“On a long enough timeline, endings are inevitable. Tragedy is inevitable. Fortunately, so is joy.” – Chuck Tingle, Bury Your Gays
Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-Rashid
nonfiction / history.
Thousands of years ago, in a part of the world we now call ancient Mesopotamia, people began writing things down for the very first time.
What they left behind, in a vast region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, preserves leaps in human ingenuity, like the earliest depiction of a wheel and the first approximation of pi. But they also capture breathtakingly intimate, raw, and relatable moments, like a dog’s paw prints as it accidentally stepped into fresh clay, or the imprint of a child’s teeth.
In Between Two Rivers, historian Dr. Moudhy Al-Rashid reveals what these ancient people chose to record about their lives, allowing us to brush hands with them millennia later. We find a lullaby to soothe a baby, instructions for exorcising a ghost, countless receipts for beer, and the messy writing of preschoolers. We meet an enslaved person negotiating their freedom, an astronomer tracing the movement of the planets, a princess who may have created the world’s first museum, and a working mother struggling with “the juggle” in 1900 BCE.
Millennia ago, Mesopotamians saw the world’s first cities, the first writing system, early seeds of agriculture, and groundbreaking developments in medicine and astronomy. With breathtaking intimacy and grace, Al-Rashid brings their lives―with all their anxieties, aspirations, and intimacies―vividly close to our own.
“…Rashid draws a lively portrait of this ancient civilisation… Between Two Rivers provides remarkable insights into ancient lives… even at a distance of nearly four millennia, it is impossible not to be moved…” – Katherine Harvey, The Times
“A highly readable introduction to an era of history that deserves to be better known.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Distant human history is brought up close in Al-Rashid’s book on Mesopotamian life and cuneiform writing. It is charming, richly enlightening, and accessible.” – Zachariah Motts, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces by Seth Harp
nonfiction / true crime.
In December 2020, a deer hunter discovered two dead bodies that had been riddled with bullets and dumped in a forested corner of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. One of the dead men, Master Sergeant William “Billy” Lavigne, was a member of Delta Force, the most secretive “black ops” unit in the military. A deeply traumatized veteran of America’s classified assassination program, Lavigne had done more than a dozen deployments in his lengthy career, was addicted to crack cocaine, dealt drugs on base, and had committed a series of violent crimes before he was mysteriously killed. The other victim, Chief Warrant Officer Timothy Dumas, was a quartermaster attached to the Special Forces who used his proximity to clandestine missions to steal guns and traffic drugs into the United States from abroad, and had written a blackmail letter threatening to expose criminality in the special operations task force in Afghanistan.
As soon as Seth Harp, an Iraq war veteran and investigative reporter, begins looking into the double murder, he learns that there have been many more unexplained deaths at Fort Bragg recently, other murders connected to drug trafficking in elite units, and dozens of fatal overdoses. Drawing on declassified documents, trial transcripts, police records, and hundreds of interviews, Harp tells a scathing story of narco-trafficking in the Special Forces, drug conspiracies abetted by corrupt police, blatant military cover-ups, American complicity in the Afghan heroin trade, and the pernicious consequences of continuous war.
“A scathing exposé of drug trafficking, homicide, and suicide in the U.S. military.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…unsettling… Harp’s investigative rigor and visceral storytelling make this a disturbing must-read for anyone seeking to understand the full cost of America’s overseas conflicts.” – Publishers Weekly
“Poignantly, many of these soldiers were members of the special forces; they were supposed to be the best, the toughest, the closest thing to genuine superheroes the military could produce. But in the end, they are as flawed and as weak as mere mortals. The story also shows that the military needs to redouble its efforts to help those damaged soldiers heal from the traumas of war, to save them and their loved ones from pain and tragedy.” – Gary Day, Booklist
Kiss Her Goodbye by Lisa Gardner
fiction / mystery / suspense.
Recent Afghan refugee and young mother Sabera Ahmadi was last seen exiting her place of work three weeks ago. The local police have yet to open a case, while her older, domineering husband seems unconcerned. At the insistence of Sabera’s closest friend, missing persons expert Frankie Elkin agrees to take up the search just in time for a video of Sabera to surface—showing her walking away from the scene of a brutal double murder.
Frankie quickly notes there’s much more to the Ahmadi family than meets the eye. The father Isaad is a brilliant mathematician, Sabera a gifted linguist, and their little girl Zahra has an uncanny ability to remember anything she sees. Which given everything that has happened during the girl’s short life, may be a terrible curse.
When Isaad also disappears under mysterious circumstances and an attempt is made on Zahra’s life, Frankie realizes she must crack the code of this family’s horrific past. Someone is coming for the Ahmadis. And violence is clearly an option.
When everything is on the line, how far would you go to protect the ones you love? Frankie is about to find out.
“…riveting… masterful… This will thrill the series’ existing fans, and it’s a great starting point for newcomers.” – Publishers Weekly
“[A] bar-raising read… Gardner’s latest proves what readers know: the Frankie Elkins series is as addictive as ever.” – Christine Tran, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…full of emotional revelations, clever twists, and high stakes moments… Frankie Elkin is one of the most memorable characters I’ve followed in recent years, and her journey is absolutely worth taking.” – Novel Gossip
Loved One by Aisha Muharrar ★
fiction.
When her first-love-turned-close-friend, Gabe, dies unexpectedly at twenty-nine, thirty-year-old Julia is launched into an intercontinental quest to recover his lost possessions. Her journey takes her from Los Angeles to London and into the murky realm of the past. It also sets Julia on a collision course with the last woman he loved, a guarded, self-possessed florist and restaurateur named Elizabeth, who insists on withholding Gabe’s beloved guitar—one of the departed indie rock musician’s dearest belongings—for reasons Julia can’t understand. Both women, it turns out, have something to hide, and soon find themselves engaged in a complex dance of withholding and revelation.
An emotional mystery spanning years, continents, and relationship statuses, Loved One introduces Aisha Muharrar as a novelist intimately attuned to the intricacies of love, memory, and ambiguous loss. What happens when we admit that the deepest feelings never die? How do we reconcile various—and sometimes contradictory—truths about those closest to us? An engrossing and profoundly moving coming-of-age story with a powerful love at its heart, Loved One is poised to become an instant classic.
“…sly, irreverent, and emotionally sophisticated.” – Brittany Allen, Literary Hub
“[A] witty debut from Parks and Recreation writer Muharrar… This brims with insights into the blurry boundaries between love and friendship.” – Publishers Weekly
“This warm, heartfelt novel teems with compassion for its characters, and rather than wallowing in sadness, it celebrates the joy of connections, especially those cut short.” – Elena Cavender, Oprah Daily
“Muharrar, a TV writer and producer known for The Good Place, expertly walks the line between humorous and heartbreaking, vividly rendering the complexities of grief as Julia chases Gabe’s possessions around London and Barcelona. Recommend to fans of Alison Espach’s The Wedding People.” – Lindsay Harmon, Booklist
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle ★
fiction / horror / fantasy / comedy.
Four years ago, an unthinkable disaster occurred. In what was later known as the Low-Probability Event, eight million people were killed in a single day, each of them dying in improbable, bizarre ways: strangled by balloon ropes, torn apart by exploding manhole covers, attacked by a chimpanzee wielding a typewriter. A day of freak accidents that proved anything is possible, no matter the odds. Luck is real now, and it’s not always good.
Vera, a former statistics and probability professor, lost everything that day, and she still struggles to make sense of the unbelievable catastrophe. To her, the LPE proved that the God of Order is dead and nothing matters anymore.
When Special Agent Layne shows up on Vera’s doorstep, she learns he’s investigating a suspiciously—and statistically impossibly—lucky casino. He needs her help to prove the casino’s success is connected to the deaths of millions, and it’s Vera’s last chance to make sense of a world that doesn’t.
Because what’s happening in Vegas isn’t staying there, and she’s the only thing that stands between the world and another deadly improbability.
“…combines the clever violence of Final Destination with the slapstick horror of Tucker and Dale Versus Evil for a wholly original work.” – Molly Odintz, CrimeReads
“This is such a funky, beautiful horror novel… You’ll feel lucky to read this… maybe too lucky.” – Lillie Reimer, The Indie Next List
“The clearest expression of Tingle’s ‘love is real’ philosophy, in a brutal, bloody, and cosmically joyful outing. A must-buy for any horror collection.” – Katherine Sleyko, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Tingle wows with an absurdist existential horror novel that is as funny as it is unexpectedly devastating, complex, and challenging… The comedic carnage might overwhelm a lesser novel, but Tingle’s fast-paced plot makes it work, and his ability to effectively wield the many disparate elements at play here impresses. Combining irreverent moments of surreality with an earnest message about finding hope even in the face of brutality, this is Tingle’s best yet.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Society of Unknowable Objects by Gareth Brown
fiction / fantasy / mystery.
The world of unknowable objects—magical items that most people have no idea possess powers—has been quiet for decades, but the three current members of a secret society have remained watchful, meeting every six months in the basement of a bookshop in London. They are pledged to protect their archive of magical items hidden away, safe from the outside world—and the world safe from them. But when Frank Simpson, the longest-standing member of the Society of Unknowable Objects, hears of a new artifact coming to light in Hong Kong, he sends Magda Sparks—author by day and newest member—to investigate.
Within hours of arriving in Hong Kong, Magda is facing death and danger, confronted by a professional killer who seems to know all about unknowable objects, specifically one that was stolen from him a decade before. Magda is forced to flee, using an artifact that not even the rest of the Society knows about.
Returning to London, Magda learns hers is not the only secret being kept from the other two members. And that the most pernicious secret is about the nature of the Society’s mission. Her discoveries will lead her on a perilous journey, across the Atlantic to the deep south of the United States, now in pursuit of not an unknowable object, but an unknowable person: the professional killer she first faced in Hong Kong. In doing so, Magda begins to understand that there are even more in the world who are chasing these magical items, and that her own family’s legacy is tied up in keeping all these secrets under wraps.
Magic has always been too powerful to reveal to the world. But Magda will learn there might be something even more powerful:
The truth.
“Vividly descriptive language, depictions of world travel, and fast-paced, suspenseful action involving powerful magic items, with a nod to book collectors, will entice fans of intricately plotted romantic fantasy.” – Lucy Lockley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…Brown’s propulsive plot and plucky heroine keep the pages turning. It’s good fun.” – Publishers Weekly
“A page-turner… Gareth Brown deftly uses the modern thriller technique of short chapters, point of view switches at cliffhanger moments and surprising plot twists to keep you reading… an engaging tale that is worth your time.” – Eamonn Murphy, SFcrowsnest
Warrior Princess Assassin by Brigid Kemmerer
fiction / fantasy / romance.
WARRIOR. King Maddox Kyronan’s fire magic has earned him a ruthless reputation on the battlefield, but now his land is slowly burning. Ky’s only chance to save his people is to enter a marriage alliance with the neighboring nation of Astranza, and hope that their royal family’s power to manipulate the weather will help his kingdom flourish once more. He just needs to ensure no one finds out how this blaze began.
PRINCESS. With enemies advancing on Astranza, Princess Jory’s home needs the protection of the fearsome warrior king, but she is hiding a dangerous secret: her family’s magic is fading. Tempting as it is to reject her duties and run away with her childhood friend, Asher, Jory knows that she is the kingdom’s last hope. When she meets her intended, Jory is surprised to discover that beneath Ky’s daunting exterior is a compassionate and sharp-witted man who sets her heart aflame. But what will he do when he realizes she’s deceiving him?
ASSASSIN. Asher’s done what he must to survive, even if that means getting his hands dirty. Once a young nobleman in Astranza’s palace, where he and Jory caused mischief together, now he’s part of the Hunter’s Guild, employing much darker skills. When a lucrative job comes his way, Asher can’t say no—until he discovers the targets. Someone wants Jory and Ky dead. With the Guild watching, Asher must decide what he’s willing to do to protect the woman he loves and the maddening king who keeps getting under his skin.
“[A] wickedly perceptive and highly charged triad fantasy romance… Romantasy fans will be clamoring for more.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Brimming with power, angst and the promise of hope, Warrior Princess Assassin is a foray into romantasy that sets itself apart from the rest of the genre… Readers are in for a ride!” – Saberin C., Grimdark Magazine
“Chemistry is off-the-charts in this emotionally rich romantasy adventure that slowly unfolds, wielding magic, intrigue and pulse-pounding action. With a masterfully woven tension and yearning, this unconventional love story is addictive from the start.” – B&N Reads
We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Welcome to North Falls—a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.
Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.
For Officer Emmy Clifton, it’s personal. She turned away when her best friend’s daughter needed help—and now she must bring her home.
But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.
Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?
“This intense novel starts big and never lets up, as layer after layer is revealed and peeled away. Another suspenseful winner from Slaughter.” – Jane Jorgenson, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Fans of the Grant County series by Slaughter, will enjoy the familiar rural Georgia scenery and small-town secrets, but will find something new in instinct-driven Emmy Lou and her messy, fascinating family.” – Christine Tran, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Slaughter’s signature storytelling shines in this gripping small-town mystery. Fueled by relentless tension, this is an emotional reckoning brimming with dark secrets, unexpected betrayals and gut-wrenching revelations.” – B&N Reads
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