esme’s tragic past, the town’s violent history, and the secret magic locked in the lake her husband was sent there to study. But as she gets closer to the truth, her own life may be in danger, too.
Hanover Square Press | 9781335041791

THE PERFECT DIVORCE by Jeneva Rose (Domestic Thriller)
It's been 11 years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers. Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted. Or is it? After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight. Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former Deputy Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth. But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues.
Blackstone Publishing | 9798874620936

THE REBEL ROMANOV: Julie of Saxe-Coburg, the Empress Russia Never Had by Helen Rappaport (History)
In 1795, Catherine the Great of Russia was in search of a bride for her grandson, Constantine, who stood third in line to her throne. In an eerie echo of her own story, Catherine selected an innocent young German princess, Julie of Saxe-Coburg, aunt of the future Queen Victoria. Though Julie had everything a young bride could wish for, she was alone in a court dominated by an aging empress and riven with rivalries, plotting and gossip --- not to mention her brute of a husband. Desperate for love, she allegedly sought consolation in the arms of others. Finally, Tsar Alexander granted her permission to leave in 1801. Julie gave birth to two --- possibly three --- illegitimate children, all of whom she was forced to give up for adoption. Despite entreaties from Constantine to return and provide an heir, she refused, eventually finding love with her own married physician.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250273123

SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY by Alka Joshi (Historical Fiction)
When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery. Her nurse, Sona, is excited to learn more about the vivacious artist who shares her half-Indian identity. Sona finds herself carried away by Mira's stories of her travels and exploits and is shocked by accounts of the many lovers the painter has left scattered throughout Europe. When Mira dies quite suddenly and mysteriously, Sona falls under suspicion. The key to proving Sona's innocence may lie in a cryptic note and four paintings Mira left in her care, sending the young woman on a mission to visit the painter's former friends and lovers across a tumultuous Europe teetering toward war. On the precipice of discovering her own identity, Sona learns that the painter's charming facade hid a far more complicated, troubled soul.
Mira | 9780778368533

STRANGERS IN TIME by David Baldacci (Historical Thriller)
Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life. Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside, Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. But now she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there. Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his book shop, The Book Keep. But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone has been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538742051

TO HAVE AND HAVE MORE by Sanibel (Fiction)
Derrymore Academy circa 2007 is home to teenagers who have their eyebrows shaped and their sweet sixteens tented. It is here that Emery Hooper, adopted at birth into the country club set, thrives. The one blight on her otherwise perfect life? Lilah Chang. The Chinese American student is the embarrassing epitome of every Asian stereotype Emery despises --- and is inexplicably determined to become Emery’s friend. Lilah is both astounded and hopelessly self-conscious around the casual wealth at Derrymore. Desperate to fit in, she’s fascinated by Emery: an Asian girl who is somehow wholly comfortable in a white world. When Emery’s wealth isn’t enough to protect her from increasing microaggressions, Lilah and Emery develop a complicated friendship that tentatively unites them against the undercurrent of white privilege at their school.
Zando – 8th Note Press | 9781961795402

VANISHING WORLD written by Sayaka Murata, translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori (Speculative Fiction)
As a girl, Amane realizes with horror that her parents “copulated” in order to bring her into the world, rather than using artificial insemination, which became the norm in the mid-20th century. Amane strives to get away from what she considers an indoctrination in this strange “system” by her mother, but her infatuations with both anime characters and real people have a sexual force that is undeniable. As an adult, Amane and her husband, Saku, decide to live in a mysterious new town called Experiment City or Paradise-Eden, where all children are raised communally, and every person is considered a Mother to all children. Men are beginning to become pregnant using artificial wombs that sit outside of their bodies like balloons, and children are nameless, called only “Kodomo-chan.” Is this the new world that will purify Amane of her strangeness once and for all?
Grove Press | 9780802164667

THE WILDELINGS by Lisa Harding (Fiction)
Jessica and Linda have been best friends since the first day of school. Now 18, they have come to Wilde --- an elite university in the heart of Dublin, far away from their troubled childhoods. Jessica thrives immediately; with the faithful Linda at her side, she finds herself at the heart of a new circle of friends. But then Mark enters the picture. A philosophy student a few years older than them, he has strange and compelling ideas about self-discovery. When Linda and Mark start dating, Jessica is disturbed by the change in her friend --- and how quickly she seems to have fallen under the charismatic man’s control. It turns out that Mark’s influence is not limited to Linda alone, and Jessica soon finds out that her whole group of friends are keeping secrets for him. It will culminate in ways that will change their lives forever.
HarperVia | 9780063375659

On Sale the Week of April 14th in Paperback

April 15th

THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown (Fantasy/Adventure)
Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop and lives an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers --- a lonely yet charming old man --- dies right in front of her. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book. It is the Book of Doors. Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them. Then she’s approached by a gaunt stranger who calls himself Drummond Fox. He’s a librarian who keeps watch over a unique set of rare volumes. The tome now in Cassie’s possession is not the only book with great power, but it is the one most coveted by those who collect them. Now Cassie is being hunted by those few who know of the Special Books.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063323995

THE CASE OF THE GERMAN DOCTOR by Tsuriel Sdomi (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
When William von Antrim decided to pursue a career as a doctor, working to help Jewish survivors recover from the horrors of World War II, he believed he was doing all in his power to help his people survive. A German refugee himself, William fled to America with his mother after she was accused of being of Jewish descent. William’s father left them with only his estate, his family name and his legacy. A legacy that proves to be William’s downfall. What begins with a shameful truth coming to light forces William to confront not only his family’s past but his own. William’s case threads together one tragic character after another as he faces the dire consequences of his relentless attempts at redemption, regardless of the steep price he must pay.
Seventh Street Books | 9781645061113

DARK DIAMOND by Neal Asher (Science Fiction/Space Opera)
Paperback Original
Captain Blite knows that someone, or something, is trying to kill him. But a device he possesses, known only as the dark diamond, won't let that happen. After surviving a series of catastrophic accidents and assassination attempts, Blite realizes that whenever he dies, the dark diamond reverses time to a moment before his death. He must go through the traumatic experience again and again until he escapes. Every encounter Blite survives generates a time flash that reveals potential futures. This extraordinary phenomenon attracts the attention of Polity agents and the crab-like p-Prador who wish to acquire this power for themselves. Hunted across space and time, Blite must uncover the true nature of the dark diamond before it causes his destruction.
Pyr | 9781645060895

DON’T TURN AROUND by Harry Dolan (Thriller)
When Kate Summerlin was 11 years old, she climbed out her bedroom window looking for a taste of freedom. But what she found as she wandered in the woods near her house was something else: the body of a beautiful young woman, the first of Merkury’s victims. And before she could come to grips with what she was seeing, she heard a voice behind her --- the killer’s voice --- saying: “Don’t turn around.” Now, Kate is a successful true crime writer, but she has never told anyone the truth about what happened on that long-ago night. When Merkury claims yet another victim, a college student, Kate finds herself drawn back to the town where everything started. She sets out to make sense of this latest crime, but the deeper she gets into the story, the more she comes to realize that it’s far from over.
Grove Press | 9780802165206

ELLA by Diane Richards (Historical Fiction)
When Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression, the 15-year-old goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York --- a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely 21, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.
Amistad | 9780063338524

EVERY DROP IS A MAN’S NIGHTMARE: Stories by Megan Kamalei Kakimoto (Fiction/Short Stories)
Megan Kamalei Kakimoto's wrenching debut story collection follows a cast of mixed native Hawaiian and Japanese women through a contemporary landscape thick with inherited wisdom and the ghosts of colonization. This is a Hawaii where unruly sexuality and generational memory overflow the postcard image of paradise and the boundaries of the real, where the superstitions born of the islands take on the weight of truth. A childhood encounter with a wild pua'a (pig) on the haunted Pali highway portends one young woman's fraught relationship with her pregnant body. An elderly widow begins seeing her deceased lover in a giant flower. A kanaka writer, mid-manuscript, feels her raw pages quaking and knocking in the briefcase.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781639734634

THE FAR SIDE OF THE DESERT by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
(Political Thriller/Mystery)
Sisters Samantha and Monte Waters are vacationing together in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, enjoying a festival and planning to meet with their brother, Cal. But the idyllic plans are short-lived. When terrorists’ attacks rock the city around them, Monte, a U.S. foreign service officer, and Samantha, an international television correspondent, are separated, and one of them is whisked away in the frenzy. The family mobilizes, using all their contacts to try to find their missing sister, but to no avail. She has vanished. As time presses on, the outlook darkens. Can she be found, or is she a lost cause? And even if she returns, will the damage to her and those around her be irreparable?
Oceanview Publishing | 9781608096404

THE GIRL BY THE BRIDGE: A Detective Konrad Novel by Arnaldur Indridason (Mystery)
An elderly couple are worried about their granddaughter. They know she's been smuggling drugs, and now she's gone missing. Looking for help, they turn to Konrad, a former policeman whose reputation precedes him. Always absent-minded, he constantly ruminates on the fate of his father, who was stabbed to death decades ago. But digging into the past reveals much more than anyone set out to discover, and a little girl who drowned in the Reykjavik city pond unexpectedly captures everyone's attention.
Minotaur Books | 9781250892614

HELLIONS: Stories by Julia Elliott (Fiction/Short Stories)
Paperback Original
HELLIONS is an electric story collection that blends folklore, fairy tales, Southern Gothic and horror, reveling in the collision of the familiar with the wildly surreal. In a plague-stricken medieval convent, a nun works on a forbidden mystic manuscript, pining for Christ’s love. During a long, muggy July in rural South Carolina, an adolescent girl finds unexpected power as her family obsesses over the horror film The Exorcist. On the outskirts of a Southern college town, a young woman resists the tyranny of a shape-shifting older professor as she develops her own sorceress skills. And at a feminist art colony in the North Carolina mountains, a group of mothers contends with the supernatural talents their children have picked up from a pair of mysterious orphans who live in the woods.
Tin House Books | 9781963108064

HONEY by Victor Lodato (Fiction)
As a rebellious teenager, Honey managed to escape her father’s circle of influence and reinvent herself in a world of art and beauty, working for a high-end auction house in Los Angeles. Now in her twilight years, she decides to return home and unexpectedly falls in love. But in her family, nothing has changed. When her grandnephew, Michael, bursts into her life in what appears to be a drug-fueled frenzy, and her Lexus gets jacked, it’s hard to keep minding her own business. As old cruelties begin to resurface, Honey is no longer sure what she really wants --- to forgive or to avenge.
Harper Perennial | 9780063309630

HUSBANDS & LOVERS by Beatriz Williams (Historical Fiction)
New England, 2022. Three years ago, single mother Mallory Dunne’s 10-year-old son, Sam, suffered acute poisoning from a toxic death cap mushroom. Now, searching for a donor kidney, Mallory is forced to confront two harrowing secrets from her past: her mother’s adoption and her romance with her childhood best friend, Monk Adams, which was cut short by a devastating betrayal. Cairo, 1951. Hungarian refugee Hannah Ainsworth has married a wealthy British diplomat with a coveted posting in glamorous Cairo. But a fateful encounter with the enigmatic manager of a hotel bristling with spies leads to a passionate affair that will reawaken Hannah’s longing for everything she once lost. As revolution simmers in the Egyptian streets, a pregnant Hannah finds herself snared in a game of intrigue between two men --- and an act of sacrifice that will echo down the generations.
Ballantine Books | 9780593724248

THE MARRIAGE SABBATICAL by Lian Dolan (Fiction)
After 23 years of building careers and raising kids together, Jason and Nicole Elswick are ready for a break from their daily lives. Jason has spent years planning his dream sabbatical --- ditching work for a nine-month-long motorcycle trip through South America. But that’s Jason’s dream, not Nicole’s. After years working retail and parenting in Portland, Nicole craves the sun of the Southwest and the artistic community in Santa Fe, where she wants to learn jewelry design. A chance encounter at a dinner party presents a surprising --- and intriguing --- way out of their dilemma. Over a little too much wine, Jason and Nicole’s married neighbors sing the praises of the 500 Mile Rule: their policy of enjoying themselves however they wish --- and with whomever they wish --- when they’re temporarily far apart.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063270695

MURDER BY CHEESECAKE: A Golden Girls Cozy Mystery by Rachel Ekstrom Courage (Mystery)
Paperback Original
Rose’s cousin is eloping to Miami, and Rose is playing host. If she can't balance the groom’s family’s snobbery against the traditional St. Olaf wedding week guidelines, her hometown may never accept her cousin again! Dorothy quickly realizes she needs a date with whom she can exchange wedding-related wisecracks. Turning to a newfangled VHS dating service, she believes she’s found the ideal conversationalist. Unfortunately, what looks good on TV can actually be a total jerk in real life. It seems she’ll just have to enjoy the company of Sophia, Blanche, and whomever Blanche has targeted for a hookup. But then Dorothy’s date is found dead --- face-planted in an otherwise scrumptious-looking cheesecake. The four besties must ID the real killer, get the should-be-happy couple down the aisle, and make sure nobody from St. Olaf gets lost in the wilds of Miami.
Hyperion Avenue | 9781368102988

THE MURDER SHOW by Matt Goldman (Thriller)
Paperback Original
Showrunner Ethan Harris had a hit with “The Murder Show,” a television crime drama that features a private detective who solves cases the police can’t. But after his pitch for the fourth season is rejected by the network, he returns home to Minnesota looking for inspiration. His former classmate, Ro Greeman, is now a local police officer, and she's uncovered new information about the devastating hit-and-run that killed their mutual friend, Ricky, the summer after high school. She asks Ethan to help her investigate and thinks that if he portrays the killing on “The Murder Show,” the publicity may bring Ricky's killer to justice. It doesn't take long for them to realize that they've dug up more than they bargained for. Someone is dead set on stopping Ethan and Ro from looking too closely into Ricky’s death --- even if keeping them quiet means killing again.
Forge Books | 9781250325723

ONE DEATH AT A TIME by Abbi Waxman (Mystery)
Paperback Original
When Julia Mann, a bad-tempered ex-actress, runs into Natasha Mason at an AA meeting, it’s anything but a meet-cute. Julia just found a dead body in her swimming pool, and the cops say she did it (she already went to jail for murder once). Mason is eager to clear Julia’s name, but all Julia wants is for Mason to leave her alone. As their investigation ranges from the Hollywood Hills to the world of burlesque to the country clubs of Palm Springs, this unconventional team realizes their shared love of sarcasm and poor life choices are proving to be a powerful combination. Will secrets from their past trip them up, or will their team of showgirls, cat burglars and Hollywood agents help them stay one step ahead? Trying to keep it simple and take it easy is one thing --- trying to find a murderer before they kill again is a whole other program.
Berkley | 9780593816677

PAY DIRT: A V.I. Warshawski Novel by Sara Paretsky (Mystery)
V.I. Warshawski’s friends send her to Kansas for a weekend of college basketball where Angela, one of her protégées, is playing. Sabrina, one of Angela’s roommates, disappears, and V.I. agrees to try to find her. Finding a missing person in a city where she knows few people and doesn’t have her trusted contacts is hard, but not as hard as the brutally negative reaction to the detective from some of the locals. When V.I. finds Sabrina close to death in a remote house, she lands herself in the FBI’s crosshairs and faces a violent online backlash. The men running the county’s opioid distribution are also not happy. Discovering a dead body in the same house a few days later, V.I. is pitched headlong into a local land-use battle with roots going back to the Civil War.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063010949

THE RULEBREAKER: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters by Susan Page (Biography)
Barbara Walters was a force from the time TV was exploding on the American scene in the 1960s to its waning dominance in a new world of competition from streaming services and social media half a century later. In THE RULEBREAKER, Susan Page conducts 150 interviews and extensive archival research to discover that Walters was driven to keep herself and her family afloat after her mercurial and famous impresario father attempted suicide. But she never lost the fear of an impending catastrophe, which is what led her to ask for things no woman had ever asked for before, to ignore the rules of misogynistic culture, to outcompete her most ferocious competitors, and to protect her complicated marriages and love life from scrutiny.
Simon & Schuster | 9781982197933

SHARING TOO MUCH: Musings from an Unlikely Life by Richard Paul Evans (Essays)
Before he was the #1 New York Times bestselling author of holiday classics such as THE CHRISTMAS BOX, Richard Paul Evans was a young boy being raised by a suicidal mother and dealing with relentless bullying. He could not fathom what the future held for him. Now, in this intimate and heartfelt collection of personal essays, Evans shares his moving journey. He offers the insightful lessons he’s learned and engaging advice about everything from marriage to parenthood and even facing near-death experiences. Warmhearted and genuine, SHARING TOO MUCH makes a perfect gift for parents, new graduates, or anyone who could use a little hope and inspiration.
Gallery Books | 9781982177478

A SONG FOR KATY SHAYNE by Jim Fusilli (Hard-boiled Mystery)
Paperback Original
For the first time in his life, journalist Jack Fiorello is out of work. The 65-year-old music critic is adrift; not even his wife, Molly, can lift him from his funk. Then a reader calls with a tip, and Jack is thrust into a story involving Katy Shayne, a long-dead singer-songwriter, and what very well might be her murder. Traveling across Greenwich Village and down to Nashville, Jack unravels long-forgotten facts that led to Katy's death. In doing so, he puts himself at mortal risk for the first time in his career. Is it worth the effort? All this for an unknown singer and her songs? Though beaten and battered, Jack answers with a resounding "yes."
Level Best Books | 9781685128968

SPLINTERED JUSTICE: A Linder and Donatelli Mystery by Kim Hays (Mystery)
Paperback Original
Swiss homicide detective Giuliana Linder of the Bern Police and her investigating partner, Renzo Donatelli, are facing cases that may not be what they appear. Renzo is on the scene near the Bern cathedral when a young man repairing a medieval window is injured by falling from a scaffold --- a fall deliberately caused by a teenage boy. Finding evidence that the boy’s attack on the glassworker is linked to his mother’s suicide 15 years earlier, Renzo decides to reexamine the woman’s death, hoping his work on the case will help get him promoted to homicide detective. He learns that the apparent suicide still haunts the injured glassworker, although he was a child of 10 when the boy’s mother died. Now that Renzo has left his wife, Giuliana knows she has to choose what she wants from their future together. Frustrated by her own case, she can’t help getting involved in Renzo’s investigation.
Seventh Street Books | 9781645060949

THE STONE HOME by Crystal Hana Kim (Fiction)
In 2011, Eunju Oh opens her door to greet a stranger: a young Korean American woman holding a familiar-looking knife --- a knife Eunju hasn’t seen in 30 years. In South Korea in the 1980s, young Eunju and her mother are homeless on the street. After being captured by the police, they’re sent to live within the walls of a state-sanctioned reformatory center that claims to rehabilitate the nation’s citizens but hides a darker, more violent reality. While Eunju and her mother form a tight-knit community with the other women in the kitchen, two teenage brothers, Sangchul and Youngchul, are compelled to labor in the workshops and make increasingly desperate decisions --- and all are forced down a path of survival, the repercussions of which will echo for decades to come.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063310988

TIGER, TIGER: His Life, As It's Never Been Told Before by James Patterson
(Sports/Biography)
On April 13, 1986, 10-year-old Tiger Woods watches his idol, Jack Nicklaus, win his record sixth Masters. Just over a decade later, chants of “Ti-ger, Ti-ger!” ring out as the 21-year-old wins his first Green Jacket. He blazes an incredible path, winning 14 major titles (second only to Nicklaus himself) by the time he’s 33, smashing records and raising standards. Then come multiple public scandals and potentially career-ending injuries. The once-assured champion becomes an all-American underdog. “YouTube golfer” is how his two children know their father --- winless since 2013 --- until he wins the 2019 Masters, his 15th major, before their eyes. But the story doesn’t end there. TIGER, TIGER is the first full-scale Woods biography of the decade.
Little, Brown and Company | 9781538724347

WHAT IF I NEVER GET OVER YOU by Paige Toon (Romance)
Paperback Original
Ellie didn’t expect to fall in love while interrailing through Europe. But she also didn’t expect to meet a man like Ash. Three blistering days in Lisbon is all it takes to form an unforgettable connection --- a bond deep enough for them to scrap their itineraries and plan to meet again in Spain. But Ellie arrives late, and Ash is nowhere to be found. Six years later, Ellie has landed her dream job working as a gardener for a viscount and viscountess on their sprawling 500-year-old estate in Wales. She finds peace amongst the towering topiary hedges and colorful gardens, but her idyll is shattered when Ash crashes back into her life. And when it becomes clear why he didn’t show in Madrid, her heart breaks anew. But they have never been able to resist each other, and when the sparks of their attraction fly, Ellie’s life will catch flame. She will have to make a choice.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593718735

WILD AND WRANGLED: A Rebel Blue Ranch Novel by Lyla Sage (Romance/Western)
Paperback Original
When her groom doesn’t show up to the wedding, Camille Ashwood’s life is turned upside down. She doesn’t even have a place to live. Then she finds out that the house she’s loved since high school is available to rent. There’s only one problem: the neighbor. Dusty Tucker has spent nearly all of his adult life running from Cam. But ever since he returned home last year, the girl who was his first, well, everything has become a woman seemingly determined to keep him at arm’s length. Still, Dusty wants to show her that they can be friends. Despite her best attempts to stay far away from Dusty, Cam realizes that being close to him is like slipping into her favorite jeans. Easy. Comfortable. That is, until past wounds start to open, and feelings --- both old and new --- wreak havoc.
Dial Press Trade Paperback | 9780593732472

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