April 2015

 I hope you all didn't miss out on the Booklist Webinar Killer Crime Fiction for Mystery Month.  If you attended, below you can find a list of all the titles I talked about and many more exciting mystery titles coming out this summer and fall.  If you weren't able to attend the webinar, don't worry!  Below is all the info you'll need to be in the know about upcoming HarperCollins mystery titles.

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter: an electrifying standalone thriller that blends the blockbuster pace and suspense of Lisa Gardner with the sophistication and psychological depth of Gillian Flynn.

A Line of Blood by Ben McPherson: a mother, father and young son, must deal with the murder of their secretive next door neighbor and the intrusive police investigation that follows.  Available in digital audio.

Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah: a psychological thriller perfect for fans of Deborah Crombie, Tana French, and Kimberly McCreight.  Available in digital audio and CDs.

In the Dark Places by Peter Robinson: a crackling novel of suspense, a moody and sophisticated mystery full of serpentine curves from the New York Times bestselling, Edgar Award-winning author.  Available in digital audio.

Darkness the Color of Snow by Thomas Cobb: an atmospheric psychological thriller in which a young cop involved in a hit-and-run death becomes the focal point for a community’s grief and determination to place blame.  Available in digital audio.

Everything She Forgot by Lisa Ballantyne: a heartstopping second novel about loss, redemption, and the fickle nature of memory.  Available in digital audio.

Recipes for Love and Murder by Sally Andrew: the debut of a new cozy crime series set in rural South Africa, starring a charming cast of characters—complete with humor, romance, and recipes!

Name of the Devil by Andrew Mayne: the second thriller featuring magician-turned-FBI agent Jessica Blackwood pits her against a brutal killer desperate for revenge—at any price.

The Searcher by Simon Toyne: the first novel in the mesmerizing Solomon Creed series in which a man with no memory of his past must save a lost soul in a small Arizona town.

The Wrong Man by Kate White: a pulse-pounding novel of mistaken identity and psychological suspense from the New York Times bestselling author.

Cash Landing by James Grippando: a band of amateur thieves somehow pulls off one of the biggest airport heists in US history, only to learn that, in Miami, a fool is lucky if all he loses is his money.  Available in digital audio.

Art in the Blood by Bonnie MacBird: a new Sherlock Holmes mystery written in the whip smart style of Arthur Conan Doyle.

The English Spy by Daniel Silva: another stunning thriller in the latest action-packed tale of high stakes international intrigue featuring the inimitable Gabriel Allon.  Available in digital audio and CDs.

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell: the twenty-third engrossing thriller in her high-stakes series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.  Available in digital audio and CDs.

A Pattern of Lies by Charles Todd: the 7th mystery featuring battlefield nurse Bess Crawford.  Available in digital audio.

Dance of the Bones by J. A. Jance: J. P. Beaumont and Brandon Walker join forces in one of the most suspenseful works of Jance's career.  Available in digital audio and CDs.

The Theory of Death by Faye Kellerman: Decker and Lazarus have settled into life in quite upstate New York but soon find themselves entangled in a case of underworld crime and calculating murderers.   Available in digital audio and CDs.

Perfect Touch by Elizabeth Lowell: a brand new novel of romantic suspense from the New York Times bestselling author.  Available in digital audio.

Untitled Bond novel by Anthony Horowitz: a riveting and stylish take on literary legend James Bond with a story that unfolds in the 1950s.  Available in digital audio.

They All Love Jack by Bruce Robinson: a re-examination of the most provocative murder investigation in British history: the slayings of prostitutes by the mysterious figure known as “Jack the Ripper.”  Available in digital audio.

French Concession by Xiao Bai: a heart-stopping literary noir and novel of espionage and international intrigue.

The Spy House by Matthew Dunn: the fifth electrifying Spycatcher thriller featuring Intelligence agent Will Cochrane.

The Swede by Robert Karjel: a sophisticated debut literary thriller about a Swedish security force agent sent to the U.S. for a special assignment.

Sherlock: Chronicles by Steve Tribe: the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at the making of the hit PBS TV series Sherlock.

Black Valley by Charlotte Williams: Therapist-turned-detective Jessica Mayhew returns in this smart, fast-paced psychological thriller.

The 3^rd Woman by Jonathan Freedland: a chilling high-concept thriller, perfect for fans of Terry Hayes and Daniel Silva, that features a female investigative reporter who ends up fighting for her life.  Available in digital audio.

Little Grey Cells by Agatha Christie: a beautiful book of bite-sized Poirot rhetoric—delightful, witty, and perceptive quotations sure to get your little grey cells working.

Second Life by S. J. Watson: a riveting psychological thriller that traces a woman’s descent into the treacherous world of the internet.  Available in digital audio and CDs.

 

Also check out HarperCollins' Witness imprint for even more mystery titles.  

Many of these books can be found on Edelweiss as downloadable egalleys.  Happy reading!

-Amanda

Actor and activist, Maria Bello, has written a book inspired by her very popular Modern Love piece, “Coming Out as a Modern Family," where she discussed the difficulties of explaining to her son that she had fallen in love with a woman and his wise and poignant response, "Whatever Mom, love is love."

This book is written as a series of questions and answers that Maria posed to herself. Questions that many woman have asked themselves ranging from “Am I a good mother? Am I a good friend?” to “Am I Cinderella? Am I bad girl?”

Maria answers these and more with tales from her own life and details from the thousands of the woman who reached out to her after her column appeared. This is a call to live honestly and happily through a deeply personal examination of how women view themselves.

Whatever…Love is Love goes on sale today, so get yourself a copy!

– Annie

 

 

While at TLA we had AREs of Newport and the jacket was very enticing, so I made a note to download the galley when I got home. Good thing too because now I can tell you all how delightful a summer read this will be!

Newport takes place in 1921. WWI is over, prohibition is a joke amongst the affluent ranks in effect, and the depression is still years away, so Newport, R.I. is thriving and home to America's rich and richer. 

Adrian de la Noye, a successful and debonaire lawyer, arrives at the home of his client, widower Bennett Chapman, to draw up a new will. Mr. Chapman plans to remarry and wants to make his future bride the beneficiary, however his two awful, rancorous children wish to declare him unfit to do so. The reason? Bennett Chapman believes his deceased wife has arranged this marriage via seance!

Is that true or is he batty? And how exactly does Adrian know the bride-to-be? The number of secrets involved in this story makes the pages fly by as you eagerly try to unearth them. For fans of Amor Towles or Beatriz Williams.

– Annie

 

Are you familiar with Witness Impulse? It's an ebook original imprint that HarperCollins has to expose readers to new talent. Well, Eric Rickstad is one such talent, and his ebook, The Silent Girls, crushed it so we have since published some paperbacks.  

Would you like a copy? 5 lucky winners will get themselves this intense and twisted thriller about young women who are going missing in the dark, cold woods of Vermont. For fans of William Ken Kreuger, Steve Hamilton, Russell Banks, and Hanning Mankell.

Email librarylovefest@harpercollins.com for your chance to win!

– Annie

Historical Fiction fans, take note! The next few months will find you with an abundance of choice from HarperCollins, starting with Bruce Holsinger's The Invention of Fire (on sale today!). This is the sequel to the critically acclaimed A Burnable Book, and features 14th-century London medieval poet and fixer John Gower in another riveting thriller. Library Journal gave The Invention of Fire a starred review and said, "…aficionados of the historical genre won’t be able to put this novel down.”

Additionally out today is The Bone Tree by Greg Iles. This is the second in his amazing trilogy featuring Penn Cage as he fights to prove his father innocent of murder and finds himself tangled in past Civil Rights murder cases with dangerous and very much present criminals.

On the historical horizon we have Balm by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (the author of Wench), a novel that explores the lives of three people who struggle to overcome the pain of the past and define their own future during Reconstruction, The Race for Paris by Meg Waite Clayton, an engrossing story of two women news reporters during WW II, and Orphan Number Eight by Kim van Alkemade, a wrenching tale of a woman who comes face to face with the doctor whose dangerous medical experiments scarred her as a child and struggles between revenge and forgiveness.

Finally, if you look far into the future you will be thoroughly pulled into the glittering, glamorous past of the Hollywood Era in Adriana Trigiani's All the Stars in the Heavens (out in October). This epic, bold novel includes classic Adriana themes – family ties, artistry, romance, adventure – and mixes in the steaming hot relationship between Loretta Young and Clark Gable. Not to be missed!

Well, I don't know about you but my TBR pile just grew significantly. We'd love to hear from you if you read and love any of these historical fiction novels!

– Annie

  

Attending the Texas Library Association conference?  Swing on by the HarperCollins booth #1342 to grab galleys and meet authors!  Also, make sure you don't miss out on some of the other great events featuring our wonderful authors.

 

Wednesday, April 15

2:00—State Treasures: Texan Authors, featuring Mary Helen Specht, Migratory Animals (Austin Convention Center Room 6 AB, level 3)

2:30—Anne Hillerman, Rock with Wings, and Stephen Moore, Texas Rising joint booth signing at HC booth #1342

4:00—Mary Helen Specht booth signing at HC booth #1342

 

Thursday, April 16

10:00—M.P. Cooley, Flame Out, booth signing at HC booth #1342

10:00—Steampunk and Fantasy: The Lure of Distant Worlds panel, featuring Sophie Jaff, Love Is Red (Austin Convention Center Room 16 AB, level 4)

12:30—Sophie Jaff booth signing at HC booth #1342

2:00—Ilona Andrews, Burn for Me, booth signing at HC booth #1342

4:00—Second General Session, featuring Cokie Roberts, Capital Dames (Austin Convention Center Ballroom D, level 4)

 

Friday, April 17

9:00—From El Paso to Brownsville: Border Authors panel, featuring Philipp Meyer, The Son (Austin Convention Center Room 10 C)

10:00—AAP Book Buzz, featuring our very own Annie Mazes (Austin Convention Center,Room 17 AB, level 4)

10:30—HC Booth 1342 Giveaway!

 

Click here for full schedules and more information about the TLA 2015 conference.  We hope to see you there!

Here's a bit of a sneak peek at the reviews that will be in Library Journal's mid-April issue because HarperCollins represents! Five Starred Reviews for an assortment of pretty excellent (if I do say so myself) titles.

Seveneves by Neal Stephenson: "VERDICT The huge scope and enormous depth of the latest novel from Stephenson (Reamde; Snow Crash) is impressive…all fans of the genre should read—just set aside a good chunk of time."

Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance: "He writes a thought-provoking chronicle that doesn’t suffer for being only a first act, as Musk is still leading the field in innovation. VERDICT Vance’s study cuts across genres and will inform even those who follow the tech world closely." 

The Bone Tree by Greg Iles: "VERDICT Picking up immediately from Natchez Burning, best-selling author Iles superbly blends past and present in his swift and riveting story line."

Five Nights in Paris by John Baxter: "VERDICT Readers will emerge from the experience of this book feeling like well-traveled experts on the City of Light’s sensual history. Charming personal photographs strewn throughout only increase the sense that one is dipping into delicious secrets." 

10% Human by Alanna Collen: "VERDICT Recommended for all readers, particularly those contending with the diseases listed and parents making health choices for their children that may have far-reaching consequences."

Hooray! Don't miss out – snag your copies!

Megan Frampton may be one of my new favorite romance authors.  I first discovered her with last fall's The Duke's Guide to Correct Behavior, then dipped into the e-novella When Good Earls Go Bad, and now I'm here to tell you to check out her next delicious romance novel, Put Up Your Duke.

Lady Isabella has been groomed since she was a child to be the perfect duchess.  When the former Duke of Gage—Isabella's fiance—is ousted from his title due to some recently discovered tangled family lines, Isabella's parents see no problem in transferring her engagement to the new Duke, Nicholas.  What follows is a slow seduction that breaks Isabella of her compulsion to conform to expectations and cures Nicholas of his roguish ways.

I really enjoyed watching Isabella break away from her past and the behavior her parents forced upon her, and Nicholas was the perfect person to help her.  If you like heartwarming love stories and characters discovering their personal strengths, grab an egalley here to kick off an excellent weekend.

-Amanda

Historical fiction dealing with WWII is completely my jam, but I love The Race for Paris even more because the protagonists are some bad-a$$ women war correspondents. In June 1944 Jane (a reporter from Nashville) and Liv (a photographer from NYC) meet at a field hospital in France and decide to go AWOL in order to stay at the front and be the first news people in Paris when it is won from the Germans.

They meet up with Fletcher, a British military photographer, who against his better judgment, agrees to escort them, and the three journey through the incredibly dangerous and sad reality of war-torn northern France. What unfolds is a wonderful story of the kind of friendships that can only be forged in completely hellacious surroundings.  

Meg Waite Clayton has been working on this novel for more than a decade, researching the lives of legendary correspondents like Margaret Bourke-White, Martha Gellhorn, Lee Williams, and Clare Boothe Luce, who defied military protocol and the men who said they couldn't go to report from the front lines. It is fast paced and informative, but it's also a mix of heartbreaking and hopeful. 

Get an egalley now!!

– Annie

It's April!  Spring just started and Summer is right around the corner.  And yet, it was snowing in New York City for a little while yesterday.  So to raise our spirits—and everyone else's who are stuck in this perpetual winter—here is a selection of juicy beach reads full of sunlight, sand, and warmth to help you imagine the better days to come:

Girl in the Moonlight by Charles Dubow: A scorching tale of love, passion, and obsession, about one man’s all-consuming desire for a beautiful, bewitching, and beguiling woman, that travels from the wooded cottages of old East Hampton to the dining rooms of Upper East Side Manhattan to the bohemian art studios of Paris and Barcelona.  Egalley available here!

About a Girl by Lindsey Kelk: A woman assumes her roommates identity and travels to Hawaii to accept her photography assignment, but it doesn't work out quite as planned.  Get your egalley here!

Whisper Beach by Shelley Noble: An unforgettable story of friends, loyalty, and love as three women who are reunited in the idyllic beach town where they grew up are forced to re-evaluate their bonds.  Download an egalley here.

Summerlong by Dean Bakopoulos: A deft and hilarious exploration of the simmering tensions beneath the surface of a contented marriage which explode in the bedrooms and backyards of a small town over the course of a long, hot summer. Egalley!

Now please excuse me while I curl up under my desk with a blanket and one of these books and think warm thoughts.

-Amanda