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Editorial Content for The Castaways

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

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)

Ray Palen

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

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

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

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

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

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Christine M. Irvin

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.

Eric Van Lustbader, author of White Wolf: An Evan Ryder Novel

In this cutting-edge fifth installment of the acclaimed Evan Ryder series, Eric Van Lustbader thrusts readers into a world where power is being redefined by a revolutionary communication program that renders modern encryption obsolete, one that will topple global power structures and give rise to technology-driven totalitarian states. Evan Ryder races against time in a landscape where secrets can no longer hide behind digital walls. Ilona Shokova, the elusive, deadly assassin White Wolf, holds the key to mastering this unhackable method. Two powerful, deadly women. One quest. Will either one of them survive?

Janet Rich Edwards, author of Canticle

Aleys is 16 years old and prone to religious visions. She and her only friend, Finn, have been learning Latin together in secret. But just as she thinks their connection might become something more, everything unravels. When her father promises her in marriage to a merchant she doesn’t love, she runs away from home, finding shelter among the beguines, a fiercely independent community of religious women who refuse to answer to the Church. Among these hardworking and strong-willed women, Aleys glimpses for the first time the joys of belonging. But forces both mystical and political are at work. Illegal translations of scripture, the women’s independence, and a sudden rash of miracles all draw the attention of an ambitious bishop --- and bring Aleys and those around her into ever-increasing danger.