Editorial Content for The Master of the Prado
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Imagine standing in Madrid’s Prado, one of the world’s greatest museums, before a huge painting by Raphael, just contemplating the masterpiece, when a man who has stood quietly next to you breaks the silence with a question that stuns you. He strikes up a conversation that, despite your better judgment, you cannot resist. The painting you have been admiring has hidden meaning, he says. Moreover, so do many others within these walls. Would you like to hear more? Read More
Teaser
Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, THE MASTER OF THE PRADO begins in Madrid in 1990, when Javier Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado museum. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour and promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum’s masterpieces. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history and unearth groundbreaking discoveries about European art.
Promo
Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, THE MASTER OF THE PRADO begins in Madrid in 1990, when Javier Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado museum. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour and promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum’s masterpieces. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history and unearth groundbreaking discoveries about European art.
About the Book
New York Times bestselling author Javier Sierra takes you on a grand tour of the Prado museum in this historical novel that illuminates the fascinating mysteries behind European art --- complete with gorgeous, full-color inserts of artwork by da Vinci, Boticelli and other master artists.
Presented as a fictionalized autobiography, THE MASTER OF THE PRADO begins in Madrid in 1990, when Sierra encounters a mysterious stranger named Luis Fovel within the halls of the Prado. Fovel takes him on a whirlwind tour and promises to uncover startling secrets hidden in the museum’s masterpieces --- secrets that open up a whole new world to Sierra.
The enigmatic Fovel reveals how a variety of visions, prophesies, conspiracies and even heresies inspired masters such as Raphael, Titian, Hieronymus Bosch, Botticelli, Brueghel and El Greco. The secrets they concealed in their paintings are stunning enough to change the way we think about art, uncovering mysteries about historical facts, secret sects and prophetical theories. It is these secrets that lead Sierra to question his entire understanding of art history and unearth groundbreaking discoveries about European art.
At once a captivating novel and a beautifully illustrated reference guide to Madrid’s famed museum, THE MASTER OF THE PRADO is full of insights and intriguing mysteries. Sierra brings historical characters alive in this astounding narrative filled with dazzling surprises that will entrance you as much as the pictures within.
Editorial Content for Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Once a year, I make a pilgrimage to New York City to shop, dine and binge on the latest Broadway shows. To be truthful, I could shop and dine in most any city, but there’s just no venue anywhere that can compete with the unique dynamic of Broadway. I love those beautiful old theaters where musicals like “Cabaret” and “South Pacific” lit up the stage or plays like “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” rocked the emotions. Read More
Teaser
Broadway’s most respected (and feared) commentator pulls back the curtain on its stars, producers and mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue and power plays that happened off stage. RAZZLE DAZZLE is a no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way --- and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
Promo
Broadway’s most respected (and feared) commentator pulls back the curtain on its stars, producers and mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue and power plays that happened off stage. RAZZLE DAZZLE is a no-holds-barred narrative account of the people, money and power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way --- and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
About the Book
Broadway’s most respected (and feared) commentator pulls back the curtain on its stars, its producers and its mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue and power plays that happened off stage.
RAZZLE DAZZLE is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people and the money and the power that reinvented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way --- and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory.
In the mid-1970s Times Square was the seedy symbol of New York’s economic decline. Its once shining star, the renowned Shubert Organization, was losing theaters to make way for parking lots. Bernard Jacobs and Jerry Schoenfeld, two ambitious board members, saw the crumbling company was ripe for takeover and staged a coup amidst corporate intrigue, personal betrayals, and criminal investigations. Once Jacobs and Schoenfeld solidified their power, they turned a collapsed theater-owning holding company into one of the most successful entertainment empires in the world, ultimately backing many of Broadway’s biggest hits, including "A Chorus Line," "Cats," "Les Miserables," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Mamma Mia!" They also sparked the revitalization of Broadway and the renewal of Times Square.
Now Michael Riedel tells the stories of the Shubert Organization and the shows that rebuilt a city in grand style, revealing the backstage drama that often rivaled what transpired onstage, exposing bitter rivalries, unlikely alliances, and --- of course --- scintillating gossip. This is a great story, told with wit and passion.
Audiobook available, narrated by Peter Berkrot
Editorial Content for American Blood
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Even as 2015 winds down, books of all degrees of merit continue to be published. One of the best this year has snuck in under the wire: AMERICAN BLOOD, Ben Sanders’ fourth novel. His first three, known as the Auckland Trilogy, achieved high critical acclaim and can be had with a bit of digging. You will want to make the attempt after reading his latest, which is wonderful in every possible way. Read More
Teaser
After a botched undercover operation, ex-NYPD officer Marshall Grade is living in witness protection in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The mob wants him dead, and a contract killer known as the Dallas Man has been hired to track him down. Racked with guilt over wrongs committed during his undercover work, Marshall investigates the disappearance of a local woman named Alyce Ray. Members of a drug ring seem to hold clues to Ray's whereabouts, but hunting traffickers is no quiet task. Word of Marshall's efforts spreads, and soon the worst elements of his former life --- including the Dallas Man --- are coming for him.
Promo
After a botched undercover operation, ex-NYPD officer Marshall Grade is living in witness protection in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The mob wants him dead, and a contract killer known as the Dallas Man has been hired to track him down. Racked with guilt over wrongs committed during his undercover work, Marshall investigates the disappearance of a local woman named Alyce Ray. Members of a drug ring seem to hold clues to Ray's whereabouts, but hunting traffickers is no quiet task. Word of Marshall's efforts spreads, and soon the worst elements of his former life --- including the Dallas Man --- are coming for him.
About the Book
In Ben Sanders' AMERICAN BLOOD a former undercover cop now in witness protection finds himself pulled into the search for a missing woman; film rights sold to Warner Bros with Bradley Cooper attached to star and produce.
After a botched undercover operation, ex-NYPD officer Marshall Grade is living in witness protection in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Marshall's instructions are to keep a low profile: the mob wants him dead, and a contract killer known as the Dallas Man has been hired to track him down. Racked with guilt over wrongs committed during his undercover work, and seeking atonement, Marshall investigates the disappearance of a local woman named Alyce Ray.
Members of a drug ring seem to hold clues to Ray's whereabouts, but hunting traffickers is no quiet task. Word of Marshall's efforts spreads, and soon the worst elements of his former life, including the Dallas Man, are coming for him.
Written by a rising New Zealand star who has been described as "first rate," this American debut drops a Jack Reacher-like hero into the landscape of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN.
Audiobook available, narrated by George Newbern
Editorial Content for Never Surrender: Winston Churchill and Britain's Decision to Fight Nazi Germany in the Fateful Summer of 1940
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Even those who don’t claim an intimate knowledge of World War II will be familiar with Winston Churchill’s relentless refusal to entertain the notion of surrender, even in Britain’s darkest hours --- or, more accurately, four months. Read More
Teaser
London in April 1940 was a place of great fear and conflict. The Germans were marching. They had taken Poland, France, Holland, Belgium and Czechoslovakia, and were now menacing Britain. Churchill, leading the faction to fight, and Lord Halifax, cautioning that prudence was the way to survive, attempted to usurp one another by any means possible. Drawing on the War Cabinet papers, other government documents, private diaries, newspaper accounts and memoirs, historian John Kelly tells the story of the summer of 1940 --- the months of the “Supreme Question” of whether or not the British were to surrender.
Promo
London in April 1940 was a place of great fear and conflict. The Germans were marching. They had taken Poland, France, Holland, Belgium and Czechoslovakia, and were now menacing Britain. Churchill, leading the faction to fight, and Lord Halifax, cautioning that prudence was the way to survive, attempted to usurp one another by any means possible. Drawing on the War Cabinet papers, other government documents, private diaries, newspaper accounts and memoirs, historian John Kelly tells the story of the summer of 1940 --- the months of the “Supreme Question” of whether or not the British were to surrender.
About the Book
A remarkably vivid account of a key moment in Western history: The critical six months in 1940 when Winston Churchill debated whether the British would fight Hitler.
London in April 1940 was a place of great fear and conflict. Everyone was on edge; civilization itself seemed imperiled. The Germans are marching. They have taken Poland, France, Holland, Belgium and Czechoslovakia. They now menace Britain. Should Britain negotiate with Germany? The members of the War Cabinet bicker, yell, lose their control and are divided. Churchill, leading the faction to fight, and Lord Halifax, cautioning that prudence is the way to survive, attempt to usurp one another by any means possible. Their country is on the line. And, in NEVER SURRENDER, we feel we are alongside these complex and imperfect men, determining the fate of the British Empire.
Drawing on the War Cabinet papers, other government documents, private diaries, newspaper accounts and memoirs, historian John Kelly tells the story of the summer of 1940 --- the months of the “Supreme Question” of whether or not the British were to surrender. Impressive in scope and attentive to detail, Kelly takes readers from the battlefield to Parliament, to the government ministries, to the British high command, to the desperate Anglo-French conference in Paris and London, to the American embassy in London, and to life with the ordinary Britons. He brings to life one of the most heroic moments of the twentieth century and intimately portrays some of its largest players --- Churchill, Lord Halifax, FDR, Joe Kennedy, Hitler, Stalin and others.
NEVER SURRENDER is a fabulous, grand narrative of a crucial period in World War II history and the men and women who shaped it.
Audiobook available, narrated by Gordon Greenhill
Editorial Content for Bohemian Gospel
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Although strong female protagonists have made a huge literary impact in recent years, few have caught my attention like Mouse, the enigmatic main character of Dana Chamblee Carpenter’s stunning debut, BOHEMIAN GOSPEL. A combination of dark fantasy and rich historical detail, this book has it all: romance, suspense and even a healthy dose of the supernatural. And at the center of it all is 15-year-old Mouse, one of the most well-rounded, fascinating characters I have ever had the pleasure of reading about. Read More
Teaser
Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past.
Promo
Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past.
About the Book
Set against the historical reign of the Golden and Iron King, BOHEMIAN GOSPEL is the remarkable tale of a bold and unusual girl on a quest to uncover her past and define her destiny.
Thirteenth-century Bohemia is a dangerous place for a girl, especially one as odd as Mouse, born with unnatural senses and an uncanny intellect. Some call her a witch. Others call her an angel. Even Mouse doesn’t know who --- or what --- she is. But she means to find out.
When young King Ottakar shows up at the Abbey wounded by a traitor's arrow, Mouse breaks church law to save him and then agrees to accompany him back to Prague as his personal healer. Caught in the undertow of court politics at the castle, Ottakar and Mouse find themselves drawn to each other as they work to uncover the threat against him and to unravel the mystery of her past. But when Mouse's unusual gifts give rise to a violence and strength that surprise everyone --- especially herself --- she is forced to ask herself: Will she be prepared for the future that awaits her?
A heart-thumping, highly original tale in the vein of Elizabeth Kostova's THE HISTORIAN, BOHEMIAN GOSPEL heralds the arrival of a fresh new voice for historical fiction.
Editorial Content for The Mistake I Made
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
The protagonist in THE MISTAKE I MADE, Paula Daly’s latest novel (following JUST WHAT KIND OF MOTHER ARE YOU? and KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE), is Roz, a single mother who is struggling on her own following the end of her marriage to an irresponsible man who offers no financial support to either her or her son, George.
"This is an excellent psychological thriller that had me mesmerized from first page to last."
Teaser
After the dissolution of her marriage, Roz’s business has gone under, debts are racking up, the rent is late (again), and she's struggling to provide for her nine-year-old son. At her sister’s birthday party, Roz meets Scott Elias, who makes her an offer to spend the night with him --- for money. With that kind of cash, she could clear her debts and get her life back on track. But as the situation spirals out of her control, Roz is forced to do things she never thought herself capable of. Can she ever set things right again?
Promo
After the dissolution of her marriage, Roz’s business has gone under, debts are racking up, the rent is late (again), and she's struggling to provide for her nine-year-old son. At her sister’s birthday party, Roz meets Scott Elias, who makes her an offer to spend the night with him --- for money. With that kind of cash, she could clear her debts and get her life back on track. But as the situation spirals out of her control, Roz is forced to do things she never thought herself capable of. Can she ever set things right again?
About the Book
In this provocative and riveting thriller, Paula Daly focuses her masterful eye for psychological suspense and family drama on a clandestine affair that has fatal repercussions.
Single mother Roz has reached breaking-point. After the dissolution of her marriage, her business has gone under, debts are racking up, the rent is late again, and she's struggling to provide for her nine-year-old son, who is starting to misbehave in school. When she returns home from work one day to find an eviction notice, she has two weeks to come up with a solution before they're kicked out. Roz is in trouble, real trouble, and she doesn't know where to turn. Then an unusual opportunity presents itself.
At her sister's birthday party, Roz meets Scott Elias --- wealthy, powerful and very married --- and she leaves an indelible impression on him. So much so that he tracks her down and makes her an offer: to spend the night with him...for money. He wants no-strings-attached intimacy and can guarantee total discretion. With that kind of cash, Roz could clear her debts and get her life back on track. But how much is Roz willing to compromise in order to keep her family safe? As the seemingly straightforward arrangement grows ever complicated, Scott becomes obsessive and dangerously controlling, and Roz is forced to do things she never thought herself capable of in order to safeguard her life.
The latest page-turner from one of England's most captivating thriller writers, THE MISTAKE I MADE takes a gripping turn into a world of sex, blackmail and murder within a tightly knit community that is more familiar with solitude than scandal.
Editorial Content for Playing Days
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
While reading PLAYING DAYS by Benjamin Markovits, I mentally compared this basketball-themed title to other favorite sports novels. There aren’t that many. I thought of THE NATURAL by Bernard Malamud, BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY by Mark Harris, THE ART OF FIELDING by Chad Harbach and NORTH DALLAS FORTY by Peter Gent. Why is sports such a barren topic for fiction writers? Perhaps real-life sports, with countless examples of extraordinary achievements and overcoming great odds, make the fictional counterpart tricky to capture on the pages of a novel. Read More
Teaser
In print for the first time in the United States, acclaimed novelist Benjamin Markovits’ PLAYING DAYS is a mostly autobiographical narrative concerning the author’s season playing minor league professional basketball in Germany and the love affair with another player’s estranged wife that ushers him into adulthood.
Promo
In print for the first time in the United States, acclaimed novelist Benjamin Markovits’ PLAYING DAYS is a mostly autobiographical narrative concerning the author’s season playing minor league professional basketball in Germany and the love affair with another player’s estranged wife that ushers him into adulthood.
About the Book
In print for the first time in the United States, acclaimed novelist Benjamin Markovits’s PLAYING DAYS is a mostly autobiographical narrative concerning the author’s season playing minor league professional basketball in Germany and the love affair with another player’s estranged wife that ushers him into adulthood.
Growing up in Texas, Ben experienced basketball as a mostly solitary pursuit, one he gave up after riding the bench in high school. But as his college classmates prepare for the real world, Ben is seized by an idea. All he needs is a video camera, an empty court and his mother’s German citizenship.
Improbably, he lands a roster spot on a lower division pro team in Landshut, forty-five minutes outside of Munich. It’s Ben’s first taste of competition in years, not to mention his first job. And like most jobs, it’s defined by repetition, boredom and gossip. There’s Charlie, the trash-talking mercenary from Chicago; the coach, Herr Henkel, a recently retired player anxious to justify his paycheck; and Karl (based on the author’s real life relationship with Dirk Nowitski), a gangly teenage prodigy flashing the raw talent that will make him an NBA star. As a group of men learn how to navigate one another, Ben falls in love with the young mother of a teammate’s child, and begins an affair that will change his life.
Wry, poignant, and tenderly observed, PLAYING DAYS is an evocative meditation on the joys of youth, the triumphs and terrors of post-college life, and one of the best books ever written about what basketball can mean to an American man.
Editorial Content for Protectors 2: Heroes: Stories to Benefit PROTECT
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Sometimes it’s possible to buy a book for the enjoyment and at the same time help support a vitally important cause. In PROTECTORS 2: HEROES, dozens of authors, artists, poets and illustrators have joined together and donated their efforts to help protect children from physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Read More
Teaser
PROTECTORS 2, edited by Thomas Pluck, is a mammoth anthology of 55 stories and almost 600 pages, with all proceeds going to PROTECT, a nonpartisan pro-child and anti-crime lobby dedicated to the protection of children from physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Contributors include Andrew Vachss, Joyce Carol Oates, David Morrell, Linda Rodriguez, Charles de Lint, Hilary Davidson, Joe R. Lansdale, Joelle Charbonneau, Reed Farrel Coleman, SJ Rozan and Alison Arngrim.
Promo
PROTECTORS 2, edited by Thomas Pluck, is a mammoth anthology of 55 stories and almost 600 pages, with all proceeds going to PROTECT, a nonpartisan pro-child and anti-crime lobby dedicated to the protection of children from physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Contributors include Andrew Vachss, Joyce Carol Oates, David Morrell, Linda Rodriguez, Charles de Lint, Hilary Davidson, Joe R. Lansdale, Joelle Charbonneau, Reed Farrel Coleman, SJ Rozan and Alison Arngrim.
About the Book
PROTECTORS 2 features 55 stories to benefit Protect, the political lobby of the National Association to Protect Children, whose victories include the Circle of Trust act and the HERO Corps, which hires wounded veterans to assist law enforcement in hunting online predators.
Contributors include Andrew Vachss, Joyce Carol Oates, Harlan Ellison®, David Morrell, Laird Barron, Linda Rodriguez, Charles de Lint, Hilary Davidson, Joe R. Lansdale, Joelle Charbonneau, Reed Farrel Coleman, SJ Rozan and Alison Arngrim.
Here are 600 pages of fiction of all genres, poems and art, essays and memoirs, to fund one cause: to protect children from abuse and exploitation of all kinds. 100% of proceeds goes to PROTECT.
Jane Haddam
In my day, we didn't have self-esteem, we had self-respect, and no more of it than we had earned.


