Soho Press Inc

July 1950: Mick Mulligan has just hung out his shingle as a private investigator in New York''s sweaty Hell''s Kitchen. A former Hollywood cartoonist whose life fell apart when he was blacklisted during a Communist witch hunt, Mick is broke, divorced, and in need of a paying gig to make his child support payments. But maybe not this gig. First off, it''s impossible. Worse, it''s liable to get him killed. Last year, universally reviled cab company owner Irwin Johnson was murdered. One of his drivers, an African American Communist Party member named Harold Williams, was arrested, tried, and found guilty, despite scant evidence. Now his execution date is two weeks away. No one has come out to fight the miscarriage of justice-not the liberals, not the unions, not the Communists. New York City labor leader Duke Rogowski asks Mick to make one last effort on Harold''s behalf-can he find fresh evidence that might buy Harold a stay of execution? Lots of people might have wanted Irwin Johnson dead-anyone from his long-suffering wife to his jilted mistresses'' jealous husbands to the mafiosi he was stealing business from or one of the workers he exploited-but no one has any reason to help Mick exonerate Harold Williams, and some of Irwin''s former associates are happy to take a blunt object to the head of anyone asking awkward questions. Yet Mick can''t abandon a potentially innocent man to the electric chair, and he agrees go to bat for this Negro Communist no one else wants anything to do with. Can he pull off a miracle?

For the last year, Holly and Brian have been out of sync. Neither can forget what happened that one winter evening; neither can forgive what''s happened since. Tonight, Holly and Brian race toward Pinebuck, New York, trying to outrun a blizzard on their way to the ski village getaway they hope will save their relationship. But soon they lose control of the car-and then of themselves. Now Sheriff Kendra Book is getting calls about a couple in trouble-along with reports of a brutal and mysterious creature rampaging through town, leaving a trail of crushed cars, wrecked buildings, and mangled bodies in the snow. To Kendra, who lost another couple to the snow just seven weeks ago, the danger feels personal. But not as personal as it feels to Holly and Brian, who are starting to see the past, the present, and themselves in a monstrous new light... Mahoney''s exhilarating story moves like an avalanche, but its desperate characters, claustrophobic setting, and shocking displays of gore will stay with you long after the snow has melted. Our Winter Monster captures the horrifying moments that test if we''re strong enough to weather the worst-and asks who we might survive the storm with.

When successful Rhode Island real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes, leaving her baby behind in a grocery store parking lot, the news quickly makes national headlines. Lucy''s best friend, Michelle, is devastated, and terrified that Lucy''s life is at stake. But she knows something that could complicate the police investigation. Lucy had confessed something unspeakable: She regretted becoming a mother so much that she''d fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. If the police and media were to find out, Lucy would become a monster in public opinion. Michelle is sure Lucy would never abandon her daughter. But could she be wrong? Could Lucy have been so desperate she chose to escape her life? Bestselling author Donna Freitas has drawn from ground-breaking research to bring readers this unforgettable novel. Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten-the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.

In Stefanie Leder''s ''Not a Dinner Party Person,'' an unstable pharmaceutical rep tries not to kill anyone at her family dinner on the last night of Hanukkah; in Ivy Pochoda''s ''Johnny Christmas,'' a taciturn Gulf War vet commissions a tattoo from a man he knew from his prison days, a man not named Christmas but Goldfarb; in David L. Ulin''s ''Shamash,'' it''s the last night of Hanukkah, and a live-at-home adult son considers doing something drastic to get out of his elderly father''s Upper West Side apartment; in James D.F. Hannah''s ''Twenty Centuries,'' a pair of detectives solve a curiously unprompted murder during the holiday season. This captivating collection contains old-school slapstick comedy, hardboiled noir, gritty procedurals, and poignant reminders of the meaning of Hanukkah, offering something for almost every reader willing to take the journey through these twisted tales. With stories by: Ivy Pochoda, David L. Ulin, James D.F. Hannah, Lee Goldberg, Nikki Dolson, J.R. Angelella, Liska Jacobs, Gabino Iglesias, Stefanie Leder, and Jim Ruland, plus a foreword and story by Tod Goldberg.

Shy, nerdy Tanvi has always thought of her perfect cousin Mimi as her sister. Not only did Mimi''s family raise Tanvi after the tragic death of her parents, fierce Mimi has always protected Tanvi at school. At least until Mimi fell under the spell of their flawless, rich classmate, Beth . . . Tanvi''s biggest bully. Fearing another terrible year, Tanvi decides to take a desperate, pre-emptive strike - and captures an incriminating photo of Mimi and Beth at a party. When Tanvi wakes up the next day with a bump on her head, scratches on her leg, and no memory of what caused her injuries, Mimi is gone. Tanvi begins to fill the gaps in her memory and question Mimi''s friends and enemies, hoping to bring her cousin home. But when new evidence comes to light, the search for Mimi takes a dark turn as the cops announce that they are now hunting a murderer. Could Tanvi be the killer? To save her family, Tanvi must revisit the worst night of her life and the darkest parts of her past to discover if she''s capable of murder and the truth of what happened to Mimi.

A dual-voice cat-and-mouse thriller, told from the points of view of a killer who has created his own deadly religion and the only person who can stop him, an embattled young detective who sees the ghosts of his Native victims. In Gallup, New Mexico, where violent crime is five times the national average, a serial killer is operating unchecked, his targets indigent Native people whose murders are easily disguised as death by exposure on the frigid winter streets. He slips unnoticed through town, hidden in plain sight by his unassuming nature, while the voices in his head guide him toward a terrifying vision of glory. As the Gallup detectives struggle to put the pieces together, they consider calling in a controversial specialist to help. Rita Todacheene, Albuquerque PD forensic photographer, is at a crisis point in her career. Her colleagues are watching her with suspicion after the recent revelation that she can see the ghosts of murder victims. Her unmanageable caseload is further complicated by the fact that half the department has blacklisted her for ratting out a corrupt fellow cop. And back home in Tohatchi on the Navajo reservation, Rita''s grandma is getting older. Maybe it''s time for her to leave policework behind entirely - if only the ghosts will let her.

To solve a murder at an English airbase, US Army Captain Billy Boyle must immerse himself in the fascinating and secretive world of WWII radio espionage.Christmas Day 1944: After his last mission put him in the tailspin of the Battle of the Bulge, Captain Billy Boyle travels to southeast England to visit his girlfriend, Diana Seaton, for a brief holiday respite. Diana is engaged in classified work at RAF Hawkinge, including Operation Corona, which recruits German-speaking Women?s Auxiliary Air Force members?many of them Jewish refugees from the Kindertransport rescue?to countermand German orders and direct night fighters away from Allied bombers.It?s fascinating and critical espionage work, but it?s laced with peril, as Billy finds out. On a scenic Christmas walk along the White Cliffs of Dover, Billy and Diana stumble upon the dead body of a US Air Force officer. In the dead man?s pocket are papers with highly confidential information about radio interception operations. Information worth killing over.As Billy digs into the secret world of codebreakers and radio jammers stationed at Hawkinge, another body turns up. Now Billy must find out what connects these two men?and who was so hell-bent on silencing them. Enlisting the help of  his long-time associates, Billy undertakes another thrilling investigation that brings him to war-torn Yugoslavia, where he must rescue an escaped POW who may be the only person who knows the truth.

Marcelo Tetteh, a twenty-seven-year-old LGBTQ+ activist, is butchered one night after being lured on a dating app to a deserted building site. With rampant homophobia in Ghana, Marcelo''s wealthy father doesn''t trust the Ghana Police Service to find the killer, so he goes to the Sowah Private Investigators Agency for help, partly because he still feels guilty for disowning his son when he came out. PI Emma Djan is assigned the case but quickly learns of a complication that prevents her from teaming up as usual with Jojo, her trusted colleague. Emma is the only one at work who knows Jojo is gay, and now he reveals something else: for some time, Jojo was dating Marcelo, the victim. Working with Manu, whom she''s never gotten along with, Emma goes undercover in the International Congress of Families, a powerful organization seeking to criminalize homosexuality in African countries. As Emma infiltrates the ICF, she uncovers a web of deceit and hypocrisy and discovers that the mastermind behind the murders is someone much closer than she ever imagined. Emma must race against time to unmask the killer, protect the vulnerable LGBTQ+ community, and bring justice to the victims, all while navigating the dangerous waters of politics, power, and personal secrets.

Monika can''t bring herself to celebrate her last summer before college. Instead, she''s still grieving the loss of the one classmate who didn''t make it to graduation, a boy named Shun with whom she had a complicated relationship. Then, during her final Japanese Club meeting, Monika hears about the Yomigaeri Tunnel, a local urban legend. Those who venture into this mythological passageway undergo harrowing trials to confront their hidden secrets and worst fears. According to the lore, anyone who makes it through the journey is rewarded with the ability to resurrect one soul from the dead. Monika jumps at the chance to bring back Shun, but she soon discovers she''s not alone. Sharp-tongued and fierce Shiori is hell-bent on reviving her mother and won''t let anyone stop her. As Monika and Shiori confront the ghosts of their pasts, they have to decide: Are they friends, or foes? This emotional, offbeat book about hope and healing is an essential read for anyone who''s ever needed a friend in the darkness.

One morning at the cafe, Nico notices Cilia, a seven-year-old girl he has never seen before, playing with OneWag on the floor. He later discovers she has left a note in the dog''s collar-Please help my babbo. With help from Daniele of the local carabinieri, Nico discovers that Cilia''s father, Saverio, has fled town following an unfortunate incident. His business partner was killed at their electronics store, and Saverio is the main suspect. Cilia''s mother, who just moved to Gravigna to get away from Pitigliano''s wagging tongues, asks Nico to find the real killer. Against his better judgment, Nico accepts for Cilia''s sake and soon finds himself tangling with a large cast of suspects and an unhelpful local carabinier as he pursues the truth.

Perfect for crime readers who love a mix of humour and suspense-in the vein of Janet Evanovich and Kellye Garrett. Professor Daphne Ouverture has chosen a simple life. She spends her days grading papers, going on atrocious dates, and telling herself that her small world suits her just fine. Until Sam Taylor dies. The rising star of Harrison University''s anthropology department was never one of Daphne''s favorite colleagues. Arrogant Sam rarely ever acknowledged her existence. But that hasn''t stopped Sam''s killer from believing that Daphne has something that belonged to Sam-something the killer will stop at nothing to get. In between grading papers and navigating her disastrous love life, Daphne embarks on a deadly investigation to find out what connects her to Sam''s murder-with the help of local detective Asma Ahmed and an alluring former-detective-turned-bookseller, Rowan Peterson. As Daphne gets closer to the truth, she begins to uncover a secret history of injustice on campus and off. But to find the killer, Daphne will have to face the one past she''s vowed never to study: her own. Readers who can''t resist a well-crafted mystery spun by a comic voice will pull an all-nighter to read this series opener.

Sergeant Akal Singh, an unwilling transplant to Fiji, is just starting to settle into his life in the capital city of Suva when he is sent to the neighboring island of Ovalau on a series of fool''s errands. First: investigate strange reports of Germans, thousands of miles from the front of World War I. Second: chaperone two strong-willed European ladies, Mary and Katherine, on a sight-seeing tour. And third: supervise the only police officer currently on Ovalau, an eighteen-year-old constable with a penchant for hysterics. Accompanied by his friend Taviti, who is visiting his uncle, the local chief, Akal sets off on these seemingly straightforward tasks. Instead, they become embroiled in a series of local issues: the gruesome death of an unpopular local and the imprisonment of a group of Norwegian sailors in Taviti''s uncle''s village. To add to Akal''s woes, Katherine, the charming aspiring journalist, harbors an agenda of her own. Will Akal be able to keep her - and himself - out of trouble before anybody else gets killed? Nilima Rao''s debut, A Disappearance in Fiji, was a critical darling and award-winner, ending up on multiple best-of-year roundups. This next installment in the Sergeant Akal Singh series has all the charm and sparkle of the first book, with even more fascinating historical insight into the realities of life on Fiji at the start of the twentieth century.

Gabriela Menchaca and Edwin Saucedo are hardworking, undocumented employees at the Detmer Foods chicken plant in Springdale, Arkansas, just a stone''s throw from the trailer park where they''ve lived together for seven years. While dealing with personal tragedies of their own, the young couple endures the brutal, dehumanizing conditions at the plant in exchange for barebones pay. When the plant manager, Luke Jackson, fires Edwin to set an example for the rest of the workers - and to show the higherups that he''s ready for a major promotion - Edwin is determined to get revenge on Luke and his wife, Mimi, a new mother who stays at home with her six-month-old son. Edwin''s impulsive action sets in motion a devastating chain of events that illuminates the deeply entrenched power dynamics between those who revel at the top and those who toil at the bottom. From the nationally bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of Don''t Know Tough and Ozark Dogs comes another edge-of-your-seat noir thriller that exposes the dark, bloody heart of life on the margins in the American South and the bleak underside of a bygone American Dream.

''I wish to become one of those round vacuum cleaner robots.'' That''s what Machi prays for at the altar of Japanese goddess Benzaiten. Ever since her two best friends decided they want nothing to do with her, Machi hasn''t been able to speak. After months of online school and a carousel of therapists, she can no longer see the point of being human. She doesn''t expect Benzaiten to hear her prayer, much less offer a different prayer on Machi''s behalf - that Machi discover the beauty of humanity, ultimately restoring her to her previous self. Benzaiten is enamoured with the human world and, as she''s the goddess of love, humanity is enamoured right back. Being second-best once again isn''t helping Machi move past her trauma, and with each adventure they share, Machi is reminded of everything she''s lost. It isn''t until Machi starts interacting with the souls of the dead - which tends to happen around Benzaiten - that she starts to rediscover her place among the living. From an author to watch, The Lost Souls of Benzaiten is a highly original debut about the nature of happiness and the potential for healing.

Robert Doughten Savile, a.k.a. ''Doughty'', is the son of a once-wealthy, now hard-up family from Darien, Connecticut. Doughty lives in a perpetual cloud of delusion, convinced of his own genius, and certain that the wealth and high status that he believes to be his birthright are just around the corner. While he has zero capacity to accurately assess his own abilities or prospects, he cruises through life on the sheer force of his own sense of entitlement, dropping out of college and landing in New York City in the early ''90s, a city brimming with both prosperity and desperation. He cons his way from a bed at the YMCA to a posh Soho loft, and enters abusive, gaslighting relationships with a pair of women, a bartender and a middle-aged book editor. He spins elaborate tales about his imaginary high-power job in real estate while, in reality, he passes his days watching VHS tapes of George Carlin specials, smoking crack in Tompkins Square Park, and engaging in occasional sex work in the restrooms of Grand Central Station. Fans of true crime podcasts about con men like Dirty John and Who the Hell Is Hamish? will revel in this novel and its portrait of the sociopath as a young loser. The Stalker is horrifying and illuminating, shocking yet hilarious, a novel confirming Paula Bomer as a contemporary master of the pitch-black comic novel.

Fehmi and Sener have been together forty years - no small feat for any pair, but especially admirable for a gay couple in Turkey. Behind closed doors, their life on Buyukada, an idyllic island near Istanbul, is like a powder keg that needs only one spark to blow. That spark soon comes in the form of Deniz, the wildly handsome and troubled teenager next door, who immediately catches Fehmi''s eye. This ''harmless'' crush immediately raises Sener''s hackles; although he doesn''t think Deniz would ever reciprocate Fehmi''s feelings, it''s not a risk he''s willing to take. But when one betrayal leads to another, Deniz hatches a plan, and the sultry summer takes a dark turn as the couple''s relationship is put to the test like never before. Will lust or love win the day? One thing''s for sure: not everyone will be getting out of this love triangle alive. Dishy, suspenseful, and boiling over with black humour, Yigit Karaahmet''s debut makes a fierce political statement about supporting ''gay wrongs'' while also introducing a shockingly lovable pair of antiheroes who could be Tom Ripley''s grandfathers.