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A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3)
by Kate KhavariBrilliant botanist Saffron Everleigh is ready for her next thrilling adventure in the newest installment of Kate Khavari&’s mesmerizing historical mystery series. &“A cleverly plotted puzzle&” (Ashley Weaver) in the vein of Opium and Absinthe, this is perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen and Sujata Massey.London, 1923. Returning from Paris, botanical researcher Saffron Everleigh finds that her former love interest Alexander Ashton&’s brother, Adrian, is being investigated for murder. A Russian scientist working for the English government has been poisoned, and expired in Adrian&’s train compartment. Alexander asks Saffron to put in a good word for Adrian with Inspector Green. Despite her unresolved feelings for Alexander, Saffron begins to unravel mysteries surrounding the dead scientist.As if a murder case weren&’t enough, her best friend Elizabeth&’s war-hero brother, Nick, arrives in town and takes an immediate interest in Saffron. Saffron learns Alexander has been keeping secrets from her, including a connection to Nick, who Saffron and Elizabeth begin to suspect is more than he seems.When another scientist is found dead, Saffron agrees to go undercover at the government laboratory. Risking her career and her safety, she learns there are many more interested parties and dangerous secrets to uncover than she&’d realized. But some secrets, Saffron will find, are better left undiscovered.
A Collection of Lies (A Kate Hamilton Mystery #5)
by Connie BerryIn USA Today bestselling author Connie Berry&’s fifth Kate Hamilton mystery, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton follows bloodstained clues to discover the truth about the murder of a modern-day Victorian gentleman.As Kate Hamilton and her new husband, DI Tom Mallory, honeymoon in Devon, a local history museum asks them to trace the provenance of a bloodstained dress said to belong to a Victorian lacemaker accused of murder. If genuine, the dress and its puzzling connections to a nineteenth-century Romani family who camped on Dartmoor will be the centerpiece of a new historic crimes exhibit—exactly Kate&’s kind of mystery. But matters turn deadly when a shot is fired during a fundraising gala, injuring the man who donated the dress.The injured donor, Gideon Littlejohn, is a cybersecurity expert who lives and dresses as a Victorian gentleman, but everyone believes the real target of the attack to be another attendee—a controversial politician intent on rooting out local corruption. This belief is overturned when Gideon is found dead in a pool of blood. But then the politician receives a death threat.Who was the real target? Who would want to kill both a man with an obsession for history and a tough-on-crime politician? When asked to assist in the investigation, Kate races to discover the truth, as it becomes clear the killer isn&’t going to come quietly.
Wish You Weren't Here: A Novel
by Christy SchilligIn this transportive debut, a woman spending a summer in Italy finds her world completely upended–but it may be the kick she&’s needed to figure out who she truly wants to be, perfect for fans of Rebecca Serle and Tessa Bailey.Ava Graham's ducks are in a row as she heads off to Italy to complete her final law school credits and fulfill a promise she made to her late mother five years ago. Ava expects her long-term boyfriend to propose before her trip, but instead of giving her a ring, he suggests they use her time abroad as a &“break&” before settling down. When James Massini arrives–late–to the airport to pick up Ava as a favor to his aunt and uncle, he&’s surprised to find that she&’s not a young co-ed, but a fascinating woman approaching thirty with a serious superiority complex and a habit of underestimating him. When she&’s assigned to his class as a TA, he becomes determined to prove to her that there is more to life than plans and lists, no matter how hard she fights with him–or how annoyingly charming he finds their banter. Despite the sudden disaster of her life, type A Ava might actually enjoy Italy—if only annoyingly carefree James wasn&’t there, too. As Ava reluctantly lets James try to show her a different way of life in Italy, she begins to find beauty in the chaos. Of course, it&’s when things begin to make sense again that her past comes storming back.With a humorously relatable protagonist and a rich Italian setting, this debut novel is an escapist treat and a necessary reminder that life doesn&’t always care about the plans we&’ve made for ourselves.
Here for the Wrong Reasons: A Novel
by Annabel Paulsen Lydia WangIn this swoon-filled lesbian romcom, two dating show contestants vying for the affection of the leading man fall head over heels—for each other.Fans of Ashley Herring Blake and Alexandria Bellefleur, and readers who love The Bachelor, will adore this steamy, laugh-out-loud debut romance.Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. But when none of the eligible bachelors in Montana end up being right for her, she turns to reality TV. On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season&’s Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She&’s determined to win the perfect life she came here for—if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps.Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons—and she&’s definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh&’s heart. Lauren&’s plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. With enough followers, she&’ll finally have the clout to do whatever she wants—including come out of the proverbial walk-in closet. But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde&’s lasso. Neither contestant expects a heteronormative dating show to challenge their own deeply-ingrained ideas of who they are—and what they want. Fans of The Charm Offensive and Love Island will swoon for this sparkling debut romcom.
Burn It All: A Novel
by Maggie AuffarthThis propulsive debut psychological thriller set in small-town Georgia explores rage, redemption, and the many layers of toxic friendship, perfect for fans of Andrea Bartz and Rachel Hawkins.Marley Henderson is having the worst year of her life. First, a drunken mistake costs her everything, including her engagement and her closest friend, Thea. Then, a series of cruel rumors make her an outcast in the small Georgia community she calls home. Finally, a string of vicious arsons rip through town, leaving unchecked destruction—and Thea&’s body—in their wake.To the police, the case is cut-and-dry. Thea Wright was an unstable woman with a troubled history, and with no evidence to suggest otherwise, it seems clear that she was responsible—not only for her own death but for dozens of arsons in the months preceding it. To Marley, though, the truth is less obvious.Reeling from the loss, Marley teams up with her ex-fiancé to uncover the truth, but the deeper she digs into the night of Thea&’s death, the murkier the truth becomes, not just about the fires that have been raging through town all summer, but about the woman she thought she knew. To get to the truth, Marley will have to face Thea&’s lies, as well as the darkness she thought she put behind her long ago.Told in alternating POVs and dual timelines, Burn It All will have suspense fans flying through each twist and turn to reach the stunning conclusion.
Over the Edge: A Novel
by Kathleen BryantIn Sedona&’s red rock canyons, a former reporter must piece together her shattered memories in time to stop a killer in this cat-and-mouse thriller, perfect for fans of CJ Box and Anne Hillerman.After a disastrous mistake ended her career as a crime reporter, Del Cooper returns to Sedona and takes a gig with a down-on-its-luck tour company while she rebuilds her life. Her peaceful small-town escape ends when, hiking in a remote red rock canyon, she finds the broken body of a murdered man. At first, she believes the murder is connected to a proposed land trade that will pave the way for a luxury development on the edge of town, but it seems money isn&’t the killer&’s only motive. As she digs deeper, she uncovers the small town&’s darkest secrets, all leading her to Lee Ranch, a former filming location for Western movies. Two women disappear after Del interviews them, and rumors begin to spin faster than Sedona&’s famed energy vortexes. But she knows the truth: Someone is watching her from the shadows.Desperate for answers, Del ventures into the wilderness to lure the killer into the open. But out here in the red rocks, bodies can be lost forever.
Hearts on Thin Ice: A Novel
by Katie KennedyA pro hockey player falls for an interior designer in this charming debut sports romance. For fans of Icebreaker and Set On You, this flirty workplace rom-com explores mental health, belonging, and finding your way in the world.Nick Sorensen had once been one of the fastest men in hockey—until the devastating plane crash that took the lives of his best friends, leaving him the only survivor. Now he&’s physically ready to get back on the ice, but his coach is concerned Nick isn&’t doing as well mentally as he says he is. Case in point: Nick&’s apartment is completely empty, apart from a single chair and a mattress on the floor.To prove he&’s fine, really, Nick hires Alyssa Compton, an up-and-coming interior designer, to decorate his space. Alyssa&’s thrilled at the chance to prove herself to her demanding boss—with job security at last, maybe she can finally put down roots and create a home for herself too. But Nick turns out to be infuriatingly stubborn and impossible to work with, and just when Alyssa decides to throw in the towel on the whole thing, Nick shows up for her in a way she never could have expected. The icy path ahead of these two lost souls may be slippery and cracking, but when it comes to love, sometimes all you need is someone on your team.
Barely Even Friends: A Novel
by Mae BennettA grumpy, rich recluse meets his match in this steamy Beauty and the Beast retelling—with a Succession twist. Fans of fairy tale adaptations, and readers of Julie Murphy and Falon Ballard, will adore Mae Bennett&’s debut romance.Bellamy Price has just been offered the job of a lifetime: lead contractor on the restoration of the mysterious and sprawling Killington Estate. If she meets the owner&’s ridiculous timeline, she&’ll finally make a name for herself in this male-dominated industry. But when she rolls up her sleeves, slips on her suspenders, and shows up at the crumbling mansion, Bellamy finds the estate very much occupied. After a traumatic car accident that left his parents dead and himself injured, Oliver Killington, heir to the Killington empire, took up residence as the grumpy caretaker of his grandfather&’s mansion. None too pleased by the presence of the hammer-wielding woman who&’s moved into his house, Oliver tries to block her at every turn.But when Bellamy discovers Oliver&’s facing his own ultimatum from his grandfather, the two form a cautious truce, which leads to flying sparks that are definitely not from faulty wiring. As Bellamy restores the gleam to the Killington Estate, she&’ll have to decide if the walls she&’s built around herself are worth knocking down to make space for someone else.Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey, this clever, steamy debut novel will have readers rooting for this Beauty and her Beast until the very last page.
The Irish Goodbye: A Novel
by Amy EwingIt&’s hate-at-first-sight when a jilted Irish chef returns home to Inishmore and immediately clashes with a mouthy American tourist. This steamy romance novel by New York Times bestselling author Amy Ewing is perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Tessa Bailey.Cordelia James was once at the top of her game—a renowned street photographer with a massive social media following, gallery showings in Chelsea, and a lucrative book deal. But after the sudden death of her father, Cordelia can barely force herself to leave her apartment. That is, until she sees an ad for a summer gig at a cozy cottage on Ireland&’s picturesque Inishmore island. Cordelia is on a plane before she can talk herself out of it.The moment she steps off the boat, she crashes—literally—into Niall O&’Connor, a grumpy local who&’s just returned home to Inishmore from Dublin. Niall is nursing a broken heart and trying to patch up a broken life, and he has no time for posh American tourists. The more Cordelia&’s and Niall&’s paths cross, the more they make each other&’s lives hell. But as with all rivalries, their hatred is about to reach a tipping point—and it&’s going to heat up their cool coastal nights.Featuring a lovable band of quirky supporting characters, The Irish Goodbye is a steamy, emotionally gripping tale of love, passion, art, food, and finding where you belong.
It's a Privilege Just to Be Here: A Novel
by Emma SasakiThis debut novel pulls at the threads in the (cashmere) sweater of academia in a witty take-down of racial inequality at prep schools, perfect for fans of Such a Fun Age and Little Fires Everywhere.Wesley Friends School is Washington, DC&’s most prestigious prep school, so of course Aki Hiyashi-Brown is proud to teach at it and send her daughter Meg there. Why wouldn't she be proud? Parents kill to have their kid enrolled at Wesley. Not only is Wesley the premier academic destination for the children of the capital elite, but it&’s all about "Diversity, Achievement, Collegiality," as all of their very glossy brochures will tell you. Aki should know. As one of the few teachers of color on staff, her face is plastered on every piece of marketing material the school puts out. But when someone graffities "Make Wesley White Again" on campus, it exposes dangerous fault lines in the school community, ones Aki may have spent a lifetime learning to ignore. But her headstrong daughter Meg, and Meg's similarly impassioned classmates, aren&’t willing to let slide. Before Aki can sort out her own feelings about the hate crime, the school's administration jumps into crisis management mode and assigns Aki as head of the Racial Equity Task Force—a cobbled-together initiative that has a big name and little actual power. Between hasty changes to the curriculum and an anonymous instagram account documenting a history of racism on campus, Aki finds herself caught in the crossfire.Written with the keen eye of a prep school insider, It&’s a Privilege Just to Be Here is a piercing takedown of the American institution of prep schools and a searing perspective on the growing tensions between generations with different ideas of how to fight for what you believe in.
The Assassin of Venice: A Novel
by Alyssa PalomboA Renaissance courtesan must choose between love and duty in this high stakes 16th-century mystery, perfect for fans of Madeline Hunter and Rhys Bowen.Valentina Riccardi is many things: beautiful, cultured, deadly. As one of Venice&’s famous courtesans, she&’s perfectly positioned to seduce powerful men, get them alone, and assassinate them. Spies. Traitors. Who they are doesn&’t matter—only that they made an enemy of the Council of Ten, the shadowy and seemingly omniscient power from which Valentina takes her orders without question.Venice is her home, and after losing everything once before to an invading army, there is nothing she won&’t do to protect her city, for there is nothing she loves more.Almost nothing.She vowed to never fall in love again, but Valentina can&’t help but give her heart to Bastiano Bragadin, a fellow assassin. But when Bastiano starts asking the wrong questions, Valentina receives a new assignment: kill him.Yet the more Valentina learns about the Council of Ten, the more she wonders if they are truly acting in the interest of the Venetian state, or using her for their own dark ambitions. If Valentina is to save Bastiano, she must untangle their conspiracy—with the help of her fellow courtesans—before it&’s too late.The Assassin of Venice is a captivating, sensual, high stakes read that brings 16th-century Venice to life, and draws on the fascinating real history of both Venetian cortigiane oneste—&“honest courtesans&”—and Renaissance Venice&’s sprawling intelligence service.
The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night: A Novel
by Lauren FarnsworthFive lonely strangers join a bar trivia team in an effort to find friends, but end up on a path that will change each of their lives forever, in this heartwarming debut perfect for fans of Beth O&’Leary and Sophie Kinsella.How do you make friends as an adult? That&’s one question lonely Londoners Bryony, Harry, Jaime, Luke, and Donna would really like the answer to. They tend to do better with questions of a different variety—trivia questions like How did prosecco get its name? and Which Mariah Carey song has topped the charts in twenty-six countries?In an effort to meet new people, the five not-yet-friends answer an ad seeking members of a bar trivia team—the Red Hot Quizzy Peppers. As the weeks go on, the disparate band of unhappy strangers becomes swept up in both the buzz of winning and the way quiz nights start to bond them together in friendship . . . to the detriment of other parts of their lives. Despite all odds, the Quizzy Peppers might just have a shot at making the London Pub Quiz League&’s Grand Final, if only they can get past the Golden Girls, the Banana Splits, and the Bombay Bad Boys.Utterly charming and uplifting, The Lonely Hearts Trivia Night is a story of finding friendship, love, confidence, and purpose—just right for fans of Jennifer Weiner.
Chorus of the Union: How Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas Set Aside Their Rivalry to Save the Nation
by Edward Robert McClellandAn impassioned and timely exploration of Abraham Lincoln's long-time rivalry—and eventual alliance—with Stephen Douglas. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas are a misunderstood duo. History remembers them as antagonists, and for most of the years the two men knew each other, they were. In the 1830s, they debated politics around the stove in the back of Joshua Speed&’s store in Springfield, Illinois. In the 1850s, they disagreed over the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and debated slavery as opponents for a Senate seat. In 1860, they both ran for president. Lincoln and Douglas ended as allies, though, against the greatest threat—slavery—that our country has ever faced. When Douglas realized he was going to lose the 1860 election, he stopped campaigning for himself and went South to persuade the slave states to accept Lincoln as president. After that effort failed, and the newly formed Confederate States of America bombed Fort Sumter, Douglas met with Lincoln to discuss raising an army. The story of how Lincoln and Douglas put aside their rivalry to work together for the preservation of the Union has important lessons for our time. We have just been through a presidential election where the loser refused to concede defeat, with violent consequences. Not only did Douglas accept his loss, he spent the final days of his campaign barnstorming the country to build support for his opponent&’s impending victory, setting aside his long-held desire for the presidency for the higher principle of national unity. Also, by focusing on the importance of Illinois to Lincoln&’s political development, Chorus of the Union will challenge the notion that he was an indispensable &“great man.&” Lincoln was the right person to lead the country through the Civil War, but he became president because he was from the right place. Living in Illinois provided Lincoln the opportunity to confront Douglas over the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The debates with Douglas during the 1858 Senate campaign brought him the fame and prestige to contend for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860. Lincoln's moderate views on slavery, which he developed in the swing region of a swing state, made him the ideal candidate for an election that had sweeping historical consequences.
Best Story Wins: Storytelling for Business Success (Economist Books)
by Mark EdwardsAn inspiring, practical, and timely new guide on how to harness the power of storytelling in our communications at work. Whether you're standing up in front of a crowd at a conference or chatting with a colleague in an elevator, storytelling is the most effective way to get your point across. It works in ninety-second Superbowl television spots, it works in ten-second social media formats, and it works in that email you have to fire off in five seconds flat. Why? The short answer is that people don't make decisions based on logic. They make decisions based on emotions. To persuade, influence, and inspire, you need to make an emotional connection. And storytelling is the best way of doing that. Journalist-turned-business coach Mark Edwards has developed his own methodology for telling compelling stories at work. Best Story Wins shows how storytelling will make better communicators of us all.
The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network
by David RobsonThis groundbreaking study reveals how social connections are far more important than we thought, showing us the steps we can take to build better relationships and improve our lives.Social connection is as essential for our health and happiness as a balanced diet and regular exercise. It reduces our risk of stroke, heart disease, and Alzheimer&’s. It enhances our creativity and adds years to our life span. Yet many of us struggle to form strong and meaningful bonds—and the problem lies not with our personalities but with a series of cognitive biases that stop us from fulfilling our social potential. In The Laws of Connection, award-winning science writer David Robson describes the psychological barriers that lead us to keep others at a distance and offers evidence-based strategies to overcome them. Drawing on philosophy, neuroscience, and cutting-edge psychology, Robson introduces readers to new concepts such as the liking gap, the novelty penalty, the fast-friendship procedure, the beautiful mess effect, and the Japanese art of amae. Whether we are shy or confident, introvert or extrovert, we can all build deeper relationships. The Laws of Connection shows us how.
Hall of Mirrors: A Novel (A Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson Mystery)
by John CopenhaverWhen a popular mystery novelist dies suspiciously, his writing partner must untangle the author&’s connection to a serial killer in award-winning John Copenhaver&’s new novel set in 1950s McCarthy-era Washington, DC.In May 1954, Lionel Kane witnesses his apartment engulfed in flames with his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, inside. Police declare it a suicide due to gas ignition, but Lionel refuses to believe Roger was suicidal. A month earlier, Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson—the tenacious and troubled heroines from The Savage Kind—attend a lecture by Roger and, being eager fans, befriend him. He has just been fired from his day job at the State Department, another victim of the Lavender Scare, an anti-gay crusade led by figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, claiming homosexuals are security risks. Little do Judy and Philippa know, but their obsessive manhunt of the past several years has fueled the flames of his dismissal. They have been tracking their old enemy Adrian Bogdan, a spy and vicious serial killer protected by powerful forces in the government. He&’s on the rampage again, and the police are ignoring his crimes. Frustrated, they send their research to the media and their favorite mystery writer anonymously, hoping to inspire someone, somehow, to publish on the crimes—anything to draw Bogdan out. But has their persistence brought deadly forces to the writing team behind their most beloved books? In the wake of Roger&’s death, Lionel searches for clues, but Judy and Philippa threaten his quest, concealing dark secrets of their own. As the crimes of the past and present converge, danger mounts, and the characters race to uncover the truth, even if it means bending their moral boundaries to stop a killer.
Nero: A Novel (The Nero Trilogy)
by Conn IgguldenFrom this New York Times bestselling author, the first novel in a new trilogy that finds Empress Agrippina and her young son, Nero, fending off ambitious rivals while shaping their own destiny—if Nero is to become the most feared and notorious emperor of them all.The story begins with a hand curled around another man&’s throat. This is Roman justice: Emperor Tiberius first dispatches a traitor—a friend he once trusted with the city—then the man's whole family and all of his friends. It is as if he never existed. Into this fevered forum, a child is born. His mother is Agrippina, granddaughter of Emperor Augustus. But their imperial blood is neither balm nor protection. Rather, it is a liability. Blood is easily spilled or poisoned. So swiftly corrupted. As the aging, paranoid Tiberius becomes blind to the ignoble end awaiting him, Agrippina sees the future. Her once-exiled brother Caligula is next in succession, which brings her another step closer to the heart of the empire—to power, ambition, and danger. Every day she will face soldiers, senators, rivals, silver-tongued pretenders, each vying for position. One mistake risks exile, incarceration, execution. Or, worst of all, perhaps the loss of her infant son. Because Agrippina knows that, even in your darkest moments, opportunity rises. Her son is everything. She can make this boy, shape him into Rome itself—the man before whom all must kneel. But first, Agrippina and Nero must survive . . .
Morally Straight: How the Fight for LGBTQ+ Inclusion Changed the Boy Scouts?and America
by Mike De SocioThis deeply-reported narrative illuminates the battle for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America, a decades-long struggle led by teenagers, parents, activists, and everyday Americans.Weaving in his own experience as a scout and journalist, Mike De Socio&’s Morally Straight tells a story that plays out over the course of nearly forty years, beginning in an era when gay rights were little more than a cultural sideshow; when same-sex marriage was not even on the radar; and when much of the country was recommitting to conservative social mores. It was during this treacherous time that accidental activists emerged, challenging one of America&’s most iconic institutions in a struggle that would forever change the country&’s view of gay people and the rights they held in society. In Morally Straight we meet James Dale, the poster child of Scouting who took his fight for inclusion to the Supreme Court; Steven Cozza, the 12-year-old scout in California who started a movement for inclusion called Scouting for All; Jennifer Tyrrell, the lesbian den mother whose expulsion from the Scouts reignited the gay membership controversy; Zach Wahls, the son of lesbian moms who led the final push for policy change; and an array of other previously unknown Scouters who played smaller—but no less crucial—roles in the fight for full inclusion. Richly reported and filled with unforgettable people, Morally Straight braids together these characters and brings to life their collective struggle. This is an essential narrative in the American LGBTQ+ rights movement, and a truly American story about the fight for a better future for our nation&’s bedrock youth organization.
Awakening the Spirit of America: FDR's War of Words With Charles Lindbergh—and the Battle to Save Democracy
by Paul M. SparrowA powerful new work of history that brings President Roosevelt, his allies, and his adversaries to life as he fought to transform America from an isolationist bystander into the world&’s first superpower. &“In today&’s troubled times, with authoritarianism escalating at home and abroad, Sparrow&’s book reads like an all-hands-on-deck wakeup call. Highly recommended!&”—Douglas BrinkleyFranklin Roosevelt awoke at 2:50 a.m. on September 1, 1939 to the news that Germany had invaded Poland, signaling the start of World War II. The president had warned for years that Hitler&’s fascist regime posed an existential threat to democracy, but the American public remained stubbornly isolationist as fascist sympathizing groups, egged on by right wing media stars promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, plotted to overthrow the president. The situation was dire, and Roosevelt quickly found himself facing an unexpected adversary: Charles Lindbergh. Wildly popular, the famed aviator's youthful charm, plainspoken rhetoric, and media magnetism earned him a massive following as he led an aggressive attack on FDR&’s policies. Millions listened to Linberg&’s radio broadcasts and attended his rallies. Powerful individuals including William Randolph Hearst, Henry Ford, and members of Congress supported him. The German government provided secret funds to Lindbergh&’s Nazi followers as he led the radical America First Committee in an effort to prevent Roosevelt from aiding England&’s survival—and the world&’s. Awakening the Spirit of America brilliantly shows how Roosevelt overcame the forces aligned against him in a war against fascism. Paul Sparrow, former director of the FDR Presidential Library, reveals how FDR's triumph of leadership was by no means a foregone conclusion. Roosevelt&’s astute political maneuvers and persuasive use of language to preserve what he termed &“the spirit of America&” changed history and can still inspire today. Sparrow brings readers into the rooms where key decisions were made, focusing on the crucial role words, media, and propaganda played in the transformation of America into the protector of the free world. Awakening the Spirit of America provides a riveting, inside account of FDR&’s ultimate victory over pro-Nazi isolationists and provides vital insight into American history and an iconic president.
Metamorphoses: In Search of Franz Kafka
by Karolina WatrobaThis groundbreaking study of Franz Kafka&’s legacy—to be published during the centenary of his death in 2024—explores Kafka&’s life and influence in an entirely new and dynamic way.In 2024, exactly one hundred years after his death at the age of forty, readers all over the world will reach for the works of Franz Kafka. Many of them will want to learn more about the enigmatic man behind the classic books filled with mysterious courts and monstrous insects. Who, exactly, was Franz Kafka? Karolina Watroba, the first Germanist ever elected as a fellow of Oxford's All Souls College, will tell Kafka's story beyond the boundaries of language, time, and space, traveling from the Prague of Kafka's birth through the work of contemporary writers in East Asia, whose award-winning novels are, in part, homages to the great man himself. Metamorphoses presents a non-chronological journey through Kafka's life, combining literary scholarship with the responses of his readers throughout the last century. It is a both an exploration of Kafka's life and an exciting new way of approaching literary history.
The Lucifer Cut: A Novel
by Matthew HartA heart-pounding ride through the perilous world of the modern gem trade, by the acclaimed author of Diamond.When a New York diamond dealer and his wife are found dead in a chilling assassination, and a mysterious gem—the Lucifer Cut—goes missing, U.S. Treasury agent Alex Turner and his lover, the billionaire Russian diamond thief known as Slav Lily, are thrust into a web of global intrigue. Uncertain they can even trust each other, the two find themselves on the trail of a secret so lethal it threatens not only the world diamond trade but the national security of the United States. In a fiction first, diamond expert Matthew Hart tears the curtain from the secretive world of lab-grown diamonds, where master &“chefs&” create astonishing gems in the 8,000-degree furnaces of their reactors. Finally one of them makes what no one thought possible—a fake so perfect not even experts can unmask it. But as Alex and Lily soon discover, its allure is even more profound than its beauty as a jewel, and the stone ignites a murderous race from New York to London and finally to Cape Town, as a deadly enemy tries to beat them to the diamond. With knife-sharp dialogue and lacerating irony, Alex and Lily navigate an ever-shifting underworld and the storms of their own desire as they rush to unravel the enigma of the Lucifer Cut and the treacheries of the human heart.
Everyone Knows But You: A Tale of Murder on the Maine Coast
by Thomas E. RicksAn FBI agent finds himself in the insular world of a fishing village on the Maine coast where the rules are different—sometimes lethally so.After his wife and two children are killed in a car crash, Ryan Tapia starts a new life in Maine. But his first case there is a puzzling oddball—the corpse of a fisherman washes up on federal land, while the man&’s boat drifts into waters that are part of an Indian reservation. Ryan quickly learns the nuances of Maine life as he delves into two illicit coastal trades: hard drugs and rare fish. Many of the locals are happy to see that particular fisherman dead. What&’s more, they are not shy about noting that Ryan must have screwed up pretty badly to be posted to such a remote location as Bangor, Maine. Undaunted, Ryan works to understand the unforgiving way of life on Liberty Island, where people live by an older, harsher code. Adrift on a sailboat one day, he encounters a man from the Malpense tribe, living as a hermit on a remote island, who witnessed something that fateful day. In his riveting crime debut, New York Times bestselling author Thomas E. Ricks turns his literary talents to land he knows deeply, from working in the Maine woods and trapping lobsters year-round. Everyone Knows But You is a rich and dynamic crime novel that brings a unique part of America to vivid, thrilling life.
Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America
by James PolchinFrom Edgar Award finalist James Polchin comes a thrilling examination of the murder that captivated Jazz Age America, with echoes of the decadence and violence of The Great GatsbyOn the morning of May 16, 1922, a young man&’s body was found on a desolate road in Westchester County. The victim was penniless ex-sailor Clarence Peters. Walter Ward, the handsome scion of the family that owned the largest chain of bread factories in the country, confessed to the crime as an act of self-defense against a violent gang of &“shadow men,&” blackmailers who extorted their victims&’ moral weaknesses. From the start, one question defined the investigation: What scandalous secret could lead Ward to murder?For sixteen months, the media fueled a firestorm of speculation. Unscrupulous criminal attorneys, fame-seeking chorus girls, con artists, and misogynistic millionaires harnessed the power of the press to shape public perception. New York governor and future presidential candidate Al Smith and editor of the Daily News Joseph Medill Patterson leveraged the investigation to further professional ambitions. Famous figures like Harry Houdini, Arthur Conan Doyle, and F. Scott Fitzgerald weighed in. As the bereaved working-class Peters family sought to bring the callous Ward to justice, America watched enraptured.Capturing the extraordinary twists and turns of the case, Shadow Men conjures the excess and contradictions of the Jazz Age and reveals the true-crime origins of the media-led voyeurism that reverberates through contemporary life. It&’s a story of privilege and power that lays bare the social inequity that continues to influence our system of justice.
The Future Was Color: A Novel
by Patrick NathanA dazzling novel about the inextricable link between the personal and the political set against the decadence of Hollywood and postwar Los AngelesAs a Hungarian immigrant working as a studio hack writing monster movies in 1950s Hollywood, George Curtis must navigate the McCarthy-era studio system filled with possible communists and spies, the life of closeted men along Sunset Boulevard, and the inability of the era to cleave love from persecution and guilt. But when Madeline, a famous actress, offers George a writing residency at her estate in Malibu to work on the political writing he cares most deeply about, his world is blown open. Soon Madeline is carrying George like an ornament into a class of postwar L.A. society ordinarily hidden from men like him.What this lifestyle hides behind, aside from the monsters on the screen, are the monsters dwelling closer to home: this bacchanalia covers a gnawing hole shelled wide by the horror of the war they thought they&’d left behind and the glimpse of an atomic future. It&’s here that George understands he can never escape his past as György, the queer Jew who fled Budapest before the war and landed in New York, all alone, a decade prior.Spanning from sun-drenched Los Angeles to the hidden corners of working-class New York to a virtuosic climax in the Las Vegas desert, The Future Was Color is an immaculately written exploration of postwar American decadence, reinventing the self through art, and the psychosis that lingers in a world that&’s seen the bomb.
Health Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective, Eighth Edition
by Paul J. Feldstein Glenn MelnickHealth Policy Issues: An Economic Perspective uses concise, topical chapters to provide a comprehensive overview of the forces influencing healthcare financing and delivery. Concerns over health equity and the rise in healthcare costs are just a few of the timely and vital issues that are discussed through the lens of economics. Each chapter includes a clear explanation of the topic, diagrams, and charts to aid comprehension, and a summary and discussion questions at the end. This eighth edition has been revised to reflect the most recent research and data, as well as changes in laws and government policies. A new chapter compares the US health system to those of five European countries. New and updated content includes coverage of: • Current Medicare proposals • COVID’s effect on medical services delivery • Medicaid effectiveness • Strategies for addressing the physician shortage • Affordable Care Act updates Health Policy Issues shows how the economic approach to healthcare policy is important not only for understanding the structural and dynamic forces pressing for change in healthcare but also for explaining why the health system has evolved to its current state.