Skip to main content

Editorial Content for First Wife's Shadow

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Christine M. Irvin

Emma has spent her entire professional life being a career woman, running her own company and taking care of herself. She has built a fabulous house on the edge of the woods that is eco-friendly and private. Even though there is no special man in her life, she doesn’t feel lonely. She has two female friends with whom she is very close, and they spend a lot of time together. That is, until Emma meets Matthew. Read More

Teaser

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

Promo

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

About the Book

An exhilarating psychological crime thriller that will have you racing to the finish!

His first wife died. Now there's a vacancy.

When Emma meets Matthew, a kind, handsome widower, he seems to be just what she needs.

Yet as their relationship moves fast, Emma’s friends worry that she might be exploited. She’s a rich woman after all.

Emma doesn’t care that Matthew has no money. But as the memory of his perfect first wife hangs over them, Emma does have one tiny doubt.

If Matthew’s wife hadn’t died, he wouldn’t be with her. And Emma wonders if she’s second best. Can she ever fill the dead woman’s shoes?

As jealousy and suspicion blossom between Emma and Matthew, events take a darker, dangerous turn.

Suddenly Emma doesn’t know who she can trust. Her friends? Her husband? Or even herself?

Audiobook available, read by Kristin Atherton

Editorial Content for When She Was Gone

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

In Sara Foster’s latest psychological thriller, WHEN SHE WAS GONE, readers get to explore what is essentially every parent's worst nightmare.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for nearly 10 years. Lou is now residing in Australia working as a nanny when a tragic event occurs that causes her disappearance. Despite being physically and emotionally distant from her daughter, Rose’s motherly and police instincts immediately kick in. Read More

Teaser

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia --- and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care --- Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career, and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust. Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence. Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn.

Promo

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia --- and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care --- Rose is asked to help bring Lou home. This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career, and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust. Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence. Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn.

About the Book

The pulse-pounding new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of YOU DON'T KNOW ME.

Rose once walked away from her daughter. Now she may be the only one who can save her.

Former London police officer Rose Campbell has been estranged from her daughter, Lou, for almost a decade. But when Lou disappears from a remote beach in Western Australia --- and the police suspect her of kidnapping the two young children in her care --- Rose is asked to help bring Lou home.

This is the final case in DSS Mal Blackwood's illustrious career, and there's a lot riding on it. The missing children are heirs to the Fisher property empire, and while their multimillionaire grandfather is breathing down Blackwood's neck, the media storm is intensifying. Faced with a deluge of evidence and accusations, Blackwood doesn't know who he can trust.

Rose arrives in Australia intent on proving her daughter's innocence. But how can she be sure of that when she's no longer part of Lou's life? Meanwhile, as Blackwood begins to expose the Fishers' secrets, the investigation takes a dark turn. Shadows of the past gather around the Fishers, and Rose, and soon it's clear that every hour is critical. What has happened to Lou and the children? And can Rose and Blackwood find them in time?

Audiobook available, read by Sophie Loughran

Editorial Content for The Other People

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

I was immediately drawn to THE OTHER PEOPLE after reading the description of a locked-room-style mystery and the opening quote chosen by C.B. Everett: "She couldn't imagine wanting to die. Death was for the other people" (Dame Agatha Christie, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE). Read More

Teaser

Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house, and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who --- or what --- lurks in the cellar?

Promo

Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house, and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who --- or what --- lurks in the cellar?

About the Book

From “one of the brightest stars in the British crime writing firmament” (John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author), a twisty thriller that combines Agatha Christie with SHUTTER ISLAND as it follows a group of strangers in a race against time to stop a serial killer.

Ten strangers.

An old dark house.

A killer picking them off one by one.

And a missing girl who’s running out of time.

And then there was one.

Ten strangers wake up inside an old, locked house. They have no recollection of how they got there. In order to escape, they have to solve the disappearance of a young woman. But a killer also stalks the halls of the house, and soon the body count starts to rise. Who are these strangers? Why were they chosen? Why would someone want to kill them? And who --- or what --- lurks in the cellar?

Forget what you think you know.

Because while you can trust yourself, can you really trust THE OTHER PEOPLE?

Audiobook available, read by Heather Long and Kaffe Keating

Editorial Content for The Unlucky Ones: A Black Harbor Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

THE UNLUCKY ONES is by far the darkest and bleakest entry in the Black Harbor series. Hannah Morrissey dredges the depths of the troubles that are befalling the town of Black Harbor with chilling results. Read More

Teaser

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

Promo

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

About the Book

A police transcriber-turned-novelist returns to Black Harbor to help solve the case of her ex-husband’s murder in the next riveting Black Harbor novel, featuring the return of characters from Hannah Morrissey's breakout debut, HELLO, TRANSCRIBER.

Black Harbor is a tinderbox. Temperatures and violent crime have both risen to all-time highs, a new drug razes the city and the scene to which Sergeant Nikolai Kole responds is anything but a rote homicide. In the back of a clubhouse lies a body wrapped in garbage bags and doused in bleach.

It isn’t just any body. Tommy Greenlee, the ex-husband of Kole’s former lover, Hazel, has been shot several times and left for dead. What’s more...the killer left what appears to be a calling card.

Elsewhere, Hazel is haunted by her memories of Black Harbor. Lured there after eight years, she returns to find out who killed Tommy and why. Now back in Kole’s orbit, their love affair can hardly pick up where it left off. They both used each other to their own ends before, which begs the question: would they do it again?

With the atmosphere growing more volatile by the second, Hazel and Kole call a truce and as they work together to solve this murder, they will not only unearth Black Harbor’s deepest, darkest secrets --- they’ll each have to face their own.

Audiobook available, read by Angela Dawe and Robb Moreira

Editorial Content for Girl Falling

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

In GIRL FALLING, Hayley Scrivenor invites readers back to rural Australia, a land notorious for its dangers. Following her debut, DIRT CREEK, this dark, sinister mystery tests the bonds of friendship, love, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. Read More

Teaser

Torn between her girlfriend, Magdu, and her best friend, Daphne, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the soaring cliffs near their Australian town. But nothing goes as she planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death. Rocked by grief, Finn tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Did Magdu die because of Finn’s friendship with overbearing Daphne, who has never wanted Finn to change or leave her? Can Finn trace it all the way back to the tragic childhood loss of her sister? What about Magdu’s family, who never would have accepted their relationship? When the police suspect foul play in Magdu’s death, Finn begins to search for the shocking truth about her relationships and what has been in front of her all along.

Promo

Torn between her girlfriend, Magdu, and her best friend, Daphne, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the soaring cliffs near their Australian town. But nothing goes as she planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death. Rocked by grief, Finn tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Did Magdu die because of Finn’s friendship with overbearing Daphne, who has never wanted Finn to change or leave her? Can Finn trace it all the way back to the tragic childhood loss of her sister? What about Magdu’s family, who never would have accepted their relationship? When the police suspect foul play in Magdu’s death, Finn begins to search for the shocking truth about her relationships and what has been in front of her all along.

About the Book

The USA Today bestselling, Lambda Award-winning author of DIRT CREEK is back with a woman’s story of the aftermath of the climbing incident that killed her girlfriend --- and getting to the truth.

Torn between her girlfriend, Magdu, and her best friend, Daphne, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the soaring cliffs near their Australian town. But nothing goes as she planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death.

Rocked by grief, Finn tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Did Magdu die because of Finn’s friendship with overbearing Daphne, who has never wanted Finn to change or leave her? Can Finn trace it all the way back to the tragic childhood loss of her sister? What about Magdu’s family, who never would have accepted their relationship?

When the police suspect foul play in Magdu’s death, Finn begins to search for the shocking truth about her relationships and what has been in front of her all along.

Beautifully written by the #1 internationally bestselling, Lammy Award-winning Hayley Scrivenor, GIRL FALLING is a beautiful love story, a tender meditation on grief, and a searing tale of just how much our lies can cost us.

Audiobook available, read by Sophie Loughran

Editorial Content for 10 Marchfield Square

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Take a scenic British residential square in London owned by a wealthy woman, tenants selected for their character instead of their pocketbooks, a set of murders, and the two residents who are tasked with solving the crimes, and you have Nicola Whyte's fabulous debut novel, 10 MARCHFIELD SQUARE. Read More

Teaser

When a minor criminal is murdered in the smallest residential square in London, elderly heiress and landlady Celeste van Duren recruits two of her tenants to investigate. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone and is liked by all, while failed writer Lewis is known by no one. He hates his job and his life, and he’s not that fond of Audrey either --- but Celeste is persuasive. As they hunt for clues in and around the Square, they discover everyone has something to hide, including their fellow residents. Audrey and Lewis must find a way to work together if they’re to find the killer in their midst. Assuming, of course, there’s just the one.

Promo

When a minor criminal is murdered in the smallest residential square in London, elderly heiress and landlady Celeste van Duren recruits two of her tenants to investigate. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone and is liked by all, while failed writer Lewis is known by no one. He hates his job and his life, and he’s not that fond of Audrey either --- but Celeste is persuasive. As they hunt for clues in and around the Square, they discover everyone has something to hide, including their fellow residents. Audrey and Lewis must find a way to work together if they’re to find the killer in their midst. Assuming, of course, there’s just the one.

About the Book

THE PARIS APARTMENT meets "Only Murders in the Building" in this debut murder mystery with an intriguing cast of characters inhabiting a quirky block of flats in modern-day London.

When a minor criminal is murdered in the smallest residential square in London, elderly heiress and landlady Celeste van Duren recruits two of her tenants to investigate. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone and is liked by all, while failed writer Lewis is known by no one. He hates his job and his life, and he’s not that fond of Audrey either --- but Celeste is persuasive.

As they hunt for clues in and around the Square, they discover everyone has something to hide, including their fellow residents. Audrey and Lewis must find a way to work together if they’re to find the killer in their midst. Assuming, of course, there’s just the one.

Cozy crime enthusiasts will not be able to get enough of Marchfield Square and its residents.

Audiobook available, read by Nneka Okoye

April 4, 2025

Early last evening, I received the very sad news that Jesse Kornbluth, who co-founded The Book Report/Bookreporter with me, had passed away. He had been ill for a while, but nonetheless the finality of it put me sideways.

We had been friends for more than three decades. It all started when we made documentaries together, along with Murray Bruce, while I was at Mademoiselle magazine. When we met, I was very much a corporate girl guided by the norms of a 9-5 work life. When I left Condé Nast in 1995 after my second son was born, I was completely unsure of what I wanted to do next.

John Shors Travel was conceptualized and launched as a result of outreach from the readers of John Shors’ bestselling books --- which includes his 2004 debut, BENEATH A MARBLE SKY --- and their desire to visit the settings of his novels. Since 2013, this one-of-a-kind travel company has taken more than a thousand guests on small-group, high-end tours to six continents. In this interview, John talks about the first literary tour he organized; his partnership with fellow bestselling authors, who travel with their readers to the locations of their books; and the exciting plans ahead for John Shors Travel. Click here to see photos from a few of their excursions.

Interview: J. Robert Lennon, author of Buzz Kill

Apr 3, 2025

When the shadowy circumstances of a relative's death are brought to light, Jane and Lila are plunged into the recesses of an underground drug operation with links to a burgeoning fascist movement. That’s the thrilling premise of BUZZ KILL, the second book featuring the Pool sisters, following the 2024 release of HARD GIRLS. In this interview conducted by Michael Barson, Senior Publicity Executive at Melville House, J. Robert Lennon talks about his decision to produce a crime series after years of writing stand-alone titles; gives a shout-out to some of his favorite noir novels; and explains how the publishing industry has changed since the publication of his debut in 1997.

Week of April 28, 2025

Paperback releases for the week of April 28th include REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by Shelby Van Pelt, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus; Emily Giffin's THE SUMMER PACT, a tender novel about a group of friends who, in the wake of tragedy, makes a pact that will cause them to reunite a decade later and embark upon a life-changing adventure together; ARKANGEL,   the latest entry in James Rollins' Sigma Force series, which tells the story of a thrilling hunt around the globe that pits nation against nation as ancient myths of a lost continent prove all too real; and THE MANICURIST’S DAUGHTER by Susan Lieu, an emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.