A gripping new novel inspired by a real place and events from the author’s family, Trouble Island is the standalone suspense debut from historical mystery writer Sharon Short.Many miles from anywhere in the middle of Lake Erie, Trouble Island serves as a stop-off for gangsters as they run between America and Canada. The remote isle is also the permanent home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, who serves as a maid to Rosita, lady of the mansion and wife to th...

A gripping new novel inspired by a real place and events from the author’s family, Trouble Island is the standalone suspense debut from historical mystery writer Sharon Short.Many miles from anywhere in the middle of Lake Erie, Trouble Island serves as a stop-off for gangsters as they run between America and Canada. The remote isle is also the permanent home to two women: Aurelia Escalante, who serves as a maid to Rosita, lady of the mansion and wife to th...

There's no fun in dysfunctionalSmall-town laundress Josie Toadfern has her own fair share of dirty laundry—namely the Toadfern clan! Ostracized from the family unit ever since her parents dumped eight-year-old Josie in a local orphanage, the stain-busting dynamo's stunned to find herself invited to crabby old family matriarch "Mamaw" Toadfern's Thanksgiving celebration—and too curious to refuse.But an even bigger shock is waiting for her there: Josie's long lost mom and pop...

Laundromat owner and stain removal expert Josie Toadfern knows her tiny twon's dirty clothes and most of its dirty little secrets. But an upcoming "Psychic Fair" is bringing a brand-new mess to Paradises, Ohio. The arrival of all manner of mystics and soothsayers has raised the dangerous ire of a local evangelist and his minions, as well as the more conservative citizens of Paradise—so it doesn't take a crystal ball to predict that murder will ultimately foul the fair. But Josie couldn't f...

A pair of siblings escapes—along with a Siberian Husky—the strictures of their 1950s industrial Ohio town on the adventure of a lifetime.Talented high-school senior Donna Lane yearns to leave her Midwestern home in pursuit of a career in design, but she feels obligated to stay and care for her helpless father and her younger brother, Will. In fragile health and obsessed with the television show Sergeant Striker and the Alaskan Wild, Will’s dearest companion is a mute Siberian Husky...

Need something troublesome and unsightly eliminated permanently? Call Josie Toadfern!There is no stain on Earth that laundromat owner Josie Toadfern can't conquer, and she's offered to share her expertise on world famous domestic doyenne Tyra Grimes's TV show. No one is more shocked than Josie herself when the Great Grimes shows up in Paradise, Ohio, to tape a segment in Josie's teeny-weeny hometown. But rapidly spreading rumors of the insufferable icon's immoral—and quite possibly...

As if running a successful laundromat and writing a perennially popular (and soon to be national!) household tips column weren't enough to keep Josie Toadfern busy, she's taken a gig on the side. The Mayfair Sisters, a local singing group from way back when, are reuniting for a benefit, and they need Josie to perform her stain-busting magic on their old tie-dyed costumes. But the dresses go missing, only to reappear in a fashion more deadly than retro.Although Josie's the prime sus...

As her big 3-0 approaches, Josie Toadfern's life seems more or less wrinkle-free. Since the laundromat owner, stain removal expert, and confirmed snoop's local stain-busting column went regional, she's become a true small-town celeb. And now she's been asked to give a speech in honor of her deceased junior high school teacher, Mrs. Oglevee—even though Josie remembers finding herself in hot water with the dour disciplinarian on numerous occasions.But then the late educator's alleged...

Looking for a new book that will make your heart race? The twelfth edition of The Minotaur Sampler compiles the beginnings of six can't-miss novels—either standalone or first in series—publishing Fall 2024 for free for easy sampling.Standalone: In acclaimed author Julia Dahl's I Dreamed of Falling, the death of a young mother triggers an avalanche of secrets in a small Hudson Valley town.First in S...

Like nearly everyone else in Paradise, Ohio, local laundromat owner and stain-removal expert Josie Toadfern eagerly awaits the upcoming July 4th Founders Day celebration with its highlight, the annual Breitenstrater Pie Company pie-eating content, sponsored by the owners of the town's upper curst enterprise. But things may not be so sweet this year, what with juicy rumors flying that a black sheep Breitenstrater wants to spill the beans about some deep, dark family secret. And when a pie-m...

Fool’s Gold, California, a charming small town that’s short on men, has captured thousands of readers’ hearts in Susan Mallery’s New York Times bestselling series. Discover what makes these contemporary romances a must-read with Almost Summer, a Fool’s Gold novella.Ever since she was young, Paige McLean has longed to see the world. Still, she never imagined the world would land on her doorstep in the form of a charming British surgeon who needs a ...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERBarnes and Noble Best Book of the YearBookpage Best of 2017Booklist Best Crime NovelPopSugar Best Book of 2017The new novel from New York Times bestseller Dennis Lehane, author of Mystic River and Shutter Island“Lehane is the master of complex human charact...