Spring/Summer 2024

KNOWN TO THE VICTIM

K.L. Armstrong Hotlist
When Amy Gibson’s mother is brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Amy’s world is com-
pletely undone. Until her estranged half-brother, Oliver, saves her. Eight years later, she’s
the host of a popular true crime podcast that focuses on crimes against women committed
by their partners. And then Oliver is accused of the unthinkable—something that is so unlike
him. Amy sets out to prove her brother’s innocence. But as the days pass and more infor-
mation about Oliver and his past slowly comes to light, Amy begins realizing that nothing is
ever as it seems.

I WILL RUIN YOU: A NOVEL

Linwood Barclay Hotlist
English teacher Richard Boyle never thought he would find himself talking down a
former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDew shows up at Rich-
ard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into
action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a
hero. Richard’s brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged
blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, draw-
ing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets.

GODDESS OF WARSAW: A NOVEL

Lisa Barr Hotlist
Los Angeles, 2005. Sienna Hayes wants to direct a picture about the enormously
mysterious and famous Golden Age movie star Lena Browning. Before she was a
Living Legend, Lena Browning was Bina Blonski, a Polish Jew whose life and family
where destroyed by the Nazis. Warsaw, 1943. Determined to fight back against
the brutal Nazis the beautiful, blonde Aryan-looking Bina becomes a spy. Over a
decade after escaping the horrors of the ghetto, with her power and fame as a
movie star offer, Bina—now known as Lena—has the chance to right the past’s
wrongs.

BODY FRIEND: A NOVEL

Katherine Brabon Hotlist
In the wake of a major operation, a 28-year-old woman with chronic illness has
twelve weeks to heal, or rather, to acclimate to her new body. In the hydrotherapy
pool, she meets Frida, a young woman who looks strikingly similar to her and is
also in a state of recover. But the narrator also happens upon Sylvia, another
young convalescing woman. Throughout the narrator’s recovery, these women
shadow, overlap, mirror, and complicate one another, and what begins as two
seemingly undemanding friendships is challenged by what each woman asks of the
narrator, of themselves, and their bodies.
Spring/Summer 2024

THE MINISTRY OF TIME: A NOVL

Kaliane Bradley Hotlist
A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to
establish whether time travel is feasible. A civil servant is tasked with working as a ‘bridge’
living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham
Gore. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s projects comes to light, the bridge has
fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined.
Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon
with how —and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

SOCIETY OF LIES: A NOVEL

Lauren Ling Brown Hotlist
What should have been Princeton reunion weekend becomes Maya’s worst night-
mare—her little sister Naomi is dead. The police are saying it’s an accident, but Maya
suspects there is more to the story. As Maya pieces together the months leading up to
her sister’s death, the more Maya uncovers—and the more terrified she becomes that
Naomi’s decision to follow in her footsteps might have been what got her killed. Be-
cause Maya’s time at Princeton wasn’t as wonderful as she always pretended it was.
Now every clue is leading Maya back to the past—and to the secrets she’s kept all
these years.

THE BURNING: A NOVEL

Linda Castillo Hotlist
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder arrives at the scene to discover a charred body. According
to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz. From what she’s able to
piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated.
When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist
culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that
shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves—and her own
roots.

FLASHPOINT: AN FBI THRILLER

Catherine Coulter Hotlist
A year has passed since Elizabeth Palmer was nearly killed with hundreds more in the
attempted bombing of St. Paul’s in London, believed to be a terrorist act until the police
discovered it was a cover for something even more sinister. With three new attempts on
her life, and her connection to the terrorist attack, MI-5 gets involved to find out who is
trying to kill her and why. With deadly assailants in terrifying pursuit, Elizabeth and Special
Agent Rome Foxe soon find themselves neck deep in danger and in a race for survival.
Spring/Summer 2024

THE WOMAN WHO LIED: A NOVEL

Claire Douglas Hotlist
Emilia Ward lives in suburban London with her husband, their young son, and a teenager
from her first marriage. Emilia is an ordinary mom—and she’s also the bestselling author of
the Miranda Moody detective novels. But when writing her tenth—and most difficult book—
takes a disturbing turn: an accident mimicking the plot of one of her novels occurs in real life.
Just an unsettling coincidence? Until it happens again. And again. Then someone she knows
dies in the same way as a victim in the book she’s currently writing. How could they possibly
know what she’s thinking—and writing?

RED RIVER ROAD: A NOVEL

Anna Downes Hotlist
Katy Sweeney is determined to find her sister. A year earlier, just three weeks into a solo van-
life trip, free-spirted Phoebe vanished without a trace. Using Phoebe’s social media accounts
as a map, Katy starts to retrace her steps, searching for the clues that the police have missed.
Then Katy’s path collides with that of Beth, a young woman on the run from her own dark
past. And as Katy realises that Beth might be her best and only chance of finding the truth,
the two women form an uneasy alliance to venture forth into increasingly wild territory to
find out what really happened to Phoebe.

THE SPELLSHOP
Sarah Beth Durst Hotlist
Librarian Kiela was sure she’d never return to her childhood home. The empire, for
all it’s magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on
magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Kiela feels partially re-
sponsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by
opening the island’s first-ever secret spell shop. As Kiela comes to make a place for
herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes
that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she
has built up so high.

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME: A NOVEL

Alex Finlay Hotlist
For the past five years, Ryan Richardson has relived that terrible night. The car door ripping
open. The crushing blow to the head. The hands jerking him from the vehicle. His girlfriend
Ali’s piercing scream as she is taken. With no trace of Ali or the car, a cloud of suspicion
hangs over Ryan. Until, on a summer trip abroad to Italy with his law-school classmates, Ryan
gets a call from his father. Ali’s car has finally been found, submerged in a lake in his
hometown. Inside are two dead men and a cryptic note with five words written on the enve-
lope in Ali’s handwriting: “If something happens to me…”
Spring/Summer 2024

ROBERT LUDLUM’S THE BOURNE SHADOW: A JASON BOURNE NOVEL

Brian Freeman Hotlist
It’s been over a decade since Nash Rollins recruited a brilliant, talented, but disaffected
young man named David Webb to join Treadstone. Webb became the agent known as
Cain—and later took on the identity of Jason Bourne. After the injury that erased Bourne’s
whole life, Nash lied about the circumstances of David’s recruitment to Treadstone. But
now, when Bourne meets a woman who recognizes him as David Webb, the secrets of
those days begin to come out—and Bourne is forced to confront the dangerous ghosts of
a past he doesn’t even remember.

CAMINO GHOSTS: A NOVEL

John Grisham Hotlist
In this new thriller on Camino Island, popular bookseller Bruce Cable tells Mercer
Mann an irresistible tale that might be her next novel. A giant resort developer is
using its political muscle and deep pockets to claim ownership of a deserted island
between Florida and Georgia. Only the last living inhabitant of the island, Lovely
Jackson, stands in its way. What the developer doesn’t know is that the island has
a remarkable history, and locals believe it is cursed…and the past is never the
past…

OUR LITTLE SECRET

Lisa Jackson Hotlist
Brooke Hastings is ready to end her brief affair. Gideon Ross is charming and sexy,
but he’s not worth throwing away everything she holds dear. So she breaks it off,
hoping Gideon will understand. He doesn’t. Gideon insists that he and Brooke are
meant to be together. Little more than a year later, Brooke wants to believe it’s all
behind her. Her family has survived intact. Gideon has vanished. But the fear has-
n’t disappeared. Brooke can’t tell how much of it is paranoia, and how much is
justified, but she’s worried. And maybe she’s right to be. Because Gideon is a man
who keeps his promises.

EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE: A NOVEL

Natalie Jenner Hotlist
In 1955, Vivien Lowry’s latest play, the only female authored play on the London
stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the
audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and
their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Lowry’s last chance for a
dramatic career. As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also must
face the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the mystery of what really
happened to her deceased fiancé.
Spring/Summer 2024

YOU LIKE IT DARKER: STORIES

Stephen King Hotlist
Stephen King’s magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part
of life—both metaphorical and literal. “Two Talented bastids” explores the long hidden se-
cret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a
brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophical-
ly. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to “Cujo,” a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and
instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. Each of these
stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?: A NOVEL

Shari Lapena Hotlist
Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. The teenagers get their kicks
telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive
home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. But this morning all of that will
change. Because Diana Brewer isn’t lying safely in her bed where she belongs. In-
stead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer. Some-
one in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers. And one innocent question could
be deadly.

NO SAFE PLACE: A NOVEL

Michael Ledwidge Hotlist
Hiding off the grid on a trout stream in the middle of rural New England, the last thing Mike
Gannon is looking for is any more trouble. But then he bumps into an old girlfriend who is
an investigator up from New York City looking into the mysterious death of a student at a
nearby prestigious college. And soon, what Mike wants and what he’s about to get become
two very different things. First a whistleblower comes forward with evidence of a deadly
scandal. Then shortly after arrives a group of dangerous men who will do anything to keep
secrets buried. Then the lights go out.

THE FINAL ACT OF JULIETTE WILLOUGHBY: A NOVEL

Ellery Lloyd Hotlist
Everybody knows that in 1938, runaway heiress artist Juliette Willoughby perished
in an accidental studio fire in Paris, alongside her masterpiece Self Portrait as
Sphinx. Fifty years later, two Cambridge art history students are confounded when
they stumble across proof that the fire was no accident but something more sinis-
ter. What they uncover threatens the very foundation of Juliette’s aristocratic fami-
ly and revives rumors of the infamous curse that has haunted the Willoughbys for
generations.
Spring/Summer 2024

SAME AS IT EVER WAS: A NOVEL

Claire Lombardo Hotlist
Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found
herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. Having nearly derailed herself several times,
she finally feels, at the age fifty seven, that she has a firm handle on things. She’s un-
prepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcements from her straight-
arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seduc-
tive resurgence of the past, all of which threatens to draw her back into the patterns
that had previously kept her on a razor's edge.

THE THIRTEENTH HUSBAND: A NOVEL

Greer Macallister Hotlist
Tearing through millions of dollars, four continents, and a hearty collection of hus-
bands, real-life heiress Aimee Crocker blazed an unbelievable trail of public notoriety,
private pain, and the kind of strong independent woman the 1880s had never seen.
Her life was stranger than fiction and brighter than the stars, and she whirled through
her days as if she was being chased by something larger than herself.

THE CONDITIONS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: AN ISABEL DALHOUSIE NOVEL

Alexander McCall Smith Hotlist

Isabel Dalhousie, everyone's favorite moral philosopher, is once again called
on to help navigate a decidedly delicate dispute with all of the insight and
compassion she has become known for. What makes Isabel's investigations so
unique is her uncanny ability to view all sides of a situation with coolness and
reserve — and she will tap deep into her stores of both in order to help see
this one through. Meanwhile, Isabel and her husband Jamie will together be
dealing with tricky personal issues of their own.

THE 24TH HOUR: A WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB MURDER

James Patterson & Maxine Paetro Hotlist
Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney
Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas are gathered at one of San Francisco’s
finest restaurants. Before they can raise their glasses, a violent assault breaks out. The
legal strategy is complicated by gaps in the plaintiff’s memory—and the shocking rea-
son behind her ever-changing testimony. As Yuki leads the prosecution. Lindsay chases
down a high-society killer whose target practice may leave the Women’s Murder Club
short a bridesmaid—or two.
Spring/Summer 2024
HOUSE OF GLASS: A NOVEL
Sarah Pekkanen Hotlist
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny—in the
midst of her partent’s bitter divorce—and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a
best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. Soon,
Stella realizes the cae is even more twisted and the Barclay family far more troubled than
she feared. As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to
hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision
course in ways she never expected.

THE BRIAR CLUB: A NOVEL

Kate Quinn Hotlist
Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-
the-heels-all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital where secrets
hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March
moves into the attic room, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely
friendship. Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties become a healing balm on their
lives. When a shocking act of violence tears the house apart, the Briar Club women
must decide once and for all: who is the true enemy in their midst?

SLOW DANCE: A NOVEL

Rainbow Rowell Hotlist
Growing up on the wrong side of Omaha, all Shiloh could think about was getting away. At
least she had Cary in the meantime. Only their friendship got Cary through high school and
when Shiloh went off to college, he joined the Navy. That was fourteen years ago. Now Shi-
loh’s thirty-three and back living in the same house she grew up in. When a high school
friend invites Shiloh to his wedding, she buys a new dress, puts on some makeup, and pins a
silk flower over her heart, hoping—and also worrying—that she might see Cary, the boy she
never realized she loved until he was lost.

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT: A NOVEL

Riley Sager Hotlist
One July night, ten-year-old Ethan and his best friend Billy, fell asleep in a tent set
up in a quiet, quaint cul de sac. During the night, someone had taken Billy. He was
never seen again. Thirty years later, plagued by bad dreams and insomnia, Ethan
begins to notice strange things happening in the middle of the night. The mysteri-
ous occurrences prompt Ethan to investigate what really happened that night, a
quest that leads him into the woods that surround Hemlock Circle. The closer Ethan
gets to the truth, the more he realizes that the past has a way of haunting the pre-
sent.
Spring/Summer 2024

ALL THIS AND MORE: A NOVEL

Peng Shepherd Hotlist
Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Marsh is
convinced she’s missing her chance at everything—romance, professional fulfillment, and
adventure—and is desperate for a do-over. She can’t believe her luck when she’s selected
to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technol-
ogy to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It’s
Marsh’s only shot to seize her dreams, and she’s determined to get it right this time. While
the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off.

A TALENT FOR MURDER: A NOVEL

Peter Swanson Hotlist
Martha Ratliff conceded long ago that she’d likely spend her life alone. But then
she met Alan. When he asked her to marry him, she said yes. A year in and the
marriage was good, except for that strange blood streak on the back of one of his
shirts he’d worn to a conference in Denver. Her curiosity turning to suspicion, Mar-
tha investigates the cities Alan visited over the past year and uncovers a disturbing
pattern—five unsolved cases of murdered women. What Martha uncovers is more
perplexing and wicked than she ever could have expected.

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK: A NOVEL

Chris Whitaker Hotlist
1975. In the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing. When the daugh-
ter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with
one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake. Patch and those
who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been
finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one
another.

BORN OF BLOOD AND ASH: A FLESH AND FIRE NOVEL

Jennifer L. Armentrout Second Choice
While Sera is finally free of Kolis and back with those she loves, not everything is calm. Memories of
all she’s endured still haunt her, but Sera finally has hope for a future with the other half of her heart
and soul. Nyktos desires, loves, and accepts every part of her—even the monstrous bits she still
battles. More than ever, Sera and Ash have everything under the realms to fight for, and Nyktos has
no doubt Sera is fit to be the Queen of the Gods. But she must find that faith within herself if they
hope to convince the other Courts to support them against Kolis and make Iliseeum and the mortal
realm better, safer places for all. A battle between the gods is brewing, and heartbreaking losses are
imminent with the true Primal of Death strengthening. With a family of the heart willing to battle by
their side, can Sera and Nyktos stop Kolis before he destroys the realms, or will it all disappear in a
fiery inferno of blood and ash?
Spring/Summer 2024

THE PHOENIX BALLROOM: A NOVEL

Ruth Hogan Second Choice
For fifty years, Venetia Hargreave’s world revolved around her husband. So, at seventy-four-
years of age, Venetia declares her independence. But something is still missing. In her youth,
there was the Phoenix Ballroom, where she used to teach waltzes and tangos. These days it’s
a community centre and spiritualist church. Eager to revive at least one meaningful thing from
her past, Venetia buys the Phoenix Ballroom. As the ballroom regains its former glory, the
community and Venetia’s humdrum life are revived as well—proving wonderful things can
come from the darkest of places.

THE WILD ROAD HOME: A NOVEL

Melissa Payne Second Choice
Mack Anders fakes his own passing — hoping insurance will take care of his wife. In
a lonesome cabin in the Wyoming wilderness, he lives off the grid. Strong-willed
eighteen-year-old Brandi is willing to risk everything to save her young brother, Sy,
from their unstable mother. On the run, Brandi crosses paths with Mack-and quick-
ly realizes this quiet stranger might be their only hope of reaching safety. But the
real world is closing in, and to help Brandi and Sy, Mack will have to come back to
life in ways he never imagined.

DEATH AND THE VISITORS: A MARY SHELLEY MYSTERY

Heather Redmond Second Choice
1814, London: foreign diplomats are descending on London in advance of the Con-
gress of Vienna meetings to formulate a new peace plan for Europe following Na-
poleon’s downfall. Mary Shelley and her stepsister Jane’s father, political philoso-
pher William Godwin, is hosting a gathering with an advance party of Russian royal
staff. When a man is pulled from the River Thames, Godwin’s dire financial prob-
lems are further complicated by the suspicion that the family may have been in-
volved in murder. Mary and Jane resolves to find the real killer to clear the family
name.

TOM CLANCY SHADOW STATE: A JACK RYAN JR. NOVEL

M.P. Woodward Hotlist
Jack Ryan, Jr. finds himself cut off from his comrades at The Campus just when he
needs them most. He’s smack dab in the middle of an international conspiracy, and
this may be too much for even him to handle.
Spring/Summer 2024

WHEN THE ICE IS GONE: WHAT GREENLAND ICE CORE REVEALS ABOUT
EARTH’S TUMULTUOUS HISTORY AND PERILOUS FUTURE
Laura McHugh Hotlist | Non-Fiction | 551. 31
In 2018, frozen soil from the bottom of the world’s first deep ice core, lost decades, reappeared in
Denmark. When geologist Paul Bierman and his team analyzed this material, it led them to a star-
tling discovery: Greenland’s ice sheet melted naturally 400,000 years ago. Bierman traces the story
of this pivotal discovery, delving into the nuances of polar science and artic history. Bierman ex-
plores the cataclysmic events the discovery portends if we don’t address climate change, urging us
to heed the warning from the ice and understand Greenland’s significance for our collective future.

HOW CHILDREN GRIEVE: WHAT ADULTS MISS, AND WHAT THEY CAN DO TO HELP

Corinne Masur Hotlist | Non-Fiction | 155.9

From Dr. Corinne Masur, an award-winning clinical psychologist specializing in
grief counselling, comes a necessary and impactful guide to understanding child-
hood grief and guiding children through loss, from family deaths and lost pets to
unexpected moves and personal disappointments. Dr. Masur uses her own child-
hood experience with loss to inform the empathetic yet clinically informed advice
in this impactful guide. Dr. Masur shares her expertise with caregivers of any kind,
giving them the tools they need to help a child or teenager to mourn, to move
forward, and to make meaning of terrible loss.

THE POWER OF HORMONES: THE NEW SCIENCE OF HOW HORMONES IMPACT

EVERY ASPECT OF OUR HEALTH

Max Nieuwdorp Hotlist|Non-Fiction | 612.4

Our hormones shape us at every stage of our lives, from the second we are conceived to
the moment we breathe our last breath. They are essential to our immune system, sleep,
digestion, hunger, stress levels, and so much more. When our hormone systems aren’t
functioning well, it wrecks havoc on our health and our wellbeing. Professor Max Nieu-
wdorp explores the role our hormones play from our early years through to puberty,
pregnancy, and old age, combining stories from his day-to-day life treating his patients
with the amazing, cutting edge new science of hormones.

THE WAY OF THE HERMIT: MY INCREDIBLE 40 YEARS LIVING IN THE WILDERNESS

Ken Smith Non-Fiction|Hotlist|941

Seventy-four-year-old Ken Smith has spent the past four decades in the Scottish
Highlands. His home is a log cabin nestled near Loch Treig, known as “the lonely
loch,” where he lives off the land. He fishes for his supper, chops his own wood
and even brews his own tipple. He is, in the truest sense of the word, a hermit.
Ken shares the remarkable story of his life for the first time. Ken’s unique insights
allow us to glimpse the awe and wonder of a life lived in nature and offer wis-
dom on how each of us can escape the pressures and stresses of modern life.
Spring/Summer 2024

THE STORY OF UPFRONT CARBON: HOW A LIFE OF JUST ENOUGH OFFERS A WAY
OUT OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
Lloyd Alter Non-Fiction|Second Choice|363.738 Alt
Think that buying electric car or switching to a heat pump is going to save the planet?
Think again. Emissions are not produced just by driving your car or heating your home. By
focusing on consumption rather than production, this book establishes the compelling
rationale for carbon minimalism, arguing that only through frugality, simplicity, and mate-
riality can we address global inequality and avoid climate catashprohe. Packed with con-
crete strategies for minimizing the upfront carbon produced by transportation, agriculture,
consumer goods, built environment, and more.

THE VANISHING AT SMOKESTACK HOLLOW: A MISSING FAMILY, A DESPERATE

PLAN, AND UNSOLVED MYSTERY
Jake Anderson Non-Fiction | Second Choice | 364.1 And
On October 8th, 2009, Bobby Jamison, his wife Sherilynn, and their six-year-old daughter
Madyson, set off for a drive to the nearby Sans Bois Mountains. A week later, their truck
was found abandoned on a mountain road. Online, bloggers and web sleuths put forth
dozens of theories, fueled by Jamisons’ strange, trancelike behaviour on a CCTV video. In
2013, there was a tragic break in the case. Investigative journalist Jake Anderson draws on
police notes, interviews, and exclusive evidence to piece together the Jamisons’ last days
and weeks, weaving together startling material with his own personal insights.