February 24, 2026

February 24, 2026

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In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of February 23rd and March 2nd that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our current Word of Mouth contest. Let us know by Friday, March 6th at noon ET what books you’ve read, and you’ll have a chance to win KIN by Tayari Jones, which is this month's Oprah's Book Club pick, and MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quindlen.

Join Us THIS Thursday Evening for Our
Book Group Event with Lily King!

This Week's Bonus News:
Bookreporter.com's Word of Mouth Contest
Win a Copy of KIN by Tayari Jones
and MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quindlen

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are four 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 25th at 6pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble - Union Square in New York City as they welcome New York Times bestselling author Michael Pollan to discuss his new book, A WORLD APPEARS, a panoptic exploration of consciousness --- what it is, who has it, and why --- and a meditation on the essence of our humanity.

Wednesday, February 25th at 7pm ET: “Friends & Fiction”: Join “Friends & Fiction” for a conversation with Terah Shelton Harris about her latest novel, WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW, a poignant story of survival and redemption that questions what it means to stop existing and start living.

Thursday, February 26th at 8pm ET: "Bookaccino Live" Book Group: Carol Fitzgerald will talk to Lily King about her instant New York Times bestseller, HEART THE LOVER, which is a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Lily also will answer questions from guests who will be “on stage,” as well as from other members of the audience.

Tuesday, March 3rd at 9pm ET: Killer Author Club: Kimberly Belle, Heather Gudenkauf and Kaira Rouda will talk to Danielle Girard about her new novel, PINKY SWEAR. This pulse-pounding thriller is about a young woman whose surrogate disappears just days before the baby’s due date, leading to a frantic search that uncovers dark truths and the power of a mother’s love. 

On Sale the Week of February 23rd in Hardcover

February 24th

BEST BOY by Deborah Goodrich Royce (Psychological Thriller)
Viveca Stevenson has it all: a handsome and successful husband, an adorable 10-year-old son, and a coastal dream house in Greenwich, Connecticut. She has a solid group of girlfriends and is content with the afterglow of the film career she’s left behind. But when a threatening letter arrives --- from a man she does not remember --- it cracks open a part of her past she thought was buried for good. A terrifying chain of events is set in motion, forcing Viveca to confront what happened on a shattering Halloween night in high school when she had a different name, a different face and a different voice. Who is the man contacting her now, and was he really the best boy on her most famous film, Misty? Why can’t she remember him --- or that night?
Post Hill Press | 9798895653340 

BRAWLER: Stories by Lauren Groff (Fiction/Short Stories)
Ranging from the 1950s to the present day and moving across age, class and region --- from New England to Florida to California --- these nine stories reflect and expand upon a shared theme: the ceaseless battle between humans’ dark and light angels. “In every human there is both an animal and a god wrestling unto death,“ one character tells us. Among those we see caught in this match are a young woman suddenly responsible for her disabled sibling, a hot-tempered high school swimmer in need of an adult, a mother blinded by the loss of her family, and a banking scion endowed with a different kind of inheritance. Motivated by love, impeded by the double edges of other peoples’ good intentions, they try to do the right thing for as long as they can.
Riverhead Books | 9780593418420 

CLEOPATRA by Saara El-Arifi (Historical Fiction)
You know my name, but you do not know me. Your historians call me seductress, but I was ever in love's thrall. Your playwrights speak of witchcraft, but my talents came from the gods themselves. Your poets sing of my bloodlust, but I was always protecting my children. How willfully they refuse to concede that a woman could be powerful, strategic and divinely blessed to rule. Death will silence me no longer. This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived.
Ballantine Books | 9780593875643 

THE CROSSROADS: A Joe Pickett Novel by C. J. Box (Mystery/Thriller)
Marybeth Pickett gets the call she has always dreaded: her husband, Joe, is in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. Joe was found in his pickup at Antler Creek Junction, a crossroads connecting three ranches. Each road leading to a dangerous family. Each family with a different bone to pick with the local game warden. Marybeth and the new sheriff assume that Joe was ambushed by one of the families, but they have no idea which one since Joe didn’t say where he was going or why. With Joe unconscious and fighting for his life with Marybeth at his side, Sheridan, April and Lucy split up and investigate each of the families to uncover the truth of what happened to their father before it’s too late.
G.P. Putnam's Sons | 9780593851098 

CROWN CITY: A Japantown Mystery by Naomi Hirahara (Historical Mystery)
Pasadena, 1903: Eighteen-year-old Ryunosuke “Ryui” Wada staggers off the boat from Yokohama, Japan, ready to reinvent himself after the untimely deaths of his parents. He does his best to settle into his work as an art dealer’s apprentice while adjusting to his new home. From his enigmatic photographer roommate, Jack, to the beautiful seamstress living downstairs, Ryui finds himself surrounded by colorful characters and unbelievable opportunities and is soon utterly swept up in all that “Crown City” has to offer. But tensions are seething under Pasadena’s bustling prosperity. Ryui is the victim of an anti-Japanese attack, and a painting is stolen from the studio of Toshio Aoki, Pasadena’s most successful Japanese artist, who then hires Ryui and Jack to investigate. It’s not long before their sleuthing leads them into real danger.
Soho Press | 9781641296083 

DOLLFACE by Lindy Ryan (Horror)
Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug. You know. Make some real friends. But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time. The police are incredulous. The moms are indignant. And Jill is slowly wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree, until she just might be the last woman standing.
Minotaur Books | 9781250888914

ENCOUNTERS WITH UNEXPECTED ANIMALS: Stories by Bret Anthony Johnston (Fiction/Short Stories)
ENCOUNTERS WITH UNEXPECTED ANIMALS takes readers deep into the heart of bestselling author Bret Anthony Johnston’s home state of Texas, where teenagers search for love, parents grasp at connections with their children, and animals --- real or imagined, familiar or unexpected --- are reminders of the mystery, danger and beauty of being alive. In “Caiman,” a father buys a baby alligator in hopes of keeping his family safe. In “Soldier of Fortune,” a teenage boy dog-sits for his neighbors after tragedy strikes, and his innocent snooping uncovers the family’s most guarded secret. And in the luminous “Half of What Atlee Rouse Knows About Horses,” an elderly man’s heart is laid bare with the raw and breathtaking power of wild horses.
Random House | 9780399590153 

THE GIRLS BEFORE by Kate Alice Marshall (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
Stranger is trapped in the dark, with only her imagination and the scribbles on the wall left by long-dead girls to keep her company. Nearly out of food and water, she makes one last attempt to escape. Audrey is a search-and-rescue expert who never stopped looking for her ex-best friend, Janie, who disappeared when they were teenagers. Janie used to love the local legend of a forest witch who saves girls from bad men, but Audrey knows now that for every one saved, there’s always another one lost. When she stumbles upon evidence in the forest that a teenage runaway might have actually been kidnapped from land belonging to the town’s most prominent family, she will have to dig through decades of secrets to reveal the biggest one of all: what happened to the girls before.
Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar | 9781250343086 

A GOOD ANIMAL by Sara Maurer (Fiction)
In the farm country outside Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan --- a border town where life moves slow and dreams run fast --- most kids want out. Not Everett Lindt. He’s set on staying put, rebuilding his family’s sheep farm, and carving a future from the land he loves. Then he meets Mary, a new girl in town with restless energy and bigger plans. When their relationship reaches a crossroads, Everett sees a life together. Mary, however, is desperate to find a way out. Together, they make an impulsive choice --- one that could change everything.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250383563 

THE HEIR OF WHITESTONE by Catherine Coulter (Historical Mystery/Romance)
Alex Ivanov is a brilliant young innovator, designing cutting-edge train engines. But Alex isn’t really Alex Ivanov. As a boy, he was pulled from the Thames with no memory of who he was. Rescued and raised by the formidable Ryder Sherbrooke, Alex has built a new life, but his past is catching up with him. Lady Camilla Rohman has problems of her own. She is trapped by a scheming stepmother and a family determined to see her married off. When fate throws her into Alex’s path, their connection is undeniable. But as their whirlwind romance turns into marriage, danger follows. On their honeymoon, a series of deadly attacks make one thing clear --- someone wants Alex dead. As they race to uncover the truth, old enemies and long-buried secrets come to light, leading them to a shocking revelation that will change everything.
A John Scognamiglio Book | 9781496760890 

I GIVE YOU MY SILENCE written by Mario Vargas Llosa, translated by Adrian Nathan West (Fiction)
Toño Azpilcueta --- writer of sundry articles, aspirant to the now defunct professorship of Peruvian studies --- is an expert in the vals, a genre of music descended from the European waltz but rooted in New World Creole culture. When he hears a performance by the solitary and elusive guitarist Lalo Molfino, he is convinced not only that he is in the presence of the country’s finest musician, but that his own love for Peruvian music has a profound social function. If he could just write the biography of the man before him and tell the story of both the vals and its attendant inspiring ethos, huachafería (Peru’s most important contribution to world culture, according to Toño), he might capture his country’s soul and inspire his fellow citizens to remember the ties that bind them.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux | 9780374616250 

THE IRISH GOODBYE: Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly (Memoir)
What can we learn from an ordinary life observed with extraordinary skill? In THE IRISH GOODBYE, Beth Ann Fennelly writes of the small moments that shape a life, in the process dignifying the diminutive through the act of attention. Fennelly explores her roles as a friend, wife, mother and daughter, documenting a brush with an old flame or the devastating death of her sister in crystalline, precise sentences. The longer essays concern Fennelly’s relationships --- with a beloved mother-in-law, a decades-long friendship between five former college roommates, an artist who paints a series of nude portraits in Fennelly’s town, for which she poses. Interspersed between these longer memoirs are sections of flash nonfiction, a form Fennelly innovated in the genre-defying HEATING & COOLING. 
W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324117407 

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE: A Memoir by Marla Gibbs, with contributions by Malaika Adero (Memoir)
Marla Gibbs, the star of such classic television series as “The Jeffersons” and “227,” has been a Hollywood icon for generations of fans. Now, at 93, she chronicles her climb from a difficult youth in which she yearned for safety and love, to the high-stakes world of Hollywood where she became a confident powerbroker learning to work behind the scenes for fair pay, access, and more creative control for herself and her colleagues. Told in her forthright voice, IT’S NEVER TOO LATE illuminates Gibbs' daring move to Los Angeles to rebuild her life after an abusive marriage, how she became an actor, and how she eventually learned to balance acting with show running. 
Amistad | 9780063356634 

KIN by Tayari Jones (Fiction)
Vernice and Annie, two motherless daughters raised in Honeysuckle, Louisiana, have been best friends and neighbors since earliest childhood but are fated to live starkly different lives. Raised by a fierce aunt determined to give her a stable home in the wake of her mother’s death, Vernice leaves Honeysuckle at 18 for Spelman College, where she joins a sisterhood of powerfully connected Black women and discovers a world of affluence, manners, aspiration and inequality. Annie, abandoned by her mother as a child and fixated on the idea of finding her and filling the bottomless hole left by her absence, sets off on a journey that will take her into a world of peril and adversity, as well as love and adventure, culminating in a battle for her life.
Knopf | 9780525659181 

MORE THAN ENOUGH by Anna Quindlen (Fiction)
High school English teacher Polly Goodman can talk about everything and anything with the women in her book club, which is why they’ve become her closest friends and, along with her veterinarian husband, the bedrock of her life. Her students, her fraught relationship with her mother, her struggles with IVF --- Polly’s book club friends have heard about it all. But when they give Polly an ancestry test kit as a joke, the results match her with a stranger. It is clear to Polly that this match is a mistake, but still she cannot help but comb through her family history for answers. Then, when it seems that the book club circle of four will become three, Polly learns how friendships can change your life in the most profound ways.
Random House | 9780593734605 

NOWHERE BURNING by Catriona Ward (Psychological Thriller/Horror) 
Riley and her brother, Oliver, set off in the pitch-black night, fleeing their troubled home. They are heading for Nowhere --- an abandoned ranch, once the playground of its former eccentric movie-star owner, now a haven for runaways. What awaits could be the freedom they crave. But this mysterious clan guards dark secrets, and the scorched grounds hold the ghosts of the past. Riley quickly realizes that while she and Oliver may have escaped the devil they knew, something darker lurks in the burnt shell of Nowhere. Something that asks a terrible price for sanctuary.
Tor Nightfire | 9781250860057 

ONE OF US by Elizabeth Day (Fiction)
When Fliss, the eccentric grown daughter of the powerful Fitzmaurice clan, is found dead on a beach in Bali, what seems like a tragic accident stirs more suspicion than closure for those who have traded favors with --- and within --- her family for decades. There is Ben, Fliss’ brother, eager to minimize his sister’s passing, since it’s suddenly clear he’s next in line to be Prime Minister. And Martin --- Ben’s erstwhile best friend --- who is just happy that Fliss’ memorial gives him the chance to re-enter the Fitzmaurice orbit, seeking revenge and acceptance. Where does Richard Take, Ben's disgraced colleague who is determined to make his big comeback, fit in? And circling them all is Andrew Jarvis and his money: Has he been their loyal hero, or the one who has thrown his weight around just to keep them all in check?
Viking | 9798217061983 

THE OPTIMISTS by Brian Platzer (Fiction)
Mr. Keating is an extraordinary teacher: brilliant, dedicated, and possibly a few pages ahead in a book no one else is reading. He’s a magician, able to enchant 14-year-olds into a love of writing and literature. Yet no student has lived up to the promise of their potential more than Clara Hightower. Over the course of three decades, Clara goes from kindergarten thief to a high school genius, Silicon Valley celebrity, and, finally, animal rights activist turned terrorist. But to tell Clara’s story, Mr. Keating must tell his own, including his courtship and marriage, his dreams of writing and comedy, his days in the classroom in lower Manhattan and his rivalry and friendship with his head of school, and his eventual stroke and the isolation that follows.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316576956

THE RESERVATION by Rebecca Kauffman (Fiction)
On the morning of the most important booking in the long history of the celebrated restaurant, Aunt Orsa's erupts into chaos with the discovery that 22 ribeye steaks have been stolen. Hers is the most august of fine-dining establishments in this Midwestern college town, and tonight Orsa is set to host a large party honoring a very special guest --- a bestselling author of national renown. And what's up with the recent spate of online reviews, from insulting to frankly terrible? Is Orsa, who wants only to be loved, being sabotaged on several fronts? No one is above suspicion, not the Mennonite baker or the tattooed hard-ass chef de cuisine. Could the culprit be among the servers, or even the inexperienced undergrad working as hostess? 
Counterpoint | 9781640097483 

SAOIRSE by Charleen Hurtubise (Fiction)
In Michigan, Sarah’s childhood was defined by fear and silence. As a teenager, she saw a chance to escape and took it. Now, in 1999, she is an artist living on the rugged coast of Donegal, Ireland, where she is known as Saoirse (pronounced Sear-sha) --- a name that sounds like the sea and means freedom in the language of her adopted country. Her partner and two beloved daughters are regular subjects of her paintings, and together they have made the safe home she always longed for. But Saoirse's secrets haunt her. No one must learn of the identity she has stolen in order to survive; they cannot know of the dangers that she crossed an ocean to escape. When her artwork wins unexpected acclaim at a Dublin exhibition, the spotlight of fame threatens to unravel the careful lies that hold her world together.
Celadon Books | 9781250400642 

SHE THOUGHT SHE WAS SAFE by Terri Parlato (Domestic Thriller)
After the double blow of divorce and her mother’s death, Emma Shrader receives an invitation to meet her estranged father for the first time. Alex Spencer is a wealthy, renowned author who had a brief fling with Emma’s mom and then disappeared. Now he’d like Emma to come stay at his beautiful home on Cheshire Lake in Maine. The Spencer house is a towering Victorian steeped in history and lore. It should be an inspiring place for Emma to finish working on her own novel. But when a neighbor is found dead under strange circumstances, the surroundings begin to feel less idyllic and welcoming. Not everyone is happy about Emma’s arrival --- especially Alex’s other daughter, Sunny. What exactly has been going on in this quiet, close-knit community? And how much of it has to do with Emma’s arrival?
Kensington | 9781496755704 

TRUST NO ONE by James Rollins (Thriller/Adventure)
The ritualistic murder of a British professor at the University of Exeter points to a startling cast of suspects: his own students. All are enrolled in a postgraduate program covering the history of witchcraft, folklore and spiritualism. All evidence points to Sharyn Karr, an American student. Prior to the professor’s death, he had thrust a centuries-old book upon her. It appears to be the handwritten and encrypted diary of an 18th-century mystic and occultist, the Comte de Saint-Germain. The professor begged her to keep the text safe, ending with a warning: Trust no one. Such a responsibility forces her into cooperation with Duncan Maxwell, a fellow postgrad and the 16th in line to the British Crown. The pair clash at every level, but they both need one another. Especially when they discover the book’s opening words: Herein lies the secret to my immortality. Come find me, if you dare.
William Morrow | 9780063413238

WE THE WOMEN: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America by Norah O'Donnell and Kate Andersen Brower (History)
Over a decades-long, distinguished career, award-winning journalist Norah O’Donnell has made it her mission to shed light on untold women’s stories. Now, in honor of America’s 250th birthday, O’Donnell focuses that passion on the American heroines who helped change the course of history. WE THE WOMEN presents a fresh look at American history through the eyes of women, introducing us to inspiring patriots who demanded that the country live up to the promises made 250 years ago in the Declaration of Independence: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Since the signing of that document, the pressing question from women has been: Why don’t those unalienable rights apply to us?
Ballantine Books | 9780593727027

On Sale the Week of February 23rd in Paperback

February 23rd

THE GOOD MOTHER TEST by Michael R. French (Fiction)
Paperback Original
When Emily, a bright but impulsive UCLA student, gives birth to her daughter Violet, she vows to be the kind of mother she never had. But as Violet grows into a gifted and unpredictable child, Emily’s instinct-driven parenting collides with a world obsessed with achievement, social expectations and expert advice. When Violet’s father, Doug, reenters her life --- now in a relationship with Amanda Hoenig, a respected family therapist --- an uneasy triangle begins to form. What starts as an amicable co-parenting arrangement turns into a psychological tug-of-war over Violet’s future. Emily’s intuition and Amanda’s professional authority clash as everyone insists they are fighting for the same thing: what is best for the child. Violet has her own opinions about this.
Terra Nova Books | 9781948749909

February 24th

AND NOW, BACK TO YOU by B.K. Borison (Romantic Comedy)
Paperback Original
Jackson Clark and Delilah Stewart have had their fair share of run-ins over the years, often ending in disaster. While Jackson thrives on routine and organization from the comfort of his radio booth, Delilah loves the spontaneity and adventure out in the field. When they’re partnered against their will to cover a historic snowstorm, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to work together. Eager to be taken seriously as a journalist, Delilah offers Jackson a deal: If he can help her ace this assignment, she’ll help him rediscover his long-lost fun side. With unexplored chemistry burning beneath their clashes, the unlikely partnership quickly tumbles into an easy and surprising friendship. But when other feelings start to enter the equation, can Jackson and Delilah withstand the storm?
Berkley | 9780593953143

BACK AFTER THIS by Linda Holmes (Romantic Comedy)
After a disastrous relationship with a colleague who stole her heart and her ideas, podcaster Cecily Foster has put romantic love on hold. When the boss who’s disappointed her again and again finally offers her the chance to host her own show, she wants to be thrilled. But the show will be about Cecily’s dating life, and she has to follow the guidance of influencer and newly minted relationship coach Eliza Cassidy. Once she’s committed to 20 blind dates of Eliza’s choosing, Cecily finds herself unable to stop thinking about Will, a photographer she helped to rescue a lost dog. Even though there are sparks between the two, Will’s own path is uncertain, and Eliza’s skeptical comments about Cecily’s decision-making aren’t helping. As Cecily struggles to balance the life she truly desires and the one Eliza wants to create for her, she finds herself at a crossroads.
Ballantine Books | 9780593599273

BOY by Nicole Galland (Historical Fiction)
Alexander “Sander” Cooke is the most celebrated “boy player” in the Chamberlain’s Men, William Shakespeare’s theatre company. Indeed, Sander’s androgynous beauty and deft portrayal of female roles have made him the toast of London. Often, he wishes he could stop time and remain a boy forever. Joan Buckler, Sander’s best friend, is whip-smart and fascinated by the snippets of natural philosophy to which she’s been exposed. As a woman, she has no place in the intellectual salons and cultural community of the day. Only in disguise can she learn to her heart’s content. Joan’s covert intellectual endeavors, coupled with Sander’s theatrical triumphs, attract the attention of none other than Francis Bacon. Their lives will be changed forever as they become embroiled in an intricate game of political intrigue that threatens their very survival.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063342866

BRONSHTEIN IN THE BRONX by Robert Littell (Historical Fiction)
January 12, 1917: An ocean liner docks in New York Harbor. Among the disembarking emigrants is Lev Davidovich Bronshtein --- better known by his nom de guerre, Leon Trotsky. Bronshtein has been on the run for a decade, driven from his beloved Russia after escaping political exile in Siberia. He lives for --- and is ready to sacrifice his life for --- a workers’ revolution, at any cost. But is he ready to become an American? In the weeks leading up to the February Revolution that eventually will see Lenin’s Bolsheviks seize power, Bronshtein haunts the streets, newspaper offices and socialist watering holes of New York City, wrestling with the difficult questions of his personal revolutionary ideology, his place in his own family, his relationship to Lenin, and, above all, his conscience.
Soho Press | 9781641297431

CRUSH by Ada Calhoun (Romance)
She’s happy and settled and productive and content in her full life --- a child, a career, an admirable marriage, deep friendships, happy parents, and a spouse she still loves. But when her husband urges her to address what the narrow labels of “husband” and “wife” force them to edit out of their lives, the very best kind of hell breaks loose. Using Ada Calhoun’s personal experiences as a jumping-off point, CRUSH is about the danger and liberation of chasing desire, the havoc it can wreak, and, most of all, the clear sense of self one finds when the storm passes.
Penguin Books | 9780593832042

THE GHOSTS OF ROME by Joseph O'Connor (Historical Thriller)
In the final, perilous months of WWII, a secret network known as The Choir smuggles thousands out of Nazi-occupied Rome via a route known only as the Escape Line. But when a wounded airman falls from the sky, the entire operation is thrown into jeopardy. From the Vatican, Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty struggles to maintain the fragile network as the ruthless SS Commander Paul Hauptmann closes in. Enter Contessa Giovanna Landini, a bold and defiant member of the Resistance whose actions will tip the balance of power. But in whose favor?
Europa Editions | 9798889661696

THE GIRL AND THE GRAVEDIGGER written by Oliver Pötzsch, translated by Lisa Reinhardt (Historical Mystery)
Paperback Original
Vienna, 1894. Augustin Rothmayer, the oddball gravedigger from Vienna’s Central Cemetery, is approached by Inspector Leopold von Herzfeldt with an unusual favor: he needs Augustin to teach him everything he knows about preserving a dead body, information vital to a new investigation. Opening an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus, employees of Vienna’s Museum of Art History have discovered the well- (and quite recently) preserved body of Alfons Strössner, famed professor of Egyptology. Some believe that the professor was the victim of an ancient curse. But neither Rothmayer nor von Herzfeldt give credence to such superstitious rumors. They are certain it was murder. The trail to unmask a killer leads them to fin-de-siecle Vienna’s unscrupulous upper class and to some eccentric and unusual places, including “mummy parties” and human zoos.
HarperVia | 9780063348493

GRAVE DANGER: A Jack Swyteck Novel by James Grippando (Legal Thriller)
Jack Swyteck’s new client fled Iran to Miami with her daughter and has been accused of kidnapping by her husband. To stop the father from taking the girl back to Tehran, Jack must build a case under international law and prove that returning the child would put her at risk. Everything in this case isn’t what it seems, though, and Jack quickly learns that his client is really the child’s aunt and that the biological mother may have been killed by Iran’s morality police. But what role did the father play in his wife’s death, and why is Jack’s wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, being pressured by her bosses to persuade Jack to drop the case? Plunging into an investigation unlike any other, Jack must discover who is behind the legal maneuvering and what their interest is.
Harper Perennial | 9780063358041

I WOULD DIE FOR YOU by Sandie Jones (Psychological Thriller)
California, 2011: A writer knocks on Nicole Forbes’ door asking for her personal insight into the downfall of the biggest British band of the 1980s. The same day, her daughter goes missing. The school claims her aunt picked her up…but she doesn’t have an aunt. Convinced of a link between the two, Nicole is forced to revisit long-abandoned memories from her past to protect everything she now holds dear. London, 1986: Sixteen-year-old Cassie is obsessed with Secret Oktober, the hottest band of the moment. Harboring an intense crush on the leading man, Ben Edwards, she will do anything she can to capture his attention. But when Ben discovers her older sister, Nicole, singing at a local bar one night, he can’t help but feel drawn to her, setting in motion a collision course that could tear their family apart.
Minotaur Books | 9781250910059

JACK’S BOYS by John Katzenbach (Thriller)
Connected through a secure internet location, five serial killers communicate in a unique chat room they have named Jack's Special Place in homage to their ultimate model: Jack the Ripper. And so they are Jack's Boys. They delight in each other's crimes. They relish in taunting police around the world with odd clues and deep confusion --- the modern version of the Victorian-era killer they emulate. They feed on each other's killings and think they're untouchable. Until one day they are hacked. Two teenagers are fascinated by the world of the dark web, where they accidentally stumble upon Jack's Boys in their private space and immediately mock them. This triggers a landslide of anger and revenge as the killers decide to teach the teens a lesson in humility and respect for their betters.
Blackstone Publishing | 9798228569577

THE LOST HOUSE by Melissa Larsen (Mystery/Thriller)
Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow. The mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. Just a suspicion turned into a certainty: the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt. Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast and hops on a flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland. She wants to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora’s investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect.
Minotaur Books | 9781250332899

MICKEY & BILLY: The Glory and Tragedy of a Yankee Friendship by Tony Castro (Sports/Biography)
Paperback Original
Through meticulous research and exclusive interviews with the late Mickey Mantle and Billy Martin --- and those who knew them best --- journalist and historian Tony Castro reveals the double-edged sword of their friendship: how the New York Yankees legends, an inseparable duo, epitomized the swagger and spirit of their era while paying the price for fame’s excesses. While leading a 1950s Yankees dynasty, they lived life at full throttle: wild partying, barroom brawls and run-ins with the law. As the years wore on, the very traits that made Mantle and Martin extraordinary figures exacted a heavy price, but in MICKEY & BILLY, we see that their friendship was the saving grace. Only together could Mickey and Billy face life’s next difficult pitch.
Diversion Books | 9798895150863

PLAYWORLD by Adam Ross (Fiction)
Griffin Hurt is in over his head. Between his role as Peter Proton on the hit TV show “The Nuclear Family” and the pressure of high school at New York's elite Boyd Prep --- along with the increasingly compromising demands of his wrestling coach --- he's teetering on the edge of collapse. Then comes Naomi Shah, 22 years Griffin’s senior. Unwilling to lay his burdens on his shrink --- whom he shares with his father, mother and younger brother, Oren --- Griffin soon finds himself in the back of Naomi’s Mercedes sedan, again and again, confessing all to the one person who might do him the most harm.
Vintage | 9780345807007

PRO BONO by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
Los Angeles attorney Charles Warren has dedicated his career to aiding people in financial straits. He is particularly skilled at the art of recovering assets that have been embezzled or hidden. In his newest case, helping a beautiful young widow find the money missing from her late husband’s investment accounts, Charlie recognizes a familiar scheme --- one that echoes the con job that targeted his own widowed mother many years before and led him, as a teenager, to commit a crime of retribution that still weighs on his conscience. He can’t get the present case out of his mind, but within hours of starting his investigation, he is followed, shot at and has his briefcase stolen. As Charlie continues to pursue answers, he quickly becomes too entangled in the web of fraud, betrayal and career criminals surrounding the theft to escape its deadly snare.
The Mysterious Press | 9781613167502

RAISING HARE: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton (Memoir)
Imagine you could hold a baby hare and bottle-feed it. Imagine that it lived under your roof and lolloped around your bedroom at night, drumming on the duvet cover when it wanted your attention. Imagine that, over two years later, it still ran in from the fields when you called it, slept in your house for hours on end, and gave birth to leverets in your study. For political advisor and speechwriter Chloe Dalton, who spent lockdown deep in the English countryside, far away from her usual busy London life, this became her unexpected reality. RAISING HARE chronicles their journey together, while also taking a deep dive into the lives and nature of hares, and the way they have been viewed historically in art, literature and folklore.
Vintage | 9780593689004

ROBERT B. PARKER’S BURIED SECRETS: A Jesse Stone Novel by Christopher Farnsworth (Mystery)
Chief of Police Jesse Stone is on his way home from a long shift when a call comes in for a welfare check on an elderly resident of the wealthy seaside town of Paradise, Massachusetts. Inside a house packed with junk and trash is a man’s dead body. It’s a sad, lonely end, but nothing criminal…until Jesse finds the photos of murder victims strewn around the corpse, on top of a treasure trove of $2 million in cash. Jesse takes on the case and finds a trail leading to an aging mobster who will do whatever it takes to keep the past from coming to light. Before long, Jesse has a price on his head as hit men converge on Paradise to take back the cash and destroy any remaining evidence. But the real danger might be coming from inside his own department.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780593544785

THE SAVAGE, NOBLE DEATH OF BABS DIONNE by Ron Currie (Literary Thriller)
Babs Dionne --- proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch --- rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into Little Canada with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a Marine vet struggling with addiction. When a drug kingpin discovers that his numbers are down in the upper northeast, he sends a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs' youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn't seem at all like a coincidence. In 24 hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’ wrath.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780593851685

SCORCHED EARTH: A Jonathan Grave Thriller by John Gilstrap (Political Thriller)
Paperback Original
Disgraced U.S. President Darmond has been ousted from office, but his minions have taken aim at everyone they perceive to be enemies. Off-the-record contractors on a secret list are being eliminated, one by one. Jonathan Grave and his Security Solutions team manage to turn the tables when the assassins come for them. But the ultimate attack will strike deep at the heart of what’s best about American values. High-tech weapons, terror-driven fanatics and top-level betrayal shred the peace of a peaceful gathering in the rolling hills of rural North Carolina. In this showdown, the winner will take all.
Kensington | 9780786051830

SISTERS IN SCIENCE: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History by Olivia Campbell (History)
In the 1930s, Germany was a hotbed of scientific thought. But after the Nazis took power, Jewish and female citizens were forced out of their academic positions. Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer and Hildegard Stücklen were eminent in their fields, but they had no choice but to flee due to their Jewish ancestry or anti-Nazi sentiments. Their harrowing journey out of Germany became a life-and-death situation that required Herculean efforts of friends and other prominent scientists. Lise fled to Sweden, where she made a groundbreaking discovery in nuclear physics, and the others fled to the United States, where they brought advanced physics to American universities. No matter their destination, each woman revolutionized the field of physics when all odds were stacked against them, galvanizing young women to do the same.
Park Row | 9780778333395

SIX LITTLE WORDS by Sally Page (Fiction)
Paperback Original
Kate gave up her dreams of being a painter years ago. But six little words pinned to the noticeboard of her local café could change her path forever. "To be, or not to be..." --- printed on an orange card with no explanation --- appears one morning. Each day, a new line from a different Shakespeare play is added, sparking curiosity throughout the café. Among the regulars is Bardy, a retired English teacher grappling with writer's block. As Kate and Bardy follow this breadcrumb trail, they discover a local community group encouraging people to rediscover their own creative spark --- and the long-lost courage to chase it. For Kate, their new group might just offer a second chance at happiness, if only Bardy can find the strength to share his story too.
Blackstone Publishing | 9798228647442

THE STRANGE CASE OF JANE O. by Karen Thompson Walker (Fiction)
A year after her child is born, Jane suffers a series of strange episodes: amnesia, premonitions, hallucinations and an inexplicable sense of dread. Three days after her first visit to a psychiatrist, Jane suddenly goes missing. A day later she is found unconscious in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, in the midst of what seems to be an episode of dissociative fugue. When she comes to, she has no memory of what has happened to her. Are Jane’s strange experiences the result of being overwhelmed by motherhood, or are they manifestations of a long-buried trauma from her past? Why is she having visions of a young man who died 20 years ago and who warns her of a disaster ahead? Jane’s symptoms lead her psychiatrist ever deeper into the farthest reaches of her mind and cause him to question everything he thinks he knows about so-called reality --- including events in his own life.
Random House Trade Paperbacks | 9781984853967

THE TALENT by Daniel D'Addario (Fiction/Humor)
As Hollywood prepares for its most glamorous evening, five actresses compete to see who will claim the top prize. Adria, a dignified and highly regarded grand dame of the movie industry, is intent on cementing her legacy as one of the greatest thespians of all time. Bitty must keep a nervous breakdown --- and an increasingly debilitating alcohol addiction --- at bay as she searches for genuine closeness in an unforgiving landscape. Contessa, a former child star, is determined to make the world, and her leading man, take her seriously. Davina attempts to find her footing in superficial Los Angeles, a far cry from her roots as a serious London stage actress. And Jenny --- always the underdog to her rival, Adria --- sees this awards season as her personal redemption, a chance to atone for past mistakes and make up for missed opportunities.
Gallery/Scout Press | 9781668075487

TED BELL’S MONARCH: An Alex Hawke Novel by Ryan Steck (Thriller/Adventure)
Following a successful but costly mission to destroy an enemy outpost in Antarctica, Alex Hawke is looking forward to some quiet time at Teakettle Cottage, his home in Bermuda, along with his family. But he's not a man who can avoid trouble. Former Chief Inspector of Scottland Yard Ambrose Congreve calls him with stunning news. Just days away from a controversial vote threatening to tear the United Kingdom apart at the seams, King Charles has disappeared while vacationing at Balmoral Castle. The prime minister believes she can keep the news quiet for no more than 72 hours. After that, Britain will be plunged into chaos. With the fate of the kingdom hanging in the balance, it's up to Lord Hawke to find and rescue the missing monarch before it's too late.
Berkley | 9780593817254

WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT by Nicci French (Psychological Thriller)
Paperback Original
Tyler Green, convicted of murdering his friend, Leo, at a student house party in 1993, has been released after almost three decades in prison. He has always protested his innocence. On a warm evening in London, Tyler summons eight of his university friends who were present on that fateful night. Is it just a reunion --- or something else? With wine --- and accusations --- flowing liberally, the reunion descends into violent chaos, and one friend will end the night with their throat slit in the upstairs bedroom…the same way that Leo’s was in 1993. When Detective Inspector Maud O’Connor gets called to investigate, she has her own doubts about Tyler’s guilt, despite what his old friends, the rest of the Metropolitan Police Force, and even the Home Secretary would like her to believe.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063298422

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS? by Tracey Lange (Fiction)
When Kyle McCray gets word that his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York. Kyle left suddenly two-and-a-half years ago, abandoning people who depended on him: his father, his employees, his friends --- not to mention Casey, his wife of 16 years and a beloved teacher in town. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again. The longer he’s home, the more Kyle understands the impact his departure has had on the people he left behind. When he’s presented with an opportunity for redemption as the coach of the floundering middle-school hockey team, he begins to find compassion in unexpected places. Kyle even considers staying in Potsdam, but that’s only possible if he and Casey can come to some kind of peace with each other.
Celadon Books | 9781250328458

WHEN WE GROW UP by Angelica Baker (Fiction)
Married to the love of her life, with a major deal for her first novel, Clare has everything she thought she wanted. So then why does it all feel so wrong? When she agrees to a weeklong vacation with five of her oldest friends, she is hoping for an escape with the people who know her best. There is Jessie, who won’t stop talking about her new boyfriend; Mac, who is trying to pretend he hasn’t outgrown the group; Kyle, the eternal peacemaker; and Renzo, who brought them all together but keeps picking fights. And then, of course, there’s Liam, the guy Clare barely has seen since high school but somehow can’t get out of her head --- or her bed. But when a terrifying news alert shatters their peace, it becomes harder to ignore how much the world has changed since they were teenagers.
Flatiron Books | 9781250345790

On Sale the Week of March 2nd in Hardcover

March 3rd

200 MONAS by Jan Saenz (Fiction)
Tantalizingly close to leaving her college years at Westheimer University behind, all Arvy Keening has to do is pass her finals, pack up her life, and ship off to San Francisco for a prestigious Big Pharma internship. The problem? Arvy just found 200 hits of Molly in her dead mother’s closet. And when two drug dealers come to collect what they are owed, they reveal that the pills are not Molly, but Mona --- a rare pharmaceutical that induces intense orgasms. The dealers give Arvy an ultimatum: Sell 200 Monas in 48 hours or die. To aid in her seemingly impossible quest, Arvy recruits Wolf, Westheimer's resident drug dealer who also happens to be infuriatingly charming and distractingly sexy. In a race against the clock, Arvy and Wolf barrel through their college town, leaving a series of erotic shenanigans in their wake.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316595889 

A BAD, BAD PLACE by Frances Crawford (Mystery)
Glasgow, 1979: If it hadn’t been for her wee stupid dog, Sid Vicious, 12-year-old Janey Devine might never have stumbled upon the corpse of Samantha Watson. And then maybe she’d still be able to sleep at night. And maybe her nana wouldn’t be so worried all the time. And maybe Billy “The Ghost” Watson, a notorious gangster, wouldn’t be on her tail --- for it’s Billy’s daughter who was left for dead on those train tracks, and now Billy wants answers. Fear and gossip have spread through the tight-knit community of Possilpark, and while Janey swears she can’t remember the details of that morning, the cops think she’s hiding something. And indeed, there’s something she knows that she’s not quite ready to tell anyone, not even her nana, who won’t rest until this whole thing is behind them.
Soho Crime | 9781641297851

THE BOOKSTORE DIARIES by Susan Mallery (Fiction)
Jax has a slight issue with control --- as in, she needs it. Always. Too bad she only has power over the Painted Lady Bookstore, the Victorian mansion turned bookshop she inherited. No one else listens to a word she says. Her ex gets engaged for questionable reasons. Her beloved sister, Ryleigh, wants to move away to find a husband. And the handsome contractor Jax has chosen to convince Ryleigh to stay is only interested in Jax. Still, she’s living the bookworm dream --- until an unhappy accident erases the names from the bookshop lockboxes where the town keeps their diaries. Which means the only way to find a diary’s owner is…to read it. As secrets spill and scandals surface, life at the Painted Lady Bookstore gets a lot more colorful and chaotic.
Mira | 9781335629708 

THE DISAPPOINTMENT by Scott Broker (Fiction)
It’s the night before a much-needed vacation, and Jack --- a former playwright mourning his failed career --- catches his husband, Randy, packing his mother’s urn. They had agreed: no mother on this trip. But Randy has been carrying his mother’s remains everywhere since her death, and he isn’t ready to let go now. Despite its natural beauty and kitschy charm, the Oregon coast does not provide the respite the couple seeks. Instead, their surroundings and encounters with locals grow increasingly surreal as the days pass. An overly dedicated Method actor, tantra-obsessed neighbors, and a child environmentalist who may be able to communicate with the dead are but a few of the characters whose presence exposes long-simmering tensions that threaten to undo Jack and Randy’s marriage --- to say nothing of their hold on reality.
Catapult | 9781646222858 

THE EX-WIVES MURDER CLUB by Mette Ivie Harrison (Domestic Thriller/Humor)
For Meg (wife #1), Jenny (#2) and Amelia (#3), the term “a woman scorned” isn’t strong enough. They want more than revenge for the years of their life they wasted with their pitiful excuse for a husband. They want him dead. As they carry out their lethal plan, they soon realize they’re thinking too small. What about all the other men (and women) who cause immeasurable suffering and get away with it? Thus “the business” is born. A dazzling new female-owned venture that will change the course of their lives --- and shorten many others! And for Meg and Jenny, it could allow them to experience a love they never thought possible.
Severn House | 9781448316472 

A FAR-FLUNG LIFE by M. L. Stedman (Historical Fiction)
Remote Western Australia, 1958. Here, for generations, the MacBrides have lived on a vast sheep station, Meredith Downs. It is a million acres, an ocean of arid land. On an ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds, the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. And then, tragedy revisits when a twist of consequences claims the life of one sibling and leads another to give up everything for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide. The secrets at the heart of A FAR-FLUNG LIFE force him to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness.
Scribner | 9781668219614 

FELICIA'S FAVORITES by Danielle Steel (Fiction)
After the unexpected death of their mother, Felicia Morgan Weston, her five daughters are summoned to a historic Connecticut farmhouse for the reading of her will. Still reeling from shock, they hear revelations that potentially will change their lives --- and they realize there was much more to their mother than they ever knew. Each sister is about to receive a gift beyond her wildest dreams from their very private but loving mother, who considered all her girls her favorites.
Delacorte Press | 9780593973059

A GHASTLY CATASTROPHE: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery by Deanna Raybourn (Historical Mystery)
When the corpse of an entitled young man is found entirely drained of blood in a carriage next to Highgate Cemetery, Veronica Speedwell’s interest is piqued. And then a second victim is found, his death made to look like a suicide --- and Veronica and her intrepid beau, Stoker, know the hunt is on. The two men share one link: they were both members of a society so secretive that only a singular mention of it can be found anywhere. Thirsty for more clues, Veronica and Stoker hear that a young Romany boy may know more about their first victim, and the only way to the boy is through an old acquaintance of Stoker’s, Lady Julia Brisbane. But as it becomes clear that the secret society is a dangerous sect looking to entice immortality seekers, Veronica and Stoker find themselves ensnared by a decidedly more sinister couple.
Berkley | 9780593815731 

GREEN & DEADLY THINGS by Jenn Lyons (FantasyAdventure)
Mathaiik has trained all his life to join the sacred order of the Idallik Knights, charged with defending their world from the forces of necromancy. Only vestiges of that cursed magic remain, nothing like the fabled days of the Grim Lords, the undead wizards who once nearly destroyed the world. But when an even stranger kind of monster begins to wake, the Knights quickly prove powerless to stop them. Whole forests are coming alive and devouring anyone so foolish as to trespass. It’s a good thing, then, that the Grim Lords were never truly destroyed. One of their number sleeps below the Knights' very fortress. And when an army of twisted tree monsters attacks the young initiates in his charge, Math decides to do the unthinkable: he wakes her up. This is only the beginning of his problems. Because said necromancer, Kaiataris, knows something history has forgotten.
Tor Books | 9781250342188 

HEARTLAND: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird by Keith O'Brien (Sports)
In the fall of 1974, Larry Bird dropped out of Indiana University; returned home to the tiny town of French Lick, Indiana; and got a job hauling trash. It could have ended right there for Bird were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, King and Hodges convinced Bird to play basketball at Indiana State University. Four years later, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. More than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. What happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever.
Atria Books | 9781668211700

IF A FACE COULD KILL: A Brigid Quinn Thriller by Becky Masterman (Domestic Thriller)
Former FBI agent Brigid Quinn hasn’t forgiven herself for the testimony that led to young mother Nicole Gleason being convicted for the manslaughter of her abusive husband. Now out of jail early on parole, Nicole is living in a group home for felons in Brigid’s Arizona neighborhood. But while Brigid hopes to make amends with Nicole, not everyone in the community is happy to have criminals on their doorstep. When outspoken local resident Dorita Gordino is grotesquely murdered, suspicion soon falls on Nicole. Brigid is determined to catch Dorita’s killer and prove Nicole’s innocence --- even if it means one of her own darkest secrets comes to light.
Severn House | 9781448317899

LADY TREMAINE by Rachel Hochhauser (Fiction)
Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband’s title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters’ future through marriage. When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters --- only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the well-being of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn.
St. Martin's Press | 9781250396341 

LAKE EFFECT by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney (Fiction)
It’s 1977, and an air of restlessness has settled on the residents of Cambridge Road in Rochester, New York. When Nina Larkin is given a copy of THE JOY OF SEX by her newly divorced friend, she no longer can dismiss the nearly nonexistent intimacy of her marriage. Just as her oldest child, Clara, is falling in love for the first time, Nina finds herself longing for the forbidden: a midlife awakening. An intoxicating fling with a prominent neighbor brings Nina a freedom she never thought possible --- but also risks the reputations of both families and unravels Clara’s world. Years later, Clara, now a successful food stylist in New York City, has never been able to move past the long-ago scandal. Drawn back home by the pull of a family wedding and wrestling with her own demons, she makes a pivotal decision that turns her life upside down.
Ecco | 9780063377684 

MISSING SISTER by Joshilyn Jackson (Psychological Thriller)
Twins Penny and Nix Albright grew up doing everything together. But when Nix dies in a tragic accident soon after college, she leaves behind a cryptic voicemail that has Penny guilt-ridden. Five years later, Penny has found new purpose as a rookie cop. She’s working to fulfill Nix’s dream of making the world a safer place. But following that dream becomes a nightmare when she’s called to her first murder scene. When she sees the victim, she knows him instantly: Danny Bowery, one of three men she’s long blamed for Nix’s death. A stunned Penny discovers a blonde in blood-drenched clothes gripping a box cutter. Before Penny can arrest her, the woman reveals that Bowery’s murder is part of a larger story that is far from over. Then she disappears. Now, Penny will stop at nothing to pursue this dangerous woman and learn why she’s avenging Nix’s death.
William Morrow | 9780063158719 

NIGHT NIGHT FAWN by Jordy Rosenberg (Fiction)
In a cluttered rent-controlled apartment in the middle of Manhattan, Barbara Rosenberg is terminally ill, high on opioids, and writing the story of her life. She has opinions about her smutty late husband, her career as the receptionist for a disreputable plastic surgeon, her glory days as an accomplished jazzerciser, and her failed aspirations to be a film noir actress. But what she really wants to talk about are unhinged thoughts on gender, Karl Marx, Zionism, and her two great disappointing loves: an estranged trans son and a long-lost best friend whose betrayal still haunts Barbara. As she descends further into delirium and illness, Barbara finds herself in a nightmare from which she cannot escape, and her circumstances put her on a crash course with these intimates --- or are they avenging nemeses? --- once again.
One World | 9780593448007 

RUBY FALLS by Gin Phillips (Historical Mystery)
In 1928, a Chattanooga man disappears down a hole in the ground and discovers a 150-foot waterfall in the middle of a mountain that he names after his wife: Ruby Falls. Within months, visitors can buy tickets to see the falls for themselves. Ada Smith has been sneaking into the caves at night, entranced by the natural wonders around her. As the country flounders in the Great Depression, a shrewd public relations ploy seems like the only way to save Ruby Falls. A famous mind reader and mystic agrees to launch himself into the Ruby Falls caverns where he will attempt to locate a hidden hatpin using only his psychic abilities. Ada and another guide, Quinton, have been asked to follow the mind reader’s party at a distance, staying out of sight. One of them will be dead before the end of the day.
Atlantic Crime | 9780802166920 

THE SECRET LIVES OF MURDERERS' WIVES by Elizabeth Arnott (Historical Mystery)
Beverley, Elsie and Margot are wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, they form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands’ brutal crimes. With their exes --- some of California’s most infamous murderers --- dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves. They know people look at them and think only one thing: How could they not have known what their husbands were doing? How much are they to blame? And yet, when a string of local killings hits the news, the three women --- underestimated, overlooked, shrewd --- decide to get to work. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one?
Berkley | 9780593952993 

THE SOCIAL CIRCLE by Sophie Wan (Fiction)
When Maggie Tang arrives as a transfer student at UC Berkeley in 2005, she has no idea how her life is about to change. In the hallway of her dingy apartment building, she meets Adam, Charles and Hari, the friends with whom she’ll create Circle, the world’s first major social media platform. But navigating her ambitions alongside love and friendship isn’t so simple, and when they inevitably collide, Maggie exits Circle in dramatic fashion. A decade later, Maggie is struggling with a new professional venture when she receives an invitation to celebrate Circle’s 10th anniversary on a private island in Norway with the three people she has tried hardest to forget. When a new truth is revealed about their fallout all those years ago, Maggie will have to decide whether to run again or fight for a second chance with the people she once loved most.
Park Row | 9781525800061 

THE STAR FROM CALCUTTA: A Mystery of 1920s India by Sujata Massey (Historical Mystery)
India, 1922: Perveen Mistry, the only female lawyer in Bombay, has secured her biggest client yet: Champa Films, a movie studio run by director Subhas Ghoshal and his wife, Rochana. Behind the scenes, Rochana recently has left the studio in Calcutta that made her famous, and the studio owner is enraged by what he claims is a breach of contract. Rochana needs Perveen’s legal help to extricate Champa Films from the impending controversy. To study Rochana’s glamorous world, Perveen attends a special screening and brings her film fanatic best friend, Alice Hobson-Jones. But in the aftermath of the event, one of the guests is found dead, and Rochana has disappeared. To protect her clients, Perveen begins to investigate the developing murder case. And for the first time in their friendship, Alice seems to be keeping a secret from Perveen.
Soho Crime | 9781641295093 

STORIES: The Collected Short Fiction by Helen Garner (Fiction/Short Stories) 
A woman sends postcards to a former lover from the idyllic Gold Coast. A chorus of hometown voices gossip about a wayward friend returned. A young girl discovers a hidden box of horrors. Helen Garner is best known for her frank, unsparing and intricate portraits of Australian life. Now, in STORIES, comes the collected short fiction of a singular literary voice. These stories delve into the complexities of love and longing, of the pain, darkness and joy of life, and all told with Garner's characteristic sharpness, honesty and humor. Each one is a perfect piece, but together they showcase a rare talent and a master of many literary forms.
Pantheon | 9780553387476

THE STORY OF MARCEAU MILLER written by Marceau Miller, translated by Howard Curtis (Psychological Thriller)
In the beautiful and dangerous landscape of Lake Geneva, in the shadow of the Swiss Alps, renowned writer Marceau Miller is found dead. In the wake of the tragedy, his wife, Sarah, discovers a manuscript he's left behind, entitled The Story of Marceau Miller. With the support of close friends, Sarah struggles to hold herself together while caring for her two children and coping with the mounting questions surrounding her famous husband's death. Was it an accident or part of some darker game? Compelled to find the truth, Sarah unravels secrets that make her question everything --- and everyone --- around her. Who can she possibly trust? Her journey from grief to revelation captures the nuance of marriage to a man who remains an enigma. Who is Marceau Miller, really?
Blackstone Publishing | 9798228365230 

STRANGERS IN THE VILLA by Robyn Harding (Psychological Thriller)
Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage. High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive.
Grand Central Publishing | 9781538774007 

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR by Wade Rouse (Fiction)
Theodore Copeland has created a fabulous life in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, where he shares a fabulous pink mid-century home with three fabulous friends: Barry, a former actor still clinging to the memory of the dream role that killed his career; Ron, an uprooted Christian with a big heart but no one to give it to; and Sid, who, after coming out late in life, has never found love. Teddy is the caustic, unspoken leader of “The Golden Gays,” the foursome’s monthly drag tribute to “The Golden Girls.” But the harmony of their desert enclave becomes a carousel of emotional baggage when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up on their doorstep, her dramatic teenage granddaughter in tow. While Teddy keeps Trudy at arm’s length, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of the Golden Gays, until the real reason for her visit is revealed.
Mira | 9781525800054 

THE TREE OF LIGHT AND FLOWERS: A Jane Whitefield Novel by Thomas Perry (Thriller)
A violent car crash brings on the premature birth of the baby that Jane Whitefield and her husband have hoped for. But within weeks, Jane’s peaceful time as a new mother in a safe, harmonious home starts to revert to her harrowing previous life. She had spent over a decade rescuing and sheltering people from dangerous foes, taking them to new locations, and teaching them to live under new identities. Nearly simultaneously, as though the events were connected, people who are thousands of miles apart in vastly different circumstances start to move. All of these travelers are soon on their way to the old house in western New York. Suddenly the people requiring Jane’s special skills include not only multiple fugitives, but also Jane herself, her husband and their newborn, as the danger she faces comes from people who know how to find her.
The Mysterious Press | 9781613167298

WAIT FOR ME by Amy Jo Burns (Fiction)
Young folk singer Elle Harlow reaches the height of her prowess in 1973, with two wildly beloved albums to her name and a hidden history of impossible heartbreak. When she sets foot on the famed Grand Ole Opry stage, Elle gives the biggest performance of her life. Then she vanishes. Almost two decades later, 18-year-old Marijohn Shaw is spending her summer pumping gas, writing songs on her broken mandolin, and longing for a mother. Her father, Abe, has always sworn he was the last person to see Elle Harlow alive. But when a meteor strikes the woods of their sleepy Pennsylvania town and a piece of Elle’s past emerges from the wreckage, the truth of her disappearance sets fire to everything Marijohn believes about herself, her music, and her ability to love with abandon.
Celadon Books | 9781250399304 

WHERE THE GIRLS WERE by Kate Schatz (Historical Fiction)
It’s 1968, and the future is bright for 17-year-old Elizabeth “Baker” Phillips. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash. In the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family’s shining star to their embarrassing secret. Without any other options, Baker is sent to a home for unwed mothers, and finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she grapples with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the “girls who went away.”
The Dial Press | 9780593736975 

YOU CAN'T CATCH US: Lady Bird Johnson's Trailblazing 1964 Campaign Train and the Women Who Rode with Her by Shannon McKenna Schmidt (History)
At a time when political candidates' wives were expected to be seen and not heard, Lady Bird Johnson made history as the first presidential spouse to take a leading role on the campaign trail. Her mission: to aid her husband, Lyndon B. Johnson, in his reelection bid. Proud of her southern heritage and what her husband had done for civil rights, Lady Bird undertook an eight-state whistle-stop tour in October 1964, both to garner votes for Lyndon and to help ease the animosity that arose from the signing of the Civil Rights Act three months earlier. The "Lady Bird Special," a custom, 19-car train, forged headlong into the powder keg of Southern politics, making 47 stops in only four days. Despite the potential dangers, the First Lady --- aided by a team of pioneering women --- pressed forward, making speeches, shaking hands and breaking ground.
Sourcebooks | 9781464244384 

YOU WITH THE SAD EYES: A Memoir by Christina Applegate (Memoir)
Christina Applegate came of age on sets and stages. What started as a financial necessity soon became an emotional escape from a tumultuous home life. She rocketed to stardom on the sitcom “Married...with Children” and went on to captivate audiences in classics like Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Anchorman and Dead to Me. Then it all stopped. A multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2021 confined her to a king-sized bed and the company of memories she’d rather forget: memories of the self-doubt and body dysmorphia that stalked her meteoric rise, of her mother’s fight against addiction and abuse after her father left, and of the tax life had taken on her body and mind that was suddenly coming due. Now, at her most intimate and vulnerable, she unveils a story not even those closest to her fully know.
Little, Brown and Company | 9780316594929

On Sale the Week of March 2nd in Paperback

March 1st

I CAME BACK FOR YOU by Kate White (Psychological Thriller)
Paperback Original
Ten years after her daughter, Melanie, was murdered, Bree Winter is finally moving on with a new love, a new home and a new beginning. Then a deathbed confession from the convicted killer throws Bree’s life into a tailspin all over again. He readily confesses to murdering four girls. But not Melanie. At first, Bree and her ex-husband don’t buy a word of it. Until inconsistencies about the crime emerge. So does the dreadful feeling that the monster who shattered Bree’s family isn’t lying. The only way she can get to the truth is to power through the trauma and return to the town in upstate New York where Melanie’s life came to a brutal end. Not only could the real killer still be in their midst, but as Bree begins to dig through Melanie’s past, what she discovers calls into question everything she has believed --- about the crime and about Melanie herself.
Thomas & Mercer | 9781662533990

March 3rd

BLACK WOODS, BLUE SKY written by Eowyn Ivey, illustrated by Ruth Hulbert (Fiction/Magical Realism)
Although Birdie gets a little hungover sometimes and has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature. Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well. Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains. But soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she ever could have imagined.
Random House Trade Paperbacks | 9780593231043

DEATH TAKES ME written by Cristina Rivera Garza, translated by Robin Myers and Sarah Booker (Literary Mystery)
A professor named Cristina Rivera Garza stumbles upon the corpse of a mutilated man in a dark alley and reports it to the police. When shown a crime scene photo, she finds a stark warning written in tiny print with coral nail polish on the brick wall beside the body: “Beware of me, my love / beware of the silent woman in the desert.” The professor becomes the first informant on the case, which is led by a detective newly obsessed with poetry and trailed by a long list of failures. But what has the professor really seen? As the bodies of more castrated men are found alongside lines of verse, the detective tries to decipher the meaning of the poems to put a stop to the violence spreading throughout the city.
Hogarth | 9780593737026

DEEP CUTS by Holly Brickley (Fiction)
It’s a Friday night in a campus bar in Berkeley, fall of 2000, and Percy Marks is pontificating about music again. Hall and Oates is on the jukebox, and Percy --- who has no talent for music, just lots of opinions about it --- can’t stop herself from overanalyzing the song, indulging what she knows to be her most annoying habit. But something is different tonight. The guy beside her at the bar, fellow student Joe Morrow, is a songwriter. And he could listen to Percy talk all night. Joe asks Percy for feedback on one of his songs --- and the results kick off a partnership that will span years, ignite new passions in them both, and crush their egos again and again. Is their collaboration worth its cost? Or is it holding Percy back from finding her own voice?
Crown | 9780593799109

ELEANORE OF AVIGNON by Elizabeth DeLozier (Historical Fiction)
Avignon, 1347. Eleanore is a young midwife and herbalist with remarkable skills. But as she learned the day her mother died, the most dangerous thing a woman can do is draw attention to herself. In a chance encounter, Eleanore meets the enigmatic personal physician to the powerful Pope Clement and strikes a deal with him to take her on as his apprentice. Then, two pieces of earth-shattering news: the Black Death has made landfall in Europe, and the disgraced Queen Joanna is coming to Avignon. She is pregnant and in need of a midwife, a role only Eleanore can fill. The plague spreads like wildfire, leaving half the city dead in its wake. Desperate for a scapegoat, the people of Avignon follow a group of religious fanatics on a witch hunt, one that could cost Eleanore --- an intelligent, unwed woman; a talented healer --- everything.
Dutton | 9780593475058

ELPHIE: A Wicked Childhood by Gregory Maguire (Fantasy)
Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, will grow to have a feisty and somewhat uncompromising character in adult life. But she is always a one-off, from her infancy. Young Elphie is shaped and molded by the behaviors of her promiscuous mother, Melena, and her pious father, Frex. She suffers ordinary childhood jealousies when her sister, saintly Nessarose, and her brother, junior felon Shell, arrive. She first encounters the mistreatment of the Animal populations of Oz, which live adjacent to but not intertwined with human settlements, haunted by a Monkey and receiving aid from Dwarf Bears. She thrashes through her first bruising attempts at friendship, a possible lifeline from her tricky family life. And she gleans the benefits of an education --- until she arrives at the doors of Shiz University, about to meet the radiant creature that is Galinda.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063377028

THE ENCORE by Juliet Izon (Fiction)
Paperback Original
In 2003, at the prestigious Brookfield Conservatory in Boston, a chance encounter sparks an inimitable friendship between driven pianist and singer Anna Buckley and composer wunderkind Will Pendleton. But soon after graduation, one night forever alters the trajectory of their lives, destroying their relationship in the process. Twenty years later in New York, 16-year-old piano virtuoso Lottie Thomas is grappling with the rigors of her elite prep school and the confounding disappearance of the woman who gave her up at birth. When Lottie suddenly discovers the startling truth of her identity, the revelation catalyzes a chain of events that not only reunites Lottie with her birth parents, but forces them together on a rock tour bus for a careening cross-country journey, where they finally must reconcile with irrevocable choices from the past.
Union Square & Co. | 9781454961222

GALWAY’S EDGE: A Jack Taylor Mystery by Ken Bruen (Mystery/Thriller)
Edge, a shadow organization made up of the most powerful figures in Galway society, exists to rid the city of criminals and abusers who have evaded the law. Long wary of the organization, the Vatican is not pleased when rumors start swirling that one of the Catholic Church’s own priests has joined its ranks. An envoy to the Archdiocese shows up at private detective Jack Taylor’s door, asking him to go speak to a priest named Kevin Whelan and dissuade him from any involvement with Edge. Jack accepts the mission, but the next day Father Whelan is found dead. As more Edge members are murdered, the Vatican grows alarmed that someone even worse will take their place. It’s up to Jack Taylor to nail the culprit before Edge is dissolved completely and Galway is thrown into chaos.
The Mysterious Press | 9781613167526

THE GIRL FROM GREENWICH STREET: A Novel of Hamilton, Burr, and America’s First Murder Trial by Lauren Willig (Historical Mystery/Legal Thriller)
Just before Christmas 1799, Elma Sands slips out of her Quaker cousin’s boarding house --- and doesn’t come home. Her body is eventually found in the Manhattan Well. Handbills circulate around the city accusing a carpenter named Levi Weeks of seducing and murdering Elma. But privately, quietly, Levi’s wealthy brother calls in a special favor. Aaron Burr’s legal practice can’t finance both his expensive tastes and his ambition to win the 1800 New York elections. To defend Levi Weeks is a double win: a hefty fee plus a chance to grab headlines. Alexander Hamilton has his own political aspirations; he isn’t going to let Burr monopolize the public’s attention. If Burr is defending Levi Weeks, then Hamilton will too. As the trial and the election draw near, Burr and Hamilton race against time to save a man’s life --- and destroy each other.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063306127

GRAVITY: Poems by Elizabeth Rosner (Poetry)
Paperback Original
Composed over a period of some 20 years, GRAVITY is Elizabeth Rosner's profoundly searching account of her experience as the daughter of Holocaust survivors. In an extraordinarily powerful mix of poetry and prose, Rosner traces the earliest remembered resonances of her parents' past and her dawning awareness of the war history that colored her family home during her youth in Schenectady, New York. She recounts her false starts in raising the subject with her father (a survivor of Buchenwald concentration camp), his piecemeal revelations, and their eventual travels together to the sites of the nightmare in Germany. And she evokes, courageously and heart-wrenchingly, her search for identity against the gravitational pull of her parents' experience and the traditional upbringing they've given her.
Counterpoint | 9781640097865

THE GREAT WHEN: A Long London Novel by Alan Moore (Historical Fantasy)
In 1949, amidst the smog of London, Dennis Knuckleyard, a hapless 18-year-old employed by a secondhand bookshop, discovers a novel that simply does not exist. It is a fictitious book, one only existing within another novel. Yet it is physically there in his hands. How? Dennis has stumbled on a book from the Great When, a magical version of London beyond time and space, where reality blurs with fiction and concepts such as Crime and Poetry are incarnated as wondrous, terrible beings. But this other, magical London must remain a secret. If Dennis cannot find a way to return this book to where it belongs, he risks facing gruesome and grave repercussions. Soon he finds himself at the center of an explosive series of events that may alter and endanger both Londons forever.
Bloomsbury Publishing | 9781639737345

THE HALF-HEARTED QUEEN by Charlie N. Holmberg (Historical Fantasy/Romance)
Paperback Original
Nym never told Prince Renn she loved him. And now, as a captive and political pawn to the ruthless King Nicosia, Nym finds herself guarding more than her forbidden feelings for Renn as the kingdoms of Cansere and Sesta clash and the bloodshed of war rages. King Nicosia will stop at nothing to find Renn’s weakness and claim the kingdoms as his. Now Nym must find a way to escape the cruel and twisted fate of imprisonment as she faces the unimaginable horrors and dangerous secrets hidden within King Nicosia’s palace walls. With the succession of kings on the line and a dangerous prophecy unfolding, Prince Renn faces his own impossible choice. The future of the throne hinges on a political alliance that means forsaking his love for Nym. If he can’t fulfill his destiny and unite the kingdoms, King Nicosia will destroy them all.
47North | 9781662531187

HANG ON ST. CHRISTOPHER: A Sean Duffy Novel by Adrian McKinty
(Mystery/Thriller)
It's July 1992, and the Troubles in Northern Ireland are still grinding on after 25 apocalyptic years. Detective Inspector Sean Duffy got his family safely over the water to Scotland, to "Shortbread Land." Duffy is a part-timer now, only returning to Belfast six days a month to get his pension. It's an easy gig, if he can keep his head down. But then a murder case falls into his lap while his protege is on holiday in Spain. A carjacking gone wrong and the death of a solitary, middle-aged painter. But something is not right, and as Duffy probes, he discovers that the painter was an IRA assassin. So the question becomes: Who hit the hitman, and why? This is Duffy's most violent and dangerous case yet, and the whole future of the burgeoning "peace process" may depend upon it.
Blackstone Publishing | 9781504762519

HAPPY LAND by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Historical Fiction)
Nikki hasn’t seen her grandmother in years. So when the elder calls out of the blue with an urgent request for Nikki to visit her in the hills of western North Carolina, Nikki hesitates only for a moment. After years of silence in her family, due to a mysterious estrangement between her mother and grandmother, she’s determined to learn the truth while she still can. But instead of answers about the recent past, Mother Rita tells Nikki an incredible story of a kingdom on this very mountain, and of her great-great-great grandmother, Luella, who would become its queen. The more Nikki learns about the Kingdom of the Happy Land, and the lives of those who dwelled in the ruins she discovers in the woods, the more she realizes how much of her identity and her family’s secrets are wrapped up in these hills.
Berkley | 9780593337745

HOW SIMI GOT HER GROOM BACK by Sonali Dev (Fiction)
Paperback Original
The Naik sisters escaped their traumatic past in Mumbai to come to the States, but their journeys have been vastly different. Simi is working toward a bright future as a pediatric nurse in a small town in Kentucky when Rupi shows up at her door in distress, on the run, and dragging trouble in her wake. With Rupi’s safety in jeopardy, the sisters hatch a desperate plan to keep her in the country: Rupi must get married --- and fast --- even if it means Simi recruiting the man she’s been secretly dating as her sister’s groom. As the big day inches closer, Simi and Rupi face a storm of wedding shenanigans and romantic surprises, not to mention sisterly jealousies. As the stakes and tensions rise, will their secrets tear them apart, or will they find a way to risk everything for love?
Lake Union Publishing | 9781662524295

THE HUNTER by Jennifer Herrera (Thriller)
After reckless behavior costs NYPD detective Leigh O’Donnell her job and her marriage, she returns with her four-year-old daughter to her beautiful hometown of Copper Falls, Ohio. While the town may seem idyllic, something rotten lies at its core. Three men in town have drowned in what Leigh suspects to be a triple homicide. She hopes that by finding out who killed them, she just might get her life back on course. Headstrong and intuitive, Leigh isn’t afraid to face a killer, but she has to do more than that to discover the truth about what happened to those men. She must unravel a web of secrets going back generations, and, in doing so, plumb the darkness within herself.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780593540237

I LEAVE IT UP TO YOU by Jinwoo Chong (Fiction)
A coma can change a man, but the world Jack Jr. awakens to is one he barely recognizes. His advertising job is history, his Manhattan apartment is gone, and the love of his life has left him behind. He’s been asleep for two years; with no one to turn to, he realizes it’s been 10 years since he last saw his family. Lost and disoriented, he makes a reluctant homecoming back to the bustling Korean American enclave of Fort Lee, New Jersey; back into the waiting arms of his parents, who are operating under the illusion that he never left; and back to Joja, their ever-struggling sushi restaurant that he was set to inherit before he ran away from it all. There is value in the joyous rhythms of this once-abandoned life. But second chances are an even messier business than running a restaurant, and the lure of a self-determined path might prove too hard to resist.
Ballantine Books | 9780593870785

INGENIOUS: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist by Richard Munson (Biography)
Benjamin Franklin was one of the preeminent scientists of his time. Driven by curiosity, he conducted cutting-edge research on electricity, heat, ocean currents, weather patterns, chemical bonds and plants. But today, Franklin is remembered more for his political prowess and diplomatic achievements than his scientific creativity. In INGENIOUS, Richard Munson recovers this vital part of Franklin’s story, reveals his modern relevance, and offers a compelling portrait of a shrewd experimenter, clever innovator and visionary physicist whose fame opened doors to negotiate French support and funding for American independence. Munson’s riveting narrative explores how science underpins Franklin’s entire story and argues that his political life cannot be understood without giving proper credit to his scientific accomplishments.
W. W. Norton & Company | 9781324123545

INTO THE GRAY ZONE: A Pike Logan Novel by Brad Taylor (Thriller/Adventure)
While on a routine security assessment in India, Taskforce operator Pike Logan foils an attempted attack on a meeting between the CIA and India’s intelligence service. After another terrorist operation at the Taj Mahal, Pike begins to believe that outside powers are attacking India in the gray zone between peace and war, leveraging terrorist groups for nothing more than economic gain. But the separatists conducting the operations have their own agenda. After a massive slaughter and kidnapping of hostages during an elaborate Indian pre-wedding party, two global powers are destabilized, and only Pike Logan and his team can de-escalate the tension by rescuing the captives.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063358621

THE MAID’S SECRET: A Maid Novel by Nita Prose (Mystery)
As the esteemed Head Maid and Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, two good things are just around the corner for Molly Gray --- a taping of the hit antiquities TV show “Hidden Treasures” and her wedding to Juan Manuel. When Molly brings in some old trinkets to be appraised on the show, one item is revealed to be a rare and coveted artifact worth millions. Molly becomes a rags-to-riches sensation, and a media frenzy swirls as she prepares to sell her priceless treasure. Then, on auction day, the treasure suddenly vanishes, and Molly and her friends find themselves at the center of the boldest art heist in recent memory. But the key to this mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s Gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about her grandmother’s secrets. As fate would have it, Gran’s greatest love was someone Molly knows quite well.
Ballantine Books | 9780593875438

MEDIUM RARE by A. Natasha Joukovsky (Fiction/Satire)
Paperback Original
Phil is ordinary. A mid-level Washington lobbyist for a decidedly unsexy organization, unhappy in the way all mildly successful, minimally influential men are. That is until the spring of 2019, when Phil’s picks for the NCAA March Madness Tournament start panning out. He really may do it: predict a perfect bracket for a billion-dollar prize. At first, Cassandra is just along for Phil’s soaring rise --- she had foreseen it happening, after all. Despite moving in different circles since their shared university days and Cassandra never much liking him, she recognizes in Phil the making of a legend worthy of the highest art. What Cassandra fails to predict, though, is just how much she’d grow to care about Phil’s wife, Raleigh --- and that the grandest narrative arcs sometimes unfold at the steepest of personal costs.
Melville House | 9781685892470

NESTING by Roisín O'Donnell (Fiction)
Grabbing an armful of clothes off the clothesline, Ciara Fay straps her two young daughters into her car and drives away. All she knows for certain is that home is no longer safe. On the surface, she has a perfect life. Her husband, Ryan, is a good provider, and they have another baby on the way. But he also monitors Ciara's every move, flies into unpredictable rages where he convinces her she can do nothing right, and has isolated her from work, friends and her beloved family. With no job and no support, Ciara struggles to provide a sense of normalcy for her little girls. Facing a broken housing system, they move into a hotel room on a floor reserved for women like her. Ryan, meanwhile, wages a relentless campaign to win her back, and Ciara wavers. He never hit her, after all. And don't the girls need a stable home?
Algonquin Books | 9781643755717

NO MATTER WHAT by Cara Bastone (Romance)
Paperback Original
It’s been a year since Roz and Vin survived a life-altering accident, and their marriage hasn’t been the same. But Roz has held out hope that they can fix things, until she discovers Vin has signed a new lease. So she does what any soon-to-be-divorced Manhattanite would do: sign up for a figure-drawing class. Between Roz’s determined attempts to improve her artistic skills and her adventures with her best friend, Raffi, she can almost ignore Vin’s impending move-out date. But it all would be a lot easier if Vin wasn’t Raffi’s older brother, and if she didn’t still find him incredibly attractive and kind. In fact, Vin is so kind that he offers to let Roz draw him. As Roz works to capture the wholeness of the person she fell in love with, will they both be able to draw upon the feelings they buried deep inside to finally heal together?
Dial Press Trade Paperback | 9780593977675

THE PRETENDER by Jo Harkin (Historical Fiction)
In 1480, the arrival of a well-dressed stranger from London upends John Collan’s life forever. John is not John Collan, the son of Will Collan, but Lambert Simnel, the son of the long-deceased Duke of Clarence. Lambert has been hidden in the countryside after a brotherly rift over the crown --- and because Richard III has a habit of making his nephews disappear. He is removed from his humble origins and sent to Oxford to be educated in a manner befitting the throne’s rightful heir. There he encounters the intractable Joan, the delightfully strong-willed daughter of his Irish patrons, who is imbued with both extraordinary political savvy and occasional murderous tendencies. Together Lambert and Joan form an alliance that will change the fate of the English monarchy.
Vintage | 9780593689165

THE QUEENS OF CRIME by Marie Benedict (Historical Mystery)
London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second-class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment. As they embark on their own investigation, the Queens of Crime discover that they’re stronger together. But soon the killer targets Dorothy Sayers herself, threatening to expose a dark secret in her past that she would do anything to keep hidden.
St. Martin’s Griffin | 9781250842602

THE RAILWAY CONSPIRACY: A Dee and Lao Mystery by John Shen Yen Nee and S.J. Rozan (Historical Mystery)
Following several months abroad, Judge Dee Ren Jie has returned to London to foil a transaction between a Russian diplomat and a Japanese mercenary. Aided by Lao She, Dee stops the illicit sale of an extremely valuable “dragon-taming” mace. The mace’s owner is a Chinese businesswoman who thanks Dee for its retrieval by throwing a lavish dinner party. In attendance is British banking official A. G. Stephen, who argues with the group about the tenuous state of Chinese nationalism --- and is poisoned two days later. Dee knows this cannot be a coincidence and suspects Stephen won’t be the only victim. Sure enough, a young Chinese communist of Lao’s acquaintance is killed not long after --- and a note with a strange symbol is found by his body. What could connect these murders? Could it be related to rumors of a conspiracy regarding the Chinese Eastern Railway?
Soho Crime | 9781641297929

RED DOG FARM by Nathaniel Ian Miller (Fiction)
Growing up on his family’s cattle farm in western Iceland, young Orri has gained an appreciation for the beauty found in everyday things. But the outer world still beckons, so he leaves his no-nonsense Lithuanian Jewish mother and his taciturn father, Pabbi, to attend university in Reykjavík. No longer able to find joy in his way of life, Pabbi falls into a depression soon after Orri goes away to school. Feeling adrift and aimless at the end of his first semester, Orri comes home. For the first time, Pabbi allows Orri to help him run the farm. Meanwhile, Orri meets a kindred spirit on the internet: Mihan, a part-time student. Over time, their connection deepens. By year’s end, Orri must decide if he wants to --- or should --- return to university, and what a future with Mihan would hold, if she’ll have him.
Back Bay Books | 9780316575157

RED SCARE: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America by Clay Risen (History)
For the first time in a generation, Clay Risen delivers a narrative history of the anti-Communist witch hunt that gripped America in the decade following World War II. This period, known as the Red Scare, was an outgrowth of the conflict between social conservatives and New Deal progressives, and the terrifying onset of the Cold War. Marked by an unprecedented degree of political hysteria, this was a defining moment in American history, completely unlike any that preceded it. Drawing upon newly declassified documents, journalist Clay Risen recounts how politicians like Joseph McCarthy, with the help of an extended network of other government officials and organizations, systematically ruined thousands of lives in their deluded pursuit of alleged Communist conspiracies.
Scribner | 9781982141813

THE SISTERS OF BOOK ROW by Shelley Noble (Historical Fiction)
Paperback Original
1915: Manhattan’s Book Row, an eclectic jumble of 40 bookshops along Fourth Avenue, is the mecca for rare book buyers from around the world, and the haunt of locals looking for a bargain. It is also the target of the most vicious censor in American history --- Anthony Comstock --- and home to three sisters who vow to stop him. For the three Applebaum sisters, the Arcadia Rare Bookshop is the only home they’ve ever known. Unbeknownst to her older sisters, Celia has joined a group of young people who secretly print and distribute articles on women’s health by hiding them within the pages of ordinary cookbooks, household hints and sewing patterns. Meanwhile, the Comstock Laws threaten anybody who owns or circulates “obscene, lewd, or lascivious” publications. Secrets and a mysterious stranger mean that the fate of the famed Book Row is anything but secure.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063423916

THE SOUL OF A WOMAN by Isabel Allende (Memoir)
As a child, Isabel Allende watched her mother, abandoned by her husband, provide for her three small children without “resources or voice.” She became a fierce and defiant little girl, determined to fight for the life her mother couldn’t have. As a young woman coming of age in the late 1960s, she rode the second wave of feminism. Among a tribe of like-minded female journalists, Allende for the first time felt comfortable in her own skin, as they wrote “with a knife between our teeth” about women’s issues. She has seen what the movement has accomplished in the course of her lifetime. And over the course of three passionate marriages, she has learned how to grow as a woman while having a partner, when to step away, and the rewards of embracing one’s sexuality.
Ballantine Books | 9780593355640

THE STAIRCASE IN THE WOODS by Chuck Wendig (Supernatural Thriller/Horror)
Five high school friends are bonded by an oath to protect one another no matter what. Then, on a camping trip in the middle of the forest, they find something extraordinary: a mysterious staircase to nowhere. One friend walks up --- and never comes back down. Then the staircase disappears. Twenty years later, the staircase has reappeared. Now the group returns to find the lost boy --- and what lies beyond the staircase in the woods.
Del Rey | 9780593156582

THE STORY SHE LEFT BEHIND by Patti Callahan Henry (Historical Fiction)
In 1927, Clara Harrington’s magical childhood shatters when her mother, renowned author Bronwyn Newcastle Fordham, disappears off the coast of South Carolina. Bronwyn stunned the world with a book written in an invented language that became a national sensation when she was just 12 years old. Her departure leaves behind not only a devoted husband and heartbroken daughter, but also the hope of ever translating the sequel to her landmark work. By 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her own daughter, Wynnie. One day, a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost language. At the Jameson family’s retreat, Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.
Atria Books | 9781668011881

STRANGE BUILDINGS written by Uketsu, translated by Jim Rion (Mystery/Horror)
Paperback Original
After receiving multiple tips from his devoted readership, a writer fascinated by the occult put together 11 case files, each featuring its very own strange building. Each of the 11 structures in this book has a floor plan that conceals a disturbing architectural quirk: from disappearing rooms to apartments with no means of escape. Each building tells its own chilling story. And each is part of a grander puzzle. Look closely…and you'll see that everything is connected. All leading to a revelation so horrifying you won't want to believe it.
HarperVia | 9780063514096

TRAVELING: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers (Music/Biography)
For decades, Joni Mitchell’s life and music have enraptured listeners. One of the most celebrated artists of her generation, Mitchell has inspired countless musicians --- from peers like James Taylor, to inheritors like Prince and Brandi Carlile --- and authors, who have dissected her music and her life in their writing. At the same time, Mitchell has always been a force beckoning us still closer, as --- with the other arm --- she pushes us away. Given this, music critic Ann Powers wondered if there was another way to draw insights from the life of this singular musician who never stops moving, never stops experimenting. In TRAVELING, Powers seeks to understand Mitchell through her myriad journeys.
Dey Street Books | 9780062463739

THE VALLEY OF VENGEFUL GHOSTS by Kim Fu (Literary/Psychological Horror)
Paperback Original
In the aftermath of her mother's death, Eleanor is unmoored. For years, her mother orchestrated every detail of her life, so that Eleanor could focus on her career as a therapist. Left to navigate the world on her own, Eleanor clings to her mother’s final directive: use her inheritance to buy a house. She impulsively buys a model home in a valley-turned-construction site, a picturesque development steeped in a shadowy history. It feels like a fresh start until the rain comes --- an endless, torrential downpour. As water seeps in through the house’s cracks, the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur, Eleanor’s reality unravels, and she is forced to reckon with the secrets she’s buried and the dark choices she’s made.
Tin House | 9781963108699

WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? by Freida McFadden (Psychological Thriller)
First Publication by Poisoned Pen Press
Influencer and baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she'd rather you didn't know. Where did her son go when he snuck out late at night? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows? And what's buried in her backyard? April's secrets are enough to destroy her. I'll make sure of that.
Poisoned Pen Press | 9781464249600

WELCOME TO MURDER WEEK by Karen Dukess (Mystery/Humor)
When 34-year-old Cath loses her mostly absentee mother, she is ambivalent. With days of quiet, unassuming routine in Buffalo, New York, Cath consciously avoids the impulsive, thrill-seeking lifestyle that her mother once led. But when she’s forced to go through her mother’s things one afternoon, Cath is perplexed to find tickets for an upcoming “murder week” in England’s Peak District. A whole town has come together to stage a fake murder mystery to attract tourism to their quaint hamlet. Baffled but helplessly intrigued by her mother’s secret purchase, Cath decides to go on the trip herself --- and begins a journey she never could have anticipated. Teaming up with her two cottage-mates, Cath sets about solving the “crime” and begins to unravel shocking truths about her mother along the way.
Gallery/Scout Press | 9781668079782

THE WORLD’S FAIR QUILT: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini (Fiction)
As Sylvia Bergstrom Compson contends with financial setbacks at Elm Creek Quilt Camp, her friend and colleague Summer Sullivan, curator of the Waterford Historical Society’s quilt gallery, asks a special favor. When Sylvia and her elder sister were teenagers, they entered a quilt in the Sears National Quilt Contest for the 1933 Century of Progress Exposition. The unprecedented competition offered its 25,000 participants the opportunity for artistic expression, with the finalists’ quilts prominently displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair. If Sylvia lent the Bergstrom sisters’ World’s Fair Quilt to Summer’s exhibit, it would illuminate a forgotten chapter of women’s history during the difficult years of the Great Depression. Sylvia grants Summer’s request, but with misgivings. The fragile antique requires careful cleaning and repair --- and not all of the memories it evokes are pleasant.
William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780063381742

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