February 3, 2026

February 3, 2026

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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of February 2nd and February 9th 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 Carol Fitzgerald's Bookreporter.com Bets On commentaries for STRANGERS: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden and ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI by Ashley Elston. STRANGERS is a gorgeous memoir about the sudden end to a seemingly happy marriage, and ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI is a tense, feverish thriller about two women’s lives that are forever intertwined when a murder threatens to expose them both.

This Week's Bonus News:
Carol's Bookreporter.com Bets On Commentaries for
STRANGERS by Belle Burden
and ANATOMY OF AN ALIBI by Ashley Elston

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

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

Wednesday, February 4th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Janie Chang and Kate Quinn about their latest books: Janie's THE FOURTH PRINCESS: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai and Kate's THE ASTRAL LIBRARY.

Monday, February 9th at 4pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: John Sayles will talk about his new book, CRUCIBLE, a complex and sweeping historical novel about Henry Ford --- the Elon Musk of his day --- and his attempt to rule not only an automotive empire but the rambunctious city of Detroit.

On Sale the Week of February 2nd in Hardcover

February 3rd

THE ALPHABET SLEUTHS by Laura Jensen Walker (Mystery)
At 69 years old, Claire Reynolds is changing things up. She’s volunteering. She's learning to rollerblade. She’s rescued a shelter dog. And today, she’s killed a man. It wasn’t on her to-do list, but stuff happens. Besides, the man in question was strangling her good friend, Daphne, so what’s a gal to do? Scream, possibly. Call the cops. Or --- at retired officer Daphne’s insistence --- call in the rest of their senior gal pals, roll up the body in a blanket, and toss it off a cliff. The dead man is a member of the local crime family, and if the police get involved, it’s not just Daphne at risk, it’s all of them. But the body is just the start. Soon the Alphabet Girls --- Atsuko, Barbara, Claire and Daphne --- must transform into the Alphabet Sleuths if they’re to keep their liberty...and their lives.
Severn House | 9781448317295 

CLUTCH by Emily Nemens (Fiction)
As undergrads, Gregg, Reba, Hillary, Bella and Carson formed the kind of rare bond that college brochures promise --- friendship that lasts a lifetime. Two decades later, the women remain firmly tethered through their ever-unfurling group chat and now come together for a long-overdue reunion. Gregg is facing a huge decision about her political future. Reba is deep in IVF treatments while caring for her aging parents. Hillary's medical career is going great, but her husband's struggles with addiction have derailed their life. Bella faces the biggest case in her career as a litigator as her home life crumbles around her. And Carson is working on a new novel while forging a possible relationship with the father she's never met. Twenty years into their shared friendship, the stakes are higher than ever, and they must help one another reconcile professional ambition with personal tumult.
Tin House Books | 9781963108668 

DAWN OF THE NORTH: The Ashen Series, Book Three by Demi Winters (Historical Fantasy/Romance) 
The lost Volsik heir has finally returned to the people of Íseldur, and even with the warrior who’s captured her heart standing by her side, Silla’s task is monumental. She must earn the loyalty of the northern jarls to drive Ivar Ironheart from the throne and restore peace in the kingdom. But the secret she vigilantly guards threatens to ruin all her plans: A shard of a god lives in her mind, twisting her thoughts and deeds to His will. Meanwhile, held captive on the mysterious isle of Zagadka, Saga Volsik fights to return to her sister in Íseldur. But when King Ivar sets his sights on the Zagadkians, she’s forced to make an impossible choice: fight for the man who stole her --- and is now hell-bent on marrying her --- or let the innocent people of his kingdom die.
Delacorte Press | 9780593975657

EVERY EXIT BRINGS YOU HOME by Naeem Murr (Fiction) 
As a financial crisis looms, Jamal “Jack” Shaban is trying to save his neighbors from bankruptcy. For his flight attendant colleagues, he’s an object of desire, even love, particularly for his sweetly bawdy Wisconsinite best friend, Birdy. Birdy knows nothing about Dimra, Jack’s traditional Muslim wife, with whom Jack is desperate to have a child. Nor does Dimra know about Jack’s attraction to Marcia: an angry single mom new to the building. The resulting tangle of love, desire and conflict returns Jack to the violence of 1980s Gaza, where a taboo affair nearly destroyed his life. A man of many sides --- adulterer, devoted husband, fixer, community leader, liar, and the survivor of human and cosmic cruelty in the past and the novel’s present --- Jack is a paragon of both desire and hope.
W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324117902

EVERY HAPPINESS by Reena Shah (Fiction)
Deepa and Ruchi are 12 years old when they meet at their Catholic school in India. As the two girls grow up, their friendship is marked by intimacy, jealousy and suppressed desire. When Deepa marries a doctor and moves from India to the suburbs of Connecticut, Ruchi quickly finds an engineer bound for the same state and follows her friend across the world. Deepa's daughter seeks affection that Deepa refuses to give, and Ruchi's son resists her smothering care. At the same time, Deepa and Ruchi find their closeness tested by a growing class disparity, competing family needs and the differences in their desires. Ultimately, when Ruchi discovers a dangerous secret about Deepa's husband's wealth, both women are forced to weigh the tangled bonds of their friendship with their lives, and their families', in the burgeoning Indian American community.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781639733002 

THE EXES by Leodora Darlington (Psychological Thriller)
Natalie has only ever wanted to find “the one.” The perfect man, the happy family she never had. But each time she thinks she is finally getting somewhere, she’s bitterly disappointed. Another red line through a list of exes. And that was before the night of the Big Fallout that left her even more alone. Then along comes James, and Natalie thinks her luck has finally turned. Maybe he’s the one for her. Maybe he’s the one she’s been waiting for all along. Maybe he won’t wind up dead. But the harder Natalie tries to be a “normal” wife, the more world-upending truths are brought to her door, leaving her unsure of who she really is, and much less what she’ll do --- leaving her to question if there is a monster within her or if there is a villain toying with her from the outside.
Dutton | 9798217043859 

FAMILY DRAMA by Rebecca Fallon (Fiction) 
In 1982, Susan Bliss is a beautiful young woman who is passionate about her art. It’s impossible not to fall in love with her, and so Alcott, a practical professor, does --- hopelessly. This leads to an unconventional arrangement that takes Susan back and forth between her life in New England as a wife and mother and the bright lights of Los Angeles, where she becomes the beloved star of a daytime soap. In the present, Susan’s twins grow up in the shadow of her all-consuming absence. Sebastian, a sensitive artist, cleaves to her memory. Viola, resentful of Susan’s torn allegiances, distances herself from the memories of her. But when Viola runs into her mother’s old costar, Orson Grey --- now a renowned Hollywood star --- she finds herself falling deeply in love with him and begins to put together the pieces of a mother she never really knew.
Simon & Schuster | 9781668089477

THE FLACK by Brad Parks (Thriller)
Curt Hinton and Angel Reddish are former college roommates turned lifelong best friends who always have each other’s backs. So when Angel offers Curt the chance to leave his job at a failing newspaper and take a lucrative position as head of corporate communications at Balco, the Bay Area Logistics Company, Curt takes the leap. But on Curt’s first day at Balco, he learns that Angel was killed the night before during a carjacking. Tasked with writing a press release about the crime, Curt quickly discovers that the carjacking wasn’t random --- it was a targeted attack by professional killers. As Curt is drawn into the mystery of his best friend’s death, he discovers that there are many possible suspects --- and there’s a lot more danger swirling around his new employer than he ever could have imagined.
Oceanview Publishing | 9781608096473 

GOOD PEOPLE by Patmeena Sabit (Fiction)
The Sharaf family is the picture of success: prosperous, rich and happy. They came to this country as refugees with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. And now, after years of hard work, they live in the most exclusive neighborhood, their growing family attending the most prestigious schools. Zorah, the eldest daughter, is the apple of her father’s eye. When an unthinkable tragedy strikes, everyone is left reeling, and the family is thrust into the court of public opinion. There is talk that behind closed doors the Sharafs’ happy household was anything but. Did the Sharaf family achieve the American dream? Or was the image of the model immigrant family just a façade?
Crown | 9780593801062 

IN HER DEFENSE by Philippa Malicka (Psychological Thriller)
The whole country has been riveted by the trial: Beloved TV star and national treasure Anna Finbow, standing in court, accusing her daughter’s therapist, Jean Guest, of brainwashing her daughter, Mary, for her own financial gain. Jean insists that Mary’s traumatic memories arise from her upbringing and her time studying at a prestigious art school in Rome --- wounds only Jean’s therapy can heal. But as the trial unfolds, it’s Augusta “Gus” Bird, Anna’s former employee --- a seemingly insignificant bystander, a nobody --- who holds the key to unraveling the tangled web of lies and deceit. What really happened to Mary in Rome? And if her memories can’t be trusted, how will they ever uncover the truth behind her estrangement?
Scribner | 9781668033623 

ISLES OF THE EMBERDARK: A Cosmere Novel by Brandon Sanderson
(Fantasy/Adventure)
All his life, Sixth of the Dusk has been a traditional trapper of Aviar --- the supernatural birds his people bond with --- on the deadly island of Patji. Then one fateful night, he propels his people into a race to modernize before they can be conquered by the Ones Above, invaders from the stars who want to exploit the Aviar. When a chance comes to sail into the expanse of the emberdark beyond a mystical portal, Dusk sets off to find his people’s salvation. Elsewhere in the emberdark is a young dragon chained in human form: Starling of the starship Dynamic. She and her ragtag crew of exiles are deep in debt and on the brink of losing their freedom. So when she finds an ancient map to a hidden portal between the emberdark and the physical realm, she seizes the chance at a lucrative discovery. These unlikely allies just might be the solution to each other’s crises.
Tor Books | 9781250415394 

IT'S NOT HER by Mary Kubica (Psychological Thriller) 
Courtney Gray’s peaceful vacation turns into a nightmare when she discovers her brother and sister-in-law dead in their lakeside cottage. Her niece, Reese, is missing. Her nephew, Wyatt, is asleep upstairs --- unharmed. As police swarm the quiet resort, dark truths about Courtney’s family --- and the town itself --- begin to surface. Is Reese a victim...or the killer? With everyone hiding something, Courtney races to uncover the terrible mystery. But the closer she gets, the harder it is to know who --- or what --- to trust.
Park Row | 9780778387992 

JIGSAW: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman (Psychological Thriller) 
This one looked like a slam dunk: a young woman found dead at her kitchen table, DNA on cigarette butts linking quickly to an ex-boyfriend with a criminal record. Or so homicide lieutenant Milo Sturgis thought. Then everything changed. That’s when Milo called in psychologist Alex Delaware, his best friend and a long-term consultant on “those cases.” The ones that are different. Then there’s another one: an old woman found brutally murdered, her body stashed in a deep freeze and mutilated. Her home is an extreme hoarder’s den, virtually impassable due to years of stored trash and apparently meaningless objects. Except for the envelopes of cash stashed among the garbage. As Alex and Milo dig deeper into the seemingly unrelated crimes, they discover shocking links between the victims.
Ballantine Books | 9780593497715 

A KILLING IN CANNABIS: A True Story of Love, Murder, and California Weed by Scott Eden (True Crime)
Santa Cruz is one of the country’s surf meccas and a favored getaway of the Silicon Valley elite. For decades, marijuana has been cultivated, consumed and trafficked in these mountains. And it’s where Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tushar Atre was found brutally murdered. Atre was the leader among a clutch of tech execs and venture capitalists with a voracious appetite for risk, work and money. When he met Rachael Lynch, a maverick cannabis grower and mover of product, he had a vision of how their lives could come together in business and in love. Atre sought to disrupt the newly legal cannabis trade by funding a start-up with black-market capital. This illegal pursuit would entangle him with an array of colorful and dangerous characters, many of whom had compelling reason to want him dead.
Spiegel & Grau | 9781954118621 

LA LUCCI by Susan Lucci, with Laura Morton (Memoir)
Emmy Award-winning actress and legendary television icon Susan Lucci --- affectionately known as "La Lucci" since her early days on “All My Children” --- is set to captivate audiences once again with her second memoir. This deeply personal and compelling new book explores Lucci's journey through love, joy, reinvention and resilience in the face of profound loss --- both personal and professional. With her signature warmth and honesty, Lucci shares the pivotal moments that have shaped her perspective and ability to move forward with gratitude, hope and grace. In addition to intimate stories from her remarkable career and personal life, LA LUCCI features a special chapter entitled "Thank You for Asking" where she answers the most frequently asked questions from her devoted fans across the world.
Blackstone Publishing | 9798874868284 

LITTLE ONE by Olivia Muenter (Fiction)
Catharine West’s parents built a life that was simple and community-focused, an ethos that soon attracted others in need of a change. For a time, her magnetic father was enough to keep the farm thriving and temptation outside its gates. But as she grew older, the farm and family she was raised to love faded into something darker. It’s now been a decade since Catharine abandoned the farm, and she has done her best to reinvent her life, until an email from a charismatic journalist interrupts her peace. Her first instinct is to ignore the stranger’s prying questions. But when she realizes that the journalist knows far more than he’s letting on, she reconsiders. If Catharine can stay one step ahead of him, she may be able to find the one person she never wanted to leave behind --- her sister, Linna --- and make sure her own secrets remain buried.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316594561 

MAN ONE: An Amos Walker Mystery by Loren D. Estleman (Hard-boiled Mystery)
Young widow Sage Holland doesn’t look like a murderer --- and that’s because she isn’t one. The beautiful dame has driven non-stop from her home in frozen Alaska to seek out the services of private investigator Amos Walker, bringing not just the ice and snow with her. Sage has a stalker: her late husband’s vengeful brother, who’s determined to make her pay for a crime she didn’t commit. Someone killed David, but it wasn’t her. Walker knows not to take the words of husky-voiced, sorrowful women at face value. But Sage is in sore need of protection, and Walker’s hunt for clues on Detroit’s wintry streets soon leads to far more dead bodies than expected. He’ll have to use every trick he’s learned if he’s to keep not just his client’s blood, but also his own from staining the snow.
Severn House | 9781448316052

MASS MOTHERING by Sarah Bruni (Fiction)
A. is an amateur translator. Adrift and burdened by debt following a medical trauma, she makes rent caring for a young boy who is not and could never be her own. Her nights are spent on the dance floor, chasing spontaneous connection. There, she encounters N., who shares her numbed state and sometimes her bed. Among N.’s meager possessions, A. comes across a slim book about an unnamed foreign town of disappearing boys. The book, Field Notes, documents the stories of a community of mothers who assemble to mourn their missing sons together. When a near-assault stuns A. out of her inertia, she takes off for the city where Field Notes was written in search of its author and the end of the story. But A.’s digging leads her instead to the traces of a murdered poet, a mysterious woman whose legacy will intersect unexpectedly and pivotally with A.’s own life.
Henry Holt and Co. | 9781250392619 

MURDER IN THE READING ROOM: A 42nd Street Library Mystery by Con Lehane (Mystery) 
Raymond Ambler, crime-fiction curator at New York City’s prestigious 42nd Street Library, doesn’t consider it a big deal when he misses a call from visiting professor Robin Cartwright…until she turns up dead in a hotel room. Ambler feels duty-bound to find the culprit, and not just because the police half-suspect he’s guilty of the crime. It wasn’t just Professor Cartwright’s phone call he missed, but any sign that she was in danger. Robin was researching accidental deaths she believed were murders. Could her work have gotten her killed? Soon Ambler is knee-deep in suspects, including a shady ex-husband, a slippery pastor, and at least one of his own colleagues. If he doesn’t catch a ruthless killer soon, it won’t be just his own life in danger, but also those of his partner and newborn child.
Severn House | 9781448314553 

ON THIS GROUND: Hardship and Hope at the Toughest Prep School in America by Anthony DePalma (Social Science/Education) 
In 1967, as the city of Newark, New Jersey, was engulfed by civil unrest after the beating of a Black cab driver by white police officers, the monks of Newark Abbey stood on the roof of the monastery and watched their city burn. In the years that followed, as crushing poverty and racial tensions in the city worsened, some of the monks voted to leave --- and St. Benedict’s Prep, the school they had run for over a century, was forced to close its doors. ON THIS GROUND is the story of the monks who voted to stay put, who would soon reopen St. Benedict’s and devote their lives to educating the students who had become their neighbors. But it’s also the inspiring story of its students who show up every day and form the beating heart of the school, which is now widely considered one of the most successful inner-city educational movements in the country.
William Morrow | 9780063464391

ONE & ONLY by Maurene Goo (Romance)
Cassia Park believes in soul mates. It’s her family business after all. For centuries, Park women have peered into clients’ past lives to find their one true love, their fated. This magical secret is why One & Only Matchmaking has a 100% guarantee…for everyone but Cassia. For 10 years, Cass has been searching for her fated, a man named Daniel Nam. But he’s still nowhere to be found. And so, on the eve of her 40th birthday, Cass decides to do something for herself. She impulsively has a fling with Ellis. He’s 28 and not destined to be the love of her life. But she’s surprised by their connection, and their fling feels like something more --- up to the moment he introduces her to his boss: Daniel Nam. As she battles between fate and chance, head and heart, a family secret is revealed that will make her question everything she’s ever known. 
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9798217181162 

THE REDLINE HEIST: Book 1 of The Doomsday Artifacts by Michael Mersault (Science Fiction/Adventure) 
Sophisticated, megarich thrill seekers drawn to a backwater system of the Confederated Worlds find more than they expected within the catacombs of a mysterious alien base: not only the anachronistic road warrior theme park where 20th-century “Old Earth” motor vehicles are raced for riches and glory, but an alien secret that has hidden within the asteroid for millennia. While the super-rich conduct business both licit and illicit, Warren Springer Stowe, self-professed acquisitions expert, and Cherry Aisha, veteran of the infamous Blue Light Brigade, become motorsport gladiators in a deadly series of high-speed clashes --- and discover treasure beyond either’s greatest imaginings.
Baen | 9781668073131 

SACRED LIGHT: A Georgia O'Keefe Mystery by Kathryn Lasky (Historical Mystery)
New Mexico, 1937. Painter Georgia O’Keeffe is excited for her trip to the intriguing wilderness of the Bisti Badlands. A common site for archaeological excavations, it’s a historical place with enchanting desertscapes but also perilous natural structures. Her trip is overshadowed by the sad news of her friend and native, Juan Nez, going missing. No one knows where he is, and it’s unlikely he’s gotten lost. He knows these lands like the back of his hand. Has something happened to him? And if so, was it an accident, or has a horrible crime taken place? Trying to make sense of the situation, Georgia seeks solace in her art, but soon she comes face to face with a dangerous reality and an even deadlier disaster.
Severn House | 9781448316564 

STOLEN IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead --- while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’ husband, Roarke, recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing. Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father --- and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250414526 

A STUDY IN SECRETS: A Redacted Man Mystery by Jeffrey Siger (Mystery)
Michael A lives a quiet, comfortable life since his retirement from the intelligence services. Practically a recluse, he spends his days imagining the lives of the anonymous people he watches in the park beneath the window of his elegant New York townhouse --- number 221 --- his every need tended to by his housekeeper, Mrs. Baker. For weeks, a girl has sat in the park every morning at dawn. Always alone. Always watchful. And when the sun rises, she vanishes, as if she was never there. But one day her routine changes --- and Michael realizes that she faces terrible danger. He makes an uncharacteristic decision to abandon his solitude and help her. Soon, Michael finds himself plunged into the New York underworld, and he’ll have to use all the tricks of his former trade if he’s to keep not just himself, but his new friend, alive.
Severn House | 9781448317066 

THIS BOOK MADE ME THINK OF YOU by Libby Page (Fiction)
When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago. When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner, explains the gift --- 12 carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him. At first, Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world. But Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens. Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life.
Berkley | 9798217186990 

TREATY by Davis Bunn (Science Fiction/Adventure)
Kirra Barret lives with her clan in a mining community in the Fifth Ward of Florian, a city in a human-occupied zone on planet Treaty. She is determined to have a brighter future --- and her unique connection to the planet’s flying alien beasts could be the key to improving her fortunes. In Florian’s upmarket Second Ward, Eva Fourier is offered the chance to become a secret government agent and go after criminals accumulating wealth and power on Treaty by dubious means. From different ends of Florian’s social spectrum, battle lines are drawn as Kirra and Eva’s lives intertwine in unexpected and high-stakes ways --- ways that threaten the long-standing agreement between humans and aliens on Treaty forever.
Severn House | 9781448319923 

WOLF HOUR written by Jo Nesbø, translated by Robert Ferguson (Mystery/Thriller)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2016. When a small-time criminal and gun dealer is shot down in the street, all signs point to Tomas Gomez, a quiet man with a mysterious past --- and deep connections to a notorious gang --- who has seemingly vanished into thin air. Other murders soon follow. Meanwhile, Bob Oz, a down-and-out suspended police officer, becomes fascinated by the case: he is obsessed with the notion of hunting down a serial killer who only he can understand. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2022. An enigmatic Norwegian man with ties to Minneapolis --- a self-described crime writer --- has traveled to the United States to research the Gomez case, in the hopes of writing a book about it. But as his investigation progresses, the writer’s seemingly neutral position reveals itself to be more complicated than the reader is initially led to believe.
Knopf | 9780593803653 

On Sale the Week of February 2nd in Paperback

February 1st

BLADE by Wendy Walker (Psychological Thriller)
Paperback Original
Ana Robbins was an Olympic star in the making --- until tragedy forced her to leave that world behind. At the age of 16, she gave up her dream and never looked back. Fourteen years later, she’s a successful defense attorney, revered for her work with minors. But when her former coach turns up dead, Ana lands right back where it all began, and abruptly ended: The Palace, a world-renowned skating facility nestled high in the mountains of Colorado. Ana returns to The Palace to defend the young skater accused of the brutal crime. Despite her claims of innocence, all evidence points squarely at Grace Montgomery’s guilt. But Ana’s investigation dredges up childhood memories of her own, triggering the fear that permeates this place where she once lived and trained far from home as an “Orphan.”
Thomas & Mercer | 9781662531910

READ BETWEEN THE LIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Psychological Thriller)
Paperback Original
After years of rejection, Fern’s debut novel has sold, and she’s ready to join the supportive online community of fellow debuts. But when she discovers that her high school bully, Haven, has landed a major book deal and will be debuting alongside her, old wounds reopen. As the pandemic forces everyone online, tensions escalate in their writing community. While Haven seems to succeed effortlessly, Fern watches her own career crumble. Yet beneath their polished personas lies a darker truth about their shared past --- one involving a lost friend, Dani, and secrets neither wants revealed. Fern isn’t the same person Haven bullied all those years ago. She’s learned that the best revenge stories aren’t written --- they’re lived. And she’s been plotting this one for years. What begins as an online rivalry escalates into a dangerous obsession.
Mindy's Book Studio | 9781662534638

February 3rd

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 | 9781728298221

THE CALIFORNIANS by Brian Castleberry (Fiction)
It’s 2024, and Tobey Harlan steals from the wall of his father’s house three paintings by the venerated and controversial artist Di Stiegl. Tobey has just lost everything he owns to a Northern California wildfire, and if he can sell the paintings (albeit in a shady way to a notorious tech bro), he can start life anew in a place no one will ever find him. A hundred years before, German-Jewish immigrant Klaus Aaronsohn inveigles his way into a film studio in Astoria, Queens. He will restyle himself Klaus von Stiegl, a mysterious aristocratic German film director, and end his career directing “Brackett,” a radical, notorious ’60s-era detective show. Weaving between Tobey and Klaus is the story of Diane “Di” Stiegl, Klaus’ granddaughter, raised in Palm Springs, who claws out a career as an artist in gritty 1980s NYC.
Mariner Books | 9780063213340

CLEAVAGE: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan (Memoir/Gender Studies)
SHE’S NOT THERE was the first bestselling work written by a transgender American. Since its publication 20 years ago, Jennifer Finney Boylan has become the go-to person for insight into the impact of gender on our lives. But CLEAVAGE is more than a deep dive into gender identity; it’s also a look at the difference between coming out as trans in 2000 --- when many people reacted to Boylan’s transition with love --- and the present era of blowback and fear. How does gender affect our sense of self? Our body image? The passage of time? The friends we lose --- and keep? Boylan considers her womanhood, reflects on the boys and men who shaped her, and reconceives of herself as a writer, activist, parent and spouse.
Celadon Books | 9781250382481

CROSS MY HEART by Megan Collins (Psychological Thriller)
A year after she was dumped in her wedding dress, Rosie Lachlan is working at her parents’ bridal salon. The recipient of a life-saving heart transplant, Rosie knows that her health is precious and precarious. She suspects that her heart donor is Daphne Thorne, the wife of local celebrity author Morgan Thorne, who she begins messaging via an anonymous service called DonorConnect. But Rosie has a secret: She’s convinced that now that she has his wife’s heart, she and Morgan are meant to be together. As she and Morgan correspond, the pretense of avoiding personal details soon disappears. But as she digs deeper into Morgan’s previous marriage, she discovers disturbing rumors about the man she’s falling for. Could Morgan have had something to do with his late wife’s death?
Atria Books | 9781668048085

DEATH OF THE AUTHOR by Nnedi Okorafor (Literary Science Fiction)
Disabled, disinclined to marry, and more interested in writing than a lucrative career in medicine or law, Zelu has always felt like the outcast of her large Nigerian family. Then her life is upended when she’s unceremoniously fired from her university job and her novel is rejected by yet another publisher. With her career and dreams crushed in one fell swoop, she decides to write something just for herself. What comes out is nothing like the quiet, literary novels that have so far peppered her unremarkable career. It’s a far-future epic where androids and AI wage war in the grown-over ruins of human civilization. When Zelu finds the courage to share her strange novel, she does not realize she is about to embark on a life-altering journey --- one that will catapult her into literary stardom, but also perhaps obliterate everything her book was meant to be.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063391161

DISAPPOINT ME by Nicola Dinan (Fiction)
Thirty years old with a lifetime of dysphoria and irritating exes rattling around in her head, Max is plagued by a deep dissatisfaction. Shouldn't these be the best years of her life? Why doesn't it feel that way? After taking a spill down the stairs at a New Year’s Eve party, she decides to make some changes. First: a stab at good old-fashioned heteronormativity. Max thinks she’s found the answer in Vincent. While his corporate colleagues, trad friends and Chinese parents never pictured their son dating a trans woman, he cares for Max in a way she’d always dismissed as a foolish fantasy. But he is also carrying baggage of his own. When the fallout of a decades-old entanglement resurfaces, Max must decide what forgiveness really means.
Dial Press Trade Paperback | 9780593977880

THE DOLLHOUSE ACADEMY by Margarita Montimore (Thriller)
For the past 18 years, Ivy Gordon has been the most famous star at the Dollhouse Academy, the elite boarding school and talent incubator that every aspiring performer dreams of attending. But in secret diary entries, she begins to reveal the truth of her life at the Dollhouse: strange medical exams, mysterious supplements, and something unspeakable that has left her terrified and feeling like a prisoner. Ramona Halloway and her best friend, Grace Ludlow, grew up idolizing Ivy. Neither has made much headway in showbiz until a lucky break grants them entry to the Dollhouse. When Ramona begins to receive threatening anonymous messages, it’s easy to dismiss them as a prank from a rival. Her bigger concern is Grace’s skyrocketing success. But as the messages grow more unsettling, so does life at the Dollhouse.
Flatiron Books | 9781250320674

DOUBLE TROUBLE by Joyce Carol Oates, writing as Rosamond Smith (Psychological Thriller)
Celebrating 40 years of pseudonymous suspense from Joyce Carol Oates
Four decades ago, Joyce Carol Oates penned her first novel of psychological suspense under the name “Rosamond Smith.” In the Smith books, Oates explored themes of betrayal and deception, lust and murder, through stories involving twins, doubles and hidden second identities. Hard Case Crime is proud to bring these extraordinary works of crime fiction back into print in definitive double editions, each pairing two complete novels and two never-before-collected Oates short stories, all linked thematically, to weave a sinister web filled with dark reflections. In this volume, a female serial killer seeks refuge in her twin sister’s home in STARR BRIGHT WILL BE WITH YOU SOON, while a male serial killer murders for the woman he craves in SOUL/MATE --- and the echoes continue in the rare short stories “The Murderess” and “An Unsolved Crime.”
Hard Case Crime | 9781835415443

GET OVER IT, APRIL EVANS by Ashley Herring Blake (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
April Evans’ life is in shambles. She’s had to close her tattoo shop in Clover Lake, and she’s subletting her house to cover her mortgage. And her love life is nonexistent ever since her ex-fiancée, Elena, left her for a younger woman three years ago. When she is asked to teach a summer art class at the town’s new resort called Cloverwild, April jumps at the opportunity, especially since the job comes with boarding. She’s sure that this is the silver lining she needs…until she meets her cabinmate: Daphne Love, the woman who stole her ex-fiancée. And even worse, it’s clear Daphne has no idea who April is. Their already-tense relationship gets even shakier when April and Daphne find themselves competing for a rare opportunity to showcase their art in a London museum. But barriers slowly begin to fall, and an inexplicable allure keeps drawing them closer.
Berkley | 9780593816011

HARLEM RHAPSODY by Victoria Christopher Murray (Historical Fiction)
In 1919, high school teacher Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis. The first Black woman to hold this position at a preeminent Negro magazine, Jessie is poised to achieve literary greatness. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all. W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife nor their 14-year age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself. She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor. Under her leadership, The Crisis thrives. When her first novel is released to great acclaim, it’s clear that Jessie is at the heart of a renaissance in Black music, theater and the arts. But as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.
Berkley | 9780593638507

HEAP EARTH UPON IT by Chloe Michelle Howarth (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
In January 1965, the growing town of Ballycrea has four new residents. The O’Leary siblings arrive in their new village under suspicious circumstances. Desperate to make a new start and leave their troubled life behind, the O'Learys offer few, contradicting details about their past. As they slowly settle in to town, the siblings are taken under the wing of Betty and Bill Nevan, a wealthy couple in their 40s who have always wanted children. However, as one O’Leary sister grows close to Betty, lines are crossed and their intense relationship becomes difficult to define. All the while, the O’Learys' buried secrets keep bubbling up, threatening to ruin their new future.
Melville House | 9781685892531

HOW TO KILL A GUY IN TEN DATES by Shailee Thompson
(Romantic Suspense/Comedy)
Paperback Original
When Jamie Prescott and her best friend, Laurie, attend a speed-dating event, Jamie expects to meet a roster of mediocre men. She doesn’t expect one of her dates to have his throat slit at their table during a blackout. The lights come back on, and there are more bodies on the floor. Armed with makeshift weapons and Jamie’s extensive knowledge of what NOT to do in a slasher, the remaining speed daters try to find an exit while the killer adds to their body count. As the night progresses and Jamie comes face-to-mask with the murderer, she begins to suspect they are committing the slayings to woo one of the daters and turn them into a real-life Final Girl. But Jamie has other plans, and as she fights for her life, she can’t help but find herself ensconced in a love triangle with two of the other survivors.
Gallery Books | 9781668206713

IMPOSTOR: An Alexander Gregory Thriller by LJ Ross (Psychological Thriller)
First Publication in the US
Dr. Alexander Gregory, a psychologist recovering from the collapse of a high-profile criminal profiling unit, wants nothing more than a quiet life to finally sit and think things through. But his rare ability to understand the minds of violent offenders makes him hard to ignore --- especially when a small town is shaken by a brutal murder. Reluctantly pulled into the case, Gregory finds himself confronting not only a cunning predator, but the darker corners of his own mind.
Poisoned Pen Press | 9781464273872

JANE AND DAN AT THE END OF THE WORLD by Colleen Oakley (Fiction/Humor)
Jane is a mother of two who feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under 500 copies. And she’s pretty sure that her husband, Dan, is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their 19th anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce. But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of Jane’s failed book. Even Dan admits it’s eerily familiar. Which means they’re the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it.
Berkley | 9780593639146

JUNIE by Erin Crosby Eckstine (Historical Fiction)
Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master’s daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie’s life, she commits a desperate act --- one that rouses Minnie’s spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests’ coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that no longer can be ignored.
Ballantine Books | 9780593725139

THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK: The First Subprime Mortgage Scandal, a White-Collar Crime Spree, and the Collapse of an American Neighborhood by Stacy Horn (True Crime)
On a warm summer evening in 1991, 17-year-old Julia Parker was murdered in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. An area known for an exorbitant level of violence and crime, East New York had come to be known as the Killing Fields. In the six months after Julia Parker’s death, 62 more people were murdered in the same area. In the early 1990s, murder rates in the neighborhood climbed to the highest in NYPD history. East New York was dying. But how did this once thriving, diverse, family neighborhood fall into such ruin? The answer can be found two decades earlier. A compulsively readable hybrid of true crime and investigative journalism, THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK reveals how white-collar crime reduced a prospering neighborhood to abandoned buildings and empty lots.
Gillian Flynn Books | 9781638934011

KILLS WELL WITH OTHERS by Deanna Raybourn (Thriller)
After more than a year of laying low, Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie are called back into action. When they receive a summons from the head of the elite assassin organization known as the Museum, they are ready to tackle the greatest challenge of their careers. Someone on the inside has compiled a list of important kills committed by Museum agents, connected to a single, shadowy figure, an Eastern European gangster with an iron fist, some serious criminal ambition, and a tendency to kill first and ask questions later. This new nemesis is murdering agents who got in the way of their power-hungry plans, and the aging quartet of killers is next. Together the foursome embark on a wild ride across the globe on the double mission of rooting out the Museum’s mole and hunting down the gangster who seems to know their next move before they make it.
Berkley | 9780593638538

THE LOST LANGUAGE OF OYSTERS: A Professor Dr von Igelfeld Entertainment by Alexander McCall Smith (Fiction/Humor)
Paperback Original
Professor Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld is the author of the highly regarded work of scholarship, Portuguese Irregular Verbs. His eminence in language studies is widely respected, albeit rarely acknowledged by his colleague, Professor Detlev-Amadeus Unterholzer, the writer of a far less important book on the subjunctive. Their rivalry bubbles under the surface, but is quick to come into the open if something unusual disturbs the calm waters of the institute in Regensburg where they both work. One such event is the arrival of two visiting scholars from New Orleans. These ladies, Professor Pom Pom Boisseau and her friend, Professor Alice Martinique, are experts in the Provençal language and avid bikers. When they choose to make a dramatic entrance, Unterholzer is shocked, but von Igelfeld is rather taken with Pom Pom. In fact, he is very taken with her.
Vintage | 9798217008322

A MIND OF HER OWN by Danielle Steel (Historical Fiction)
Alexandra Bouvier is born in Paris in 1900. At age 14, Alex’s comfortable life is upended as war erupts across Europe. Her parents follow their sense of duty to the front, performing triage at a field hospital and confronting the horrors of poison gas and trench warfare. The merciless fighting, coupled with the fast-spreading Spanish flu, wreaks havoc on the continent, as well as on Alex’s loved ones. By the time she is 18, she has suffered unimaginable losses. With her grandfather’s support, she attends the University of Chicago and decides to follow his footsteps into journalism. As a newspaper intern, she meets reporter Oliver Foster, who is covering the gang wars sparked by Prohibition. He too has known devastating loss, and the two are drawn to each other, though both fear any attachment. As it turns out, Alex has good reason to be cautious.
Dell | 9780593498729

THE QUIET LIBRARIAN by Allen Eskens (Mystery/Thriller)
Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian in Minnesota who wants nothing more than to be left alone. But when a detective arrives with the news that her best friend has been murdered, Hana knows that something evil has come for her, a dark remnant of the past she and her friend had shared. Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: Nura Divjak, a teenager growing up in the mountains of war-torn Bosnia --- until Serbian soldiers arrived to slaughter her entire family before her eyes. The events of that day thrust Nura into the war, leading her to join a band of militia fighters, where she became not only a fierce warrior but a legend --- the deadly Night Mora. But a shattering final act forced Nura to flee to the United States with a bounty on her head. Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her friend has paid the price.
Mulholland Books | 9780316566322

SAY YOU’LL REMEMBER ME by Abby Jimenez (Romantic Comedy)
There's no such thing as a perfect guy, but Xavier Rush comes disastrously close. A gorgeous veterinarian giving Greek god vibes --- all while cuddling a tiny kitten? Immediate yes. That is, until Xavier opens his mouth and proves that even sculpted gods can say the absolute wrong thing. Of course, there’s nothing Samantha loves more than proving someone like him wrong…unless, of course, he can admit he made a mistake. But after one incredible and seemingly endless date, Samantha is forced to admit the truth --- that her family is in crisis, and any kind of relationship would be impossible. Samantha begs Xavier to forget her. To remember their night together as a perfect moment, as crushing as that may be. Only no amount of distance or time is enough to forget what's between them.
Forever | 9781538759189

THE SIRENS by Emilia Hart (Historical Fiction/Magical Realism)
Lucy awakens from a dream to find her hands around her ex-lover’s throat. Horrified, she flees to her older sister’s house on the Australian coast, hoping she can help explain the strangely vivid nightmare that preceded the attack. But Jess is nowhere to be found. As Lucy awaits her return, the rumors surrounding Jess’ strange small town start to emerge. Numerous men have gone missing at sea, spread over decades. A tiny baby was found hidden in a cave. And sailors tell of hearing women’s voices on the waves. Desperate for answers, Lucy finds and begins to read her sister’s adolescent diary. A breathtaking tale of female resilience and the bonds of sisterhood across time and space, THE SIRENS captures the power of dreams, and the mystery and magic of the sea.
St. Martin’s Griffin | 9781250842732

SOURCE CODE: My Beginnings by Bill Gates (Memoir)
SOURCE CODE is not about Microsoft or the Gates Foundation or the future of technology. It’s the human, personal story of how Bill Gates became who he is today: his childhood, his early passions and pursuits. It’s the story of his principled grandmother and ambitious parents, his first deep friendships and the sudden death of his best friend; of his struggles to fit in and his discovery of a world of coding and computers in the dawn of a new era; of embarking in his early teens on a path that took him from midnight escapades at a nearby computer center to his college dorm room, where he sparked a revolution that would change the world.
Vintage | 9780593687468

THE VANISHING KIND by Alice Henderson (Thriller)
When wildlife biologist Alex Carter is tasked with locating jaguars on a vast desert preserve in New Mexico, she is ecstatic. While jaguars once roamed throughout the Southwest, they are now endangered, and Alex hopes that some of the sleek and elusive creatures have found their way to the protected sanctuary. Meanwhile, an archaeological team is excavating the gravesite of a 16th-century Spanish conquistador on a neighboring piece of land. While learning about their discoveries, Alex encounters a dangerous group of anti-immigrant vigilantes roaming the area, threatening the team and demanding they leave. And when the militants learn of Alex’s mission, they become bent on stopping her. And then there are the strange holes that keep appearing on the preserve. Who is digging them, and what are they looking for?
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063223066

THE VERMILION SEA by Megan Chance (Historical Thriller)
Paperback Original
The Great War may be over, but brilliant scientist Billie McKennan continues the fight to be taken seriously. When a deliberate omission wins her a marine biologist position aboard an expedition funded by a wealthy eccentric, she quickly discovers she’s not the only one keeping secrets. The opulent Eurybia sets sail for the Gulf of California with a handful of well-to-do passengers and talented scientists on board. To Billie’s surprise, her ex-husband counts among them. The true mission of the voyage comes into question when a mysterious specimen is captured. And then science unexpectedly gives way to wild rumors and superstition. Soon, a sinister force takes hold of the vessel --- and everyone on it. Billie must reconcile her beliefs with the reality of what she encounters in the vermilion sea.
Lake Union Publishing | 9781662533501

WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS by Kaira Rouda (Domestic Thriller)
Paperback Original
The sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu --- Roxy, Amelia, Jamie, Beth and Sunny --- have been summoned to Roxy's luxurious Palm Springs vacation home to celebrate the engagement of her son to Beth's daughter. But the refurbished 1920s estate is eerily reminiscent of the hotel where tragedy struck during Spring Break 25 years ago. Long-simmering tensions and shocking secrets begin bubbling to the surface like bodies --- because while the weekend was supposed to be about celebrating the future, it's not so easy to bury the past.
Poisoned Pen Press | 9781464244995

WE WOULD NEVER by Tova Mirvis (Fiction)
No one appears more surprised than Hailey Gelman when she comes under suspicion for the murder of her soon-to-be ex-husband, Jonah. The months leading up to Jonah’s death have been fraught, including a bitter separation and a messy custody battle over their young daughter, Maya. When Hailey files a motion to relocate to Florida, Jonah retaliates, and the divorce begins to spiral dangerously out of control. Sherry, Hailey’s mother, will stop at almost nothing to keep Jonah from getting what he wants. Nate, Hailey’s impetuous and protective older brother, can’t stand to see his little sister suffer. And Solomon, the patriarch, is keeping a secret that threatens the stability and security Sherry has worked so hard to maintain. Soon, they are forced to reckon with who they are as individuals and as a family, and just how far they will go for each other.
Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster | 9781668061633

WHY WE READ: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed (Literary Criticism/Essays)
We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and, perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human. Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In WHY WE READ, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students.
Hanover Square Press | 9781335453518

On Sale the Week of February 9th in Hardcover

February 9th

CROSS AND SAMPSON: An Alex Cross and John Sampson Thriller by James Patterson and Brian Sitts (Thriller)
Metro PD detective John Sampson stands in a crater in the middle of a DC street, calling in the bomb squad. “Dispatch, this is Sampson. Contact the FBI and the ATF. We’ve got a suspected terrorist attack here.” In Chapel Hill, NC, Alex Cross searches the apartment of a missing psychology grad student --- his own son, Damon. Has following in his famous father’s footsteps made Damon a target? From FBI headquarters, in police stations, on airplanes, and at murder scenes, the detectives track crimes committed hundreds of miles apart. It will take more than distance to weaken the partnership of Sampson & Cross.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316599849 

February 10th

AND THE CROWD WENT WILD: A Chicago Stars Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Romantic Comedy)
After a mortifying --- and very public --- humiliation, Dancy Flynn is desperate to find sanctuary far from the crowd. But where can a washed-up sex symbol hide? How about making an unannounced appearance at the secluded lake house of the sweet, sensitive high school boyfriend she hasn’t seen in almost 20 years? Chicago Stars quarterback Clint Garrett is still holding a massive grudge against Dancy for breaking his teenage heart. With no room in his life for either complexity or distractions, he banishes her to a refurbished old railroad caboose tucked away in the woods. Dancy’s efforts to rebuild her career clash with Clint’s desperation to regain his focus, all made more challenging by a rescue dog, a local woman in trouble, a meddling mother, an ex with an agenda…and the sizzle of rekindled emotions.
Avon | 9780063248625 

ANTIHERO: An Orphan X Novel by Gregg Hurwitz (Thriller)
Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn. When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world, has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to help him. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help --- and sets out finding the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods --- no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides.
Minotaur Books | 9781250871770 

A BETTER LIFE by Lionel Shriver (Fiction)
Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son, Nico, in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city program that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is skeptical. A classic live-at-home Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents any interruption of his “hovercraft repose.” As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico’s sisters, while finding her way into Gloria’s heart and even, briefly, Nico’s. But as Martine’s disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico conceives a dark twin hostile to both his mother’s altruism and the “migrant crisis” in general --- and turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself.
Harper | 9780063482142 

THE BODY by Bethany C. Morrow (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Mavis broke from her parents’ congregation years ago, but she still hasn’t recovered. Their impossible expectations and soul-shredding critiques have dug deep into her mind, and she’s taunted by the knowledge that even when she’s done nothing wrong, she’ll never be right. Now Mavis is afraid she’s about to lose the only thing she has: her husband, Jerrod. No one thinks she deserves him --- not even after surviving the serial cheater they wanted her to stick by --- and soon they’ll all find out they were right. Mavis is already unraveling when a brush with death shows her what real fear looks like. Soon, she’s under constant attack from all directions. As the assaults turn increasingly vicious and bizarre, Mavis realizes that Hell isn’t reserved for the afterlife. And sinner or not, no one is coming to save her.
Tor Nightfire | 9781250392121

COLD ZERO by Brad Thor, with Ward Larsen (Political Thriller)
Hemisphere Airlines Flight 777 --- the most advanced jetliner ever built --- disappears without a trace over the North Pole. Crippled by sabotage, it crash-lands on the ice, stranding the surviving passengers in a wasteland of frigid cold and chaos. The real storm, however, is still coming. Hidden inside the wreckage is the prototype for a revolutionary piece of technology that could upend the balance of world power. Now Washington, Moscow and Beijing are racing to be the first on scene to retrieve it --- at any cost. Trapped in the middle of the world’s most dangerous flashpoint are CIA operative Kasey Sheridan and former fighter pilot turned first officer Brett Sharpe. Hunted by enemy forces, they must spirit both the device and its creator across the ice to safety --- before rival superpowers turn the Arctic into a war zone.
Atria/Emily Bestler Books | 9781668066379 

DEAD FIRST by Johnny Compton (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
When private investigator Shyla Sinclair is invited to the looming mansion of eccentric billionaire Saxton Braith, she’s more than a little suspicious. The last thing she expects to see that night is Braith’s assistant driving an iron rod straight through the back of his skull. Scratch that --- the last thing she expects to see is Braith’s resurrection afterward. Braith can’t die, it turns out, but he has no explanation for his immortality, and very few intact memories of his past. Which is why he wants to pay Shyla millions to investigate him and bring his long-buried history to light. Shyla can’t help but be intrigued, but she’s also trapped by the offer. Braith has made it clear that he knows she’s the only person he can trust with his secret, because he knows all about hers.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593854310 

DEATH OF A GROOM: A Hamish Macbeth Murder Mystery by M. C. Beaton, with R.W. Green (Mystery)
It is February, and the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh is dealing with heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Sergeant Hamish Macbeth can handle the weather, but with a surprise influx of high-society visitors for a Valentine's Day wedding at Tommel Castle Hotel, he has bigger problems. The guest list includes not one, but two women from his own romantic past! And Hamish isn't the only one disrupted by the arrival of the wedding party. The groom --- the supposedly suave and sophisticated Darius Palmerston --- is involved in a series of incidents in the local pub. Tensions between guests and villagers escalate until, shortly after the lavish wedding ceremony, a body is found in the hotel dining room. The gruesome killing means Hamish suddenly has a murder investigation on his hands, one with a very long list of suspects.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538774755 

ERADICATION: A Fable by Jonathan Miles (Fiction)
Reeling from tragedy, a former jazz musician turned schoolteacher named Adi answers a job listing advertising a chance to save the world. The assignment: to spend five weeks alone on the tiny, isolated Pacific Island of Santa Flora righting an ecological balance that has gone severely out of whack, with the aim of preserving countless bird and plant species from certain extinction. What follows, however, is anything but balanced. The threats to the once-Edenic island, Adi soon learns, aren’t exactly what his employers said they were --- and, complicating things further, he discovers he’s not alone on the island. Fearful for his own life, and for the fate of the island's, Adi spends his sun-drenched days rooting out the true threat to Santa Flora, and, by extension, to the world it occupies --- and the desperate steps he must take to eradicate it.
Doubleday | 9780385551915 

THE FINAL PROBLEM written by Arturo Perez-Reverte, translated by Frances Riddle (Historical Mystery)
June 1960. Rough weather at sea leaves a group of strangers stranded on the idyllic Greek island of Utakos, all guests of the only local hotel. Edith Mander, a quiet British tourist, is found dead inside a beach cabana. What appears at first glance to be a clear suicide reveals possible signs of foul play to Ormond Basil, an out-of-work but still well-known actor who in his glory days portrayed the most celebrated detective of all time. Accustomed to seeing him display Sherlock Holmes’ amazing powers of deduction on the big screen, the other guests believe that the actor is the best equipped to uncover the truth. But when a second body is discovered, there is not a doubt in Basil’s mind: a murderer walks among them. What’s more, the killer is staging each crime as a performance, leaving complex clues that bear an eerie resemblance to those found in the pages of Arthur Conan Doyle stories.
Mulholland Books | 9780316594349 

FIREFLIES IN WINTER by Eleanor Shearer (Historical Fiction)
Nova Scotia, 1796. Cora, an orphan newly arrived from Jamaica, has never felt cold like this. In the depths of winter, everyone in her community huddles together in their homes to keep warm. So when she sees a shadow slipping through the trees, Cora thinks her eyes are deceiving her...until she creeps out into the moonlight and finds the tracks in the snow. Agnes is in hiding. On the run from her former life, she has learned what it takes to survive alone in the wilderness. But she can afford no mistakes. When she first spies the young woman in the woods, she is afraid. Yet Cora is fearless, and their paths are destined to cross. Deep among the cedars, Cora and Agnes find a fragile place of safety. But when Agnes’ past closes in, they are confronted with the dangerous price of freedom --- and of love.
Berkley | 9780593548073 

THE HADACOL BOOGIE: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke (Thriller)
When a cloaked, disfigured man leaves a dead woman in a garbage bag on Dave Robicheaux’s property, he knows his world and family are about to change. With Valerie Benoit, a detective new to the Iberia Parish Sheriff's Department who is grappling with sexist and racist harassment from their colleagues, and the volatile but fiercely loyal Clete Purcel, Dave embarks on an investigation that brings him into the most dangerous moments of his career and threatens the lives of Valerie and his daughter, Alafair. He encounters a local handyman who leaves cryptic notes and warns of the ghosts who roam the shores of the bayou and is targeted by a vicious New Orleans button man and gangsters from the north.
Atlantic Crime | 9780802166609

HANNIBAL LECTER: A Life by Brian Raftery (Performing Arts/Biography) 
This unique biography traces the many lives and crimes of Hannibal Lecter: his disturbing debut in Thomas Harris’ 1981 novel, RED DRAGON; his rise to infamy in beloved films like Michael Mann’s Manhunter and Jonathan Demme’s Academy Award–winning The Silence of the Lambs; and his unexpected comeback in the cult-hit TV series "Hannibal." It also dives into the untold life and career of Harris, the secretive bestselling author whose passion for reporting, eye for grisly detail, and connections to the FBI helped birth not only Lecter, but also the modern true-crime genre. Along the way, the book documents the many ways that Lecter’s rise reflected America’s ever-growing obsession with real-life serial killers.
Simon & Schuster | 9781668070581 

I HOPE YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR by Bsrat Mezghebe (Fiction)
The year is 1991. Eritrea is on the verge of liberation from Ethiopian rule, and in Washington, D.C.’s tight-knit Eritrean community, change is in the air. Thirteen-year-old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace after decades of war might mean for their future, just as they welcome Berekhet --- a distant cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school in the States. With him comes a barrage of new ideas that Lydia must confront for the first time, about the stories of nationhood and family she was raised on. Meanwhile, her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi, must grapple with regrets long buried in the time their country has been at war.
Liveright | 9781324092490 

THE JILLS by Karen Parkman (Fiction)
Virginia is a Jill --- a cheerleader for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills --- living the life of her dreams: she spends her weekdays practicing, her weekends cheering, and her nights hopping between bars and clubs with her teammates, including the fearless, charismatic Jeanine, whose friendship has given Virginia confidence in spades and helped her forget her troubled past with her estranged sister, Laura. One Sunday, Jeanine fails to show up for a game, and calls and texts to her go unanswered. Virginia embarks on an investigation into Jeanine’s disappearance, aided by a network of Jills, ex-boyfriends, seedy fixtures of Buffalo’s criminal underground, and unexpected figures from her past. But as her search grows increasingly dangerous and spirals into obsession, disturbing questions about who Jeanine really was begin to emerge.
Ballantine Books | 9780593982921 

KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN by Sadeqa Johnson (Historical Fiction)
Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children of German women and Black American GIs, Ethel feels compelled to help find these children homes. Philadelphia-born Ozzie Phillips volunteers for the recently desegregated army in 1948. While serving in Manheim, Germany, he meets a local woman, Jelka, and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever. In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all-white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. While at the school, she discovers a secret that upends her world and sends her on a quest to unravel her own identity. KEEPER OF LOST CHILDREN explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives.
37 Ink | 9781668069912 

THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD: Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg ― and the Battle for the Soul of American Cinema by Paul Fischer (Performing Arts/Biography)
In the summer of 1967, as the old Hollywood studio system was dying, an intense, uncompromising young film school graduate named George Lucas walked onto the Warner Bros. backlot for his first day working as an assistant to another up-and-coming, largely unknown filmmaker, Francis Ford Coppola. At the exact same time, across town on the Universal Studios lot, a film-obsessed 20-year-old, Steven Spielberg, longed to break free from his apprenticeship for the struggling studio and become a film director in his own right. Within a year, the three men would become friends. THE LAST KINGS OF HOLLYWOOD tells the thrilling, dramatic inside story of how the three filmmakers rivalled and supported each other, fell out and reconciled, and struggled to reinvent popular American cinema.
Celadon Books | 9781250878724 

THE NAVIGATOR'S LETTER: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together by Jan Cress Dondi (History) 
One of the riskiest air raids of World War II occurred on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania --- Nazi Germany’s primary fuel source. The Allies believed that the destruction of Hitler’s oil refineries would shorten the war. Using an untested strategy, it was worth the gamble, but the mission did not go according to plan. With 53 aircraft and 532 crewmen lost, it was the costliest US air raid of the war. A true story, THE NAVIGATOR'S LETTER is a tale of uncanny coincidences: two friends from the same small Illinois town; both joined the Air Corps; both became navigators; both were assigned to B-24 Liberators; both flew missions over Europe; both of their planes were forced down over Ploesti; and both went missing in action.
Union Square & Co. | 9781454956358 

OPERATION BOUNCE HOUSE by Matt Dinniman (Science Fiction/Adventure)
All colonist Oliver Lewis ever wanted to do was run the family ranch with his sister and keep his family’s aging fleet of intelligent agriculture bots ticking as long as possible. He figures it will be a good thing when the transfer gate finally opens all the way and restores instant travel and full communication between Earth and his planet, New Sonora. Even though the settlers were promised they’d be left in peace, Earth’s government now has other plans. The colossal Apex Industries is hired to commence an “eviction action.” But maximizing profits will always be Apex’s number one priority. Why not charge bored Earthers for the opportunity to design their own war machines and remotely pilot them from the comfort of their homes? Oliver and his friends soon find themselves fighting for their lives against machines piloted by gamers who’ve paid a premium for the privilege.
Ace | 9780593820308

ROBERT B. PARKER'S BIG SHOT: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth (Mystery)
Fresh off an acquittal in a multibillion-dollar fraud case, Ramsey Devlin doesn’t think the law applies to him. This becomes apparent when Police Chief Jesse Stone finds him passed out, drunk, and on the side of the road. After Devlin takes a swing at him and Jesse swiftly dumps him in the drunk tank, Jesse realizes he’s made an enemy. Devlin makes it his life’s mission to use his money and influence to provoke Jesse. And thanks to a few big campaign donations, he has Jesse’s nemesis, Gary Armistead, the mayor of Paradise, on his side. Devlin even has Molly Crane, Jesse’s deputy chief, wanting to act on her violent urges. Jesse has every reason to want Devlin out of his town. But when he vanishes, and bloodstains are found on the carpet of his monstrous seaside mansion, Jesse finds himself the main suspect in Devlin’s disappearance.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593854372 

ROYAL SPIN by Omid Scobie and Robin Benway (Fiction)
With the British monarchy reeling from a wave of scandals, young American politico Lauren Morgan is plucked from the White House press office to breathe new life into the Buckingham Palace communications team and improve the royal family’s streak of bad headlines. But Lauren quickly discovers that change is far from easy, or welcome, especially when you’re dealing with culture clashes, displeased royal aides, and a risky new love interest --- or two. Just as Lauren finds her footing at work --- and with a charming royal reporter who may be more than just a press contact --- an unexpected encounter from her past threatens the career she’s worked so hard to build. And when scandal looms over the dashing duke who Lauren has developed a special bond with, she finds herself torn between duty, loyalty, success and happiness.
William Morrow | 9780063424807

THIS IS NOT ABOUT US by Allegra Goodman (Fiction)
When their beloved sister passes away, Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein are unmoored. A misunderstanding about apple cake turns into a decade of stubborn silence. Busy with their own lives --- divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs and ballet recitals --- their children do not want to get involved. As for their grandchildren? Impossible. THIS IS NOT ABOUT US is a story of growing up and growing old, the weight of parental expectations, and the complex connection between sisters.
The Dial Press | 9780593447840 

THE WAR WITHIN A WAR: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home by Wil Haygood (History)
Drawing on the lives of soldiers and officers, doctors and nurses, journalists and activists, artists and politicians, Wil Haygood illuminates a generation caught between two battles: one on the front lines in Vietnam and another for justice and dignity in America. Among those at the heart of the story are Air Force pilot Fred Cherry, the first Black officer captured by the North Vietnamese and a hero to millions back home; and Elbert Nelson, a doctor who came to Vietnam after watching TV footage of the Watts riots in Los Angeles and soon found himself amid rising Black soldier protests overseas. Surrounding their experiences are the cultural and political forces of the era, including Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy and Lyndon Johnson, whose voices and actions shaped a decade of turbulence and transformation.
Knopf | 9780593537695 

WARNING SIGNS by Tracy Sierra (Psychological Thriller/Horror)
Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. Schooled in outdoor survival by his mother, Zach is eager to prove himself to the hypercritical Bram. Maybe if Zach shows how useful he is, he can earn his father’s love. But Zach knows to be on high alert around Bram, and he sees the way the group ignores the increasingly threatening conditions. For the first time in his beloved mountains, he is faced with the unknown, convinced that something watches their cabin from the treeline. Something that leaves behind strange tracks and picks its prey clean. As the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized.
Pamela Dorman Books | 9798217059799 

THE WIDOW HAMILTON: An Eliza Hamilton Mystery by Mollie Ann Cox (Historical Mystery)
It’s December 1805, and Eliza Hamilton is determined to seek justice. One young woman is dead, another has vanished --- both residents of a house where Eliza’s friend, Alice, lives among other craftswomen struggling to survive in a city unforgiving toward widows and orphans. With no help from the constabulary because the young woman’s body was found in a bad part of town --- and was dressed as a man --- Eliza vows to protect the women and uncover the truth. She suspects a connection between the death and the disappearance, especially given that the young lady who disappeared went missing while searching for the woman who was later found dead. As Eliza traces their last known steps, she unearths a hidden world of dangerous secrets lurking beneath the city --- secrets that could tear apart everything she holds dear.
Crooked Lane Books | 9798892423915

On Sale the Week of February 9th in Paperback

February 10th

CASUALTIES OF TRUTH by Lauren Francis-Sharma (Fiction)
Prudence Wright and her husband, Davis, head out for dinner with one of Davis’ new colleagues. When that colleague turns out to be Matshediso, a man from Prudence’s past, she is transported back to the formative months she spent as a law student in South Africa in 1996. As an intern at a Johannesburg law firm, Prudence attended sessions of the Truth and Reconciliation hearings that uncovered the many horrors and human rights abuses of the Apartheid state. Prudence experienced personal horrors in South Africa as well, long hidden and now at risk of coming to light. When Matshediso finally reveals the real reason behind his sudden reappearance, he will force Prudence to examine her most deeply held beliefs and excavate inner reserves of resilience and strength.
Grove Press | 9780802166555

EVERY TOM, DICK & HARRY by Elinor Lipman (Romantic Comedy)
Taking over her parents’ estate-sale business is not the life’s work that Emma Lewis bargained for. Yes, she grew up helping them empty people’s nests, but nothing prepared her for her biggest and stickiest “get” --- the grand, beautiful house of ill repute masquerading as a decidedly beddable B&B. Should Emma turn down potential clients in need of decluttering just because they are shady, escort-y and proud of it? No. A girl must make a living.
Harper Perennial | 9780063322264

FINLAY DONOVAN DIGS HER OWN GRAVE by Elle Cosimano (Mystery/Humor)
Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go…except Finlay’s house, right across the street. Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case --- or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. However, when the focus of the investigation widens to include Finlay’s ex-husband, Steven, Finlay and Vero are left with little choice but to get closer to Mrs. Haggerty and uncover her secrets…before the police start digging up theirs. But who will solve the mystery first?
Minotaur Books | 9781250337368

THE FOURTH PRINCESS: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang
(Gothic/Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her. Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’ mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063308121

GREAT BLACK HOPE by Rob Franklin (Fiction)
An arrest for cocaine possession on the last day of a sweltering New York summer leaves Smith, a queer Black Stanford graduate, in a state of turmoil as he is pulled into the court system and mandated treatment. It’s just weeks after the death of his beloved roommate, Elle, the daughter of a famous soul singer, and he’s still reeling from the tabloid spectacle --- as well as lingering questions around how well he really knew his closest friend. He flees to his hometown of Atlanta, only to buckle under the weight of expectations from his family of doctors and lawyers and their history in America. But when Smith returns to New York, it’s not long before he begins to lose himself to his old life --- drawn back into the city’s underworld, where his search for answers may end up costing him his freedom and his future.
S&S/Summit Books | 9781668077443

INSIGNIFICANT OTHERS by Sarah Jio (Romance/Magical Realism)
Lena Westbrook has carefully planned and orchestrated every detail of her life. So when her boyfriend of two years breaks up with her on the night she expects him to propose, she’s heartbroken and confused. Lena flees to her beloved aunt’s home on Seattle’s picturesque Bainbridge Island to lick her wounds. But when she awakens the next morning, she is shocked to find herself in Paris --- in bed with a handsome French man who seems to think that Lena is his wife. Each time Lena awakens, she finds herself somewhere else with someone else. In each experience, she’s given a glimpse of what life might have looked like had she chosen the “road not taken.” And as she becomes more clear-sighted about her past decisions, Lena begins to wonder if any of these former romantic encounters are actually...significant.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063371163

JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by RoseMarie Terenzio and Liz McNeil (Biography)
The first oral biography of John F. Kennedy Jr. is an extraordinarily intimate, comprehensive look at the real man behind the myth. Sharing never-before-told stories and insights, his closest friends, confidantes, lovers, classmates, teachers and colleagues paint a vivid portrait of one of the most beloved figures of the 20th century, revealing how the boy who saluted became the man America came to know and love who still captures public imagination 25 years after his tragic death. JFK JR. dives deep into his complicated psyche and explores the what-ifs, illuminating both the cultural and political moment he inhabited and the way this son of a president, so full of promise and possibility, embodied America’s most cherished hopes.
Gallery Books | 9781668018521

THE LOTUS SHOES by Jane Yang (Historical Fiction)
1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant --- a muizai --- to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower's escape. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but also her life. If Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
Park Row | 9780778310686

OUR BEAUTIFUL MESS by Adele Parks (Domestic Thriller)
Paperback Original
Connie can’t wait to have all her daughters back home for Christmas. It’s not just the excitement of the girls being together under one roof; uni student Fran is bringing a new boyfriend to stay. Yet from the moment she sees Zac, Connie feels a deep unease. Zac reminds her of the worst mistake she has ever made: a man whose charm and good looks nearly destroyed her marriage. Then, Fran announces she’s pregnant. Reeling from Fran’s news and terrified that her past might threaten her family’s future, Connie desperately tries to navigate a path forward. But there’s a much greater menace looming, because she’s not the only one who has something to hide. Someone in the house has another devastating secret. A deception that will put everyone Connie loves in shocking danger, and one of them will pay the ultimate price.
Park Row | 9780778387305

OURS IS A TALE OF MURDER by Nora Murphy (Domestic Thriller)
Paperback Original
Klara never wanted the house with the white picket fence. Troy never wanted anything else. Nothing is quite right with this happy couple, but isn't every home hiding something? Mary, the mother in the blue house, is cleaning out her son's old room before she sells, haunted by the mistakes of her past and afraid of what her home has become. Henry, freshly laid off and back living with his parents, has plenty of time to watch everyone --- especially wives. He knows something is wrong with the couple across the street. But then, nothing is quite what it seems, and sometimes you miss what's right in front of you. Murder will soon thread its way through this world in ways no one will see coming --- unless you've been the one plotting it all along.
Sourcebooks Landmark | 9781464250880

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 Griffin | 9781250777218

SEEKING SHELTER: A Working Mother, Her Children, and a Story of Homelessness in America by Jeff Hobbs (Biography/Social Science)
In 2018, poverty and domestic violence cast Evelyn and her children into the urban wilderness of Los Angeles, where she avoids the family crisis network that offers no clear pathway for her children to remain together and in a decent school. For the next five years, Evelyn works full time as a waitress --- yet remains unable to afford legitimate housing or qualify for government aid. All the while, she delivers her children to school every day and strives to provide them with loving memories and college aspirations. Eventually Evelyn encounters Wendi, a recently trained social worker who, decades earlier, survived her own relationship trauma and housing crisis. Evelyn becomes one of Wendi’s first clients, and the relationship transforms them both.
Scribner | 9781668034835

THE SNOWBIRDS by Christina Clancy (Fiction)
A couple for 30 years, Kim and Grant’s "separate but together" partnership is running up against the realities of late middle age: Grant’s mother has died, the college where he taught philosophy was shuttered, and their twin girls are grown and gone. Escaping the bitter cold of a Midwestern winter for the hot desert sun of Palm Springs seems as good a solution as any to the more intractable problems they face. When they arrive at Le Desert, a quirky condo community, Kim immediately embraces the opportunity to make new friends and explore a more adventurous side of her personality. Meanwhile, Grant struggles to find his footing in this unfamiliar landscape. When Grant goes missing on a hike in the Palm Springs mountains, Kim is forced to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he has really left her.
St. Martin’s Griffin | 9781250872104

SO, I MET THIS GUY by Alexandra Potter (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Maggie thinks she’s finally found the love of her life. Theo is charming, passionate and crazy about her. So when Theo mysteriously disappears, Maggie certainly doesn’t expect that he’s gone for good --- let alone stolen her life savings, heart and self-esteem. Now she’s living in a caravan in a muddy field in the middle of nowhere, left to pick up the pieces. When junior reporter Flick catches wind of the story, she decides that exposing the romance fraudster may be just the career break she needs. The pair embark on the road trip of their lives, where unexpected twists, hidden secrets and hard truths are revealed. And, as an unlikely friendship begins to blossom, they realize it’s not just about finding the guy, it’s about finding themselves.
Zibby Publishing | 9798992377033

STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL by Charlotte Wood (Fiction)
Burnt out and in need of retreat, a middle-aged woman leaves Sydney to return to the place she grew up, taking refuge in a small religious community hidden away on the stark plains of rural Australia. She doesn't believe in God, or know what prayer is, and finds herself living this strange, reclusive existence almost by accident. But disquiet interrupts this secluded life with three visitations. First comes a terrible mouse plague, each day signaling a new battle against the rising infestation. Second is the return of the skeletal remains of a sister who disappeared decades before, presumed murdered. And finally, a troubling visitor plunges the narrator further back into her past.
Riverhead Books | 9798217047369

STUART WOODS’ FINDERS KEEPERS: A Stone Barrington Novel by Brett Battles (Thriller/Adventure)
After attending an Arrington properties meeting at the group’s newest location, The Vineyard Arrington on Martha's Vineyard, Stone Barrington returns to New York City to catch up with his old friend, Jack Coulter. Over lunch, Jack requests Stone’s help in settling his niece, Sara, into city life post-divorce. Always one to please, Stone takes Sara under his wing. But when various men from Sara’s past start getting hurt, and Jack’s loved ones find themselves a target in a deadly scheme, it’s up to Stone to put the pieces together...before the shrouded conspirer manages to tear them all apart, permanently.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780593854723

SUBATOMIC LOVE by Shannon Kirk (Science Fiction/Romantic Suspense)
Paperback Original
In the final seconds before the Pointe Reason nuclear reactor explodes around them in October 1971, Dr. Cecilia Ribold makes a conscious choice: to defy death itself. She, her true love Mitch, and her best friend and fellow physicist Dawn vow to find each other across lifetimes. Now, half a century later, they are each fully entrenched in their subsequent lives. Ceclia, now known as Vienna, finds Mitch, now Marcello, in a fateful encounter. Hoping to express her agonizing love for him, while also sending a warning to a culprit she partly blames for the Pointe Reason disaster, she publishes a novel containing details no one could possibly know about the meltdown --- unless they'd been there. The novel attracts her old friend Dawn, now Darcey, but also the dangerous attention of the perpetrators of the original disaster and the government who sees directed reincarnation as a valuable weapon.
Koehler Books | 9798888249567

THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY by Kate Fagan (Fiction)
Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend, Amanda, dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams, and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.
Atria Books | 9781668076224

TWO CAN PLAY by Ali Hazelwood (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her --- and Viola has no idea why. When their bosses insist a wintry retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you. But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.
Berkley | 9798217192335

WAITING FOR THE LONG NIGHT MOON: Stories by Amanda Peters (Fiction/Short Stories)
In her debut collection of short fiction, Amanda Peters melds traditional storytelling with beautiful, spare prose to describe the dignity of the traditional way of life, the humiliations of systemic racism, and the resilient power to endure. A young man returns from residential school only to realize he no longer can communicate with his own parents. A grieving mother finds purpose and healing on the front lines as a water protector. And a nervous child dances in her first Mawi’omi. The collection also includes the Indigenous Voices Award-winning and title story “Waiting for the Long Night Moon.” At times sad, sometimes disturbing but always redemptive, these stories will remind you that where there is grief there is also joy, where there is trauma there is resilience, and, most importantly, there is power.
Catapult ‎| 9781646223213

WE ALL LIVE HERE by Jojo Moyes (Fiction)
Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Her career is in freefall, and her love life is…complicated. So when Lila’s real dad --- a man she barely has seen since he ran off to Hollywood 35 years ago --- suddenly appears on her doorstep, it feels like the final straw. But it turns out that even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, and what it actually means to be family.
Penguin Books | 9781984879349

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 | 9781250348432

WORLD'S EDGE: A Mosaic Novel by James Sallis (Dystopian/Science Fiction)
Paperback Original
In a not-so-distant future, the United States has fragmented, balkanizing into unstable provinces often at war with one another. Americans, their great promise not so much lost as forfeited, are encountering the terrors and devastation so much of the world lives with daily. Throughout a land littered with refugees, ruins, orphaned children, soldiers, militia and fugitives, people go on about their daily lives as best they can. The five linked stories of WORLD’S EDGE track the false starts and stall-outs of a nation and civilization trying to rise again, to rebuild, and of individuals caught up in that rebirthing. As ever, the only true history lies in the story of individual lives, in the old rag and bone shop of our hearts.
Soho Press | 9781641298261

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