Editorial Content for The Excellent Lombards
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
There is nowhere that young Mary Frances “Frankie” Lombard would rather be than her family's beautiful apple orchard. The gnarled roots of the trees and the amazing bounty they produce are as familiar to her as the many people in her family who work the land every day. Read More
Teaser
Mary Frances "Frankie" Lombard is fiercely in love with her family's sprawling apple orchard and the tangled web of family members who inhabit it. But she cannot help being haunted by the historical fact that some family members end up staying on the farm and others must leave. Change is inevitable, and threats of urbanization, disinheritance and college applications shake the foundation of Frankie's roots. As Frankie is forced to shed her childhood fantasies and face the possibility of losing the idyllic future she had envisioned for her family, she must decide whether loving something means clinging tightly or letting go.
Promo
Mary Frances "Frankie" Lombard is fiercely in love with her family's sprawling apple orchard and the tangled web of family members who inhabit it. But she cannot help being haunted by the historical fact that some family members end up staying on the farm and others must leave. Change is inevitable, and threats of urbanization, disinheritance and college applications shake the foundation of Frankie's roots. As Frankie is forced to shed her childhood fantasies and face the possibility of losing the idyllic future she had envisioned for her family, she must decide whether loving something means clinging tightly or letting go.
About the Book
From the internationally bestselling author of THE BOOK OF RUTH and A MAP OF THE WORLD, a heartfelt coming-of-age story that Karen Joy Fowler calls "a timeless classic...a book you will read and reread."
Mary Frances "Frankie" Lombard is fiercely in love with her family's sprawling apple orchard and the tangled web of family members who inhabit it. Content to spend her days planning capers with her brother William, competing with her brainy cousin Amanda, and expertly tending the orchard with her father, Frankie desires nothing more than for the rhythm of life to continue undisturbed.
But she cannot help being haunted by the historical fact that some family members end up staying on the farm and others must leave. Change is inevitable, and threats of urbanization, disinheritance and college applications shake the foundation of Frankie's roots.
As Frankie is forced to shed her childhood fantasies and face the possibility of losing the idyllic future she had envisioned for her family, she must decide whether loving something means clinging tightly or letting go.
Audiobook available, narrated by Erin Cottrell
Editorial Content for Alice & Oliver
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
When Charles Bock’s debut novel, BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, was published in 2008, it was a sensation. But unbeknownst to most readers, in the wake of its success, Bock and his family were undergoing a drama of their own, as his wife was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009 and died two-and-a-half years later, just days before their daughter’s third birthday. Now, in his second novel, ALICE & OLIVER, Bock uses fiction to explore the devastating effects of cancer on a young family very much like his own. Read More
Teaser
New York, 1993. Alice Culvert is a caring wife, a doting new mother, a loyal friend and a soulful artist --- a fashion designer who wears a baby carrier and haute couture with equal aplomb. In their loft in Manhattan’s gritty Meatpacking District, Alice and her husband, Oliver, are raising their infant daughter, Doe, delighting in the wonders of early parenthood. Their life together feels so vital and full of promise, which makes Alice’s sudden cancer diagnosis especially staggering. In the span of a single day, the couple’s focus narrows to the basic question of her survival.
Promo
New York, 1993. Alice Culvert is a caring wife, a doting new mother, a loyal friend and a soulful artist --- a fashion designer who wears a baby carrier and haute couture with equal aplomb. In their loft in Manhattan’s gritty Meatpacking District, Alice and her husband, Oliver, are raising their infant daughter, Doe, delighting in the wonders of early parenthood. Their life together feels so vital and full of promise, which makes Alice’s sudden cancer diagnosis especially staggering. In the span of a single day, the couple’s focus narrows to the basic question of her survival.
About the Book
The award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN has created an unflinching yet deeply humane portrait of a young family’s journey through a medical crisis, laying bare a couple’s love and fears as they fight for everything that’s important to them.
New York, 1993. Alice Culvert is a caring wife, a doting new mother, a loyal friend and a soulful artist --- a fashion designer who wears a baby carrier and haute couture with equal aplomb. In their loft in Manhattan’s gritty Meatpacking District, Alice and her husband, Oliver, are raising their infant daughter, Doe, delighting in the wonders of early parenthood.
Their life together feels so vital and full of promise, which makes Alice’s sudden cancer diagnosis especially staggering. In the span of a single day, the couple’s focus narrows to the basic question of her survival. Though they do their best to remain brave, each faces enormous pressure: Oliver tries to navigate a labyrinthine healthcare system and handle their mounting medical bills; Alice tries to be hopeful as her body turns against her. Bracing themselves for the unthinkable, they must confront the new realities of their marriage, their strengths as partners and flaws as people, how to nourish love against all odds, and what it means to truly care for another person.
Inspired by the author’s life, ALICE & OLIVER is a deeply affecting novel written with stunning reserves of compassion, humor, and wisdom. Alice Culvert is an extraordinary character --- a woman of incredible heart and spirit --- who will remain in memory long after the final page.
Audiobook available, narrated by Rebecca Lowman and MacLeod Andrews
Editorial Content for A Few of the Girls: Stories
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
If the remarkable late Irish writer Maeve Binchy ever paused during a prolific career to muse over her legacy, she needn’t have. Those near, far and dear to her, as well as millions of unmet fans to whom she became a richly nuanced voice of womanhood, will not let her creative genius be forgotten anytime soon. A FEW OF THE GIRLS is one of those rare collaborative efforts that successfully pays honest and profound tribute to an author whose passions embraced an amazingly broad swath of society, one in which everything typically Irish becomes wonderfully universal as well. Read More
Teaser
A FEW OF THE GIRLS brings together, for the first time, 36 of Maeve Binchy’s very best stories --- some published in magazines, others written for friends as gifts, many for charity benefits, all of them filled with her trademark warmth, wisdom and humor. Written over a period of decades, these stories show that while times change, people often remain the same: they fall in love, sometimes unsuitably; they experience heartbreak, compassion and redemption; they hold to hopes and dreams; and they have friendships --- some that fall apart, and a few special ones that endure.
Promo
A FEW OF THE GIRLS brings together, for the first time, 36 of Maeve Binchy’s very best stories --- some published in magazines, others written for friends as gifts, many for charity benefits, all of them filled with her trademark warmth, wisdom and humor. Written over a period of decades, these stories show that while times change, people often remain the same: they fall in love, sometimes unsuitably; they experience heartbreak, compassion and redemption; they hold to hopes and dreams; and they have friendships --- some that fall apart, and a few special ones that endure.
About the Book
A FEW OF THE GIRLS brings together, for the first time, 36 of Maeve Binchy’s very best stories --- some published in magazines, others written for friends as gifts, many for charity benefits, all of them filled with her trademark warmth, wisdom and humor. Written over a period of decades, these stories show that while times change, people often remain the same: they fall in love, sometimes unsuitably; they experience heartbreak, compassion and redemption; they hold to hopes and dreams; and they have friendships --- some that fall apart, and a few special ones that endure. A foreword by her husband, Gordon Snell, offers a privileged, intimate glimpse into the writing process behind her extraordinary work.
Audiobook available; narrated by Sile Bermingham, Jayne Entwistle, John Lee and Katharine McEwan
Editorial Content for The Bed Moved: Stories
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In fewer than 150 pages, Rebecca Schiff’s collection, THE BED MOVED, offers over 20 short stories thematically held together by ideas about sex and sexuality, failed relationships, family, loss and longing. For Schiff, these themes are all part of a larger exploration of identity via a narrow but sharp perspective. Each short story here is very short, but powerful, complicated and absorbing nonetheless. Read More
Teaser
A New Yorker endures a romantic getaway with a cash-strapped pot grower to a “clothing optional resort” in California; a nerdy high-schooler has her first sexual experience at Geology Camp; an unemployed college grad returns to her childhood home after her father’s funeral and encounters a surprise in his browser history. With bone-dry humor and unexpected tenderness, Rebecca Schiff’s stories offer a singular view of growing up (or not) and finding love (or not) in today’s ever-uncertain landscape. THE BED MOVED is a wry and irreverent take on the human connections --- no matter how fleeting --- that make us who we are.
Promo
A New Yorker endures a romantic getaway with a cash-strapped pot grower to a “clothing optional resort” in California; a nerdy high-schooler has her first sexual experience at Geology Camp; an unemployed college grad returns to her childhood home after her father’s funeral and encounters a surprise in his browser history. With bone-dry humor and unexpected tenderness, Rebecca Schiff’s stories offer a singular view of growing up (or not) and finding love (or not) in today’s ever-uncertain landscape. THE BED MOVED is a wry and irreverent take on the human connections --- no matter how fleeting --- that make us who we are.
About the Book
A razor-sharp, devastatingly witty debut collection of stories on adolescence, sex, death, being Jewish-ish and finding one's way as a young woman in the world.
A New Yorker endures a romantic getaway with a cash-strapped pot grower to a “clothing optional resort” in California; a nerdy high-schooler has her first sexual experience at Geology Camp; an unemployed college grad returns to her childhood home after her father’s funeral and encounters a surprise in his browser history. With bone-dry humor and unexpected tenderness, Rebecca Schiff’s stories offer a singular view of growing up (or not) and finding love (or not) in today’s ever-uncertain landscape. THE BED MOVED is a wry and irreverent take on the human connections --- no matter how fleeting --- that make us who we are.
Editorial Content for Hex
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
I don’t like witch stories, but I loved HEX. I almost passed it up, thinking it would be a one-trick pony, but decided at the last minute to give it a shot. Then I wondered if I had made a mistake. The opening of the book seemed to be horror light, more focused on the whimsy than otherwise, though it was extremely well-written. Read More
Teaser
Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a 17th-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened, or the consequences will be too terrible to bear. The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated by being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.
Promo
Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a 17th-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened, or the consequences will be too terrible to bear. The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated by being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.
About the Book
The English language debut of the bestselling Dutch novel, HEX, from Thomas Olde Heuvelt --- a Hugo and World Fantasy award nominated talent to watch
Whoever is born here, is doomed to stay 'til death. Whoever settles, never leaves.
Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a 17th-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.
The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.
This chilling novel heralds the arrival of an exciting new voice in mainstream horror and dark fantasy.
Audiobook available, narrated by Jeff Harding
Editorial Content for Murder at the 42nd Street Library
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
There is a general perception that danger lurks on the streets of New York City. Be careful where you wander. But inside the 42nd Street Library? Most people would consider that a place of pleasant contemplation. Now murder has come to the halls of the library. A man carrying a briefcase walks into the secure office of the director of Special Collections. Before he can say a word, a bullet tears through his neck, killing him. If the director saw anything in those few short seconds, he is too stunned to make sense of it. Read More
Teaser
MURDER AT THE 42nd STREET LIBRARY follows librarian (and reluctant sleuth) Raymond Ambler and his partners in crime-solving as they track down a killer, shining a light on the dark deeds and secret relationships that are hidden deep inside the famous flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. In their search for the reasons behind the murder, Ambler and his crew uncover sinister, and profoundly disturbing, relationships among the scholars studying in the iconic library.
Promo
MURDER AT THE 42nd STREET LIBRARY follows librarian (and reluctant sleuth) Raymond Ambler and his partners in crime-solving as they track down a killer, shining a light on the dark deeds and secret relationships that are hidden deep inside the famous flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue in New York City. In their search for the reasons behind the murder, Ambler and his crew uncover sinister, and profoundly disturbing, relationships among the scholars studying in the iconic library.
About the Book
This first book in an irresistible new series introduces librarian and reluctant sleuth Raymond Ambler, a doggedly curious fellow who uncovers murderous secrets hidden behind the majestic marble façade of New York City’s landmark 42nd Street Library.
MURDER AT THE 42nd STREET LIBRARY follows Ambler and his partners in crime-solving as they track down a killer, shining a light on the dark deeds and secret relationships that are hidden deep inside the famous flagship building at the corner of 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue.
In their search for the reasons behind the murder, Ambler and his crew uncover sinister, and profoundly disturbing, relationships among the scholars studying in the iconic library. Included among the players are a celebrated mystery writer who has donated his papers to the library’s crime fiction collection; that writer’s long-missing daughter, a prominent New York society woman with a hidden past, and more than one of Ambler’s colleagues at the library. Shocking revelations lead inexorably to the traumatic events that follow --- the reading room will never be the same.
Editorial Content for The Statesman and the Storyteller: John Hay, Mark Twain, and the Rise of American Imperialism
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Samuel Clemens, who the world knows as Mark Twain, and John Hay, a man who most Americans do not recognize, had little in common with the exception of their humble beginnings and the environs where they reached maturity. Read More
Teaser
John Hay, famous as Lincoln’s private secretary and later as secretary of state under presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens, famous for being “Mark Twain,” grew up 50 miles apart in the same rural antebellum stew of race and class and want. This shared history helped draw them together when they first met as up-and-coming young men in the late 1860s, and their mutual admiration never waned in spite of sharp differences in personality, worldview and public conduct. In THE STATESMAN AND THE STORYTELLER, the last decade of their lives plays out against the tumultuous events of the day.
Promo
John Hay, famous as Lincoln’s private secretary and later as secretary of state under presidents McKinley and Roosevelt, and Samuel Langhorne Clemens, famous for being “Mark Twain,” grew up 50 miles apart in the same rural antebellum stew of race and class and want. This shared history helped draw them together when they first met as up-and-coming young men in the late 1860s, and their mutual admiration never waned in spite of sharp differences in personality, worldview and public conduct. In THE STATESMAN AND THE STORYTELLER, the last decade of their lives plays out against the tumultuous events of the day.
About the Book
In a dual biography covering the last 10 years of the lives of friends and contemporaries, writer Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) and statesman John Hay (who served as secretary of state under presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt), THE STATESMAN AND THE STORYTELLER not only provides an intimate look into the daily lives of these men but also creates an elucidating portrait of the United States on the verge of emerging as a world power.
And just as the narrative details the wisdom, and the occasional missteps, of two great men during a tumultuous time, it also penetrates the seat of power in Washington as the nation strove to make itself known internationally --- and in the process committed acts antithetical to America’s professed ideals and promises.
The country’s most significant move in this time was to go to war with Spain and to eventually wrest control of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. In what has to be viewed as one of the most shameful periods in American political history, Filipinos who believed they had been promised independence were instead told they were incapable of self-government and then violently subdued in a war that featured torture and execution of native soldiers and civilians. The United States also used its growing military and political might to grab the entirety of the Hawaiian Islands and a large section of Panama.
As secretary of state during this time, Hay, though a charitable man, was nonetheless complicit in these misdeeds. Clemens, a staunch critic of his country’s imperialistic actions, was forced by his own financial and family needs to temper his remarks. Nearing the end of their long and remarkable lives, both men found themselves struggling to maintain their personal integrity while remaining celebrated and esteemed public figures.
Written with a keen eye --- Mark Zwonitzer is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker --- and informed by the author’s deep understanding of the patterns of history, THE STATESMAN AND THE STORYTELLER has the compelling pace of a novel, the epic sweep of historical writing at its best, and, in capturing the essence of the lives of Hay and Twain, the humanity and nuance of masterful biography.
Audiobook available, narrated by Joe Barrett
Editorial Content for Overwatch
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
It is always a pleasure to read a thriller novel by an author with a working knowledge of how the world works. Add Matthew Betley to the shortlist. Betley’s background includes a 10-year history with the Marine Corps, which included combat-era deployments to Djibouti and Iraq. He gets all of the technical bells and whistles right, and the plotting down perfect, but what really makes his debut novel a winner is the characters, who will stay with you long after you read the last page of what is hopefully the first of a long-running series. Read More
Teaser
When Logan West impulsively answers a dead man’s ringing phone, he triggers a global race against the clock to track down an unknown organization searching for an Iraqi artifact that is central to a planned attack in the Middle East --- one that will draw the United States into a major conflict with Iran. Logan, a former Marine officer, is quickly contracted as a “consultant” to assist the FBI as part of a special task force bent on stopping the shadowy operatives, whatever the cost. Meanwhile, Logan is battling his own demons, especially the trauma of the ambush that his Force Recon unit suffered at an insurgent torture compound in Fallujah in 2004, which threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
Promo
When Logan West impulsively answers a dead man’s ringing phone, he triggers a global race against the clock to track down an unknown organization searching for an Iraqi artifact that is central to a planned attack in the Middle East --- one that will draw the United States into a major conflict with Iran. Logan, a former Marine officer, is quickly contracted as a “consultant” to assist the FBI as part of a special task force bent on stopping the shadowy operatives, whatever the cost. Meanwhile, Logan is battling his own demons, especially the trauma of the ambush that his Force Recon unit suffered at an insurgent torture compound in Fallujah in 2004, which threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
About the Book
When Logan West impulsively answers a dead man’s ringing phone, he triggers a global race against the clock to track down an unknown organization searching for an Iraqi artifact that is central to a planned attack in the Middle East --- one that will draw the United States into a major conflict with Iran.
Logan, a former Marine officer, is quickly contracted as a “consultant” to assist the FBI as part of a special task force bent on stopping the shadowy operatives, whatever the cost. The battles are nonstop, from the plains of the Midwest, to mansions in northern Mexico, to the war-torn Al-Anbar province, pitting an international team against trained mercenaries employed by the world’s largest private security contractor...whose owner has a personal vendetta against the US government. Meanwhile, Logan is battling his own demons, especially the trauma of the ambush that his Force Recon unit suffered at an insurgent torture compound in Fallujah in 2004, which threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
With high-stakes and fully-realized characters, OVERWATCH is a thriller unlike any you’ve read before: deftly plotted, up-to-the-minute and impossible to put down.
Audiobook available, narrated by George Newbern
Editorial Content for The Big Showdown: A Caleb York Western
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
I just love it when the western genre gets the respect that it has earned and thus deserves. THE BIG SHOWDOWN gets the full treatment, consisting of a hardcover publication format with two legends sharing co-writing honors on the cover. Max Allan Collins can do it all, and quite well, as he has demonstrated time and again --- seemingly on a monthly basis --- in different genres and across different entertainment media. The late Mickey Spillane may be best known for his hard-boiled detective fiction, specifically for his iconic creation, Mike Hammer. Read More
Teaser
Caleb York has made up his mind and packed his bags. He'll be on the next stage, bound for San Diego and a new life as a Pinkerton man. But before Caleb can say a proper goodbye to his sweetheart, Willa, a peaceful morning erupts into blazing gunfire. Someone has to bring law and order to the wild little town of Trinidad, even as a band of outlaw brothers rides the vengeance trail and a new cattle baron sets his sights on more land…and on Willa, too. With his Colt loaded for justice and a sheriff's badge on his chest, Caleb York emerges as a classic Western hero who knows just how to stand up to the deadliest of enemies --- and win.
Promo
Caleb York has made up his mind and packed his bags. He'll be on the next stage, bound for San Diego and a new life as a Pinkerton man. But before Caleb can say a proper goodbye to his sweetheart, Willa, a peaceful morning erupts into blazing gunfire. Someone has to bring law and order to the wild little town of Trinidad, even as a band of outlaw brothers rides the vengeance trail and a new cattle baron sets his sights on more land…and on Willa, too. With his Colt loaded for justice and a sheriff's badge on his chest, Caleb York emerges as a classic Western hero who knows just how to stand up to the deadliest of enemies --- and win.
About the Book
Times are changing. Caleb York is saddling up to try his hand as a Pinkerton man out California way. But before he can leave Trinidad, New Mexico, a peaceful morning erupts in a barrage of gunfire. When the dust settles, Caleb has gunned down two bad men, with another just dodging a ticket to hell...but leaving one very good man lying dead in the street.
Lightning quick, Caleb rides after the fleeing gunman, only to be swept up in an evil wind blowing back through the sleepy town, threatening its very existence. Caleb’s only chance to restore justice is to load his guns, dig in his spurs, and take on a ruthless killer. In a town drowning in blood, riddled with bullets, and hoping for a hero, Caleb York is the right man at the right time --- ready to face the vengeful outlaws in a chilling, storm-swept showdown.
Editorial Content for In the Cold Dark Ground
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
I’ve been told that one can reduce everything in the world to mathematical equations. Here’s one for you: Stuart MacBride = brilliant storytelling + dark, brooding prose. MacBride boldly shouldered his way onto my must-read list some time ago and has remained there, digging his roots ever deeper with each new book. IN THE COLD DARK GROUND, his 10th Logan McRae novel, is a reaffirmation for longtime fans of what he can do and a display of his talents from the first brutal page onward for newcomers. Read More
Teaser
Sergeant Logan McRae’s missing-persons investigation has just turned up a dead body in the woods. The Major Investigation Team charges up from Aberdeen, under the beady eye of Logan’s ex-boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel. A new Superintendent is on her way up from the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, hell-bent on making Logan’s life miserable; Professional Standards are gunning for Steel; and Wee Hamish Mowat, head of Aberdeen’s criminal underbelly, is dying --- leaving rival gangs from all over the UK eying his territory. There’s a war brewing, and Logan is trapped right in the middle.
Promo
Sergeant Logan McRae’s missing-persons investigation has just turned up a dead body in the woods. The Major Investigation Team charges up from Aberdeen, under the beady eye of Logan’s ex-boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel. A new Superintendent is on her way up from the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, hell-bent on making Logan’s life miserable; Professional Standards are gunning for Steel; and Wee Hamish Mowat, head of Aberdeen’s criminal underbelly, is dying --- leaving rival gangs from all over the UK eying his territory. There’s a war brewing, and Logan is trapped right in the middle.
About the Book
The new Logan McRae novel from the No. 1 bestselling author of THE MISSING AND THE DEAD and A SONG FOR THE DYING.
Sergeant Logan McRae is in trouble…
His missing-persons investigation has just turned up a body in the woods --- naked, hands tied behind its back, and a bin bag duct-taped over its head. The Major Investigation Team charges up from Aberdeen, under the beady eye of Logan’s ex-boss Detective Chief Inspector Steel. And, as usual, she wants him to do her job for her.
But it’s not going to be easy: a new Superintendent is on her way up from the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, hell-bent on making Logan’s life miserable; Professional Standards are gunning for Steel; and Wee Hamish Mowat, head of Aberdeen’s criminal underbelly, is dying --- leaving rival gangs from all over the UK eying his territory.
There’s a war brewing and Logan’s trapped right in the middle, whether he likes it or not.
Audiobook available, narrated by Steve Worsley


