"Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a life far from the forest town, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake. Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there's something about this place...

"Hell comes to Southern California every October. It rides in on searing Santa Ana winds that blast at near hurricane force, igniting voracious wildfires. Master thief Danny Cole longs for the flames. A tsunami of fire is exactly what he needs to pull off a daring crime and avenge a fallen friend. As the most devastating firestorms in Los Angeles' history scorch the hills of Malibu, relentless arson investigator Walter Sharpe and his wild card of...

After releasing a captive genie from a bottle, a poor fisherman must rely on his wits when instead of wishes the genie promises revenge.

"While we live, the enemy shall fear us. Since she was born, Kyr has trained for the day she can avenge the murder of planet Earth. Raised in the bowels of Gaea Station alongside the last scraps of humanity, she readies herself to face the Wisdom, the powerful, reality-shaping weapon that gave the majoda their victory over humanity. They are what's left. They are what must survive. Kyr is one of the best warriors of her generation, the sword of a...

Ali Reynolds tries to figure out who was the real target and who was the collateral damage after her husband is forced off the road in an airport limo while preparing to fly to a ransomware conference in London.

When a ten-year-old Black girl is brutally raped by two drunken white men in the small Southern town of Clanton, Mississippi, the ensuing tension and violence threatens to destroy the town.

"In A Small Town, twelve conspirators meticulously plan to throw open all the gates to the prison that contains them, so that more than a thousand convicts may escape and pour into the nearby small town. The newly freed prisoners rape, murder, and destroy the town-burning down homes and businesses. An immense manhunt ensues, but the twelve who plotted it all get away. After two years, all efforts by the local and federal police agencies have been...

"In the wake of a personal tragedy, former CIA operative Teddy Fay--now a successful Hollywood film producer known as Billy Barnett--takes a leave of absence to travel and grieve, and lands in Santa Fe in the company of his friends Stone Barrington and Ed Eagle. There, fate hands him an unexpected opportunity to exact quiet revenge for his recent loss, from a man who helped to cover up the crime. But when his enemy wises up to Teddy's machinations,...

"From her first day as personal assistant to the celebrated Mina Appleton, Christine Butcher understands what's expected of her: absolute loyalty and absolute discretion. For twenty years now, Christine has been a devoted servant, a silent witness to everything in Mina's life. Day after day, year after year, she's been there, invisible--absorbing the secrets floating around her, keeping them safe. Christine is trusted. But those years of loyalty...

"From the beloved author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a new short story collection: half spy stories, half tales of revenge, all highlight the kinder, funnier, and gentler side of espionage and retribution. In this dual collection of short stories, Alexander McCall Smith brings his trademark humor and warmth to inventive tales of spying and vengeance. In one story, a spy dropped deep into enemy territory manages to disguise himself--quite...