Narrative theme: interior life / psychological fiction

Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of the Annabelle Schwartzman series comes a chilling story of a woman with a forgotten past and a town with dark secrets. After surviving a car accident on an icy road in Hagen, North Dakota, Lily Baker regains consciousness with no idea where or who she is. Scattered Bible verses and the image of a man lying in a pool of blood haunt her memory. The same night of the accident, a young woman is murdered and tossed in a dumpster. Kylie Milliard, Hagen’s only detective, doesn’t immediately recognize the victim, but Kylie soon discovers that Lily and the dead woman share a dark past…if only Lily could remember what it was. Lily and Kylie both want answers. But Kylie has to play by the book. Lily has to play it safe. And the more Lily learns about her identity, the more she fears the truth.Trade Review“Readers will cheer the dogged Kylie on…Girard tells an exciting story.” —Publishers Weekly “[White Out is] full of just the right number of misdirections and surprises. The characters, especially Lily, are appealingly vulnerable.” —Kirkus Reviews “White Out is a superb thriller—intense, intricate, and so intriguing. Detective Kylie Milliard is a badass, and Girard is a one heck of a storyteller. The start of a fabulous new series.” —J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Good Girls Lie “Girard excels at creating kick-ass heroines in high stakes, high tension thrillers. Lily Baker and Detective Kylie Millard ensure White Out is the start to another white-knuckle series.” —Robert Dugoni, #1 Amazon and international bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series “I loved White Out from page one until the jaw-dropping conclusion. I do this for a living, and Danielle Girard spun me in so many circles I was dizzy when it was over. The pacing is pitch-perfect, the plot taut as a high-wire, and the characters will stick with you long after you’ve read the shocking finale. I can’t wait to read Danielle’s next adventure in the sleepy little town of Hagen, North Dakota, which calls to mind Benjamin Franklin’s famous quote: ‘Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.’” —DJ Palmer, USA Today bestselling author of Saving Meghan “Tantalizingly and seductively chilling. The storylines twist and turn and combine, revealing loss, fear, and love in a rivetingly compelling—and constantly surprising—tale of lives forgotten and lives found. Danielle Girard delves revealingly into deep emotions and hidden motivations in this original and supremely satisfying thriller.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, nationally bestselling author of The Murder List “With breakneck pacing, compelling characters, and serpentine twists you’ll never see coming, White Out is a must read thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Fantastic!” —Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

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Book SynopsisThe moors are a perfect hiding place for a serial killer... and a chilling return to the past for nascent private investigator Kate Marshall in a pulse-racing thriller by the author of Nine ElmsCriminology academic Kate Marshall is on a scuba jaunt with her son when they dive toward a shocking discovery: the body of a teenage boy entangled below the surface of the Shadow Sands reservoir. The detective chief inspector's too-quick narrative of a tragic drowning doesn't add up, and when Kate follows the evidence, it leads to a darker discovery.The victim is only the latest in a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances linked to the moorlands — and a mythic phantom said to hide in the rolling fog. When a researcher of urban legends vanishes without a trace, Kate and her associate Tristan Harper must act fast and look deep if they hope to find her alive. But the elusive serial killer they're hunting isn't the only one a step ahead of Kate and Tristan. Someone else is making dead certain that the secrets of Shadow Sands stay buried.

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Book SynopsisA shocking thriller by the bestselling author of Girls of Glass. It seems like an open-and-shut case for FBI special agent Lucy Thorne when Eliza Cook walks into the field office. The teenage girl confesses to murdering a young boy. Disturbingly composed, she reveals chilling details only the killer could know. Beyond that Eliza doesn’t say another word, leaving a vital question met with dead silence: Why did she do it? To find the answer, Lucy goes to the scene of the crime in the small Idaho town of Knox Hollow. But Lucy’s questions are only mounting. Especially when she’s drawn deeper into the life of the victim. Then a combing of the woods yields unsettling evidence that Eliza isn’t the only one in this close-knit rural community with secrets. Getting to the truth is becoming Lucy’s obsession. And it’s a dangerous one. Because for the good folks of Knox Hollow, hiding that truth will take more than silence.Trade Review“Labuskes skillfully ratchets up the suspense. Readers will eagerly await her next.” —Publishers Weekly “Labuskes offers an intense mystery with an excellent character in Lucy, who methodically uncovers layers of deceit while trusting no one.” —Library Journal

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Book SynopsisShe’s cold, calculating, and can deceive with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling series—and this time she’s met her match. After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now, looking next to normal, Jane has a lover and a job. But she hasn’t lost her edge. It sharpens when she hears from her estranged family. Jane’s deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl’s eyes. It’s the empty stare of a sociopath. Jane knows what vengeful and desperate things Kayla is capable of. Only Jane can help her—by being drawn into Kayla’s dark world. And no one’s more aware than Jane just how dangerous that can be.Trade Review“…Outstanding…Readers will find vicarious joy in Jane’s petty vengeances and unabashed meanness to anyone who tries to take advantage of her. Stone turns some very dark material into an upbeat tale.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Book SynopsisA razor-sharp novel of suspense about the lies families tell—and those we choose to believe—by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe. Lauren Abrams wants nothing to do with her damaged mother, whose spurious testimony sent Lauren’s father to prison for murder years ago. After a serial killer’s confession to the crime restored justice, Lauren chose to live with her father and grandmother. Now an adult, Lauren has come home to the Sacramento family estate for good, her mother’s lies be damned… It’s been decades since Donna made her cheating boyfriend pay, but she hasn’t forgotten the past. She knows her estranged daughter has made a terrible mistake by returning to the estate. There’s more to the story of the welcoming old homestead—and her childhood—than Lauren knows. As Lauren settles in, she is haunted by the questions of what really happened with her father, what her mother might be hiding, and what secrets the family ranch holds. It’s getting so dark, Lauren may not be able to see the truth to save her life.Trade Review“Stone gradually reveals her multifaceted characters’ secrets as the intricate, fast-paced plot builds to a surprising conclusion. Fans of dark, twisted tales of dysfunctional families will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly “The story gives just enough detail each chapter to keep the reader intrigued about where it is going to go next…family secrets will never be looked at the same.” —The Parkersburg News and Sentinel “The Last One Home is elegant and chilling, an indelible novel of family secrets. I couldn’t put it down until I learned the truth about these finely-drawn characters—the ending left me absolutely shocked and amazed, and I can’t stop thinking about it.” —Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Box “Gripping and relentless, The Last One Home stalks you like the serial killer within its pages: you know danger is right around the corner, but you don’t know when it’ll strike. And just when you think you have the story figured out, Victoria Helen Stone rips the rug right out from under your feet. Highly recommended!” —Avery Bishop, author of Girl Gone Mad “In The Last One Home, Victoria Helen Stone weaves another sure-handed story, this one about mothers, the fierce love they have for their children, and just how far they will go to protect their progeny. This is a suspense novel that’s in part a love story, as well as a chilling mystery. But it’s the kind of tale that sneaks up on you, revealing discoveries in the last scorching chapters that flip the whole narrative on its head. Full of shifting family loyalties and recollections of the past, and creepy, alone-in-the-countryside vibes, this book held me, start to finish, in its mesmerizing thrall.” —Emily Carpenter, author of Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters

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Book SynopsisFrom celebrated New York Times bestselling author Luanne Rice comes a riveting story of a seaside community shaken by a violent crime and a tragic loss. Years ago, Beth Lathrop and her sister Kate suffered what they thought would be the worst tragedy of their lives the night both the famous painting Moonlight and their mother were taken. The detective assigned to the case, Conor Reid, swore to protect the sisters from then on. Beth moved on, throwing herself fully into the art world, running the family gallery, and raising a beautiful daughter with her husband Pete. Kate, instead, retreated into herself and took to the skies as a pilot, always on the run. When Beth is found strangled in her home, and Moonlight goes missing again, Detective Reid can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Reid immediately suspects Beth’s husband, whose affair is a poorly kept secret. He has an airtight alibi—but he also has a motive, and the evidence seems to point to him. Kate and Reid, along with the sisters’ closest childhood friends, struggle to make sense of Beth’s death, but they only find more questions: Who else would have wanted Beth dead? What’s the significance of Moonlight? Twenty years ago, Reid vowed to protect Beth and Kate—and he’s failed. Now solving the case is turning into an obsession . . .Trade Review“In a family drama that is suspenseful as it is empathetic, Rice again displays her ability to portray female friendship and the pain of loss.” —Booklist (starred review) “Rice keeps the reader guessing as she gradually doles out long-hidden family secrets. Fans of intense family dramas will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly “Strong love overcomes pain in this latest from Rice (Pretend She’s Here), which combines suspense with stories of survivors, sisterhood, best friends, and small communities shaken by violence or death.” —Library Journal “A riveting story of a seaside community shaken by a violent crime and a tragic loss.” —Brooklyn Digest “From the exquisite opening, through twists and torment, this domestic thriller weaves an irresistible story of family and friends, trust and betrayal, love and murder.” —Suspense Magazine “Luanne Rice’s opening pages of Last Day illustrate elegant writing at its finest. Twist after twist is guaranteed to keep readers guessing all the way to the surprises in the final pages…a sheer pleasure to read. Rice, the author of more than 30 books, is a master at writing descriptions and portraying story settings, a skill other writers admire and strive to acquire.” —New York Journal of Books “The themes of love, loss, sisterly devotion, betrayals, and family ties are skillfully interwoven. [Rice] provides just enough intriguing detail to make the reader want to learn more…She once again doesn’t disappoint in this novel.” —LymeLine.com “Last Day by Luanne Rice is a gripping psychological suspense story. It starts out with an intensity from page one that never lets up.” —Crimespree Magazine “Lovely, lyrical—and lethal. Luanne Rice turns her talents in a new direction and succeeds completely.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Luanne Rice is the master of small towns with big secrets. With a deft touch, she draws us into a picture-postcard New England village, behind the closed doors of a well-loved home with its beautiful gardens and perfect family, only to expose the truths within. Surprising, powerful, a total page-turner.” —Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of Someone Knows “In Last Day, Luanne Rice shows once again her unique gift for portraying the emotional landscape of a family. By adding a riveting thread of suspense, she proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that love and murder make brilliant bedfellows.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Night “Last Day, by Luanne Rice, shines with its brilliant plot about four women friends, their families and loves, and, shockingly, a murder. Rice’s writing is flawless and fast, her characters are like the women I have coffee with, and the desire, violence, and betrayals shock me and remind me of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies.” —Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Surfside Sisters “A dark family history. A deeply flawed marriage. The complicated tangle of the ties that bind. Luanne Rice writes with authenticity and empathy, unflinchingly exploring her characters and diving into the shadowy spaces where they hide their secrets. Like all great stories, Last Day is a compulsive, twisting mystery dwelling inside a searing portrait of what drives us, as riveting as it is human and true.” —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Stranger Inside “A brutal murder, a failed marriage, secret lovers, and enough suspects to fill a room. The truth lies somewhere between betrayal and love. A compelling mystery you won’t put down or solve until the final pages.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite series “I’ve long loved Luanne Rice for her trademark elegant style and her deep understanding of familial relationships, and she brings these superpowers with her as she delves into suspense. Last Day is a true page-turner, peopled by characters I care deeply about, with an ending I never saw coming.” —Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Never Have I Ever

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Book SynopsisHer children have a deadly secret. Can she uncover it before the police do? Melissa Byatt’s life in Forest Grove seems as perfect as can be: a doting husband, three loving children and a beautiful house in a close-knit community. But appearances can be deceiving. One evening, Melissa arrives home to the unimaginable: her husband lies stabbed on the kitchen floor, their children standing calmly around him…With horror, she realises that one of them is to blame. But which one? And why would they attack their own father? Her loyalties torn, in a split second she decides to protect her children at all costs—even if that means lying to the police. But when someone in the neighbourhood claims to know more than they should, Melissa discovers that some secrets are beyond her control… Can she find out the truth of what happened before the rumours spread? And can the family unite to escape the spotlight of scandal—or are none of them as innocent as Melissa insists?Trade Review“Wall of Silence is wild, a ‘who-dun-it’ rollercoaster. The story launches with a bang with one of the most original openings I’ve read. Tracy Buchanan has crafted a novel where the plot literally thickens with every page turned and new secrets simmer as the reader is pulled deeper into her cast of characters’ web of lies and silence. I was captivated from page one, entertained throughout, and shocked over the final reveal. Loved it!” —Kerry Lonsdale, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestselling author “Secrets and lies abound in this complex and chilling mystery. I was totally shocked by the ending!” —Lesley Kara, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rumour “A darkly addictive read that draws you deep into the tangled web of secrets that lie at the heart of the Byatt family.” —Lucy Clarke, bestselling author of The Sea Sisters, a Richard and Judy Book Club choice

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Book SynopsisFrom the bestselling author of What Have You Done comes a real whodunit about the bloody crimes that keep families together and tear them apart. Eighteen-year-old Jenny Moore is looking forward to a fresh start at college. There’s just one problem: the people in her life won’t let her go. When Jenny is viciously stabbed and left for dead, it’s her mother who finds Jenny’s body underneath the pines outside their home in the upscale town of Lewisboro, New York. State police investigator Susan Adler and her consultant partner Liam Dwyer are called to investigate the crime scene, but they sense something’s off right away. The clues contradict the story Jenny’s parents keep telling, which makes the entire family suspects in Jenny’s murder. But who did it? Was it the wealthy father? The disappointed mother? The strange, quiet little brother? The jealous best friend? An ex-lover? So many suspects. Too many secrets. One town with a history of hiding the truth. But this is only the beginning of Susan and Liam’s investigation…because the killer is just getting started.Trade ReviewPraise for Matthew Farrell Tell Me the Truth “The one obvious, immediate truth in this tale of lies upon lies is that Matthew Farrell has crafted a hard-charging, twisty police procedural that literally hits home.” —Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author “Police investigator Susan Adler has her work cut out for her in this exciting suspense novel where everyone is suspect and their deep, dark secrets only complicate matters. This twisty, fast-paced read kept me guessing until the very end!” —T. R. Ragan, USA Today bestselling author “I won’t lie. You will love Tell Me the Truth, the audaciously talented Matthew Farrell’s latest Adler and Dwyer thriller. Smart. Engaging. Compulsively readable. It’s the kind of book that defies you to set it aside.” —Gregg Olsen, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author “Tell Me the Truth is a fast-paced, well-written thriller. Just when you think you have a handle on what happened, Farrell pulls the rug right out from under you, sending the investigation in a completely different direction. It is a riveting, nonstop thrill ride. Filled with scandalous secrets and lies as well as countless twists and turns, this book will keep you up all night. Farrell is a master storyteller. Don’t miss any of his titles!” —Lisa Regan, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author “Matthew Farrell is an excellent writer with the power to captivate his audience. This is a surprising and intense novel that keeps you guessing until the very end.” —Caroline Mitchell, Amazon Charts bestselling author Don’t Ever Forget “Farrell keeps you turning the pages.” —Kirkus Reviews “The intricate plot takes many twists and turns. Farrell knows how to keep the pages turning.” —Publishers Weekly “Farrell has done it again! A crime thriller that grabs you from page one. Engrossing, haunting, and compelling, Don’t Ever Forget is his best yet.” —Liv Constantine, international bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish “Matthew Farrell has done it again. A tense and twisty thriller, Don’t Ever Forget grabs you by the throat from the first page and does not let go. The result is an edge-of-your-seat, up-all-night read that packs a final punch you won’t soon forget. Fantastic!” —Danielle Girard, USA Today bestselling author “Take a deep breath now, because once you start, you won’t get another chance. Don’t Ever Forget is a twisty, pulse-pounding read from a writer who has quickly established himself as a can’t-miss master of thrills.” —Brad Parks, international bestselling author of Interference “Fans of fast-paced thrillers will be engrossed in this propulsive page-turner that expertly delves into memory, crimes of the past, and terrors that haunt us our whole lives.” —Vanessa Lillie, bestselling author of Little Voices “Matthew Farrell’s delicious new thriller is definitive crime fiction: propulsive, compulsive, unputdownable, and, oh yes, unforgettable. Get it now.” —Bryan Gruley, author of Bleak Harbor “Matthew Farrell does it again. He’s intricately woven together a diabolical and propulsive story of deception with betrayal and madness. Don’t Ever Forget is engrossing, jarring, and unpredictable. It kept me on my toes as I journeyed with investigator Susan Adler through a wild maze, stopping at nothing to find the truth. An absolutely thrilling adventure.” —A. F. Brady, author of The Blind and Once a Liar I Know Everything “An exciting police procedural…The high-energy narrative swerves into surprising and terrifying territory before slamming into its truly chilling finale. Farrell takes the reader down some dark and twisting paths.” —Publishers Weekly “This sinister novel is perfect for suspense junkies who love Dirty John.” —Women.com “Matthew Farrell’s skill as a storyteller is evident from the first pages of this novel. He draws readers in, assures them the story will be a typical murder mystery following the usual pattern, then tears up the outline and throws it away.” —New York Journal of Books “I Know Everything takes off like a shot, with a shot, and the pulse-pounding pace never lets up. Fans of John Sandford and Lawrence Block will flock to Matthew Farrell!” —Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author “Dark and constantly surprising, this is a must-read for fans of twisted, intelligent thrillers.” —Mark Edwards, bestselling author of The Magpies “A page-turner from beginning to end. Take a deep breath and hang on—this relentless thriller will keep you guessing until the very last masterful twist.” —Jennifer Hillier, author of Jar of Hearts “Seriously haunting.” —Betches What Have You Done “A young crime writer with real talent is a joy to discover, and Matthew Farrell proves he’s the real deal in his terrific debut, What Have You Done. He explores the dark side of family bonds in this raw, gripping page-turner, with suspense from start to finish. You won’t be able to put it down.” —Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author “A must-read thriller! Intense, suspenseful, and fast paced—I was on the edge of my seat.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author “One hell of a debut thriller. With breakneck pacing and a twisting plot, What Have You Done will keep you guessing until its stunning end.” —Eric Rickstad, New York Times bestselling author

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Book SynopsisOne family. Two missing children. A lifetime of secrets. Ten-year-old Ethan Clarke’s disappearance gripped the nation. Just as his parents are starting to piece together a life ‘after Ethan’, their world is ripped apart once more when their daughter, Robin, disappears in almost identical circumstances. They’ve lost two children within a decade … and now doubts about their innocence are setting in. Detective Sam Maguire’s obsession with the first case cost him his own family, but he has unfinished business with the Clarkes. He is convinced that discovering what happened to Ethan holds the key to finding Robin. But what if the Clarkes know more than they’re letting on? With the world watching eagerly, the clock is ticking for Sam as he embarks on an investigation that forces him to confront his own demons. To uncover the truth, he must follow a trail of devastating deception—but the truth always comes at a cost …

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Book SynopsisHe’d do anything to protect his wife. But what if that meant making the biggest mistake of all? James Casper is one of the good guys. A DEA agent. A loyal husband. With his sights set on the man at the top of the city’s opioid crisis, James is about to make the biggest bust of his career. Then his beloved wife Rosie does something terrible, and James must choose: report it—or help her. He knows how this works, and he tells himself he’s smart enough to get away with murder. But James’s worst enemy knows what they have done—and he won’t hesitate to use it to manipulate him. James is dragged into a dark and dangerous world. As events spiral and loyalties are tested, he realizes there’s only one way out. And that is to be even more ruthless than the people he’s working for. Whatever happens, no matter how far he falls, at least he’ll still have Rosie. Won’t he?Trade Review“Ford masterfully combines sharp prose, compelling characters and a brilliantly twisted plot. I didn’t want this taut thriller to end.” —Polly Ho-Yen, author of Dark Lullaby “Exactly how a reading experience should be: intense, visceral, and emotive…Martyn Ford has his own original voice, which captures you from the very first page to the last in this accomplished and exhilarating thriller.” —Jacqui Rose, author of Rival “Tension builds as the story twists and turns. A thoroughly engrossing and well-paced thriller.” —J. B. Turner, bestselling author of the Jon Reznick Thriller series “A masterly piece of writing, tightly delivered and played at an exhilarating pace. A compelling, addictive read and undoubtedly one of the best thrillers of 2021.” —Carol Wyer, USA Today bestselling author “All Our Darkest Secrets is a terrific thriller, a mash-up of Ozark, Breaking Bad, and The Shield. Pacy and full of surprises.” —Tariq Ashkanani, author of Welcome to Cooper

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Book Synopsis“Susi Holliday is one of our best and most original creators of tense and twisty tales.” —Ian Rankin Four hikers enter the mountains. Only two return. But is it tragedy? Or treachery? When sisters Cat and Ginny travel with their husbands to the idyllic Swiss Alps for a hiking holiday, it’s not just a chance to take in the stunning scenery. It’s an opportunity to reconnect with each other after years of drifting apart—and patch up marriages that are straining at the seams. As they head into the mountains, morale is high, but as the terrain turns treacherous, cracks in the relationships start to show. With worrying signs that someone might be following them, the sun begins to set and exhaustion kicks in. Suddenly, lost high on a terrifying ridge, tensions spill over—with disastrous consequences. When only two of the four hikers make it down from the mountain, the police press them for their story—but soon become suspicious when their accounts just don’t add up. What really happened up on that ridge? Who are the survivors? And what secrets are they trying to hide?Trade Review“A real gulp-it-down-in-one thriller.” —Heat Magazine “We inhaled this galloping, twisty read in a single sitting.” —Crime Monthly “An edge-of-your seat thriller where the sense of menace ratchets higher with every step along the hiking path. Utterly immersive with brilliant storytelling, it’s smart, scary and ingeniously moreish.” —Steph Broadribb, author of Death in the Sunshine “A deliciously dark mystery about warring sisters, their duplicitous husbands, and a hike that ends in murder. With a cast of gloriously unlikeable characters, any one of them could be the murderer, and any of them could be dead. Chock full of secrets, lies, resentment and revenge, The Hike kept me guessing until the last page.” —C. L. Taylor, author of The Guilty Couple “I devoured The Hike in a couple of days. Smart, pacy, and packed full of twists that’ll keep you guessing. A really fantastic read.” —Lisa Gray, author of the Jessica Shaw series “Susi Holliday transports us to an engrossing, vertigo-inducing alpine setting with a deliciously remorseless cast of characters that will have you constantly watching your back!” —Heleen Kist, author of What I Hid From You “I finished this at 5.30am, and could barely tear myself away from this thriller about two couples who go on a deadly hike. Congratulations on this cast of thoroughly nasty characters, a fascinating detective and a drop-dead gorgeous setting. My favourite Susi Holliday book so far.” —Fiona Cummins, author of Into the Dark “Dark and devious, with an ending that completely wrong-footed me!” —Fergus McNeill, author of Up Close and Fatal “The Hike is a dark journey into the past and the future. Full of twists and shocking reveals, I loved the beautifully evocative landscape and the well-drawn characters.” —Ed James, author of Lost Cause “Dark and twisty, suffused with smouldering tension and deceit.” —Emma Haughton, author of The Dark “As twisty as a bag full of snakes and with just as much bite.” —C. S. Green, author of The Whisper House “An expertly paced, relentless thriller. Love the red herrings and it genuinely kept me guessing right up until the last page.” —John Marrs, author of What Lies Between Us “So pacy and compelling, and a great twist that I totally didn’t see coming. It deserves to be huge.” —Louise Voss, author of His Other Woman “A dark and gripping tale about toxic sisters and marital disharmony, set on an alpine hike. It’s a wonder these people chose to go on holiday together and by the end most of them will have wished they hadn’t. With more twists and turns than a mountain path, this story will have you turning the pages at breakneck speed and keep you guessing every step of the way.” —Amanda Jennings, author of The Haven “Pacy, addictive and filled with suspense, The Hike kept me guessing until the final page. Each treacherous stride along the mountain trail led me deeper into a tangled web of deception, among unscrupulous characters hiding dark secrets. A twisty tale of revenge, lies and murder! Highly recommended!” —Victoria Goldman, author of The Redeemer “Creepy, atmospheric and absolutely gripping, The Hike kept me guessing until the last page! Highly recommended!” —Jane Isaac, author of One Fatal Secret “Such unpleasant people, yet Holliday still somehow has us caring what happens to them. Cat is one of the biggest literary pieces of work since Amy in Gone Girl.” —Julia Crouch, author of The Daughters “The Hike is one of the most gripping and darkest thrillers I’ve read in years and I adored it. Think Highsmith, Hitchcock & Gillian Flynn in a blender.” —Derek Farrell, author of The Danny Bird Mysteries “Wild meets Gone Girl in this breathlessly entertaining thriller, featuring toxic characters doing terrible things in a beautiful setting. Loved it.” —Mark Edwards, author of No Place to Run “What a ride! I barely breathed reading this. The novel sets up the action quickly and never lets up. Twists and turns like a rollercoaster. You think you’re on solid ground, then bam! Loved it!” —Rachael Blok, author of The Fall “The Hike is exactly what you expect from Susi Holiday. The characters are complex and well-written, the setting is picture perfect and so well described you feel like you are there. The twists and turns are endless and wind their way to a ferocious climax! I love Susi’s writing, and already cannot wait for what comes next!” —Chris McDonald, author of The Stonebridge Mysteries “Wow! Just finished this corker by Susi Holliday. The Hike is the definition of a page-turner with enough twists to leave you giddy. Be warned—you’ll want to read this in one sitting.” —Teresa Driscoll, author of Her Perfect Family “Incredible pace and twist after twist will keep you hooked.” —Claire McGowan, author of Are You Awake? “Absolutely loved this glorious account of horrid people spatting murderously in the Alps!” —Alex Marwood, author of The Island of Lost Girls

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Book SynopsisAll’s fair in love and revenge in this taut thriller from bestselling author Lisa Gray. Ex–crime reporter Leonard Blaylock spends his days on an unusual hobby, developing strangers’ forgotten and discarded rolls of film. He loves the small mysteries the photographs reveal to him. Then Leonard finds something no one would ever expect, or want, to see captured on film—the murder of a young woman. But that’s impossible, because the woman is already dead. Leonard was there when it happened five years earlier. He has never been able to shake his guilt from that terrible night. It cost Leonard everything: his career, his fiancée, his future. But if the woman didn’t really die, then what actually happened?Trade Review“Revenge piled on revenge, all of it served ice cold.” —Kirkus Reviews “This taut, twisty standalone from [Lisa] Gray is dense with buried motives and betrayals…Fans of Colleen Hoover’s Verity will find much to enjoy.” —Publishers Weekly “The Dark Room is all kinds of brilliant! Super suspenseful, packed with escalating tension, and a double twist ending that floors you with a one-two punch. Utterly compulsive!” —Steph Broadribb, author of Death in the Sunshine “The Dark Room is smart, sexy and a totally twisted mystery minefield - I loved it! Five stars!” —Susi Holliday, author of The Hike

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Book SynopsisAn unusual inheritance leads to a life-changing journey in a novel of romance, secrets, and the treasure of found family. Blythe Harmon is on the fast track to a life she never wanted. On her thirtieth birthday, just as she’s about to lock herself into a high-powered job and accept a marriage proposal to match, an unusual bequest from her beloved late grandmother, Nomi, offers an escape and an invitation to adventure. Equipped with Nomi’s urn of ashes and a treasure map, Blythe sets off for a small island in the San Juans where she rents the mysterious and unsettling Improbable House. Secret by secret, clue by cryptic clue, she begins to unravel the puzzle her grandmother has left her to piece together. Her quest is complicated, though, by a powerful attraction to an enigmatic islander and empathy for his orphaned niece, both of whom are inexorably tied to the old house. Just when Blythe thinks she’s on the verge of solving the mystery, her quest takes an unexpected turn, and she discovers that the treasure she’s really seeking is something that could never be buried in the ground. While she’s on the treasure hunt of a lifetime, the past and the future are coming together in this magical novel by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Whisper Me This.Trade Review“Fans of Lia Louis, Samantha Verant, and Linda Francis Lee will appreciate King’s deft handling of Blythe’s fish-out-of-water experience and her journey of self-discovery that’s more valuable than any buried treasure.” —Booklist “An enchanting read filled with satisfying mystery and romance. And I love a hint of magical matchmaking!” —Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Whispers “This book has it all—a quirky island, a hot Viking, even ghosts!—but most of all, it has soul. I was charmed and moved by this lovely story that reminds us sometimes we have to dig up the past to remember who we are in the present. A real gem.” —Colleen Oakley, author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island “Kerry Anne King’s charming novel will warm your heart as you follow the clues to where X marks the spot. I flew through Improbably Yours faster than a talking raven!” —Amy E. Reichert, author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club “In my next life, I want to come back in a world created by Kerry Anne King. She expertly weaves tales filled with love and suspense and flashes of magic into generous, fun stories of people finding their way through adversity and discovering the lives they were meant to live. Improbably Yours is just the best: an antidote for tough times. I loved it!” —Maddie Dawson, bestselling author of Matchmaking for Beginners “If you’ve never read a book by Kerry Anne King, remedy the situation now. She conjures the most enchanting characters able to rise above self-doubt and past tragedy to seize their finest hopes and dreams. I dare you not to fall in love with Blythe, Savannah, Flynn, and the book’s other brightly rendered characters as events lead them toward a fulfilling, nearly magical future—if only they have the courage to believe.” —Christine Nolfi, bestselling author of A Brighter Flame “If you’re looking for a book with all the feels, Kerry Anne King’s latest novel is it. Woven with a hint of magic and a heartwarming cast of characters, Improbably Yours is the story of a young woman determined to fulfill her dead grandmother’s last wish, only to find herself on the trail of long-buried secrets and an unexpected path to self-discovery. A treasure of a novel about finding your true place in the world and embracing the life you were meant to live.” —Barbara Davis, bestselling author of The Keeper of Happy Endings

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Book SynopsisA single lie becomes a defining moment in a family’s life in an unforgettable novel of psychological suspense. After being gone for two decades, Maddy’s half sister, Emily, is back in town to settle their late father’s estate. Emily’s not the troubled girl Maddy remembers from their volatile childhood. Apparently, all is well. It can’t possibly matter anymore that Maddy married Emily’s first love, but the pictures Maddy finds on her husband’s phone tell a different story. Suspicions of an affair are hard to ignore. Then again, Maddy hasn’t been herself lately. She’s increasingly confused. She’s losing items that are precious to her. She forgets where she’s going. The line between what’s real and unreal has become a blur. Even the damning photos have disappeared. Though her state of mind starts to become everyone’s cause for concern, Maddy refuses to believe she’s losing her grip on reality. But the one thing she can’t deny is the secret from the past that rewrote all their lives—a secret that’s ready to come out.Trade Review“Virginia Franken’s compelling Half Sisters takes sibling rivalry to a whole new level. Secrets, deception, backstabbing on top of some pretty wicked twists—what more could you ask for? Read it!” —Avery Bishop, author of Girl Gone Mad “Immersive and engrossing, Half Sisters is filled with revelations about chosen vs. given family, and complex, well-drawn characters who will go to great lengths to right wrongs and heal old wounds. Virginia Franken expertly peels back layers until we’re finally faced with an inevitable yet shocking conclusion. I stayed up late reading this artfully crafted and completely original novel.” —Kathleen Willett, author of Mother of All Secrets “A riveting psychological thriller by Virginia Franken: I could not put this book down. My pulse quickened page after compelling page as I fell deep for and into this tale of two very different jealous sisters, one dark heck-of-a-secret, and the ultimate unimaginable revenge. Five stars—a sun and a moon.” —Marilyn Simon Rothstein, author of Husbands and Other Sharp Objects “A domestic suspense full of intrigue, Franken’s Half Sisters sets a delicious premise that will satisfy and needle readers page to page. A definite must-read!” —Brandi Reeds, author of Trespassing

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Book SynopsisInternational bestseller Nova Lee Maier delivers another gripping thriller about the darkness that lies in wait in unexpected places. Deeply vulnerable after a traumatic birth, new mother Didi Vos is depending on her maternity nurse to help her heal. But despite her uniform, Hennequin Smith is no nurse, and healing couldn’t be further from her mind. Though beautiful on the outside, Hennequin harbors ugly motives; slowly and subtly, she sets about her plan to gain Didi’s trust and then ruin her life. And when Miriam de Moor—a police investigator who suspects Hennequin played a role in her brother’s sudden death six months earlier—unearths horrifying secrets about Hennequin’s past, the destinies of the three women become chillingly linked and will come to a head in a thrilling, unforgettable climax.

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Book SynopsisIn the isolated estate she’s found the perfect getaway. But there’s no escaping the past in this chilling novel from the bestselling author of The Unremembered Girl. Filmmaker Tessa Shepherd helped free a man she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder. When he kills again, Tessa’s life is upended. She’s reeling with guilt, her reputation destroyed. Worse, Tessa’s mother has unexpectedly passed away, and her sister, Margot, turns on her after tensions from their past escalate. Hounded by a bullying press, Tessa needs an escape. That’s when she learns of a strange inheritance bequeathed by her mother: a derelict and isolated estate known as Fallbrook. It seems like the perfect refuge. A crumbling monument to a gruesome history, the mansion has been abandoned by all but two elderly sisters retained as caretakers. They are also guardians of all its mysteries. As the house starts revealing its dark secrets, Tessa must face her fears and right the wrongs of her past to save herself and her relationship with Margot. But nothing and no one at Fallbrook are what they seem.Trade Review“Suspense fans will be satisfied.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisRachel’s dead and she’s never coming back. Or is she? As she prepares for her wedding to Dominic, Catherine has never been happier or more excited about her future. But when she receives an anonymous package—a familiar snow globe with a very grisly addition—that happiness is abruptly threatened by secrets from her past. Her older sister, Rachel, died on a skiing holiday as a child. But Rachel was no angel: she was vicious and highly disturbed, and she made Catherine’s life a misery. Catherine has spent years trying to forget her dead sister’s cruel tricks. Now someone has sent her Rachel’s snow globe—the first in a series of ominous messages… While Catherine struggles to focus on her new life with Dominic, someone out there seems intent on tormenting her. But who? And why now? She doesn't have the answers — and in one final question lies her greatest fear. Is Rachel still alive?

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Book SynopsisA not-to-be-missed novel of suspense about the secrets hidden in a young couple’s new neighborhood. Kat and Doug felt like Aurora Village was the perfect community. Minutes from the city, affluent without pretension, low crime with a friendly vibe—it’s everything Kat never had, and that she’s determined to provide for her infant daughter. Snagging a nice bungalow in this exclusive enclave was worth all the sacrifice. But everything changes overnight when Kat finds a scrawled note outside their front door. That wasn’t very neighborly of you. As increasingly sinister and frighteningly personal notes arrive, each one stabs deeper into the heart of Kat’s insecurities, paranoia, and most troubling, her past. When the neighbors who seemed so perfect reveal their open secret, the menace moves beyond mean notes. Someone’s raising the stakes. As suspicious as she is of every smiling face and as terrified as she’s become of being found out, Kat is still unprepared for the sharp turn that lies just ahead of her on Bayberry Lane.

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Book SynopsisFrom the Amazon Charts bestselling author of One Small Sacrifice, a gripping mystery about a sinister murder that everyone wants to stay buried—except one dogged NYPD detective. Jo Greaver is a model of success. Young and ambitious, she’s built a thriving beauty business from nothing. But she has secrets she’ll do anything to keep buried. When her blackmailer offers to meet, Jo expects to pay him off—but gets a bullet instead. Bleeding and in shock, Jo flees with no one to turn to. When NYPD detective Sheryn Sterling and her partner, Rafael Mendoza, find Andray Baxter murdered in his own home—shot through the heart—everything points to Jo as the killer. Her blood is at the scene, and so are disturbing photos of her taken as a young teen. But Sheryn has doubts. Was the kindhearted Andray really a criminal? Why did he repeatedly report finding spyware in his apartment? Was there something shady about Jo’s sister dying a year earlier? Something’s not right, and it’s up to Sheryn to piece together the sinister puzzle, no matter the cost.Trade Review“A blackmail plot produces complications upon complications in a story of sex trafficking, class wars, and stolen identities. [A] satisfying page-turner.” —Kirkus Reviews “Davidson keeps the reader guessing to the satisfying conclusion. Crime fiction fans will welcome this tale of family, secrets, resilience, and revenge.” —Publishers Weekly “Don’t Look Down will keep the reader guessing. Davidson has created some truly memorable characters…This is the type of creative finesse that makes a reader keep coming back for more.” —New York Journal of Books “Don’t Look Down by Hilary Davidson is a fast-paced, twisty, classic city crime thriller that leaves one fully satisfied…” —Criminal Element “Don’t Look Down, the second novel in a series featuring NYPD police Sheryn Sterling and Rafael Mendoza, is a stunning trip through the Big Apple. It’s also a deftly plotted mystery that begins with blackmail and revenge. An excellent book with good characters and a fantastic plot, but what I loved were Davidson’s descriptions of New York.” —The Globe and Mail

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Book SynopsisAlfred Döblin’s many imposing novels, above all Berlin Alexanderplatz, have established him as one of the titans of modern German literature. This collection of his stories —astonishingly, the first ever to appear in English—shows him to have been a master of short fiction too. Bright Magic includes all of Döblin’s first book, The Murder of a Buttercup, a work of savage brilliance and a landmark of literary expressionism, as well as two longer stories composed in the 1940s, when he lived in exile in Southern California. The early collection is full of mind-bending and sexually charged narratives, from the dizzying descent into madness that has made the title story one of the most anthologized of German stories to “She Who Helped,” where mortality roams the streets of nineteenth-­century Manhattan with a white borzoi and a quiet smile, and “The Ballerina and the Body,” which describes a terrible duel to the death. Of the two later stories, “Materialism, A Fable,” in which news of humanity’s soulless doctrines reaches the animals, elements, and the molecules themselves, is especially delightful.

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Book SynopsisNamed a Best Book of the Year by The Advocate and Tor.comA love story of two very real, unusual people, and a novel rich with wonders that shines a radically different light on society's marginal figures.Stitch by perfect stitch, Andrew Garvie makes exquisite dolls in the finest antique style. Like him, they are diminutive, but graceful, unique and with surprising depths. Perhaps that's why he answers the enigmatic personal ad in his collector's magazine.Letter by letter, Bramber Winters reveals more of her strange, sheltered life in an institution on Bodmin Moor, and the terrible events that put her there as a child. Andrew knows what it is to be trapped; and as they knit closer together, he weaves a curious plan to rescue her.On his journey through the old towns of England he reads the fairytales of Ewa Chaplin—potent, eldritch stories which, like her lifelike dolls, pluck at the edges of reality and thread their way into his mind. When Andrew and Bramber meet at last, they will have a choice—to remain alone with their painful pasts or break free and, unlike their dolls, come to life.

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Book SynopsisFour women from La Plata, Argentina, are forced to suffer through a series of ordeals thanks to their impoverished, dysfunctional family—in this darkly comic literary masterpiece from Aurora Venturini, never before translated into EnglishAt the age of eighty-five, Aurora Venturini stunned Argentine readers when her darkly funny and formally daring novel, Cousins (Las primas), won Página/12’s New Novel Award. She had already written more than forty books, but it was only then, in 2007, that she was widely recognized as a paradigm-shifting voice in Spanish-language literature.Venturini never stopped writing in her ninety-two years, and produced an oeuvre that is mischievous and stylish, vital and mysterious, and completely original. She lived a life immersed in the literature and culture of the twentieth century: her first award was given to her in person by Jorge Luis Borges; she was friends and colleagues with Eva Perón; and when she lived in exile in Paris, she socialized with a sparkling milieu of writers and philosophers, including Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.Cousins, widely regarded as Venturini’s masterpiece, is the story of four women from an impoverished, dysfunctional family in La Plata, Argentina, who are forced to suffer through a series of ordeals, including illegal abortions, miscarriages, sexual abuse, disfigurement, and murder, narrated by a daughter whose success as a painter offers her a chance to achieve economic independence and help her family as best as she can.Neighborhood mythologies, family, female sexuality, vengeance, and social mobility through art are explored and scrutinized in the unmistakable voice of Yuna—who stares wildly at the world in which she is compelled to live—a voice unique in contemporary literature whose unconventional style can be candid, brutal, sharp, and utterly breathtaking. With the translation of Cousins into several languages for the first time, Aurora Venturini is now being discovered internationally and championed as a major voice in Latin American literature.

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Book SynopsisA New York Times Book Review Editors'' ChoiceMarrying the philosophical absurdities of life, technology, start-up culture, and family, Users is for readers of Ling Ma, Dave Eggers’s The Circle, and viewers of the hit Apple TV+ original series SeveranceMiles, a lead creative at a midsize virtual reality company known for its “original experiences,” has engineered a new product called The Ghost Lover. Wildly popular from the outset, the “game” is simple: a user’s simulated life is almost identical to their reality, except they’re haunted by the ghost of an ex-lover.However, when a shift in the company''s strategic vision puts The Ghost Lover at the center of a platform-wide controversy, Miles becomes the target of user outrage, and starts receiving a series of anonymous death threats. Typed notes sealed in envelopes with no postage or return address, these persistent threats push Miles into a paranoid panic, blurring his own sense of reality, catalyzing the collapse of his career, his marriage, and his relationship with his children.The once-promising road to success becomes a narrow set of choices for Miles, who, in a last ditch effort to save his job, pitches his masterpiece, a revolutionary device code-named the Egg, which will transform the company. The consequences for Miles seal him inside the walls of his life as what was once anxiety explodes into devastating absoluteness.In a world rife with the unchecked power and ambition of tech, Users investigates—with both humor and creeping dread—how interpersonal experiences and private decisions influence the hasty developments that have the power to permanently alter the landscape of human experience.

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Book SynopsisFour classic novels of psychologically-driven horror from the author of The Haunting of Hill House include her 1948 debut tale of the secrets lurking beneath suburbia to the 1958 story of a mourning family convinced the world is ending .

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Book SynopsisA definitive edition of a modern master: three essential works that reveal his incomparable style, dark humor, and uncanny sensitivity to the complexities of living in dangerous timesIncludes White Noise, now a major motion picture starring Adam Driver and Greta GerwigThis first volume in the Library of America Don DeLillo edition presents three indispensable novels from the 1980s, published here with new prefaces from the author. The Names (1982) was DeLillo's breakthrough novel, a book that, as he reflects here, spanned a “broader expanse” than his earlier novels. James Axton, a “risk analyst” tasked with assessing dangers for his corporate clients from terrorism and other forms of political upheaval, uncovers evidence of ritual murders committed by a cult obsessed with ancient languages. The investigations of these crimes yields a profound series of meditations on identity, disconnection, and the nature of language itself. Part campus satire, part midlife character study, and part fever dream of a hyperreality that has become uncannily familiar, the National Book Award–winning White Noise (1985) creates a terrifying yet wickedly funny portrait of a postmodern America that is still recognizably ours, a world where children chant brand names in their sleep, university professors “read nothing but cereal boxes,” and “you are the sum of your data.” Three years in the research and writing, Libra (1988) offers a magnificent counter-history of the JFK assassination and a nuanced portrait of the president’s murderer. DeLillo has observed that “the novel, working within history, is also outside it, correcting, clearing up, finding balances and rhythms.” The result is a revelatory new depiction of a defining event in twentieth-century history. Rounding out the volume are two hard-to-find essays directly related to the novels: “American Blood,” the 1983 Rolling Stone article that was DeLillo’s first effort to grapple with the JFK assassination and the welter of information and speculation the events of the killing and Oswald’s own murder by Jack Ruby; and “Silhouette City,” an assessment of extremist right-wing groups and the troubling presence of neo-Nazism in the United States.

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Book SynopsisA frantic race against the clock, against death, against inner demons Since the tragic accident that brutally ended her childhood, Alice O’Farrell has been haunted by her past. Unable to bear the guilt of negligence that led to the death of her younger brother, fifteen-year-old Alice runs away from home. She lives on the streets, makes one bad decision after another, and drowns her guilt in alcohol. But, everything changes when she stumbles upon a startling scene: a dead drug dealer and a duffel bag full of ninety-one thousand dollars in cash. Recognizing this as an opportunity for a fresh start, Alice takes the money and runs. However, she soon finds herself fleeing from more than her own past—the dead dealer’s drug supplier wants his money back and will destroy her to get it. A merciless manhunt ensues, headed by Sinclair—a formidable opponent—relentless, shrewd, and brutal. As blood is spilled all around her, Alice is eventually faced with her day of reckoning. In the end, The Guilt We Carry is a story about redemption and forgiveness—but at what cost?Perfect for readers of The Girl on the Train and The Woman in the WindowTrade Review"This book is an RCR and a BBEa Roller Coaster Ride and a Best Book Ever. Relish in the reading of it, take your time even through the breathless parts, and enjoy every word. It's the Breaking Bad of the book world. A delish read with surprises to the very last page." New York Journal of Books"Samuel Gailey's The Guilt We Carry is heartbreaking, hopeful, and touching. Gritty, dark, yet tender. Gailey lyrically weaves a story of loss and guilt into one of redemption. Never has misery been so elegantly written." Matt Coyle, Anthony Award-winning author"An extraordinary thriller, The Guilt We Carry is driven by a plot that is both economic and subtly complicated. Samuel W. Gailey propels his characters into one another with a tough empathy. The result is a tense, scintillating read that is also human and ultimately satisfying as the book hurtles toward its unexpected but well-earned conclusion." Bruce Holbert, author of Whiskey"The Guilt We Carry , Alice O'Farrell, kept me up until five a.m. She is tragic, flawed, beaten down, but tough enough and resilient enough to survive. Gailey has delivered one of my favorite characters in recent memory. A nonstop burner of a novel." Willy Vlautin award-winning author of Don't Skip Out on Me"Fans of country noir will be right at home as Gailey builds the grit-soaked suspense." Booklist"[A] gripping tale of redemption . . . Gailey does a superior job of making his flawed lead sympathetic." Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisA Kafkaesque and darkly humorous “suburban gothic” that tracks the unraveling of man’s body, mind, and life.  James Orr—husband, father, reliable employee and all-around model citizen—awakes one morning to find half his face paralyzed.   Waiting for the affliction to pass, he stops going to work and wanders his idyllic estate, with its woodland, uniform streets and perfectly manicured lawns. But there are cracks in the veneer. And as his orderly existence begins to unravel, it appears that James may not be the man he thought he was.   A deeply unsettling story of creeping horror that consistently confounds expectations, The Alarming Palsy of James Orr introduces a writer of extraordinary and disturbing talents.

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Book SynopsisAn unnamed woman checks into a guesthouse in a mysterious district known only as the Subdivision. The guesthouse's owners, Clara and the Judge, are welcoming and helpful, if oddly preoccupied by the perpetually baffling jigsaw puzzle in the living room. With little more than a hand-drawn map and vague memories of her troubled past, the narrator ventures out in search of a job, an apartment, and a fresh start in life. Accompanied by an unusually assertive digital assistant named Cylvia, the narrator is drawn deeper into an increasingly strange, surreal, and threatening world, which reveals itself to her through a series of darkly comic encounters reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels. A lovelorn truck driver . . . a mysterious child . . . a watchful crow. A cryptic birthday party. A baffling physics experiment in a defunct office tower where some calamity once happened. Through it all, the narrator is tempted and manipulated by the bakemono, a shape-shifting demon who poses a distinctly terrifying danger. Harrowing, meticulous, and deranged, Subdivision is a brilliant maze of a novel from the writer Kelly Link has called "a master of the dark arts." With the narrative intensity and mordant humor familiar to readers of Broken River, J. Robert Lennon continues his exploration of the mysteries of perception and memory.

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Book SynopsisAn electrifying novel about illness, displacement, and what holds us together, by the author of Seeing RedElla is an astrophysicist struggling with her doctoral thesis in the country of the present but she is from the country of the past, a place burdened in her memory by both personal and political tragedies. Her partner, El, is a forensic scientist who analyzes the bones of victims of state violence and is recovering from an explosion at a work site that almost killed him. Consumed by writer's block, Ella finds herself wishing that she would become ill, which would provide time for writing and perhaps an excuse for her lack of progress. Then she begins to experience mysterious symptoms that doctors find undiagnosable.As Ella's anxiety grows, the past begins to exert a strong gravitational pull, and other members of her family come into focus: the widowed Father, the Stepmother, the Twins, and the Firstborn. Each of them has their own experience of illness and violence, and eventually the systems that both hold them together and atomize them are exposed.Lina Meruane's Nervous System is an extraordinary clinical biography of a family, full of affection and resentment, dark humor and buried secrets, in which illness describes the traumas that can be visited not just upon the body, but on families and on the history of the countriespresent and pastthat we live in.

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Book SynopsisA tender, merciless portrait of a life going to pieces by the internationally acclaimed author of Out Stealing Horses.Men in My Situation, Per Petterson's evocative and moving new novel, finds Arvid Jansen in a tailspin, unable to process the grief of losing his parents and brothers in a tragic ferry accident. In the aftermath, Arvid's wife, Turid, divorced him and took their three daughters with her. One year later, Arvid still hasn't recovered. He spends his time drinking, falling into fleeting relationships with women, and driving around in his Mazda. When Turid unexpectedly calls for a ride home from the train station, he has to face the life they've made without him.Critics have already hailed Men in My Situation as the equal of Petterson's international bestseller Out Stealing Horses, in part for his unflinching portrayal of Arvid's dark night of the soul. In this moment of faltering hope and despair, Arvid's daughter Vigdiswho he's always felt understood him besthas a crisis of her own and reaches out. Now he must find a way to respond to someone who, after everything, still needs him. Reaching the heights of Petterson's best work, Men in My Situation is a heartrending, indelible story from a celebrated author.

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Book SynopsisFinalist for the Midland Authors AwardFates and Furies meets Melancholia in this ominous and absorbing debut novel about marriage and motherhood in a time of ecological collapse, as mothers around the world begin to mysteriously vanish from their homesAda—a woman from Montreal living reluctantly in Michigan—vanishes from her bed one night while her husband Danny is asleep beside her, her young son, Gilles, in the next room. Desperate to locate Ada before Gilles understands what has happened, Danny begins a search. But the feds are already involved: across the country and around the world, mothers are vanishing from their homes.Where did Ada go? What has she gone through? And how does the mystery relate to the forest that she seemed magnetically drawn to?Confronting the role of motherhood and the meaning of home in the wreckage of capitalism and climate change, The Forbidden Territory of a Terrifying Woman is that rare, dazzling debut that is both thrilling and profound. It is a mystery, a play on myths of metamorphosis, and above all, a story of love—between husband and wife, mother and child—deeply troubled by the future we face.

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Book SynopsisA thrilling and propulsive novel of an Antarctica expedition gone wrong and its far-reaching consequences for the explorers and their families leaves the reader moved and subtly changed, as if she had become part of the story (Hilary Mantel). “McGregor’s depiction of speechlessness, both metaphorical and physical, makes the novel much more interesting than if he had provided a page-turner about a botched expedition in Antarctica . . . McGregor’s carefully composed dialogue, filled with the repetition of so few words, had an eerie effect on me: for several days my own inner dialogue was often composed of the same words, as though I, too, was discovering how they could express drastically different emotions yet remain unreadable to the world. —Yiyun Li, New York Review of BooksRemember the training: find shelter or make shelter, remain in place, establish contact with other members of the party, keep moving, keep calm. Robert 'Doc' Wright, a veteran of Antarctic surveying, was there on the ice when the worst happened. He holds within him the complete story of that night—but depleted by the disaster, Wright is no longer able to communicate the truth. Instead, in the wake of the catastrophic expedition, he faces the most daunting adventure of his life: learning a whole new way to be in the world. Meanwhile Anna, his wife, must suddenly scramble to navigate the sharp and unexpected contours of life as a caregiver.From the Booker Prize-longlisted, American Academy of Arts & Letters Award-winning author of Reservoir 13, this is a novel every bit as mesmerizing as its setting. Tenderly unraveling different notions of heroism through the rippling effects of one extraordinary expedition on an ordinary family, Lean Fall Stand explores the indomitable human impulse to turn our experiences into stories—even when the words may fail us.

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Book SynopsisA desperate woman. An irresistible invitation. An escalating nightmare of secrets, lies, and murder. Bree’s new home is luxurious and private, with a fancy Beverly Hills address. What a shame it’s not hers. Widowed, penniless, living in her car, and out of options, she’s climbed the fence and crashed in the pool house. All she wants is a good night’s sleep. But when Sophie, the absentee owner, finds her, she gets a whole lot more. Sophie invites Bree back for a party. When it winds down, Bree can’t resist sneaking upstairs to sleep in a real bed. But the next morning, she wakes to find Sophie’s dead body floating in the pool. As the resident vagabond, she’s both the only witness and the prime murder suspect. Bree knows she shouldn’t run, but her husband’s death was mysterious, too. If she’s going to clear her name, she’s going to have to work fast. Because the killer is still out there, and she’s next.Trade Review“The most fun I’ve had reading a thriller in a long time! Lie by The Pool is a delicious page-turner you will finish in one sitting. Full of juicy twists, a wildly original plot, and nerve-shredding tension, Lie by the Pool catapults Susan Walter into the top echelon of thriller writers.” —David Ellis, New York Times bestselling author of Look Closer “A thriller that thrills, crime fiction that is criminally good and feels like the real thing. A rich ensemble of characters, and protagonists that you hope don't wind up dead… because danger lurks around every twisty corner.” —Ken Pisani, author of the Los Angeles Times best-selling novel AMP'D “Susan Walter has a knack for writing thoroughly entertaining stories that keep you flipping pages. Fun and fast and full of surprising revelations. What a pleasure to read!” —Bruce Cameron, New York Times bestselling author of A Dog’s Purpose and Love, Clancy “Wow. What a terrific read! Walter's third novel is a vivid suspense-thriller that's filled with surprises. An involving character study with a touching love story at its center. Great work, extremely enjoyable!” —Gary Goldstein, award-winning author of The Last Birthday Party and The Mother I Never Had “Susan Walter, in her signature shifty thriller style, weaves a story of blind ambition and intersecting lies as four people and their secrets collide in Beverly Hills. Sit by the pool with her and turn the pages. But keep an eye on who’s in the cabana.” —Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell, New York Times bestselling authors of the Jessie Teska mysteries and Working Stiff “Get ready for a sleepless night! Lie by The Pool is a blistering, fast-paced thriller, confidently plotted and executed. Walter’s trademark verve for cinematic, propulsive storytelling shines in this L.A. story that will hold you in thrall until the very last page. Fiendishly clever!” —Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain “I decided to forgo all of the movies on an international flight and read an advance copy of Susan Walter's Lie by The Pool instead. What a good choice! This book is better than any on-screen thriller. A seamless, exhilarating plot that draws you in so immediately and completely, you feel like you're living Bree's nightmare instead of just reading it. In a genre that can seem glutted by stale ideas and stock characters, Walter brings us something fresh, fast-paced, and utterly fantastic.” —Lindsay Moran, bestselling author of Blowing my Cover “A page-turning Beverly Hills tale with characters to root for and suspect all at once. Susan Walter is simply the master at luring readers in with breezy prose and then walloping with a killer twist. Dive in and enjoy the ride!” —Wendy Walker, bestselling author of What Remains “With alternating perspectives told by compelling characters, you'll find yourselves turning the pages to get to the bottom of this skillfully rendered mystery. The perfect summer read!” —Katie Sise, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Open House and The Break

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Book Synopsis“Amina Akhtar’s Almost Surely Dead is a witty, fresh psychological thriller that’s part stalker thriller, part ghost story. This book took turns I never saw coming. I was up all night, tearing through the pages as the mysterious pieces came together, leading to an explosive conclusion.” —Mindy Kaling A psychological thriller with a twist, Almost Surely Dead is a chilling account of how one woman’s life spins out of control after a terrifying—and seemingly random—attempt on her life. Dunia Ahmed lives an ordinary life—or she definitely used to. Now she’s the subject of a true crime podcast. She’s been missing for over a year, and no one knows if she’s dead or alive. But her story has listeners obsessed, and people everywhere are sporting merch that demands “Find Dunia!” In the days before her disappearance, Dunia is a successful pharmacist living in New York. The daughter of Pakistani immigrants, she’s coping with a broken engagement and the death of her mother. But then something happens that really shakes up her world: someone tries to murder her. When her would-be killer winds up dead, Dunia figures the worst is over. But then there’s another attempt on her life…and another. And police suspect someone close to her may be the culprit. Dunia struggles to make sense of what’s happening. And as childhood superstitions seep into her reality, she becomes convinced that someone—or something—is truly after her.Trade ReviewPraise for Amina Akhtar Almost Surely Dead “Akhtar’s novel has one foot set firmly in folklore and the other in fast-paced action as Dunia questions whom she can trust and what she will have to do to survive. Though the suspense is real, Akhtar deftly weaves in levity with the campiness of the podcast, and the earnestness of Dunia’s voice keeps the reader rooting for her to outrun her demons. A nimble and eerie thriller.” —Kirkus Reviews “Amina Akhtar delivers a surprising and suspenseful ride. This is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly “Twisty, chilling, and original, Almost Surely Dead is an absolutely addictive page-turner. I couldn’t put it down.” —Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author “A shocking act of violence opens the door to a terrifying mystery in this eerie, addictive thriller from Amina Akhtar.” —Chuck Wendig, bestselling author of The Book of Accidents “I didn’t think Amina Akhtar could get better, but she has—crafting a wholly unique and mesmerizing novel that is impossible to categorize or forget. Part thriller, part family saga, part supernatural horror, Almost Surely Dead will surprise you in the best way possible and leave you thinking about this magnificent book for a long time after you’re done. A powerhouse.” —Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity “Full of energy, suspense, and the frightening possibility of the supernatural, Almost Surely Dead is a spine-chilling thrill of a book that will grip you from the very first page and refuse to let go. A gripping gothic of the true crime podcasting era.” —S. C. Lalli, international bestselling author of Are You Sara? “What’s a girl to do when the universe seems to want you dead? The answer is nothing you’d expect—but everything you’d want from one of the most exciting thriller writers in the business. Almost Surely Dead is a sparkling, twisted gem of a book, a riotously funny and deeply unsettling examination of the ways in which we are—and in which we refuse to be—defined by our pasts. This is Akhtar’s best work yet, and I loved every word.” —Elizabeth Little, bestselling author of Dear Daughter “Amina Akhtar isn’t a writer; she’s a word magician, a wonderful comedian who juggles the darkest themes and the ugly things that make us human, the young, smart, fashion-savvy auntie who knows where the bodies are buried and reminds you to call your mom. And she keeps getting better with every book. Almost Surely Dead is a witty, wildly entertaining novel that dips its toes in the supernatural while delivering social commentary, highlighting the realities of the Pakistani diaspora, and dancing with the ghosts and superstitions we all carry in our blood. Don’t miss it.” —Gabino Iglesias, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of The Devil Takes You Home “Akhtar coils constant paranoia, flash-forward dread, and family tragedy into an electric threat of a novel. This book will have you glancing over your shoulder. A unique thriller.” —Hailey Piper, Bram Stoker Award–winning author of No Gods for Drowning “Almost Surely Dead is such a masterful slow burn of a mystery it’ll singe your fingertips. Amina Akhtar creeps you out, keeps you guessing, and forces you to the edge of your seat, constructing a story that, in the end, is as surprising as it is deeply human.” —Rob Hart, author of Paradox Hotel Kismet “An amusing takedown of influencer culture.” —Kirkus Reviews “Akhtar turns her sharp wit on the wellness community and its dark secrets in a thriller [that is] equal parts vicious and funny.” —USA Today “Akhtar brings to her second novel…a gimlet-eyed view of Sedona, Arizona’s wellness pretensions and a wicked way with one-liners…the surprises Akhtar has in store upend assumptions about trauma, healing, and the motivations of those who helicopter into lands they claim to hold sacred.” —Los Angeles Times “Twisty, sardonic.” —Oprah Daily “The alluring world of wellness gets a fatal awakening in Amina Akhtar’s darkly humorous thriller Kismet.” —PopSugar “[Kismet] skewers the wellness industry of Sedona (Amina Akhtar is now based in Arizona) and also includes a light supernatural touch that’s perfectly integrated into the thriller arc as a whole.” —CrimeReads “Amina Akhtar weaves a wickedly smart tale.” —Desi News “With Kismet, Amina Akhtar invites us into the foxhole with Ronnie Khan, a New Yorker stationed in Sedona, just in time for Wellness World War. I loved this book—the claustrophobia of wide ‘open’ exclusive spaces. Amina teleports us to the passive-aggressive front lines in this dry landscape where caftans and corpses are equally foreboding. You want Ronnie to make a run for it, but she’s a real hero—she wants to make a go for it. Lucky for us, she stays. Kismet is wicked and smart, a fly-on-the-wall humdinger where a light social gathering spikes your blood pressure. Amina deftly intertwines the earthly with the otherworldly. Read it now so you can be the one telling your friends about Kismet.” —Caroline Kepnes, New York Times bestselling author of You “Amina Akhtar had me at ravens! Then she kept me turning the pages with her colorful cast of characters, keen insights, and layered, engaging heroine. Kismet is darkly funny, sharply observant, and full of surprises. Don’t miss this utterly original and wildly entertaining thriller.” —Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of Last Girl Ghosted “The twists just keep coming in Kismet, Amina Akhtar’s dark and delicious thriller. I can’t imagine a better companion around these nail-biting curves than the novel’s protagonist, Ronnie Khan, who is wide eyed yet smarter than she lets on, naive yet world weary. In a nutshell: she’s the perfect heroine. I’d follow her anywhere.” —Jess Lourey, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things “Dead bodies are turning up in Sedona’s upscale wellness community? Sign me up! I loved everything about Kismet, Amina Akhtar’s sharply observant, funny thriller. Gleeful and gripping, Akhtar has knocked it out of the park with this wickedly entertaining, twisty novel.” —Jennifer Hillier, bestselling author of Little Secrets “A chilling tale that lures in the reader with a seductive blend of friendship and tranquility, then transforms it into something evil and deliciously twisted.” —A. R. Torre, New York Times bestselling author of Every Last Secret “Kismet is funny, sharp, twisty, and spot on. Whether she’s dealing with toxic relationships or everyday racism, Ronnie Khan is a character that you can’t help but root for. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun reading a novel. Everyone, and I mean everyone, is going to be talking about those ravens.” —Kellye Garrett, Agatha, Anthony, and Lefty Award–winning author of Like a Sister “Wickedly smart and outrageously entertaining, Kismet grabs hold and doesn’t let go until a final twist that will have even the savviest readers gasping. Just like the clever, scene-stealing ravens, Akhtar skewers those who deserve it with her trademark wit while also layering in emotional nuance as compelling as the captivating mystery. At once atmospheric, chilling, and thought provoking, Kismet will surely be this summer’s must-read thriller.” —Brianna Labuskes, bestselling author of A Familiar Sight “Gaspingly original. Kismet is brilliant and twisty—a knockout page-turner about guilt, revenge, and the toxicity of family and friendships. The oh-so-talented Amina Akhtar unleashes her keen eye and mordant wit—and exquisite understanding of human emotions—to reveal the dark side of the wellness industry and the terrifying reality behind the glam exteriors. Wow! This gripping, heartbreaking, and constantly surprising thriller is not to be missed!” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life “Amina Akhtar yet again brings her wickedly wicked style to this twisty thriller about a woman who’s finally taken charge of her life—only to find dead bodies piling up around her in the wellness community where she’s starting over. Kismet is a page-turner populated by eerie ravens and people who aren’t what they seem in a perfectly unsettling desert setting.” —Gigi Pandian, USA Today bestselling author of Under Lock and Skeleton Key “Kismet is the twistiest, most delicious take on wellness and self-care gone wrong. With a cast of unforgettable characters, a point of view you’ll never guess, and an ending that leaves you breathless, you’ll be busting down doors to join me as copresident of the Amina Akhtar fan club!” —Yasmin Angoe, author of Her Name Is Knight “Kismet is a gleeful (and at times literal) skewering of influencer culture and clout chasing, as well as a deeply relevant look at how easily and often the white wellness world intersects with racism and cultural appropriation—and how blind we can be to that and to the stain it leaves on the world around us. A bold and insightful whodunnit that ensures you’ll never look at ravens the same way again.” —Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, bestselling authors of The Royal We and The Heir Affair “Unsettling from the very first page, Kismet takes its readers on a wild ride set in Sedona’s wellness community, featuring a serial killer, crystals, and kick-ass ravens. It’s strange and smart and spellbinding, with sharp social commentary and huge surprises. Another eerie gem from Amina Akhtar.” —Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot “A mystery thriller just the way I like them—full of secrets and karma. Amina Akhtar creeps us out and keeps us guessing all the way!” —Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Road of Bones and Ararat “Kismet is as atmospheric as it is dark and twisted. An unsettling read with wholly original protagonists, this is one thrilling story I won’t be forgetting soon.” —Hannah Mary McKinnon, international bestselling author of Never Coming Home “A remarkably original, terrifying read that seized me from the first line. Kismet is an astonishing, expertly structured thriller. Akhtar’s signature creepy tone, suffused with dread and laced with wicked humor, is riveting. Her characters make you blur the lines of morality and justice. With brilliantly shifting points of view, a touch of magic, and a jaw-dropping ending, this is a stand-out suspense.” —Samantha M. Bailey, international bestselling author of Woman on the Edge and Watch Out for Her “A desert setting, crystals to ward off evil, cunning ravens, and murder. Amina Akhtar has whipped up a creepy mystery that will have you second-guessing what you know about the wellness industry, not to mention what to think the next time you see ravens!” —Wanda Morris, Lefty-nominated author of All Her Little Secrets “One of the most original, chilling, and startlingly honest thrillers I’ve ever read, Amina Akhtar plunges readers into an altogether fresh flavor of hell in Kismet. Balancing nail-biting terror with razor-sharp wit, Akhtar interrogates the feral side of the human heart with a rare fearlessness that is certain to make Kismet one of the year’s hottest titles and an absolute must-read. Period.” —P. J. Vernon, acclaimed author of Bath Haus

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Book SynopsisA secret admirer’s devotion turns deadly in a twisting novel of psychological suspense. Mia Anderson is an invisible woman. An unremarkable thirty-two-year-old Tennessee librarian, she’s accustomed to disappearing in a crowd, unseen and unheard. Then she receives an anonymous note: You look beautiful today. It doesn’t stop there. The attentive stranger—a secret admirer named Adam—has plans for Mia. With each new text comes a suggestion for her hair, clothes, or attitude, and for the first time in memory, Mia feels noticed. Slowly, she develops a confidence in herself she’s never had. But Adam has a surprise coming…and Mia finally sees him for who he is and what he’s prepared to do for her. Even kill. Fearing she could be implicated in the murder, Mia’s forced to turn to the stranger in the shadows watching her every move. Adam’s game of cat and mouse begins with Mia as the prey. In order to survive, she must also become the predator.Trade Review“In this devilishly twisty standalone…Jones reveals her characters’ secrets and motives slowly, expertly ratcheting up the pace before an explosive conclusion. This white-knuckler is not to be missed.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Book SynopsisIn a small Appalachian town, an amateur detective unearths a dark conspiracy and his own haunted past, in a chilling novel about sacrifice, art, and revenge. Med school dropout Harlan Winter returns to his impoverished West Virginia hometown, where the law is scarce, arsonists are turning everything to ash, and his family’s turbulent history lingers. All he wants is to keep the peace in a community cowering from the Lighthouse, a local cult preying on people’s fears. Harlan’s own fears, too, when he’s hired to play detective and find a young couple gone missing. The vanished artist and his girlfriend have left behind a series of paintings that enrage the Lighthouse’s Pastor Logan, who believes art can have divine power. It’s not easy to believe for a rational man like Harlan. And impossible to ignore when his investigation is haunted by visions of the dead lurking in the shadows of his own violent past. Revelations about the disappearances are being unearthed. The Lighthouse’s grip on the community is tightening. And Harlan fears he’s losing control. As the threats against his town, his sanity, and his life begin to mount, Harlan doesn’t know which is more terrifying: what’s real, or what’s in his mind.Trade ReviewPraise for Jordan Farmer The Poison Flood “A near-Shakespearean snarl, a mad, seven-day action crucible set in the West Virginia wild…The Poison Flood is an ambitious saga, cockamamie and passionate. Through Hollis, Farmer produces a pocket Hillbilly manifesto.” — Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Hollis himself is vivid…When the novel focuses on a musician’s creative struggles, it sings.” —Kirkus Reviews “Affecting…[It] combines an unconventional lead with a sobering portrayal of an environmental disaster’s impact on a small community. Readers who like their fiction to have a social conscience will want to take a look.” —Publishers Weekly “[A] bizarre and fascinating read that proves that anything is possible in the capable hands of author Jordan Farmer. The novel is immediately engrossing, its characters uniquely memorable, its prose both heartfelt and stunning. The novel takes a number of unexpected and thrilling turns…[and is] rich in compassion and empathy.” —BookPage “Darkly brilliant and beautifully written…[Farmer’s] similes, metaphors, and turns of phrase are worth underlining and rereading over and over. They are equaled, if not exceeded, by his sharply drawn characters, who you will remember long after you finish this book.” —Bookreporter “[The Poison Flood] had one of the most satisfying endings I’ve read in a while, capping what was overall one of the best novels I’ve ever read of modern-day rural America.” —Criminal Element “In his narrator, Hollis Bragg, Jordan Farmer has created a compelling character whose personal story and damaged body become emblematic of a whole region devastated by environmental destruction. The Poison Flood is a timely and important novel.” —Ron Rash, PEN/Faulkner finalist and New York Times bestselling author of Serena “The Poison Flood is thrilling, poignant, and full of music, a forceful counterpunch to the usual expectations about poverty, trauma, and physical difference.” —James A. McLaughlin, author of Bearskin “Jordan Farmer’s novel is both a gripping page-turner and a stunning meditation on body and place. The Poison Flood will punch you right in the throat with its honesty and its heart. Farmer is a singular talent, with a voice I won’t soon forget.” —Nick White, author of Sweet and Low “Once again, Jordan Farmer has written a darkly urgent book. The Poison Flood is not only a story about the redemptive power of art—it is itself a redeeming and beautiful work.” —Smith Henderson, author of Fourth of July Creek “Jordan Farmer’s immense talent shines with the creation of Hollis Bragg, an indelible character at the heart of this perfect ballad to rural West Virginia.” —Devin Murphy, author of The Boat Runner and Tiny Americans “Once in a great while, a book appears that gives voice to multitudes living just beyond our everyday scope. The Poison Flood establishes Jordan Farmer as a writer whose lyricism and unflinching search for truth place him among those artists who carry our deepest concerns and very best possibilities across time. This is a profoundly good book.” —Jonis Agee, author of The Bones of Paradise “A fascinating exploration of character, with a story that captivates with suspense and heart, The Poison Flood is a book about the influence of music, the power of art, and the complexities of luck. Irresistible and original.” —Timothy Schaffert, author of The Swan Gondola

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