Spring 2009 Hardcovers: Fiction/General & Short Stories

ALMA BOOKS

(dist. by Trafalgar Square/IPG)

Beyond the Blossoming Fields (Apr., $26.95) by Jun'ichi Watanabe tracks a 19th-century woman who gets divorced after contracting gonorrhea from her husband.

AMERICAN UNIV. IN CAIRO

(dist. by IPM)

The Mirage: A Modern Arabic Novel (July, $27.95) by Naguib Mahfouz, trans. by Nancy Roberts, studies a disturbed man's struggle with life's realities.

ARCHIPELAGO BOOKS

(dist. by Consortium)

The Twin (Apr., $25) by Gerbrand Bakker, trans. by David Colmer. A university student in Holland returns home after his twin brother's death.

ARTE PúBLICO PRESS

The River Flows North (Mar., $24.95) by Graciela Limón observes immigrants on the dangerous desert trek from Mexico to the U.S.

ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS

(dist. by PGW)

Wanting (Apr., $24) by Richard Flanagan links real-life characters such as Charles Dickens in a story of colonial depredations during the early settlement of Tasmania.

ATRIA BOOKS

Handle with Care (Mar., $27.95) by Jodi Picoult observes the parents of a daughter born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta. 15-city author tour.

Lavender Morning (May, $26.95) by Jude Deveraux. A 20th-century woman is torn between her mother's society roots and her father's working-class background.

ATRIA/STREBOR BOOKS

Dark Child (May, $23) by Travis Hunter. A scheme to steal black babies born to young women in rural towns is seen through the eyes of a man whose sister is involved in the plan.

BALLANTINE

Fault Line (Mar., $25) by Barry Eisler. A lawyer becomes involved when a client at a Silicon Valley law firm is murdered. 10-city author tour.

True Detectives (Mar., $27) by Jonathan Kellerman follows a private detective investigating the disappearance of a 20-year-old woman.

Burn (July, $26) by Linda Howard. The author of Death Angel blends suspense and romance.

Hot Pursuit (July, $25) by Suzanne Brockmann depicts a female bodyguard and the politician she must protect. 8-city author tour.

BANTAM

The Dark Volume (Mar., $26) by Gordon Dahlquist. The sequel to The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters follows three characters who have survived a series of murders. 75,000 first printing.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon (May, $23) by Sarah Addison Allen features a teenager who goes to live with her grandfather after her mother's death. 60,000 first printing.

Relentless (June, $27) by Dean Koontz stars a bestselling novelist who tangles with a sociopathic critic. 700,000 first printing.

The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners (July, $25) by Luanne Rice revisits a character from The Geometry of Sisters as she travels to find her mother. 175,000 first printing.

BERKLEY

Skin Trade (June, $26.95) by Laurell K. Hamilton follows Blood Noir as the newest entry in the Anita Blake series.

BERKLEY SENSATION

Undead and Unwelcome (June, $24.95) by MaryJanice Davidson. Vampire queen Betsy Taylor returns for the eighth novel in this series.

BLACK HERON PRESS

(dist. by Midpoint Trade)

Homunculus (Mar., $23.95) by Jerry Stubblefield imagines a washed-up playwright who discovers one of his characters has come to life.

BLOOMSBURY PRESS

The Actor and the Housewife (June, $22) by Shannon Hale asks whether a Mormon mom can remain platonic with Hollywood's hottest heartthrob.

BROADWAY BOOKS

The Far Side of the Mountain (July, $22.95) by Charles Martin tells of a once-famous musician who tries to save a young protégé from ruin. 15-city author tour.

CHIN MUSIC PRESS

(dist. by Consortium)

Oh! (Mar., $22.50) by Todd Shimoda, artwork by Linda Shimoda, tracks an American who travels to Japan and becomes involved in a suicide club.

COUNTERPOINT

(dist. by PGW)

One D.O.A. One on the Way (Mar., $23) by Mary Robison follows a couple attempting to heal family wounds in a palatial family home.

SARAH CRICHTON BOOKS

Shadow and Light (Apr., $26) by Jonathan Rabb takes place in Berlin between the world wars and concerns the murder of a film studio executive. Author tour.

CROWN/SHAYE AREHEART

Angels of Destruction (Mar., $24) by Keith Donohue discusses a widow who takes in an orphan child and then confronts the question of what is real and what is magical. 75,000 first printing.

Dark Places (May, $24) by Gillian Flynn unearths the truth behind a horrifying crime. 75,000 first printing.

The Story Sisters (June, $25) by Alice Hoffman depicts three sisters and how the death of one affects the family dynamic. 60,000 first printing.

DAFINA

Maneater (June, $24) by Mary B. Morrison and Noire pairs two novellas that feature women bent on seduction and revenge.

DELACORTE

One Day at a Time (Mar., $27) by Danielle Steel celebrates three very different couples. 750,000 first printing.

Gone Tomorrow (May, $27) by Lee Child. Jack Reacher witnesses a suicide on a New York City subway. 450,000 first printing.

Seducing an Angel (May, $22) by Mary Balogh. Cassandra, Lady Paget, arrives in Regency London to restore her reputation. 70,000 first printing.

Matters of the Heart (June, $27) by Danielle Steel details a woman's escape from a mesmerizing sociopath. 650,000 first printing.

DIAL

After You (May, $25) by Julie Buxbaum. A woman tries to comfort her late friend's child by reading The Secret Garden with her. 35,000 first printing.

DOUBLEDAY

Pygmy (May, $24.95) by Chuck Palahniuk is described as The Manchurian Candidate meets South Park. 200,000 first printing. Author tour.

The Angel's Game (June, $26.95) by Carlos Ruiz Zafon offers a new novel from the author of The Shadow of the Wind. 600,000 first printing. Author tour.

Blame It on the Sun (July, $24.95) by E. Lynn Harris brings back the mother-daughter team from Abide with Me and Not a Day Goes By. 200,000 first printing. Author tour.

DUFOUR EDITIONS

A Bit of a Scandal (Aug., $32.95) by Mary Rose Callaghan. An Irish emigrant recalls her youthful love affair with a monk.

ECCO

B Is for Beer (May, $27.95) by Tom Robbins tells the history and culture of beer through the eyes of young and precocious Gracie Perkel; illustrated. 100,000 first printing.

Obsession (July, $16.95) by Gloria Vanderbilt voices erotic obsession from the perspectives of a man's wife and mistress. 50,000 first printing.

FARRAR, STRAUS & GIROUX

Lowboy (Mar., $25) by John Wray depicts a troubled young man's attempt to save the world. Author tour.

Nobody Move (May, $22) by Denis Johnson follows a small-time crook from California who tries to cash in on a million-dollar score. 75,000 first printing.

DAVID R. GODINE

Desert (June, $24.95) by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clezio, trans. by C. Dickson, depicts through the eyes of a young Algerian woman the clash of immigrant life with modern European civilization.

GRAND CENTRAL

First Family (Apr., $27.99) by David Baldacci. A kidnapping during a children's birthday party at Camp David becomes a national security issue. 800,000 first printing.

The Secret Speech (May, $24.99) by Tom Rob Smith. follows Child 44 as former MGB officer Leo Demidov is haunted by his past. 150,000 first printing.

Ravens (July, $24.99) by George Dawes Green. Two men scheme to persuade a family with a winning lottery ticket to give up the money. 85,000 first printing.

GRAYWOLF PRESS

Castle (Apr., $22) by J. Robert Lennon. A vet returning from Iraq is hunted by the owner of a castle in upstate New York. Author tour.

GROVE PRESS

(dist. by PGW)

Wetlands (Apr., $17.95) by Charlotte Roche, trans. by Tim Mohr, attacks conventional views of women's hygiene, sexuality and the definition of femininity from the viewpoint of an 18-year-old girl.

HARLEQUIN

More than Words, Vol. 5 (Apr., $16.95) by Heather Graham et al. showcases original short stories inspired by real-life heroines.

HARPER

Black Water Rising (June, $25.99) by Attica Locke features an attorney with a secret past who challenges big oil and corporate corruption. 100,000 first printing.

Calla Lily Ponder (July, $24.99) by Rebecca Wells discusses the pull of first love, the power of home and everyday magic. 250,000 first printing.

The Fixer Upper (July, $25.99) by Mary Kay Andrews. A woman in professional difficulty lands in an unknown town among a Southern gothic family she's never met. 200,000 first printing.

HOLT

Darling Jim (Apr., $25) by Christian Moerk depicts in diary form the story of sisters who fell in love with a stranger. Author tour.

The Embers (July, $25) by Hyatt Bass concerns a family forced to confront a years-old tragedy. Author tour.

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

The Family Man (May, $25) by Elinor Lipman. A man who reconnects with his long-lost stepdaughter finds his life turned upside down. Author tour.

HQN

Heartless (June, $24.95) by Diana Palmer. Gracie's shameful secret makes her deeply afraid to love.

KENSINGTON

Malice (Apr., $24) by Lisa Jackson. A detective recovering from an accident sees his dead wife everywhere.

Mr. and Miss Anonymous (May, $24) by Fern Michaels focuses on two college students who meet at a fertility clinic and then again 20 years later.

KNOPF

Sunnyside (May, $26.95) by Glen David Gold imagines a 1916 winter day when Charlie Chaplin is spotted in 800 places simultaneously. 100,000 first printing. 5-city author tour.

LIBRARY OF AMERICA

John Cheever: Collected Stories and Other Writings and John Cheever: Complete Novels (Mar., $35 each), edited by Blake Bailey, collect the writer's work. $25,000 ad/promo each.

LITTLE, BROWN

The Castaways (July, $24.99) by Elin Hilderbrand. Intrigue ensues when a prominent Nantucket couple is killed in a sailing accident.

LOST COAST PRESS

Under the Table Books (Mar., $19.95) by Todd Walton links a series of stories set in an anarchist bookstore in California.

MEDALLION PRESS

(dist. by IPG)

Sorrow Wood (Aug., $25.95) by Raymond L. Atkins investigates the discovery of a burned body in a small Alabama town.

MELVILLE HOUSE

(dist. by Random House)

Every Man Dies Alone (Mar., $30) by Hans Fallada, trans. by Michael Hoffman. A working-class couple in Berlin under the Nazis decide to take a stand when their son is killed at the front.

MERCER UNIV. PRESS

Masters and Savages (June, $26) by James M. Dawsey imagines a Civil War survivor and the tensions of human choices.

MIRA

Summer on Blossom Street (May, $24.95) by Debbie Macomber. A yarn shop owner offers knitting classes, Knit to Quit, for those who want to start a new phase of life.

MONKFISH PUBLISHING

(dist. by Consortium)

Bright Dark Madonna (Apr., $26) by Elizabeth Cunningham. The third installment of the Maeve Chronicles follows the misadventures of Mary Magdalen, here known as Maeve.

MORROW

Temptation and Surrender (Mar., $25.99) by Stephanie Laurens. In the latest Cynster novel, Lucifer's brother-in-law returns to Devon to manage his family's estate. 100,000 first printing.

Fatally Flaky (Apr., $25.95) by Diane Mott Davidson focuses on a Colorado caterer who encounters a murderous bride-zilla. 250,000 first printing.

Rogue Forces (June, $26.99) by Dale Brown. What if the army's private security forces became uncontrollably powerful? 200,000 first printing.

Return to Sullivan's Island (July, $25.95) by Dorothea Benton Frank stands as a sequel to Sullivan's Island. 250,000 first printing.

NEW DIRECTIONS

The Skating Rink (Aug., $23.95) by Roberto Bolaño, trans. by Chris Andrews, features a figure-skating champion, her lover and a besotted civil servant who builds a rink for her.

NEW PRESS

Italian Shoes (Apr., $26.95) by Henning Mankell. An isolated man is thrust back into the world by the reappearance of a long-abandoned lover.

W.W. NORTON

All Other Nights (Apr., $24.95) by Dara Horn dissects the moral struggles of the Civil War. Author tour.

OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING

(dist. by Midpoint Trade)

Spirit Horses (Apr., $25.95) by Alan S. Evans follows Shane on a bittersweet journey to a place where tradition reigns.

OTHER PRESS

Appassionata (May, $25) by Eva Hoffman. The lives of a concert pianist and a political exile intersect in a world riven by violence. Author tour.

PANTHEON

Don't Cry (Mar., $23.95) by Mary Gaitskill collects stories that unfold against the backdrop of American life over the past 30 years. 7-city author tour.

Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi (Apr., $24) by Geoff Dyer intertwines two stories, two cities and two characters. 6-city author tour.

PARAGON HOUSE

Lost Compass (Mar., $16.95) by Clayton Newell draws lessons from a father-son canoe trip.

PENGUIN PRESS

Inherent Vice (Aug., $27.95) by Thomas Pynchon. Through a marijuana haze, PI Doc Sportello regards L.A.'s social and cultural shifts.

PERMANENT PRESS

The History of Now (Mar., $28) by Daniel Klein. The first installment of a philosophical trilogy examines a small New England town.

PINEAPPLE PRESS

The Honored Dead (Mar., $21.95) by Robert N. Macomber. A naval intelligence officer in 1883 French Indochina is thrust into international events.

POCKET BOOKS

A Rogue of My Own (June, $25.99) by Johanna Lindsey. A maid of honor at Queen Victoria's court is forced to wed a royal spy. 250,000 first printing.

Last Light over Carolina (July, $25) by Mary Alice Monroe portrays a longtime shrimp boat captain's injury at sea and the experience of his wife of 30 years.

PUTNAM

Wicked Prey (May, $26.95) by John Sandford. Lucas Davenport juggles two death threats at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. 750,000 first printing.

KnockOut (June, $26.95) by Catherine Coulter observes two FBI agents investigating the disappearance of a little girl in the Virginia wilderness. 650,000 first printing.

Medusa (June, $27.95) by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos finds Kurt Austin on the hunt for a missing government underwater lab. 700,000 first printing.

The Defector (July, $26.95) by Daniel Silva depicts Gabriel Allon as he faces the grave consequences of his last mission. 500,000 first printing.

Black Hills (July, $26.95) by Nora Roberts. Death and passion stalk the Black Hills of South Dakota. 800,000 first printing.

RANDOM HOUSE

Home Safe (Apr., $25) by Elizabeth Berg features a widow who discovers that her late husband was leading a double life.

Shanghai Girls (May, $25) by Lisa See tracks two sisters living in 1930s Shanghai who are matched in arranged marriages.

Hello Goodbye (May, $24) by Emily Chenoweth depicts a dying woman's final vacation with her family at a lavish New England resort.

SCRIBNER

A Fortunate Age (Apr., $26) by Joanna Smith Rakoff tells the story of a group of college friends living in New York. 100,000 first printing.

Brooklyn (May, $25) by Colm Tóibín considers a young woman in the 1950s torn between her past in Ireland and her love for an American.

In the Kitchen (June, $27) by Monica Ali examines the death of an immigrant worker in a London hotel kitchen, which throws the head chef's life into turmoil. 125,000 first printing.

A Short History of Women (June, $24) by Kate Walbert treats five generations of women, beginning with a suffragist's death in 1915 England.

SIMON & SCHUSTER

Revenge of the Spellmans (Mar., $25) by Lisa Lutz follows Isabel Spellman as she goes to therapy and tails a client's wife. 150,000 first printing. 12-city author tour.

SOURCEBOOKS LANDMARK

Four Corners of the Sky (May, $24.99) by Michael Malone covers love, secrets and familial bonds. 50,000 first printing.

SPHERE

(dist. by Trafalgar Square/IPG)

The Foreign Field (Mar., $34.95) by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles takes place in 1917 during the WWI buildup to the Big Push.

SPIEGEL & GRAU

Stone's Fall (May, $28.95) by Iain Pears centers on the career and death of a shadowy financier and arms dealer. 100,000 first printing. 10-city author tour.

Ape House (June, $26) by Sara Gruen explores humans' relationships with animals through the story of a family of bonobo apes. 600,000 first printing. 15-city author tour.

STATE UNIV. OF NEW YORK PRESS

Knife Song Korea (July, $20) by Richard Seltzer depicts a year in the life of a young surgeon during the Korean War.

STEERFORTH

All That I Have (Mar., $22.95) by Castle Freeman Jr. observes a sheriff confronting challenges to his settled way of life.

ST. MARTIN'S

Paths of Glory (Mar., $27.95) by Jeffrey Archer delivers the saga of George Mallory, believed by some to have been the first man to reach the summit of Mt. Everest.

Look Again (May, $25.95) by Lisa Scottoline plays on a mother's worst nightmare.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen (June, $27.95) by Janet Evanovich offers another Stephanie Plum adventure.

Storm Cycle (July, $25.95) by Iris and Roy Johansen discusses modern technology and ancient Egyptian mystery.

Bad Moon Rising (Aug., $25.95) by Sherrilyn Kenyon is the latest Dark-Hunter novel.

ST. MARTIN'S/THOMAS DUNNE

Assegai (May, $27.95) by Wilbur Smith continues the saga of the Courtney family in Africa. 175,000 first printing.

The Wedding Girl (June, $24.95) by Madeleine Wickham takes a wry look at modern marriage. 175,000 first printing.

UNIV. PRESS OF KENTUCKY

At the Breakers (Mar., $24.95) by Mary Ann Taylor-Hall follows a single mother who flees an abusive relationship.

VERSO BOOKS

(dist. by W.W. Norton)

Manituana (June, $26.95) by Wu Ming, trans. by Shaun Whiteside, depicts the birth of a nation and the extermination of a utopia.

VIKING

Dune Road (June, $24.95) by Jane Green looks at a single mother who discovers a secret about her employer, a reclusive novelist. 5-city author tour.

The Magicians (Aug., $25.95) by Lev Grossman takes a young man to the fantasy world he loved in books as a child. 5-city author tour.

VOICE

The Wildwater Walking Club (May, $24.99) by Claire Cook. Three female strollers literally let life take them in new and surprising directions.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (June, $25.95) by Katherine Howe moves back and forth in time between present-day Harvard and the Salem witch trials. 250,000 first printing.