The first ever collection of short stories from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of The Friend Over the course of thirty years, Sigrid Nunez has become one of contemporary fiction's most distinctive voices, producing nine penetrating, profound novels celebrated by fans and critics alike.

When a former and beloved college professor suddenly passes away, Faye and Henry find themselves back on campus for the funeral, circling something old and dangerous. But Henry is one of a kind. The kind who delivers a hypnotic apology for the way things ended. The kind who suggests they go back to the hotel for a drink. The kind who drugs and kidnaps her. Faye comes to Henry's remote mountain cabin. Has Henry brought her here to punish her? She did, after all, write and star in a lauded TV episode based on their indelicate appetites and vicious breakup. As her week of captivity unfolds, Henry's wanton demands intensify, and Faye finds herself pulled back into his irresistible gravity.

Miles is a devoted husband and a doting father beloved for his outlandish stories. He is also twelve years late with his PhD on Russian folktales and increasingly haunted by a sense that he's become a disappointment. So when his wife accepts a visiting professorship in Vermont, he decides that it's time to move forward with his life. But Miles is a man of many enthusiasms, who possesses a great capacity to fall in with anyone, anywhere. No sooner does he arrive than he finds himself entangled with a cast of characters as colorful as those of any of his folktales, and stumbles upon a bizarre local legend, which, he soon suspects, might not be just a legend after all.

A supernatural joyride where Drive meets Beetlejuice. Poppy Stringer was born to be a star. An aspiring fashion influencer by day, Poppy moonlights as a grave robber to make ends meet, wheeling and dealing dead bodies across Palm Springs. When her hero, the flamboyant, piano-slamming rockstar Eddie Michaels, unexpectedly dies, Poppy gets a call to retrieve his body from the medical examiner's office for a lucrative sum. It could be the last job she'll ever need--if everything goes to plan. But the night's delivery quickly veers off course when Eddie wakes up. Now Poppy must fight for her life if she hopes to survive this blood-soaked joyride of carnage and extravagant entertainment.

Every small town needs a big hero. Silas Tucker is the biggest football hero Cross Rivers, North Carolina, ever produced. But his town is in big trouble. The All-American quarterback returns--not to play ball, but to solve a mystery. Who's making one local after another disappear? Silas has powerful weapons on his side: law, order, and the truth. Now he's a different kind of hero.

Julia Pritzker loves her new life as a wife and mother in beautiful Tuscany--except that she misses her best friend Courtney, back in the States. One night, Julia calls Courtney and reaches her as she's arriving at her grandmother's farm in Pennsylvania. Then a dreadful premonition overwhelms Julia as Courtney is entering the house, but it's too late to stop Courtney, who makes a heartbreaking discovery. Her beloved grandmother has been murdered, and the killer is escaping out the back door. Julia flies home the next morning, and the friends dig to unearth the truth in a town filled with explosive secrets.

Meet Peter Key: self-proclaimed laziest private investigator in Texas (it's harder than it looks), unapologetic bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter's life was a mess before, but now--as the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin--he has a mountain of debt to deal with and pressure to sell from every side. But Peter doesn't like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash, he starts to suspect his uncle's death wasn't an accident. He soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules.

In 1981, New York City is beginning to emerge from financial ruin and decline, energized by rampant real estate development and a Wall Street unchained by Reagan-era predatory capitalism. Up in Harlem, successful business owner/master fence Ray Carney has just been named Sterling Furniture's Dealer of the Month. When the banks won't give his beloved wife Elizabeth a loan for her new travel agency, however, Carney gambles on one last heist, and finds himself entangled with a legendary criminal mastermind.

Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune. He thinks he's found it when he captivates Perla, the owner of a boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt's household. When Inés discovers Ulises' true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated.

It's defense lawyer Andy Carpenter's dream to retire. That goal is once again thwarted when he gets a call from Lou Campanelli, an old friend who he simply cannot refuse, asking for a favor. Lou runs a rehab center, and when one of his patients, a homeless veteran, is charged with first degree murder, he needs Andy's help. And of course, Andy will also be called on to care for the accused's dog, but that's okay: What's one more dog?

An unforgettable novel in which one fateful accident erases a troubled marriage from memory--and love gets one extraordinary do-over. Three years ago, Emery Finch did something completely out of character: she got married. To Luca--the impossibly charming landscaper she met on one blistering night in Vegas who made her laugh, made her dance, made her feel. But now, Emery is consumed by her top-secret job, missing dinners, forgetting anniversaries, and promising herself Luca will understand once her cutting-edge research comes to light. Until the unthinkable happens: A tragic accident takes Luca from her. Desperate not to lose him, Emery breaks every rule to bring him back. And Luca would probably thank her for it, if only he could remember her. Their first kiss, their Sunny Sundays at the beach, the life they built together...all of it is gone. It may be a miracle of science, but for Emery it's her one shot at a second chance. And this time, she won't waste it--because true love is always worth reviving.

Vera Stein, age 40, knows she's missed her chance at a life worthy of the silver screen, just like she missed her chance at finding true love. Abruptly houseless and jobless, she lands at the Starlight Palms Senior Living Center, where Elias Buckley is the on-site doctor, Vera's former college fling, and - for reasons that will stay in Vegas - legally her ex-husband according to the state of Nevada. Soon Vera falls into a job as the activities coordinator and under the spell of a certain smart-mouthed doctor. With a fresh start at her fingertips, Vera begins to see that even with all the detours she's taken, there's still a Hollywood ending (and maybe even a happily ever after) in sight.

Jill and Ted adore their New York brownstone the way others adore their children. They have carefully, expensively, made every inch of it their own. It reflects who they are, their status and tastes. With the grand mahogany staircase and state-of-the-art kitchen, it is the stuff of glossy magazines and real-estate dreams. So when Ted's inheritance runs out and he makes a bad investment, they panic. How can they protect their beloved home and enviable lifestyle? The answer is obvious. Or at least, it is obvious to Jill and Ted. The death of one wealthy family member--from whom they stand to inherit millions--could solve all their problems. Together, they will get away with murder.

When Isabel receives a visit from a friend who has recently discovered the existence of a long-lost brother, she will have to face this quandary in her usual thoughtful way. Meanwhile, Isabel's husband Jamie has been offered the gig of his dreams--the opportunity to play in a series of concerts at a prestigious venue in London. After meeting the series coordinator, it becomes clear to Isabel that the woman has a massive crush on Jamie. Isabel isn't sure whether to reveal the woman's intentions. And finally, the ever-frustrating Professor Lettuce returns, this time embroiled in a ridiculous dispute with his friend Professor Dove. Somehow, Isabel gets dragged into resolving the affair.

Ten years ago, aspiring singer-actress Scout Sage lost the only thing that mattered: her sister, Georgia. Ever since Georgia's mysterious death, Scout's done her best to honor her memory. But when a slew of murders makes headlines, all pointing to Scout as the killer, she becomes the world's most famous (alleged) murderer. Now everything she's worked for will fall apart unless she can prove she's innocent. Meanwhile, the detective assigned to her case begins to unearth secrets - particularly about the ways Georgia's death connects to a pattern of crimes long hushed over in Hollywood - an old reign of terror that, if brought to light, could be the fuel that ignites a reckoning the world over.

All throughout the week, customers flock to the Marble Cafe that's tucked away behind the trees--except when it's closed on Mondays, when the Matcha Cafe opens in its place, offering its clientele a warm cup of matcha and restoration to start the busy week ahead. On this one day of the week, people from all walks of life frequent this cozy haven and experience the joys of human connection. Among them include: A singer who has just broken up with his lover; an unsociable young owner of a tea wholesaler; a husband who has made his wife angry; a designer and owner of a lingerie shop; a Kamishibai artist who doesn't get along with his grandmother.

Betrayed by love, Marin lives and works as a supply runner, sailing from island to island, delivering an array of goods with Perri the sea serpent and Ree the sailor shrub as her crew. On one of her routine trips, Marin finds a revolution underway - and her friend Dax in the line of fire. What starts as a rescue evolves into a deal: Marin will keep Dax on as a member of her crew if he pretends to be her boyfriend at the End-of-Harvest Festival back home. But against her better judgment, Marin finds herself intrigued by his stubbornness, his passion for stories, his charming smile - and realizes that perhaps she isn't saving him. Maybe it's the other way around.

Hazel Pierce has three goals for coming back to Star Falls: Help her estranged dad, keep things strictly temporary, and absolutely, under no circumstances, fall for Tucker Colburn again. That plan dies a dramatic, soggy death when a wasp sting sends Hazel swerving off the road and into the river--only to be hauled out, half-drowned and furious, by the Star Falls Fire Department's finest and the man she's been avoiding for a decade. Tucker's always had a way of getting into her head, and Hazel's running out of ways to avoid the truth.

When a curious book, The Midnight Estate, catches her attention in her late uncle’s library, Fiona is plunged into a tale that mirrors her own—a story of love, loss and betrayal. But as the lines between fiction and reality blur, Fiona must ask herself: Is the true mystery the one hidden within the walls of her ancestral home, or is it within the pages of a book that chose her as much as she chose it?

When a former pop star enrolls in college, the last thing she expects is A-plus chemistry with her psychology professor in this sexy and tender romance from New York Times bestselling author Rachel Lynn Solomon. Ramona Wilder has spent her whole life in the spotlight. After a hit kids' TV show, she transitioned into music, singing in arenas around the world and becoming an icon for millions of teenage girls. Now at age twenty-six, exhausted by the inhumane lack of privacy, she's done-with all of it. She wants a chance at normal, whatever that might mean for her. And she's starting with college. Professor Nick Navarro is recently divorced but determinedly optimistic, allowing himself a very reasonable ten minutes per day to wallow. When his department calls a meeting about a celebrity enrollment, he plans to treat whoever it is like any other student. Except when Ramona blazes into class and causes an uproar, the typically easygoing professor is rattled, maybe for the first time in his career. Ramona loves the way she flusters him, taking every opportunity to push Nick's buttons, though what she really wants is to unbutton them completely. When a crisis brings them closer outside of class, they begin a tentative friendship amid an undeniable attraction. But Ramona can't be so easily finished with her old life, and they'll both have to confront their pasts if they want a chance at something real.