|
|
|
|
| Departure(s) by Julian BarnesStarring a 70-something Booker Prize winner with a fatal illness, Departure(s) is the planned final novel by author Julian Barnes, who shares a name and many similarities with his main character. Exploring art, life, death, and memory while covering the fictional Julian's two matchmaking attempts for the same couple -- once in college and once decades later -- this short but powerful tale is candid and witty. Read-alikes: Paul Auster's Baumgartner; Joshua Ferris' A Calling for Charlie Barnes. |
|
|
|
The Bookbinder's Secret
by A. D. Bell
Every book tells a story. This one tells a secret.A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder. Now a USA Today bestseller Lilian (Lily) Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father's failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man's profession. But when she's given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder. Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit. Lily's search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in, willing to do anything for the books, Lilian's world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life. * This stunning edition includes full-color designed endpapers, unique foiled front and back case stamps, and special interior design elements. While supplies last *
|
|
|
|
Playing for Keeps
by Alexandria Bellefleur
Poppy Peterson's life is finally back on track and she's thriving as the publicist of the NFL's most promising quarterback (and her childhood best friend), Cash Curran. So, she doesn't appreciate when he makes an impulsive and public pass at America's popstar darling, Lyric Adair. When Lyric's notorious publicist Rosaline Sinclair reaches out, Poppy is ready to face her wrath, but instead learns that Lyric is equally interested. As Cash and Lyric embark on their ill-advised whirlwind romance, Poppy and Rosaline are forced together, each determined to protect their own client from the other. Poppy is frustrated by Rosaline's cool demeanor, while at the same time, as a legend in the industry, she's determined to impress her. But, no matter what she does, she can't shake the feeling that Rosaline doesn't like her. That is until one steamy night, when the two women contend with their unexpected feelings and begin a messy romance of their own. But with paparazzi, tabloids, and stalker fans nipping at their heels, Poppy and Rosaline's loyalties will be tested in ways they could never expect-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
Murder Your Darlings
by Jenna Blum
Authors and book tours, stalkers and deadlines, horrid men and ice cold revenge . . . Murder Your Darlings will have you cracking up while you're checking under your bed.--Karin Slaughter, New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling authorFor every woman who's ever fallen for a bad man comes a hilarious and eviscerating tale of love, loss, and deadlines from New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum.Known for such brilliant historical novels as Those Who Save Us and The Lost Family, A Mighty Blaze co-founder and New York Times bestselling author Jenna Blum now offers a contemporary, suspenseful novel about love, loss, and revenge in the world of books.Simone Sam Vetiver is a mid-career novelist finishing a lukewarm publicity tour while facing a deadline for a new book on which she's totally blocked. Recently divorced, Sam is worrying where her life is going when she receives glowing fan mail from stratospherically successful author William Corwyn, renowned for his female-centric novels. When William and Sam meet and his literary sympathy is as intense as their chemistry, both writers think they've found The One.But as in their own novels, things between Sam and William are not what they seem. William has multiple stalkers, including a scarily persistent one named The Rabbit. He lives on a remote Maine island, where his writer life resembles The Shining. And when writers turn up dead, including from The Darlings support group William runs, Sam has to ask: Is it The Rabbit--William's #1 Stalker? Another woman scorned? Can William be everything he seems?Narrated by Sam, William, and The Rabbit, Murder Your Darlings is a wickedly witty look at today's literary landscape and down-the-rabbit-hole tale of how far people will go for love.
|
|
| Scavengers by Kathleen BolandAfter losing her New York finance job, lonely Bea Macon visits her estranged free-spirited mom, Christy, who's a member of an internet forum devoted to finding a hidden treasure. With an online boyfriend and a plan, Christy heads to the desert and Bea tags along. This character-driven debut novel explores mother-daughter relationships and has an evocative Utah setting and romantic elements. For a more romance-forward treasure hunting tale, try Christina Lauren's Something Wilder. |
|
|
|
Listen
by Sacha Bronwasser
In 1989, twenty-year-old Marie jumps at the chance to work as au pair in Paris--even though it means dropping out of her prestigious art program in the Netherlands. The city, the language, the complicated French family she works for all quickly overshadow the turmoil and pain she'd been reckoning with in school. But years later, during the 2015 attacks in Paris, Marie is shocked to recognize her former teacher, the main reason she fled the Netherlands, pictured in aftermath, in the exact arrondissement where her previous employers live. The past she was sure she could leave behind comes flooding back, as do the questions she thought she could live with leaving unanswered--
|
|
|
|
Exo
by Colin Brush
A debut sci-fi mystery set on an abandoned future Earth, featuring a twisty mystery straight out of a John le Carr novel, a group of larger-than-life characters who'd be at home in the work of John Scalzi, and a deeply weird and dangerous hyperdimensional entity to haunt the dreams of any reader of Kim Stanley Robinson. Humanity is dying. Banished from the Earth, our descendants eke out lives in orbital habitats and moon colonies--and look with longing on our former home. But Earth is deadly. Over hundreds of years, its oceans have transformed into an annihilating liquid entity--the Caul. Every living creature approaching its shores is irresistibly compelled to enter. . . and is never seen again. Scientists, some of the few inhabitants left, work in facilities seeking to understand and stop the Caul. And scavenging the shores are the penitents--those who resist its siren lure. Among them is penitent Mae Jameson, an octogenarian former Service agent who arrived on Earth thirty years ago to find her lover. When she encounters Siofra, a mute girl, wandering alone by the shore and returns her home, they discover the girl's father, rogue scientist Carl Magellan, hanging from a noose. He's been murdered. Unwilling to leave the matter in the hands of the facility Carl abandoned years ago, Mae takes Carl's journals--which detail his obsession with the Caul and its mysteries--and sets about investigating. In this page-turning, dual-timeline novel, both Mae and Carl's quests for the truth put them at the center of a dangerous conspiracy. Someone believes they can use the secret of the Caul to shape humanity's future, and they aren't afraid to kill to keep control of it.
|
|
|
|
The Living and the Dead: A Novel about a Crime
by Christoffer Carlsson
Two decades after an unsolved murder in a working-class town, another body turns up, ripping apart friendships and community--a ... mystery and graceful investigation of brotherhood and family by a renowned criminologist--
|
|
|
|
Love in Plane Sight
by Lauren Connolly
Mayday. Mayday. Engine failure. ... When her first ride-along becomes a crash course in aviation after her perpetually stoic flight instructor is forced to execute an emergency landing, Beth is horrified to find herself with an adrenaline-fueled crush on George Bunsen. She's dumbstruck when George offers her discounted flight lessons--possibly out of guilt for almost killing them. And despite George's annoying habit of departing any room the moment Beth enters, she really wants to accept. No matter that it's an egregiously expensive hobby, or that her waitressing wages go right toward her mother's medical bills, or that she's already in debt to her eyebrows. Flying is Beth's dream, and she could use her private license to earn real money. The more time they spend navigating the sky, the turbulence between George and Beth dissipates. But Beth has seen the burning wreckage that comes from mixing business with pleasure--plus, she's been keeping a secret that, once revealed, will send all her relationships into a tailspin. Can she really take that risk when her pilot career isn't even off the ground?--Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
Sharpe's Storm: Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of Southern France, 1813
by Bernard Cornwell
The year is 1813. France is a battlefield, and winter shows no mercy. Amid brutal conditions, Major Richard Sharpe finds himself saddled with an unexpected burden: Rear-Admiral Sir Joel Chase, dispatched by the Admiralty with sealed orders, unshakable confidence, and a frankly terrifying enthusiasm for combat. Sharpe's mission from Wellington is clear, yet anything but simple: keep Sir Joel alive. Sir Joel could hold the key to defeating Napoleon once and for all. But to pull off his audacious plan, he needs someone who knows how to fight dirty, think fast, and survive the impossible--
|
|
|
|
The Briars
by Sarah Crouch
When Annie accepted a job as park ranger in the small Pacific Northwest town of Lake Lumin, she was desperate to get away from a relationship gone bad. Her first order of business is to track down a cougar that's been spotted in the area. As she warns neighbors of the looming threat, she quickly discovers not everyone in this tight-knit community is welcoming of a woman park ranger, except for Daniel, a reclusive carpenter who lives on the edge of town. They form a quick bond, even though he keeps details from his past hidden. When birdwatchers stumble upon the body of a young woman amidst the foggy peaks of Mount St. Helens, all eyes turn to Daniel as a suspect. Annie, who is helping the local sheriff with the case, must rely on her extensive wilderness training and trust her instincts to piece together what happened, while the murderer watches her every move. Urgent and emotionally rich, this alluring literary thriller is full of twists and turns, examining the lengths a small-town community will go to protect its own-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
A Most Worthy Husband
by Faye Delacour
A fun and sexy historical. It is perfect for fans of empowered women and their supportive men. --Library Journal for The Lady He LostWhen she picks the most unsuitable bachelor in London to ruin her reputation with a kiss, neither of them counted on her mother making a gentleman out of him... Perfect for fans of Evie Dunmore, India Holton and Bridgerton. Hannah Williams never wanted a marriage like her parents'. She'd be perfectly happy to spend her life as a spinster and support herself by helping to run her sister-in-law's gambling club. But no matter how many schemes Hannah hatches to repel suitors, her mother won't accept defeat. To wrest back control of her life once and for all, Hannah takes drastic measures. She'll ruin herself with a man so unsuitable that no one will force them to the altar, making her unmarriageable forever. What could possibly go wrong?Silas Corbyn is nothing but trouble. Disinherited by his family and dishonorably discharged from the Navy, the ton has dismissed him without hearing his side of the story. When an old friend gives him work as a dealer at a lady's gambling club, Silas doesn't intend to repay the favor by compromising the man's little sister on his first night, but Hannah offers him an obscene amount of money for just one kiss--money that he could use to build a new life for himself.Neither of them counted on Hannah's mother rushing them into a hasty marriage. Now they need to find a way to call off their engagement before it's too late. Unless they lose their hearts first. Praise for Faye Delacour's romances: Endearing characters, crackling chemistry, and deliciously witty dialogue! -- Liana De la Rosa, USA Today bestselling author, for A Lady's Guide to LondonRefreshingly charming with a feisty, resilient heroine worth fighting for. I loved it! --Amalie Howard, USA Today bestselling author, for The Lady He LostFriends to enemies to lovers at its best. I loved every minute. --Harper St. George for The Lady He Lost
|
|
|
|
Dark Sisters
by Kristi Demeester
Horror meets historical fiction when a curse bridges generations, binding the fates of three women. Anne Bolton, a healer facing persecution for witchcraft, bargains with a dark entity for protection--but the fire she unleashes will reverberate for centuries. Mary Shephard, a picture-perfect wife in a suffocating community, falls for Sharon and begins a forbidden affair that could destroy them both. And Camilla Burson, the rebellious daughter of a preacher, defies conformist expectations to uncover an ancient power as her father's flock spirals into crisis. Three women. Three centuries. One legacy of fury, love, and a power that refuses to die--
|
|
|
|
Drive Me Crazy
by Lizzy Dent
I love, love, love Lizzy Dent. --Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author Sparks fly when an up-and-coming team principle and her new hot-shot driver--and former childhood crush--are forced to work together to save their careers and team in this deliciously winning Formula 1 romance. Can they navigate the twists and turns of love without crashing and burning? As one of the first female team principles in Formula 1, Chloe Coleman is determined to prove herself and transform her failing team from underdogs to champions. Nothing can ruin her strategy--except maybe the surprising new addition of a cocky, top-tier driver who's lost his edge. And he just so happens to be her estranged childhood crush who still sends her heart racing. Matt Warner needs a comeback. A former champion, he hasn't won a race since the disastrous crash that landed his best friend and teammate in the hospital. If there's a silver lining to this scandalous demotion, it's his fierce and familiar new boss, Chloe. But as the competition heats up, so does an unexpected spark that turns dangerously and passionately hot. With the world watching and pressures of the season mounting, will their chemistry lead them to victory, or spin them out of control?
|
|
|
|
Daughter of Genoa
by Kat Devereaux
Enthralling and eloquently bittersweet--a vivid historical portrait of the pivotal yet overlooked struggle to save Italian Jews in WWII, and how one unforgettable woman risks everything for love. Devereaux writes with great authority and masterfully blends imagination and history. A deeply affective novel that captivated me from the first page. -- Shelly Sanders, bestselling author of Daughters of The Occupation and The Night SparrowBased on a true story, The Daughter of Genoa is a moving and inspiring story, revealing the hope, humanity, and quiet heroism of ordinary people in their extraordinary efforts to help others. A powerful journey of heartbreak, love, and bravery, this is a book that will stay with readers for a long time. -- Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Booklover's Library The author of Escape to Florence returns with a thrilling adventure set in the war-torn 1940s and inspired by true events, about a young woman who risks everything to help Jewish Italians flee the fascists, and falls in love with the brave aviator behind a daring secret rescue operation.Anna's family fled to America years ago, to escape the Fascist regime, but Anna had stayed behind. Alone and terrified of discovery, Anna meets Father Vittorio, a Jesuit priest who takes her to shopkeepers Bernardo and Silvia, an older couple who offer shelter and safety without question. But when Anna discovers that this kind, quiet couple is part of a network of ordinary people daring to help Father Vittorio smuggle Jewish citizens, stripped of their status and rights, out of Italy, she is determined to help.Anna offers skills essential to the cause: she has a deft hand at ledgers and forgery, talents she learned at the high-powered job she held before the Racial Laws were passed--a past she conceals. Working in secrecy, not knowing others' real names or sharing her own, Anna begins producing fake identity cards and soon meets another member of the operation: a man known as Mr. X., whom she recognizes instantly as the wealthy aviator Massimo Teglio. And suddenly, without warning--despite the threat of imprisonment, torture, and death--Anna finds herself taking the most dangerous of risk of all: falling in love. And she's not the only one.Based on the true story of the DELASEM--the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants, an organization of brave volunteers working tirelessly to save innocent lives from the concentration camps--Daughter of Genoa is a poignant look at those who loved and lost yet continued to risk everything to create a better world.
|
|
|
|
Canticle
by Janet Rich Edwards
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE * REAL SIMPLE BEST BOOKS OF 2025 * SPOTIFY BEST DEBUTS OF 2025 * GOODREADS READERS' MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF FALL Atmospheric and unforgettable.-People A masterful debut novel following a spirited young woman's explorations of faith, agency, and love in thirteenth-century Bruges. Aleys is sixteen years old and unusual: stubborn, bright, and prone to religious visions. She and her only friend, Finn, a young scholar, 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: a life of song, meaning, and friendship in the markets and along the canals of Bruges. 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, a danger that will push Aleys to a new understanding of love and sacrifice. Grounded in the little-told stories of medieval women--mystics, saints, anchoresses, and beguines--and introducing a major new talent, Canticle is a luminous work of historical fiction, vividly evoking a world on the verge of transformation.
|
|
|
|
Anatomy of an Alibi
by Ashley Elston
Everyone at Chantilly's Bar noticed out-of-towner Camille Bayliss. Red lips, designer heels, sipping a Negroni. Flirted a little with a local but returned alone to her B&B before midnight in her sleek car. But that woman wasn't Camille Bayliss--it was Aubrey Price. Aubrey has been haunted by the terrible night that changed her life a decade ago, and she's convinced Benjamin Bayliss knows something about it. Living in a house full of criminals, Aubrey understands there's more than one way to get to the truth--and she may have found the perfect way in. Camille Bayliss appears to have the picture-perfect life, married to hot-shot lawyer Ben, and is daughter to a wealthy Louisiana family. Only nothing is as it appears: Camille believes Ben has been hiding dirty secrets for years, but she can't find proof because he tracks her every move. Aubrey and Camille hatch a plan--
|
|
|
|
Son of the Morning (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Akwaeke Emezi
Tenderhearted Galilee was raised by the Kincaids, a formidable clan of Black women sequestered deep in the weeping willows and dark rushing creeks of their land. Galilee has always known that she's different--that there is an old and unknowable secret around her very existence. It has been a hollow ache inside her since her childhood, something she assumes she will always have to live with--until she meets Lucifer Helel. He's fronting as the head of security for her wealthy friend Oriaku's family, protecting a mysterious, ancient artifact, but from the moment she lays eyes on him, Gali knows he's not human. From her first incendiary touch, Lucifer knows something even Gali herself doesn't: that she isn't human, either--
|
|
|
|
The Ganymedan
by R. T. Ester
A dark science fiction debut examining agency and sacrifice through one man's desperate attempt to reach home after he murders his tyrannical employer. Verden Dotnet made an easy living mixing drinks for the creator of all sentient tech in the galaxy--until he decided to kill the creator. Now this man is dead, really dead, no cloud back-ups, and V-Dot is on the run, carrying a galaxy-shattering secret in his pocket. When he misses the last ship back to Ganymede, he convinces an old, outdated but still sentient ship, TR-8901, to give him a lift. But TR suspects that something is up--it is hearing rumours about his creator's death, and the man who fled the scene. But TR is a dutiful ship, and will carry out its duties until proven otherwise...
|
|
|
|
Definitely Maybe Not a Detective
by Sarah Fox
In this delightfully charming rom-com mystery, a woman becomes accidentally entangled in a murder investigation (and with a handsome stranger) when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve a real homicide. Emersyn Gray is definitely not a detective. Really, she's an unemployed twenty-eight-year-old raising her beloved niece in the only place she can afford after her ex-boyfriend ran off with her life savings: a run-down, seniors-only apartment complex that was desperate for tenants. But never fear--her wild best friend has the perfect plan to get Emersyn back on her feet and stick it to her thieving ex: scare him into returning her money by hiring a private investigator to prove he stole it. Only, there won't be an actual detective, just a fabricated business card from Wyatt Investigations . . . and a ridiculously hot stranger, who steps in to play the part--a stranger whose name is, coincidentally, Wyatt. Emersyn can't help but notice the real-life Wyatt is capital H-O-T hot, even though she's wary of his intentions. But her ex does seem flustered, and if she can get her money back and regain control of her life, maybe it'll finally prove to her parents that she can be a responsible caregiver to her niece. But the day after they set their plan in motion, the superintendent of Emersyn's apartment building winds up dead, and her neighbors turn to her fake detective agency for help after finding one of the phony business cards. With so many eyes on them--or maybe just their eyes on each other--Emersyn and Wyatt agree to take on the case. Now the question is, Can they solve the murder without getting tangled up in their own fictions--or each other? Fast-paced and quippy.--Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies
|
|
|
|
Only Way Out
by Tod Goldberg
A luckless thief's wrong turn becomes a crooked cop's fortune in a wild ride of a thriller by a New York Times bestselling author.Failed lawyer Robert Green has such a good plan: Crack three hundred safe-deposit boxes and sail off to South America with his brilliant, morally flexible sister, Penny. If it weren't for the damned freezing rain.In the dying resort town of Granite Shores, cop Jack Biddle is self-appointed king--mostly of bad decisions. Between his family's crumbling legacy, a wife who just joined the city council, and life-threatening gambling debts, Jack's looking for a way out. Then he spots a van spinning off a mountain road into the valley below. In the wreckage, Jack finds a very dead Robert, millions in heisted loot...and opportunity.All Jack has to do is clean up the mess, disappear Robert's body, make off with the fortune, and not get caught. One hitch is Penny. Another is Mitch Diamond, a wild card ex-con who knows more about the missing fortune than he lets on. Jack, Penny, and Mitch each have an endgame. But there's only one way out, and they're crashing headlong toward it.
|
|
|
|
Call Me Ishmaelle
by Xiaolu Guo
1843. Ishmaelle is born in a small village on the stormy Kent coast where she grows up swimming with dolphins. After her parents and infant sister die, her brother, Joseph, leaves to find work as a sailor. Abandoned and desperate for a life at sea, Ishmaelle disguises herself as a cabin boy and travels to New York. Nearly twenty years later, as the American Civil War breaks out, Ishmaelle boards the Nimrod, a whaling ship led by the obsessive Captain Seneca, a Black free man of heroic stature who is haunted by a tragic past. Here, she finds protectors amidst the bloody male violence of whaling and discovers a mysterious bond between herself and the white whale who claimed Seneca's leg. Built on the bones of Melville's classic, Call Me Ishmaelle is a dynamic new tale, imbued with a diverse, swashbuckling crew--from a Polynesian harpooner to a Taoist Monk-and a powerful exploration of human nature, gender, and the nature of home-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
Rules of the Heart
by Janice Hadlow
England, 1794. Now in her thirties, Lady Harriet Bessborough, already the veteran of several liaisons, finds herself pursued by a much younger man. This isn't unusual in her circle, where married women often take younger lovers. No one minds much, provided they follow the rules of the game: Don't embarrass your husband, maintain complete discretion at all times, and never ever make the mistake of falling in love. So when Harriet meets Lord Granville--brilliantly handsome, insistently ardent, and twelve years younger than her--she's confident she can manage their affair. Until she finds herself falling uncontrollably under his spell. As she's plunged into an all-consuming passion, Harriet's worldliness and sophistication desert her. With each besotted step, she finds herself edging ever closer to exposure and ruin. She knows she should leave him but can't bring herself to do it--she loves him far too deeply now to escape the scandal that threatens to engulf her-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
The Everlasting
by Alix E. Harrow
Sir Una Everlasting was Dominion's greatest hero: the orphaned girl who became a knight, who died for queen and country. Her legend lives on in songs and stories, in children's books and recruiting posters--but her life as it truly happened has been forgotten. Centuries later, Owen Mallory--failed soldier, struggling scholar--falls in love with the tale of Una Everlasting. Her story takes him to war, to the archives--and then into the past itself. Una and Owen are tangled together in time, bound to retell the same story over and over again, no matter what it costs. But that story always ends the same way. If they want to rewrite Una's legend--if they want to tell a different story--they'll have to rewrite history itself--
|
|
|
|
The Place Where They Buried Your Heart
by Christina Henry
A woman must confront the evil that has been terrorizing her street since she was a child in this gripping haunted house novel from the national bestselling author of The House That Horror Built and Good Girls Don't Die. On an otherwise ordinary street in Chicago, there is a house. An abandoned house where, once upon a time, terrible things happened. The children who live on this block are told by their parents to stay away from that house. But of course, children don't listen. Children think it's fun to be scared, to dare each other to go inside. Jessie Campanelli did what many older sisters do and dared her little brother Paul. But unlike all the other kids who went inside that abandoned house, Paul didn't return. His two friends, Jake and Richie, said that the house ate Paul. Of course adults didn't believe that. Adults never believe what kids say. They thought someone kidnapped Paul, or otherwise hurt him. They thought Paul had disappeared in a way that was ordinary, explainable. The disappearance of her little brother broke Jessie's family apart in ways that would never be repaired. Jessie grew up, had a child of her own, kept living on the same street where the house that ate her brother sat, crouched and waiting. And darkness seemed to spread out from that house, a darkness that was alive--alive and hungry.
|
|
|
|
Graceless Heart
by Isabel Ibañez
As a sculptress, Ravenna Maffei has always shaped beauty from stone but she has a terrible secret. Desperate to save her brother, she enters a competition hosted by Florence's most feared immortal family, revealing a dark power in a city where magic is forbidden. Now a captive in the cutthroat city of Florence, Ravenna is forced into a dangerous task where failure meets certain death at the hands of Saturnino dei Luni, the immortal family's mesmerizing but merciless heir. But as he draws her closer, Ravenna realizes the true threat lies beyond Florence's walls. The Pope's war against magic is closing in, and Ravenna is no longer just a prisoner but a prize to be claimed. As trusting the wrong person becomes lethal, Ravenna must survive the treacherous line between a pope's obsession and the seductive immortal who might be the end of her--or surrender her power to a city on the brink of war--Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
The Quiet Mother: A Detective Konrad Novel
by Arnaldur Indridason
A woman is found murdered in her Reykjavik 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 fifty 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 Strength of the Few
by James Islington
This highly anticipated follow-up to The Will of the Many-one of 2023's most lauded and bestselling fantasy novels-follows Vis as he grapples with a dangerous secret that could unravel history across alternate dimensions--
|
|
|
|
Fun City Heist
by Michael Kardos
Mo Melnick used to be a drummer in rock band Sunshine Apocalypse. He used to be someone. These days he rents beach umbrellas on the Jersey Shore. The last thing he expects is for Johnny Clay, his old bandmate turned enemy, to ask him a favor. Johnny's dying, and before he passes he wants Sunshine Apocalypse to reunite for one last gig at Fun City, the beachfront amusement park where their musical journey began. Mo's in--reluctantly. But then Johnny reveals his real plan: He doesn't just want to play at Fun City on the fourth of July. He wants to rob it. The plan is crazy more holes than a golf course. But Mo's sick of barely keeping his head above water, so he and his gang of middle-aged has-beens dive into what will be the most outrageous heist New Jersey's ever seen--if, that is, they can pull it off alive . . .--
|
|
|
|
Murder at Donwell Abbey
by Vanessa Kelly
Emma's spirits are elevated after she and husband George Knightley host a joyful holiday celebration at the Hartfield estate. But it's instantly a bitter January when her father makes an unexpected announcement: he and Miss Hetty Bates have decided to marry. Not only must Emma relinquish her role as mistress of the household, but also accept the reality that the excitable Miss Bates will become her stepmother. More unwanted news arrives during an extravagant betrothal ball at Donwell Abbey, the grand Knightley estate where Emma and George will soon permanently reside. Nearly every villager in Highbury revels in the dazzling affair--except Emma's hardworking lady's maid, Prudence Parr. To Emma's horror, Prudence is found dead, sprawled across the stones of the library terrace--
|
|
|
|
A Love Story from the End of the World: Stories
by Juhea Kim
Spanning multiple locales and epochs, and rendered in fine detail and vivid color, this transportive collection shows what it means to live as human inhabitants on our one miraculous planet. Lyrical, at times hilarious, and always heartfelt, each of these ten stories is a reflection of individual choice in the face of man-made apocalypse: in a near-future Seoul, where air pollution has become so fatal that the city has been encased in a translucent biodome, a civil engineer charged with its upkeep contemplates an arranged marriage. A painter, disenchanted with New York City, travels to the South of France and falls into a dalliance with an entrepreneur who claims to have invented a new color. And on an island where the Indian and Pacific Oceans meet, upon which other countries have relegated their waste to form a mountain of landfill, a local boy facing daily privation gets internet famous for his K-pop-inspired dances--
|
|
|
|
The Happiness Collector: A Contemporary Fantasy Pitting Modern Humans Against Ancient Gods
by Crystal King
Urban fantasy, unexpected romance, and mythology all collide in King's latest. A must for V.E. Schwab and Katee Robert fans. -BooklistIn this stunning contemporary fantasy novel for fans of V. E. Schwab and Kaliane Bradley, a historian's dream job in Italy takes a dark turn when she discovers her employers aren't exactly human...After losing her book deal and her academic position, historian Aida Reale needs a new career, and fast. After all, she and her fianc , Graham, have a wedding to pay for. So when a friend recommends her for an extremely high-paying position at a company called MODA, it feels like the perfect stroke of luck. And with a move to Italy and a breathtaking palazzo included, how could she say no? Aside from a snooty assistant, a daunting NDA and some very stringent rules about the use of personal technology, working for MODA is a dream come true--at least at first. But the more research Aida conducts for this elusive company, the more things feel off. Not only does her relationship with Graham suffer, but it seems like every site she visits either vanishes or is struck by tragedy soon after she's been there.It's only after a mysterious woman approaches Aida and Luciano, her devastatingly handsome and equally concerned MODA colleague, that they learn the truth--they are just mortal pawns in a game between gods. Now Aida must find answers to the question she's been avoiding: What's really happening to all the happiness she's been collecting...and can she stop the gods' plans before it's too late?
|
|
| Sheer by Vanessa LawrenceIn 2015 New York, 40-something beauty mogul Maxine Thomas has been suspended after a transgression. As she awaits her fate from the board, she ponders her past, including her 1980s childhood in the New Jersey suburbs and growing her business in college and beyond. This compelling tale provides a revealing look at the beauty industry, ambition, and secrets. For fans of: Olivia Wolfgang-Smith's Mutual Interest; Mona Awad's Rouge. |
|
| The Hitch by Sara LevineOpinionated Rose Cutler is excited to watch her six-year-old nephew Nathan and feed him vegan food while his parents vacation in Mexico. But things go bad when Rose's Newfoundland dog kills a corgi at the park, leading Nathan to proclaim the corgi is actually alive, its soul melded to his own. As Nathan acts strangely, Rose wonders if he might be right in this darkly humorous, offbeat tale. For fans of: the author's Treasure Island!!!; Melissa Broder. |
|
|
|
It Should Have Been You
by Andrea Mara
A suburban neighborhood starts to spiral when one text message causes a nasty chain reaction with horrifying consequences. You press send and your message disappears. Full of secrets about your neighbors, it's meant for your sister. But it doesn't reach her - it goes to the entire local community WhatsApp group instead. As rumor spreads like wildfire through the picture-perfect neighborhood, you convince yourself that people will move on, that this will quickly be forgotten. But then you receive the first death threat. The next day, a woman has been murdered. And what's even more chilling is that she had the same address as you - 26 Oakpark - but in a different part of town. Did the killer get the wrong house? It won't be long before you find out...-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
| How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder by Nina McConigleyGrowing up in 1980s Wyoming as Reagan rules and the tabloids follow Charles and Diana's engagement, sisters Georgie and Aggie face racism as the only Brown kids around. Then, when their uncle and his family leave India and move in with them, the sexual abuse starts. The girls blame the abuse on various things as they plot to kill their uncle in this inventive, short debut novel featuring magazine-style quizzes. Try these next: Essie Chambers' Swift River; Tiffany McDaniel's Betty. |
|
|
|
No One Aboard
by Emy McGuire
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...No One Aboard is a riveting, astonishing debut, and Emy McGuire is an important new voice in fiction. I will read anything she writes --Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling authorAt 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?
|
|
|
|
Fire Must Burn
by Allison Montclair
The owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are back, and more determined than ever to bring love matches to the residents of Post-WWII London . . . so something as trivial as being dragged into a spy mission isn't going to stop them! Sparks fly when an old friend comes to town . . . London, 1947. After recent events have left the normally steadfast Iris Sparks thoroughly shaken, she's looking forward to some peace. With The Right Sort doing well, she and business partner Gwen Bainbridge are due a holiday. Until Iris's former boss enlists their help for a secret mission. Iris, who left British intelligence after the war, is being recruited for her Cambridge connection to one Anthony Danforth. She hasn't seen Tony in almost ten years, yet she and Gwen must manipulate him into hiring their marriage service. Tony's suspected of being a Soviet operative, and an undercover agent posing as his perfect match could discover the truth. Despite her reluctance at being dragged back into the world of espionage, Iris agrees. After all, Tony was once a very good friend. If he's innocent, she'll happily prove it. If not? Well, no one ever said being a spy was easy . . . Those who enjoy reading Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher Mysteries and Dorothy Sayers will adore this warm and witty historical mystery!
|
|
|
|
The Italian Secret
by Tara Moss
Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a journey to begin a new life far from home. Naples, 1943. A woman shelters underground from a wartime air raid, praying her husband will return home. Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, uncovers a dusty box in her father's old office whose contents--correspondence with a woman on the other side of the world--just might explain how they all are connected--
|
|
| This Is Where the Serpent Lives by Daniyal MueenuddinSpanning decades, this moving, lyrical look at life and social class in modern-day Pakistan follows memorable characters, from orphaned Bayazid, who rises to the position of chauffeur to Hisham, who's the heir to a large estate, to Hisham himself, who attended college in the United States, as well as others connected to these two. "This is a masterpiece," raves Publishers Weekly. Read-alikes: When the Fireflies Dance by Aisha Hassan; Aravind Adiga's novels. |
|
|
|
Murder in Manhattan
by Julie Mulhern
This writer just found her next scoop . . . and it's deadly. New York, 1925 - Freddie Archer frequents speakeasies and wild parties and the newest restaurants with her friends Dorothy Parker and Tallulah Bankhead. And the best part is that it's all in a day's work. Freddie loves her job writing the nightlife column for Gotham Magazine. But Freddie's latest piece just won her a bit more attention than she bargained for-from the police. A man mentioned in her column has been murdered. And Freddie is asked to keep an eye out for his fashionable female dinner companion. She's told in no uncertain terms to stay out of the case herself. So naturally, Freddie throws herself into an investigation that takes her from the elegant stores that line Fifth Avenue to the tenements south of Houston Street. Now between sipping gin rickeys with Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and casting Broadway shows with Groucho Marx, she's dodging bullets and dating a potentially dangerous bootlegger. Freddie wanted adventure and excitement. But will she survive it?-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
|
|
The Case of the Murdered Muckraker
by Rob Osler
Chicago, 1898. In the midst of the Progressive Era, twenty-one-year-old junior detective Harriet Morrow is determined to prove she's more than a lucky hire as the Prescott Agency's first woman operative. But her latest challenge--a murder case steeped in scandal--could become a deadly setback ... Harriet must somehow blend in as an 'unremarkable' young woman--one who feels confident in skirts, not men's clothing--on a quest to infiltrate the immigrant community at the center of the grisly crime. The mystery has more twists and turns than her morning bike commute, with a muckraker found murdered in a southside tenement building after obtaining evidence of a powerful politician's corruption. While Harriet gains the trust of the tenement's women residents to gather clues, the undercover mission reveals an innocent mother might have been framed for the crime--and exposes ties to another violent death--
|
|
| The Award by Matthew PearlIn Cambridge, Massachusetts, aspiring author David Trent and his girlfriend rent the upper floor in a house belonging to well-known writer Silas Hale. But while David dreams of mentorship, he gets the cold shoulder. That is, until he wins an award and Silas invites him to a literary party, which leads to murder and more in this witty send-up of the writing life. Read-alikes: Daniel Aleman's I Might Be in Trouble; R.F. Kuang's Yellowface. |
|
|
|
Wreck Your Heart: A Mystery
by Lori Rader-Day
From award-winning author Lori Rader-Day, Wreck Your Heart is an engaging, wisecracking and wonderful crime novel with a big heart, about a country and midwestern singer out to catch her big break before family--or murder--wrecks everything. Dahlia Doll Devine had the kind of hardscrabble beginning that could launch a thousand broken-hearted country songs, but now she's the star of her own stage at McPhee's Tavern. As part of Chicago's--yes, Chicago's--country music scene, Dahlia is an up-and-coming singer in spangles and boots of classic country tunes. Up and coming, that is, until her boyfriend Joey up and went, taking the rent money with him. So Dahlia is back to square one, relying on Alex McPhee--again. Alex helped her out of a bad situation when she was a kid living rough with her mother. Now he's part landlord, part band booster, all-around rescuer. It's just that Dahlia wishes she didn't keep giving him reasons to have to do it. Just as Dahlia suspects she's scraped rock bottom, the mother she hasn't spoken to in twenty years shows up with something to say. The next morning, a distraught young woman arrives at the bar, asking after her missing mother--Dahlia's mother, too, even if the missing suburban PTA mom the girl describes sounds pretty different from the one who let Dahlia down all those years ago. Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee's Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she's believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.
|
|
| Crux by Gabriel TallentIn California's Mojave Desert, two high school seniors share a tight friendship and a passion for rock climbing, though neither has money for good gear. While Dan dreams of college and his mom sacrifices to pay for it, Tamma wants to be a pro climber but must help her troubled family. For fans of: Allegra Goodman's Sam; suspenseful, richly detailed novels; character-driven stories about friendship. |
|
|
|
With Love from Harlem: A Novel of Hazel Scott
by Reshonda Tate
From The Queen of Sugar Hill author ReShonda Tate - a new novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the equal parts exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life-- Provided by publisher.
|
|
| The Jaguar's Roar by Micheliny VerunschkAn Indigenous girl and boy in Brazil are kidnapped by German scientists during a colonial expedition in 1817 and taken to Europe, where they die within months. Meanwhile, in contemporary São Paulo, a young woman sees pictures of the children in a museum, causing her to reflect on the horrors of the past in this English language debut by Brazilian author Micheliny Verunschk. For fans of: non-linear stories imbued with magical realism. |
|
|
|
You Weren't Meant to Be Human
by Andrew Joseph White
Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia. Festering masses of worms and flies have taken root in dark corners across Appalachia. In exchange for unwavering loyalty and fresh corpses, these hives offer a few struggling humans salvation. A fresh start. It's an offer that none refuse. Crane is grateful. Among his hive's followers, Crane has found a chance to transition, to never speak again, to live a life that won't destroy him. He even met Levi: a handsome ex-Marine and brutal killer who treats him like a real man, mostly. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant-and the hive demands the child's birth, no matter the cost-Crane's desperation to make it stop will drive the community that saved him into a devastating spiral that can only end in blood. You Weren't Meant to Be Human is a deeply personal horror; a visceral statement about the lives of marginalized people in a hostile world, echoing the works of Stephen Graham Jones and Eric LaRocca--
|
|
| The Pelican Child: Stories by Joy WilliamsIn her latest collection, "a gift from a master of the form" (Publishers Weekly), author Joy Williams includes 12 lyrical, witty, and surreal tales, including "Nettle," "After the Haiku Period," and "Baba Iaga & The Pelican Child." For another acclaimed story collection, try: Margaret Atwood's Old Babes in the Wood. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
Morton Grove Public Library
6140 Lincoln Ave
Morton Grove, Illinois 60053
(847) 965-4220www.mgpl.org/ |
|
|
|