NextReads

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updated: 6/3/2026
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New to this List
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty – 8/25/26
The Boat House by Fern Michaels – 8/25/26
Brona by Terry Brooks – 8/25/26
Deceptions by Jeffrey Deaver – 8/4/26
Delusional by James Patterson – 8/17/26
Dreamland by Olivie Blake – 8/11/26
Embrace by Bal Khabra – 8/4/26 
God's Country by William Kent Kruegar  – 8/18/26 
Immortal Rose by Alexandra Bracken – 8/18/26
My Sister is Going to Kill Me by Nina Simon – 8/18/26
Not a Word by Linwood Barclay – 8/25/26
Promise Me Never by Liv Constantine – 8/18/26
The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes – 8/18/26
The Secrets We Hide by Karin Slaughter – 8/11/26
The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen – 8/25/26
These Ancient Bones by Heather Graham – 8/25/26 
The True Meaning of Love by Danielle Steel – 8/11/26
The Unknown by Riley Sager – 8/4/26
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen – 8/4/26
You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner – 8/4/26 
Table of Contents
New Releases: August 2026
New Releases July 2026
New Releases: June 2026
New Releases: May 2026
New Releases: August 2026
Big Little Truths by Liane Moriarty
Big Little Truths
by Liane Moriarty

FROM THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF BIG LITTLE LIES, THE RUNAWAY PHENOMENON THAT INSPIRED THE MEGAHIT HBO SERIES In this highly anticipated sequel, Liane Moriarty examines the complexities of modern women's lives, shining light on family dynamics and long-hidden truths with wit and compassion. Whether you've read Big Little Lies or not, this is the perfect novel for longtime fans and new readers alike. Equal parts juicy, gripping, and impossible to put down . . . I loved diving back into the lives of these unforgettable characters.­--Freida McFadden, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Housemaid The last time we saw the women of Big Little Lies--Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie--their children were five years old. If someone wasn't invited to a birthday party, feelings were hurt. But ten years have passed and the kids are in high school, navigating all of the drama that accompanies teendom (goodbye playdates, hello drugs, sex, and alcohol). When the high school principal receives a threatening package in the mail, word quickly spreads throughout the community and parents are in an uproar. But Madeline, Celeste, Jane, Renata, and Bonnie have other things to worry about. Celeste's mother-in-law, Mary Louise, is behaving oddly--is it old-age forgetfulness and bluntness or something more sinister? Madeline is facing perhaps the biggest challenge of her life, Jane is at a dangerous fork in her marriage, Bonnie has realized there's only so much solace in yoga. And Renata? Renata is living her best life--revenge is sweet. When a stranger begins lurking around the school asking supposedly innocent questions, this tightly connected group of women must finally face the full repercussions of the big little truths they have and haven't shared with their kids. Because the stakes are now much higher than not being invited to an ice-skating party--and the ice has never been thinner for any of them.
The Boat House by Fern Michaels
The Boat House
by Fern Michaels

Running their inherited marina in a quirky, picturesque New Jersey shore town, siblings Madison and Lincoln Wainright discover what could be a map to Captain Kidd's lost treasure in this fresh, adventure-filled Twin Lights novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels. An unexpected inheritance from their late uncle brought Madison (Taylor) Wainwright and her brother Lincoln to Smuggler's Cove. But it's the quirky, close-knit locals who've convinced them to stay for the summer. The little town may be worlds away from the privileged existence the siblings knew before their father was arrested for fraud, but here, they've found a sense of belonging. After renovating the dilapidated boat house that once served as a local marina for crabbers and clammers, Madison and Lincoln are settling in for a true Jersey Shore summer, complete with the town's famous Seafood Festival. Visitors love learning about the area's history--the tales of pirates and privateers, cryptic maps and buried treasure. Those stories seem like harmless fantasy until a seemingly worthless map is stolen from their boathouse. Could their uncle's rudimentary map show the true location of Captain Kidd's treasure? Or was there another, more sinister motive behind the theft? As Madison and Lincoln dig deeper, they learn that the legends underpinning Smuggler's Cove's history may also have the power to tear it apart, unless they can quickly separate fiction from fact, and guilty from innocent...
Brona: The First Druids of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Brona: The First Druids of Shannara
by Terry Brooks

Return to the world of Shannara with the sequel to Galaphile, and discover how the seeds of the greatest evil that the Four Lands has ever known inadvertently grew out of Galaphiles dream for peace--from the New York Times bestselling authors Terry Brooks and Delilah S. Dawson. Years have passed since Galaphile Joss and his life partner, Nirianne, established Paranor as a way to bring harmony to the Four Lands. Now their two sons are becoming men in a land of peace and plenty. Admittedly, it is a land that their eldest child, Abronja, finds rather boring. At sixteen, he longs for a way to prove himself--a chance to show he is every bit the equal of his famous father. But when the excitement he has been longing for materializes, it is in the form of an old evil: a dark sorcerer whom his father had defeated but not destroyed. And who is now back, stronger and deadlier than ever. Galaphile has always dreaded this wicked resurgence--and not just because of what it means for the wider world. Abronja was conceived while the dark sorcerer had control of Nirianne, and Galaphile has always feared that a spark of malevolence lives on in his beloved child. Abronja, for his part, is certain he will never be corrupted by evil. He is fully committed to his fathers vision for peace and is determined to make his name by finally destroying the monster that has targeted his family. But tangling with dark magic is not a thing to be taken lightly--especially for a young man as yet untested in the ways of the world. And when the repercussions of this encounter could have consequences for centuries to come . . .
Deceptions by Jeffery Deaver
Deceptions
by Jeffery Deaver

The New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense returns with a devious collection, featuring two never-before published stories in which fan favorites Colter Shaw, adapted for TV (CBS's Tracker, starring Justin Hartley), and Lincoln Rhyme are united by the layers of deception taking over New York City. A murder at a crime writers' conference. The method is entirely literary, the motive seems obvious--but can the detective who was first on the scene puzzle out what needs reading between the lines? A brilliant sleuth, obsessed with Sherlock Holmes's mysteries, turns his attention to a serial killer stalking the streets of New York City. But as his deductions bring him closer to his prey, he starts to wonder who is really doing the hunting. A mysterious woman has gone into hiding and Colter Shaw is tasked with bringing her to a safe house. But with a hitman on his trails, the race toward safety takes on a whole new meaning. A serial killer with a motive never before seen in the history of crime challenges Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs to rethink everything they know about the nature of evil--and the evidence its perpetrators leave at the scenes. No stranger to the cat-and-mouse chase or our favorite twists and turns, Jeffery Deaver brings his chops to Deceptions, where every story unearths trickery and the truths that lie buried deep under.
Delusional: A Michael Bennett Thriller by James Patterson
Delusional: A Michael Bennett Thriller
by James Patterson

Detective Michael Bennett and army-sniper-turned-NYPD-officer Rob Trilling travel to Montana to investigate a case that crosses state borders and family lines. In New York City, a series of deadly bombs explodes. Across the river, a military base is burglarized for munitions. In Montana, violence and arson rock a small town outside of Bozeman. Are the incidents related? Bennett, Trilling, and the ATF investigate. A single-minded group angry with the government keep turning up in unexpected places, insisting that they're only trying to make the world a better place. To law enforcement, their claims seem delusional. Will words or gunpowder light the next fuse?
Dreamland by Olivie Blake
Dreamland
by Olivie Blake

DELUXE EDITION--a beautiful hardcover edition featuring sprayed edges, a designed case stamp, and fully illustrated color endpapers. From New York Times bestselling author Olivie Blake comes a tantalizing story of power, seduction, and the omens you'll ignore when everything you've dreamed of feels just within reach. The headlines are calling it the summer of exsanguination in LA--girls are being murdered, the Santa Ana winds are blowing a strange energy into the city, and all signs point to fire season. More pressing for Anya Morris, though, is the drudgery of living at home, working part time at the family store, and contending with her mother's disdain for the acting career Anya knows she's destined for but that feels more impossible by the day. It's in this suffocating late summer heat that Anya receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an invitation to work for the de Witt family, one of LA's most influential film dynasties. Soon, she's spending her days and nights at their strange villa high in the Hollywood Hills, where she meets Jude, a recluse who is both the family's heir apparent and its most closely guarded secret. There's a magnetism to Jude that Anya cannot resist, despite warning signs that scream like sirens in the night. Because the villa holds generations of bloodstained history, and an occult family curse may even live within its walls--or within Jude himself. In this city, everyone cuts a deal with the devil. When Anya comes face to face with a devil of her own, she'll learn just how far she's willing to go to get everything she's ever wanted.
Embrace by Bal Khabra
Embrace
by Bal Khabra

An unexpected spark between a hockey player and the coach's daughter might cause them to cross the line in the next Dalton University book from international bestselling author Bal Khabra. Kian Ishida is all about parties, hockey, and living in the moment. But when he realizes he's headed to the NHL without his degree, his late dad's one wish for him, he's determined to make up those last few credits. Desperate for help, he joins a study group led by none other than Scarlett Kilner. She's as gorgeous as she is smart. Too bad he doesn't know yet that she's his coach's daughter. After making a reputation for herself, all Scarlett wants for her senior year is to prove she's more than her mistakes and graduate without tarnishing her well-respected father's name. But when Kian Ishida, one of her dad's star hockey players, joins her study group, things get complicated. As Scarlett helps Kian, their study sessions turn into something more--stolen glances, lingering touches, and a connection neither of them expected. Kian has to decide what's more important: the dream he's worked for his whole life or the girl he never saw coming.
God's Country by William Kent Krueger
God's Country
by William Kent Krueger

From the New York Times bestselling author of The River We Remember, a new mystery in the wildly popular Cork O'Connor series. Cork O'Connor, preparing for a family trip into the Boundary Waters, is troubled by ominous visions about his future. Ignoring the warnings, he uncovers signs of violence while searching for his missing friend, Cordell Bishop. Soon, he is forced to negotiate with dangerous criminals, the Kennedy brothers, who are seeking their late father's hidden stash. Facing escalating danger and difficult choices, Cork grapples with his darkest instincts as he helps others escape and eventually takes justice into his own hands. God's Country is an action-packed thrill ride that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Immortal Rose (Deluxe Limited Edition) by Alexandra Bracken
Immortal Rose (Deluxe Limited Edition)
by Alexandra Bracken

This deluxe limited hardcover edition features beautiful stenciled edges and illustrated endpapers --available on the first printing only From Alexandra Bracken, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lore, comes a stunningly original adult fantasy, the first in a duology. Set in a sumptuous world ruled by magical perfume, this achingly romantic, slow-burn love story will shatter your heart and leave you breathless. Members of the ancient House Rosebourne have a strange gift born of a fairy ancestor: the ability to infuse fragrance with magic capable of manipulating mind, body, and emotion.When a shocking murder leaves the kingdom of Albion vulnerable to a coup, royal spymaster Hugh Thornton seeks the one person who can help: Viola Lockhart, the last living Rosebourne and secret heir to a fraught legacy.Livid at the silver-eyed aristocrat who had her thrown in jail to force her compliance, Viola nevertheless comes to an agreement with him. In exchange for crafting Immortal Rose, the singular perfume capable of saving Albion, illegitimate Viola can seize the life--and fortune--that should have been hers.As Hugh and Viola race to find the perfume's lost fairy ingredient, hidden deep in Albion's dark underbelly, neither can deny the scorching attraction building between them--especially as the attempts on Viola's life grow increasingly brazen.But a terrible truth lurks in the heart notes of their kingdom--and while every bargain has a cost, Immortal Rose may demand more than Hugh and Viola can ever pay.
My Sister Is Going to Kill Me by Nina Simon
My Sister Is Going to Kill Me
by Nina Simon

From the New York Times bestselling author of the runaway hit Mother-Daughter Murder Night, a Reese's Book Club pick, comes another fun, family-centered whodunnit about two sisters who work together to find a killer as they raft down the rapids of the Grand Canyon.What's a family vacation without a little murder?Liv and Mandy Chisholm's yearly sister trip is a sacred tradition, an attempt to bond as their lives increasingly diverge. Liv, the ever-practical older sister, packs the color-coded itineraries. Mandy, a bedazzled human tumbleweed, brings the spontaneity.This year, the sisters take off for a rafting adventure through the breathtaking depths of the Grand Canyon with a group of strangers. But beyond the terrors of whitewater rapids, sibling squabbles, and rogue reptiles, the ferocious beauty of the river carries a darker undercurrent, and an unexpected guest: a murderer in their midst.When a fellow traveler is found dead and another corpse hits the water, the rafting trip flips from idyllic sister vacation to high-stakes murder investigation. Every suspect has a secret, every clue is drenched in mystery, and Liv and Mandy can hardly trust each other, let alone their own instincts. With the river raging and danger around every bend, the Chisholm sisters must work together to catch a killer--and keep their relationship from capsizing--before it's too late.
Not a Word by Linwood Barclay
Not a Word
by Linwood Barclay

In the latest chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a man's world is upended after he stumbles upon a grisly crime scene in the family home. Every family has secrets, but when Reece visits his parents' house, he's shocked to find them in bed, dead. At first glance it looks like a murder-suicide perpetrated by his father, but on closer inspection there's clearly more to the story. For starters, inconsistencies in the crime scene suggest his dad may not have shot himself. As Reece, shaken by his horrifying discovery, awaits questioning from the police, his phone lights up with a call. It's the last person he ever would have expected to hear from. Reeling from the day's events, Reece finds himself questioning everything he thought he knew about his parents--and whether he and his own family are in danger now. While the authorities work to untangle the baffling crime scene, Reece is pulled into a web of secrets linked to the unscrupulous pharma company his father worked for years ago. In order to protect the people he loves most, he'll have to dig deep into his own past to understand who his parents were, what they did, and who they hurt--before he ends up paying for their sins.
Promise Me Never by LIV Constantine
Promise Me Never
by LIV Constantine

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Next Mrs. Parrish comes an unmissable thriller about a woman who becomes embroiled in the mystery of her husband's deceased first wife--and after moving to his remote house in the woods, uncovers terrifying secrets. Aspiring writer Savannah's scheme to meet superstar horror novelist Bennett Bryson turns out better than she ever imagined: not only does her charming and handsome literary idol offer to read her work, he is instantly smitten with her. After a whirlwind romance, Savannah says yes to marriage, and the two settle into Bennett's secluded upstate home. But just as Savannah thinks she has it made, cracks appear in her perfect new life. Bennett's behavior becomes dark and controlling: he criticizes Savannah's writing, dictates her permitted activities, and spends most of his time locked in his office, forbidding her from entering. And everywhere, Savannah cannot escape the shadow of Bennett's first wife, the free-spirited and passionate artist Poppy, who died in a tragic accident, but who seems still to be Savannah's rival for Bennett's affection. Then comes an enigmatic warning: Bennett is not who he seems. The women that came before Savannah have disappeared. And Savannah could be next. Isolated and unsure whom to trust, Savannah tries to piece together the mystery of the man she married, and the woman he married first. But Savannah has no idea what her husband is really hiding. And someone out there knows Savannah has secrets of her own. As these two writers will learn the hard way--past really is prologue. With memorably complicated characters, deliciously devious betrayals, and truly shocking twists, this edge-of-your-seat novel from one of today's most original writers will keep you guessing until the last page.
The Secret Dinner by Raphael Montes
The Secret Dinner
by Raphael Montes

The internationally acclaimed #1 bestselling thriller, now in EnglishThis rollercoaster of a novel is highly imaginative and totally unique. I devoured it -- no pun intended -- in one sitting. By turns gory, shocking, macabre and often very funny, you won't be able to put it down. Just be grateful you're not on the menu... --Alex Michaelides #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent PatientFour childhood friends, eager for a taste of city life, swap rural Brazil for an apartment in Copacabana, Rio. But they have no idea of the fate that awaits them there. . . .Dante, Piglet, Miguel, and Hugo are your average students trying to make ends meet with part-time jobs, excited about the bright futures at their fingertips. So when their rent skyrockets, they struggle to keep their new lives and big dreams afloat. They need to make money however they can. In order to keep their apartment, the friends adopt an unorthodox plan and are soon sucked into a dark world of secret dinner parties catering to the twisted fantasies of Rio's elite.What starts as a joke quickly spirals out of their control. As the four friends fall deeper into this dark underworld and earn more money, the stakes get higher and the consequences deadlier, revealing the devious depths that lurk within each of them and threatening not only their friendship but also their lives.
The Secrets We Hide: A North Falls Thriller by Karin Slaughter
The Secrets We Hide: A North Falls Thriller
by Karin Slaughter

The next thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Good Daughter and the Will Trent Series.Welcome to North Falls. A small town with big secrets...1601 Iris Drive looks like any other house on the quiet, residential street. But rumors are rampant about the Vickery family, and what goes on behind closed doors.When gunshots ring out, Sheriff Emmy Clifton and her sister, ex-federal agent Jude Archer, discover a devastating crime scene. Allison Vickery has been murdered in her own kitchen, and her teenage daughter is bleeding upstairs, left for dead.Everyone thinks they know what happened. But secrets are buried everywhere in this small town.And it's up to Emmy Clifton to uncover the truth...
The Shadow Friends: A Thriller by Tess Gerritsen
The Shadow Friends: A Thriller
by Tess Gerritsen

From New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen comes a harrowing and emotional thriller where ghosts of the Cold War return with a vengeance--and cannot be outrun.When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.Desperate to uncover the truth, Ingrid's drawn back into the game by a magnetic ex-CIA colleague--and former lover--who was with her on the long-ago doomed mission. He convinces her to join him, and together they head to Amsterdam to track down her would-be killer.Ingrid's frantic husband Lloyd and Maggie Bird are close behind, but a clandestine network of assassins is intent on stopping them. Forced to question every allegiance, the Martini Club must rely on the skills they tried to leave behind. Because in this game of revenge and deception, the past never dies--it just hides in the shadows.
These Ancient Bones by Heather Graham
These Ancient Bones
by Heather Graham

The X-Files meets Dan Brown in this suspenseful tale of dark magic, ancient curses, and modern murder, as two agents with unusual talents investigate a series of sensational crimes in the historic city of St. Augustine, Florida. The case is sensational. Whistle-blower investigative journalist George Maynard has been killed in his St. Augustine home, his body so badly burned the morgue is needed to verify his identity. Paranormal investigator Shelly Mahoney has been transferred to a special unit to help law enforcement. Off the books, the unit is called the Krewe of Hunters and deals with strange cases. At the murder scene with federal agent Grant Markham, Shelly makes an odd discovery: a stone etched with what appears to be a curse that invokes flames. If Shelly can use her ability to summon the dead--providing they have remained behind--she may unearth what happened. Grant, too, has an unique ability. By holding the hand of the recently deceased, he can see what has happened to them. Yet in this case, neither of their gifts is of any help. As they set out to question those who might have had a motive, they also study ancient curse tablets--often used in the Greco-Roman world to cause death or warfare. What ensues is a shocking discovery by the medical examiner and a search that takes the team to Italy where a similar murder may reveal the creators of the mystical tablets--made deadly with a little human assistance. But soon, the danger is closer than ever--because the target is Shelly . . .
The True Meaning of Love by Danielle Steel
The True Meaning of Love
by Danielle Steel

An uplifting new novel from Danielle Steel, whose countless #1 New York Times bestselling novels have made her one of America's favorite storytellers.
The Unknown by Riley Sager
The Unknown
by Riley Sager

In 1926, five women disappeared from a remote island in Vermont. Now, one hundred years later, it's happening again. Struggling actress Marin Keane is shocked when she lands a role in a major motion picture about the unsolved mystery of New Avalon, an island on sprawling Lake Faraday in Vermont. She's even more surprised when she learns that the role requires a weeklong research trip to that very spot. Because New Avalon isn't your ordinary island. A century ago, it was a commune for spiritual mediums--until they all vanished in 1926. The only trace of them was five dresses hanging from the branches of an old oak tree in the middle of the island, one for each missing woman. Some locals say they simply left. Others think they were murdered. But the prevailing opinion, thanks to a diary left behind by one of the vanished, a young woman named Daisy Rue, is that a s ance gone wrong conjured something supernatural that took them all one by one. Not long after arriving, Marin and her castmates, including legendary actress Violet Wright and white-hot director Ronan Peters, begin to realize all is not right with New Avalon. They hear strange noises in the night and notice mysterious symbols left behind by the island's previous occupants. And after a sudden health emergency leaves Marin, Ronan, and the other actors stranded on the island, the disappearances begin again. Is it the work of someone trying to derail the movie? Or is the island's alleged supernatural past catching up with the present? As fear and suspicion mount, Marin turns to Daisy's diary, hoping it holds the key to figuring out what really happened to the women of New Avalon--and how to keep the island's terrible history from repeating itself.
The Women in White by Sarah Pekkanen
The Women in White
by Sarah Pekkanen

The next thriller from #1 bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen combines a decades-old mystery with spine-tingling paranormal elements in this twisty novel of the seen and unseen. Extrasensory perception.The Gift.A Sixth Sense.Or something else.... In 1964, four remarkable young women at a prestigious university became the subjects of parapsychology experiments by a visionary scientist. On the cusp of a historic breakthrough, the women mysteriously vanished and the program was erased from history. Decades later, Riley Bell, newly divorced and desperate for a fresh start, accepts a caretaker job for an elderly widow named Betty. Riley steps into a home that is frozen in another era - no microwave, television, or cell phones, and Betty has never heard of the internet. Why has Betty lived in such profound isolation for so many years, and why does she need Riley now? As the story unfolds across two timelines - Betty's 1960s era of 5 o'clock martinis and high-stakes experiments, and Riley's quest to uncover the truth about the missing women - old secrets rise to the surface. And the only way to survive is to confront the mystery that has lingered for sixty years.
You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner
You'll Be Sorry
by Lisa Gardner

From a master storyteller comes a chilling, gripping standalone (Lisa Jewell): A newlywed couple each with their own secrets. An abandoned lodge with a horrific decades-old mystery. And a small mountain town where everyone believes they know their neighbors...except they don't. For Raquel and Theo Collins, it appeared to be love at first sight. Raquel, a renowned interior designer, and Theo, a brash financial wizard met and married in a matter of months, only to confront a terrible tragedy. Now, unbearably aware of the distance between them, they've come to a remote town in New Hampshire to begin anew. Perched on a ledge with stunning views, the Dixon's family lodge was once a crown jewel of the mountains. Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for thirty years. Now, its latest occupants, the Collinses, are arriving, and the former grand lodge is once more stirring to life. For Amanda Grady, following in her father's footsteps as the recently appointed Shereford police chief, it's good to see a fresh start for the derelict Dixon place. However, not everyone is happy about a new family in the old home and its hidden past may have returned with a vengeance. When a stray dog leads to the discovery of a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive. Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. The local residents, the new neighbors, and the fledgling police chief must work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or... You'll be sorry.
New Releases July 2026
Cool Machine by Colson Whitehead
Cool Machine
by Colson Whitehead

From #1 New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer winner Colson Whitehead, an exuberantly entertaining novel that brings to life 1980s New York in the magnificent final volume of his Harlem Trilogy

1981. New York City is beginning to emerge from financial ruin and decline, energized by rampant real estate development and a Wall Street unchained by Reagan-era predatory capitalism. Up in Harlem, successful business owner/master fence Ray Carney has just been named Sterling Furniture’s Dealer of the Month. When the banks won’t give his beloved wife Elizabeth a loan for her new travel agency, however, Carney gambles on one last heist, and finds himself entangled with a legendary criminal mastermind.

1983. To some, Carney’s friend and partner in crime, Pepper, is a stone-cold sociopath. To others, a top thief with questionable people skills. Either way, he’s feeling his age in his troubled gut and his aching bones. When he takes on a bodyguard gig as a favor to Elizabeth, he’s plunged into the alien territory of the East Village art and club scene. Luckily for him, whether you’re uptown or down, everyone speaks the same language of violence—Pepper is a native speaker.

1986. Carney has always been haunted by his inability to save his cousin Freddie. Now, twenty years after Freddie’s death, he has a chance to rescue Freddie’s son from the violent forces of the city. But coming out of retirement and teaming up with Pepper again will mean risking the safety and security he’s spent decades building for his family, with only one shot to get it right.

With his usual pitch-perfect prose, Whitehead paints a portrait of a city in transition, where shimmering skyscrapers rise to the heavens as displaced people huddle in abandoned tunnels below. In a dazzling display of protean imagination, 
Cool Machine roves all over the city, from Windows on the World to the Meadowlands, to show that in New York, and in the lives of Whitehead’s vivid characters, it’s what’s below the surface that reveals the truth.
Country People by Daniel Mason
Country People
by Daniel Mason

A year in the life of a family as they strike out into the unknown (aka Vermont), leaving all the comforts of home behind—a rollicking, lyrical novel from Pulitzer Prize finalist Daniel Mason, the bestselling author of North Woods and one of America’s greatest living writers

Miles Krzelewski is a devoted husband, a doting father beloved for his outlandish bedtime stories, and the proud owner of a truffle-hunting dog in a land with no truffles. He is also a bit lost, twelve years late with his PhD on Russian folktales and increasingly haunted by a sense that he’s become a disappointment to his family. So when his wife, Kate, accepts a visiting professorship at a prestigious college in the faraway forests of Vermont, he decides that this will be the year to finally move forward with his life.

But Miles is a man of many enthusiasms, one who possesses, in Kate’s words, a great capacity “to fall in with anyone, anywhere.” And no sooner does he arrive than he finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colorful as those of any of his folktales, from a ghostly tree surgeon to a scythe-mad biochemist, from a Shakespearean temptress to a photographer of snowflakes obsessed with chronicling, on thousands of index cards, the world’s delusions in an Inventory of Wrong Ideas.

The new friends, the enchanted woods, the histories: sure, no PhD, but all good fun. Until Miles stumbles upon a bizarre—perhaps ridiculous—local legend, which, he soon suspects, might not be just a legend after all.

Joyous, absurd, and life-affirming, 
Country People is a luminous exploration of marriage and parenthood, the nature of belief and the power of stories, and the ways in which we find connection in an increasingly fragmented world.
The Country Road Murders: A Thriller by James Patterson
The Country Road Murders: A Thriller
by James Patterson

After a shocking accident, Silas Tucker's legendary football career is suddenly over in this action-packed sports thriller powered by loyalty, competition, and family. Humbled, but never defeated, he returns to his backwoods hometown, Cross Rivers, North Carolina, where his father was murdered. He goes back to what's left of his family and their small, struggling farm. He reunites with his best friend in the world--Taylor McCarter Webb, who is now married. Then Silas is pulled into a deadly battle with the Southern Mafia who control drugs, trafficking and murder. As the suspense crescendos, Silas follows one rule for survival: you don't ride these country roads alone, or in the dead of night.
Getting Away with Murder by Shari Lapena
Getting Away with Murder
by Shari Lapena

The tenth thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door Getting Away with Murder is a deviously delicious thriller that kept me turning pages from the intense opening to the shocking conclusion. --Freida McFadden Shari Lapena is far and away one of the best psychological thriller writers in the world. . . She is intensely bingeable. --Lisa Jewell Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. It is their sanctuary. So when Ted's inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle? The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member--from whom they stand to inherit millions--could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder. As long as they trust each other.As long as neither makes a mistake.As long as there are no surprises...
Habits of the Sea by Shea Ernshaw
Habits of the Sea
by Shea Ernshaw

A new adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child—and the man she once met who apparently hasn’t aged.

The night Clay Lockhart’s wife dies, a violent storm tears their home—and the eight hectares of land beneath it—away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.

When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, the island resurfaces—and Ellie, now in her thirties, returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even stranger: Clay hasn’t aged a single day.

Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved—and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.

With her signature atmospheric, lyrical prose, Shea Ernshaw offers us an original work of folklore with a masterful modern touch. A haunting tale, 
Habits of the Sea spans centuries and coastlines, journeys through time and memory, and redefines the very meaning of love itself.
The Half Life by Rachel Beanland
The Half Life
by Rachel Beanland

From the author of Florence Adler Swims Forever and The House Is on Fire, a novel set on a remote Italian island about a navy wife's reckoning with power, love, and the price of staying silent in the Atomic Age. A captivating, whip-smart novel about love, loyalty, and a woman torn between two lives. I utterly adored it. --Clare Leslie Hall, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Country When twenty-three-year-old Eileen O'Malley meets charismatic naval officer Paul Archer in a Charleston department store, she doesn't expect to fall so hard, so fast. But Paul is funny and ambitious, and soon, Eileen's got a ring on her finger and is following him to the tiny, sun-drenched Mediterranean island of La Maddalena, where Paul will be heading up Radiological Controls aboard a submarine tender. In La Maddalena, Eileen joins a makeshift community of navy wives who are hell-bent on making the island feel a little more like home. But for Eileen, whose brother died in Vietnam, home is a loaded word, and as she settles into life on the island--taking Italian lessons and learning to make culurgiones--she begins to love the place for all the ways it is not like where she comes from. Still, it doesn't take long for Eileen to be confronted with the complexities of being an American abroad. The decision to send nuclear-powered subs into the La Maddalena Archipelago was a contentious one, and the U.S. government is doing whatever it can to ensure that the island--not to mention all of Italy--doesn't go communist in the next election. When Italian activists and scientists begin to sound the alarm about possible nuclear contamination in the water, the island erupts in a series of protests, made worse by the ongoing mishaps of the U.S. Navy. Soon, Eileen's marriage falters and her loyalties begin to shift as she is drawn into a web of secrets--and to a local journalist who forces her to imagine a life beyond the one she's been handed. Atmospheric, sexy, and quietly defiant, The Half Life is a story of love, complicity, and awakening--of one woman forced to choose between loyalty to her husband and country and to the Italian locals who show her the high cost of American exceptionalism.
Helpless by Jessica Knoll
Helpless
by Jessica Knoll

From the New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and Bright Young Women comes a smoldering erotic thriller with a singular, mind-bending ending. It's been twelve years since Faye Heron broke Henry Spalding's heart. Henry was her college boyfriend, her first love, but Faye was in danger of being subsumed by him and the intensity of their connection--a connection that took her beyond boundaries she'd only dreamed of crossing. Now, Faye is one half of a power-producing duo with her Hollywood husband. Henry is a married father running the family business. On the surface, both of their lives have essentially gone to plan. When a former and beloved college professor suddenly passes away, Faye and Henry find themselves back on campus for the funeral, circling something old and dangerous. Something, if Faye is honest with herself, she has been trying to duplicate for years. But Henry is one of a kind. The kind who delivers a hypnotic apology for the way things ended. The kind who suggests they go back to the hotel for a drink. The kind who drugs and kidnaps her. When Faye comes to Henry's remote mountain cabin, she's beside herself. Has Henry brought her here to punish her? She did, after all, write and star in a lauded episode of television based on their indelicate appetites and vicious breakup. As her week of captivity unfolds, Henry's wanton demands intensify, and Faye finds herself pulled back into his irresistible gravity. But as Faye and Henry spiral into their old dynamic, a sprawling, years-old mystery begins to take shape--one that will rewrite history as Faye remembers it and reveal an astounding, cataclysmic truth.
Hot Girl Murder Club by Ashley Winstead
Hot Girl Murder Club
by Ashley Winstead

From national bestselling author Ashley Winstead comes a buzzy, bloody new thriller about success, sisterhood, and demanding justice...by any means necessary. What's a girl got to do to get some fame, a few million record sales, and justice for murder? Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia's mysterious death at a Hollywood party, Scout's done her best to honor her memory, clawing her way through the industry and collecting a network of climbers along the way, fellow hot girls in stilettos with cutthroat ambition, a new Hollywood order. But when a slew of targeted murders makes headlines across L.A., all pointing to Scout as the killer, she turns overnight from a mid-tier pop star into the world's most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she's worked to build--including the justice she wants for Georgia--will fall apart unless Scout can prove she's not guilty. Meanwhile, the young and unusual detective assigned to her case, herself no stranger to tragedy, begins to unearth secrets not even Scout knows, let alone her millions of new fans. Particularly about the ways Georgia's death connects to an even older pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood--an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.
In Stormy Weather by Chelsea Curto
In Stormy Weather
by Chelsea Curto

From bestselling indie author Chelsea Curto comes an academic rivals-to-lovers romance about storm-chasing meteorologists during hurricane season in Florida—perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood and B.K. Borison.

Nothing can rain on Quincy Monroe’s parade. She’s a woman in STEM with a PhD in atmospheric sciences, the host of a successful online weather show, and has one million followers on her meteorology Instagram.

Quincy has spent endless hours forging her path in this male-dominated field, becoming one of the best in the industry. And with a new job opportunity, nothing can derail her success. Except for the ill-timed arrival of Sebastian Dunn.

Sebastian is her best friend’s brother, her longtime academic and professional rival, and a flashy TV weatherman from New York City that everyone swoons over. Everyone but Quincy.

Over a scorching Florida summer and record-breaking hurricane season, Sebastian and Quincy are forced into close proximity. Setting aside their grudges to chase storms and stay alive is one thing, but can they weather the inevitable collision of their hearts?
The Intrigue by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Intrigue
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic and Velvet Was the Night comes a sizzling noir about desire, danger, and greed, in which seduction is the ultimate con.

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, People, Book Riot, Southern Living

Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters in order to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won’t last forever, and he’s desperate to get his hands on a real fortune.

He thinks he’s found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn’t expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt’s household.

When Inés discovers Ulises’s true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They’ll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast, and clean. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained for. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated.

Venture into the streets of a small town where a patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust.
A Life So True by Tracie Peterson
A Life So True
by Tracie Peterson

Evie Turner is determined to work at her father's hospital but dreads her future nursing career. When she meets businessman Max Garrison, who fears his father plans to commit a crime, they share their secrets. When they fear the worst as a devastating fire engulfs local factories, can they make a life together amid the ashes of deception?
Love You More by Emily Giffin
Love You More
by Emily Giffin

A woman is newly engaged to a man she adores when she receives a call from her first love with news that shatters her carefully ordered world, in this emotionally powerful novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Pact. Billie has built the perfect life. Her medical practice in New York City is thriving, and she's finally found the right partner in Dean after years spent trying to move on from her high-school sweetheart, Mick. Their young love had been intense and true, but distance and ambition pulled them apart when she left Wisconsin for medical school. Then one morning, just after she's accepted Dean's romantic marriage proposal, Billie's phone rings. It's Mick--calling for the first time in nearly a decade. His news is urgent and in a moment, everything changes. As Billie boards a plane back to Wisconsin, her past comes rushing in--her hometown friendships, the love she and Mick shared, and the choices that shaped them all. What awaits her is a reckoning with what she's lost, what she's built, and what she still wants. Gripping and deeply moving, Love You More is a story about the plot twists life throws at us--and how love, in all its forms, has the power to change everything.
Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel
Meet Me in Paris
by Kristin Harmel

Kristin Harmel, the New York Times bestselling author who “is the best there is at sweeping historical drama” (Kelly Harms, author of The Seven Day Switch), returns with a captivating new novel about several intertwined stories of love, loss, courage, and redemption set over the course of one magical week in Paris.

Nine Americans in Paris. Seven intertwined love stories. One City of Light.

Love Actually meets The Notebook in a tale of love, loss, and finding your way home, all set over the course of one life-changing week in Paris.

Julia Glover has brought her twenty-three-year-old daughter, Piper, to Paris for the first time—but they know it will also be their last trip here together. Julia is dying, and as the mother and daughter desperately try to make memories together as the clock ticks down, the world opens up around them. Piper meets a cute French waiter, who might just understand her better than anyone she’s ever met, and Julia meets a man at a dive bar and struggles with how to tell him the truth about her future.

Rock star Jackson Quick’s glory days are behind him. He had a handful of hit songs thirty years ago, but he hasn’t toured in a decade. This week, he’ll launch his reunion tour in Paris, the city where it all began. But he wants more out of life than being defined by fame. When he meets a woman who finally sees him for who he is at his core, the ground shifts beneath his feet.

Henry McGee has been writing hit songs for decades—including Jackson Quick’s biggest hit, 
City of Light. But his secret is that every love song he’s ever written is for a woman named Celeste, whom he loved a lifetime ago, when they were both teenagers in Paris during World War II. He has spent eighty years believing she died—but when a letter arrives telling him the opposite, he’s on the first flight to France. Can he break through the haze of her dementia, using the songs he’s written all these years, to remind her of who they once were to each other—and to tell her he came back for her?

Henry’s granddaughter, Melody, has just discovered that her husband of twenty years, Gilles, a French cosmetics executive, is having an affair. When she confronts him, he tearfully apologizes and begs her to forgive him. But can she? And, perhaps even more importantly, does she 
want to? Or is there a different kind of life out there for her if she chooses to be alone?

These intertwining stories—plus several others—unfold over a few breathtaking spring days, as an unforgettable group of Americans in Paris must find their way to their own versions of happily ever after in the City of Light.
The Mortons by Justine Larbalestier
The Mortons
by Justine Larbalestier

Meet the Mortons: In this family, murder is currency--and business is booming. The Mortons are a modern-day, old-money dynasty with impeccable taste, from their exquisitely crafted cocktails to their expertly tailored vintage garments. They are also stone-cold killers. For the Mortons, homicide is heritage. They, along with the other crime families, send their progeny to Helshire College, where legacy students learn to exercise control over their wealthy peers. Jessica Morton has always excelled at Helshire, secure in the knowledge that she is the prodigy of her generation. Now, having committed her first kill, it should be Jessica's moment, her honor. But that kill will cut more ways than one, unknotting a series of revelations spanning the Mortons' country estate, the New York City art world, and Helshire itself. Sharp and hypnotic, The Mortons is an epic novel of alliances and power, loyalty and kinship, and the consequences of ruthless ambition.
Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox
Pretty Dead Things
by Kelsey Cox

Secrets emerge as a Texas beauty pageant turns deadly in this rich and addictive novel with a jaw-dropping twist from psychological suspense author Kelsey Cox. 2000: Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace. 2025: The Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to begin, but this year it's offering more than an annual dose of rhinestone heels and plunging necklines. Competition is stiffer than ever --and long standing grudges are about to resurface. Ingrid fled Anhalt in the wake of her sister Isabelle's disappearance and has now returned, just in time for a construction crew to start digging up Sherman Ranch; the pageant brings up past traumas that Melanie can't forget; Cat, newly sober, starts to feel threatened in ways that bring back old demons; and Sarah Lynn, who comes from a long line of pageant winners, knows that losing is not an option. When old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point, temperatures drop to deadly degrees as a record-setting storm brings down the state's power grid. With everyone trapped under one roof, scores will be settled, and more than one person will end up dead. Beauty dies. Secrets never do.KELSEY COX'S NOVELS ARE: Riveting. --People Heart-pumping. --Nina Simon Jaw-dropping. --Amanda Eyre Ward Joins my auto-buy list forever. --Rachel Hawkins
Ransom by Daniel Silva
Ransom
by Daniel Silva

Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon searches for the missing wife of a British billionaire in the electrifying new tale of greed, corruption, and betrayal from #1 New York Times-bestselling novelist Daniel Silva. Alice Winter, one of Britain's most dazzling socialites, seemingly has the perfect life--a lavish home in posh Knightsbridge, a grand estate in Devon, millions of followers on social media who eagerly await her next post. But when she disappears without a trace while on holiday with three old friends from Cambridge, her desperate husband, the real estate baron Edward Knight, turns to none other than Gabriel Allon to find her. He soon discovers that Alice Winter is not the woman she appears to be, that she has a reckless side, that she has secrets. But Edward Knight has a secret too, a secret so dangerous that Gabriel will have no choice but to return to the life he thought he had left behind. An old enemy lurks there, waiting for him to make one misstep, waiting for the perfect moment to exact vengeance. From its irresistible opening chapters to its heart-pounding climax and shocking final twist, Ransom is a riveting, page-turning tour de force that proves yet again why Daniel Silva is the reigning master of international intrigue and suspense.
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren
The Romance Revival
by Christina Lauren

New York Times bestselling author Christina Lauren returns with an unforgettable romance in which a fateful accident erases a troubled marriage from memory--and a scientific breakthrough gives love one extraordinary do-over. Three years ago, scientist Emery Finch did something completely out of character: She got married. To Luca--the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel. But now, Emery is consumed by her top research, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge discoveries come to light. Until the unthinkable happens: A tragic accident takes Luca from her. Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule, using the classified technology she's developed to bring him back to life. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together...all of it is gone. It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it's her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won't waste it--because true love is always worth reviving.
Sea of Charms: A Spellshop Novel by Sarah Beth Durst
Sea of Charms: A Spellshop Novel
by Sarah Beth Durst

Sarah Beth Durst brings cozy fantasy romance to the high seas in Sea of Charms, the third magical adventure in the New York Times bestselling Spellshop series!

Marin has always belonged on the great blue sea.

Betrayed by love, Marin lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew.

On one of her routine trips to the capital, Alyssium, Marin finds a revolution underway―and her friend Dax in the line of fire.

What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home.

But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile―and realizes that perhaps she isn’t saving him. Maybe it’s the other way around.


Sea of Charms is a cozy fantasy romance about finding your crew, your family, and moreover, finding yourself.
The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel (16) by Alexander McCall Smith
The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel 
by Alexander McCall Smith

In this latest installment of the beloved Isabel Dalhousie series, everyone's favorite moral philosopher and amateur sleuth takes on a new set of delicate disputes Isabel has an unwavering commitment to her principles, which means she is often asked to advise on the sensitive, personal affairs of others--even those whose business she would prefer to stay out of. When Isabel receives a surprise visit from a friend who has recently discovered the existence of a long-lost brother, she will have to face this quandary in her usual deft and thoughtful way. The friend has always held her father in high regard, and is worried that knowledge of his affair will tarnish her siblings' perception of him. Meanwhile, Isabel's husband Jamie has been offered the gig of his dreams--the opportunity to play in a series of concerts at a prestigious venue in London. After meeting the series coordinator, it becomes clear to Isabel that the woman has a massive crush on Jamie. Isabel isn't sure whether to reveal the woman's intentions. Should she tell Jamie of her suspicions, or would that mean calling his talent into question? And finally, the ever-frustrating Professor Lettuce returns, this time embroiled in a ridiculous dispute with his friend Professor Dove. Somehow, Isabel gets dragged into resolving the affair. As always, Isabel will have to use her pragmatic sensibility and kindness to navigate these tricky situations.
This Changes Everything by Lisa Scottoline
This Changes Everything
by Lisa Scottoline

In this riveting, deeply felt and empowering thriller that is also a touching ode to female friendship (Laura Dave) from #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, a woman risks her life to help her closest friend find justice for a tragic crime and realizes she has more power than she ever knew. Julia Pritzker loves her new life as a wife and mother in beautiful Tuscany--except that she misses her best friend Courtney, back in the States. One night, Julia calls Courtney and reaches her as she's arriving at her grandmother's farm in Pennsylvania. Then the unthinkable happens. A dreadful premonition overwhelms Julia as Courtney is entering the house--but it's too late to stop Courtney, who makes a heartbreaking discovery. Her beloved grandmother has been murdered, and the killer is escaping out the back door. A distraught Courtney chases him, but he jumps into a pickup truck and gets away. Julia flies home the next morning to support Courtney in her grief. The local police believe the murder was a botched burglary, but the women suspect something much more sinister. They dig to unearth the truth in a town filled with explosive secrets, and Julia's uncanny intuition points her to the missing pieces of a dark puzzle. The women call in hotshot Philly lawyer Bennie Rosato, but events take a deadly turn, and Julia becomes the target of a murderous conspiracy. She ends up fighting for her life, with no one to save her ... but herself. Only a blockbuster talent like Lisa Scottoline can tell this riveting and layered of a story, combining a woman's search for truth with the revelation of her own empowerment, as well as the enduring strength and joys of female friendship.
New Releases: June 2026
Choke Point: A Thriller by Brad Thor
Choke Point: A Thriller
by Brad Thor
 
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Every betrayal begins with a lie... #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor thrills with his new summer blockbuster starring Scot Harvath. While all eyes are on Taiwan, China makes a stunning move against Thailand. Using a series of proxies, it plunges the country into chaos, looking to capture a narrow, but critical piece of land, which will give it the upper hand over the United States and help the Chinese Navy dominate both the Indian and Pacific Oceans. With the new American president unwilling to openly commit troops or intelligence personnel, Scot Harvath and his team are called into service. Their assignment: to track down an American turncoat--a former teammate of Harvath's who is assisting Beijing. What they will discover, however, is China's most elite espionage unit and their plans not only for Thailand's collapse, but also America's.
Clive Cussler Cold Fire by Graham Brown
Clive Cussler Cold Fire
by Graham Brown

When a NATO weapon that could ensure peace or start World War Three vanishes in the Arctic, Kurt Austin and NUMA race to recover it before it falls into enemy hands in the latest novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series created by the grand master of adventure Clive Cussler. In the frigid air high above the Arctic Ocean American C-17 carrying a cutting-edge laser of immense power, successfully shoots down a ballistic missile nearly four hundred miles away. Before the celebration can even begin, the aircraft goes dark, vanishing off radar and disappearing into mist at the top of the world. As the details emerge it becomes obvious that the aircraft has been hijacked, the crew murdered at their stations. Its last known heading would take it directly to Russia, but the CIA insisted it never arrived. An odd signal suggests it crashed into the Arctic Ocean halfway between Norway and the North Pole. In a tense meeting the President asks how deep the waters are in that area. Not deep enough, is the answer. Russian ships are seen putting out to sea in large numbers. Chinese vessels are spotted north of Norway. The only American asset in the area is a small research vessel operated by NUMA. The President orders NUMA to send it into the fray. Kurt Austin and Joe Zavala lead the search but soon find that all is not as it seems. The Chinese were waiting for the planes arrival, the Russians had expected it to land on their territory and now all three are closing in on a shooting war to keep the others from finding the missing plane. With the rules of engagement suspended and lives hanging in the balance, Kurt and the NUMA special projects team pull on the threads connecting the mystery only to discover the great nations of the world being manipulated by a single man with a deadly plan of revenge.
Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See
Daughters of the Sun and Moon
by Lisa See
 
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Beloved New York Times bestselling author Lisa See draws on the vibrancy and turmoil of post-Civil War Los Angeles to tell the story of three Chinese women who managed to survive and, eventually, thrive, despite all odds. In 1870, three Chinese women arrive in the small, dusty, and violent pueblo of Los Angeles. Dove, the bound-footed daughter of an imperial scholar, is entrancing and innocent. These characteristics should bring her great rewards, beginning with her arranged marriage to a much older merchant. Petal, the big-footed daughter of peasants, has grown up hungry and with dirt between her toes. In a moment of desperation, Petal's father sells her to buy money for rice seed, and she is loaded onto a ship to the Gold Mountain--America--where she is once again sold. Moon is married to a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. She is educated, speaks fluent English, and has been endowed with a face of great beauty, yet her failed footbinding as a child has left her with a limp that lessens her value in the eyes of many. Each woman has her own desires. Dove wants to love and be loved, Petal desires freedom, and Moon seeks justice. Together they face a larger society that wishes them not one ounce of good will. Anti-Chinese sentiment is strong in Los Angeles, and this eventually leads to the Night of Horrors during which all three women are challenged in ways they could not have imagined. Brought together by hardship and heartbreak, they must use their bravery, endurance, and ability to eat bitterness to discover their voices, find freedom, and connect through solace and friendship. Together they are daughters of the sun and moon.
Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle
Enter the Nightmare
by Jayne Castle

Nightmares become real when a woman trying to rebuild her life enters the Hotel of Dreams in this exhilarating Harmony novel by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Castle. Alice Radstone should have known not to return. Her life before the Hotel of Dreams had been the perfectly cloistered world of a teacher at the Ballantine Academy. When the death of her mentor forced her out, she was left to reinvent herself in the big city. Since then, things have not gone well. Ten months ago, after her first trip to the hotel, she woke up in the locked ward of a hospital for the criminally insane, told that she had murdered her husband on their wedding night. She has no memory of the husband or the wedding but after escaping the asylum, one thing is certain--she is never going back. Unfortunately, Alice's second reinvented life is also deteriorating rapidly, which is why she finds herself once again at the Hotel of Dreams--this time hiding in the shadows of her room, a dead body in the shower, and two men wearing masks creeping toward the bed to kidnap her. Again. When the enigmatic and decidedly dangerous Owen March shows up, claiming he's there to rescue her, she has no choice but to accept his offer--and hope that he doesn't intend to kidnap her, too. With Alice and now Owen in the killer's sights, time is running out. Alice and Owen must trust each other and the electric passion between them if they are to make it out of this hotel alive.
It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell
It Could Have Been Her
by Lisa Jewell
 
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Check out the Audiobook on Overdrive/Libby

#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell brings her thrilling, chilling (Chris Whitaker) suspense to this shocking new thriller about a lost dog, a missing woman, and a house of long buried secrets. Jane Trevally is walking her dogs on her country estate one May afternoon when a small white dog appears. The teenaged girl that had been staying nearby with the dog is nowhere to be found, and Jane decides to return it to his registered owner hours away in London, in the deepest backwaters of Hampstead. But when Jane arrives, she is immediately unsettled--because she has a dark history with this house. The man who answers the door tells her the dog, Hugo, must have been stolen from the Heath, but Jane very much doubts that is true. Through the window, she catches a glimpse of a haunted-looking woman, not the missing girl she'd hoped to find. Facing a crossroads similar to the one that first led her to this home twenty-five years ago, Jane knows that the house holds the key--to the missing teenager, to the lost dog, and to dark secrets they'd all rather leave buried.
Land by Maggie O'Farrell
Land
by Maggie O'Farrell
 
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Check out the Audiobook on Overdrive/Libby

The award-winning, bestselling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait returns with a soaring historical novel set in Ireland in the years before and after the Great Hunger. A breathtaking hymn to the sanctity of natural spaces, operating on timescales both intimate and geological. I finished Land moved not only by the vivid lives of its human characters, but the thrumming, gorgeous presence of its mosses, waters, winds, and skies. --Daniel Mason, author of North Woods On a windswept peninsula stretching out into the Atlantic, Tom s and his reluctant son, Liam, are working for the great Ordnance Survey project to map the whole of Ireland. The year is 1865, and in a country not long since ravaged and emptied by the Great Hunger, the task is not an easy one. Tom s, however, is determined that his maps will be a record of the disaster. The British soldiers in charge are due to arrive any day, expecting the work to be completed, but Tom s is unexpectedly sent off course by an unsettling encounter in a copse. His life, and the lives of those of his family, will never be the same again. Liam is terrified by the sudden change in his taciturn father. What was it that caused such cracks to open in Tom s, and how is Liam, aged only ten, going to finish the mapping and get them both home? Land is a novel about separation and reunion, tragedy and recovery, colonization and rebellion. It is a story of buried treasure, overlapping lives, ancient woodland, persistent ghosts, a particularly loyal dog, and how, when it comes to both land and history, nothing ever goes away. As spellbinding and varied as the landscape that inspired it, Land is, above all, a story of survival, for our times and for all time.
Marion by Leah Rowan
Marion
by Leah Rowan

A twist on Hitchcock's iconic classic Psycho--where the leading lady doesn't die, but instead turns the knife on Norm, kicking off a crime spree that turns the silver screen victim into a heroine for our times.
Not What It Seems by Lisa Jackson
Not What It Seems
by Lisa Jackson
 
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson brings her own brand of Southern Gothic back to the Spanish moss-draped shade of Savannah and the swampy marshes of Lowcountry Georgia, as crime writer Nikki Gillette and her husband, Detective Pierce Reed, race to expose an obsessive killer with an enigmatic M.O. . . . The stone is small and round, easy to miss among the junk surrounding Billy Huber's body. The man was a hoarder for sure. At first, police assume he fell from a ladder, injuring his throat and smashing his head in the process. Only on closer inspection do they see the polished stone nearby, with a number on one side etched in blood, and a strange symbol on the other. Reporter Nikki Gillette seizes on the story and visits Huber's sprawling property in Georgia's low country. She gains little except the uneasy feeling of being watched. Within days, another body is found--a wealthy, thrice-married Savannah socialite dead in her lavish home. More victims follow, each one pierced through the throat. Beside each body, a stone engraved with a different number and symbol. Detective Pierce Reed, Nikki's husband, cautions her against getting in too deep. She's a mother now and can't keep putting herself in danger. Nikki knows he's right, but her instincts are in overdrive. This is what she's good at--finding answers and driving toward justice at any cost. Yet she knows, too, that the most terrifying killers don't look like monsters at all. And by the time you realize how close they really are, it may already be too late to save yourself.
A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict
A Pair of Aces
by Marie Benedict
 
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A gripping novel about two trailblazing women on opposite sides of the law--a prosecutor and a madam--who team up to bring down notorious Mob boss Lucky Luciano in 1930s New York, from the New York Times bestselling authors of the million-copy bestseller The Personal Librarian.

Eunice Carter, assistant district attorney for the City of New York and Manhattan's first Black female prosecutor, has her sights set on the one and only Lucky Luciano, head of New York City's five largest organized crime families. Other prosectors have tried to bring down Lucky, but they've all focused on the crime syndicate's traditional businesses--bootlegging, gambling, loan sharking, and drug dealing--or tax evasion. No one has thought to approach the mob through its role in prostitution. Until Eunice. But she can't get Luciano alone. Polly Adler has worked long and hard to build up her high-class brothel business. Her client list is filled with well-known names, both the famous and the infamous, who all know her booze is top-notch, her music first-rate, her food exquisite, and her girls the best. But Lucky has gone too far, putting her girls in danger, and Polly finally sees the chance to end his reign once and for all. Together, Eunice and Polly fashion a case utilizing a network of women. Bridging the enormous divide between them and risking their own lives, they assemble evidence bit by bit, under the nose of the man they're trying to convict. It is this very alliance--of two women from vastly different worlds--that launches the most sensational trial New York City has ever seen.
Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
Road Trip
by Mary Kay Andrews
 
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Pack your bag for a summer read filled with mystery, romance, intrigue, travel, cozy pubs, and charming men with Irish accents. Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters, but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more opposite: Maeve is the rule follower and Therese is the rebel. But when their mother's death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting--one that could be worth millions and save them from the wolves at their door. The only issue is whether it's real or a fake--and the only way they can prove that theirs is the real McCoy is to solve the mystery of how this portrait of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat made its way to their childhood home in Savannah, Georgia. This means a road trip--to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred generations ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles.
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
The Shampoo Effect
by Jenny Jackson
 
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An ambitious young woman insinuates herself into a tight-knit social set, shaking up friendships and marriages in a small seaside town. A frothy novel of love, money, sex, and friendship, from the New York Times bestselling author of Pineapple Street (Laugh-out-loud-good. --Harper's Bazaar)

When Caroline Lash arrives in Greenhead, Massachusetts, she falls head-over-heels for Van Whittaker, a fleece-wearing, litter-collecting, kayak enthusiast with long, floppy hair and the personality of a Border collie. Born and raised in this picturesque coastal village, Van runs with the same crowd he did as a kid: His ex-girlfriend, Bailey, a beautiful girl who attracts men like moths to a flame; Augusta, old money, horsey, and snobbish; and Fran, surrounded by brothers and sons, too fed up with boys to ever consider marrying one. Together, the group runs wild through the marshes, beaches, and bars of Greenhead, drinking on houseboats, spending long afternoons sunbathing with their children, and playing games the way they always have. But when Bailey discovers that she is pregnant with Van's baby, the delicate balance of the group's friendship is thrown off. Soon Caroline is cast out of the circle and what she does next--in a potent mix of fury and heartbreak--exposes long-held secrets and works the entire town of Greenhead into a lather.

Dazzlingly funny, sexy, and as juicy as it is astute, The Shampoo Effect is a story of late-night parties, early mornings with small children, the dawn of midlife, and a group of old friends finally growing up despite all their best efforts to the contrary.
The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
The Someday Garden
by Ashley Poston
 
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The new head gardener at the enchanting Lilymoor House stumbles upon a secret garden . . . with a mysterious man trapped inside, in the next magical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Sounds Like Love and The Seven Year Slip.

When Sophie Drear plans her escape to coastal Maine for the summer--for a temporary job revitalizing the storied grounds at Lilymoor House--she doesn't expect to fall in love. But she does: With the beguiling land, the fragrant flowers, and the towering hedge maze. With the quirky staff and the enigmatic woman who owns the place. And then, the door appears. Never in the same place twice, it leads her to a secret, and unfinished, garden with a frustrated thundercloud of a man trapped inside. This mysterious garden is not the only sign that the future of Lilymoor is unstable: the foliage resists Sophie's careful nurturing, vines threaten to strangle the hedges, and the manor's owner has wild ideas about who will take over when she retires--including her inconveniently attractive nephew who is also there just for the summer. Despite herself, Sophie has come to care for the residents of Lilymoor just as much as she cares for its grounds. With the help of one man on the outside of the secret garden, and one man on the inside, she might be the only person who can figure out exactly what Lilymoor needs to bloom once more.
Storm Tide by Paul Doiron
Storm Tide
by Paul Doiron

Game Warden Mike Bowditch investigates a series of brutal killings during a life-changing year in Storm Tide, the harrowing new thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron.

When the magnificent home of entrepreneur Brian Malloy mysteriously goes up in flames, Maine game warden Mike Bowditch tries to pull Malloy's burning body from the fire but is too late. Malloy was suspected of murdering his young, illegitimate son. Now it looks like someone else has delivered a verdict. Miles away, on a lonely stretch of icy railroad track, the body of Axl Deming, once accused of a brutal rape, is found literally cut in half. Though the two murders seem unrelated, a cryptic text from an unknown number draws Bowditch to the scene--and hints at a chilling connection. He believes someone is orchestrating the executions of criminals who escaped justice, and for reasons he can't explain, his own name is on the list, but the state police aren't convinced. His search for the truth takes him through frozen harbors, trackless forests, and remote islands, far from rescue. Meanwhile, Bowditch is facing a disciplinary hearing that could end his career. His wife Stacey, just weeks from giving birth, is being stalked by a stranger in a white van. And when he realizes someone has also been watching their home, the case turns increasingly personal. To protect his family, Bowditch must work alone to uncover who's behind the killings--and stop them before he becomes their next victim.
Stuart Woods' Deep Water by Brett Battles
Stuart Woods' Deep Water
by Brett Battles
 
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In the latest action-packed adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Stone Barrington must avenge attacks on two of his dear friends. When Stone Barrington meets one of his clients, Trenton Sidney, for a sunset drink on Trenton's new yacht, the last thing he expects is to be a victim of a shipwreck. As one of the four survivors of the incident but with little memory of the sinking, Stone finds himself diving straight back into work. His first task? To reach out to the beneficiaries in Trenton's will. But when new evidence that points to foul play comes to light, Stone must probe the tragedy in more ways than one in order to uncover the identity of the perpetrator . . . before they find another lethal way to get themselves out of deep water.
Sublimation by Isabel J. Kim
Sublimation
by Isabel J. Kim

A most-anticipated title from USA Today, Glamour, LitHub, New Scientist, The Nerd Daily, Library Journal, and more Doppelg ngers, corporate intrigue, heartbreak, betrayal, and the harsh permanence of the border: Sublimation is a thrilling and provocative debut for fans of Severance that asks what you'd sacrifice for a different life from award-winning author Isabel J. Kim.One of the best debuts of the year. --John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling author of Starter Villain The border cuts you in two. When you immigrate, you leave a copy of yourself behind, an instance. One person enters their new country; the other stays trapped at home. Some instances keep in touch, call each other daily, keep their lives and minds in sync in the hopes of reintegrating and resuming a life as one person. Others, like Soyoung Rose Kang, leave home at ten years old and never speak to their other selves again. Rose, in America, never imagined going back to Korea until her grandfather died and her Korean instance called her home for the funeral. She doesn't know that Soyoung plans to steal her body and her life. How far would you go to live the choice you didn't make? After Sublimation, the immigrant story will never be the same. --Junot D az, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
The Unicorn Hunters
by Katherine Arden

In a desperate gamble to save her throne, a young monarch conceals a secret marriage in the shadows of an enchanted forest--and unknowingly alters the fate of her world--in this dazzling novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Bear and the Nightingale. 

Anne of Brittany was a child when France invaded and drove her royal father to his death. Now she is a young woman, sovereign duchess of an occupied realm, and France means to crown their conquest by marrying her to their king. Such an alliance would put her title, her lands, and her body forever in the hands of her enemies. But Anne refuses to be the last duchess of Brittany. Her only hope of resisting conquest is another alliance sealed with marriage, so Anne arranges a daring last gambit: a secret betrothal to Charles of France's greatest rival. But secrets are hard to keep in a world where rival courts spy on each other with diviners. The forest of Broc liande was once the haunt of Merlin the Enchanter and the long-lost faerie queen. But magic is long gone from Broceliande, except for the occasional sight of a unicorn and one critical quirk: This ancient forest is completely hostile to divination. While pretending compliance with France, Anne plans a unicorn hunt in Broc liande. A bit of pointless pageantry. A diversion so she can wed in secret. Or so she thinks. In this rich and epic novel, the author of the acclaimed Winternight trilogy turns the real history of a remarkable woman into an unforgettable tale of mystery, enchantment, and the price of power.
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
Villa Coco
by Andrew Sean Greer
 
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Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer (A great chronicler of our times. -San Francisco Chronicle) showcases his wit, sophistication and deep knowledge of focaccia in this magical and madcap tale of a young man who takes an unspecified job with a charismatic elderly Baronessa at her crumbling villa in the Tuscan hills Broke and directionless, our young man (the chosen moniker of Villa Coco's narrator) takes a job in the Italian countryside as the all-purpose assistant (technically, the employment ad asked for adjutant) to Lisabetta, known to her friends as Coco, a strong-willed, wealthy widow of great local renown. Technically, our young man is an archivist, charged with cataloguing Coco's extensive and eclectic collection of art and artifacts, but what are his actual duties? He is charged with ridding the house of a marten, whatever that is, locating the antediluvian septic system, entertaining an endless carousel of guests (from bohemian painters to elderly princesses to handsome nephews), attending a funeral in order to make off with the urn, and not inadvertently sabotaging Coco's great and final plan--to locate the lost love of her life and be reunited before it's too late. Told with the signature wit, insight, and deeply felt humanity that made Less an international phenomenon, Villa Coco is a dazzling, sun-soaked ode to life itself--a romp through a youthfully self-constructed emotional obstacle course, a meditation on what we give and take from others, and a bawdy Mediterranean ballad about becoming who you've always wanted to be.
Wait and See by Iris Johansen
Wait and See
by Iris Johansen
 
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Investigator Kendra Michaels--formerly blind and now with uniquely insightful observational skills in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes--returns in this action-packed novel from the #1 New York Times and Edgar Award-winning writing duo Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen. When Kendra Michaels receives a cryptic message from her sometimes-paramour Adam Lynch, she concludes that he must be in extreme danger--the kind where he can't trust his FBI and Justice department colleagues to rescue him. Lynch has saved Kendra's life during past investigations so she's immediately willing to put everything on the line for him. With her heightened senses, honed in the dark before she regained her eyesight in a cutting-edge surgical procedure, Kendra knows she can do what the federal agents cannot. So along with private investigator Jessie Mercado, Kendra is soon following the first intriguing clue to London. What they find there will lead to a chase with deadly stakes because Lynch is willing to risk it all to protect something he believes is bigger than himself. Something that could change life for everyone on the planet...if only they live long enough to share the truth.
Weddings by Danielle Steel
Weddings
by Danielle Steel
 
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When a wedding dress designer's daughter becomes engaged, it raises issues of love, safety, and second chances for all the women in her family in this powerful novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel. Dominque Dupont is one of the world's most sought-after designers of wedding dresses, and is as unfailingly chic as her gowns. Her international list of clients includes royals and presidents' daughters. As for her own adult daughters, Felicity and Violet, they have unconventional views on marriage, due in part to their family history. Dominique's French mother, Marie-Aur lie, was the adored mistress of a famous financier, and Dominique and her faithless husband divorced decades ago.Felicity, an artist, is in no hurry to get married. Unfortunately, her beau, Taylor, is. When she expresses ambivalence, Taylor reveals a dark side that frightens her. Too ashamed to confide in her mother or sister, she agrees to an elaborate wedding with deep misgivings. Fun-loving Violet is dating a sports reporter, but firmly believes one should never spoil a good thing with matrimony. When he slips an MVP ring on her finger, they decide to celebrate their love in a way that is true to themselves. Dominique's own long-term relationship with a married man is no longer giving her what she wants. As she struggles with making a change, her Parisian mother considers rekindling an old flame. As plans for Felicity's wedding proceed, each woman will question the true meaning of commitment in this dazzling novel from a master storyteller.
Whistler by Ann Patchett
Whistler
by Ann Patchett
 
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The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn't seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It's a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.
New Releases: May 2026
Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan
Dolly All the Time
by Annabel Monaghan
 
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A hardworking single mom returns to her seaside hometown and stumbles into a fake dating situationship with a wealthy, workaholic scion, from the New York Times bestselling author of Nora Goes Off Script.

If they start by pretending, can they end with something real?

Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn’t solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island, for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home.

So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield—annoyingly handsome scion of 
the Whitfield family—with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it’s in her nature to help. But Stewart’s proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high-society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She’s never relied on anyone besides herself—can she really start now?
Fever Dream by Elsie Silver
Fever Dream
by Elsie Silver

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elsie Silver comes a small-town, forbidden, rivals-to-lovers romance, the first book in the brand-new Western romance series Emerald Lake. Professional bull rider Emmett Bush is not looking for love. He's looking for a paycheck to save his family's farm from bankruptcy. So, when he agrees to be the leading man on a hot new reality dating show, Romance Ranch, he's already decided it's all one big performance. Until Julia Silva walks onto his property. Smart, snarky, beautiful, and off-limits in more ways than one. As the location consultant on set and the little sister of his most bitter professional rival, she's the last woman who should pique his interest. Julia has been warned about Emmett. She knows better than to fall for his cocky swagger, broad shoulders, and smoldering good looks. Plus, she's sworn off relationships. But as Julia and Emmett work together, mutual distaste grows into an unexpected connection and then... something more. Soon, they find themselves searching for excuses to spend time together and out of reach of the cameras. Knowing glances. Stolen kisses. Secret rendezvous. Still, Emmett signed up to play the role of an eligible bachelor searching for the one. His family's land and legacy depend on him completing the show. The problem is, he's already fallen in love. Just not with a contestant.
The Final Target by Nora Roberts
The Final Target
by Nora Roberts

A young author becomes the object of a fan's desire--and rage--in the gripping thriller by the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Hidden Nature.He showed up at Arden Bowie's debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that. Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake... An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude--but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin's wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility. Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden's purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?
A Fortune of Sand by Ruta Sepetys
A Fortune of Sand
by Ruta Sepetys

The daughter of an automotive magnate escapes to an artistic retreat that holds more secrets--and more intrigue--than she could have ever imagined, in this Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea. Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets. Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful automotive dynasty, a family known for money, not manners. Artistic, impulsive, and always slightly out of step, Marjorie has long been dismissed by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an exclusive arts program funded by an elusive benefactor, she sees a chance to redefine herself on her own terms. The building is grand. The participants are gifted. But something...is off. The program is uncomfortably restrictive. Doors lock at odd hours. Strange sounds echo through the halls amid whispers that women are disappearing. And the handsome benefactor's presence--mostly absent, yet somehow everywhere--begins to unnerve her. As Marjorie's sense of self begins to slip, so does her grip on the truth. What happens to women who don't fit neatly into a gilded frame? Set against the crumbling grandeur of 1920s Detroit and inspired by actual, long-buried historical events, A Fortune of Sand is a haunting mosaic of glamour and grift--a novel about those who vanish, and those who demand to be seen.
Ghalen: A Romance in Black by Walter Mosley
Ghalen: A Romance in Black
by Walter Mosley

A stellar addition to the Amistad list: a beautiful coming-of-age novel from MWA Grand Master and PEN and Edgar Award-winner Walter Mosley that explores love in all forms—romantic, familial, and platonic, centered on one Black family, including a neurodivergent man, and the found bonds that helps ground them.

One of the most acclaimed writers working today, Walter Mosley spins magic once again in this beautiful novel that explores the lives of Black characters and one remarkable family through a lens both universal and unique. It touches on the lives of those whose deepest thoughts and motivations are seldom explored—including the neurodivergent, the incarcerated, and the immigrant tortured by their past—characters who will stay with you and change how you see the world.

Ghalen, a brilliant young Black man, is the son of two seemingly mismatched parents. His mother, a gifted scientist, whose own mother expected her to exceed all the achievements in her family, and his father, a gentle cook at a small vegan restaurant, whose idiosyncratic nature shows the young woman a radically different love and understanding of life, despite his inexperience and lack of education.

His parents’ grand love story starts it all off, setting us up to follow Ghalen and his family so deeply, that each new twist and turn feels personal.

The journey through Ghalen’s coming-of-age tale, as he ventures out into the world, is marked with peaks and valleys and such a drive that you can’t help but strap in for it all, while not wanting it to end.

Lush and cinematic, with the narrative drive and indelible power of Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead and Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Ghalen is one of this bestselling, prize-winning writer’s finest achievements.
Ironwood: A Catalina Novel by Michael Connelly
Ironwood: A Catalina Novel
by Michael Connelly
 
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Sworn to protect a scenic island meant to be far from the evils of the mainland, Detective Sergeant Stilwell can feel danger closing in. Detective Sergeant Stilwell knows that his posting on Catalina Island is no paradise, but to most residents, it seems blissfully separated--by twenty-two miles of ocean--from the troubles of Los Angeles County. But now a threat is coming to his safe haven. Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Stilwell and his deputies watch a plane land in the middle of the night at the Airport in the Sky, a remote airstrip in the mountains. A duffel bag of drugs is dropped and the deputies move in, but things quickly go sideways. While Stilwell chases the fleeing pickup man into the mountainside brush, shots are fired on the runway and the plane flies off. An internal inquiry follows, putting Stilwell on the bench until he is cleared of responsibility for the disastrous operation. But he is determined to find out who brought deadly violence to his island, and begins his own secret investigation into the drug deal gone wrong. While under orders to remain in the sheriff's substation, he finds in the lost and found a valuable backpack that was never claimed. He traces it to a woman who disappeared while hiking on the island four years ago. But then why was the pack only turned in two months back? Now thoroughly intrigued, he follows the mystery all the way to the LAPD's Open-Unsolved Unit and Detective Ren e Ballard. Stilwell and Ballard work the case from both sides of the channel, and soon realize they are on the trail of a criminal who revels in taunting the authorities. Meanwhile, frustrated at being shut out of an investigation on his own island, Stilwell risks his already shaky standing in the department to pursue a case whose reach is wider than he ever imagined. Page-turning, packed with intrigue, and bringing together an unstoppable investigative team, Ironwood continues the Catalina series with all of Michael Connelly's signature relentless narrative drive...evocative atmosphere, realistic dialogue, and well-developed characters (Washington Review of Books).
The Midnight Train by Matt Haig
The Midnight Train
by Matt Haig
 
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When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice. Before he gave it all away. He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . . A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library.
Rocket's Red Glare: A Thriller by James Patterson
Rocket's Red Glare: A Thriller
by James Patterson
 
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From the world's #1 bestselling author: they're ex-Special Forces. They're on American soil. Their code name is Rocket's Red Glare. Nat Phillips leads an elite roster of special operators. They are ex-Special Forces, communications specialists, and intelligence officers. Phillips is a brilliant strategist and battle-tested leader who inspires total loyalty in his team. Now these decorated veterans of international warfare are at home and on stand-by--until a presidential campaign is interrupted by murder. Suddenly, the plan is no longer the stuff of Mission: Impossible. Emergency operations happening not overseas but in the centers of American power, from Nantucket to Washington, DC. This national crisis is real.
The Shippers by Katherine Center
The Shippers
by Katherine Center
 
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Featuring beautiful spray-painted edges. One of the hottest, fastest-rising rom-com stars delivers her latest swoon-worthy novel about a destination wedding on a cruise ship. After a whole lifetime of being bad at love, JoJo Burton decides to solve her intimacy issues once and for all at her sister's destination wedding on a cruise ship. With the help of a little pop psychology, she diagnoses herself with a fixation on the neighborhood guy who was her first crush and first kiss (and who just happens to be a newly-divorced wedding guest ), and she decides to woo him during the cruise for some long-delayed closure. Only problem is, her sister's a little busy being a bride at the moment--so JoJo ropes in her childhood bestie, Cooper Watts, to be her wing man. Cooper: who RSVPed no, but then showed up, anyway. Cooper: who left town without a word four years earlier and moved to London. Cooper: who was, if she's honest, the worst heartbreak of JoJo's life. It's bliss for her to see him again, and it's agony, too--and the more they team up for Project Conquest, the more she obsesses over questions she can't bring herself to ask. Shipboard antics ensue in this witty, heart-tugging, childhood-friends-to-lovers romance--as JoJo and Cooper fake flirt, slow dance, share a cabin, sing duets, treat sunburns, get jealous, rescue each other over and over, and finally, at last, figure it all out in the most blissful, swoony, romantic way. No one does summer romance quite like Katherine Center. THE SHIPPERS will take readers on the cruise of a lifetime in a story awash with romantic longing, top-notch banter, long-held secrets . . . and true love rediscovered.

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