May and June 2010 Releases

All good things must come to an end. Fortunately for Enola fans around the globe, some good things, at least, manage to end quite well. Enola's relationship with her famous brothers Sherlock and Mycroft is finally resolved in Enola's final adventure, in a most unlikely context at that--including gypsies, a peculiar coded message from Mum, tracking dogs, quantities of mud, midnight, cutthroats, and, of course, the daring rescue of a lovely and helpless missing lady.

“In this concluding book in the series, Enola, true to her previous adventures, uncovers multiple social injustices lurking beneath the pomp of Victorian England....Enola, the quintessential spunky heroine, navigates the historical setting with the pluck of Nancy Drew but within the constraints of her upbringing....Springer takes time with her conclusion, letting this final series installment play out well and wrap up loose ends.” --Horn Book Review

Philomel May 2010

Driving side-by-side with her son on the way to a week-long family vacation, Laura Lucas watches helplessly from the adjoining highway lane as her son Whit is killed in an accident. Three months later she remains paralyzed with a grief that strains her marriage and family. Trouble brews when Elliot Hatcher moves in next door. Twenty-eight-years-old, engaging and outgoing, Elliot draws Laura out of her despondency with his cavalier grace and joie de vivre. Does her affection for this boy-child arise out of her need to fill the void left by lost son? Or is it something else entirely . . . something transgressive, dangerous—and yet alluring all the same?

Secrets, betrayal, and the cold, hard brutality of chance collide in this captivating exploration by an award-winning, developing talent.

Pegasus May 2010

New York Times Bestselling author Phillip Margolin's SUPREME JUSTICE opens with a bang during an attempted one-man mutiny on Captain John Finley's The China Sea, a vessel packed with the kind of lucrative goods that criminals would kill for. Finley is the sole member of his crew to survive the attack, and he escapes with contraband in tow. Too bad he doesn't notice the car trailing him as he flees the scene of the crime.

This high-octane opening by the New York Times bestselling author of FUGITIVE (“a plot set on full boil”--Publisher's Weekly) and EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE (“.38 special hot”--USA Today) becomes linked with a controversy that envelopes the US Supreme Court. The Court is split over a case weighing the validity of the protection of state secrets against the rights of a convicted citizen on death row. Amidst the failed assassination of a Supreme Court Justice and the blackmailing of the president that results in a corrupt judge's entrance into the case, law clerk Brad Miller must navigate the cross-hairs of a conspiracy of murder and drug smuggling.

Harper May 2010

Stalking your ex. Meeting your new in-laws. Dancing like a fool at your high school reunion. Procreating. Chances are, you will find yourself taking on at least one of these regrettable activities during a long life of unwise choices. And the situation will undoubtedly call for a cocktail – but which one?

Other books may teach you how to mix drinks, but How to Booze goes one step further, serving up the one perfect cocktail for every situation that might arise in your life (and a few that hopefully won't). With nearly 100 classic, easy-to-make recipes, How to Booze offers clear instruction on how to mix a masterful drink with a minimal amount of fuss -- and plenty of insight into managing your life, too.

“This book’s gimmick—half bartender’s guide, half advice column—is a good one, and reading it is like getting a talking-to from a bartender who’s seen it all...[Kaye and Altier] keep the patter snappy...with entertaining entries for such unique crises as “Drowning Out the Ticking of Your Biological Clock” and “Realizing Your Child Is a Fucking Idiot”....The drinks advice is remarkably good, from empowering explanations of cocktail fundamentals to variations on classics that are well worth trying.” —Booklist

Harper May 2010

To some she was the ruthless queen who led France into an era of savage violence. To others she was the passionate savior of the French monarchy. In this brilliantly imagined novel, C.W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her family's throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power. From the fairy-tale chateau in the Loire Valley to the battlefields of religious wars to the mob-filled streets of Paris, THE CONFESSIONS OF CATHERINE DE MEDICI is the extraordinary, untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen.

“Remarkably thoughtful in its insight into an unapologetically ruthless Queen.” --Publishers Weekly

“Meticulously researched . . . vivid.” –Library Journal

Ballantine May 2010

Set in the small town of Hartfield NY, Tedrowe's debut depicts the shock waves set into motion by the marriage of one middle-class family's 78 year-old-matriarch to a wealthy, 81-year-old outsider. Winnie Easton has finally found love with Jerry Trevis, but their decision to buy one of the town's biggest homes ignites an outburst from Jerry's family, grounded in facts about Jerry that Winnie has yet to discover. With so much riding on Jerry's money, Jerry's rapid physical decline forces hard decisions within the family, as well as renewed loyalties, and surprising alliances.

Reminiscent of Jonathan Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS, but with dash of feminine perspective, Emily Tedrowe's debut novel is a powerful, heartbreakingly funny drama about the powerful, combustible forces of love and money, how the intersection of both can pull a family together--or threaten to take it all down.

“Tedrowe...shows great promise in her compassionate, nuanced depiction of love--among the old and young alike--and her confident handling of alternating, multigenerational narrators.” --Publisher's Weekly

“In her wonderfully cohesive debut novel, short-story writer Tedrowe graduates to elegant novelist with a winding, convincing familial drama about the ties that bind and the bonds that bend to the breaking point...A lovely and literate family drama that wins bonus points for its sincerity and open-hearted delivery.” --Kirkus

Harper Perennial June 2010

Freshly back from a weekend in Paris with her beau Sage, Quinn becomes engaged, with the flashy diamond solitaire to prove it. The proposal was everything she'd ever hoped forso why does that fast-approaching wedding ceremony feel more to her like a sentence than a cause for celebration? Maybe it has something to do with the wild side she never could manage to shake, the way she can still put down drinks “like a college girl.” Or is it the buried grief over her father's untimely demise?

Whatever it is, she better figure it out fast. As Quinn wobbles uncertainly through the months leading to The Big Day, she comes into contact with universal truths about self-acceptance, grief, and loss, finally reaching an understanding of love, commitment, and the imperfections of life.

“First-novelist Rowley creates credible characters and situations with sharp dialogue and apt descriptions, and wisely lets a personal perspective embody the story of a national disaster.” —Booklist

Avon June 2010