George Jean Nathan
An optimist is a fellow who believes a housefly is looking for a way to get out.
Attribution
January 29, 2016
After racing out of town a day early to escape the epic snowstorm in the New York area, I was happy to spend time in Denver with booksellers from across the country, as well as more than 100 authors and dozens of publishing friends. I never managed to switch to Mountain Time, thus I was awake each morning at 5:00, ready for the very full days of programming that started at 7:45. Those in my office know that I am not one to hit the office in the early morning --- I prefer to start my day working from home --- but jet lag was in my favor here.
Editorial Content for The ExBookContributorsReviewer (text)Roz Shea
Olivia Randall is a single, successful 40-something Manhattan defense attorney who specializes in bailing celebrities out of trouble who have run afoul of the law. Her dreams of attaining a clerkship with the Supreme Court were dashed years ago, so she joined a small but high-profile law firm owned by a friend of her father’s. She makes the most of what is a highly profitable, if not personally rewarding, profession. Read More TeaserWidower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife by a 15-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, enjoying a champagne picnic alone and reading his favorite novel. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when his world falls apart. PromoWidower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife by a 15-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, enjoying a champagne picnic alone and reading his favorite novel. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when his world falls apart. About the BookIn this breakout stand-alone novel of suspense in the vein of GONE GIRL and THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN, a woman agrees to help an old boyfriend who has been framed for murder --- but begins to suspect that she is the one being manipulated. Twenty years ago she ruined his life. Now she has the chance to save it. Widower Jack Harris has resisted the dating scene ever since the shooting of his wife Molly by a 15-year-old boy three years ago. An early morning run along the Hudson River changes that when he spots a woman in last night’s party dress, barefoot, enjoying a champagne picnic alone, reading his favorite novel. Everything about her reminds him of what he used to have with Molly. Eager to help Jack find love again, his best friend posts a message on a popular website after he mentions the encounter. Days later, that same beautiful stranger responds and invites Jack to meet her in person at the waterfront. That’s when Jack’s world falls apart. Olivia Randall is one of New York City’s best criminal defense lawyers. When she hears that her former fiancé, Jack Harris, has been arrested for a triple homicide --- and that one of the victims was connected to his wife’s murder --- there is no doubt in her mind as to his innocence. The only question is who would go to such great lengths to frame him --- and why? For Olivia, representing Jack is a way to make up for past regrets, to absolve herself of guilt from a tragic decision, a secret she has held for twenty years. But as the evidence against him mounts, she is forced to confront her doubts. The man she knew could not have done this. But what if she never really knew him? Audiobook available, narrated by Xe Sands Editorial Content for Even Dogs in the WildContributorsReviewer (text)Ray Palen
There are not many crime fiction/thriller writers better than Scotland's own Ian Rankin, whose faithful readers eagerly await each and every one of his tautly written novels. With the release of EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD, fans are in for a treat, as it features two of his fictional creations: Malcolm Fox of the Complaints bureau and the recently retired Detective Inspector John Rebus. Read More TeaserDetective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is investigating the death of a senior government prosecutor, David Minton, while Malcolm Fox is helping a surveillance team track a notorious Glasgow crime family. John Rebus gets a call from his old nemesis, "Big Ger" Cafferty; someone just fired a bullet through his front window, and the only man he trusts with his life is Rebus. As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally, whose past harbors a shocking secret that implicates Minton's friends in an unspeakable crime. PromoDetective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is investigating the death of a senior government prosecutor, David Minton, while Malcolm Fox is helping a surveillance team track a notorious Glasgow crime family. John Rebus gets a call from his old nemesis, "Big Ger" Cafferty; someone just fired a bullet through his front window, and the only man he trusts with his life is Rebus. As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally, whose past harbors a shocking secret that implicates Minton's friends in an unspeakable crime. About the BookIn this instant New York Times bestseller, Rebus comes out of retirement...to save his nemesis. Retirement doesn't suit John Rebus. Being a cop is in his blood. So when DI Siobhan Clarke asks for his help on a case, Rebus doesn't need long to consider his options. Clarke's been investigating the death of a senior lawyer whose body was found along with a threatening note. On the other side of Edinburgh, Big Ger Cafferty --- Rebus's longtime nemesis --- has received an identical note and a bullet through his window. Meanwhile, DI Malcolm Fox joins forces with a covert team from Glasgow who are tailing a notorious crime family. As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally Cafferty, whose past harbors an explosive secret that could blow the case wide open --- if it doesn't kill him first. Audiobook available, narrated by James MacPherson Editorial Content for Coconut CowboyBookContributorsReviewer (text)Joe Hartlaub
Tim Dorsey doesn’t really write thrillers, at least in the classical (or even contemporary) sense. His Serge A. Storms series is probably closer to fantasy and hilarity. It’s just that so many of these books ring true that one can imagine a real-life Serge, accompanied by Coleman, his perpetually toasted companion, cruising up and down and across the streets and highways of Florida, looking to right wrongs and avenge slights in a terminal and permanent way. Read More TeaserSerge A. Storms devises his wildest plan yet: finish the journey begun by his freewheeling heroes, Captain America and Billy, tragically cut short by some shotgun-wielding rednecks. Setting a course for the Florida panhandle, Captain Serge --- with Coleman literally riding shotgun --- mounts his classic motorcycle and hits the highway in search of the real America. In a state where criminal politicians are more common than gators, Serge and Coleman discover one particular speed-trap locale so aggressively inept at corruption that investigators are baffled where to start. PromoSerge A. Storms devises his wildest plan yet: finish the journey begun by his freewheeling heroes, Captain America and Billy, tragically cut short by some shotgun-wielding rednecks. Setting a course for the Florida panhandle, Captain Serge --- with Coleman literally riding shotgun --- mounts his classic motorcycle and hits the highway in search of the real America. In a state where criminal politicians are more common than gators, Serge and Coleman discover one particular speed-trap locale so aggressively inept at corruption that investigators are baffled where to start. About the BookFlorida’s favorite trigger-happy, shoot-from-the-hip vigilante history teacher is back --- and he has a few scores to settle. Serge A. Storms is hitting the road. Inspired by the classic biker flick Easy Rider, the irrepressible trivia buff and his drug-addled travel buddy, Coleman, head out on a motorcycle tour down the length of the Sunshine State, on a mission to rediscover the lost era of the American Dream. But going from small town to small town, they discover that some have lost much of their former charm --- including one particular hamlet of sleazy rural politicos hell-bent on keeping prying eyes out of their ineptly corrupt style of local government. Serge and Coleman engage in some high-life hijinks, complete with the state’s trademark crop of jerks, lethal science experiments, drug kingpins, double-crosses, unearthed bodies, barbecue and groovy tunes. And when a few innocent newcomers stumble into the mix, the stakes are raised to new backwoods heights. Audiobook available, narrated by Oliver Wyman Editorial Content for Where It HurtsBookContributorsReviewer (text)Joe Hartlaub
If the level of the quality of novels published in January 2016 continues to hold throughout the next 11 months, then this year is going to be a fabulous one for genre fiction. I present as an important example of this trend WHERE IT HURTS by Reed Farrel Coleman. Coleman has written over 20 novels and garnered critical acclaim from his fellow authors; the term “writer’s writer” should be applied to him. He also has been tapped to relaunch Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone series, giving it a new luster and appeal while staying true to Parker’s vision. Read More TeaserFollowing the loss of his family, Gus Murphy has settled into a mindless, soulless routine that barely keeps his grief at arm’s length. But his comfortable waking trance comes to an end when ex-con Tommy Delcamino asks him for help. Four months earlier, Tommy’s son T.J.’s battered body was discovered in a wooded lot, yet the Suffolk County PD doesn’t seem interested in pursuing the killers. It’s a dangerous favor Gus has taken on as he claws his way back to take a place among the living, while searching through the sewers for a killer. PromoFollowing the loss of his family, Gus Murphy has settled into a mindless, soulless routine that barely keeps his grief at arm’s length. But his comfortable waking trance comes to an end when ex-con Tommy Delcamino asks him for help. Four months earlier, Tommy’s son T.J.’s battered body was discovered in a wooded lot, yet the Suffolk County PD doesn’t seem interested in pursuing the killers. It’s a dangerous favor Gus has taken on as he claws his way back to take a place among the living, while searching through the sewers for a killer. About the BookFrom the critically acclaimed and award-winning author comes a gritty, atmospheric new series about the other side of Long Island, far from the wealth of the Hamptons, where real people live --- and die. Divorced and working as a courtesy van driver for the run-down hotel in which he has a room, Gus has settled into a mindless, soulless routine that barely keeps his grief at arm’s length. But Gus’s comfortable waking trance comes to an end when ex-con Tommy Delcamino asks him for help. Four months earlier, Tommy’s son T.J.’s battered body was discovered in a wooded lot, yet the Suffolk County PD doesn’t seem interested in pursuing the killers. In desperation, Tommy seeks out the only cop he ever trusted --- Gus Murphy. Gus reluctantly agrees to see what he can uncover. As he begins to sweep away the layers of dust that have collected over the case during the intervening months, Gus finds that Tommy was telling the truth. It seems that everyone involved with the late T.J Delcamino --- from his best friend, to a gang enforcer, to a mafia capo, and even the police --- has something to hide, and all are willing to go to extreme lengths to keep it hidden. It’s a dangerous favor Gus has taken on as he claws his way back to take a place among the living, while searching through the sewers for a killer. Audiobook available, narrated by Chris Andrew Ciulla Editorial Content for The Portable VeblenBookContributorsReviewer (text)Norah Piehl
First of all, just in case you weren’t paying attention in your History of Economics course in college, the “Veblen” in the title of Elizabeth McKenzie’s THE PORTABLE VEBLEN is Thorstein Veblen, the late 19th-century economist who coined the term “conspicuous consumption” and whose most famous book is the 1899 work THE THEORY OF THE LEISURE CLASS. He eschewed convention and authority, getting fired from numerous academic positions and living for a time in a converted chicken coop outside Palo Alto (perhaps he was an early proponent of the Tiny Ho Read More TeaserTHE PORTABLE VEBLEN is set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and with the specter of our current wars looming across. A young couple on the brink of marriage --- the charming Veblen and her fiancé Paul, a brilliant neurologist --- find their engagement in danger of collapse. Along the way they weather everything from each other’s dysfunctional families, to the attentions of a seductive pharmaceutical heiress, to an intimate tête-à-tête with a very charismatic squirrel. PromoTHE PORTABLE VEBLEN is set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and with the specter of our current wars looming across. A young couple on the brink of marriage --- the charming Veblen and her fiancé Paul, a brilliant neurologist --- find their engagement in danger of collapse. Along the way they weather everything from each other’s dysfunctional families, to the attentions of a seductive pharmaceutical heiress, to an intimate tête-à-tête with a very charismatic squirrel. About the BookAn exuberant, one-of-a-kind novel about love and family, war and nature, new money and old values by a brilliant New Yorker contributor THE PORTABLE VEBLEN is a dazzlingly original novel that’s as big-hearted as it is laugh-out-loud funny. Set in and around Palo Alto, amid the culture clash of new money and old (antiestablishment) values, and with the specter of our current wars looming across its pages, THE PORTABLE VEBLEN is an unforgettable look at the way we live now. A young couple on the brink of marriage --- the charming Veblen and her fiancé Paul, a brilliant neurologist --- find their engagement in danger of collapse. Along the way they weather everything from each other’s dysfunctional families, to the attentions of a seductive pharmaceutical heiress, to an intimate tête-à-tête with a very charismatic squirrel. Veblen (named after the iconoclastic economist Thorstein Veblen, who coined the term “conspicuous consumption”) is one of the most refreshing heroines in recent fiction. Not quite liberated from the burdens of her hypochondriac, narcissistic mother and her institutionalized father, Veblen is an amateur translator and “freelance self”; in other words, she’s adrift. Meanwhile, Paul --- the product of good hippies who were bad parents --- finds his ambition soaring. His medical research has led to the development of a device to help minimize battlefield brain trauma --- an invention that gets him swept up in a high-stakes deal with the Department of Defense, a Bizarro World that McKenzie satirizes with granular specificity. As Paul is swept up by the promise of fame and fortune, Veblen heroically keeps the peace between all the damaged parties involved in their upcoming wedding, until she finds herself falling for someone --- or something --- else. Throughout, Elizabeth McKenzie asks: Where do our families end and we begin? How do we stay true to our ideals? And what is that squirrel really thinking? Replete with deadpan photos and sly appendices, THE PORTABLE VEBLEN is at once an honest inquiry into what we look for in love and an electrifying reading experience. Editorial Content for Girl Through GlassBookContributorsReviewer (text)Norah Piehl
Near the end of Sari Wilson’s debut novel, GIRL THROUGH GLASS, Kate Rendell asks herself: “Can I stop sabotaging my own ambitions?” That question is as relevant for Kate now, in her 40s, as it was when she was a teenager, known then as Mira. Read More TeaserIn the summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina whose mentor is 47-year-old Maurice DuPont. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives. In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsize the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she has long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind. PromoIn the summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina whose mentor is 47-year-old Maurice DuPont. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives. In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsize the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she has long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind. About the BookAn enthralling literary debut that tells the story of a young girl’s coming of age in the cutthroat world of New York City ballet --- a story of obsession and the quest for perfection, trust and betrayal, beauty and lost innocence. In the roiling summer of 1977, 11-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina in the romantic, highly competitive world of New York City ballet. Enduring the mess of her parent’s divorce, she finds escape in dance --- the rigorous hours of practice, the exquisite beauty, the precision of movement, the obsessive perfectionism. Ballet offers her control, power and the promise of glory. It also introduces her to 47-year-old Maurice DuPont, a reclusive, charismatic balletomane who becomes her mentor. Over the course of three years, Mira is accepted into the prestigious School of American Ballet run by the legendary George Balanchine, and eventually becomes one of “Mr. B’s girls” --- a dancer of rare talent chosen for greatness. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, touching dark places within herself and sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives. In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance at a Midwestern college, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsizes the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she’s long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind. Told in interweaving narratives that move between past and present, GIRL THROUGH GLASS illuminates the costs of ambition, secrets and the desire for beauty, and reveals how the sacrifices we make for an ideal can destroy --- or save --- us. Audiobook available, narrated by Tavia Gilbert Editorial Content for The Golden SonBookContributorsReviewer (text)Bronwyn Miller
“Anil Patel was ten years old the first time he witnessed one of Papa’s arbitrations.” So begins THE GOLDEN SON, Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s second novel of family, love and responsibility. Read More TeaserAnil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas. When his father dies, however, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, has trouble adapting to her demanding new husband and relatives. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever. PromoAnil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas. When his father dies, however, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, has trouble adapting to her demanding new husband and relatives. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever. About the BookThe New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of SECRET DAUGHTER returns with an unforgettable story of family, responsibility, love, honor, tradition and identity, in which two childhood friends --- a young doctor and a newly married bride --- must balance the expectations of their culture and their families with the desires of their own hearts. The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities. Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena’s romantic hopes, and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more --- changing them both and the people they love forever. Tender and bittersweet, THE GOLDEN SON illuminates the ambivalence of people caught between past and present, tradition and modernity, duty and choice; the push and pull of living in two cultures, and the painful decisions we must make to find our true selves. Audiobook available, narrated by Sunil Malhotra Editorial Content for The IllegalBookContributorsReviewer (text)Jana Siciliano
THE ILLEGAL is a contemporary story about an imaginary land in which immigration policies and experience change and shape the landscape by suffering under unfair laws legislated against undocumented peoples. Keita Ali, the protagonist of this gripping tale, is a runner (no shortage of symbolism there), and his physical prowess proves to be the key in helping him maneuver the labyrinthine craziness of his flawed country. Read More TeaserAll Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people. There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground and learns what it means to live as an illegal. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped. PromoAll Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people. There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground and learns what it means to live as an illegal. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped. About the BookInternationally bestselling author Lawrence Hill returns with an extraordinary, resonant novel about a man on the run. Lawrence Hill spellbound readers with SOMEONE KNOWS MY NAME (made into the television miniseries, "The Book of Negroes"), hailed as “transporting” (Entertainment Weekly) and “completely engrossing” (Washington Post). THE ILLEGAL is the gripping story of Keita Ali, a refugee --- like the many in today’s headlines --- compelled to leave his homeland. All Keita has ever wanted to do is to run. Running means respect and wealth at home. His native Zantoroland, a fictionalized country whose tyrants are eerily familiar, turns out the fastest marathoners on earth. But after his journalist father is killed for his outspoken political views, Keita must flee to the wealthy nation of Freedom State --- a country engaged in a crackdown on all undocumented people. There, Keita becomes a part of the new underground. He learns what it means to live as an illegal: surfacing to earn cash prizes by running local races and assessing whether the people he meets will be kind or turn him in. As the authorities seek to arrest Keita, he strives to elude capture and ransom his sister, who has been kidnapped. Set in an imagined country bearing a striking resemblance to our own, this tension-filled novel casts its eye on race, human potential and what it means to belong. Audiobook available, narrated by Gideon Emery |


