The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda

April 2023

Megan Miranda once again nails a twisty thriller with THE ONLY SURVIVORS. The premise drew me in quickly: “Seven hours in the past. Seven days in the present. Seven survivors remaining. Who would you save?”

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Things I Wish I Told My Mother by Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo

April 2023

THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER is the kind of book that is a real treat. It has heart, soul, armchair travel and food. Both Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo enjoyed life with their mothers, who lived well into their 90s. Susan Patterson mentioned one day that she had “things I wished I had told my mother.” And from there the idea was born.

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The House Is on Fire by Rachel Beanland

April 2023

It’s true joy when an author whose debut novel was a Bets On pick (FLORENCE ADLER SWIMS FOREVER) follows up with a book that I similarly want to rave about. Rachel Beanland’s THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE is a well-written, immersive work of historical fiction. Years ago, when Rachel moved to Richmond, her realtor showed her around town citing the location of a theater fire that killed a number of the city’s residents in 1811. This nugget stayed with her, and when the pandemic limited her travel, she moved on to do deep research into the fire, its origins and the aftermath.

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Chanel Cleeton, author of The Cuban Heiress

New York heiress Catherine Dohan seemingly has it all. There’s only one problem. It’s a lie. As soon as the Morro Castle leaves port, Catherine’s past returns with a vengeance and threatens her life. Joining forces with a charismatic jewel thief, Catherine must discover who wants her dead --- and why. Elena Palacio is a dead woman. Or so everyone thinks. After a devastating betrayal left her penniless and on the run, Elena’s journey on the Morro Castle is her last hope. Steeped in secrecy and a burning desire for revenge, her return to Havana is a chance to right the wrong that has been done to her --- and her prey is on the ship. As danger swirls aboard the Morro Castle and their fates intertwine, Elena and Catherine must risk everything to see justice served once and for all.

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Abby Jimenez, author of Yours Truly

Dr. Briana Ortiz’s divorce is just about finalized, her brother is running out of time to find a kidney donor, and that promotion she wants is probably going to the new man-doctor. But just when all systems are set to hate, Dr. Jacob Maddox completely flips the game…by sending Briana a letter. And it’s a really good letter. Worse, he might be this fantastically funny and subversively likable guy who’s terrible at first impressions. Because suddenly he and Bri are exchanging letters, sharing lunch dates in her “sob closet,” and discussing the merits of freakishly tiny horses. But when Jacob decides to give Briana the best gift imaginable --- a kidney for her brother --- she wonders just how she can resist this quietly sexy new doctor, especially when he calls in a favor she can’t refuse.

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Kate Morton, author of Homecoming

Adelaide Hills, Christmas Eve, 1959: At the end of a scorching hot day, beside a creek in the grounds of the grand and mysterious house, a local delivery man makes a terrible discovery. A police investigation is called, and the small town of Tambilla becomes embroiled in one of the most shocking and perplexing murder cases in the history of South Australia. Many years later, Jess is a journalist in search of a story. After her beloved grandmother, Nora, suffers a fall, Jess discovers a book at Nora’s house that chronicles the police investigation into a long-buried crime: the Turner Family Tragedy of Christmas Eve, 1959. It is only when Jess skims through the pages that she finds a shocking connection between her own family and this once-infamous event.

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