Historical crime and mysteries

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Book SynopsisExile on Bridge Street details teenage Irish immigrant Liam Garrity's struggle to adulthood in pre-Prohibition Brooklyn. Back home, Ireland's fight for its own independence erupts with the 1916 Easter Rising. The fate of Garrity's father, an Irish rebel, is unknown, which leaves his mother and two sisters vulnerable on the family farm as British troops swarm, seeking reprisals. Garrity must organize their departure to New York immediately. In Brooklyn, Garrity is adopted by Dinny Meehan, leader of a longshoremen gang based in an "Irishtown" saloon under the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges. Meehan vows to help Garrity and his family. But just as Ireland struggles for independence, Garrity faces great obstacles in his own coming of age on the violent Brooklyn waterfront. World War I, the Spanish Influenza, the temperance movement, the rise of Italian organized crime, police, unions and shipping and dock companies all target the Brooklyn Irish gang and threaten Garrity's chances at bringing his family to New York. When "Wild Bill" Lovett, one of the gang's dockbosses vies to take over, both Meehan and Garrity face a fight for survival in New York City's brawling streets mirroring Ireland's own fledgling independence movement. Compelling writing by a master of historical fiction, as evidenced in the authors critically-acclaimed prequel Light of the Diddicoy.Trade Review"When accomplished Irish American writers address the lives and experiences of the early 20th century Irish in New York they are recording, but also in a deeper sense reclaiming, a lost heritage. This is painstaking work that's worth celebrating in its own right, but then to give us a vivid portrait of these flinty people in all their complexity and courage is a thing to cheer about. EXILE ON BRIDGE STREET ... is a high wire act of creativity and reclamation that deserves the widest possible audience." --Irish Central "The quintessential read for 21st century Brooklyn." --Irish Central "Loingsigh has an urgent story to tell. And he tells it well ... Loingsigh's great strength is his unsentimental take on the immigrant experience which--despite the rancor of today's debate--often acquires a sepia tone when it is discussed in the past tense. EXILE ON BRIDGE STREET should be required reading for those who rail about how today's immigrants 'refuse to assimilate.'" --Brooklyn Rail "History often fails to record the lives and struggles of ordinary men and women. But Eamon Loingsigh reminds us that a skilled novelist can bring to life people and places forgotten by history." --Terry Golway, author, Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics "A century following the first and until now last great novel of the Brooklyn waterfront, Ernest Poole's The Harbor, Eamon Loingsigh offers this gripping tale, soaked in the Irish immigrant dockworker experience and laden with real life legends from a vanished world." --James T. Fisher, author, On the Irish Waterfront "In Exile on Bridge Street, Eamon Loingsigh recreates the forgotten world of Irish immigrant New York with a combination of accuracy and drama found only in the best historical fiction." --Tyler Anbinder, professor of history, George Washington University; author, Five Points

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Book SynopsisRaoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Budapest Jews in 1944-45, was arrested by the Soviets and taken to Moscow where he disappeared. Now, more than 70 years after these events, many mysteries about Wallenberg's life and fate persist. As both a literary detective story and historical investigation Alan Lelchuk uses a fictional investigation to explore what really happened.

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Book SynopsisYad Vashem, Jerusalem's memorial to the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II, also recognizes non-Jewish individuals who risked their lives to save the Jews from the Nazi executioners. One of the trees that line the memorial's "Avenue of the Righteous" was planted to honor Raoul Wallenberg, a Swede. Among the bravest heroes of World War II, he saved about 100,000 Jews. But when the war ended, Wallenberg did not return home to well-earned acclaim. Instead he was arrested by the Soviet troops who marched into Budapest. The Soviet government has declared time and again that he is dead. And, just as often, new witnesses have insisted that Raoul Wallenberg is--or was--still alive in a Soviet prison or a mental hospital. For over seventy years his fate has remained a mystery, and that mystery is the subject of Alan Lelchuk's novel, Searching for Wallenberg--at once a detective story and an unusual, multilayered love story, with surprising characters, daring plunges into the gaps of history, and an engaging narrative. Here history is enhanced and challenged by fictionTrade Review"Searching for Wallenberg offers a fictional account of Wallenberg's life ...a narrative which is more illuminating than any history we have or may ever get...The hybrid genre of fiction intertwined with nonfictional aspects is increasingly more common, and with the insertion of the real life interview with [Wallenberg's KGB interrogator] into the fictional narrative, Lelchuk blazes an intriguingly sophisticated and new literary trail."--Louis Gordon, Tikkun "Through the figure of Manny Gellerman, Lelchuk becomes Wallenberg's faithful "ghostwriter"; in the process, Searching for Wallenberg brings Raoul back to life, reimagined for a generation short on memory, short on authentic heroes...The novel may be as close to the "truth" about Wallenberg and why we need to keep his memory alive as we are likely to have. Thanks to Lelchuk, Wallenberg's ethical example continues to move us with admiration and awe."-- Donald Weber, Jewish Book Council "[A] satisfying read...To read this book is to take a thinking person's journey to uncover the "truth" of a valiant but ultimately enigmatic historical figure." Janet Levine, New York Journal of Books "It took me a good 50 pages to get into this story but once it got into the actual research, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Lelchuk gives us enough factual background into Wallenberg to make the reader interested in the man himself and weaves a credible scenario around it. This is a great book for WWII historical fiction fans. If you don't know who Raoul Wallengberg was, you should and this novel is a good introduction." Teddy Rose Book Reviews "There are no clear answers as to what happened to Wallenberg, but by the end of the novel the reader feels some sense of closure. Through the 10 to 12 years Lelchuk spent researching and writing Searching for Wallenberg, he fills the gaps in the history by bringing Wallenberg's perspective to life. 'Because of my fictional license and my long research, I was able to give Raoul himself a voice, a living ghost's voice, to tell of his side of things.'" Cynthia Anderson, Historical Novel Society (The home of historical fiction online) "In his new novel, "Searching for Wallenberg," Alan Lelchuk's narrator attempts to reach the truth of what happened to Raoul Wallenberg, a Righteous Gentile who disappeared with hardly a trace after saving as many as 120,000 Jews in Nazi-occupied Budapest. The novelist's scenes imagining the character of Wallenberg have more potency in gaining an understanding of that era than the research findings the narrator also shares with readers." Beth Kissileff, The Jewish Week Alan Lelchuk's most recent novel, Searching for Wallenberg is a mixture of fact with fiction and a little humor thrown in for good measure...a terrific narrative drive with a splendid gallery of characters...Abundantly clever, Lelchuk entertains his readers on a grand scale with much to ponder about. His writing is incredibly powerful and insightful as he constructs his narrative from the perspective of fiction rather than history as a result of the many spaces and gaps that exist pertain to this mysterious hero and thus enabling him to imagine would might have really happened in the past. Norm Goldman, Book Pleasures "Let me give a word of warning--do not begin this book if you cannot clear your day because one you begin to read...it is impossible to stop. Not only is this a fascinating read, it is documented and we see that not only is author Alan Lelchuck a skilled novelist with a great imagination, he also did heavy research to write this book. "--Amos Lassen, Judaica, February 22, 2016 "Part detective story, part philosophic inquiry, part historic revisionism, Alan Lelchuk delivers a thinking man's thriller..."-- Jules Feiffer, Pulitzer Prize and Oscar-winning cartoonist, playwright, and author "A deft blending of fact and fiction, filled with the spirits of such places as Budapest, Stockholm, Moscow, the Brooklyn of Manny's youth, and pastoral life at a New England college...Lelchuk's style is aggressive, humorous, and strong throughout..."--William H. Pritchard, the author of Frost: A Literary Life Reconsidered and Randall Jarrell: A Literary Life "Searching for Wallenberg is a tour de force...[Lelchuk] has created a compelling excursion behind Stalin's iron curtain during the darkest early days of the Cold War."--Martin J. Sherwin, Pulitzer Prize winner American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer "Sometimes we are better served by a novelist's imagination than by a professional historian's scholarship. Alan Lelchuk drives this argument home with a brilliantly constructed literary investigation into the mysterious life and death of Raoul Wallenberg. The strength of the fiction lies in its ambiguity: this is how it might have been--or maybe not."--Michael Walzer, author, Just and Unjust Wars "Not knowing is the great subject of Alan Lelchuk's remarkable novel about one man's effort to learn to live on the border separating the known and the unknown."-- Thomas Powers, author, The Killing of Crazy Horse and Heisenberg's War "The fate of Raoul Wallenberg has remained a mystery for seventy years, and Alan Lelchuk's novel Searching for Wallenberg uses a fictional investigation to explore the real question of what happened. This is a thoughtful and compelling novel that blends mystery, history, and speculative elements...and one that will hopefully introduce more readers to an important and often overlooked hero."-- Foreword Magazine, May 27, 2015. "Lelchuk, going between present and past, imagining scenes both historical and fantastical, attempts to arrive at a fuller picture of Wallenberg...(and) Wallenberg's fate." Forbes, April 30, 2015 "Let me give a word of warning--do not begin this book if you cannot clear your day because one you begin to read...it is impossible to stop. Not only is this a fascinating read, it is documented and we see that not only is author Alan Lelchuk a skilled novelist with a great imagination, he also did heavy research to write this book. "--Amos Lassen, Judaica, February 22, 2016

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Book SynopsisNamed a 2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist Now in development for television with Endeavor Content "Huang's impressive debut will delight fans of golden age detective fiction." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Dorothy Sayers is alive and well and writing under the name of Christopher Huang." —Rhys Bowen, New York Times-bestselling author of The Tuscan Child "A must read for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry." —Daryl Maxwell, Los Angeles Public Library "Will please fans of both Agatha Christie and Gillian Flynn." —Sarah Nivala, Book Soup The year is 1924. The cobblestoned streets of St. James ring with jazz as Britain races forward into an age of peace and prosperity. London's back alleys, however, are filled with broken soldiers and still enshadowed by the lingering horrors of the Great War. Only a few years removed from the trenches of Flanders himself, Lieutenant Eric Peterkin has just been granted membership in the most prestigious soldiers-only club in London: The Britannia. But when a gentleman's wager ends with a member stabbed to death, the victim's last words echo in the Lieutenant’s head: that he would "soon right a great wrong from the past." Eric is certain that one of his fellow members is the murderer: but who? Captain Mortimer Wolfe, the soldier’s soldier thrice escaped from German custody? Second Lieutenant Oliver Saxon, the brilliant codebreaker? Or Captain Edward Aldershott, the steely club president whose Savile Row suits hide a frightening collision of mustard gas scars? Eric's investigation will draw him far from the marbled halls of the Britannia, to the shadowy remains of a dilapidated war hospital and the heroin dens of Limehouse. And as the facade of gentlemenhood cracks, Eric faces a Matryoshka doll of murder, vice, and secrets pointing not only to the officers of his own club but the very investigator assigned by Scotland Yard.Trade Review"Huang's impressive debut will delight fans of golden age detective fiction... plotting, characters, and atmosphere are all top-notch." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Huang surrounds his engaging lead character with a meaty supporting cast, many of whom quickly become suspects with tantalizing motives. The mystery itself is clever and should keep even the most experienced whodunit finders guessings. We hope [this] will be only the first of many Eric Peterkin adventures." —Booklist "A mystery that recalls the best of Golden Age detective fiction. With fresh characters and unique twists, Huang has created a whodunit with just the right mix of old and new." —Andy Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter "With a steady hand and a sharp eye, Christopher Huang brings a lost world gloriously back to life, skewers it, and uses it to spin an irresistible tale. A Gentleman's Murder offers a rare treat for modern fans of the Golden Age." —Catriona McPherson, Agatha, Anthony, Macavity and Lefty winning author of the Dandy Gilver series "Dorothy Sayers is alive and well and writing under the name of Christopher Huang. A Gentleman's Murder echoes the traditional mysteries in the best sense: no car chases or explosions, just great characters and a feel for time and place." —Rhys Bowen, New York Times-bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and two-time winner of the Agatha Award "Settings and atmosphere captured perfectly from nearly a century ago, complex characters, and a compelling mystery—Christopher Huang's A Gentleman's Murder is a must read for fans of Anthony Horowitz, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry." —Daryl Maxwell, Los Angeles Public Library "A dazzlingly atmospheric debut that transports you to 1920s London. A Gentleman's Murder is a meticulous mystery that will keep you guessing until the end and please fans of both Agatha Christie and Gillian Flynn." —Sarah Nivala, Book Soup "A locked room traditional mystery that does justice to its inspirations, even as it aids in the genres continuing evolution." —CrimeReads "In A Gentleman’s Murder, we have gentlemen murdering gentleman in a war-exhausted England trying to rebuild itself into something new." —Carolyn Haley, New York Journal of Books "For fans of mysteries who would like an updated Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers." —Liberty Hardy, Book Riot "Christopher Huang's debut novel, A Gentleman's Murder, is set in post-First World War England, but incorporates themes—race, the psychic toll of war—seldom acknowledged in classic mysteries of that era." —Ian McGillis, The Montreal Gazette

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Book Synopsis96When the corrupt sheriff of Broken Creek, Arkansas detains a young black boy on charges of accidental homicide, his sister asks Hick Blackburn, Sheriff of Cherokee Crossing, to investigate. Hick is reluctant at first. Not only is Broken Creek out of his jurisdiction, but Hick and Sheriff Brewster have a history, and Hick knows Brewster won’t look kindly on his interference. But Hick quickly realizes the boy couldn't have committed the crime. With the aid of a New York attorney trying to make a name for herself and a shy new deputy who knows the boy’s family, Hick uncovers a conspiracy that goes to the heart of local corruption, nepotism, and racism. But while Hick is working to free an innocent child in Broken Creek, his beloved Maggie, pregnant with their third child, faces challenges of her own back home. This time, will Hick’s dedication to justice extract too high a price? The third book in Cynthia A. Graham's award-winning series, Between the Lies is as timely as today's headlines. Normal0falsefalsefalseEN-USX-NONEX-NONE

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Book SynopsisScott Ourecky wanted to fly; he never dreamed he'd end up in a secret military space program.The year is 1968. The Cold War is far from over, and nuclear annihilation is always only a heartbeat away. America is racing the Soviet Union to land men on the moon, a war is raging, and a pivotal presidential election looms on the horizon. A child of the early space age, Lieutenant Scott Ourecky joins the Air Force with aspirations of going to flight school. A brilliant engineer, he repeatedly fails the aptitude test to become a pilot but is selected to work on a highly classified military space program—the innocuously named Aerospace Support Project—n which Air Force astronauts are slated to fly missions to intercept and destroy suspect Soviet satellites.When one of the astronauts in training abruptly falls out of the project, Ourecky is asked to fill in for the two-man simulated missions and survival training only, serving with a headstrong and abrasive test pilot, Major Drew Carson, until another astronaut can be assigned. By far the most proficient pilot assigned to the project, Carson has a dangerous propensity to engage in pickup dogfighting sessions while on cross-country training flights. And although Ourecky was only a temporary placeholder, not destined to fly in space, he soon finds himself much more involved than he ever anticipated—and in deepest peril.Based on a real secret space program, Blue Gemini combines high-altitude action with edge-of-your-seat storytelling to create a modern classic Cold War thriller.Trade Review"...an epic tale of high-stakes action seasoned with the muddy complexities of human relationships."—Publishers Weekly"Tom Clancy and Dan Brown have got nothing on Mike Jenne!"—Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly"An excellent tale...[Jenne] tells a story that just about anyone can read and understand, but includes enough detail to keep even an expert entertained."—The Space Review"It's fiction but you'd hardly know it. The settings and other details are spot on! A great read."—Werner J.A. Dahm, (former) Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force"...realism that almost had me looking for my headset to start working the mission!"—John Muratore, Former Shuttle Flight Director"...an epic tale of high-stakes action seasoned with the muddy complexities of human relationships."—Publishers Weekly"Tom Clancy and Dan Brown have got nothing on Mike Jenne!"—Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly"An excellent tale...[Jenne] tells a story that just about anyone can read and understand, but includes enough detail to keep even an expert entertained."—The Space Review"It's fiction but you'd hardly know it. The settings and other details are spot on! A great read."—Werner J.A. Dahm, (former) Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force"...realism that almost had me looking for my headset to start working the mission!"—John Muratore, Former Shuttle Flight Director

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Book SynopsisLondon, 2017. A long-dead ghost—nameless, all but formless, trapped beyond both the living and the afterlife—drifts through time in search of himself. What happened to him? To the love of his life? His memories slip away like the tide, tantalizingly close but always receding. His lost world of steam, family, and horrific tragedy comes to him in flickers and gasps. But decades—the steam age, the war years, the age of counterculture—soon melt and disappear, consumed by a strange, hungry world of electricity and isolation. As more of him slips away each day, this nameless ghost is shepherded by a fellow spirit, his sole companion in our foreign reality—a circus fortune teller tethered to him by a tragic history of her own. Eerie and atmospheric, The Hanged Man and the Fortune Teller unveils a mystery written in the gaps of memory. With insight and daring, Lucy Banks probes the deepest fears of our age on memory, mortality, and what it means to be human.

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Book Synopsis"Delightfully twisty and chilling all at once — murder mysteries are rarely this fun." —Jonathan Whitelaw, The SunSir Lawrence Linwood is dead. More accurately, he was murdered—savagely beaten to death in his own study with a mediaeval mace. The murder calls home his three adopted children: Alan, an archeologist; Roger, an engineer; and Caroline, a journalist. But his heirs soon find that his last testament contains a strange proviso—that his estate shall go to the heir who solves his murder.To secure their future, each Linwood heir must now dig into the past. As their suspicion mounts—of each other and of peculiar strangers in the churchless town of Linwood Hollow—they come to suspect that the perpetrator lurks in the mysterious origins of their own birth.Trade Review“An immersive read with satisfyingly intricate plotting. Huang seamlessly incorporates issues that will resonate with twenty-first-century readers.” —Booklist (starred review)"Delightful and immersive." —Foreword Reviews (starred review)"[A] puzzle worthy of Golden Age detective fiction. Fans of historical mysteries and 1920s novels will welcome this twisted, complex story." —Library Journal (starred review)

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Book Synopsis“A fast-paced, smart debut novel that blends noir and Lovecraftian elements. If you like J.J. Abram’s alternate history Overlord, this book is for you.” —James Kestrel, author of Five Decembers1950. The Cold War simmers, and ex-GI Jack Waters is called in to investigate a fatal accident at a research lab in California. When Waters recognizes the victim, he realizes he must revisit his hidden past in World War II to solve a murder and prevent Nazi scientists from creating a terrible, new weapon in America.Blending noir detective fiction with post-WWII history, The Man from Mittelwerk builds from the facts of Operation Paperclip, the U.S. government’s secret recruitment of 1,600 top Nazi scientists, to pose a dark what-if scenario. Trade Review2023 Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Finalist“The Man From Mittelwerk is a mind-bending thriller that will keep you turning pages." —D. Eric Maikranz, author of The Reincarnationist Papers“From the dark caves of a Nazi slave labor complex to sunny southern California, The Man from Mittelwerk delivers on all fronts. Snappy dialog, a fast-paced narrative, and complex moral questions all combine to make this hard-boiled thriller a winner. Superb!” —James R Benn, author of the Billy Boyle WWII mysteries"A thrilling, at times devastating, sci-fi noir adventure that juxtaposes Nazi human experimentation against modern pursuits of power." —Tal M. Klein, Author of The Punch Escrow"A compelling page-turner with a chilling what-if scenario drawn from the truth." —Rick Mofina, USA Today bestselling author of Her Last Goodbye“A fascinating blend of noir and cosmic horror focusing on a man seeking his brother, lost at war, while trying to hold on to the woman he loves.” —Bev Vincent, author of The Road to the Dark Tower and The Stephen King Illustrated Companion

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Book SynopsisIn August of 1844, a man named Leonard Reed takes violently ill at his home near Heathsville, Illinois, and four days later he is dead. The cause? Arsenic poisoning. The suspect? His wife, Betsey. The chief witnesses against her? A hired girl, Eveline Deal, and the local apothecary, James Logan. The evidence? Eveline claims she saw Betsey put a pinch of white powder in Leonard’s coffee. Betsey Reed, a woman who dabbles in herbal healing, is known about town as a witch. As the gossip and the circumstantial evidence mount, Betsey finds herself under the shadow of a trial—and a noose. A historical crime inspired by the true story of Betsey Reed, for fans of The Trial of Lizzie Borden and The Good Sister, Lee Martin’s latest weaves a tale of a pinch of white powder, a scorched paper, a community hungry for a villain, and a young girl’s first taste of revenge—but above all, of the contradictions and imperfections of the human heart. Trade ReviewPraise for Yours, Jean "Martin creates a subtle and intricate portrait of small-town mores and of the after echoes and reverberations, for those who've witnessed it, of sudden, shocking violence." —Kirkus Reviews "Based on the 1952 murder of Georgine Lyons, Martin's latest novel explores the crime and its repercussions. ... Each of those affected narrates her or his own perspective on the story, and the ensemble paints a rich picture of a crime, societal expectations, and the painful echoes in a small town that feels universal." —Booklist "Like his highly acclaimed The Bright Forever, Lee Martin’s latest novel, Yours, Jean, is based on a true crime. And, like that earlier narrative, a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, the interplay of rich details and raw emotions that Martin so masterfully unfolds in his latest novel makes you ache for the lonely men and women he tenderly brings to life in this powerful story about a murder and the lasting impact it has on a close-knit community." —Linda Kass, Gramercy Books "Fantastic...Martin expertly weaves one storyline with another, and despite the many threads and characters, all remains clear. I read it in one sitting!...Highly recommended reading!" —Defrosting Cold Cases

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Book SynopsisA post-mortem photographer unearths dark secrets from the past that may hold the key to his future in this “sensual, twisting gothic tale…in the tradition of A.S. Byatt’s Possession, Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, and Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights” (BookPage).All love stories are ghost stories in disguise. “This one happily succeeds at both” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). When famed Byronesque poet Hugh de Bonne is discovered dead in his bath one morning, his cousin Robert Highstead, a post-mortem photographer, is charged with a simple task: transport Hugh’s remains for burial in a chapel. This chapel, a stained-glass folly set on the moors, was built by de Bonne sixteen years earlier to house the remains of his beloved wife and muse, Ada. Since then, the chapel has been locked and abandoned, a pilgrimage site for the rabid fans of de Bonne’s last book, The Lost History of Dreams. However, Ada’s grief-stricken niece refuses to open the glass chapel for Robert unless he agrees to her bargain: before he can lay Hugh to rest, Robert must record Isabelle’s story of Ada and Hugh’s ill-fated marriage over the course of five nights. As the mystery of Ada and Hugh’s relationship unfolds, so too does the secret behind Robert’s own marriage—including that of his fragile wife, Sida, who has not been the same since a tragic accident three years earlier and the origins of his morbid profession that has him seeing things he shouldn’t...things from beyond the grave. Blurring the line between the past and the present, truth and fiction, and ultimately, life and death, The Lost History of Dreams is “a surrealist, haunting tale of suspense where every prediction turns out to be merely a step toward a bigger reveal” (Booklist).Trade Review"There is a Scheherazade-like structure to Isabelle's tale, and the haunting beauty of the love story makes Ada and Hugh come alive as characters. As in many gothic stories, the moldering old house that represents family tragedy is a fitting, creepy backdrop to the mysteries of the past. Waldherr avoids cliché in her rich descriptions and hints of supernatural presence that never cross into melodrama. Additionally, while most gothic tales offer only darkness and tragedy, a surprising amount of light and joy imbues the ending here. Fitting, perhaps, for a novel that uses stained glass as a symbol for heavenly possibility, even in the face of death. Waldherr writes that 'love stories are ghost stories in disguise.' This one, happily, succeeds as both." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review“Waldherr’s gripping debut mystery takes its inspiration from gothic-romance classics like Wuthering Heights…Waldherr plays with gothic tropes, from the plot devices of misty moors, unexpected fires, and uncovered letters to the gendered conventions of tragic romance. The novel builds into a surrealist, haunting tale of suspense where every prediction turns out to be merely a step toward a bigger reveal.” —Booklist“Kris Waldherr delivers an accomplished debut novel, The Lost History of Dreams, an atmospheric and hypnotic love story that not even death can end… a sensual, twisting gothic tale that embraces Victorian superstition much in the tradition of A.S. Byatt’s Possession, Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights; the mystery is slyly developed, while the love story is tastefully titillating.” —BookPage“[A] tense, atmospheric and sensual Gothic thriller.” * BookTrib *Wuthering Heights meets Penny Dreadful in Kris Waldherr's The Lost History of Dreams, a dark Victorian epic of obsessive love, thwarted genius, and ghostly visitations….Eerily atmospheric and gorgeously written, The Lost History of Dreams is a Gothic fairy-tale to savor." --Kate Quinn, author of The Alice Network and The Huntress -- Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress"THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS refuses to be categorized as anything other than excellent. Within the framework of a gothic, Kris Waldherr confronts our ideas about love, grief, poetry, and the nature of storytelling. With skillfully nested stories, Waldherr has done the remarkable, rendering the ephemeral into something real and tangible. Brooding, romantic, and thoughtful, THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS is a rare bird in that it shines throughout with wit. I loved every page of it." -- Erika Swyler, bestselling author of THE BOOK OF SPECULATION"Reminiscent of du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel, THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS is a complex, haunting and deeply absorbing historical novel that is sure to delight fans of classic Gothic fiction. With luminous prose, stunning poetry and a fascinating cast of characters, Waldherr weaves a wonderfully atmospheric tale. Not to be missed!" -- Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO CAME HOME and THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S DAUGHTER“In THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS, Kris Waldherr delivers a novel of haunting mystery and passion reminiscent of Wuthering Heights and Byatt's Possession. Layered within the pages of this gorgeous gothic tale is a story of several loves, each masterfully wrought in dazzling, poetic detail that will leave the reader longing for more." -- Crystal King, author of FEAST OF SORROW and THE CHEF'S SECRET"In this accomplished debut, Kris Waldherr transports the reader to the fascinating world of Victorian England and its tradition of post-mortem photography with a deft hand. An atmospheric tale of lost love, family secrets, and an inquiry into how our own histories define us, I relished every poetic page. Mesmerizing, lyrical, and deliciously brooding, THE LOST HISTORY OF DREAMS is a terrific contribution to Gothic literature." -- Heather Webb, international bestselling author of LAST CHRISTMAS IN PARIS"The Lost History of Dreams plunges the reader into a sumptuous feast for all the senses. Through the perspective of a very Victorian yet empathetic male protagonist, Waldherr cleverly depicts the confining roles women of the era were forced to play. This creepily delicious tale will rob readers of their sleep as it asks and answers its own question: "'How can there be so much beauty in this world amid so much sorrow?' The only solution was to create more beauty." With this novel, Waldherr has done exactly that." -- Clarissa Harwood, author of Impossible Saints and Bear No Malice"Kris Waldherr's The Lost History of Dreams is very aptly titled, as reading this novel feels indeed like entering into a dream, one from which I have yet to fully awaken. With beautiful prose and poetry, Waldherr weaves a darkly seductive Gothic tale of love, art, death, and obsession. You'll want to keep reading this one late into the night." -- Alyssa Palombo, author of The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel"Kris Waldherr's The Lost History of Dreams is an exquisitely crafted literary gothic. With its labyrinthine twists and turns, it evokes the dark mysteries of the classic Victorian ghost story in all its brooding, atmospheric glory. A riveting, addictive read. Sarah Waters fans will be entranced." —Mary Sharratt, author of Ecstasy and Daughters of the Witching Hill"The Lost History of Dreams is a dark, shimmering gem of a novel, glittering with love lost, secrets kept, and long-buried truths revealed. Wonder, memory, death and passion haunt every page of Kris Waldherr's powerhouse Gothic debut." —Greer Macallister, bestselling author of The Magician's Lie and Woman 99

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Book SynopsisFor readers of The Light Between Oceans and The Island of Sea Women, a ?sensitive and compassionate? (The New York Times Book Review) feminist adventure story set against the backdrop of the dangerous pearl diving industry in 19th-century Western Australia, about a young English woman who sets off to uncover the truth about the disappearance of her eccentric father.Western Australia, 1886. After months at sea, a slow boat makes its passage from London to the shores of Bannin Bay. From the deck, young Eliza Brightwell and her family eye their strange, new home. Here is an unforgiving land where fortune sits patiently at the bottom of the ocean, waiting to be claimed by those brave enough to venture into its depths. An ocean where pearl shells bloom to the size of soup plates, where men are coaxed into unthinkable places and unspeakable acts by the promise of unimaginable riches. Then years later, the pearl-diving boat captained by Eliza?s eccentric father returns after months at sea?without Eliza?s father on it. Whispers from townsfolk point to mutiny or murder. Headstrong Eliza knows it?s up to her to discover who, or what, is really responsible. As she searches for the truth, Eliza discovers that beneath the glamourous veneer of the pearling industry, lies a dark underbelly of sweltering, stinking decay. The sun-scorched streets of Bannin Bay, a place she once thought she knew so well, are teeming with corruption, prejudice, and blackmail. Just how far is Eliza willing to push herself in order to solve the mystery of her missing father? And what family secrets will come to haunt her along the way? An ?extraordinarily vivid? (Kelly Rimmer, New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan) feminist adventure story based on Lizzie Pook?s deep research into the pearling industry and the era of British colonial rule in Australia, Moonlight and the Pearler?s Daughter is ultimately about the lengths one woman will travel to save her family.

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Book SynopsisShortlisted for the Sixth Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize - Literary Fiction Category!Niall Howell''s Only Pretty Damned is a taut noir that takes you behind the big top, revealing rough and tumble characters, murderous plots, and crooked schemes designed to keep Rowland''s World Class Circus afloat for another season. When Toby, former trapeze artist turned disgruntled clown, begins seeing Gloria, a young and beautiful dancer longing for a bigger role under the spotlight, his hardboiled past resurfaces. Can he live without Genevieve, his ex-trapeze partner and lover? What ruthless actions will he take to regain his position as the headlining act? And will Toby''s past repeat itself as he tries to untangle the ropes that bind him and take a leap to roaring applause?

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Book Synopsis

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