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Editorial Content for The Rope Artist

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Fuminori Nakamura has been turning out mystery novels in the classic noir style for years. His detective series featuring the very Holmesian Hayama has been filled with complex storylines. The previous installment, MY ANNIHILATION, showed Hayama’s troubled side. This latest entry, once again translated by Sam Bett, goes to even darker and more controversial heights. Read More

Teaser

Two detectives. Two identical women. One dead body --- then two, then three, then four. All knotted up in Japan’s underground BDSM scene and kinbaku, a form of rope bondage that bears a complex cultural history of spirituality, torture, cleansing and sacrifice. As Togashi, a junior member of the police force, investigates the murder of a kinbaku instructor, he finds himself unable to resist his own private transgressive desires. In contrast, Togashi’s Sherlock Holmesian colleague Hayama is morally upright to a fault, with a stalwart commitment to the truth and nearly superhuman powers of deduction. When Hayama notices a dangerous measure of darkness within Togashi, he embarks on a parallel investigation that soon spirals out of control.

Promo

Two detectives. Two identical women. One dead body --- then two, then three, then four. All knotted up in Japan’s underground BDSM scene and kinbaku, a form of rope bondage that bears a complex cultural history of spirituality, torture, cleansing and sacrifice. As Togashi, a junior member of the police force, investigates the murder of a kinbaku instructor, he finds himself unable to resist his own private transgressive desires. In contrast, Togashi’s Sherlock Holmesian colleague Hayama is morally upright to a fault, with a stalwart commitment to the truth and nearly superhuman powers of deduction. When Hayama notices a dangerous measure of darkness within Togashi, he embarks on a parallel investigation that soon spirals out of control.

About the Book

The aftermath of the murder of a bondage teacher reveals the darkest corners of the human mind in this chilling new mystery from the master of Japanese literary noir.

Two detectives. Two identical women. One dead body --- then two, then three, then four. All knotted up in Japan’s underground BDSM scene and kinbaku, a form of rope bondage that bears a complex cultural history of spirituality, torture, cleansing and sacrifice.

As Togashi, a junior member of the police force, investigates the murder of a kinbaku instructor, he finds himself unable to resist his own private transgressive desires. In contrast, Togashi’s Sherlock Holmesian colleague Hayama is morally upright to a fault, with a stalwart commitment to the truth and nearly superhuman powers of deduction. When Hayama notices a dangerous measure of darkness within Togashi, he embarks on a parallel investigation that soon spirals out of control.

Unflinching in its flayed-raw treatment of identity, violence, sexuality, power, the occult and the divine, THE ROPE ARTIST is both viscerally painful and unexpectedly hopeful --- a genre homage that shines a light on the most dangerous elements of the human psyche.

Audiobook available, read by Kurt Kanazawa and Brian Nishii

Editorial Content for Sisters of the Lost Nation

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Nick Medina’s debut novel is as emotional as it is genre-defying. SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION takes readers on a brief trip behind the curtain of Native American life and lore. Anna Horn lives on a reservation and is full of questions. She will get some of the answers during the course of this book, many of which are disturbing. Read More

Teaser

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step --- an ancient tribal myth come to life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past. When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation are strong, and sometimes it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Promo

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step --- an ancient tribal myth come to life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole. With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past. When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation are strong, and sometimes it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

About the Book

A young Native girl's hunt for answers about the women mysteriously disappearing from her tribe's reservation leads her to delve into the myths and stories of her people, all while being haunted herself, in this atmospheric and stunningly poignant debut.

Anna Horn is always looking over her shoulder. For the bullies who torment her, for the entitled visitors at the reservation’s casino…and for the nameless, disembodied entity that stalks her every step --- an ancient tribal myth come to life, one that’s intent on devouring her whole.
 
With strange and sinister happenings occurring around the casino, Anna starts to suspect that not all the horrors on the reservation are old. As girls begin to go missing and the tribe scrambles to find answers, Anna struggles with her place on the rez, desperately searching for the key she’s sure lies in the legends of her tribe’s past.  

When Anna’s own little sister also disappears, she’ll do anything to bring Grace home. But the demons plaguing the reservation --- both ancient and new --- are strong, and sometimes, it’s the stories that never get told that are the most important.

Part gripping thriller and part mythological horror, author Nick Medina spins an incisive and timely novel of life as an outcast, the cost of forgetting tradition, and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be.

Audiobook available, read by Elva Guerra

Editorial Content for We Are Too Many: A Memoir [Kind of]

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

In 2017, Hannah Pittard published an essay in The Sewanee Review about the affair that ultimately ended her marriage. “Scenes from a Marriage” resonated with readers and, as Pittard notes in her new memoir, led to a question from numerous curious readers: “But what’s the real story?” As Pittard notes, they may have been fishing for “the nasty bits,” but, as she writes, “I think they wanted to know how those details could be shuffled and reshuffled into the characters’ different perceptions of reality. Read More

Teaser

In this wryly humorous and innovative look at a marriage gone wrong, Hannah Pittard recalls a decade’s worth of unforgettable conversations, beginning with the one in which she discovers her husband has been having sex with her charismatic best friend, Trish. These time-jumping exchanges are fast-paced, intimate and often jaw-dropping in their willingness to reveal the vulnerabilities inherent in any friendship or marriage. Blending fact and fiction, sometimes recreating exchanges with extreme accuracy and sometimes diving headlong into pure speculation, Pittard takes stock not only of her own past and future but also of the larger, more universal experiences they connect with --- from the depths of female rage to the heartbreaking ways we inevitably outgrow certain people.

Promo

In this wryly humorous and innovative look at a marriage gone wrong, Hannah Pittard recalls a decade’s worth of unforgettable conversations, beginning with the one in which she discovers her husband has been having sex with her charismatic best friend, Trish. These time-jumping exchanges are fast-paced, intimate and often jaw-dropping in their willingness to reveal the vulnerabilities inherent in any friendship or marriage. Blending fact and fiction, sometimes recreating exchanges with extreme accuracy and sometimes diving headlong into pure speculation, Pittard takes stock not only of her own past and future but also of the larger, more universal experiences they connect with --- from the depths of female rage to the heartbreaking ways we inevitably outgrow certain people.

About the Book

WE ARE TOO MANY is an unexpectedly funny, unflinchingly honest and genre-bending memoir about a marriage-ending affair between award-winning author Hannah Pittard's husband and her captivating best friend.

In this wryly humorous and innovative look at a marriage gone wrong, Hannah Pittard recalls a decade’s worth of unforgettable conversations, beginning with the one in which she discovers her husband has been having sex with her charismatic best friend, Trish. These time-jumping exchanges are fast-paced, intimate and often jaw-dropping in their willingness to reveal the vulnerabilities inherent in any friendship or marriage.

Blending fact and fiction, sometimes recreating exchanges with extreme accuracy and sometimes diving headlong into pure speculation, Pittard takes stock not only of her own past and future but also of the larger, more universal experiences they connect with --- from the depths of female rage to the heartbreaking ways we inevitably outgrow certain people.

Clever and bold and radically honest to an unthinkable degree, WE ARE TOO MANY examines the ugly, unfiltered parts of the female experience, as well as the many (happier) possibilities in starting any life over after a major personal catastrophe.

Audiobook available, read by Hannah Pittard

Editorial Content for The Gifts

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

THE GIFTS, Liz Hyder's adult debut, is a spellbinding concoction of historical fiction, fantasy and mystery set in Victorian England just as science and religion are starting to take separate routes for academics, physicians and the citizens in between. Read More

Teaser

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders. In London, rumors of a "fallen angel" cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger. A spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of 19th-century London, THE GIFTS explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition.

Promo

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders. In London, rumors of a "fallen angel" cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger. A spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of 19th-century London, THE GIFTS explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition.

About the Book

It will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are.

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in the English countryside as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

In London, rumors of a "fallen angel" cause a frenzy across the city, and a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger.

THE GIFTS is an astonishing novel. A spellbinding tale told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of 19th-century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society, and the dark danger of ambition.

Audiobook available, read by Tuppence Middleton

Editorial Content for Cultured: A Jake Longly Thriller

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

This latest entry in the Jake Longly series makes a six-pack for cardiologist-author D.P. Lyle. It starts innocently with whimsical humor but turns dark: “This is freaking evil on steroids.” Read More

Teaser

Jake Longly is back where he belongs: relaxing on the beach in front of his restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama. His peace is interrupted, however, when he receives a call from his private investigator father. April Wilkerson has gone missing from Lindemann Farms, the rustic yet posh resort built by self-help and financial guru Jonathon Lindemann. Lindemann, founder of The Lindemann Method (TLM), recruits wealthy people to join his program, charging a hefty entry fee but in return promising huge financial gains and self-enlightenment. Jake’s celebrity status makes him the best person for the case. When Jake and his girlfriend, Nicole, go on an undercover visit to Lindemann Farms, some suspicious activity makes them wonder about the legitimacy of TLM.

Promo

Jake Longly is back where he belongs: relaxing on the beach in front of his restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama. His peace is interrupted, however, when he receives a call from his private investigator father. April Wilkerson has gone missing from Lindemann Farms, the rustic yet posh resort built by self-help and financial guru Jonathon Lindemann. Lindemann, founder of The Lindemann Method (TLM), recruits wealthy people to join his program, charging a hefty entry fee but in return promising huge financial gains and self-enlightenment. Jake’s celebrity status makes him the best person for the case. When Jake and his girlfriend, Nicole, go on an undercover visit to Lindemann Farms, some suspicious activity makes them wonder about the legitimacy of TLM.

About the Book

Money, sex, power. Jonathon Lindemann offers it all --- just don’t mind the missing girls.

Jake Longly, ex-pro baseball player turned restauranteur, is back where he belongs: relaxing on the beach in front of his restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama. His peace is interrupted, however, when he receives a call from his private investigator father --- April Wilkerson has gone missing from Lindemann Farms, the rustic yet posh resort built by self-help and financial guru Jonathon Lindemann.

Lindemann, founder of The Lindemann Method (TLM), recruits wealthy people to join his program, charging a hefty entry fee but in return promising huge financial gains and self-enlightenment. Jake’s celebrity status makes him the best person for the case.

When Jake and his girlfriend, Nicole, go on an undercover visit to Lindemann Farms, some suspicious activity makes them wonder about the legitimacy of TLM. Soon, a private conversation with one of the girls hired to work at the resort reveals their unorthodox, and immoral, recruitment methods.

As the layers peel away, darker edges appear. Does Jonathon truly make money for his investors, or is he a scam artist? Is April merely the latest in a series of missing young women? Jake and Nicole need to find her, and soon, before TLM catches wind of their true reasons for visiting the farm.

Editorial Content for The Scandalous Ladies of London: The Countess

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Forget the debutantes in THE COUNTESS, the first installment in Sophie Jordan’s The Scandalous Ladies of London. This clever new historical romance series isn't about the teenage girls (because aren't 17- and 18-year-olds still pretty much children?), but rather about their mothers and other women who are not quite in their prime. While these "ladies of London" are not in the early blush of youth, they still want to have romance and love in their lives. Read More

Teaser

Wealthy society maven Lady Gertrude knows how the world works. If her husband is less than faithful, it’s an acceptable price to pay for her coveted position at the apex of London’s most fashionable set. No exclusive soirée or lavish ball is complete without her and her group of decadent, well-connected friends. And this Season promises more excitement than usual: Tru is launching her daughter into Society, helping her navigate the cutthroat Marriage Mart, complete with fortune hunters, jealous debutantes and malicious gossips. As skilled as Tru is at playing the high-stakes games of the ton, she never expects to meet her match --- until Jasper Thorne begins to court her daughter. Jasper needs a titled bride, but when he meets Tru, all his carefully laid plans go up in smoke.

Promo

Wealthy society maven Lady Gertrude knows how the world works. If her husband is less than faithful, it’s an acceptable price to pay for her coveted position at the apex of London’s most fashionable set. No exclusive soirée or lavish ball is complete without her and her group of decadent, well-connected friends. And this Season promises more excitement than usual: Tru is launching her daughter into Society, helping her navigate the cutthroat Marriage Mart, complete with fortune hunters, jealous debutantes and malicious gossips. As skilled as Tru is at playing the high-stakes games of the ton, she never expects to meet her match --- until Jasper Thorne begins to court her daughter. Jasper needs a titled bride, but when he meets Tru, all his carefully laid plans go up in smoke.

About the Book

New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan kicks off her amazing new high concept series, The Scandalous Ladies of London, which chronicles the lives of a group of affluent ladies reigning over glittering, Regency-era London, vying for position in the hierarchy of the ton. They are the young wives, widows and daughters of London’s wealthiest families. The drama is big, the money runs deep, and the shade is real. Life is different in the ton.

“My husband is a good man… just ask all the women he has bedded.”

Wealthy society maven Lady Gertrude knows how the world works. If her husband is less than faithful, it’s an acceptable price to pay for her coveted position at the apex of London’s most fashionable set. No exclusive soirée or lavish ball is complete without her and her group of decadent, well-connected friends. And this Season promises more excitement than usual: Tru is launching her daughter into Society, helping her navigate the cutthroat Marriage Mart, complete with fortune hunters, jealous debutantes and malicious gossips.

As skilled as Tru is at playing the high-stakes games of the ton, she never expects to meet her match --- until Jasper Thorne begins to court her daughter. Jasper needs a titled bride, but when he meets Tru, all his carefully laid plans go up in smoke. The attraction between Tru and Jasper is undeniable…and unacceptable. To indulge in an affair with her daughter’s suitor would be ruinous. If it becomes public, she’ll never survive the scandal. Especially as it becomes clear that he wants more than one night…he wants the impossible. He wants forever.

A sizzling story of scandalous ladies, irresistible temptation and the dangers --- and joys --- of being true to yourself.

Audiobook available, read by Justine Eyre

We are kicking off this year’s Mother’s Day Author Blog series with Joshilyn Jackson, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous novels, including her newly released psychological thriller, WITH MY LITTLE EYE. Joshilyn and her brother were voracious readers growing up. Their mother happily took them to the library and let them borrow as many books as they were allowed. Joshilyn credits her mom with helping to shape her into the reader and writer that she is today, which started when she was just a newborn. These days, their bond is as strong as ever, thanks in part to their shared love of books.

Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of numerous novels, including GODS IN ALABAMA and NEVER HAVE I EVER. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

May 5, 2023

April and May always are super busy around the office. Yesterday we watched authors previewing their books and being interviewed from 9:30-5:30 during Library Journal’s Day of Dialog. I wrote pages and pages of notes about upcoming titles, as we listened to one more interesting panel than the next. And with all of this, we only watched half of the programming, so I am going to carve out time to see the rest in the next few weeks.

Author Talk: Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea

May 4, 2023

When a woman discovers a rare book that has connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood spent in the English countryside during World War II are revealed. That is the premise of Patti Callahan Henry’s latest historical novel, THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA --- which is an Indie Next pick for May, along with being this month's Barnes & Noble Book Club selection and Simon & Schuster’s Book Club Favorites pick. In this interview, Patti talks about her extensive research for the book, what inspired her to center the novel on a bookstore, why she loves writing historical fiction, and the creation of “Friends and Fiction” --- a popular weekly web show, podcast and Facebook group that she founded with Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel and Kristy Woodson Harvey.