Adult

Take the format of a spy thriller, shape it around real-life incidents involving international terrorism, leaven it with dark, dry humor, toss in a love rectangle, give everybody a gun, and let everything play out in the outer reaches of upstate New York. THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD is a darkly funny tale of paranoia and the all-American obsession with security and the conspiracies that threaten it, written in a tone that is simultaneously filled with wonder and anger in almost equal parts.

William Alexander is more than a Francophile. He wants to be French. To sip absinthe at the window of a dark café, a long scarf wrapped around his neck, a copy ofLe Monde at hand. Among the things that have stood in his way of becoming French, though, is the fact that he can’t actually speak the language. So Alexander sets out to conquer the language he loves. Readers will find out if it loves him back.

Danielle doesn’t really have a home. She’s squatting in a cabin deep in the woods, with no electricity or heat --- nothing but the nearby river to sustain her. She’ll need food, water and firewood --- and that’s just to get her through the storm. Eric gets her set up and departs with relief, but his car has been towed with his phone inside. There’s no choice but to return to the cabin. Danielle is terrified, then merely hostile. Who is this guy with this big idea that it’s she who needs rescuing?

Tom Pauley is a conservative trial attorney in Durham, NC, who is tapped by GOP leaders to campaign for the Governor’s mansion. Mitchell Mason is the president-elect of the United States, pushed into politics by a father determined to create a political dynasty. Samantha Davis is a child actor-turned-lawyer-turned-journalist, working her way up from the bottom in a competitive industry. Her dogged pursuit of a decade-old story could trigger a scandal that would upend the political landscape.

When an elderly World War II veteran shows up unannounced at Brodie Security begging for protection, Jim Brodie --- in Tokyo to hunt down a rare ink painting for a client --- agrees to provide a security detail until the man comes to his senses. Instead, a brutal murder rocks Brodie and his crew, sending them deep into the realm of the Triads, Chinese spies, kendo warriors, and an elusive group of killers whose treachery spans centuries --- and who will stop at nothing to complete their mission.

In the summer of 1990, 14-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. The legendary mansion is built of giant, whole trees, and Trevor’s father --- in a trial separation with his wife --- wants to sell it. Trevor soon discovers the ghost burdened by the final wishes of the Riddell patriarch, Elijah: that the mansion is returned to untamed forestland as penance for the trees harvested by the Riddell Timber Company. Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

Margaret Pole is married off to a Lancaster supporter entrusted with the governorship of Wales. When Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, arrives with his bride Katherine of Aragon, Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend by hiding her own royal connections. Following Arthur’s death, Katherine marries his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret is summoned to court as the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine, and must choose between the king and queen, between her faith or the theology of her new masters.

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family has arrived for their inheritance, but they are not alone. Alice and Sandra, long-dead former residents, linger within the house. The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths. When a new ghost appears, and Richard’s troubled son, Trenton, communicates with her, the spirit and human worlds collide.

For the first time ever, the guardians of Agatha Christie’s legacy have approved a brand-new novel featuring Dame Agatha's most beloved creation: Hercule Poirot. In THE MONOGRAM MURDERS, Poirot plunges into a mystery set in 1920s London --- a diabolically clever puzzle that will test his brilliant skills while baffling and delighting longtime Christie fans and new generations of readers discovering him for the first time.

Louie Mo left behind a successful career as a stunt double in Hong Kong and now makes his living as a hired knee-breaker in Los Angeles. Troy, an aspiring director, is beginning to realize that he’s made a mistake by directing a film for Avi Ghazaryan. When Louie is hired to scare Troy, Troy recognizes him as the stunt man he once was, and begs Louie to take the lead role in the movie based on Troy’s pet screenplay. The two team up in a race against the clock to pull off an impossible film of epic proportions.