National Network for Equitable Library Service

Bestselling author James Lee Burke tells his most thrilling and insightful story yet through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Bessie Holland. At the beginning of the 20th century, as America grapples with forces of human and natural violence more powerful than humanity has ever seen, Bessie Holland yearns for the love that she has never known. She finds a soulmate and mentor in a brilliant but tormented suffragette English teacher, who inspires Bessie to fight the forces of evil that permeate her world.

“A provocative and page-turning work of true crime.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A provocative, eerily lyrical study of the heyday of American serial killers . . . A true-crime story written with compassion, fury, and scientific sense.” —Kirkus (starred review) Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2025 by LitHub. From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Prairie Fires comes a terrifying true-crime history of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest and beyond—a gripping investigation of how a new strain of psychopath emerged out of a toxic landscape of deadly industrial violence.

"A dazzlingly clever murder mystery, told backwards, asking the question: why would this loving wife murder her husband?"—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Famous Last Words and Wrong Place Wrong Time. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing and Eight Perfect Murders comes an inventive, utterly propulsive murder mystery in reverse—tracing a marriage back in time to uncover the dark secret at its heart. Audiobook narrated by Steven Weber. Thom and Wendy Graves have been married for over twenty-five years.

From the author of The Five Year Lie comes a new twisty thriller that probes how well we actually know the men in our lives. Rowan Gallagher is a devoted single mother and a talented architect with a high-profile commission restoring an historic mansion for the most powerful family in Maine. But inside, she's a mess. She knows that stalking her ex's avatar all over Portland on her phone isn't the healthiest way to heal from their breakup. But she's out of ice cream and she's sick of romcoms. Watching his every move is both fascinating and infuriating.

What's done in the dark... Murderer is a title she never expected to wear. Friend? Sure. Boss? Hell yes. But murderer? Never. If only she hadn't threatened exactly that, just before someone winds up dead, and her fingerprints are all over the murder weapon. Always comes to light... All he wanted was to live a quiet life, without all the danger and darkness of his past. Those plans are blown when he's accused of a crime he has nothing to do with, leaving him with a hard decision... remain in the shadows, or do what he can to help a friend?

A New York Times bestseller. From Edgar Award–winning novelist, playwright, and story-songwriter Rupert Holmes comes a diabolical thriller with a killer concept: The McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts, "a fantasy academy laid out like a combination of Hogwarts, Downton Abbey, and a White Lotus–style resort" (Los Angeles Times) dedicated to the art of murder where students study how best to "delete" their most deserving victim.

From Gillian Flynn Books, a lyrical young adult horror by debut author Wen-yi Lee that's perfect for fans of She Is a Haunting, Stephen King's IT, and The Haunting of Hill House. "Wen-yi Lee has crafted a dark and compelling supernatural mystery buoyed by earnestly written, queer-centric characters. I am enthralled!"—Gillian Flynn. Growing up in Slater, Isadora Chang never felt at ease in the repressive small town, even before she realized she was bisexual—but after the deaths of two childhood friends, Slater went from feeling claustrophobic to suffocating.

Shanice Pierce knows better than to heed bad omens. But she has a hard time ignoring the signs when she finds herself newly single and out of a job on the same seemingly cursed day. Then, while cleaning out her grandmother's house, Shanice comes across a painting she hasn't seen in years. Drawn to the haunting portrait in a way she can't explain, Shanice accepts her grandmother's offer to keep the family heirloom. She soon uncovers the story of the artist, a Harlem Renaissance painter named Estelle Johnson.

"Amazing! One of the twistiest time-tales I've ever read ..." —Diana Gabaldon. "Crichtonesque thrillers don't come much better than this intricate outing which combines a fantastic premise ... with a closed-circle whodunit. Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough." —Publishers Weekly, starred review. PANGEA, 202,320,641 BC. Quantum physicist Sam Anderson is trapped, 202 million years in the past. Sam has helped create a machine able to unpick the threads of spacetime, casting objects eternally into the past.

Someone has murdered the queen bee of Sierton High School. All the dead girl's friends are suspects. And each one has a reason for wanting her to die. Ella Moore was the most popular girl in school ... and also the most hated. When she's murdered at her own party, there are too many suspects to count. And too many people who think she deserved it. The police's prime suspect is the new girl, Dawn Foster. Dawn was the last to hand Ella a drink on the night she died.