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Editorial Content for A Murder in Hollywood

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

When author and filmmaker Michael Crichton passed away in 2008, an enormous hole was left in the world. In recent years, a series of novels that he originally penned using the pseudonym John Lange have been re-released, allowing his longtime readers to dive into work that was markedly different from what he wrote under his own name but still featured his clever storytelling. Read More

Teaser

A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD was originally written in 1973 but never before published. In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs are readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down. From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew --- each one with a very dark secret of their own --- will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed.

Promo

A MURDER IN HOLLYWOOD was originally written in 1973 but never before published. In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs are readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down. From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew --- each one with a very dark secret of their own --- will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed.

About the Book

A new Hollywood mystery thriller, originally written in 1973 by Michael Crichton but never before published, that will keep you guessing until the very end.

In the glitz and decadence of 1970s Hollywood, an era when sex and drugs are readily available on any movie set, the writer of the next Western blockbuster, Bloodrock, has been found dead in his motel bathtub. Now publicist Harvey Jason is desperately trying to keep the project on track while the famed Harlow Perkins, a brilliant and ruthless investigator, begins to unravel the mystery and hunt the killer down.

From scorching-hot desert locations to sleazy motel bars, the members of the cast and crew --- each one with a very dark secret of their own --- will send this case deeper and deeper into a maze of confusion and shadows until the shocking truth is revealed.

Will the murderer be found? 

Or will the true identity of the killer turn out to be just another Hollywood illusion?

Audiobook available, read by Ray Porter

Editorial Content for Seek the Traitor's Son

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Sam Johnson

After soaring in the dystopian genre with her Divergent series, Veronica Roth casts a new post-apocalyptic spell with SEEK THE TRAITOR’S SON. Compelling characters fly between a space station, monasteries and a war-torn Earth, as they clash with swords, arrows and spears, in this first entry of a new fantasy series. Read More

Teaser

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her. She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts. But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy --- her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man with whom, Elegy is told, she will fall in love. In just one day, Elegy’s old life --- her job, her purpose and her future --- is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Promo

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her. She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts. But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy --- her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other…but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man with whom, Elegy is told, she will fall in love. In just one day, Elegy’s old life --- her job, her purpose and her future --- is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

About the Book

This beautiful hardcover deluxe edition features a map, designed endpapers and black sprayed edges.

An epic, romantic dystopian fantasy begins in SEEK THE TRAITOR'S SON from #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth.

Elegy Ahn did not ask for destiny to find her.

She is happy with her life as a soldier, defending her small country from the Talusar, a powerful nation who worships a deadly Fever. A fever that blesses half of its victims with mysterious gifts.

But then she’s summoned to hear a prophecy --- her, and the most ruthless of Talusar generals, Rava Vidar. Brought face to face, they learn that one of them will lead their people to victory over the other...but they don’t know which. And at the center of both of their fates: a man. A man with whom, Elegy is told, she will fall in love.

In just one day, Elegy’s old life --- her job, her purpose and her future --- is over. She and Rava are destined to collide, with the fate of their nations hanging in the balance. And when they do, only one will be left standing.

Elegy intends to make sure it’s her.

Audiobook available; read by Imani Jade Powers, Max Meyers, Rebecca Soler and Steve West

Editorial Content for Robert B. Parker's Booked: A Sunny Randall Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Ray Palen

When a beloved and prolific author the caliber of Robert B. Parker passes away, as he did in 2010, he leaves behind a hole that seemingly cannot be filled, and all the timeless characters he created are left in limbo. That is, until other great writers like Reed Farrel Coleman, Christopher Farnsworth and Mike Lupica pick up the mantle and keep things moving forward. Read More

Teaser

World-famous author Melanie Joan Hall asks for Sunny Randall's help in tracking down Book Babe, the screen name of an enormously popular book reviewer, who has trolled her with a deeply insulting one-star review. This usually wouldn’t matter except that Book Babe has thousands of followers, and her unwarranted blast has Melanie's publisher threatening to pull all her books. But Sunny's investigation reveals that the reviewer and Melanie have a rich history --- in fact, she may even have good reason to hate the torn-up author. And when Book Babe suddenly turns up dead, casting Melanie as a possible suspect, Sunny finds herself in a complicated web that, if she can't untangle fast enough, just might put a target on her back.

Promo

World-famous author Melanie Joan Hall asks for Sunny Randall's help in tracking down Book Babe, the screen name of an enormously popular book reviewer, who has trolled her with a deeply insulting one-star review. This usually wouldn’t matter except that Book Babe has thousands of followers, and her unwarranted blast has Melanie's publisher threatening to pull all her books. But Sunny's investigation reveals that the reviewer and Melanie have a rich history --- in fact, she may even have good reason to hate the torn-up author. And when Book Babe suddenly turns up dead, casting Melanie as a possible suspect, Sunny finds herself in a complicated web that, if she can't untangle fast enough, just might put a target on her back.

About the Book

Boston PI Sunny Randall investigates a popular book critic on a mean streak, only for her to wind up dead, in the latest thriller in Robert B. Parker’s bestselling series.

World-famous author Melanie Joan Hall asks for Sunny Randall's help in tracking down Book Babe, the screen name of an enormously popular book reviewer, who has trolled her with a deeply insulting one-star review. This usually wouldn’t matter except that Book Babe has thousands of followers, and her unwarranted blast has Melanie's publisher threatening to pull all her books.

But Sunny's investigation reveals that the reviewer and Melanie have a rich history --- in fact, she may even have good reason to hate the torn-up author. And when Book Babe suddenly turns up dead, casting Melanie as a possible suspect, Sunny finds herself in a complicated web that, if she can't untangle fast enough, just might put a target on her back.

Audiobook available, read by Kate Burton

Editorial Content for Come Back to the World

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

Catherine Ryan Hyde's thought-provoking novels force readers to consider their lives and their own values and morals. Her latest, COME BACK TO THE WORLD, is filled with quiet retrospection and conversations about life.  Read More

Teaser

Amelia Booker, a journalist and expert in American literature, receives a photograph leading to the possible whereabouts of E. L. Swann, an author who vanished 40 years ago after the success of her first and only novel. In Santa Rosarita, Mexico, Amelia and her seven-year-old son, Jaden, meet the elderly and guarded Ella Steinbach. Prickly and defensive at first, Ella reluctantly concedes the truth about her identity. If not for Ella’s deep affection for the bright and introverted Jaden, she would have found the intrusion unforgivable. Instead, she grants an interview on the condition that Amelia tell no one where E. L. Swann has been found. As days turn into weeks, and Ella reveals more than expected about her past, she and Amelia form a difficult but surprising bond.

Promo

Amelia Booker, a journalist and expert in American literature, receives a photograph leading to the possible whereabouts of E. L. Swann, an author who vanished 40 years ago after the success of her first and only novel. In Santa Rosarita, Mexico, Amelia and her seven-year-old son, Jaden, meet the elderly and guarded Ella Steinbach. Prickly and defensive at first, Ella reluctantly concedes the truth about her identity. If not for Ella’s deep affection for the bright and introverted Jaden, she would have found the intrusion unforgivable. Instead, she grants an interview on the condition that Amelia tell no one where E. L. Swann has been found. As days turn into weeks, and Ella reveals more than expected about her past, she and Amelia form a difficult but surprising bond.

About the Book

A single mother strives to understand the enigma of a reclusive novelist in a poignant novel about belonging, secret lives and the desire to disappear by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Amelia Booker, a journalist and expert in American literature, receives a photograph leading to the possible whereabouts of E. L. Swann, an author who vanished 40 years ago after the success of her first and only novel. It’s too intriguing a literary mystery for Amelia not to follow.

In Santa Rosarita, Mexico, Amelia and her seven-year-old son, Jaden, meet the elderly and guarded Ella Steinbach, known to locals for riding her donkey to market, then retreating from the world again to her hilltop house. Prickly and defensive at first, Ella reluctantly concedes the truth about her identity. If not for Ella’s deep affection for the bright and introverted Jaden, she would have found the intrusion unforgivable. Instead, she grants an interview on the condition that Amelia tell no one where E. L. Swann has been found.

As days turn into weeks, and Ella reveals more than expected about her past, she and Amelia form a difficult but surprising bond. From it comes the realization that the personal struggles we endure determine the necessary choices we make to move forward. But no matter how much Amelia tries to convince her otherwise, E. L. Swann really does wish to be left alone. And only by accepting the author as she is can Amelia maintain the life-changing connection.

Audiobook available, read by Frankie Corzo

Editorial Content for Ike and Winston: World War, Cold War, and an Extraordinary Friendship

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Stuart Shiffman

Writing a biography is reclaiming a person and the world that he or she inhabited to public memory. The events of World War II created an unlimited source of material for biographers who even today are still examining documents hoping to gain and present new insights. The individual subjects and inspirational moments appear to be never-ending. Read More

Teaser

One was the soldier-statesman who would become America’s 34th president. The other was the British icon who refused to surrender in democracy’s darkest hour. Together they launched invasions, toppled tyrants, and shaped the world as the nations they served drifted apart. From world war to the Cold War, from Pearl Harbor to the hydrogen bomb, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower faced down Hitler, Stalin and Khrushchev and stood together in the uneasy dawn of the nuclear age. Through triumph and loss, they forged a remarkable friendship that weathered the decline of an empire and the rise of a superpower.

Promo

One was the soldier-statesman who would become America’s 34th president. The other was the British icon who refused to surrender in democracy’s darkest hour. Together they launched invasions, toppled tyrants, and shaped the world as the nations they served drifted apart. From world war to the Cold War, from Pearl Harbor to the hydrogen bomb, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower faced down Hitler, Stalin and Khrushchev and stood together in the uneasy dawn of the nuclear age. Through triumph and loss, they forged a remarkable friendship that weathered the decline of an empire and the rise of a superpower.

About the Book

From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan W. Jordan comes a riveting portrait of friendship, politics and power at the highest stakes: the extraordinary bond between Dwight Eisenhower and Winston Churchill.

One was the soldier-statesman who would become America’s 34th president. The other was the British icon who refused to surrender in democracy’s darkest hour. Together they launched invasions, toppled tyrants, and shaped the world as the nations they served drifted apart. From world war to the Cold War, from Pearl Harbor to the hydrogen bomb, Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower faced down Hitler, Stalin and Khrushchev and stood together in the uneasy dawn of the nuclear age. Through triumph and loss, they forged a remarkable friendship that weathered the decline of an empire and the rise of a superpower.

Told in rich and gripping detail, drawn from the words of the men themselves, IKE AND WINSTON is a deeply human story of loyalty, leadership and affection --- a kinship forged in war, strained by duty, nurtured in peace.

Audiobook available, read by Will Damron

Editorial Content for Five Weeks in the Country

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Jana Siciliano

“I tried to avoid the occult, but like it or not, I was attuned to the unearthly. Once, staying with a baron and baroness, I woke up screaming when a white shape floated toward me in the night. When I told my hosts, the couple exchanged a freighted look. They had chosen not to believe or to tell me that my bedroom was haunted.” Read More

Teaser

In the summer of 1857, an unusual-looking stranger arrived at Charles Dickens' home. Dickens had met Hans Christian Andersen at a dinner party a decade before and, in a moment of desperation, had invited him to visit. The eccentric Danish author of classic fairy tales outstayed his welcome and alienated the Dickens household, which included nine children. Even the oblivious, obsessively self-conscious Andersen sensed the increasing tension between Dickens and his unhappy wife, Catherine, but was slow to understand --- or to believe --- that Dickens had fallen in love with a young actress appearing in his new play. For Andersen, those five weeks were a series of social mistakes and embarrassments but ultimately a lesson in how life's most humbling experiences can be transformed into art.

Promo

In the summer of 1857, an unusual-looking stranger arrived at Charles Dickens' home. Dickens had met Hans Christian Andersen at a dinner party a decade before and, in a moment of desperation, had invited him to visit. The eccentric Danish author of classic fairy tales outstayed his welcome and alienated the Dickens household, which included nine children. Even the oblivious, obsessively self-conscious Andersen sensed the increasing tension between Dickens and his unhappy wife, Catherine, but was slow to understand --- or to believe --- that Dickens had fallen in love with a young actress appearing in his new play. For Andersen, those five weeks were a series of social mistakes and embarrassments but ultimately a lesson in how life's most humbling experiences can be transformed into art.

About the Book

From the acclaimed, award-winning author of READING LIKE A WRITER and LOVERS AT THE CHAMELEON CLUB, PARIS 1932 comes an utterly original novel inspired by the strange friendship between Charles Dickens and Hans Christian Andersen and set during the summer when Dickens' family life exploded.

In the summer of 1857, when British newspapers warned of an approaching comet about to destroy the earth, an unusual-looking stranger arrived at Charles Dickens's home, Gad's Hill, in the countryside outside London. Dickens had met Hans Christian Andersen at a dinner party, a decade before, and, in a moment of desperation, had invited him to visit.

The visit did not go well. The eccentric Danish author of classic fairy tales outstayed his welcome and alienated the Dickens household, which included nine children. Even the oblivious, obsessively self-conscious Andersen sensed the increasing tension between Dickens and his unhappy wife, Catherine, but was slow to understand --- or to believe --- that Dickens had fallen in love with a young actress appearing in his new play. For Andersen, those five weeks were a series of social mistakes and embarrassments but ultimately a lesson in how life's most humbling experiences can be transformed into art.

FIVE WEEKS IN THE COUNTRY, a work of imaginative fiction inspired by actual events, is Francine Prose at her dazzling best.

Audiobook available, read by Hannah Curtis

Editorial Content for Liar's Creek

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Jack Kramer

Matt Goldman's LIAR’S CREEK strikes us emotionally in ways that mystery novels rarely aim for or achieve. As a matter of fact, its genre may be accurately described as “family novel” or “unusual love story,” as well as “mystery.” The characters are, indeed, filled with love for each other. While they recognize each other's flaws, they're often able to overlook them because of their very touching and warm relationships. Read More

Teaser

Riverwood, Minnesota is a scenic town threaded with trout streams carving their way through limestone bluffs. But beneath its picturesque facade, danger runs rampant. Clay Hawkins isn’t a stranger to the secrets of his hometown. After 20 years away, Clay has recently returned home from abroad with his 12-year-old son, and his relationship with his father, the recently replaced sheriff, is as strained as ever. But when Clay’s beloved uncle disappears, the three generations of Hawkinses must overturn every stone in Riverwood and confront deep familial wounds to find the one person who brings them together. As danger looms, Clay worries that it might be too late to save his uncle --- and that the rest of the family might be next.

Promo

Riverwood, Minnesota is a scenic town threaded with trout streams carving their way through limestone bluffs. But beneath its picturesque facade, danger runs rampant. Clay Hawkins isn’t a stranger to the secrets of his hometown. After 20 years away, Clay has recently returned home from abroad with his 12-year-old son, and his relationship with his father, the recently replaced sheriff, is as strained as ever. But when Clay’s beloved uncle disappears, the three generations of Hawkinses must overturn every stone in Riverwood and confront deep familial wounds to find the one person who brings them together. As danger looms, Clay worries that it might be too late to save his uncle --- and that the rest of the family might be next.

About the Book

From New York Times bestselling author and Emmy Award winner Matt Goldman comes LIAR'S CREEK, which asks how far we'll go to protect the people we love.

Riverwood, Minnesota is a scenic town threaded with trout streams carving their way through limestone bluffs. But beneath its picturesque facade, danger runs rampant.

Clay Hawkins isn’t a stranger to the secrets of his hometown. After 20 years away, Clay has recently returned home from abroad with his 12-year-old son, and his relationship with his father, the recently replaced sheriff, is as strained as ever.

But when Clay’s beloved uncle disappears, the three generations of Hawkinses must overturn every stone in Riverwood and confront deep familial wounds to find the one person who brings them together. As danger looms, Clay worries that it might be too late to save his uncle --- and that the rest of the family might be next.

Audiobook available, read by Fred Berman

Editorial Content for Make Me Better

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

Celia is desperately in need of a change. Thirty-five years old and still childless after multiple miscarriages, barely keeping herself financially afloat through participating in a series of MLM sales schemes, it's hard for her not to view herself as a failure. So when, at a grief group, Celia meets a young pregnant woman, Adelaide, who has a very different outlook on life and loss, she is both temporarily reassured and intrigued. Read More

Teaser

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family --- to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost. Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef, she will find herself. She’s ready to be healed. She’s ready to be transformed. She's ready to believe.

Promo

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family --- to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost. Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef, she will find herself. She’s ready to be healed. She’s ready to be transformed. She's ready to believe.

About the Book

Sarah Gailey's MAKE ME BETTER is an eerily seductive look at the desire for community connection and self-improvement --- and the darkest places inside us all. Urgent and yet timeless, this read is perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson, Ari Aster and Patricia Highsmith.

An exclusive invitation.
A remote island infamous for its miraculous ecology.
A once-in-a-lifetime chance to fix everything that's broken.
But sometimes growth requires sacrifice.

WELCOME TO KINDRED COVE.

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family --- to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost.

Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef, she will find herself.

She’s ready to be healed. She’s ready to be transformed.

She's ready to believe.

Audiobook available, read by Xe Sands

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth

May 2026

When I tell you that I think MAD MABEL is Sally Hepworth’s best book, I am saying that after having devoured everything she has written.  

Here we have an older protagonist, Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, who is 81 years old and definitively grumpy. Elsie is the neighbor whom people watch and tell their children to be quiet around. She’s living in a Melbourne suburb where she minds her own business until a neighbor is found dead. 

There’s a reason that Elsie keeps more to herself than most. She has something of a history to her. Years ago she was known as Mad Mabel Waller, and she had the honor --- or onerous distinction --- of being Australia’s youngest convicted killer. 

Last One Out by Jane Harper

May 2026

Jane Harper’s LAST ONE OUT is set in Carralon Ridge in rural New South Wales. More than a decade ago, a mining company discovers what they want on the border of the town. Slowly they have encroached on the property around it, and much of the town has been bought up by them as they expand. It’s not just the riches below the ground that the company is looking for, but rather the ability to build roads and easily facilitate their business. 

The hum of the mining mission is behind the entire story like a character. The noise is relentless and the dust ever present, as are memories of the places that are both fresh and buried.