Don Winslow’s City Of Dreams Brings

Iliad-Esque Tale Of Crime To Hollywood

Don Winslow is, without question, a master of the thriller. Possibly best known for his “Cartel Trilogy,” he won me over with Sartori, his authentic prequel to Shibumi, one of my favorite thrillers of all time. Man, can this guy write. His most recent crime novel, City On Fire, is flawless in its portrayal of Rhode Island small-time mob wannabes in the 1980s, and City Of Dreams—the sequel, promises to be give us more of the same. As noted by publisher William Morrow, it follows the hero from the first book to Hollywood, the city where dreams are made. On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, and the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father, and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life—and a quiet, peaceful existence. But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune...or kill him. And when Hollywood starts shooting a film based on his former life, Danny demands a piece of the action and begins to rebuild his criminal empire. Then he falls in love, with a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own. As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born. Or where they go to die. City Of Dreams hits shelves April 18.

T. Jefferson Parker Focuses On

Mexican Street Dog In The Rescue

In April comes the 28th novel from one of my favorite crime writers of all time. T. Jefferson Parker never fails to show why he’s the winner of three Edgard Awards, and his last novel—A Thousand Steps—demonstrates his unwavering ability to push the crime genre to new heights. His newest effort, titled The Rescue promises to do that once again. Here’s the plot, in a nutshell: While reporting on a Tijuana animal shelter, journalist Bettina Blazak falls in love with one of her story’s subjects―an adorable Mexican street dog who is being treated for a mysterious gunshot wound. Bettina impulsively adopts the dog, who she names Felix after the veterinarian who saved him. While investigating Felix’s past, Bettina discovers that his life is nothing like what she assumed. For one thing, he’s not a Mexican street dog at all; actually, he’s a former DEA drug-sniffing dog who has led a very colorful, dangerous, and profitable life. With Bettina’s story going viral, some interesting people are looking for Felix as well, making him a target―again. Bettina soon finds herself drawn into a deadly criminal underworld from which she and her beloved dog may not return. Look for The Rescue April 25.

In Small Mercies, Dennis Lehane

Takes Us To “Southie” In 1974

Dennis Lehane is one of the busiest and skillful writers around, author of more than a dozen novels and one of the creative minds behind HBO’s The Wire and Boardwalk Empire, and the Netflix series Bloodline. A new book from him always is a real treasure, and with Small Mercies (coming in April), he spins what his publisher (HarperCollins) calls “an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.” The storyline: In the summer of 1974, a heatwave blankets Boston, and Mary Pat Fennessey is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. She has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart. One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances. Propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, Mary Pat begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, would rather she leave alone. Small Mercies launches April 25.

S.A. Cosby’s All The Sinners Bleed Is

Straight Out Of Today’s Headlines

S.A. Cosby is a writer’s writer, a masterful wordsmith who is able to create a world of characters, situations, and dialogue that the rest of us just dream of doing. His breakthrough novel Blacktop Wasteland propelled him to instant fame and fandom, and Razorblade Tears—winner of too many awards to mention—cemented him at the top of the bestseller charts for years to come. His new book, All The Sinners Bleed, launches in early June, with a plot the seems stripped right out of today’s headlines: Titus Crowne is the first Black sheriff in the history of Charon County. A former FBI agent and security expert, Titus came home to take care of his father and look out for his troubled younger brother. He ran for Sheriff to make a difference, especially in the Black community, which has so often been treated unfairly by the police. But a year to the day after his election, a school shooting rocks the town. A beloved teacher is killed by a former student, and as Titus attempts to deescalate and get the boy to surrender, his deputies fire a fatal shot. In the investigation, it becomes clear that the student they shot had been abused by the dead teacher, as well as by unidentified perpetrators. The trail leads to buried bodies—and secrets. While Titus tries to track down a killer hiding in plain sight, while balancing daily duties like protecting Confederate pride marchers, he must face what it means to be a Black man wearing a police uniform in the American South. Look For it June 6.

Burke’s Upcoming Flags On The Bayou

Is A Story Of The Tragic Acts Of War

I’ll be honest: any new James Lee Burke book instantly makes it to the top of my “to be read” pile. When I heard he had a new Civil War-era novel titled Flags On The Bayou coming out, I immediately pre-ordered it. Even though it won’t arrive on my doorstep until July, I’m already salivating over the plot (per Simon and Schuster): "In the fall of 1863, the Union Army is in control of the Mississippi River. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is retreating toward Texas, and being replaced by Red Legs—irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure—and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed—and did—as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle’s plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah. Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative, and as the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief. Powerful and deeply moving, it's is a tale of tragic acts of war, class divisions upended, and love enduring through it all. Look for it July 11,

LAUNCHES TOMORROW!!!

(January 10)

Greenwich Mean Time

“A globe-spanning, mind-spinning thriller that will delight fans of Jason Bourne. Rōnin Phythian, an assassin with extraordinary powers and a code of his own, deserves a sequel. Make that sequels.” —Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of House on Fire

“Greenwich Mean Time is a rollicking good time of thrills and skills.” —New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

"Over-the-top action..." —Publishers Weekly

When photojournalist Monica Cross literally stumbles into the site of an old airplane crash at the edge of a Himalayan glacier, she is exposed to a dark and deadly secret that was meant to remain hidden forever. Unaware that her life is in grave danger, she attempts to get home to New York while the Greenwich Global Group—a dark-web, murder-for-hire outfit—pulls out all stops to make sure she never gets there. Spanning ten time zones, nine countries, and four continents, Greenwich Mean Time is a tightly spun thriller that plays out against a sinister plot designed to change the course of history for all time.

Order from Amazon

Order from Barnes & Noble

Order from Fantastic Fiction