GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR

From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

A dark, brooding romantasy from Juliette Cross, full of enemies-to-lovers steam. It is the first fiery book in the The Fire That Binds dark romantasy series.

Julian Dakkia, Roman general and nephew to the emperor, has played his role well. Yet, the moment he laid eyes on Malina, he was enthralled by the Dacian dancer. Years later she stands before him, a captive on a scarred battlefield. He instinctively shifts into his fierce dragon form to save her, an action that may mean his head on the imperial gate.

The rules of their world dictate that he is the conqueror and she is the captured. But he knows their bond has nothing to do with the laws of Rome. She belongs to them. And they belong to her.

Fierce and powerful, twenty-one-year old Malina has survived the loss of her family and is determined to fight. But she cannot deny how her soul has always seemed to answer his.

Slowly she learns that Julian is caught in his mad uncle’s machinations for domination, and helps him plot the downfall of the empire itself.

As they navigate a world where flying deathriders conquer and burn, their love will ignite a firestorm that can only end in heartbreak or death. Or both.

You never know where love might bloom…fall in love with this cosy rivals-to-lovers small town romance! The perfect read if you love Gilmore Girls or The Pumpkin Spice Café series!

April Jones needs a fresh start. Leaving behind a broken engagement and a dead-end job in New York, she returns to her hometown, Magnolia Springs, with a plan: she’ll renovate her dad's dive bar and turn it into a florist, just like she had always dreamed of. As spring flowers start to bloom, April throws herself into the project and finally begins to mend her broken heart.

But then her high school rival Luke Pointer shows up. He's just as infuriating as April remembers, with his arrogant charm, perfectly styled hair and striking blue eyes. And it looks like their old rivalry isn't over yet: now a successful real estate developer, Luke has plans to tear down half of Main Street, including April's beloved flower store.

April can’t believe that the fate of her business now rests in Luke’s annoyingly attractive hands, but she isn’t ready to give up on her fresh start just yet. If only April could find a way to make Luke set aside is hard hat and follow his heart instead of his blueprints...

Farah Nosipho Garda leaves her comfort zone in Cape Town to care for her ailing mother in a Johannesburg retirement village. At 27, she’s a perpetual student with no job, no plans, and a deep belief that she’s incapable of real change – stuck in cycles of self-sabotage, anxiety, and longing. But when her mother begins to slip away and the man she thought was her future partner disappears without warning, Farah is forced to ask herself: What if the life she thought she wanted isn’t the one she needs?

Amid the grief, Farah slowly begins to rewrite her story: showing up for herself, caring for her mind and body, trading shame for softness, and learning that self-love isn’t a destination, but a daily decision.

Why Am I Like This? is Eat, Pray, Love for the era of Ozempic, therapy, and situationships – witty, vulnerable, and deeply modern. A love story about coming home to yourself.

After the “insanely readable” (Stephen King) and “perfectly told” (Malcolm Gladwell) New York Times bestseller The Plot comes Jean Hanff Korelitz’s equally captivating new novel: The Sequel.

Anna Williams-Bonner has taken care of business. That is to say, she’s taken care of her husband, bestselling novelist Jacob Finch Bonner, and laid to rest those anonymous accusations of plagiarism that so tormented him. Now she is living the contented life of a literary widow, enjoying her husband’s royalty checks in perpetuity, but for the second time in her life, a work of fiction intercedes, and this time it’s her own debut novel, The Afterword. After all, how hard can it really be to write a universally lauded bestseller?

But when Anna publishes her book and indulges in her own literary acclaim, she begins to receive excerpts of a novel she never expected to see again, a novel that should no longer exist. That it does means something has gone very wrong, and someone out there knows far too much: about her late brother, her late husband, and just possibly... Anna, herself. What does this person want and what are they prepared to do? She has come too far, and worked too hard, to lose what she values most: the sole and uncontested right to her own story. And she is, by any standard, a master storyteller.

With her signature wit and sardonic humor, Jean Hanff Korelitz gives readers an antihero to root for while illuminating and satirizing the world of publishing in this deliciously fun and suspenseful read.

The first in a spicy and unforgettable rom-com duology from #1 New York Times bestseller and tik tok favorite Tessa Bailey, in which a Hollywood "It Girl" is cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town... where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong. Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off, and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar... in Washington. Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather-and the hot, grumpy local-that she's more than a pretty face. Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan-and this town full of memories-may have already caught her heart. As seen on E!Online, PopSugar, CNN, EliteDaily, Vulture, Buzzfeed, Bustle, the Nerd Daily, PARADE, LA Magazine, Country Living, USA Today, and more!

Eugene ken van skollies, gangsters en crooks. Hy is streetwise, al lyk hy nou soos iemand uit die upper-middle class. Hy kom immers uit die ghetto se killing fields van die 60’s, 70’s en 80’s.

Maar nou is dit baie jare later. En die ou alliances met sy kindervriende Alan, Huey en Jenny ná alles destyds in Hillbrow tussen hulle skeefgeloop het, bestaan nie meer nie, en Eugene word aangekla van moord.

'n Aangrypende roman oor vriendskap en verraad.

Loss and life are the themes that weave through this tale of three generations of Muslim women living in suburban South Africa, originally published in 2011.

Khadeejah is a hard-working and stubborn first-generation Indian woman who longs for her beloved homeland and often questions what she is doing on the tip of Africa. At 37, her daughter Summaya is struggling to reconcile her South African and Indian identities, while Summaya’s own daughter, eleven-year-old Aneesa, is a girl who has some difficult questions of her own. Is her mother lying to her about her father’s death? Why won’t she tell her what really happened? Gradually, the past merges with the present as the novel meanders through their lives, uncovering the secrets people keep, the words they swallow, and the emotions they elect to mute.

For this family, faintly detectable through the sharp spicy aromas that find their way out of Khadeejah’s kitchen, the scent of tragedy is always threatening. Eventually, it will bring this family together. If not, it will tear them apart.

EVERY LIFE HAS ITS PRICE

She’s known as the Wolf: an assassin working through a kill list with cool efficiency.
Then someone gets in her way: Evan Smoak.
First, he refuses to conveniently die.
Then he stops her killing others.
Evan has the Wolf’s measure. He met plenty like her in a former life.
But not since he's had so much to lose.
And the powers behind her are bigger than he could possibly imagine.

The Wolf's got Evan in her sights.
She won’t stop. It’s kill – or be killed. Cat and mouse.
And Evan has one fatal weakness.
His humanity . . .

Molka (n): the Korean term for spy cameras secretly and illegally installed, often to capture voyeuristic images and videos.

Junyoung and Dahye are colleagues; he has a taste for voyeurism and she a hunger for revenge.

Dahye has met the man of her dreams - Hyukjoon, who happens to be the heir to a multi-billion fortune. Till one day, a video of them having sex goes viral. She is all over the internet and he is nowhere to be found.

Junyoung is a nobody; a nothing office worker who harbours a dark secret: in every women's cubicle, shower and bathroom in his workplace, are cameras - his secret cameras. Junyoung spends his days watching and preying on his unsuspecting female victims.

Soon his perverse obsession turns to Dahye - but, this time, he has chosen the wrong woman. When Dahye's pain turns to blind rage - she decides that she will not rest until he has paid in blood...

When a patient describes an experience of mental torture and sexual mutilation by a gynecologist at the hospital where she works, psychologist Megan Wright decides to investigate.Determined to find out the truth and stop the abuse, but bound to silence by the ethics of confidentiality, Megan must enter the dark mind of a dangerously disturbed man. She uncovers horrifying details of abuse and damage, but can tell no one because of the ethics of confidentiality. Her investigation will lead her client and herself into the mind and hands of a dangerously disturbed man.

THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BESTSELLING No Child of Mine TRILOGY *Books one and three - No Child of Mine and You Said Forever - are available to buy in paperback and ebook NOW* Charlotte Nicholls has a secret that haunts her. She and three-year-old Chloe have left their home and friends, and are now building a new life for themselves elsewhere. All Charlotte wants to do is to forget the past, to blot out what went before, and to look only to the future. At last she and Chloe feel safe. Then, suddenly, their nightmare returns, and Charlotte finds she has no power to prevent what comes next . . .

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'She is the master of her craft . . . and humanity is what Picoult does best' Sunday Telegraph Andrew Hopkins lovingly raised his daughter Delia on his own, allowing her to believe that they lost Delia's mother in a car accident twenty-seven years ago. But as Delia is preparing herself for the next chapter in her life, a policeman knocks on the door and reveals a terrible secret: that Andrew kidnapped his four-year-old daughter and led Delia's mother to believe she was dead. As he sits behind bars, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that Andrew is guilty. But does that mean that what he did wasn't right? THE BOOK OF TWO WAYS, Jodi's stunning new novel about life, death and missed opportunities is available to pre-order now.

A thrilling and long-awaited new novel from globally bestselling author Dan Brown

Accompanying celebrated academic, Katherine Solomon, to a lecture she’s been invited to give in Prague, Robert Langdon’s world spirals out of control when she disappears without trace from their hotel room. Far from home and well out of his comfort zone, Langdon must pit his wits against forces unknown to recover the woman he loves.

But Prague is an old and dangerous city, steeped in folklore and mystery. For over two thousand years, the tides of history have washed back and forth over it, leaving behind echoes of everything that has gone before. Little can Langdon know that he is being stalked by a spectre from that dark past. He must use all of his arcane knowledge to decipher the world around him before he too is consumed by the rings of treachery and deception that have swallowed Katherine.

Against a backdrop of vast castles, towering churches, graveyards buried twelve deep and labyrinthine underground passages, Langdon must navigate a shadow city hiding in plain sight, a city which has successfully kept its secrets for centuries and will not readily deliver them. This is a battlefield unlike any he has previously experienced, one on which he must fight not for his only life, but for the future of humanity itself.

The Secret Of Secrets is Dan Brown’s first novel for over eight years and sees the stunning return of Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, this time pitting his wits against a conspiracy which will test even his considerable brainpower and take him to the edge of losing all that he holds dear…

Another Life is a powerful, moving and hopeful story of the life-changing impact of the connections we form, by the international number one bestselling author Kristin Hannah.

Angie DeSaria has spent years of her life trying to have a child. Now, her marriage has crumbled under the strain. Adrift and alone, she returns to her childhood home, a small coastal town in the Pacific Northwest, to help try and rescue the beloved, failing family business.

Lauren Ribido is a senior in high school. She dreams of an Ivy League education, escaping her hometown and her troubled mother.

When Angie hires Lauren to work at the restaurant, they form an immediate bond, which deepens when Lauren's mother abruptly leaves town and Angie offers her a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women - one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother's love - will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined.

On a hot summer’s day in a poor suburb of Tokyo we meet three women: thirty-year-old Natsuko, her older sister Makiko, and Makiko’s teenage daughter Midoriko. Makiko, an ageing hostess despairing the loss of her looks, has travelled to Tokyo in search of breast enhancement surgery. She's accompanied by Midoriko, who has recently stopped speaking, finding herself unable to deal with her own changing body and her mother’s self-obsession. Her silence dominates Natsuko’s rundown apartment, providing a catalyst for each woman to grapple with their own anxieties and their relationships with one another.

Eight years later, we meet Natsuko again. She is now a writer and find herself on a journey back to her native city, returning to memories of that summer and her family’s past as she faces her own uncertain future.

In Breasts and Eggs Mieko Kawakami paints a radical and intimate portrait of contemporary working class womanhood in Japan, recounting the heartbreaking journeys of three women in a society where the odds are stacked against them. This is an unforgettable full length English language debut from a major new international talent.

Bennie Griessel en Vaughn Cupido ontvang die blye tyding dat hulle uiteindelik weer bevorder is tot die rang van kaptein. Maar hul vreugde is van korte duur. Die vergruisde liggaam van een van Cupido se beste vriende is gevind onder die motor waaraan hy in sy motorhuis gewerk het . . . was dit 'n ongeluk, of koelbloedige moord? En op ’n imposante plaas buite Stellenbosch ontplof ’n woonwa. Onverklaarbaar. Nadat die vuur geblus is, word ’n liggaam in die wrak gevind . . .

Sorcha O’Donovan dreams of an exciting life beyond the West Cork coastline where she has grown up. When she encounters the town’s strikingly handsome outcast, struggling musician Con Daly, her days will never be the same.

When Con strikes gold with rock band The Fishermen in London, he and Sorcha look set for a rosy future. But their lives change beyond recognition as the dark side of fame rears its head. Death threats follow Con around, and devastating secrets from the past threaten to destroy everything he has worked for.

Twenty years later, The Fishermen agree to re-form for the massive Music for Life charity concert at Wembley Stadium. But Con Daly, heartthrob and spokesman for a generation, has been missing for over a decade.

There’s only one person who can find out what happened, who has access to the lives, loves and careers of all concerned as The Fishermen rose to worldwide fame. Only one person who knows how vital it is to uncover the truth, because should Con Daly reappear before the facts emerge, then history could repeat itself with even more tragic consequences.

Scotland, 2025. When torrential winter rain causes a landslide on a  motorway, it dislodges more than mud and asphalt – it reveals a skeleton, concealed when the road was built eleven years prior.

Sam Nimmo, an investigative journalist who’d been poking his nose into the murky politics of the Scottish independence referendum, had become the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his girlfriend when he vanished. Now he’s reappeared, buried under the motorway.

It’s the perfect cold case for DCI Karen Pirie, chief of Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit. What was Nimmo investigating that was worth killing over? Or was it revenge for murdering his girlfriend? Meanwhile, an allegation of murder has surfaced over the supposedly accidental death of a hotel manager. It may have links to another accident on a remote Highland road. It’s a series of puzzles that tests Karen and her team to their limits. And possibly beyond . . .

A darkly propulsive thriller of secrets hidden at the core of a Scottish Highlands town, Silent Bones reaffirms Val McDermid as a crime writer of inimitable power.

Some secrets can’t be burnt away. Cops are being murdered all over the city, each falling victim to a designer poison that causes them to bleed out. Unable to make a breakthrough in the case and with the bodies piling up, detectives Ruben and Zander recruit counsellor Melissa to help them. Hoping that her unique insights into the human psyche might help trigger a discovery, they’re expecting to hunt down some kind of deranged lunatic. The real murderer, however, is a devilishly intelligent professor of human physiology, an academic icon standing on the brink of a groundbreaking discovery. Why is he killing them? How many more will fall victim to his brilliance? And who’s next?

Alex Cross thought serial killer Gary Soneji was dead and buried.

But when a hidden cabin reveals a stash of gruesome trophies and diaries, Cross realises the Spider's evil influence has spread wider than he ever thought possible.

The chilling truth soon becomes clear: Cross imprisoned the wrong man.

As he studies the clues, Cross becomes enmeshed in a web of evil designed to ensnare him all along.

Now he must retrace the steps of a long-ago investigation and face…the Return of the Spider.

How far can you distance yourself from your enemy without losing sight of the threat they pose – or without becoming an enemy yourself?
 
In the shadow of a flawless facade, the Coal family’s dynasty teeters on the brink of collapse. Luna Parks’ marriage balances on a powder keg of secrets and lies, and results in the presence of an unwelcome guest on the Coal farm, which is the spark that sets it ablaze.
 
With the Fletchers’ sinister grip tightening on the town of Clanwilliam, the advocate emerges as the last line of defence against the forces of destruction, and Cameron Coal is forced to confront an impossible choice: will love be the salvation or the downfall of the rooibos farm, a legacy forged in blood and sweat? And will Luna’s devotion be enough to bring the family together? With every twist and turn, the stakes get higher, and the truth threatens to rip everyone apart.
 
Against the backdrop of South Africa’s tumultuous rural landscape, this gripping tale exposes the intricate dance between power, corruption and the human condition. Can the advocate untangle the web of deceit, or will the pursuit of justice and truth be sacrificed at the altar of money and influence?

Jack Reacher will make three stops today. Not all of them were planned for.

First – a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing about. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can’t deal with. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks his pocket. There's no problem. Nothing is missing.

Second – a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climes. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help.

Third – wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy's technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more . . .

Four thirty-something girlfriends navigate the complexities of love and life in upmarket Johannesburg.

Nomzamo yearns to have her own child, but her husband keeps postpo-ning. Is he truly too busy or is something else going on? Kioni is in seventh heaven when Michael finally wants to commit. But does he really? Or is he just trying to get back into her bed? Single mom Jazmine has sworn off love – until a charming new doctor arrives at her hospital, testing her resolve. And Asanda, fiercely independent and at the top of her game, is determined to find the perfect man to match her perfect life.

As their lives twist and tangle in unexpected ways, these four women will discover that love is never simple – but always worth it.

A witty, heartwarming, and deeply relatable South African novel about friendship, romance, and the messy, beautiful journey of figuring it all out.

Nir Tavor is an Israeli secret service operative turned talented Mossad agent.

Nicole le Roux is a model with a hidden skill.

A terrorist attack brings them together, and then work forces them apart—until they’re unexpectedly called back into each other’s lives.

But there’s no time for romance. As violent radicals threaten chaos across the Middle East, the two must work together to stop these extremists, pooling Nicole’s knack for technology and Nir’s adeptness with on-the-ground missions. Each heart-racing step of their operation gets them closer to the truth—and closer to danger.

In this thrilling first book in a new series, authors Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn draw on true events as well as tactical insights Amir learned from his time in the Israeli Defense Forces. For believers in God’s life-changing promises, Operation Joktan is a suspense-filled page-turner that illuminates the blessing Israel is to the world.