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Editorial Content for Exiles

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Andrew Pyper has always been a must-read author in my house. I was intrigued when he reemerged last year writing for the first time under the pseudonym Mason Coile. WILLIAM just blew me away. Read More

Teaser

The human crew sent to prepare the first colony on Mars arrives to find the new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray. The machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. But one of them is missing. In this barren, hostile landscape where even machines have nightmares, the astronauts will need to examine all the stories --- especially their own --- to get to the truth.

Promo

The human crew sent to prepare the first colony on Mars arrives to find the new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray. The machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. But one of them is missing. In this barren, hostile landscape where even machines have nightmares, the astronauts will need to examine all the stories --- especially their own --- to get to the truth.

About the Book

A terrifying locked-room mystery from the author of WILLIAM, this time set on a remote outpost on Mars.

The human crew sent to prepare the first colony on Mars arrives to find the new base half-destroyed and the three robots sent to set it up in disarray. The machines have formed alliances, chosen their own names, and picked up some disturbing beliefs. Each must be interrogated. But one of them is missing.

In this barren, hostile landscape where even machines have nightmares, the astronauts will need to examine all the stories --- especially their own --- to get to the truth.

EXILES is a terrifying, taut, one-sitting read, and Mason Coile once again blends science fiction and psychological horror to engage some of humanity’s deepest questions.

Audiobook available, read by Ashley Morton

Editorial Content for Lincoln's Ghost: Houdini's War on Spiritualism and the Dark Conspiracy Against the American Presidency

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

L. Dean Murphy

Blending Abraham Lincoln’s haunted presidency and Harry Houdini’s crusade against spiritualism, Brad Ricca --- the author of the Edgar Award-nominated MRS. SHERLOCK HOLMES, TRUE RAIDERS, OLIVE THE LIONHEART and SUPER BOYS --- introduces this well-researched and enchanting mix of history and social commentary, set against a snazzy Jazz Age backdrop. Read More

Teaser

During a séance in 1924, Harry Houdini --- the greatest entertainer in the world --- was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead. This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who --- inspired by his hero, Abraham Lincoln --- devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency --- and to the House of Houdini itself.

Promo

During a séance in 1924, Harry Houdini --- the greatest entertainer in the world --- was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead. This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who --- inspired by his hero, Abraham Lincoln --- devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency --- and to the House of Houdini itself.

About the Book

The incredible untold story of how the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, waged war upon Spiritualism, uncovering unknown magic, political conspiracies and surprising secrets along the way.

You won’t live forever, Houdini. You’ve got to DIE. I put a curse on you.

During a séance in 1924, Harry Houdini --- the greatest entertainer in the world --- was cursed by a vengeful spirit, who said his days were numbered. Houdini laughed. He believed talking to the dead was impossible. By 1926, Houdini was dead.

This is the untold story of the last performance of Harry Houdini, who --- inspired by his hero, Abraham Lincoln --- devotes himself full-time to a personal crusade against Spiritualism, the practice of speaking to the dead. In a spellbinding journey across Jazz Age America, haunted by the aftermath of the Great War and a deadly pandemic, Houdini encounters modern-day haunted houses, warlocks and monsters, and uncovers a shocking conspiracy that stretches all the way to the American presidency --- and to the House of Houdini itself.

In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Houdini’s 1926 dramatic courtroom testimony before Congress and the last otherworldly cases he takes on that lead him there, LINCOLN'S GHOST is a powerful examination of deception, love, politics, the afterlife, and the very nature of magic itself.

Audiobook available, read by James Lurie 

Editorial Content for This Is the Only Kingdom

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

In 2019, Jaquira Díaz blew readers away with ORDINARY GIRLS, her memoir of growing up in the housing projects of Puerto Rico and Miami Beach, and the effects of colonialism and violence in each. In THIS IS THE ONLY KINGDOM, Díaz once again turns to the housing projects of Puerto Rico, but this time in the fictional tale of a mother and daughter forced to grapple with Puerto Rico's changing identity as a result of American control and generational trauma. Read More

Teaser

When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, the beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself; Rey; his young brother, Tito; and, eventually, their daughter, Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything. Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming.

Promo

When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, the beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself; Rey; his young brother, Tito; and, eventually, their daughter, Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything. Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming.

About the Book

From the Whiting Award-winning author Jaquira Díaz, an epic novel of a mother and daughter wrestling with the aftermath of a murder, set against the backdrop of a tightknit, working-class barrio in Puerto Rico.
 
When Maricarmen meets Rey el Cantante, the beloved small-time Robin Hood and local musician on the rise, she begins to envision a life beyond the tight-knit community of el Caserío, Puerto Rico --- beyond cleaning houses, beyond waiting tables, beyond the constant tug of war between the street hustlers and los camarones. But breaking free proves more difficult than she imagined, and she soon finds herself struggling to make a home for herself, for Rey, his young brother Tito and eventually, their daughter Nena. Until one fateful day changes everything.
 
Fifteen years later, Maricarmen and Nena find themselves in the middle of a murder investigation as the community that once rallied to support Rey turns against them. Now Nena, a teenager haunted by loss and betrayal and exploring her sexual identity, must learn to fight for herself and her family in a world not always welcoming.

For lovers of the Neapolitan novels, THIS IS THE ONLY KINGDOM is an immersive and moving portrait of a family --- and a community --- torn apart by generational grief, and a powerful love letter to mothers, daughters and the barrios that make them.

Audiobook available, read by Almarie Guerra

Editorial Content for The Whistler

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

Ancient Native American lore states that you should never whistle at night. Doing so risks attracting bad spirits and evil that attaches itself to you. Ghost hunter Henry Hotard is about to experience this firsthand in Nick Medina’s latest novel, THE WHISTLER. Read More

Teaser

Henry Hotard was on the verge of fame, gaining a following and traction with his eerie ghost-hunting videos. Then his dreams came to a screeching halt. Now, he's learning to navigate a new life in a wheelchair, back on the reservation where he grew up. And he’s being haunted. His girlfriend, Jade, insists he just needs time to adjust to his new reality as a quadriplegic, that it’s his traumatized mind playing tricks on him, but Henry knows better. As the specter haunting him creeps closer each night, Henry battles to find a way to endure, to rid himself of the horror stalking him. Worried that this dread might plague him forever, he realizes the only way to exile his phantom is by confronting his troubled past and going back to the events that led to his injury. It all started when he whistled at night.

Promo

Henry Hotard was on the verge of fame, gaining a following and traction with his eerie ghost-hunting videos. Then his dreams came to a screeching halt. Now, he's learning to navigate a new life in a wheelchair, back on the reservation where he grew up. And he’s being haunted. His girlfriend, Jade, insists he just needs time to adjust to his new reality as a quadriplegic, that it’s his traumatized mind playing tricks on him, but Henry knows better. As the specter haunting him creeps closer each night, Henry battles to find a way to endure, to rid himself of the horror stalking him. Worried that this dread might plague him forever, he realizes the only way to exile his phantom is by confronting his troubled past and going back to the events that led to his injury. It all started when he whistled at night.

About the Book

A young man is haunted by a mythological specter bent on stealing everything he loves in this unsettling horror from the author of INDIAN BURIAL GROUND and SISTERS OF THE LOST NATION.

For fear of summoning evil spirits, Native superstition says you should never, ever whistle at night.

Henry Hotard was on the verge of fame, gaining a following and traction with his eerie ghost-hunting videos. Then his dreams came to a screeching halt. Now, he's learning to navigate a new life in a wheelchair, back on the reservation where he grew up, relying on his grandparents’ care while he recovers.

And he’s being haunted.

His girlfriend, Jade, insists he just needs time to adjust to his new reality as a quadriplegic, that it’s his traumatized mind playing tricks on him, but Henry knows better. As the specter haunting him creeps closer each night, Henry battles to find a way to endure, to rid himself of the horror stalking him. Worried that this dread might plague him forever, he realizes the only way to exile his phantom is by confronting his troubled past and going back to the events that led to his injury.

It all started when he whistled at night.

Audiobook available, read by Shaun Taylor-Corbett

October 31, 2025

My book group rarely finds a book that we all enjoy. There is usually some spirited discussion of why it did, or did not, work for at least one of us. Well, we finally found a book that we all loved: THE CORRESPONDENT by Virginia Evans.

Some of us listened to it and enjoyed the audio experience. Others read the hardcover. It was interesting to see how it resonated with each of us. It came out in April and has been a huge “word-of-mouth” book, meaning that enthusiasm for it has been spread by people talking about it. It was not a monthly pick from a celebrity or television book group. It found its way by being a unique and clever book that has sparked conversation among readers. We talked about the characters we liked --- and how Sybil evolved as we got to know her more.

Heart the Lover by Lily King

October 2025

HEART THE LOVER by Lily King is the kind of book that you can devour in a sitting. You almost have to do that as it is a truly compulsive read with a lot of heart and soul. It is written in the first person by a narrator who is not named until the very last page. Do not read that page now. Stay here with me.

The narrator starts her story in her senior year of college. Two brilliant students in her 17th-Century Lit class invite her into their world, where intellectual curiosity is keen, and they love banter and late-night card games. They nickname her Jordan, and that is how we think of her throughout the book. They are living in an off-campus house that their professor has vacated while he is on sabbatical. It’s a smart and elegant home, nothing like the single-bed cold dorm room in which Jordan is used to living. 

Please Don't Lie by Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt

October 2025

I have known Christina Baker Kline's work for a while now. I am sure that many of you are familiar with her historical novel, ORPHAN TRAIN. So it was interesting to see that her latest book, PLEASE DON’T LIE, is a thriller that she wrote with Anne Burt. And what a thriller it is!

Two years ago, Hayley Stone lost her parents in a tragic fire. Then her sister, Jenna, overdosed and died, leaving her alone but very well-off financially. Her new husband, Brandon, sees what this is doing to her. So he recommends that they get away and begin a new life together.

Barnes & Noble has announced the 14 finalists for their 2025 Book of the Year. Which of these books, if any, would you pick as the B&N Book of the Year? Please check all that apply.

October 31, 2025, 542 voters

Nelson DeMille, author of The Tin Men

Army CID Special Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor team up for their toughest assignment yet as they are dispatched to Camp Hayden to investigate the death of Major Roger Ames, the chief scientist in charge of the top-secret war games being conducted between a platoon of Army Rangers and a fleet of “lethal autonomous weapons.” Brodie and Taylor must untangle the complex web of alliances, animosities and secret agendas among the men and women of the isolated facility. In a place cut off from the world and exposed to the harsh desert elements, everyone is a suspect. Brodie and Taylor must uncover layers of deception to find the hidden hand behind the murder of Major Ames, and the real purpose of the activities at Camp Hayden and its terrifying arsenal of next-generation weapons.

October 31, 2025 - November 14, 2025

Here are reading recommendations with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars for the contest period of October 31 - November 14.