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Zaira doesn't want a hero. She needs a weapon. To save her sister from a soul-devouring curse, she has to cross The Shallows, a nightmare landscape of ruined magic, shifting paths, and vicious creatures that eat people alive. Her guide? Thane Valkor: sorcerer, assassin, walking red flag. His name clears rooms. His magic kills quietly. And whatever he's really after, it's not salvation. He promises to help. He might even mean it. But Zaira knows better than to trust a liar with a blade and ice in his veins. She just doesn't have a choice.

Marseille, France, 1941. Zelie Bellerose never fit the mold of an army officer's wife. She was too passionate in her convictions, too indifferent to societal expectations. After her husband is killed in the war, Zelie focuses on securing a brighter future for her children, hoping to help free her country from the Nazi regime by joining the Resistance. She is soon one of the most trusted operatives in Alliance, and when their leader is imprisoned, she takes command, hiding her identity from all but a few. With enemies closing in, Zelie must earn the trust of her network and prove herself to those who doubt a woman's place at the helm of France's largest spy ring. Marcel Laurent was a renowned concert pianist before joining the French army and being sent to a POW camp. Freed in a prisoner exchange by a wealthy businessman with ties to the Resistance, Marcel agrees to spy for Alliance by conducting a youth orchestra, gathering intelligence from patrons who are loose-lipped Nazi sympathizers. As Zelie and Marcel grow closer, she begins to rely on him. But betrayal from within Alliance puts everything they've fought for at risk.

When Rita Sullivan walks into A Little Taste of Heaven to hire Bernie and Libby to cater a PTA board meeting and supply cakes for an end-of-school-year gala, it's hard to believe she's the same nerdy wallflower they knew in high school. Rita's now an influencer and CEO of Lavish Lipsticks, a hot new cosmetics company. She's also the president of the Longely Junior High School PTA, where she's made a considerable number of enemies. When the sisters go to drop off the cakes, they find Rita lying on the floor with a knife in her chest. What's more, using her company's newest lipstick, Scarlet Shame, the killer has drawn a large red X across her body. Rita has been canceled. The police zero in on Abby Roth, owner of the murder weapon, but her kids beg Libby and Bernie to clear their mom's name. The sisters soon discover a quorum of suspects with motives to kill Rita, ranging from stolen cosmetics formulas and blackmail to broken marriages and property feuds.

When Judith Rice fled her childhood home, she thought she'd severed her abusive mother's hold on her. Drawn to the forests of southern Georgia, Jude finds shelter in a house as haunted by its violent history as she is by her own. Over the next thirteen years, Jude blossoms into a wisewoman, a healer. But her hard-won peace is threatened when an enigmatic woman shows up on her doorstep. Ensnared by her desire for this stranger, Jude is caught off guard by brutal urges suddenly simmering beneath her skin. As the woman stirs up memories of her escape years ago, Jude must confront the calls of violence rooted in her bloodline.

When Eileen O'Malley meets naval officer Paul Archer in a Charleston department store, she doesn't expect to fall so hard, so fast. Paul is funny and ambitious, and soon, Eileen's married and is following him to the Mediterranean island of La Maddalena, where Paul will be heading up Radiological Controls aboard a submarine. On the island, Eileen joins a makeshift community of Navy wives, who are hell bent on making the island feel like home. Eileen settles into life on the island, taking Italian lessons and learning to make culurgiones, and she begins to love the island because it is not like where she comes from. But it doesn't take long for Eileen to be confronted with the complexities of being an American abroad. The US government has sent nuclear-powered subs into the La Maddalena Archipelago, and Italian activists and scientists are sounding the alarm about possible nuclear contamination in the water. Eileen's marriage begins to falter, and her loyalties begin to shift as she confronts a web of secrets-and meets a journalist who forces her to imagine a different life.

The only woman in Forbes' Greatest Business Stories of All Time and the first woman to chair a company on the New York Stock Exchange, Mary Kay Ash has a life story that reads like a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel Growing up in Depression-era Texas, Mary Kathlyn Wagner is a dutiful daughter and diligent student with ambition aplenty and no place to use it. Married at sixteen, she is a grandmother at thirty-four. When she is not cooking or cleaning or taking care of the kids, she peddles cleaning products to other housewives. The work has no salary and no security but she sticks with it, sure that direct selling will somehow make her dreams come true. In 1963, after she has been divorced three times and widowed twice, she sets up her own company, selling second chance and self-invention for the price of a skin care showcase. Soon millions know her as the little lady in the big wig who gives away pink Cadillacs. From its unpromising start in a 500-square-foot Texas storefront, Mary Kay Inc. grows into a global phenomenon with 3.5 million reps in over 35 countries. She becomes the most famous saleswoman in the world. Maybe the most famous ever. Based on fifteen years of research, Selling Opportunity gives us a page-turning rags-to-riches story set against the background of direct selling in all its overstated, over-the-top glory. Here, for the first time, is the definitive history of a peculiarly American industry and a mid-century mindset that ennobled extreme self-reliance, sticking to your guns, and blind faith in the American dream.

When a blunder and an injury threaten Kenya Stewart's career, she fakes a relationship with doctor Solomon Abujnde to restore her coveted promotion and appease his demanding parents. As attractions increase amid their ruse, secrets they've kept from each other begin to unravel their scheme. Will their plans crumble when the truth comes out?

The women in Cold Harbor all have something to prove, and they'll have to do it in a world full of monsters. Something's not right in Cold Harbor--more so than usual. While this sleepy small town has seen its fair share of monsters in cheating husbands and leering bosses, none are as hungry as Mrs. Smith. The mysterious resident has finally emerged from her crumbling mansion on the hill, mesmerizing the townspeople with her beauty. Her secret? Nine human sacrifices to feed her immortality. Natalie Scott is more worried about Mrs. Smith blocking her first real estate sale--the one that will take her from stay-at-home mom to working woman extraordinaire. She's eager to prove herself in a world where the social mores of 1980s suburbia reign, where she's expected to keep a magazine-perfect home and raise beautiful children, all while sticking to her husband's budget. Natalie's two best friends are facing their own demons, and Mrs. Smith and her deep, dark woods are an easy scapegoat for everyone's problems. But Natalie's twelve-year-old daughter, Jill, and her Icelandic housekeeper, Una, can sense something deeper at play. Armed with library books and a whole lot of grit, Jill and Una team up to save the town once and for all. But as the rest of Cold Harbor sinks into anger, fear, and jealousy, they'll have to confront the question: what does it really mean to be a monster?

Amanda Cole is a CIA officer following in the footsteps of her father, who was a spy during the Cold War. It takes grit to succeed in this male-dominated world - but one day, when a Russian defector walks into her post, Amanda is given the chance to prove herself. The defector warns of the imminent assassination of a US senator. Twenty-four hours later, the senator is dead. And the assassination is just beginning. The Kremlin has found a dangerous new way to wage war. Teaming up with Kath Frost, a fearless older woman and legendary spy, Amanda races from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, unraveling the international conspiracy.

In a sprawling apartment complex in Delhi built by a powerful political patriarch, the members of the Chopra family struggle to build their own futures while living under the weight of his legacy. As India enters a time of political change, the family's ambitions, rivalries, and loyalties begin to collide. Sachin Chopra and his wife, Gita, attempt to start a new life in the United States, hoping to escape the pressures of the family compound. But the pull of home remains strong, especially as Sachin's uncle Laxman rises in a growing nationalist political movement and long-buried secrets begin to surface. As personal betrayals and political upheaval threaten the family's fragile unity, the Chopras must confront the true cost of power, ambition, and loyalty.

When Mei Lei runs into Alexandre Broduer at a family function there is no denying their chemistry. Alexandre is her brother-in-law's brother and Mei is his sister-in-law's sister. And he's a wrecking ball in Mei's life, making her question if she is still charmed by her fiance's needy tendencies. And she is laser focused on her job at Livin', the tech world's hottest start-up as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing, and she goes home to her adoring fiancé, Joey. He keeps Mei grounded during her eighty-hour weeks. Alexandre is a biology professor, back in New York after failing to achieve tenure in Oregon, and is unenthused about starting over after two decades of Zebrafish research. But he is more than ready for a fresh start, even if the prospect of teaching role at a state school is disappointing. Mei's wedding date is approaching, and she must make a choice.

In 1928 Chattanooga, the discovery of a breathtaking underground waterfall, soon named Ruby Falls, draws crowds even as the Great Depression threatens the attraction's future. Hoping for a publicity boost, a famous mind reader agrees to descend into the caverns with a small group to perform a daring psychic stunt. Young cave enthusiast Ada secretly follows at a distance with another guide, acting as a safety net in case something goes wrong. But when one member of the party is found dead, Ada realizes there's a killer in their midst. Trapped deep underground with fading light and rising fear, she must lead the group back to the surface-before the murderer strikes again.

Charlie Kilgore was too young to remember anything, really, about how events on the lake unfolded twenty-five years ago. He just knows what he's been told: that his father stabbed a man to death, left Charlie's mother critically wounded, and then disappeared, never to be seen again. Now Charlie believes there must be more to what happened. Using the shards of the story he's uncovered so far as the heart of a true crime podcast, Charlie returns to his hometown in the foothills of New Hampshire's White Mountains. Old friends, family, authorities, and even collateral victims have moved on, and no one wants to dredge up what's long forgotten. Except Charlie. He wants to know what could have transformed a quiet man into a monster. And what happened next. But when Charlie starts asking questions of people with so much to hide, getting to the truth becomes dangerous. Because on this lake--in this family--the past isn't dead and buried at all. In fact, it's back with a vengeance.

Maggie Wang, a broke young Asian American writer, needs a lifeline. Ingrid Parker, a veteran white Hollywood producer with her career on the edge, offers an irresistible deal: $3 million for ten experimental medical sessions promising to reverse her aging, using Maggie as a transfusion partner. For Ingrid, it's a chance to reboot her fading career. For Maggie, it's freedom--money to support her parents and finally finish her novel. What starts as a professional transaction exchanging blood quickly becomes a complex psychological dance. Maggie gains unprecedented access to Ingrid's hard-earned wisdom, while Ingrid sees in Maggie a potential protégé--and a weapon against an industry that's been trying to sideline her. As their relationship intensifies, they're forced to confront the harsh realities of race, age, and success. Who has the power to tell stories? And what are they willing to sacrifice to succeed?

"Ever since childhood,' writes Neil deGrasse Tyson, 'I've wanted to be abducted by Aliens.' Take Me to Your Leader is the culmination of a lifetime of fascination, speculation, and the amassing of scientific data about the possibility of Aliens visiting Earth. Drawing on a wealth of depictions from history, literature, pop culture, and film, Tyson applies the universal laws of physics to make the case for what Aliens might look like, act like, how they might travel through the universe to reach us, and what they might think of us upon arrival. Should such an event occur, Tyson further offers useful etiquette tips for your first close encounter. If you've ever wondered why there are so many UFO sightings, or whether Aliens might already be among us, Tyson offers an informed perspective that is both factual and fun. Take Me to Your Leader is a tantalizing exploration of what would be the most mind-blowing experience of your life--the book for anyone who has ever wondered: Are we alone?

In the heart of Las Vegas, Unified Stars Studios rolls in to film Sons of the Texas Star, starring cowboy superstar Matt McCoy and his twin brother Mark. But during the filming of the climactic scene, a live round is slipped into Mark's revolver instead of a blank, and Matt is found dead in the foyer of a luxurious hacienda. Sheriff Conor Armenta must navigate the glamorous yet shadowy world of Hollywood's burgeoning film industry to uncover the truth behind Matt McCoy's murder. As he delves deeper into the glamorous facade, the truth is far more sinister than any cinema illusion.

Set in a fictional country in the present day, this is a story told through the eyes of an ex-military dog, Etna. After surviving years of a devastating war, Etna decides one night to leave the men he has fought alongside for years and return home--to the place where he was taken from when he was young, in the thin but persistent hope that if a home exists for him, it might be there. Thus begins an exhilarating odyssey told through the eyes of a dog as he traverses across ruined landscapes and fights to survive in a world that, even in peacetime, proves to be just as precarious. Along the way, he encounters other animals and humans who are attempting to figure out how to start again. What makes a life when there is no home to go back to? How do we begin to trust each other again after such profound loss?

An Icelandic night may hide secrets and affairs - or even bodies - in this gruesomely cathartic horror thriller from the author of The Night Guest. Unnur was living a normal, if lonely, life until a black cat showed up at her door. When she tracks down the cat's wayward owner, she finds a young woman just as lost and in need of help. Like a gust of cold air in a Reykjavík night, Ásta and her pet slip into Unnur's life. It's unexpected, but welcome. Unnur likes the company, and she begins to rely on Ásta in turn. But like a black cat, trouble has been tailing her new friend, and Unnur is the only one there for Ásta when things take a violent turn. The two women quickly learn: nothing tests a friendship like blood on your hands.

This isn't your usual jaunt through quantum physics. Ellie's universe, and this one, is falling apart. Her ailing mother is in a coma; her sister, Chris, accuses her of being insufficiently Chinese between assassination attempts; and a shadowy cabal of engineers is trying to hijack the skunkworks, the machinery that keeps the physics of each universe working the way it's supposed to. Daniel, Ellie's cousin, has found an illicit device in the skunkworks-one that keeps Ellie's comatose mother alive while also creating destabilizing bugs in the physics of this universe. It's not a good day. If she can confront her mother's legacy and overcome her family's generational trauma, she just might find a way to preserve the skunkworks and reconcile with her sister...but digging into her family's past is thornier than it seems, and the secrets she uncovers will force Ellie to choose between her family and the universe itself.

Carol is delighted to be leaving her tiny prison cell behind to take her place in a luxury retirement home. She's hoping her past as a serial killer won't come to light so she can make a few friends and find some murder-free hobbies. But it's not long before a fellow resident, who happens to be a former police commissioner, drops dead, and Carol's true identity is leaked. Making catching up over daily activities of bingo and baking rather awkward. Just her luck, Carol soon realizes that the victim wasn't the only former law enforcement officer at Sheldon Oaks. It's filled to the brim with former cops, barristers, and government representatives, her newfound friends included. And everyone thinks Carol's guilt is a no-brainer, but she is ready to prove them dead wrong. Without killing anyone, for once.