March 16, 2021
March 16, 2021 March 16, 2021 For this month’s “Bookaccino Live” event, Carol presented 22 books releasing between March 9th and April 6th, as well as 10 publishing in May. Click on the image above to watch the presentation. You also can see a list of the featured titles here. On Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm ET, we will host our next “Bookaccino Live” afternoon event. Carol will present a number of books releasing between April 13th and May 4th that she would like to get on your radar, along with a few from June. Click on the image above to sign up. A special online fundraiser sponsored by the Boston Book Festival will be held this Thursday, March 18th at 5:30pm ET. Their special guest will be noted bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud. Our reviewer Norah Piehl, who is the Executive Director of the Festival, is offering ticket discounts for our readers. Read on for more info, and click on the image above to purchase your tickets. In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of March 15th and March 22nd that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar. This week, we are calling attention to our New Release Spotlight of THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg, an emotional coming-of-age novel about a young girl who goes to live with her eccentric grandmother in New Orleans after the death of her mother. Our Next “Bookaccino Live” Afternoon Event: Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm ET Next month’s “Bookaccino Live” event will take place on Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm ET. Carol will present titles releasing between April 13th and May 4th, along with a few from June, that she thinks will be of interest to our readers. Click here to sign up. Those attending the live event will be asked to answer a survey about the books from the presentation that they are most interested in reading and will be eligible to win prizes. If you missed our March 10th event, where Carol talked about 22 titles coming out from March 9th to April 6th, along with 10 May releases, you can watch it here and see a list of the featured titles here. Special Offer for Bookreporter Readers! Norah Piehl, one of our longtime reviewers, is also the Executive Director of the Boston Book Festival. She’s running an online fundraiser event for the Festival this Thursday, March 18th at 5:30pm ET. Back by popular demand following her successful appearance last year (which was the Festival’s first virtual event), trusted bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud — the co-author of THE NOVEL CURE and the author of THE ART OF MINDFUL READING — will be on Zoom to “prescribe” books based on attendees’ situations or questions. If you use this link to register, you will get 50% off the price of tickets at either the Futon or Recliner level. Of course, also feel free to pass along the link to anyone who you think might be interested in attending. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this! Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events As so many book and author events are happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register. Tuesdays at 7:30pm ET: “Talking ETERNAL with Lisa Scottoline”: Join Lisa Scottoline every Tuesday night at 7:30pm ET on Facebook as she premieres a new episode from her video series, “Behind the Book: Talking ETERNAL,” which reveals behind-the-scenes looks at the inspirations of her upcoming historical fiction book, ETERNAL, releasing on March 23rd. And stay tuned because immediately following each video premiere, Lisa hosts a Facebook Live to talk about the video. Wednesday, March 17th at 7pm ET: “Friends and Fiction”: The “Friends and Fiction” authors — Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, Patti Callahan Henry and Mary Alice Monroe — will talk to Jennifer Robson (OUR DARKEST NIGHT) and Ariel Lawhon (CODE NAME HÉLÈNE). Thursday, March 18th at 5:30pm ET: Boston Book Festival Online Fundraiser Event: Bibliotherapist Ella Berthoud has the unique ability to recommend the perfect book for many of life’s most unexpected predicaments. During this lively online event, Ella will “prescribe” books based on attendees’ situations or questions. Ticket discounts are available to Bookreporter.com and ReadingGroupGuides.com readers! Thursday, March 18th at 7pm ET: Brookline Brooksmith Virtual Event: Join the Transnational Literature Series for a virtual event with Viet Thanh Nguyen and Walter Mosley to discuss Nguyen’s long-awaited new novel, THE COMMITTED. Thursday, March 18th at 8pm ET: Blue Willow Bookshop Virtual Event: Patti Callahan will appear in conversation with Lisa Wingate to discuss her new book, SURVIVING SAVANNAH. Thursday, March 18th at 8pm ET: Murder By The Book Virtual Event: Harlan Coben and Michael J. Fox will be in conversation about their new books, WIN and NO TIME LIKE THE FUTURE. A portion of the proceeds from the book sales from the event will be donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Saturday, March 20th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline will discuss her first historical novel, ETERNAL. Monday, March 22nd at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books Virtual Event: Parnassus Books will present a virtual event with Walter Isaacson, the New York Times bestselling author of STEVE JOBS. Isaacson will be in conversation with Jon Meacham to discuss his new biography of Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, THE CODE BREAKER. Monday, March 22nd at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Jacqueline Winspear will discuss her new Maisie Dobbs mystery, THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR. Tuesday, March 23rd at 7pm ET: Parnassus Books Virtual Event: Parnassus Books is delighted to welcome Lisa Scottoline, author of ETERNAL, for a virtual event to launch her new book. She will be in conversation with fellow New York Times bestselling author Paula McLain. Tuesday, March 23rd at 7pm ET: Warwick’s Virtual Event: This Couch Surfing Book Tour event features Patti Callahan as she discusses her new book, SURVIVING SAVANNAH, in conversation with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Tuesday, March 23rd at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: Alma Katsu will discuss her latest novel, RED WIDOW, with bestselling author Michael Koryta. Tuesday, March 23rd at 9pm ET: Book Passage Virtual Event: Jacqueline Winspear will be in conversation with Elaine Petrocelli, the founder and president of Book Passage, about her new work of fiction, THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR. Tuesday, March 23rd at 9:15pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Virtual Event: #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz will talk about his new novel, THE OTHER EMILY, with special guest host Michael Koryta. This Week’s Bonus News: Bookreporter.com’s New Release Spotlight of THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg (Fiction) Ava, 14 years old and totally on her own, has still not fully processed her mother’s death when she finds herself on a train heading to New Orleans, to stay with Lane, the grandmother she barely remembers. Lane is a well-known artist in the New Orleans art scene. She spends most of her days in a pot-smoke haze, sipping iced coffee, and painting, which has been her singular focus for years. Her grip on reality is shaky at best, but her work provides a comfort. Ava’s arrival unsettles Lane. The girl bears an uncanny resemblance to her daughter, from whom she was estranged before her death. Now her presence is dredging up painful and disturbing memories, which forces Lane to retreat even further into her own mind. As Ava and Lane attempt to find their way and form a bond, the oppressive heat and history of New Orleans bears down on them, forcing a reckoning neither of them are ready for. – Click here to read an excerpt. – Click here to read Melissa Ginsburg’s bio. – Click here to visit Melissa Ginsburg’s website. – Connect with Melissa Ginsburg on Twitter and Instagram. in our New Release Spotlight. On Sale the Week of March 15th in Hardcover March 16th ARE WE THERE YET? by Kathleen West (Fiction) On the same day Alice Sullivan learns that her daughter is struggling in second grade, a call from her son’s school accusing him of bullying throws Alice into a tailspin. When it comes to light that the incident is part of a new behavior pattern for her son, one complete with fake social media profiles with a lot of questionable content, Alice’s social standing is quickly eroded to one of “those moms” who can’t control her kids. Soon she’s facing the very judgment she was all too happy to dole out when she thought no one was looking (or when she thought her house wasn’t made of glass). Then her mother unloads a family secret she’s kept for more than 30 years, and Alice’s entire perception of herself is shattered. Berkley | 9780593098431 BODY OF STARS by Laura Maylene Walter (Dystopian Fiction) Celeste Morton has eagerly awaited her passage to adulthood. Like every girl, she was born with a set of childhood markings — the freckles, moles and birthmarks on her body that foretell her future and that of those around her — and with puberty will come a new set of predictions that will solidify her fate. Celeste’s beloved brother, Miles, is equally anticipating her transition to adulthood. As a skilled interpreter of the future, a field that typically excludes men, Miles considers Celeste his practice ground — and the only clue to what his own future will bring. But when Celeste changes, she learns a devastating secret about Miles’ fate. The lies of brother and sister eventually collide, leading to a tragedy that will irrevocably change Celeste’s fate. Dutton | 9780593183052 FESTIVAL DAYS by Jo Ann Beard (Essays) When “The Fourth State of Matter,” her now famous piece about a workplace massacre at the University of Iowa, was published in The New Yorker, Jo Ann Beard immediately became one of the most influential writers in America, forging a path for a new generation of young authors willing to combine the dexterity of fiction with the rigors of memory and reportage, and in the process extending the range of possibility for the essay form. Now, with FESTIVAL DAYS, Beard brings us the culmination of her groundbreaking work. In these nine pieces, she captures both the small, luminous moments of daily existence and those instances when life and death hang in the balance. Little, Brown and Company | 9780316497237 GATHERING DARK by Candice Fox (Thriller) Dr. Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected pediatric surgeon, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She’s determined to keep her nose clean and win back custody of her son. But when her former cellmate begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line. Detective Jessica Sanchez has always had a difficult relationship with the LAPD. And her inheritance of a multi-million-dollar mansion as a reward for catching a killer has just made her police enemy number one. It’s been 10 years since Jessica arrested Blair for cold-blooded murder. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor late one night, she expects abuse, maybe even violence. What comes next is a plea for help. Forge Books | 9781250317636 THE HOUSE UPTOWN by Melissa Ginsburg (Fiction) Following her mother’s death, 14-year-old Ava is on a train heading to New Orleans, to stay with the grandmother she barely remembers. Lane is a well-known artist in the New Orleans art scene. She spends most of her days in a pot-smoke haze, sipping iced coffee, and painting, which has been her singular focus for years. Ava’s arrival unsettles Lane. The girl bears an uncanny resemblance to her daughter, from whom she was estranged before her death. Now her presence is dredging up painful and disturbing memories, which forces Lane to retreat even further into her own mind. As Ava and Lane attempt to form a bond, the oppressive heat and history of New Orleans bears down on them, forcing a reckoning neither of them are ready for. Flatiron Books | 9781250784186 THE JIGSAW MAN by Nadine Matheson (Mystery/Thriller) On the day she returns to active duty with the Serial Crimes Unit, Detective Inspector Anjelica Henley is called to a crime scene. Dismembered body parts from two victims have been found by the river. The modus operandi bears a striking resemblance to Peter Olivier, the notorious Jigsaw Killer, who has spent the past two years behind bars. When he learns that someone is co-opting his grisly signature — the arrangement of victims’ limbs in puzzle-piece shapes — he decides to take matters into his own hands. As the body count rises, DI Henley is faced with an unspeakable new threat. Can she apprehend the copycat killer before Olivier finds a way to get to him first? Or will she herself become the next victim? Hanover Square Press | 9781335146564 MEANT TO BE by Jude Deveraux (Romance) It’s 1972, and times are changing. In the small farming community of Mason, Kansas, Vera and Kelly Exton are known for their ambitions. Vera is an activist who wants to join her boyfriend in the Peace Corps. But she is doing her duty caring for her widowed mother and younger sister until Kelly is firmly established. Kelly is studying to become a veterinarian. She plans to marry her childhood sweetheart and eventually take over his father’s veterinary practice. But it’s a tumultuous time, and neither sister is entirely happy with the path that’s been laid out for her. As each evaluates her options, everything shifts. Do you do what’s right for yourself or what others want? Mira | 9780778331445 NOT DARK YET: A DCI Banks Novel by Peter Robinson (Mystery/Thriller) When property developer Connor Clive Blaydon is found dead, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his Yorkshire team dive into the investigation. As luck would have it, someone had installed a cache of spy-cams all around his luxurious home. They hope that they’ll find answers — and the culprit — among the video recordings. However, instead of discovering Connor’s murderer, the grainy and blurred footage reveals another crime: a brutal rape. If they can discover the woman’s identity, it could lead to more than justice for the victim; it could change everything the police think they know about Connor and why anyone would want him dead. William Morrow | 9780062994950 ON HARROW HILL: A Dave Gurney Novel by John Verdon (Mystery/Thriller) The idyllic community of Larchfield is rocked to its core when Angus Russell, its wealthiest and most powerful citizen, is found dead in his mansion on Harrow Hill. A preliminary analysis of DNA gathered at the crime scene points to the guilt of local bad boy Billy Tate. However, Tate fell from the roof of a local church and was declared dead by the medical examiner the day before Russell was killed. When police rush to the mortuary, they discover that Tate’s coffin has been broken open from the inside, and the body is gone. A series of murders soon follows as Larchfield loses its collective mind. Ex-NYPD detective Dave Gurney finds himself not only facing down a murderer, but struggling to restore order to the town rapidly spiraling out of control. Counterpoint | 9781640093102 THE PERFORMANCE by Claire Thomas (Fiction) One night, three women go to the theater to see a play. Wildfires are burning in the hills outside, but inside the theater it is time for the performance to take over. Margot is a successful, flinty professor on the cusp of retirement, distracted by her fraught relationship with her adult son and her ailing husband. After a traumatic past, Ivy is now a philanthropist with a seemingly perfect life. Summer is a young drama student, an usher at the theater, and frantically worried for her girlfriend whose parents live in the fire zone. While the performance unfolds on stage, so does the compelling trajectory that will bring these three women together, changing them all. Riverhead Books | 9780593329160 SAVING GRACE by Debbie Babitt (Psychological Thriller) For 24 years, Mary Grace Dobbs has been searching for salvation. Orphaned at 11, she was forced to go live with her Bible salesman uncle, wheelchair-bound aunt, and a cousin who tortured and killed small animals. At school, a bully made her life a nightmare. Everything changed when a newcomer to town became her only best friend, and changed a second time when that friend and another classmate vanished two months later, never to be seen again. Today, Mary Grace is the first female sheriff of her rural town, a position that doesn’t sit well with some of the locals. Keeping order and her demons at bay becomes an impossible task when the Black drifter suspected in the earlier disappearances returns to Repentance…and another sixth grader vanishes. Scarlet | 9781613162064 SHOOTING MIDNIGHT COWBOY: Art, Sex, Loneliness, Liberation, and the Making of a Dark Classic by Glenn Frankel (Performing Arts/History) Glenn Frankel’s SHOOTING MIDNIGHT COWBOY tells the story of a modern classic that, by all accounts, should never have become one in the first place. The film’s boundary-pushing subject matter — homosexuality, prostitution, sexual assault — earned it an X rating when it first appeared in cinemas in 1969. For Midnight Cowboy, director John Schlesinger enlisted Jerome Hellman, a producer coming off his own recent flop and smarting from a failed marriage, and Waldo Salt, a formerly blacklisted screenwriter with a tortured past. The decision to shoot on location in New York, at a time when the city was approaching its gritty nadir, backfired when a sanitation strike filled Manhattan with garbage fires and fears of dysentery. Farrar, Straus and Giroux | 9780374209018 SILENCE IS A SENSE by Layla AlAmmar (Fiction) A young woman sits in her apartment, watching the small daily dramas of her neighbors across the way. Journeying from her war-torn Syrian homeland to this unnamed British city has traumatized her into silence, and her only connection to the world is the column she writes for a magazine under the pseudonym “the Voiceless,” where she tries to explain the refugee experience without sensationalizing it — or revealing anything about herself. Gradually, though, the boundaries of her world expand. When an anti-Muslim hate crime rattles the neighborhood, she has to make a choice: Will she remain a voiceless observer, or become an active participant in a community that is quickly becoming her own? Algonquin Books | 9781643750262 SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE: The Amazin’ True Story of the New York Mets ― the Best Worst Team in Sports by Devin Gordon (Sports) In SO MANY WAYS TO LOSE, author and lifelong Mets fan Devin Gordon sifts through the detritus of Queens for a baseball history like no other. Remember the time the Mets lost an All-Star after he got charged by a wild boar? Or the time they blew a six-run ninth-inning lead at the peak of a pennant race? Or the time they fired their manager before he ever managed a game? Sure you do. It was only two years ago, and it was all in the same season. The Mets have an unrivaled gift for getting it backward, doing the impossible, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and then snatching defeat right back again. Harper | 9780062940025 THE SWEET TASTE OF MUSCADINES by Pamela Terry (Fiction) Lila Bruce Breedlove never quite felt at home in Wesleyan, Georgia, especially after her father’s untimely demise when she was a child. Both Lila and her brother, Henry, fled north after high school, establishing fulfilling lives of their own. In contrast, their younger sister, Abigail, opted to remain behind to dote on their domineering, larger-than-life mother, Geneva. When their elderly mother dies suddenly and suspiciously in the muscadine arbor behind the family estate, Lila and Henry return to the town that essentially raised them. But as they uncover more about Geneva’s death, shocking truths are revealed that overturn the family’s history as they know it, sending the pair on an extraordinary journey to chase a truth that will dramatically alter the course of their lives. Ballantine Books | 9780593158456 WIN by Harlan Coben (Thriller) Over 20 years ago, the heiress Patricia Lockwood was abducted during a robbery of her family’s estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors — and the items stolen from her family were never recovered. Until now. On the Upper West Side, a recluse is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead — not only on Patricia’s kidnapping, but also on another FBI cold case — with the suitcase and painting both pointing them toward one man: Windsor Horne Lockwood III…or Win, as his few friends call him. Grand Central Publishing | 9781538748213 On Sale the Week of March 15th in Paperback March 16th 88 NAMES by Matt Ruff (Science Fiction/Technothriller) John Chu is a “sherpa,” a paid guide to online role-playing games like the popular Call to Wizardry. His new client, the pseudonymous Mr. Jones, claims to be a “wealthy, famous person” with powerful enemies, and he’s offering a ridiculous amount of money for a comprehensive tour of the world of virtual-reality gaming. For Chu, this is a dream assignment, but as the tour gets underway, he begins to suspect that Mr. Jones is really North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. He also has to worry about “Ms. Pang,” who may or may not be an agent of the People’s Republic of China, and his angry ex-girlfriend, Darla Jean Covington, who isn’t the type to let an international intrigue get in the way of her own plans for revenge. Harper Perennial | 9780062854681 THE BACK ROADS TO MARCH: The Unsung, Unheralded, and Unknown Heroes of a College Basketball Season by John Feinstein (Sports) John Feinstein pulls back the curtain on college basketball’s lesser-known Cinderella stories — the smaller programs who no one expects to win, who have no chance of attracting the most coveted high school recruits. To tell this story, Feinstein follows a handful of players, coaches and schools who dream, not of winning the NCAA tournament, but of making it past their first or second round games. Every once in a while, one of these coaches or players is plucked from obscurity to lead a major team or to play professionally, cementing their status in these fiercely passionate fan bases as a legend. These are the gifted players who aren’t handled with kid gloves — they’re hardworking, gritty teammates who practice and party with everyone else. Anchor | 9780525564751 BUBBLEGUM by Adam Levin (Fiction) BUBBLEGUM is set in an alternate present-day world in which the internet does not exist, and has never existed. Rather, a wholly different species of interactive technology — a “flesh-and-bone robot” called the Curio — has dominated both the market and the cultural imagination since the late 1980s. Belt Magnet, who as a boy in greater Chicago became one of the lucky first adopters of a Curio, is now writing his memoir, and through it we follow a singular man out of sync with the harsh realities of a world he feels alien to, but must find a way to live in. Anchor | 9780525566489 CHARLOTTE WALSH LIKES TO WIN by Jo Piazza (Fiction) Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. Once the campaign gets underway, Charlotte is blindsided by just how dirty her opponent is willing to fight, how harshly she is judged by the press and her peers, and how exhausting it becomes to navigate a marriage with an increasingly ambivalent and often resentful husband. When the opposition uncovers a secret that could threaten not just her campaign but everything Charlotte holds dear, she must decide just how badly she wants to win and at what cost. Simon & Schuster | 9781501179433 DOCILE by K.M. Szpara (Science Fiction) To be a Docile is to be kept, body and soul, for the uses of the owner of your contract. To be a Docile is to forget, to disappear, to hide inside your body from the horrors of your service. To be a Docile is to sell yourself to pay your parents’ debts and buy your children’s future. Elisha Wilder’s family has been ruined by debt, handed down to them from previous generations. Too bad Elisha’s contract has been purchased by Alexander Bishop III, whose ultra-rich family is the brains (and money) behind Dociline and the entire Office of Debt Resolution. When Elisha refuses Dociline, Alex refuses to believe that his family’s crowning achievement could have any negative side effects — and is determined to turn Elisha into the perfect Docile without it. Tordotcom | 9781250216335 THE EIGHTH GIRL by Maxine Mei-Fung Chung (Psychological Thriller) Beautiful. Damaged. Destructive. Meet Alexa Wú, a brilliant yet darkly self-aware young woman whose chaotic life is controlled by a series of alternate personalities. When Alexa’s friend, Ella, gets a job at a high-end gentlemen’s club, she catches the attention of its shark-like owner and is gradually drawn into his inner circle. As Alexa’s world becomes intimately entangled with Ella’s, she soon finds herself the unwitting keeper of a nightmarish secret as she follows Ella into London’s cruel underbelly. Threatened and vulnerable, Alexa will discover if her multiple personalities are her greatest asset or her most dangerous obstacle. William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062931139 EXCITING TIMES by Naoise Dolan (Fiction) Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, spends her days teaching English to rich children. Julian is a banker. A banker who likes to spend money on Ava, to have sex and discuss fluctuating currencies with her. But when she asks if he loves her, he cannot say more than “I like you a great deal.” Enter Edith. A Hong Kong–born lawyer, striking and ambitious, Edith takes Ava to the theater and leaves her tulips in the hallway. Ava wants to be her — and wants her. But then Julian writes to tell Ava he is coming back to Hong Kong. Should Ava return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith? Ecco | 9780062968753 THE FAMILIAR DARK by Amy Engel (Mystery/Thriller) Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, THE FAMILIAR DARK opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother’s cruel brand of strength if she’s going to face the reality about her daughter’s death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother’s trailer for a final lesson. Dutton | 9781524746001 THE GOOD KILLER by Harry Dolan (Thriller) Sean Tennant and Molly Winter are living quietly and cautiously in Houston when a troubled, obsessive stranger shatters the safety they have carefully constructed for themselves. Sean is at a shopping mall when Henry Alan Keen, scorned by a woman he’s been dating, pulls out a gun at the store where she works and begins shooting everyone in sight. A former soldier, Sean rushes toward Keen and ends the slaughter with two well-placed shots — becoming a hero with his face plastered across the news. But Sean’s newfound notoriety exposes him to the wrath of two men he thought he had left safely in his past. One of them blames Sean for his brother’s death. The other wants to recover a treasure that Sean and Molly stole from him. Mysterious Press | 9780802148421 THE HERD by Andrea Bartz (Psychological Thriller) THE HERD is the name of the elite women-only coworking space in New York that prides itself on mentorship and empowerment. Among the hopefuls is Katie Bradley, who has an in, thanks to her sister, Hana, an original Herder and the best friend of Eleanor Walsh, the Herd’s charismatic founder. As head of PR, Hana is working around the clock to prepare for a huge announcement from Eleanor — one that will change the trajectory of the Herd forever. But on the night of the glitzy Herd news conference, Eleanor vanishes without a trace. As Hana struggles to figure out what her friend was hiding and Katie chases the story of her life, the sisters must face the secrets they’ve been keeping from each other. Ballantine Books | 9781984826381 THE LEONARDO GULAG by Kevin Doherty (Historical Thriller) Stalin’s Russia, 1950. Brilliant young artist Pasha Kalmenov is arrested and sent without trial to a forced-labor camp in the Arctic gulag. This is a camp like no other. Although conditions are harsh and degrading, the prisoners are not to be worked to death in a coal mine or on a construction project. Their task is to forge the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci. There is a high price to be paid for failing to reach the required standard of perfection — particularly as the camp commandant has his own secret agenda. When the executions begin, Pasha realizes that only his artistic talent can protect him. But for how long? Worse horrors are to come. If he survives them, will life still be worth living? Oceanview Publishing | 9781608094356 THE MANY LIVES OF MICHAEL BLOOMBERG by Eleanor Randolph (Biography) With unprecedented access, veteran New York Times reporter and editorial writer Eleanor Randolph offers a revealing portrait of one of the richest and famously private/public figures in the country. Michael Bloomberg’s life sounds like an exaggerated version of The American Story, except his adventures are real. From modest Jewish middle class (and Eagle Scout) to Harvard MBA to Salomon Brothers hot shot (where he gets “sent upstairs” and later fired) to creator of the machine that would change Wall Street and the rest of the world and make him a billionaire (a description by the author makes the invention clear to non-engineers), Randolph’s account of Bloomberg’s life and times reads almost like a novel, a quintessentially American story. Simon & Schuster | 9781476772219 MISS AUSTEN: A Novel of the Austen Sisters by Gill Hornby (Historical Fiction) England, 1840. For the two decades following the death of her beloved sister, Jane, Cassandra Austen has lived alone, spending her days visiting friends and relations and quietly, purposefully working to preserve her sister’s reputation. Now in her 60s and increasingly frail, Cassandra goes to stay with the Fowles of Kintbury, family of her long-dead fiancé, in search of a trove of Jane’s letters. Dodging her hostess and a meddlesome housemaid, Cassandra eventually hunts down the letters and confronts the secrets they hold, secrets not only about Jane but about Cassandra herself. Will Cassandra bare the most private details of her life to the world, or commit her sister’s legacy to the flames? Flatiron Books | 9781250252210 THE MOUNTAINS SING by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (Historical Fiction) THE MOUNTAINS SING tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Trần family, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Trần Diệu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Nội, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Hồ Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that tore apart not just her beloved country, but her family as well. Algonquin Books | 9781643751351 AN OCEAN WITHOUT A SHORE by Scott Spencer (Fiction) Since their college days, Kip Woods has been infatuated with Thaddeus Kaufman, who, years later, is a married father of two children and desperately trying to revive a failing career. Kip’s devotion to Thaddeus has been life-defining and destiny-altering, but it has been one that Thaddeus has either failed to notice or refused to acknowledge. But over the course of the novel, set against a background of privilege and affluence in Manhattan and the Hudson Valley, Kip will be forced to reckon with the prison of his own making and decide how much he is willing to sacrifice for a love that may never be shared. Ecco | 9780062851642 THE OPERATOR by Gretchen Berg (Historical Fiction) Nobody knows the people of Wooster, Ohio, better than switchboard operator Vivian Dalton. Vivian and the other women who work at Bell on East Liberty Street connect lines and lives. They aren’t supposed to listen in on conversations, but they do, and they all have opinions on what they hear. One cold December night, Vivian listens in on a call between that snob Betty Miller and someone whose voice she can’t quite place, and hears something shocking. Betty’s mystery friend has news that, if true, will shatter Vivian’s tidy life in Wooster, humiliating her and making her the laughingstock of the town. Vivian is going to get to the bottom of that rumor. She wants the truth, no matter how painful it may be. William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062917195 STEALING HOME: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between by Eric Nusbaum (Sports/History) Dodger Stadium is an American icon. But the story of how it came to be goes far beyond baseball. The hills that cradle the stadium were once home to three vibrant Mexican American communities. In the early 1950s, those communities were condemned to make way for a utopian public housing project. Then, in a remarkable turn, public housing in the city was defeated amidst a Red Scare conspiracy. Instead of getting their homes back, the remaining residents saw the city sell their land to Walter O’Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Now L.A. would be getting a different sort of utopian fantasy — a glittering, ultra-modern stadium. But before Dodger Stadium could be built, the city would have to face down the neighborhood’s families. PublicAffairs | 9781541742222 THICK AS THIEVES by Sandra Brown (Thriller) Twenty years ago in the dead of night, four seemingly random individuals pulled the ultimate heist and almost walked away with half a million dollars. But by daybreak, one of them was in the hospital, one was in jail, one was dead, and one got away with it. Arden Maxwell, the daughter of the man who disappeared all those years ago, has never reconciled with her father’s abandonment of her and her sister. After countless personal setbacks, she decides to return to her family home near mysterious Caddo Lake and finally get answers to the many questions that torment her. Little does she know that two of her father’s co-conspirators — a war hero and a corrupt district attorney — are watching her every move. Grand Central Publishing | 9781538751923 THREE BROTHERS: Memories of My Family written by Yan Lianke, translated by Carlos Rojas (Memoir) In THREE BROTHERS, Yan Lianke brings the reader into his childhood home in Song County in Henan Province, chronicling the extraordinary lives of his father and uncles, as well as his own. Living in a remote village, Yan’s parents are so poor that they can only afford to use wheat flour on New Year and festival days. Yan yearns to somehow leave the village, and soon novels become an escape. In the evenings, after finishing back-breaking shifts hauling stones at a cement factory, he sets to work writing. He is ultimately delivered from the drudgery and danger of manual labor by a career in the Army, but he is filled with regrets as he recalls these years of scarcity, turmoil and poverty. Grove Press | 9780802148629 TRACE ELEMENTS: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon (Mystery) When Dottoressa Donato calls the Questura to report that a dying patient at the hospice Fatebenefratelli wants to speak to the police, Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, waste no time in responding. “They killed him. It was bad money. I told him no,” Benedetta Toso gasps the words about her recently deceased husband, Vittorio Fadalto. Even though he is not sure she can hear him, Brunetti softly promises that he and Griffoni will look into what initially appears to be a private family tragedy. Piecing together the tangled threads, in time Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman’s accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region. Grove Press | 9780802148681 THE WHISPERING HOUSE by Elizabeth Brooks (Gothic Mystery) Paperback Original Freya Lyell is struggling to move on from her sister Stella’s death five years ago. Visiting the bewitching Byrne Hall, only a few miles from the scene of the tragedy, she discovers a portrait of Stella — a portrait she had no idea existed, in a house Stella never set foot in. Or so she thought. Driven to find out more about her sister’s secrets, Freya is drawn into the world of Byrne Hall and its owners: charismatic artist Cory and his sinister, watchful mother. But as Freya lingers in this mysterious, centuries-old house, her relationship with Cory crosses the line into obsession, and the darkness behind the locked doors of the estate threatens to spill out. Tin House Books | 9781951142360 On Sale the Week of March 22nd in Hardcover March 23rd THE BOUNTY: A Fox and O’Hare Novel by Janet Evanovich and Steve Hamilton (Mystery) Directly descended from the Vatican Bank priests who served Hitler during World War II, the Brotherhood is on a frantic search for a lost train loaded with $30 billion in Nazi gold, untouched for over 75 years somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Europe. Straight-as-an-arrow special agent Kate O’Hare and international con man Nick Fox know that there is only one man who can find the fortune and bring down the Brotherhood — the same man who taught Nick everything he knows — his father, Quentin. As the stakes get higher, they also must rely on Kate’s own father, Jake, who shares his daughter’s grit and stubbornness. Too bad they can never agree on anything. Atria Books | 9781982157135 THE CONSEQUENCES OF FEAR: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear (Historical Mystery) While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett, a message runner for a government office, witnesses an argument that ends in murder. When he arrives at the delivery address, he’s shocked to come face to face with the killer. Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of a woman he once met when delivering a message: Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie wants to help the boy, she must maintain extreme caution: she’s working secretly for the Special Operations Executive, assessing candidates for crucial work with the French resistance. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes she’s been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to kill — reasons that go back to the last war. Harper | 9780062868022 DANGER IN NUMBERS by Heather Graham (Romantic Suspense) A ritualistic murder on the side of a remote road brings in the Florida state police. Special Agent Amy Larson has never seen worse, and there are indications that this killing could be just the beginning. The crime draws the attention of the FBI in the form of Special Agent Hunter Forrest, a man with insider knowledge of how violent cults operate, and a man who might never be able to escape his own past. The rural community is devastated by the death in their midst, but people know more than they are saying. As Amy and Hunter join forces, every lead takes them further into the twisted beliefs of a dangerous group that will stop at nothing to see their will done. Mira | 9780778331452 DOUBLE JEOPARDY: A Stone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods (Thriller/Adventure) Stone Barrington is settling in for a stretch in New York when he receives news that demands immediate action. An old family matter has unexpectedly resurfaced, and Stone must decamp to the craggy shores of Maine to address the issue head-on. There, Stone finds that a dual-pronged threat is hiding in plain sight among the stately houses and exclusive coastal clubs, and the incursion isn’t easily rebuffed. These enemies have friends in high places, funds to spare, and a score to settle with Stone…and only the cleverest plot will draw them out into the open. From luxuriously renovated homes to the choppy ocean waters, the pursuit can only lead to an explosive end. G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780593188385 ETERNAL by Lisa Scottoline (Historical Fiction) Elisabetta, Marco and Sandro grow up as the best of friends despite their differences. Elisabetta is a feisty beauty who dreams of becoming a novelist; Marco the brash and athletic son in a family of professional cyclists; and Sandro a Jewish mathematics prodigy, kindhearted and thoughtful, the son of a lawyer and a doctor. Their friendship blossoms to love, with both Sandro and Marco hoping to win Elisabetta’s heart. But in the autumn of 1937, all of that begins to change as Mussolini asserts his power, aligning Italy’s Fascists with Hitler’s Nazis and altering the very laws that govern Rome. In time, everything that the three hold dear — their families, their homes and their connection to one another — is tested in ways they never could have imagined. G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780525539766 EVERY VOW YOU BREAK by Peter Swanson (Psychological Thriller) Abigail Baskin never thought she’d fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb, a stable, level-headed, kind guy. But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident out of her mind and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears — and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more — and he’s tracked her down to prove it. To make the situation worse, Abigail sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss…including her perfect new husband. William Morrow | 9780062980038 THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS by Constance Sayers (Historical Fantasy/Romance) Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder. It’s the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love. Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance. Redhook | 9780316493673 THE LOST VILLAGE written by Camilla Sten, translated by Alexandra Fleming (Mystery/Thriller) Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy. Ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left — a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn — have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened. Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice: They are not alone. Minotaur Books | 9781250249258 A MILLION REASONS WHY by Jessica Strawser (Fiction) Caroline lives a full, happy life — a thriving career, three feisty children, an enviable marriage, and a close-knit extended family. However, she is about to discover that her fundamental beliefs about them all are wrong. Sela lives a life in shades of gray, suffering from irreversible kidney failure. Her marriage crumbled in the wake of her illness. Her beloved mother, always her closest friend, unexpectedly passed away. She refuses to be defined by her grief, but still, she worries what will happen to her two-year-old son if she doesn’t find a donor match in time. She’s the only one who knows Caroline is her half-sister and may also be her best hope for a future. But Sela’s world isn’t as clear-cut as it appears — and one misstep could destroy it all. St. Martin’s Press | 9781250241627 THE OTHER EMILY by Dean Koontz (Psychological Thriller) A decade ago, Emily Carlino vanished after her car broke down on a California highway. She was presumed to be one of serial killer Ronny Lee Jessup’s victims whose remains were never found. Writer David Thorne still hasn’t recovered from losing the love of his life, or from the guilt of not being there to save her. He then meets the beguiling and playful Maddison Sutton, who is keenly aware of all he has lost. But what really takes his breath away is that everything about Maddison is just like Emily. As the fantastic becomes credible, David’s obsession grows, Maddison’s mysterious past deepens — and terror escalates. Is she Emily? Or an irresistible dead ringer? Either way, the ultimate question is the same: What game is she playing? Thomas & Mercer | 9781542019958 A QUESTION MARK IS HALF A HEART written by Sofia Lundberg, translated by Nicola Smalley (Fiction) By age 50, Elin Boals has created for herself a perfect life. Her wildly successful business as Manhattan’s preeminent fashion photographer is flourishing. Her handsome, patient husband is devoted to her. Her teenaged daughter, Alice, has been accepted to the ballet academy of her dreams. But then Elin receives an innocuous-looking envelope. Folded inside is a star-chart, with an address written by a familiar hand. Shaken, Elin begins to have startling flashbacks, to a life very different from the childhood in a Paris bookstore that she has so lovingly recounted to Alice. As she becomes consumed by these memories, her New York life begins to crumble dramatically. Finally, her family’s troubling questions drive her to face, at last, the brutal secret from her past. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | 9781328473028 RAFT OF STARS by Andrew J. Graff (Fiction) It’s the summer of 1994 in Claypot, Wisconsin, and the lives of 10-year-old Fischer “Fish” Branson and Dale “Bread” Breadwin are shaped by the two fathers they don’t talk about. One night, tired of seeing his best friend bruised and terrorized by his no-good dad, Fish takes action. A gunshot rings out, and the two boys flee the scene, believing themselves murderers. They head for the woods, where they find their way onto a raft. Four adults track them into the forest: Fish’s mother, Miranda, a wise woman full of fierce faith; his granddad, Teddy, who knows the woods like the back of his hand; Tiffany, a purple-haired gas station attendant and poet looking for connection; and Sheriff Cal, who’s having doubts about a life in law enforcement. Ecco | 9780063031906 RED ISLAND HOUSE by Andrea Lee (Fiction) When Shay, a Black American professor who’s always had an adventurous streak, marries Senna, an Italian businessman, she doesn’t imagine that her life’s greatest adventure will carry her far beyond their home in Milan to an idyllic stretch of beach in Madagascar, where Senna builds a flamboyant vacation villa. Before she knows it, Shay has become the somewhat reluctant mistress of a sprawling household, caught between her privileged American upbringing and her connection to the continent of her ancestors. Eventually the collision of cultures comes right to Shay’s door, forcing her to make a life-altering decision that will change her and Senna’s lives forever. Scribner | 9781982137809 RED WIDOW by Alma Katsu (Thriller) Lyndsey Duncan worries that her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during an assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. So when a former colleague — now Chief of the Russia Division — recruits her for an internal investigation, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station and was praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been exposed — including one of her own — and the CIA is convinced there’s a mole in the department. With years of work in question and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, this time tracing the steps of those closest to her. G.P. Putnam’s Sons | 9780525539414 WHEN WOMEN INVENTED TELEVISION: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (Performing Arts/History) It was the Golden Age of Radio, and powerful men were making millions in advertising dollars reaching thousands of listeners every day. When television arrived, few radio moguls were interested in the upstart industry and its tiny production budgets, and expensive television sets were out of reach for most families. But four women — each an independent visionary — saw an opportunity and carved their own paths, and in so doing invented the way we watch TV today: Irna Phillips, Gertrude Berg, Hazel Scott and Betty White. Together, their stories chronicle a forgotten chapter in the history of television and popular culture. Harper | 9780062973306 YOU’LL THANK ME FOR THIS by Nina Siegal (Psychological Thriller) Twelve-year old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into the Hoge Veluwe National Forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands’ most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting. Karin quickly finds herself at odds with two of the older teens, and suddenly looks up to see that the other children have vanished. As Karin struggles against the elements to find her way back, she soon realizes that something far more sinister lurks in the woods. While Karin fights for survival, and Grace hastens to find her daughter, the night culminates in the reveal of a deadly secret — and a shocking confrontation — that will push each of them to her edge. Mulholland Books | 9780316703567 On Sale the Week of March 22nd in Paperback March 23rd THE ANIMALS AT LOCKWOOD MANOR by Jane Healey (Historical Fiction) In August 1939, 30-year-old Hetty Cartwright arrives at Lockwood Manor to oversee a natural history museum collection, the contents of which have been taken out of London for safekeeping. She is unprepared for the beautiful and haunted Lucy Lockwood. For Lucy, who has spent much of her life cloistered at Lockwood suffering from bad nerves, the arrival of the museum brings with it new freedoms. But it also resurfaces memories of her late mother, and nightmares in which Lucy roams Lockwood hunting for something she has lost. When the animals appear to move of their own accord, and exhibits go missing, they begin to wonder what exactly it is that they might need protection from. Mariner Books | 9780358508656 THE BIG FINISH by Brooke Fossey (Fiction) For Duffy Sinclair, life boils down to one simple thing: maintaining his residence at the idyllic Centennial Assisted Living. Without it, he’s destined for the roach-infested nursing home down the road — and after wasting the first 88 years of his life, he refuses to waste away for the rest. So he keeps his shenanigans to the bare minimum with the help of his straight-laced best friend and roommate, Carl Upton. But when Carl’s granddaughter, Josie, climbs through their bedroom window with booze on her breath and a black eye, Duffy is faced with trouble that’s sticking around and hard to hide — from Centennial’s management and Josie’s toxic boyfriend. Before he knows it, he’s running a covert operation that includes hitchhiking and barhopping. Berkley | 9781984804945 THE BOOK OF LONGINGS by Sue Monk Kidd (Fiction) Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, Ana is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She is expected to marry an older widower, but an encounter with 18-year-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome’s occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Penguin Books | 9780143111399 THE BRAMBLE AND THE ROSE: A Henry Farrell Novel by Tom Bouman (Mystery) A headless stranger is found in the woods of Wild Thyme, a small town in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. All signs point to a man-killing bear, and Officer Henry Farrell would just as soon leave this hunt to the Game Commission. But doubts arise when he discovers the victim was a retired investigator. What drew the investigator to sleepy Wild Thyme? Before Henry can find answers, his own nephew disappears into the hills. Then an old flame dies under suspicious circumstances, leaving Henry as the prime suspect. Torn between protecting his family and clearing his name, Henry fights to protect the most he’s ever had to lose. W. W. Norton & Company | 9780393541557 THE EVERLASTING by Katy Simpson Smith (Historical Fiction) Spanning 2,000 years, THE EVERLASTING follows four characters whose struggles resonate across the centuries: an early Christian child martyr, a medieval monk on crypt duty in a church, a Medici princess of Moorish descent, and a contemporary field biologist conducting an illicit affair. Outsiders to a city layered and dense with history, this quartet separated by time grapple with the physicality of bodies, the necessity for sacrifice, and the power of love to sustain and challenge faith. Their small rebellions are witnessed and provoked by an omniscient, time-traveling Satan who, though incorporeal, nonetheless suffers from a heart in search of repair. As their dramas unfold amid the brick, marble and ghosts of Rome, they each must decide what it means to be good. Harper Perennial | 9780062873675 THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DUMPED by Jenny Colgan (Fiction/Humor) Paperback Original Posy Fairweather is over the moon when her boyfriend, Matt, proposes in what is probably the most romantic way possible — on top of a mountain, in a thunderstorm, like something from a Nicholas Sparks novel. But a few days later he dumps her. Crushed and humiliated, Posy wonders why all her romances have always been such train wrecks. Determined to gain some insight, Posy resolves to get online, track down her exes and ask them. Which doors from Posy’s past should stay closed? Which might open? Can she learn from past mistakes? And what if she has let Mr. Right slip through her fingers along the way? William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062869609 HERE’S THE CATCH: A Memoir of the Miracle Mets and More by Ron Swoboda (Sports/Memoir) Ron Swoboda wasn’t the greatest player the Mets ever had, but he made the greatest catch in Met history, saving a game in the 1969 World Series, and his RBI clinched the final game. By Met standards that makes him legend. The Mets even use a steel silhouette of the catch as a backing for the right field entrance sign at Citi Field. In this smart, funny and insightful memoir, which is as self-deprecating as a lifetime .249 hitter has to be, he tells the story of that magical year nearly game by game, revealing his struggles, his triumphs and what life was like for an everyday, Every Man player, even when he was being platooned. St. Martin’s Griffin | 9781250781390 HOUSE OF GLASS: The Story and Secrets of a Twentieth-Century Jewish Family by Hadley Freeman (Memoir) Hadley Freeman knew her grandmother Sara lived in France just as Hitler started to gain power, but rarely did anyone in her family talk about it. Long after her grandmother’s death, she found a shoebox tucked in the closet containing photographs of her grandmother with a mysterious stranger, a cryptic telegram from the Red Cross, and a drawing signed by Picasso. This discovery sent Freeman on a decade-long quest to uncover the significance of these keepsakes, taking her from Picasso’s archives in Paris to a secret room in a farmhouse in Auvergne to Long Island to Auschwitz. Freeman pieces together the puzzle of her family’s past, discovering more about the lives of her grandmother and her three brothers. Simon & Schuster | 9781501199202 THE LAST TOURIST by Olen Steinhauer (Thriller) In AN AMERICAN SPY, reluctant CIA agent Milo Weaver thought he had finally put “Tourists” — CIA-trained assassins — to bed. A decade later, Milo is hiding out in Western Sahara when a young CIA analyst arrives to question him about a series of suspicious deaths and terrorist chatter linked to him. Their conversation is soon interrupted by a new breed of Tourists intent on killing them both, forcing them to run. As he tells his story, Milo is joined by colleagues and enemies from his long history in the world of intelligence, and the young analyst wonders what to believe. He wonders, too, if he’ll survive this encounter. Minotaur Books | 9781250036193 MOLLY BIT by Dan Bevacqua (Fiction) Molly Bit is a great actress. From her first acting classes to her big break, she is different from the others struggling to make it. But fame is perilous. She uses — and is used by — the Hollywood system. Her collaborator is an addict. The producer who promises her stardom is ruthless and unhinged by grief. Fans, friends, strangers — they want and want. And one dangerously obsessed fan wants to take away everything. Simon & Schuster | 9781982104566 THE NIGHT WATCHMAN by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction) Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel-bearing plant, the first factory located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953, and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom; Congress is fed up with Indians. The bill is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity. How can the government abandon treaties made in good faith with Native Americans “for as long as the grasses shall grow, and the rivers run”? Harper Perennial | 9780062671196 THE SECOND LIFE OF TIGER WOODS by Michael Bamberger (Sports/Biography) Tiger Woods’ long descent into a personal and professional hell reached bottom in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2017. Woods’ DUI arrest that night came on the heels of a desperate spinal surgery, just weeks after he told close friends he might never play tournament golf again. Instead of sinking beneath the public disgrace of drug abuse and the private despair of a battered and ailing body, Woods embarked on the long road to redeeming himself. In THE SECOND LIFE OF TIGER WOODS, Michael Bamberger draws upon his deep network of sources to tell the true and inspiring story of the legend’s return. Packed with new information and graced by insight, Bamberger’s story reveals how this iconic athlete clawed his way back to the top. Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster | 9781982122843 SWING KINGS: The Inside Story of Baseball’s Home Run Revolution by Jared Diamond (Sports/History) The 2019 Major League Baseball season saw the most home runs ever, obliterating a record set just two years before. It is a shift that has transformed the way the game is played, contributing to more strikeouts, longer games and what feels like the logical conclusion of the analytics era. In SWING KINGS, Wall Street Journal national baseball writer Jared Diamond reveals that the secret behind this unprecedented shift isn’t steroids or the stitching of the baseballs, it’s the most elemental explanation of all: the swing. In this lively narrative romp, he tracks a group of baseball’s biggest stars — including Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez and Justin Turner — who remade their swings under the tutelage of a band of renegade coaches, and remade the game in the process. William Morrow Paperbacks | 9780062872111 THE WOMAN IN THE MIRROR by Rebecca James (Gothic Thriller) In 1947, Londoner Alice Miller accepts a post as governess at Winterbourne Hall, looking after Captain Jonathan de Grey’s twin children. Falling under the de Greys’ spell, Alice believes the family will heal her own past sorrows. But then the twins’ adoration becomes deceitful and taunting. Their father, ever distant, turns spiteful and cruel. The manor itself seems to lash out. In present-day New York, art gallery curator Rachel Wright has learned she is a descendant of the de Greys and heir to Winterbourne. Adopted as an infant, she never knew her birth parents or her lineage. At long last, Rachel will find answers to questions about her identity that have haunted her entire life. But what she finds in Cornwall is a devastating tragic legacy that has afflicted generations of de Greys. Minotaur Books | 9781250230072 Please visit the other websites in TheBookReportNetwork.com: ReadingGroupGuides.com and AuthorsOnTheWeb.com. And be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.