Editorial Content for Sharpe’s Storm: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of Southern France, 1813
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
SHARPE’S STORM is at the tail end of Bernard Cornwell’s enormously successful series in terms of the publication date, and fairly late when it comes to chronological order. As a result, there are quite a few callbacks to Sharpe’s earlier adventures as chronicled in previous installments. This can be a bit tedious at times for the dedicated, veteran reader; it’s even tedious for Sharpe, who gets annoyed at one point at a reference to his past heroics at Talavera. Read More
Teaser
The year is 1813. France is a battlefield, and winter shows no mercy. Amid brutal conditions, Major Richard Sharpe finds himself saddled with an unexpected burden: Rear-Admiral Sir Joel Chase, dispatched by the Admiralty with sealed orders, unshakable confidence, and a frankly terrifying enthusiasm for combat. Sharpe’s mission from Wellington is clear, yet anything but simple: Keep Sir Joel alive. Sir Joel could hold the key to defeating Napoleon once and for all. But to pull off his audacious plan, he needs someone who knows how to fight dirty, think fast and survive the impossible. He needs Sharpe.
Promo
The year is 1813. France is a battlefield, and winter shows no mercy. Amid brutal conditions, Major Richard Sharpe finds himself saddled with an unexpected burden: Rear-Admiral Sir Joel Chase, dispatched by the Admiralty with sealed orders, unshakable confidence, and a frankly terrifying enthusiasm for combat. Sharpe’s mission from Wellington is clear, yet anything but simple: Keep Sir Joel alive. Sir Joel could hold the key to defeating Napoleon once and for all. But to pull off his audacious plan, he needs someone who knows how to fight dirty, think fast and survive the impossible. He needs Sharpe.
About the Book
A gripping novel featuring the legendary Richard Sharpe from Bernard Cornwell, the internationally bestselling master of historical fiction widely recognized as “the most prolific and successful historical novelist in the world today” (Wall Street Journal).
The year is 1813. France is a battlefield, and winter shows no mercy. Amid brutal conditions, Major Richard Sharpe finds himself saddled with an unexpected burden: Rear-Admiral Sir Joel Chase, dispatched by the Admiralty with sealed orders, unshakable confidence, and a frankly terrifying enthusiasm for combat.
Sharpe’s mission from Wellington is clear, yet anything but simple: Keep Sir Joel alive.
Sir Joel could hold the key to defeating Napoleon once and for all. But to pull off his audacious plan, he needs someone who knows how to fight dirty, think fast and survive the impossible. He needs Sharpe.
Audiobook available, read by Rupert Farley
Editorial Content for Return of the Maltese Falcon
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
It is hard to believe that the 1941 film The Maltese Falcon was based on the only novel that legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett penned featuring Detective Sam Spade. That story left some big questions unanswered, and now Max Allan Collins is returning to that world in an attempt to wrap things up. Read More
Teaser
Legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett only wrote one novel about detective Sam Spade: THE MALTESE FALCON, the most famous private-eye story ever told. But the case was never really solved. The priceless golden, bejeweled bird that men and women had been dying to possess turned out to be a fake. Now, Max Allan Collins brings closure to this crime classic, reuniting all the surviving members of the original cast alongside femme fatales, crooked collectors and greedy gangsters for one more thrilling, deadly chase through the streets, wharves, morgues, bars and back alleys of 1920s San Francisco --- and finally answers the question: Whatever became of the Maltese falcon?
Promo
Legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett only wrote one novel about detective Sam Spade: THE MALTESE FALCON, the most famous private-eye story ever told. But the case was never really solved. The priceless golden, bejeweled bird that men and women had been dying to possess turned out to be a fake. Now, Max Allan Collins brings closure to this crime classic, reuniting all the surviving members of the original cast alongside femme fatales, crooked collectors and greedy gangsters for one more thrilling, deadly chase through the streets, wharves, morgues, bars and back alleys of 1920s San Francisco --- and finally answers the question: Whatever became of the Maltese falcon?
About the Book
Hardboiled noir that picks up where legendary author Dashiell Hammett left off, telling the story of iconic private eye Sam Spade and the quest for the priceless Maltese falcon.
Legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett only wrote one novel about detective Sam Spade: THE MALTESE FALCON, the most famous private-eye story ever told. But the case was never really solved. The priceless golden, bejeweled bird that men and women had been dying to possess turned out to be a fake.
Now, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Max Allan Collins (author of ROAD TO PERDITION) brings closure to this crime classic, reuniting all the surviving members of the original cast alongside femme fatales, crooked collectors and greedy gangsters for one more thrilling, deadly chase through the streets, wharves, morgues, bars and back alleys of 1920s San Francisco --- and finally answers the question: Whatever became of the Maltese falcon?
Audiobook available, read by Dan John Miller
Editorial Content for Sword Beach: D-Day Baptism by Fire
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
A lot of Americans get their impressions of World War II from feature films like Saving Private Ryan and TV shows like “Band of Brothers.” As compelling and terrifying as these horrors of war are, they are almost always from the American perspective with little involvement from our allies. Read More
Teaser
Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day --- June 6, 1944 --- the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight. Max Hastings’ SWORD BEACH tells the story of a handful of British soldiers and their critical role in D-Day’s parachute and seaborne offensive.
Promo
Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day --- June 6, 1944 --- the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight. Max Hastings’ SWORD BEACH tells the story of a handful of British soldiers and their critical role in D-Day’s parachute and seaborne offensive.
About the Book
From the bestselling military historian, a thrilling account of the valiant British role in the D-Day invasion.
Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day --- June 6, 1944 --- the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight.
Max Hastings’ SWORD BEACH tells the story of a handful of British soldiers and their critical role in D-Day’s parachute and seaborne offensive. On Sword, the codename of one of the two beaches assaulted by the British, scores of soldiers were killed by the first shots that they ever heard fired in anger. One British corporal insisted on apologizing to his enemy prisoners, and the Free French troops, 120-men strong, suffered 60 percent losses in the first days of fighting. With his signature blend of drama and detail, Hastings shows how the men who landed on Sword played a critical role in Britain’s preeminent landmark victory and the most spectacular battlefield event of World War II in the West.
SWORD BEACH fills in many of the missing pieces and human stories that have long been left out of the sweeping macro-stories of the Normandy invasion. Based on published memoirs, interviews with D-Day veterans and rigorous research, Hastings lends color and shade to the climactic action of the Western Front’s most famous battle. SWORD BEACH describes the lives of a small number of men, on a single day, who faced the immediate transition from make-believe battle to the war’s most violent circumstances.
Audiobook available, read by John Hopkins
Editorial Content for The Castaways
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Lucy Clarke kicks off 2026 with a psychological thriller that readers will be talking about for a while. THE CASTAWAYS is full of secrets and surprises.
Two years ago, a plane disappeared over Fiji. One of the passengers was Lori. Her sister, Erin, was supposed to be on that flight but wasn’t. Erin is a journalist who is suspicious by nature. She has let both her guilt and the numerous questions she has about the incident consume her. Her research, which includes visits to Fiji where she had last seen Lori, turns up the possibility that the pilot might still be alive. Read More
Teaser
Two years ago, a small plane disappeared over Fiji. For Erin, it’s been two years of obsessing over every detail, refusing to move forward even as life does. Her sister, Lori, was on that plane, and Erin was meant to be, too. But after a bitter argument, she failed to show. Everyone thinks Lori is dead, but Erin can’t let go. Just when Erin is on the verge of losing hope, the pilot of the missing plane turns up still in Fiji, seemingly with no memory of the crash. In a final bid to find her sister, Erin travels there herself. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have predicted.
Promo
Two years ago, a small plane disappeared over Fiji. For Erin, it’s been two years of obsessing over every detail, refusing to move forward even as life does. Her sister, Lori, was on that plane, and Erin was meant to be, too. But after a bitter argument, she failed to show. Everyone thinks Lori is dead, but Erin can’t let go. Just when Erin is on the verge of losing hope, the pilot of the missing plane turns up still in Fiji, seemingly with no memory of the crash. In a final bid to find her sister, Erin travels there herself. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have predicted.
About the Book
LONG BRIGHT RIVER meets "Lost" in this adrenaline-fueled thriller of a missing plane, a remote island, and two sisters torn apart when a vacation turns unthinkably deadly.
Two years ago, a small plane disappeared over Fiji. For Erin, it’s been two years of obsessing over every detail, refusing to move forward even as life does. Her sister, Lori, was on that plane, and Erin was meant to be, too. But after a bitter argument, she failed to show. Everyone thinks Lori is dead, but Erin can’t let go.
Just when Erin is on the verge of losing hope, the pilot of the missing plane turns up still in Fiji, seemingly with no memory of the crash. In a final bid to find her sister, Erin travels there herself. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have predicted.
A sharp-edged, darkly propulsive novel following two sisters whose lives are upended when their vacation of a lifetime goes disastrously awry, THE CASTAWAYS is another scorcher from “queen of the destination thriller” (Claire Douglas) and million-copy bestselling author Lucy Clarke.
Audiobook available, read by Jess Nesling and Helen Phillips
Editorial Content for The Quiet Mother: A Detective Konrad Novel
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
THE QUIET MOTHER by Arnaldur Indridason features murder cases from the present and the past that retired detective Konrad is deeply connected to and driven to solve.
Konrad inserts himself into the death of a woman named Valborg for which he feels extremely guilty as she once asked him to find her son, which he was not able or willing to do at the time. As he attempts to help his former colleague, Marta, with the investigation, he opens up old wounds concerning the decades-old murder of his father that was never solved. Read More
Teaser
A woman is found murdered in her Reykjavík home, her apartment ransacked. On her desk lies a note with retired detective Konrad’s phone number. Days earlier, she had begged him to find the child she gave up nearly 50 years ago. But Konrad, reluctant to reopen old wounds, turned her away. Now, haunted by guilt, he vows to uncover the truth --- for her and for himself. As Konrad digs into her tragic past, he is drawn into a web of secrets, lies and betrayal. Each revelation points to a hidden life that connects her death to a decades-old murder --- and to shadows from Konrad’s own family history.
Promo
A woman is found murdered in her Reykjavík home, her apartment ransacked. On her desk lies a note with retired detective Konrad’s phone number. Days earlier, she had begged him to find the child she gave up nearly 50 years ago. But Konrad, reluctant to reopen old wounds, turned her away. Now, haunted by guilt, he vows to uncover the truth --- for her and for himself. As Konrad digs into her tragic past, he is drawn into a web of secrets, lies and betrayal. Each revelation points to a hidden life that connects her death to a decades-old murder --- and to shadows from Konrad’s own family history.
About the Book
Retired detective Konrad returns to Reykjavik in THE QUIET MOTHER by Arnaldur Indridason, "one of the most brilliant crime writers of his generation" ―The Sunday Times (UK).
A woman is found murdered in her Reykjavík home, her apartment ransacked. On her desk lies a note with retired detective Konrad’s phone number. Days earlier, she had begged him to find the child she gave up nearly 50 years ago. But Konrad, reluctant to reopen old wounds, turned her away. Now, haunted by guilt, he vows to uncover the truth --- for her and for himself.
As Konrad digs into her tragic past, he is drawn into a web of secrets, lies and betrayal. Each revelation points to a hidden life that connects her death to a decades-old murder --- and to shadows from Konrad’s own family history.
THE QUIET MOTHER is a masterful blend of human tragedy and relentless suspense, where every discovery comes at a cost. Arnaldur Indridason once again proves why he is the voice of Nordic Noir, delivering a harrowing tale of guilt and redemption.
Editorial Content for Dead Ringer
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Chris Hauty has rapidly gained a reputation as an author of high-octane thrillers. With his latest, DEAD RINGER, he takes on a mystery that has confounded the world for over six decades. Read More
Teaser
Set in present-day, a disgraced former Secret Service officer and a Jesuit professor join forces to delve into the mysteries surrounding the events of November 22, 1963. Fixated on deciphering the conspiracies behind the history-changing assassination, they are oblivious to the fact that the cabal is still active --- and may face an end as bloody as the carnage in Dealey Plaza. Will they be able to uncover the truth in time? Or will they become two more footnotes in history?
Promo
Set in present-day, a disgraced former Secret Service officer and a Jesuit professor join forces to delve into the mysteries surrounding the events of November 22, 1963. Fixated on deciphering the conspiracies behind the history-changing assassination, they are oblivious to the fact that the cabal is still active --- and may face an end as bloody as the carnage in Dealey Plaza. Will they be able to uncover the truth in time? Or will they become two more footnotes in history?
About the Book
Nationally bestselling author Chris Hauty, one of the high-octane writers “to take the thriller world by storm” (The Real Book Spy), returns with a riveting stand-alone novel that explores what might have really happened at the JFK assassination.
Set in present-day, a disgraced former Secret Service officer and a Jesuit professor join forces to delve into the mysteries surrounding the events of November 22, 1963. Fixated on deciphering the conspiracies behind the history-changing assassination, they are oblivious to the fact that the cabal is still active --- and may face an end as bloody as the carnage in Dealey Plaza.
Will they be able to uncover the truth in time? Or will they become two more footnotes in history?
Audiobook available, read by Mack Sanderson
Editorial Content for Illusion of Truth
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
After 2025’s RIVER OF LIES, Sacramento Detective Emily Hunter becomes the hunted in ILLUSION OF TRUTH. Read More
Teaser
Sacramento Detective Emily Hunter is exposed to inhumanity on a daily basis. It’s the unfortunate baggage that comes with police work, and she’s mostly learned how to shoulder the load. But it all turns personal when her fellow cop and boyfriend, Brian Conner, is caught in the blast of a targeted church bombing. Brian is gravely injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. But the attacks don’t stop there. Soon, more officers come under fire, and Emily searches for a connection. She and her partner, Javier Medina, discover that Brian and the other injured officers share a common past --- a past that now has them targeted for payback. Battling with heartbreak, Emily has to identify who’s responsible for the string of attacks and stop them before there are more casualties.
Promo
Sacramento Detective Emily Hunter is exposed to inhumanity on a daily basis. It’s the unfortunate baggage that comes with police work, and she’s mostly learned how to shoulder the load. But it all turns personal when her fellow cop and boyfriend, Brian Conner, is caught in the blast of a targeted church bombing. Brian is gravely injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. But the attacks don’t stop there. Soon, more officers come under fire, and Emily searches for a connection. She and her partner, Javier Medina, discover that Brian and the other injured officers share a common past --- a past that now has them targeted for payback. Battling with heartbreak, Emily has to identify who’s responsible for the string of attacks and stop them before there are more casualties.
About the Book
Hunter becomes the hunted.
Sacramento Detective Emily Hunter is exposed to inhumanity on a daily basis. It’s the unfortunate baggage that comes with police work, and she’s mostly learned how to shoulder the load. But it all turns personal when her fellow cop and boyfriend, Brian Conner, is caught in the blast of a targeted church bombing.
Brian is gravely injured, suffering a traumatic brain injury. But the attacks don’t stop there. Soon, more officers come under fire, and Emily searches for a connection. She and her partner, Javier Medina, discover that Brian and the other injured officers share a common past --- a past that now has them targeted for payback.
Battling with heartbreak, Emily has to identify who’s responsible for the string of attacks and stop them before there are more casualties. Will Brian ever be the same again? Already grappling with her mother’s progressing Alzheimer’s, Emily can’t bear the thought of losing both of the people she loves most.
Though it feels impossible, Emily must stay focused on finding the criminals who uprooted her life --- and making sure that justice is served.
Editorial Content for No One Aboard
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
To celebrate the high school graduation of their twins, Rylan and Tia, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set sail on their luxury yacht, The Old Eileen, with a three-person crew. Three weeks later, the boat is found with “no one aboard,” and the Camerons are gone. Read More
Teaser
At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children. Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida. Empty. Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold? Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, NO ONE ABOARD asks: Who is more dangerous to a family --- a stormy ocean or each other?
Promo
At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children. Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida. Empty. Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold? Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, NO ONE ABOARD asks: Who is more dangerous to a family --- a stormy ocean or each other?
About the Book
"The White Lotus" meets THE LAST THING HE TOLD ME in this domestic mystery about a luxury sailboat found floating adrift in the ocean and the secrets of the missing family who set sail aboard it weeks before.
At the start of summer, billionaire couple Francis and Lila Cameron set off on their private luxury sailboat to celebrate the high school graduation of their two beloved children.
Three weeks later, the Camerons have not been heard from, the captain hasn’t responded to radio calls, and the sailboat is found floating off the coast of Florida.
Empty.
Where are the Camerons? What happened on their trip? And what secrets does the beautiful boat hold?
Set over the course of their vacation and in the aftermath of the sailboat’s discovery, NO ONE ABOARD asks: Who is more dangerous to a family --- a stormy ocean or each other?
Audiobook available, read by Ina Barron
January 9, 2026
We all had a brilliant two-week break. For me, it was lovely to move through days without a schedule. There were great family memories made, visits with good friends, football...and, yes, lots of reading time in front of the fire, though there always could be more.
I finished reading RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, CALLIE KINGMAN by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans, which was exactly the right book to wind down with over the break. I found myself smiling and laughing as I read it. We have our review below.
January 6, 2026
In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of January 5th and January 12th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.
This week, we are calling attention to our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks feature for January, which includes Indie Next, LibraryReads, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, the PBS Books Readers Club, the "Read with Jenna" Book Club, Reese's Book Club, and the Target Book Club.


