Spring is here, and warmer weather is on the way, which means soon we will get to enjoy reading a great book outside again! Luckily, there is no shortage of interesting titles coming out to keep us entertained. Whether you like literary page-turners, dramas, suspense, nonfiction, or fantasy, you are bound to find at least one book to love among this week’s new titles.
FICTION
Tangerine by Christine Mangan
The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country.
But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind.
Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book—a debut so tightly wound, so replete with exotic imagery and charm, so full of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it will leave you absolutely breathless.
Description from Goodreads.
“The thriller that everyone will be talking about. . . . One of those sinuous, Hitchcockian tales that disorients in the best way. . . . Hypnotic.” – Esquire
“Promises to be one of the best debuts of the year. . . . Echoes of Gillian Flynn and Patricia Highsmith in this tightly wound, exotic story.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Mangan’s debut pays homage to The Talented Mr. Ripley and to the work of Daphne du Maurier and Shirley Jackson. A vivid setting and a devious, deadly plot.” – Kirkus Reviews
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The Balcony by Jane Delury
What if our homes could tell the stories of others who lived there before us? Set in a small village near Paris, The Balcony follows the inhabitants of a single estate-including a manor and a servants’ cottage-over the course of several generations, from the Belle Époque to the present day, introducing us to a fascinating cast of characters. A young American au pair develops a crush on her brilliant employer. An ex-courtesan shocks the servants, a Jewish couple in hiding from the Gestapo attract the curiosity of the neighbors, and a housewife begins an affair while renovating her downstairs. Rich and poor, young and old, powerful and persecuted, all of these people are seeking something: meaning, love, a new beginning, or merely survival.
Throughout, cross-generational connections and troubled legacies haunt the same spaces, so that the rose garden, the forest pond, and the balcony off the manor’s third floor bedroom become silent witnesses to a century of human drama.
In her debut, Jane Delury writes with masterful economy and profound wisdom about growing up, growing old, marriage, infidelity, motherhood – in other words, about life – weaving a gorgeous tapestry of relationships, life-altering choices, and fleeting moments across the frame of the twentieth century. A sumptuous narrative of place that burrows deep into individual lives to reveal hidden regrets, resentments, and desires, The Balcony is brimming with compassion, natural beauty, and unmistakable humanity.
Description from Goodreads.
“A satisfying puzzle of a debut novel…Each chapter of the novel could be a full-fledged short story on its own; together, they reveal a pattern that only completes itself with the final one.” – Booklist
“With immense storytelling gifts and spare but luminous prose, [Delury] is one of the few writers whose debut will have readers begging for a second novel. The Balcony unfolds in 10 nonchronological chapters–each of which could be a perfect short story–that introduce a cast of characters spanning several generations…Delury is sure to win the hearts of all those who appreciate a smart, elegantly written story.” – BookPage
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What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart
After a series of missteps in the face of his newly found fame, actor Charlie Outlaw flees to a remote island in search of anonymity and a chance to reevaluate his recent break-up with his girlfriend, actress Josie Lamar. But soon after his arrival on the peaceful island, his solitary hike into the jungle takes him into danger he never anticipated.
As Charlie struggles with gaining fame, Josie struggles with its loss. The star of a cult TV show in her early twenties, Josie has spent the twenty years since searching for a role to equal that one, and feeling less and less like her character, the heroic Bronwyn Kyle. As she gets ready for a reunion of the cast at a huge fan convention, she thinks all she needs to do is find a part and replace Charlie. But she can’t forget him, and to get him back she’ll need to be a hero in real life.
Description from Goodreads.
“Stewart skillfully creates multifaceted characters, and she shows a very human side of what’s often thought of as a vapid profession. In particular, readers who have had any sort of celebrity crushes will find this endearing and satisfying.” – Publishers Weekly
“It’s an interesting perspective on the inside of an actor’s mind, and the novel gets quite intellectual as the characters sift through their emotions, their astute observations of each other and what is real and not real in their own lives. This novel does not only boast an entertaining plot and well-written characters, it is a study of an actor’s life and how fans treat them.” – Vanderbilt Hustler
Available Formats:
MYSTERY & SUSPENSE
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser
When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.
By Monday morning, one of them is gone.
Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.
As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.
Description from Goodreads.
“Full of slow-burning intrigue, Strawser’s second novel will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies and Jennifer Kitses’ Small Hours.” – Booklist
“[An] engrossing, taut tale.” – Publisher’s Weekly
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The Disappeared by C.J. Box
Wyoming’s new governor isn’t sure what to make of Joe Pickett, but he has a job for him that is extremely delicate. Three British executives, all women, never came home from the high-end guest ranch they were visiting, and the British Embassy is pressing hard. Pickett knows that happens sometimes–these ranches are stocked with handsome young cowboys, and “ranch romances” aren’t uncommon. But three disappearances? That’s too many.
At the same time, with the help of his friend Nate Romanowski, he’s been called to investigate the killings of several bald and golden eagles–a serious federal crime. The more he investigates both cases, the more someone wants him to go away. Is it because of the missing women or the dead eagles? Or are they somehow connected? The answers, when they come, will be even worse than he’d imagined.
Description from Goodreads.
“Superlative…[T]he book’s key environmental issue enhances the satisfying conclusion. Also welcome are Box’s underrated touches of wry humor, generally overlooked as one of his strengths. Series fans and newcomers alike will be rewarded.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“The eighteenth installment of this hugely popular series delivers everything fans want: a compelling mystery, high-stakes action in a beautiful setting, and enjoyably humorous interaction between characters they’ve come to know and love. There’s a reason we keep coming back for more.” – Booklist
Available Formats:
Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry
How far would you be willing to go to save those you love?
Rain is a young woman trying to rebuild herself after years of drug addiction and abuse. Ten years ago, at age sixteen, she gave up her baby after the father, her first love, dies in Iraq. Now, three years clean and on the way to a job interview, Rain borrows a pair of reading glasses from an old lady on a Brooklyn train. The lenses are cracked and through the crack she catches a glimpse of a little boy running and screaming. The boy looks so much like Rain’s dead lover. Like their son must look now.
Rain realizes that the glasses give her quick glimpses of her lost son, Dylan, who needs her to find him. Dylan is important to our damaged, hopeless world. But he’s in terrible trouble because evil creatures – the Shadow People – are trying to corrupt and destroy him. If Dylan dies, then hope dies.
But how does a recovering junkie fight supernatural monsters? And how far will one woman go to save her lost son?
Description from Goodreads.
“This novel has some of the creepiest imagery Maberry has ever written, and his ability to blur the line between reality and Rain’s visions pulls the reader deeply into Rain’s dreamland, particularly with an opening scene which should make entering a shower a questionable act for any reader.” – Open Letters Review
“A waking dream, at once powerful and subtly sinister.” – Clive Barker
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To Die But Once by Jacqueline Winspear
Spring 1940. With Britons facing what has become known as “the Bore War”—nothing much seems to have happened yet—Maisie Dobbs is asked to investigate the disappearance of a local lad, a young apprentice craftsman working on a “hush-hush” government contract.
As Maisie’s inquiry reveals a possible link to the London underworld, another mother is worried about a missing son—but this time the boy in question is one beloved by Maisie.
Description from Goodreads.
“Winspear has created another rich reading experience for Maisie’s many fans, but this title could be seen as entry point for new fans as well. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy a thoughtful mystery.” – Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“In addition to providing a very good mystery, Winspear does a smashing job describing the bravery exhibited by everyday Britons as the fear of invasion becomes ever more real.” – Kirkus Reviews
Available Formats:
Print Book | Audiobook | eBook
HISTORICAL FICTION
I Was Anastasia by Ariel Lawhon
Countless others have rendered their verdict. Now it is your turn.
Russia, July 17, 1918: Under direct orders from Vladimir Lenin, Bolshevik secret police force Anastasia Romanov, along with the entire imperial family, into a damp basement in Siberia where they face a merciless firing squad. None survive. At least that is what the executioners have always claimed.
Germany, February 17, 1920: A young woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to Anastasia Romanov is pulled shivering and senseless from a canal in Berlin. Refusing to explain her presence in the freezing water, she is taken to the hospital where an examination reveals that her body is riddled with countless, horrific scars. When she finally does speak, this frightened, mysterious woman claims to be the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia.
Her detractors, convinced that the young woman is only after the immense Romanov fortune, insist on calling her by a different name: Anna Anderson.
As rumors begin to circulate through European society that the youngest Romanov daughter has survived the massacre, old enemies and new threats are awakened.
Description from Goodreads.
“[Lawhon’s] effortless, eloquent prose transports the reader via a dramatic, suspenseful and satisfying work of historical fiction…Lawhon brilliantly employs an inventive and non-linear dual narrative to tell the tale of how Anastasia would become Anna Anderson, or, perhaps, how Anna became Anastasia….In the end, what Lawhon does so convincingly is shake up our notion of identity. And not just that of Anastasia and Anna. Are we who we say we are, or who others believe us to be? It’s a question that lingers long after the final page.” – USA Today
“…spectacular, emotionally rich… [t]his sprawling, immersive tale travels from revolutionary Russia to interwar France and Germany, bringing its characters to sparkling life.” – Publishers Weekly
Available Formats:
SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton
A kingdom at risk, a crown divided, a family drenched in blood.
The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.
The king’s three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm’s only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.
Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.
Description from Goodreads.
“[An] extraordinary and epic tale of family tragedy.” – RT Book Reviews
“Enthralling.” – Publishers Weekly
Available Formats:
NONFICTION
The Bridesmaid’s Daughter: From Grace Kelly’s Wedding to a Women’s Shelter – Searching for the Truth About My Mother by Nyna Giles & Eve Claxton
Nyna Giles was picking up groceries at the supermarket one day when she looked down and saw the headline on the cover of a tabloid: “Former Bridesmaid of Princess Grace Lives in Homeless Shelter.” Nyna was stunned, shocked to see her family’s private ordeal made so public—the woman mentioned on that cover, Carolyn Scott Reybold, was her mother.
Nyna’s childhood had been spent in doctor’s offices. Too ill, she was told, to go to school like other children, she spent nearly every waking moment at her mother’s side at their isolated Long Island estate or on trips into the city to see the ballet. The doctors couldn’t tell her what was wrong, but as Nyna grew up, her mother, who’d always seemed fragile, became more and more distant. Now Nyna was forced to confront an agonizing realization: she barely knew the woman on the magazine in front of her.
She knew that her mother had been a model after arriving in New York in 1947, living at the Barbizon Hotel, where she’d met the young Grace Kelly and that the two had become fast friends. Nyna had seen the photos of Carolyn at Grace’s wedding, wearing the yellow bridesmaid gown that had hung in her closet for years. But how had the seemingly confident, glamorous woman in those pictures become the mother she knew growing up—the mother who was now living in a shelter?
In this powerful memoir of friendship and motherhood, Nyna Giles uncovers her mother’s past to answer the questions she never knew to ask.
Description from Goodreads.
“[The Bridesmaid’s Daughter] celebrates a lifelong female friendship while shedding light on a powerful, if at times painful and complex, mother-daughter bond. A poignantly compelling memoir about family, mental health, and revisiting the past.” – Kirkus Reviews
“This is a fascinating story of the toll of mental illness and a daughter’s search for understanding and forgiveness.” – Booklist