All the December 2024 Prepub Alerts in one place, plus a downloadable spreadsheet of all titles from every post.

Fiction

Pop Fiction

Cantor, Jillian. The Greatest Lie of All. Park Row. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780778310914. pbk. 320p. $18.99. FICTION

In bestselling Cantor’s (The Fiction Writer) latest, actor Amelia Grant is offered the role of a lifetime, starring in a biopic as the famous romance author Gloria Diamond. While spending time with the author preparing for the role, though, she uncovers a shocking secret about Gloria’s past. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Kander, Beth. I Made It Out of Clay. MIRA. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780778368120. 384p. $30. FICTION

Eve, single and almost 40, is struggling with her work, the death of her father, and being maid of honor in her sister’s wedding. Wanting a date and running out of time, she creates a golem, which comes to life, but she’s still left with grief and demons to overcome. Kander, a playwright and author of children’s books, makes her adult debut.

Rico, Lauren E. Turistas. Kensington. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781496744661. pbk. 288p. $17.95. FICTION

Rico (Familia, an Indie Next and LibraryReads pick) returns with a family saga/unsolved mystery set in Puerto Rico. Thirty years ago, Emilia Oliveras married Paul, who disappeared during their honeymoon on a cruise ship and was presumed drowned. Emilia remarries and has two daughters, and one day she receives a recent photo—showing Paul alive and well.

Robinson, Ava. Definitely Better Now. MIRA. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780778310594. 336p. $28.99. FICTION

Twentysomething Emma is recovering from alcohol-use disorder and has reached one year of sobriety. That achievement is put at risk when her estranged father reappears, she has to plan the office holiday party, and a new love interest arrives. Robinson’s debut was preempted with a six-figure advance.

Sandlin, Lisa. Sweet Vidalia. Little, Brown. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780316578004. 320p. $28. FICTION

Sandlin (The Bird Boys) turns from her award-winning crime fiction to a novel that explores marriage and community. In 1960s Texas, 57-year-old Eliza Kratke has a good life with a husband, grown children, a nice house, and a dog. When her husband dies suddenly, she realizes that her life has been a lie, and she must rebuild it.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Barker, Pat. The Voyage Home. (Women of Troy, bk. 3). Doubleday. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780385549110. 288p. $29. FICTION

Cornwell, Bernard. Sharpe’s Storm. (Sharpe, bk. 24). Harper. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063219434. 352p. $32. FICTION

Literary Fiction

Armfield, Julia. Private Rites. Flatiron. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250344311. 304p. $27.99. LITERARY FICTION

Armfield (Our Wives Under the Sea, a Lambda Literary Award and Goodreads Choice Award finalist) writes a speculative reimagining of King Lear. In a drowning world, where arcane rituals and religions are returning, three estranged sisters go home after their father’s death and find a revelation in his will, but something even more sinister is looming.

Borgo, Karina Sainz. No Place To Bury the Dead. tr. from Spanish by Elizabeth Bryer. HarperVia. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063213876. 256p. $26. LITERARY FICTION

A memory-erasing plague spreads across a Latin American country, causing Angustias and her family to flee and leading to tragedy. Inspired by her reporting on the humanitarian crisis in her home country of Venezuela, journalist Borgo (It Would Be Night in Caracas) wrote the O. Henry Prize–winning story “Scissors,” which has been expanded into this already award-winning novel.

Gu Byeong-mo. Apartment Women. tr. from Korean by Chi-Young Kim. Hanover Square. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781335050076. 220p. $21.99. LITERARY FICTION

Gu’s (The Old Woman with the Knife, a New York Times Notable Book and NPR Best Book) latest considers motherhood and parenting expectations. The lives of four women intersect when they move into the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments on the outskirts of Seoul, where they’ve accepted discounted government housing in exchange for having more children.

Koe, Amanda Lee. Sister Snake. Ecco. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063355064. 272p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Set against the glittering backdrops of New York City and Singapore, Koe’s (Delayed Rays of a Star, an NPR Best Book) novel reimagines a Chinese folktale and explores race, conformity, and queerness. Two sisters, who were once snakes during the Tang dynasty, lead very different and separate lives in the present, but their reconciliation in Singapore may expose their secret.

Moss, Eliza. What It’s Like in Words. Holt. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250355058. 320p. $28.99. LITERARY FICTION

Moss (who’s really actor and singer Sarah Moss) debuts with a novel about love and toxic relationships. Aspiring writer Enola is almost 30 and longs for a serious relationship. She falls for an aloof writer and obsessively dreams of their future together, but as things unravel, she must rethink her perceptions, especially of herself.

Ngamije, Rémy. Only Stars Know the Meaning of Space: A Literary Mixtape. Scout. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781668012468. 320p. $25.99. LITERARY FICTION

Ngamije (The Eternal Audience of One), cofounder and editor in chief of Doek! Literary Magazine, offers a collection of his award-winning short stories, presented as a literary mixtape. The A-side contains the story of an aspiring writer navigating the world, while the B-side features independent stories that ultimately show the interconnectedness of both parts of the work.

Wang, Weike. Rental House. Riverhead. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593545546. 224p. $28. LITERARY FICTION

Award-winning Wang (author of the multi-best-booked Joan Is Okay) examines the challenges of family and marriage. Keru is the daughter of strict, well-educated Chinese immigrant parents, while Nate comes from a white, working-class family. Keru and Nate marry, but when their families join them on vacation, the couple’s strained relationships with their in-laws force them to confront their own hidden truths.

Mystery

Armstrong, Jess. The Secret of the Three Fates. (Ruby Vaughn, bk. 2). Minotaur. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250909886. 336p. $28. MYSTERY

Heiress and antiquarian-bookshop proprietor Ruby Vaughn returns in the sequel to Armstrong’s gothic historical mystery debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall (winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award). When a séance goes awry and one of the mediums is murdered, Ruby and her employer, Mr. Owen, investigate to clear their own names.

Brannigan, Ellie. Death at an Irish Wedding. (Irish Castle Mystery, bk. 2). Crooked Lane. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781639109210. 288p. $29.99. MYSTERY

In the sequel to Brannigan’s cozy mystery debut, Murder at an Irish Castle, Los Angeles bridal designer Rayne McGrath remains in Ireland, trying to save her inherited castle by bringing in much-needed income with special events. When a bridalwear client needs a wedding venue, Rayne suggests her castle, but the plans are in jeopardy after a guest is found dead.

Murrin, Orlando. Knife Skills for Beginners. Kensington. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781496751942. 320p. $28. MYSTERY

Murrin, a MasterChef semifinalist and cookbook author, makes his fiction debut with this locked-room mystery. Chef Paul Delamare is filling in as a teacher for a cooking-school residency in a London mansion, but the job turns dangerous when someone is found murdered with Paul’s cleaver. Recipes appear throughout the novel and also offer clues.

Nelson, P. J. Booked for Murder. (Old Juniper Bookstore Mystery, bk. 1). Minotaur. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250909954. 336p. $28. MYSTERY

The pseudonymous Nelson makes his cozy mystery debut with a novel featuring Madeline Brimley, who inherits her aunt’s bookstore in small-town Georgia. At loose ends in her life, Madeline decides to take over the bookstore, but she arrives to a fire, threats, and then a murder. She’ll need to find the killer if she wants to save the store—and her own life.

Osler, Rob. The Case of the Missing Maid. (Harriet Morrow Investigates, bk. 1). Kensington. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781496749482. 320p. $27. MYSTERY

Osler, author of the multi-award-nominated Devil’s Chew Toy, launches a new quozy mystery series inspired by real-life Pinkerton detective Kate Warne. In 1898 Chicago, 21-year-old Harriet Morrow begins her job as the first woman detective for the Prescott Agency. Her first case involves finding a missing maid, but she uncovers dangerous truths as she investigates.

Sears, Michael. Love the Stranger. (Queens Mystery, bk. 2). Soho Crime. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781641295451. 360p. $27.95. MYSTERY

In the sequel to the Nero Award–winning Tower of Babel, attorney Ted Molloy has been helping his girlfriend, Kenzie, in her work to stop a development project in Queens, NY, that will displace immigrant communities. When Kenzie snoops around a corrupt immigration lawyer’s office, she finds a dead body. Now Ted has another murder to solve.

Short, Sharon. Trouble Island. Minotaur. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250292841. 336p. $29. MYSTERY

Short (“Stain-Busting Mystery” series), who also writes as Jess Montgomery, pens a closed-circle mystery set during the 1930s on a remote island in Lake Erie, which serves as both a gangster hideaway and home to Rosita, wife to gangster Eddie, and her maid, Aurelia. As Eddie and his associates descend on the island, Aurelia finds Rosita dead, with an ice storm cutting them off from the mainland.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Bennett, S. J. A Death in Diamonds. (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates, bk. 4). Crooked Lane. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9798892420907. 320p. $29.99. MYSTERY

Clark, Tracy. Echo. (Detective Harriet Foster, bk. 3). Thomas & Mercer. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781662517327. pbk. NAp. $16.99. MYSTERY

Higashino, Keigo. Invisible Helix. (Detective Galileo, bk. 5). tr. from Japanese by Giles Murray. Minotaur. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250875563. 352p. $29. MYSTERY

Lovesey, Peter. Against the Grain. (Peter Diamond, bk. 22). Soho Crime. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781641296151. 384p. $28.95. MYSTERY

Shelton, Paige. Perfect Storm. (Alaska Wild, bk. 6). Minotaur. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250910462. 288p. $28. MYSTERY

Wilde, Darcie. The Matter of the Secret Bride. (Useful Woman Mystery, bk. 3). Kensington. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781496750631. 288p. $27. MYSTERY

Thrillers

Aleman, Daniel. I Might Be in Trouble. Grand Central. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781538766347. 336p. $29. THRILLER

Award-winning Aleman moves from YA to adult with this thriller about David Alvarez, an author whose debut novel was a hit, but his second a flop; now he’s desperate to write a third that will make it big. A hot blind date with a great guy ends with his dead body in David’s bed—offering a great plot and a huge misadventure.

Bollen, Christopher. Havoc. Harper. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063378896. 256p. $30. THRILLER

Bollen (The Lost Americans; A Beautiful Crime) writes a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller set in a sprawling hotel located on the banks of the Nile. The cat might be 81-year-old widow Maggie Burkhardt, a meddlesome fixer. The mouse might be eight-year-old Otto, son of the mournful Tessa. Or it might be the other way around.

Cooper, Helen. My Darling Boy. Putnam. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593719930. pbk. 336p. $19. THRILLER

Cooper (The Downstairs Neighbor) offers a sinister story set in a close-knit English village, involving broken friendships and murder. Two best friends raised their sons to be best friends as well, but then one son kills the other. As the survivor goes to prison, the village takes sides, and long-simmering secrets bubble up.

Craven, M. W. Nobody’s Hero. (Ben Koenig, bk. 2). Flatiron. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250864598. 416p. $29.99. THRILLER

The second in Ben Koenig novel, after Fearless, sees the man who cannot feel fear investigating another case, this time connected to an incident 10 years ago, when Ben helped a woman who held a secret about the safety of the U.S. Now there are bodies on the street, contract killers involved, and the fate of the nation on the line.

Drysdale, Pip. The Close-Up. Gallery. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781668037928. 352p. $28.99. THRILLER

Bestselling Drysdale (The Sunday Girl; The Next Girl) centers her newest on Zoe Ann Weiss, a struggling novelist with one thriller under her belt. She goes viral when she is seen with her ex, a famous actor. A stalker is not happy and starts to enact Zoe’s violent first book against her.

Hamdy, Adam. Deadbeat. Atria. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781668031520. 352p. $28.99. THRILLER

Bestselling Hamdy (The Other Side of Night), with two screen adaptations in the works, spins out the story of Peyton Collard, a divorced, damaged single father hired as a hitman. As the bodies pile up, he starts to wonder who hired him—and why.

Kane, Darby. What the Wife Knew. Morrow Paperbacks. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063351967. pbk. 368p. $18.99. THRILLER

Bestselling Kane (Pretty Little Wife, a Book of the Month pick headed for a TV adaptation) offers another domestic thriller. Addison was married to national hero Richmond Dougherty for 97 days, all the time having a plan to ruin him. But Richmond was killed before Addison got a chance—setting her up as the central suspect. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Porter, Henry. Enigma Girl. Atlantic Monthly. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780802164438. 400p. $27. THRILLER

CWA Dagger winner Porter (Brandenburg Gate) puts disgraced MI5 agent Slim Parsons in the middle of a deep game. Slim’s boss thinks she is too violent but still sends her to infiltrate a media company, which is hacking government databases. The dangers are multifold as Slim’s past and present converge.

Segura, Alex. Alter Ego. Flatiron. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250801777. 336p. $28.99. THRILLER

Segura (Secret Identity), a bestselling novelist and comic book author, puts comics at the center of his new thriller. Annie Bustamante is the creator of a hugely lauded superhero comic. She is offered the rights to the superhero Lethal Lynx, a character she has long loved and hoped to write about, but Annie suspects there are strings attached. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Adler-Olsen, Jussi. Locked In. (A Department Q Novel, bk. 10). Dutton. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593475690. 464p. $30. THRILLER

Andrews, Brian & Jeffrey Wilson. Tom Clancy Defense Protocol. (Jack Ryan, bk. 25). Putnam. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593717974. 432p. $32. THRILLER

Tallo, Katie. Buried Road. (Gus Monet, bk. 3). Harper Paperbacks. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063360716. pbk. 336p. $18.99. THRILLER

Romance

Allain, Suzanne. The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593549667. pbk. 272p. $19. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Allain (Mr. Malcolm’s List) offers a Regency twist on the trading-places concept. Lady Isabelle wants nothing more than to stay in bed and read. Her cousin Arabella, not born to a noble line, agrees to impersonate her during the upcoming season. Things become complicated when Bella starts to fall for Lord Brooke.

Burton, Jaci. Designs on You. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593439616. pbk. 352p. $19. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Author of the “Boots and Bouquets” series, Burton offers a rom-com in which Natalie, an interior designer focused on her kids and career, meets Eugene, a younger-than-her game designer. Their chemistry is wonderful, but Natalie wonders if she is able to overcome her feelings about his age and her place in life.

Ferguson, Lana. Under Loch and Key. Berkley. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593816851. pbk. 400p. $19. PARANORMAL ROMANCE

Bestselling Ferguson (The Nanny; The Game Changer) blends rom-com with paranormal. Key MacKay travels to Scotland after her father’s death, carrying with her the memory of a bedtime story he told her of how a monster once saved his life. Lachlan Greer has powerful secrets to keep, and an odd tie to Key.

Holt, Katie. Not in My Book. Alcove. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781639109753. pbk. 320p. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Debut author Holt pits two writers against each other in creative writing class. Rosie writes romances, Aiden focuses on literary fiction—and scorns Rosie’s work. They clash until their instructor forces them to cowrite a book, but the truce is temporary when a career-changing chance makes them rivals again.

Howe, Jenny L. How To Get a Life in Ten Dates. St. Martin’s Griffin. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250331465. pbk. 320p. $18. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Haleigh Berkshire is exhausted by the dating scene. It does not help that she is in love with her best friend Jack. She allows her family and friends to set her up on 10 last dates before she gives up—and it goes surprisingly well—until Jack crashes the party. It turns out he wants to add himself to the list. From Howe (On the Plus Side).

James, Amy. A Five-Letter Word for Love. Avon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063399013. pbk. 368p. $18.99. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Emily is living on autopilot on Prince Edward Island in James’s debut. The best thing in her life is a 300-plus-day streak on Wordle. When she is forced to turn to her coworker John for help with a puzzle, the two pair up and push to 365 days, finding love in and beyond the squares.

Miller, Linda Lael. Where the Creek Bends. Canary Street. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781335006394. 336p. $29. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Bestselling Miller (Country Born) writes a story with a time-slip element. Madison returns to her massive family home to care for her grandmother. An only child, she has always wanted a family, and might have found it with Liam McKettrick, a single father struggling to care for his two kids. Also threading through the story is Madison’s childhood friend, who mysteriously disappeared.

Forthcoming Series Title

Heath, Lorraine. A Tempest of Desire. (Scandalous Gentlemen of St. James, bk. 5). Avon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063384453. pbk. 384p. $9.99. HISTORICAL ROMANCE

Romantasy

Guanzon, Thea. A Monsoon Rising. (The Hurricane Wars, bk. 2). Harper Voyager. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063277304. 400p. $32. ROMANTASY

Guanzon pens a sequel to the bestselling The Hurricane Wars. Alaric and Talasyn are navigating their political marriage. Plots are piling up, even as a magical event threatens everyone’s world—no matter what side they are on. Dragons play a larger role as the story unfolds. With a 150K-copy first printing.

Mulford, A. K. A Sky of Emerald Stars. (The Golden Court, bk. 2). Harper Voyager. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063291478. 368p. $28.99. ROMANTASY

Bestselling Mulford (A River of Golden Bones) offers the second book in this romantasy trilogy about wolf royalty, continuing wolf-shifter Calla’s story of self-discovery and also focusing on royal guard Sadie. The Golden Court is spurred to action when a rival wolf king abducts the queen’s friend Ora, sending Sadie on a mission with complicated Navin. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Rath, Emily. North Is the Night. (Tuonela Duet, bk. 1). Erewhon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781645662204. 488p. $30. ROMANTASY

Inspired by Finnish folklore, bestselling Rath (“Jacksonville Rays” and “Second Sons” series) starts a new duology. When Aina is dragged into the underworld, a pawn to the Witch Queen and of interest to the king, Siiri travels to the far north, hoping to gather the aid of a legendary shaman to enter the world of death and save her.

Van Dyken, Rachel. Fallen Gods (Standard Edition). Entangled: Red Tower. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781649377166. 528p. $29.99. ROMANTASY

Bestselling Van Dyken, who writes Regency and contemporary romance, turns to romantasy with this story set in a small Norwegian town. Plot details are slim, other than it involves secrets, legends, and desire. With a 300K-copy first printing.

Science Fiction & Fantasy

Iversen, Chelsea. The Peculiar Garden of Harriet Hunt. Sourcebooks Landmark. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781728275819. pbk. 320p. $16.99. FANTASY

Iversen (The Witches at the End of the World) writes a historical fantasy set in 19th-century London. After her cruel father disappears and leaves her with his debts, Harriet is forced to marry to survive. Finding solace in the garden outside her house and yearning to be free, she realizes that the garden contains a strange magic that responds to her.

Korn, Gabrielle. The Shutouts. St. Martin’s. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250323484. 304p. $29. SCIENCE FICTION

Set in the same world as Korn’s debut novel, Yours for the Taking, this dystopian cli-fi tale examines a dangerous future in the U.S. In 2041, Kelly braves deadly storms and wildfires to get back to her daughter, while 40 years later, Ava and her daughter Brook are running away from a climate-change relief program where they were mistreated.

Lau, Roanne. The Serpent Called Mercy. Astra/DAW. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780756419448. 368p. $28. FANTASY

Lau debuts with a Malaysian Chinese–inspired epic fantasy. Trying to escape their lives of debt and poverty, friends Lythlet and Desil sign up to be conquessors, arena combatants who fight monsters. Lythlet’s ambitions have unexpected costs, and she will have to decide if sacrificing her honor and friendship is worth a potential life of fame and wealth.

Revis, Beth. How To Steal a Galaxy. (Chaotic Orbits, bk. 2). Astra/DAW. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780756419486. 192p. $23. SCIENCE FICTION

Bestselling Revis continues her sexy space heist trilogy, after Full Speed to a Crash Landing. A rebel group hires Ada for an undercover mission at a charity gala, while Rian volunteers to work the gala, thinking Ada will be there to steal the rare items up for auction. Turns out, she’s really there to recruit him for the rebels.

White, Alex. Ardent Violet and the Infinite Eye. (The Starmetal Symphony, bk. 2). Orbit. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780316430609. pbk. 448p. $19.99. SCIENCE FICTION

White (August Kitko and the Mechas from Space) continues their queer space opera trilogy about a band of musicians trying to save humanity from an army of giant space robots. Nonbinary pop star Ardent Violet is hoping to enjoy some time with their new boyfriend August Kitko, but now they are caught up in diplomacy with aliens and the arrival of a powerful AI.

Forthcoming Series Titles

Darwin, Alexander. Blacklight Born. (The Combat Codes, bk. 3). Orbit. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780316493574. pbk. 464p. $19.99. FANTASY

Evans, Davinia. Rebel Blade. (The Burnished City, bk. 3). Orbit. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780316398435. pbk. 400p. $19.99. FANTASY

Lackey, Mercedes. Miss Amelia’s List. (Elemental Masters, bk. 17). Astra/DAW. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780756419097. 336p. $28. FANTASY

Sanderson, Brandon. Wind and Truth. (The Stormlight Archive, bk. 5). Tor. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250319180. 1,248p. $39.99. FANTASY

Zahn, Timothy. The Icarus Needle. (The Icarus Saga, bk. 5). Baen. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781982193799. 352p. $28. SCIENCE FICTION

Historical Fiction

Ellsworth, Loretta. The French Winemaker’s Daughter. Harper Paperbacks. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063371811. pbk. 288p. $18.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

Award-winning Ellsworth (Stars Over Clear Lake) writes a dual-timeline story. In 1942, a young girl, fleeing the Nazis, abandons a bottle of wine her father asked her to keep safe. Almost 50 years later, Charlotte acquires the bottle, launching her on a quest to find its origins. With a 100K-copy first printing.

Jackson-Brown, Angela. Untethered. Harper Muse. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781400241132. pbk. 400p. $18.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

Jackson-Brown (Homeward) transports readers to the turbulent 1960s in the American South, where Katia Daniels has spent much of her life as a caretaker, first to her siblings and now in her job at a group home for Black boys. When she rekindles her friendship with Seth Taylor, though, she begins to think about what she wants for herself.

Josaphat, Fabienne. Kingdom of No Tomorrow. Algonquin. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781643755885. 288p. $29. HISTORICAL FICTION

This novel from Josaphat (Dancing in the Baron’s Shadow) won the 2023 PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction. In 1968, Haitian student Nettie Boileau lives in Oakland, CA, and becomes involved with the Black Panthers. She falls in love with one of their leaders and follows him to Chicago, where tragic events send her on the run, trying to save herself.

MacIntosh, Kate. The Champagne Letters. Gallery. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781668061886. 352p. $28.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

Macintosh debuts with a story that alternates between 1805 France and the present. In the 19th century, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot has lost her husband but continues to pursue their dream of creating a premier champagne house. In the present, recently divorced Natalie Turner leaves Chicago for Paris and finds inspiration for a new life after reading the widow Clicquot’s published letters.

Tuck, Lily. The Rest Is Memory. Liveright. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781324095729. 144p. $24.99. HISTORICAL FICTION

Tuck, winner of the National Book Award for The News from Paraguay, fictionalizes the true story of Czeslawa, a young Catholic girl who was sent to Auschwitz, where she was murdered. In this short novel, Tuck imagines Czeslawa’s childhood in Poland and explores how she ended up in a concentration camp.

Nonfiction

Biography & Memoir

Dukureh, Jaha Marie. I Will Scream to the World: My Story. My Fight. My Hope for Girls Everywhere. Dafina. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781496748461. 320p. $28. MEMOIR

In her debut memoir, Dukureh shares the story of her childhood in Gambia and the events that spurred her to become a global activist and leader. A survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced child marriage, she founded an organization that seeks to eradicate these practices and was a key advocate in legislation that banned FGM in Gambia.

Gilbert, Julie. Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film. Pantheon. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781524748432. 352p. $35. BIOGRAPHY

Gilbert (Ferber: Edna Ferber and Her Circle), a great niece of Edna Ferber, explores the life of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist and playwright, with a focus on the publication of her controversial novel Giant in 1952 and the subsequent successful film adaptation, which starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean and earned director George Stevens an Oscar.

Hutchison, Patrick. CABIN: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman. St. Martin’s. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250285706. 304p. $29. MEMOIR

Hutchison, who traded copywriting for carpentry, debuts with a book that charts this transition after he purchased a run-down, off-the-grid cabin in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state. Though he began with almost no carpentry skills and didn’t fully understand what he was getting into, he tackled years-long renovations to create a home. With a 75K-copy first printing.

Robinson, Callum. Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman. Ecco. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063350830. 320p. $30. MEMOIR

In his first book, woodworker Robinson blends memoir and nature writing to tell the story of how he learned his craft. He grew up in rural Scotland and learned from his father, whom Robinson helped create exquisite objects; he eventually established his own workshop. Contemplating the trees that provide his medium and the art of handcrafting heirloom pieces, he reflects on his journey.

History

Campbell, Olivia. Sisters in Science: How Four Women Physicists Escaped Nazi Germany and Made Scientific History. Park Row. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780778333388. 352p. $32.99. HISTORY

Bestselling author and journalist Campbell (Women in White Coats) returns with the story of four German women physicists during World War II. When the Nazis took over Germany, they took over science too. In heroic and harrowing ways, the brilliant scientists Hedwig Kohn, Lise Meitner, Hertha Sponer, and Hildegard Stücklen escaped the Nazis in order to survive and continue their revolutionary work.

Cowley, Robert. The Killing Season: The Autumn of 1914, Ypres, and the Afternoon That Cost Germany a War. Random. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781400068524. 656p. $38. HISTORY

Cowley, founding editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, writes about the first Battle of Ypres, which took place during World War I. Here four armies met: the Germans, the British, the Belgians, and the French. Winston Churchill, a young Adolf Hitler, and the last warrior king of Europe were all involved in a battle that changed the nature of war.

Cuadros, Alex. When We Sold God’s Eye: Diamonds, Murder, and a Clash of Worlds in the Amazon. Grand Central. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781538701508. 352p. $32. HISTORY

Journalist Cuadros (Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power, Decadence, and Hope in an American Country) spent six years in Brazil reporting this story of modern-day colonialism. In the 1960s, the rainforest home of the Cinta Larga tribe was invaded by prospectors, loggers, and ranchers seeking resources and wealth. Cuadros explains what happened and the ruin and change it brought and reflects on the fallout for individuals and Brazil as a whole.

Gabriele, Matthew & David M. Perry. Oathbreakers: The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780063336674. 336p. $32. HISTORY

Two medieval scholars, one at Virginia Tech and one at the University of Minnesota, write about the ninth-century war that took place in Europe only a few generations after Charlemagne’s rule. The Carolingian Civil War set families against each other and was bloody and protracted as it raged for years, destabilizing society and drawing the lines that would define modern Europe.

Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi. The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs. Basic. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781541606166. 528p. $35. HISTORY

Award-winning Hasegawa (professor emeritus in history at Univ. of California, Santa Barbara) offers a new history of Tsar Nicholas II, positing that Nicholas’s mismanagement of the monarchy and refusal to compromise on reform led to his assassination and the rise of the Soviet Union.

Haywood, John. Ocean: A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus. Pegasus. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781639367665. 544p. $35. HISTORY

Historian Haywood (Penguin Atlas of Vikings) writes a history of the Atlantic Ocean that ranges from 200 million years ago to the 15th century. Primarily a history of maritime technologies, the book also considers geography, geology, and even mythology as it sketches the early seafaring history of the nations that rim the Atlantic seaboard.

Mulley, Clare. Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter. Pegasus. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781639367627. 400p. $29.95. HISTORY

Mulley, the award-winning author of The Woman Who Saved the Children, writes about Elzbieta Zawacka, the World War II resistance fighter known as Agent Zo. Among her many heroic feats, she helped to lead the Warsaw Uprising and liberate Poland—only to later be imprisoned and tortured by the Soviet-backed Communist government, which also suppressed her story.

Reeder, Lydia. The Cure for Women: Dr. Mary Putnam Jacobi and the Challenge to Victorian Medicine That Changed Women’s Lives Forever. St. Martin’s Griffin. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9781250284457. 336p. $30. HISTORY

Reeder (author of the LJ-starred Dust Bowl Girls) writes a history of the pioneering Mary Putnam Jacobi. This daughter of publisher George Palmer Putnam attended the Sorbonne medical school and conducted groundbreaking research in women’s health, smashing the patriarchy and confronting sexism in medicine and its Victorian-era prejudices.

Writing

Gay, Roxane. How To Be Heard. Harper. 2026. ISBN 9780062845931. 256p. $26.99. WRITING

Bestselling author Gay (Opinions) pens a book offering writing advice for those wanting to share their voice with the world. She gives realistic and helpful guidance for aspiring writers, offers encouragement and practical tools on how to write, and also details the business of writing, from “How To Write a Short Story” to “How To Handle Criticism.” [Note that the publication date was recently pushed back to 2026.]

Mangum, Lisa. Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published.: A Master Class for Fiction Writers. Nov. 2024. ISBN 9781639933013. pbk. 240p. $19.99. WRITING

Writer and editor Mangum (The Forgotten Locket) has worked in publishing for more than 25 years and offers literary advice and inspiration in this book. Collecting the best of her writing and editing tips, she provides a guide that covers the entire writing process, from starting the story and developing characters to crafting a query letter to an editor to submitting a polished manuscript.

Syme, Rachel. Syme’s Letter Writer: A Guide to Modern Correspondence About (Almost) Every Imaginable Subject of Daily Life, with Odes to Desktop Ephemera and Selected Letters of Famous Writers. Clarkson Potter. Dec. 2024. ISBN 9780593235102. 224p. $33. WRITING

Syme, a New Yorker staff writer and originator of the #Penpalooza project, has created a coffee table book that celebrates the art of written correspondence. She shares practical instructions for things like courting and keeping a pen pal and buying nibs for a vintage fountain pen, while also providing inspiration for interesting missives through fragments of letters written by classic authors.