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Mystery

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Justin Warren’s grandparents’ unsolved murder left his mother broken before he was born. Stuck in a tiny nowhere town, he gave up on a bright future a long time ago. But when Justin accidentally crashes his car off a bridge, he wakes to find himself still in his hometown—but a version that’s not quite the home he knows...

Because it’s 1985. His grandparents are still alive. And he has seven days to save them.

When his path crosses with the kind and helpful Rose Yin, the two become conspirators in a sequence of events that will reverberate through lifetimes—and put them in control of their own futures.

I’ll Stop the World is much more than just a mystery. It’s been a long time since a book left me in tears, but this one did it. It’s no surprise that Mindy Kaling selected it as the first debut from her new imprint, Mindy’s Book Studio. I could go on and on about my love for this book, but Mindy says it best: “I was absolutely dazzled by this unputdownable genre-bending novel that’s equal parts coming-of-age suspense and emotional tale of forgiveness and second chances.”

—Megha Parekh, Editor

(5069)

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For my daughters. So goes the dedication in New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon’s newest historical novel. Harmon has a gift for bringing the past to life. But her true genius is that her characters always serve as an inspiration—and when you read about Deborah Samson, based on a real-life woman, you will understand why Harmon chose to dedicate the book to her daughters.

Imagine that you, like Deborah, were a young woman living in New England just as the Revolutionary War had begun. You grew up with a strong moral center and belief in yourself. You watched your peers leave home to defend a collective dream. Imagine you were brave enough to join them, even if that meant cutting your hair and putting on men’s clothing.

In this book, Harmon weaves the life of a historical figure into the story of a girl who becomes the type of woman we all strive to become, finding herself, love, and destiny along the way.

—Adrienne Procaccini, Editor

(5241)

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In writing his bestselling and unputdownable novels, Chad Zunker takes inspiration from his own life as a father and husband and conjures the most compelling and complicated situations for his lead characters. He thinks about what he would do, and then ratchets it up another notch or two.

In All He Has Left, Jake Slater is still reeling from the death of his wife and trying to make a new start with his teenage daughter. They return to Austin for her birthday, and all hell breaks loose when his daughter goes missing and a family member is found dead. Jake soon finds himself cornered by the media and police. He is not Liam Neeson in Taken. He doesn’t have a special set of skills or a network of contacts. He’s an ordinary man who will do anything to find his daughter.

But a man with very little to lose is dangerous. And Jake’s daughter is all he has left.

—Liz Pearsons, Editor

(830)

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Most people can agree that celebrities have some kind of inherent “it factor”—a larger-than-life presence that we mere mortals can’t quite put our fingers on but that we feel nonetheless. But what about who they were before they became stars? In Jennifer Banash’s juicy fictitious tale The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana, the curtains are pulled back on one pop star’s pre-fame days, revealing the fatal truth behind the fallout of her friendship with a rival musician, and the subsequent fall to her death.

Everyone knows Lexi Mayhem—she’s the hottest pop star on the charts. So when up-and-coming journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story featuring Lexi’s new music venture, she feels like she’s been handed the keys to her own future success. However, in researching what should be an easy fluff piece, she stumbles across another name—Ava Arcana. Lexi says Ava’s just some nobody who started out around the same time but whose life was tragically cut short before she could make it. Kayla knows Lexi’s not telling the whole truth...

Twisty and salacious, Banash’s novel is loosely inspired by the rumor that Lady Gaga was involved in the death of her own rival when coming up in the music industry, and it’s a perfect read for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid. Part drama, friendship fiction, coming-of-age, and mystery, with a light dash of romance, The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana has a little something for everyone. But be warned—you may never listen to the Top 20 the same way again.

—Alicia Clancy, Editor

(1271)

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Time magazine once dubbed Alisa Lynn Valdés “The Godmother of Chica Lit” and named her one of the twenty-five most influential Hispanic people in the United States. With Hollow Beasts—a modern Western with a strong female lead—she enters a new phase of her career.

Newly widowed Jodi Luna returns home to New Mexico for a fresh start and a brand-new career. As game warden, she is tasked with protecting, preserving, and managing wildlife and improving and maintaining natural habitats. The job isn’t always that straightforward, as Jodi realizes on her first day, when confronting poachers who are not so thrilled to see a woman in charge—especially a woman of color. But Jodi is not one to back down, and will find herself risking her own life to protect all she holds dear.

Cut from the cloth of Craig Johnson, C. J. Box, and Michael Connelly, Alisa Lynn Valdés’s first foray into thriller territory absolutely riveted me. Her Jodi Luna is equal parts brilliant and broken—and extremely compelling.

—Liz Pearsons, Editor

(1339)

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As someone who loves to travel, I’m always looking for a great fictional armchair getaway, which is exactly what Jennifer Gold has delivered in her evocative and atmospheric novel Halfway to You, an emotional story following two different women, separated by decades but connected in time.

Ann is a well-known writer who had one monster hit and then, for reasons unknown to the public, never wrote another novel. Maggie is a podcaster desperate to interview Ann decades after her novel released, and is shocked when the reclusive writer agrees—because in addition to not writing anymore, Ann also doesn’t give interviews. When Maggie finally sits down with Ann, she delivers yet another surprise—she’ll only agree to do the interview if every word is off the record, leaving Maggie with an impossible choice: hear the story that could change her life but cost her her career, or walk away from her idol with nothing. What Maggie quickly realizes is that Ann has her own motive for agreeing to the interview in the first place, and it has very little to do with wanting to discuss her writing career...

Set over the course of several decades and across a variety of gorgeous locales, Halfway to You took me on a heart-wrenching trip through time and space. But in spite of the many stops and detours the story took along the way, there was never any doubt that the ultimate destination would be worth the journey.

—Alicia Clancy, Editor

(4085)

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Here is a novel that deserves to be discussed: a powerful story full of suspense, with themes of memory, amnesia, and family relationships that I was desperate to share.

The novel alternates between the stories of two central characters: Anna, in London, who has awoken from a car accident with no memory of her life before the crash, and first-time mother Livvy, in Bristol, who is looking to juggle the balance of childcare and a return to work. As we delve into the domesticity of each of their lives, we discover that there are well-kept secrets that are struggling to be revealed.

I don’t want to give anything away, but in Hannah Beckerman’s compelling style, this highly topical, conversation-starting novel left me hanging on every word. I assure you, this is a story that packs an emotional punch that will leave you breathless.

—Sammia Hamer, Editorial Director

(419)

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One of the many reasons I love science fiction is that I am able to explore so many different visions of humanity’s future. The genre can be dystopian, but it can also be encouraging, showing us that even when you think the world is going wrong, there are people striving to set it right.

I was first introduced to author C. T. Rwizi’s imagination with his Scarlet Odyssey epic fantasy series. As with that trilogy, Rwizi’s new novel blends speculative concepts in a way I’d never seen before—this time in a faraway galaxy. On a planet colonized by descendants of modern Africa, two people destined to serve others are faced with a choice to finally pursue their own fates—and their world hangs in the balance. When we first meet our protagonists, Hondo and Nandipa, they are bound as bodyguards and companions to the people that have been chosen to lead a revolution. But we follow along as they self-actualize, bringing hope to their civilization that people can achieve freedom from oppression.

From cybernetic technology to genetic engineering and otherworldly intervention, this universe and our characters’ experience of it had me fully immersed. I hope you have as much fun on the journey as I did.

—Adrienne Procaccini, Editor

Mindy's Book Studio | I'll Stop the World by Lauren Thoman | Browse now.

Amazon Original Stories | Celebrate Women storytellers and stories with Amazon Originals | Browse now.

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