Swallowtail
Crime fiction
Swallowtail
November 18, 2025
A mystery thriller set in Quincy, MA, that blends a gripping murder mystery with themes of art, trauma, and mythology.
The Books
A year of new fiction, in order of publication — from November 2025 to July 2026. Every book here goes to the winner.
The Happiness Collector
Contemporary fantasyYour host
The Happiness Collector
December 2, 2025
Historian Aida Reale takes a mysterious, high-paying job in Italy for a company called MODA, cataloging the “happiness“ of historical sites, only to discover she and her colleagues are pawns for ancient gods who are stealing human joy, forcing her to team up with a fellow collector to stop them. Mythology meets the modern day, with elements of dark academia, romance, and mystery, set against the backdrop of Italy.
Murder Your Darlings
Psychological suspense
Murder Your Darlings
January 13, 2026
A mid-career author falls in love with a stratospherically successful male author who may or may not be killing female authors—or perhaps it’s one of his numerous stalkers, including a very dangerous and determined bookseller called The Rabbit.
This House Will Feed
Gothic historical horror
This House Will Feed
January 27, 2026
The sole survivor of her family, Maggie toils in the workhouse until the mysterious Lady Catherine arrives with a proposition: impersonate her late daughter so Lady Catherine can use the inheritance to provide for the villagers in her care. But when Maggie arrives at the old mansion, something in the house reawakens long-buried memories of a foe that calls for blood and vengeance, and of her own role in a nightmare that demands the darkest sacrifice.
Marriage and Other Monuments
Literary / Southern fiction
Marriage and Other Monuments
February 10, 2026
As the summer of 2020 heats up in Richmond, Virginia, the marriages of two estranged sisters veer in opposite directions, leaving them no choice but to turn to one another, while their husbands conspire in a racial reckoning their ancestors would never have dreamed of.
Last Seen
Literary fiction
Last Seen
February 17, 2026
Last Seen follows four young men who mysteriously vanish and are found dead in icy rivers across the country. Narrating from the afterlife, watching over their loved ones, the men reflect on their personal histories and the decisions that led to their disappearances.
Backstitch
Literary fiction
Backstitch
March 3, 2026
Set in an art gallery in the Washington, DC area, and structured as a journey through the gallery’s rooms, Backstitch is the story of two sisters who reunite at a retrospective of their troubled mother’s art and must confront the consequences of her ambition and the private truths behind the family’s public narrative.
Evening Begins the Day
Literary fiction / family drama
Evening Begins the Day
March 24, 2026
Evening Begins the Day weaves together a story of two families in crisis—one reeling from marital betrayal, the other grappling with their at-risk teenage daughter—with an ancient spiritual practice called the Counting of the Omer, in a modern-day quest for community, hope, and safety. Set in Boston and New England.
What Happened Next
Mystery
What Happened Next
April 1, 2026
A young man investigating his father’s crimes is determined to uncover the truth in a gripping novel of suspense about family secrets, betrayal, and the weight of the past.
Bromeliad House
Florida gothic
Bromeliad House
April 7, 2026
Bromeliad House: once a sprawling heirloom estate on Florida’s Treasure Coast, now a crumbling relic of a family worn to its barest threads. Within these walls, Delphine began seeing the doppelgängers of loved ones before they died—a phenomenon known as a fetch.
The Days of Miracle and Wonder
Literary fiction
The Days of Miracle and Wonder
April 17, 2026
A group of Ukrainians are traveling to witness a miracle. En route, they tell each other remarkable stories. Based on The Canterbury Tales but set in post-Soviet Ukraine.
Aphrodite in Pieces
Fantasy romance
Aphrodite in Pieces
April 21, 2026
Experience the myth and magic of antiquity’s most alluring—and provocative—goddess as never witnessed before, in this gorgeously rendered, unflinching, and deeply vulnerable retelling from the author of Mother of Rome and Medusa’s Sisters.
The Hope Keeper
Historical fiction
The Hope Keeper
May 19, 2026
A cursed diamond glitters at the heart of Jazz Age D.C., pulling a young, grieving jeweler into a world of power, deceit, and the truth she can no longer outrun. A novel of the Hope Diamond, the last woman who owned it, and the beginnings of women working at the Smithsonian.
The Gatepost
Literary speculative
The Gatepost
May 26, 2026
From the author of The Afterlife Project: one woman’s quest to find her vanished father pushes her beyond the boundaries of space, time, and the human mind.
The Quitters Club
Book club / contemporary fiction
The Quitters Club
June 1, 2026
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Caretaker comes a hopeful and empowering novel about the messy beauty of female friendship and the deep courage it takes to rebuild a life at any age.
Westerly
Literary fiction
Westerly
June 1, 2026
In 1946, two German sisters, child refugees in a program dubbed Operation Shamrock, arrive in Ireland to live in foster care while Europe recovers from war. Nearly fifty years later, in a Maine farmhouse, an Irish newspaper clipping threatens to unravel Faye Sullivan’s carefully constructed life with husband William and daughters Maeve and Molly, a life already on the brink of collapse.
The Stargazer of Nantucket
Maritime historical fiction
The Stargazer of Nantucket
June 9, 2026
A seafaring adventure about Winifred Starbuck, who stows away on her family’s clipper ship in 1851. Surprising her sea captain father and merchant mother, Winnie journeys from Nantucket to San Francisco and on to China, learning the costs and benefits of grabbing life by the helm.
What Remains of You
Book club fiction / suspense
What Remains of You
July 1, 2026
A widow’s discovery of her husband’s devastating past threatens to destroy everything she believed about their marriage in a gripping and emotional debut novel about love and secrets.
Summer of Love
Historical fiction
Summer of Love
July 7, 2026
In this moving novel about the transformative power of storytelling, three women make life-changing decisions set in motion by the 1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Paris Bookseller.
The Forest Becomes Her
Magical realism
The Forest Becomes Her
July 14, 2026
In historic Concord, Massachusetts, a centuries-old forest has been removed to make way for an eco-friendly housing development. Three multi-generational women form an unlikely alliance to save the last remaining oak tree or risk losing themselves to the shadow trees only they can see, as they navigate family, grief, the impacts of our choices, and our deep connections to the natural world beneath our feet.
Daughters of Naples
Historical fiction
Daughters of Naples
July 21, 2026
Naples, 1940. Under Mussolini’s regime, the three Cozzolino sisters—a dressmaker, a midwife’s apprentice, and the youngest, who joins the partigiani—find their loyalties at odds. When Naples is bombed, they must confront what they’re willing to sacrifice for their country and for each other. Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Elena Ferrante.