Editorial Content for Brighton
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
There is a vignette in BRIGHTON that is frozen in my mind. It consists of a momentous meeting in a Boston dive bar, during which conversation of some foreboding importance takes place while “Wonderful Remark” by Van Morrison plays incongruently but nonetheless perfectly in the background. It doesn’t get much better than that, but BRIGHTON --- a stand-alone crime story by veteran grammar-miner Michael Harvey --- is full of scenes like that, wonderfully told and beautifully done. Read More
Teaser
Kevin Pearce was only 15 when he and his buddy, Bobby Scales, committed heinous violence for what they thought were the best of reasons. Kevin didn’t want a pass, but he was getting it anyway. Bobby would stay and face the music; Kevin’s future would remain bright as ever. At least that was the way things were supposed to work. Twenty-six years later, Kevin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for the Boston Globe. When he learns that Bobby is the prime suspect in a string of local murders, he heads home to protect his friend and the secret they share. To report this story to the end and protect those he loves, he must face not only an elusive, slippery killer, but his own corrupted conscience.
Promo
Kevin Pearce was only 15 when he and his buddy, Bobby Scales, committed heinous violence for what they thought were the best of reasons. Kevin didn’t want a pass, but he was getting it anyway. Bobby would stay and face the music; Kevin’s future would remain bright as ever. At least that was the way things were supposed to work. Twenty-six years later, Kevin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist for the Boston Globe. When he learns that Bobby is the prime suspect in a string of local murders, he heads home to protect his friend and the secret they share. To report this story to the end and protect those he loves, he must face not only an elusive, slippery killer, but his own corrupted conscience.
About the Book
An extraordinary thriller --- gripping, haunting and marvelously told --- about two friends growing up in a rapidly changing Boston, who must face the sins of their past in the midst of a series of brutal murders.
“You came back here to bury your past... Thing is, you gotta kill it first.”
Kevin Pearce --- baseball star, honor student, the pride of Brighton --- was 15 when he left town in the back of his uncle’s cab. He and his buddy, Bobby Scales, just committed a heinous act of violence for what they thought were the best of reasons. Kevin didn’t want a pass, but he was getting it anyway. Bobby would stay and face the music; Kevin’s future would remain as bright as ever. At least that was the way things were supposed to work. Except in Brighton, things never work the way they’re supposed to.
Twenty-seven years later, Kevin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for the Boston Globe. He’s never been back to his old block, having avoided his family and, especially, Bobby Scales. Then he learns his old friend is the prime suspect in a string of local murders. All of a sudden Kevin’s headed home --- to protect a friend and the secret they share. To report this story to the end and protect those he loves, he must navigate not only an elusive, slippery killer, but his own corrupted conscience.
A powerhouse of a thriller, BRIGHTON is a riveting and elegiac exploration of promises broken, debts owed and old wrongs made right…no matter what the cost.
Audiobook available, performed by Stephen Mendel
Editorial Content for The Second Girl
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Author David Swinson specializes in tragically and spectacularly flawed heroes. Detective Simeon, in Swinson’s dark, memorable novel A DETAILED MAN, was afflicted with Bell’s Palsy. Swinson, after too long an absence, returns to the crime story world with THE SECOND GIRL, introducing a tragically fractured and darkly rumpled knight errant in a book that hopefully launches a long and prosperous series. Read More
Teaser
A decorated former police detective, Frank Marr retired early and now ekes a living as a private eye for a defense attorney. A long-functioning drug addict, Frank has devoted his considerable skills to hiding his usage from others. But after accidentally discovering a kidnapped teenage girl in the home of an Adams Morgan drug gang, Frank becomes a hero and is thrust into the spotlight. He reluctantly agrees to investigate the disappearance of another girl --- possibly connected to the first --- and the heightened scrutiny may bring his own secrets to light.
Promo
A decorated former police detective, Frank Marr retired early and now ekes a living as a private eye for a defense attorney. A long-functioning drug addict, Frank has devoted his considerable skills to hiding his usage from others. But after accidentally discovering a kidnapped teenage girl in the home of an Adams Morgan drug gang, Frank becomes a hero and is thrust into the spotlight. He reluctantly agrees to investigate the disappearance of another girl --- possibly connected to the first --- and the heightened scrutiny may bring his own secrets to light.
About the Book
Frank Marr knows crime in Washington, DC. A decorated former police detective, he retired early and now ekes a living as a private eye for a defense attorney. Frank Marr may be the best investigator the city has ever known, but the city doesn't know his dirty secret.
A long-functioning drug addict, Frank has devoted his considerable skills to hiding his usage from others. But after accidentally discovering a kidnapped teenage girl in the home of an Adams Morgan drug gang, Frank becomes a hero and is thrust into the spotlight. He reluctantly agrees to investigate the disappearance of another girl --- possibly connected to the first --- and the heightened scrutiny may bring his own secrets to light, too.
Frank is as slippery and charming an antihero as you've ever met, but he's also achingly vulnerable. The result is a mystery of startling intensity, a tightly coiled thriller where every scene may turn disastrous. THE SECOND GIRL is the crime novel of the season, and the start of a refreshing new series from an author who knows the criminal underworld inside and out.
Audiobook available, read by Christopher Ryan Grant
Editorial Content for June
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
JUNE, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore’s fourth book, takes readers to the small, rural town of St. Jude, Ohio, where the past and present collide in a lush, sprawling mansion, and powerful secrets rock the life of an unassuming young photographer. Read More
Teaser
Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion mourning the loss of the woman who raised her --- her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail and betrayal.
Promo
Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion mourning the loss of the woman who raised her --- her grandmother, June. But a knock on the door forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary matinee idol Jack Montgomery's vast fortune. How did Jack Montgomery know her name? Could he have crossed paths with her grandmother all those years ago? Soon Jack’s famous daughters come knocking, determined to wrestle Cassie away from the inheritance they feel is their due. Together, they all come to discover the true reasons for June’s silence about that long-ago summer, when June and Jack’s lives were forever altered by murder, blackmail and betrayal.
About the Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of BITTERSWEET comes a novel of suspense and passion about a terrible mistake that changed a family forever, now in paperback and featuring an all-new Reading Group Guide
Cassie Danvers is holed up in her family’s crumbling mansion in small-town Ohio, mourning the loss of her grandmother, June. But the noise of the rusted doorbell forces her out of isolation. Cassie has been named the sole heir to legendary movie star Jack Montgomery's fortune.
Soon Jack’s famous daughters arrive, entourage in tow, determined to wrestle Cassie away from an inheritance they feel is theirs. Together, they come to discover the true reason for June’s silence about the summer she was 18, when Hollywood came to town, and June and Jack’s lives were forever altered. Shifting deftly between the past and present, Cassie and her guests will be forced to reexamine their legacies, their definition of family, and what it truly means to love someone, steadfastly, across the ages.
Audiobook available, read by Sofia Willingham
Editorial Content for The Tumbling Turner Sisters
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In 1919, the U.S. ratified the 18th amendment. The normally mild-mannered Frank Turner, who has “got his temper all twisted up about Prohibition,” marks the occasion by smashing his hand up in a drunken brawl, rendering him unable to work. This uncharacteristic moment of violence spells disaster for his family, who is barely getting by as it is. Read More
Teaser
In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother decides that the vaudeville stage is their best --- and only --- chance for survival. Traveling by train from town to town, recent widow Nell and teenagers Gert, Winnie and Kit soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated.
Promo
In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother decides that the vaudeville stage is their best --- and only --- chance for survival. Traveling by train from town to town, recent widow Nell and teenagers Gert, Winnie and Kit soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated.
About the Book
For fans of ORPHAN TRAIN and Sara Gruen’s WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, a compelling historical novel from “one of the best authors of women’s fiction” (Library Journal). Set against the turbulent backdrop of American Vaudeville, four sisters embark on an unexpected adventure --- and a last-ditch effort to save their family.
In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother decides that the vaudeville stage is their best --- and only --- chance for survival.
Traveling by train from town to town, teenagers Gert, Winnie and Kit, and recent widow Nell soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated. Heartwarming and surprising, THE TUMBLING TURNER SISTERS is ultimately a story of awakening --- to unexpected possibilities, to love and heartbreak, and to the dawn of a new American era.
Audiobook available, read by Katie Schorr and Eileen Stevens
Editorial Content for Last Night, a Superhero Saved My Life
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In the anthology LAST NIGHT, A SUPERHERO SAVED MY LIFE, editor and Batman enthusiast Liesa Mignogna taps a wide array of writers to articulate how reading comic books and emulating superheroes affected each of their lives. Some instances are more dramatic, others more resonant; as with any anthology, some of the included pieces work better than others. But the book captures the outsider environ of comic book fans before superhero movies found a global audience, and the way lives can be influenced by a character on a page. Read More
Teaser
In LAST NIGHT, A SUPERHERO SAVED MY LIFE, authors share their most hilarious and most heartwrenching experiences with their chosen defender to explain why superheroes matter, what they tell us about who we are, and what they mean for our future. Contributors include New York Times bestsellers Christopher Golden, Leigh Bardugo, Brad Meltzer, Neil Gaiman, Carrie Vaughn, Jodi Picoult and Jamie Ford, as well as award-winners and mainstays like Joe R. Lansdale, Karina Cooper and Ron Currie, Jr., among many others.
Promo
In LAST NIGHT, A SUPERHERO SAVED MY LIFE, authors share their most hilarious and most heartwrenching experiences with their chosen defender to explain why superheroes matter, what they tell us about who we are, and what they mean for our future. Contributors include New York Times bestsellers Christopher Golden, Leigh Bardugo, Brad Meltzer, Neil Gaiman, Carrie Vaughn, Jodi Picoult and Jamie Ford, as well as award-winners and mainstays like Joe R. Lansdale, Karina Cooper and Ron Currie, Jr., among many others.
About the Book
As broad as our exponentially growing cultural fascination with caped crusaders is, it runs just as deep as this long awaited anthology underscores. Liesa Mignogna, the VP, Editorial Director at Simon Pulse and editor of this anthology, can expound on the virtues of Batman (her wedding was even Batman-themed) but it's her retelling of incredibly harrowing yet ultimately inspiring encounters with The Dark Knight over the years, as she struggled to coexist with the supervillains in her own family that birthed this collection.
LAST NIGHT, A SUPERHERO SAVED MY LIFE gives readers the chance to connect to their beloved authors, while those same authors connect to their beloved superheroes, and within that feedback loop of respect and admiration lies a stellar, and phenomenally accessible, anthology full of thrills, chills and spills.
Contributors include New York Times bestsellers Christopher Golden, Leigh Bardugo, Brad Meltzer, Neil Gaiman, Carrie Vaughn, Jodi Picoult and Jamie Ford, as well as award-winners and mainstays like Joe R. Lansdale, Karina Cooper, and Ron Currie, Jr., among many others. LAST NIGHT, A SUPERHERO SAVED MY LIFE’s authors share their most hilarious and most heart wrenching experiences with their chosen defender to explain why superheroes matter, what they tell us about who we are, and what they mean for our future.
Editorial Content for Dark Horse: An Eddy Harkness Novel
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
DARK HORSE is indeed a dark book, but a fun one. Eddy Harkness made his initial appearance in Rory Flynn’s authentic THIRD RAIL, which chronicled Harkness’ fall from grace within the Boston Police Department and his second chance at a well-earned and deserved redemption. This second in the series demonstrates that Flynn is no fluke, even as he broadens his subject matter and creates a believable and unforgettable scenario for his memorable character. Read More
Teaser
When a late-summer hurricane slams into Boston, Detective Eddy Harkness and his Narco-Intel crew are thrown into the eye of a very different kind of storm. Dark Horse --- an especially pure and deadly brand of heroin --- has infiltrated the gritty Lower South End. Harkness soon finds that the drug is also at the center of an audacious land grab by the city’s corrupt new mayor and his shadowy power brokers. Meanwhile, Lower South End residents displaced by the storm use an obscure bylaw to move into Eddy’s hometown, and soon enough tensions are running high along Nagog’s tree-lined streets.
Promo
When a late-summer hurricane slams into Boston, Detective Eddy Harkness and his Narco-Intel crew are thrown into the eye of a very different kind of storm. Dark Horse --- an especially pure and deadly brand of heroin --- has infiltrated the gritty Lower South End. Harkness soon finds that the drug is also at the center of an audacious land grab by the city’s corrupt new mayor and his shadowy power brokers. Meanwhile, Lower South End residents displaced by the storm use an obscure bylaw to move into Eddy’s hometown, and soon enough tensions are running high along Nagog’s tree-lined streets.
About the Book
Boston narcotics detective Eddy Harkness is on the case again, and this time the soul of the city is at stake.
When a late-summer hurricane slams into Boston, Detective Eddy Harkness and his Narco-Intel crew are thrown into the eye of a very different kind of storm. Dark Horse --- an especially pure and deadly brand of heroin --- has infiltrated the gritty Lower South End. Harkness soon finds that the drug is also at the center of an audacious land grab by the city’s corrupt new mayor and his shadowy power brokers. Meanwhile, Lower South End residents displaced by the storm use an obscure bylaw to move into Eddy’s hometown, and soon enough tensions are running high along Nagog’s tree-lined streets.
Fast-paced and atmospheric, DARK HORSE moves from dive bars to Harvard dorm rooms to the city’s elite social clubs, as Harkness puts everything at risk --- his department, his nascent family, and his life --- to try to derail the seemingly unstoppable conspiracy before it’s too late.
Editorial Content for This is Not the End
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
For most people, turning 16 means getting a driver’s license, going on dates and working tirelessly to keep their skin clear. For James Salley, though, it means coming face to face with the armies of Hell as the newly-anointed Antichrist. Read More
Teaser
James Salley is turning 16, and it’s not going well. His family’s too busy, the local bully creates new tortures daily, and he’s just learned that he’s the Antichrist. All James ever wanted out of life was for Dorian Delaney to fall as in love with him as he is with her. But once he’s told of his bloody destiny, he finds himself fighting between who he thought he was and who he’s supposed to be. With the school librarian pushing him to begin the Apocalypse, an irritable homunculus watching his back, and a murderous cabal of Catholics following him everywhere, James must discover how to navigate a world in which everything he’s ever believed is wrong --- and if it’s possible to be the hero of a story when you’ve already been cast as the villain.
Promo
James Salley is turning 16, and it’s not going well. His family’s too busy, the local bully creates new tortures daily, and he’s just learned that he’s the Antichrist. All James ever wanted out of life was for Dorian Delaney to fall as in love with him as he is with her. But once he’s told of his bloody destiny, he finds himself fighting between who he thought he was and who he’s supposed to be. With the school librarian pushing him to begin the Apocalypse, an irritable homunculus watching his back, and a murderous cabal of Catholics following him everywhere, James must discover how to navigate a world in which everything he’s ever believed is wrong --- and if it’s possible to be the hero of a story when you’ve already been cast as the villain.
About the Book
James Salley is turning 16, and it’s not going well. His family’s too busy to care, the local bully creates new tortures daily, someone appears to be following him, and he’s just learned that he’s the Antichrist.
All James ever wanted out of life was for Dorian Delaney --- the operatically trained and suicidal girl of his dreams --- to fall as in love with him as he is with her. But once he’s told of his bloody destiny, he finds himself fighting between who he thought he was and who he’s supposed to be.
With the school librarian pushing him to begin the Apocalypse, an irritable homunculus watching his back, and a murderous cabal of Catholics following him everywhere, James must discover how to navigate a world in which everything he’s ever believed is wrong --- and if it’s possible to be the hero of a story when you’ve already been cast as the villain.
Editorial Content for How It Ends
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
HOW IT ENDS is an insightful and heart wrenching novel centered around the pressures and shifting tides of an adolescent social life. Author Catherine Lo masterfully paints the hardships of crafting a reputation and the travesty of losing one. Read More
Teaser
It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs...until suddenly they're not. Told through alternating points of view, HOW IT ENDS is the story of a friendship from first meeting to breakup, set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys, and backstabbing.
Promo
It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs...until suddenly they're not. Told through alternating points of view, HOW IT ENDS is the story of a friendship from first meeting to breakup, set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys, and backstabbing.
About the Book
There are two sides to every story.
It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs...until suddenly they're not. Told through alternating points of view, HOW IT ENDS is the story of a friendship from first meeting to breakup, set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys, and backstabbing.
Catherine Lo makes her debut with an honest, nuanced tale about the intricacies of female friendship.
Editorial Content for With Malice
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Eileen Cook is an author of novels published in eight languages. Cook regularly speaks at many writing conferences throughout the USA and Canada. She has written multiple YA books and is an instructor for The Writing Institute at Simon Fraser University. Her newest book, WITH MALICE, is a young adult mystery/thriller.
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Teaser
Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron's senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care --- care that includes a lawyer and a press team. Because maybe the accident wasn't really an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.
Promo
Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron's senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care --- care that includes a lawyer and a press team. Because maybe the accident wasn't really an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.
About the Book
For fans of WE WERE LIARS and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN comes a chilling, addictive psychological thriller about a teenage girl who cannot remember the last six weeks of her life.
Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron's senior trip to Italy was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime. And then the accident happened. Waking up in a hospital room, her leg in a cast, stitches in her face, and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be, Jill comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident in her travels abroad. She was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care. Care that includes a lawyer. And a press team. Because maybe the accident...wasn't an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life.
Audiobook available, narrated by Whitney Dykhouse
Editorial Content for You Know Me Well
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
YOU KNOW ME WELL by David Levithan and Nina LaCour should be read by everyone. David Levithan is a New York Times best selling author who has written with authors such as John Green. Although Levithan has co-written many books, YOU KNOW ME WELL marks Nina LCour’s first collaborative effort.
“YOU KNOW ME WELL utilizes clever analogies and metaphors to put a smile on your face….[You] will truly feel at home with these characters.”
Teaser
Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.
Promo
Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.
About the Book
Who knows you well? Your best friend? Your boyfriend or girlfriend? A stranger you meet on a crazy night? No one, really?
Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.
That is until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.
When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other -- and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.
A book told in alternating points of view by Nina LaCour, the award-winning author of HOLD STILL and THE DISENCHANTMENTS, and David Levithan, the best-selling author of EVERY DAY and co-author of NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (with Rachel Cohn) and WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON (with John Green), YOU KNOW ME WELL is a deeply honest story about navigating the joys and heartaches of first love, one truth at a time.
Audiobook available, narrated by Katie Schorr and Michael Crouch.
