Adult

Miranda Meadowe lives a relatively solitary life in her rustic country home, but her world dramatically changes when she invites a group of her oldest friends to move in with her. In the beginning, the reunion is joyous. They laugh, dance, drink, behave badly and cling to the heritage they thought would be theirs forever: power, health, stability. But as the days pass, long-forgotten grudges resurface and new tensions emerge. And when an ancient burial site is discovered nearby, the outside world descends upon them. The isolation of the group is breached and the past revealed --- and they realize the future that beckons may be very different from the one they had imagined.

King Kong is premiering at Radio City Music Hall, and Fay Wray is about to become the most famous actress on earth. So what's she doing hanging around a rundown Manhattan speakeasy? This Hollywood scream queen has come to see Jimmy Quinn, a limping tough guy who knows every gangster in New York --- and does his best to steer clear of them all. A blackmailer has pictures of a Fay Wray lookalike engaged in conduct that would make King Kong blush, and Fay's movie studio --- with the cooperation of a slightly corrupt NYPD detective --- wants the threat eliminated. Jimmy tries to settle the matter quietly, but stopping the extortion will cut just as deeply as Fay's famous scream.

When Major William Russell’s valet knocks on his bedroom door the morning after the 1909 New Year’s Ball and receives no response, he and the Major’s elderly secretary eventually task the English Commandant of Cavalry with breaking it down. The Resident is dead in his bed. The fabulously wealthy Maharaja, Sikander Singh, cannot resist an enigma. Wielding careful and deliberate logic to crack puzzles that leave less intelligent men confounded, he overcomes obstacles, false trails, and the growing hostility of the English Establishment. Will the Maharaja work through a surplus of suspects and motives before the British shut him down and cover up the truth about the Major’s death?

It’s the most important night of the year for costume designer Charlotte Fairfax and the Catskills Shakespeare Theater Company. This year, the company will give a moonlight performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of the wedding celebrations for Paula’s daughter, Belinda, and her fiance Adrian. But then Hugh Hedley, family friend of the Van Dusens and Adrian’s rival in the cutthroat world of high-end Manhattan real estate, is found murdered with a stolen prop from the play. Paula and Charlotte throw themselves into an investigation of shady business deals, a missing dog, and long buried family secrets.

Jeanette Winterson brings together 12 of her brilliantly imaginative, funny and bold Christmas stories, linked by personal memories and 12 delicious recipes for the Twelve Days of Christmas. From jovial spirits to a donkey with a golden nose, a haunted house to a SnowMama, Winterson’s innovative stories encompass the childlike and spooky wonder of Christmas. Enjoy the season of peace and goodwill, mystery and a little bit of magic courtesy of one of our most fearless and accomplished writers.

Orvieto. Its very name brings to mind priceless art, colorful ceramics, straw-colored wine, and the most famous cathedral façade in Italy, a structure of gothic spires, arches, statues and mosaics. When Rick Montoya moved to Italy to work as a freelance translator using his dual heritage, he didn’t expect to be helping the Italian police. During his fourth investigation, his language skills draw him into the brutal murder of an American visitor. Strong suspects, tantalizing secrets, concealed motives and risky behaviors tie to a fascinating landscape and layers of Orvieto’s past.

When a teenage joyrider crashes a stolen car and ends up in a coma, a routine DNA test reveals a connection to an unsolved murder from 22 years before. It’s a cold case that should be straightforward. But it’s as twisted as the DNA helix itself. Meanwhile, Karen, mired in grief after the death of her partner, finds herself irresistibly drawn to a mystery that has its roots in a terrorist bombing two decades ago. Karen’s intuition is telling her something doesn’t add up. But is she on to something? Or has she, as her boss has been waiting for, gone too far this time?

Opening Furry Godmother, pet boutique and organic treat bakery, is Lacy Marie Crocker’s dream come true --- until the glitter gun used to make her Shih Tzu tutus becomes a murder weapon. And Lacy becomes public enemy #1. To save her dream, Lacy must take a stand, put her keen eyes to work, and unravel what really happened at her shop that night. But can Lacy sniff out the killer cat burglar in time to get her tail-raising designs on the catwalk?

Ara Zuyev is a secret to nearly everyone, and those who know anything about her have barely scratched the surface. A bodyguard for a powerful billionaire, she is the last line of defense for the family's inner circle. But when her charge, 16-year-old Samantha Harper, is kidnapped and the FBI are called in, Ara immediately comes under suspicion. She didn’t follow basic security protocol, which should have been second nature for her. And now Samantha's life hangs in the balance. But what initially looks like a simple kidnapping for ransom quickly spirals into something far more sinister.

On January 28, 1547, King Henry VIII died at Whitehall. Just hours before his passing, his last will and testament had been read, stamped and sealed. The will confirmed the line of succession as Edward, Mary and Elizabeth; and, following them, the Grey and Suffolk families. It also listed bequests to the king's most trusted councillors and servants. Historians have disagreed over the will’s intended meaning, its authenticity and validity, and the circumstances of its creation. Along with examining the background to the drafting of the will and describing Henry's last days, Suzannah Lipscomb offers her own illuminating interpretation of one of the most significant constitutional documents of the Tudor period.