Bøker utgitt av Crooked Lane Books

Wesley Friends School is Washington, DC's most prestigious prep school, so of course Aki Hiyashi-Brown is proud to teach at it and send her daughter Meg there. Why wouldn't she be proud? Parents kill to have their kid enrolled at Wesley. Not only is Wesley the premier academic destination for the children of the capital elite, but it's all about "Diversity, Achievement, Collegiality," as all of their very glossy brochures will tell you. Aki should know. As one of the few teachers of color on staff, her face is plastered on every piece of marketing material the school puts out. But when someone graffities "Make Wesley White Again" on campus, it exposes dangerous fault lines in the school community, ones Aki may have spent a lifetime learning to ignore. But her headstrong daughter Meg, and Meg's similarly impassioned classmates, aren't willing to let slide. Before Aki can sort out her own feelings about the hate crime, the school's administration jumps into crisis management mode and assigns Aki as head of the Racial Equity Task Force--a cobbled-together initiative that has a big name and little actual power. Between hasty changes to the curriculum and an anonymous instagram account documenting a history of racism on campus, Aki finds herself caught in the crossfire."--Jacket flap.

Ostracized by her fiance and friends after a drunken mistake, Marl ey Henderson investigates a string of arsons that point to her best friend Thea, uncovering dark secrets about the town and her past.

"Krystin knows exactly what she wants: a husband, a horse, and a place to hang all her competitive rodeo blue ribbons. ... On Hopelessly Devoted, Krystin will compete against dozens of other women for the heart of this season's Hopeless Romantic, Josh Rosen. She's determined to win the perfect life she came here for, if she can just ignore the glossy brunette whose crimson smile gives her goosebumps. Lauren has never done anything for the right reasons, and she's definitely not on Hopelessly Devoted to win Josh's heart. Lauren's plan is simple: stay on the show long enough to build her social media following, and then gracefully leave when it's her turn to be eliminated. ... But the longer she stays on the show, the more she finds herself tangled up in a certain blonde's lasso. But neither contestant expects a heteronormative dating show to challenge their own deeply-ingrained ideas of who they are, and what they want"--

"Olivia Taylor's marriage is in a death spiral when she agrees to come home to the Hamptons to help her father and sisters pack up the family estate. If it looks like she's running away from her soon-to-be ex, Wes, and New York City, well, she is. But someone has to take care of things and that's always been Olivia's role in the family. After years of financial trouble, someone's finally bailing them out with a huge offer to buy their beachfront property, which is a good thing, although it means losing the home she grew up in, where her mother died, and where she first met Fred, the love of her life. It's been five years since the last time things blew up between Olivia and Fred, but much longer since the first time. At this point, Olivia fears it was never meant to be, so there's no reason to feel butterflies in her stomach at the idea of seeing him again. They've already tried, and tried again...and again...but she's newly single, and she isn't the same person she was the last time-and Fred has changed too. This time, things will be different. Maybe, just maybe, the fifth time's the charm"--

The first drops start to fall when Quinn spies the body. With no reception and nothing but an empty road for miles, does she stop to help or keep driving to safety? Back at the iconic country pub where Quinn works, Andrea is sandbagging the place in preparation for heavy rains. Alone with her sleeping son in the back room, she reluctantly lets a biker in to wait out the storm. Out on the wet roads, tensions arise among four backpackers on their way to Darwin. They haven't prepared for this kind of weather and the flooding isn't the only threat on the horizon ...Chilling, tense and twisted, this compulsive thriller will send adrenaline coursing through your veins. 'An electrifying outback thriller that's unlike anything I've read.' Mark Brandi, author of Wimmera 'This has to be the most terrifying book I've read in years! Michelle is a very assured writer, and her characters are so believable. I genuinely cared whether they lived or died, which is what made the book so deliciously tense.' Shelley Burr, author of Wake 'What a rollercoaster ride! A cracking debut you won't be able to put down.' Kelli Hawkins, author of Other People's Houses 'An utterly chilling read with an unexpected twist.' Vikki Petraitis, author of The Unbelieved 'Masterful twists all the way to its shattering ending.' Greg Woodland, author of The Night Whistler 'Taut, unpredictable, terrifying.' Neela Janakiramanan, author of The Registrar 'A haunting road trip through the outback with a terrifying finale.' Tim Ayliffe, author of The Enemy Within 'The Rush by Michelle Prak gives new meaning to the words gripping and horrifying ... It is anything but your typical outback thriller.' Books+Publishing

"Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee, and featuring a whip-smart, intrepid sleuth in post-WWII Vermont ... Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start--until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn. Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see 'what's big in what's small', Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell. With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret and a grudge. But when her nosy neighbor goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it'll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details and put him behind bars"--

"Kat Malone is left cash-strapped after a job loss and a bad breakup (pro tip: never offer to pay living expenses for a freeloading poetry major) when she discovers a surprising new career path: craft beer brewer. When the brewpub she works at is sold, the new owner places his light-on-experience son in charge of the pub. Ryan is as basic as a pale lager and aims to turn quirky Resistance into a run-of-the-mill sports bar. Worse, he won't consider Kat for the position of brewer's assistant -- the job she'd been promised by the previous owners. Despite clashes between Kat and Ryan, he confides that Resistance is in financial trouble and that drastic changes will be needed if the pub has any hope of survival. Forced to collaborate, Kat realizes Ryan isn't as bland as she assumed -- he might even be exactly what she's been craving. But just as Ryan promises Kat a true partnership in the face of his father's opposition, Kat is offered the opportunity of a lifetime. "Marrying the beer" used to be Kat's only goal, but can she craft a brew for her life that allows her to have it all?"--

"In Over the Influence, communication professor and CNN Opinion contributor Kara Alaimo reveals how social media is affecting every aspect of the lives of women and girls--from our relationships and our parenting to our physical and mental well-being. Over the Influence is a book about what it means to live in the world social media has wrought--whether you're constantly connected or have deleted your accounts forever. Alaimo shows why you're likely to get fewer followers if you're a woman. She explains how fake news is crafted to prey on women's vulnerabilities. She reveals why so much of the content we find in our feeds is specifically designed to hold us back. And she explains how social media has made the offline world an uglier place for women. But we can change this. Alaimo offers up brilliant advice for how to get over the influence--how to handle our daughters' use of social media, use dating apps to find the partners we're looking for, use social networks to bolster our careers, and protect ourselves from sextortionists, catfishers, and trolls. She also explains what we need to demand from lawmakers and tech companies. Over the Influence calls on women to recognize and call out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) sexism and misogyny we find online, reject misinformation that is targeted to us because of our gender, and use our platforms to empower ourselves and other women."--Publisher description.

Supercharge your "happy hormones" with this motivational self help book featuring mind-body techniques for boosting joy and gratitude through laughter.Laughter really is the best medicine!In The Laughter Effect, Ros Ben-Moshe provides a roadmap to tap into the lighter side of life with laughter therapy. Ben-Moshe shares tips and tools to achieve an intentional state of being she calls the Laughter Effect–a way to elevate mindfulness, gratitude, and self-compassion, including:Laughter yoga, which is comprised of coordinated movements, breathing and stretching, positive reinforcements, and expressions of mirthStarting a humor journal, where you collect things that make you laugh for future referenceSmiling and laughing mindfulness practices, including a gratitude mindful body scanPositive reframing to help you find joy in difficult timesWhen used regularly, it enhances resilience to stress, enabling you to respond to adversity and bounce forward with humor, levity, and grace. Drawing on research from around the world, practice and wisdom from humor and laughter therapy, and positive psychology and neuroscience, Ben-Moshe shows you how to use the energy of laughter and joy to counter stress hormones and stimulate a daily dose of positive wellbeing with “happy hormones.”The techniques, strategies and practices you’ll learn can transform your physical, mental, social and emotional landscape. Viewing life through a laughter lens will awaken a positive change in yourself, how you respond to the world and, in turn, how the world responds to you.

"Genevieve Francis, a 25-year-old Black reporter, assumed she'd go into her fourth year at her newspaper job with a bigger story than the latest seasonal ice cream flavor. Instead, she's relegated to doing copyedits and sensitivity reads on the articles her white colleagues write. So when Gen finally gets the opportunity to cover a prominent CEO's gala, she leaps at the chance--this will be her biggest assignment to date. The only problem: The CEO is her ex, Jude, whose marriage proposal she publicly rejected four years prior. Following their awkward run-in, Jude personally requests Gen to write the first-ever authorized profile of him. The potential for scandal, if anyone digs into their past, is high, but Gen decides to risk it--if she proves herself with this profile, it could jumpstart her dream of writing articles centered on Black voices. But between the racist backlash from her colleagues and her conflicting feelings toward her ex, Gen soon realizes she's in way over her head. And it may be more than just her career on the line. Timely and thoughtful, this energetic debut explores what it means to believe in your future when everyone and everything is working against you."--

"Obituary writer Winter Snow is no stranger to grief, and writing obituaries for the citizens of Ridgefield, Connecticut, is her way of providing comfort to those who have been in her shoes. But funerals and eulogies are meant for the dead, so when the very much alive Leocadia Arlington requests her own obituary by the end of the week, Winter's curiosity is piqued. Even more so when she finds Mrs. Arlington dead soon after. Officer Kip Michaels and his relentless partner Tom Bellini make it clear that Winter is under suspicion for the death. Drafting an obituary for someone who hadn't died yet certainly looks bad, but Winter knows that it wasn't her, and she becomes obsessed with trying to figure out the real killer. She dives headfirst into the investigation to give Mrs. Arlington and herself some peace. When Winter realizes Mrs. Arlington was working on a revealing memoir that has now gone missing, Winter begins to wonder if the death wasn't exactly random-accident or otherwise. With the help of her foodie Uncle Richard, her wise octogenarian neighbor Horace, her best friend Scoop, and Diva, the Great Pyrenees puppy she inherited from Mrs. Arlington, Winter must uncover the killer before the next obituary written is her own."--

"Losing her mother to a hit-and-run at age 15 threw Beatrice "Beans" Bennett's life into turmoil. Bereft, she developed a life-threatening eating disorder, and went through a challenging recovery process which paved the way for her work as a clinical psychologist decades later. When a new patient arrives at her office and insists that Beans's mother is still alive-and in danger-Beans is forced to revisit her past in order to uncover the truth. She learns the "patient" is a member of a notorious family that owns a drug company largely responsible for the national opioid epidemic, and that her mother was once tangled in their web. In a race against time-and her mother's assailants-while once again facing the disorder she thought she'd put behind her, Beans discovers that, like herself, her mother had a devastating secret''--

"It's been twelve long years since Detective Kawika Wong was tasked with solving the brutal murder of the infamous real-estate developer Ralph Fortunato-a case that led to more bodies than answers and a slew of complicated and ancient secrets, a case that made his career. Now, the once rookie detective is next in line to be Honolulu's next Chief of Police. But all is not well on O°ahu or the Big Island. For weeks, Kawika and his team have failed to catch an elusive serial killer known as the "Slasher." He strikes quickly and efficiently, and he doesn't make mistakes. But when a freshly decapitated body is found at a previous dump site, Kawika's gut tells him something isn't quite right. Who is this victim, and why does Kawika feel that this one doesn't belong to the Slasher? To make matters worse, a hungry young journalist, Zoèe Akona, is investigating the questionable outcome Kawika and his then-superior Terry Tanaka produced in the Fortunato case, and her snooping leads to an official review that jeopardizes everything Kawika's worked so hard for. But Detective Wong knows that, no matter what, he must find a second murderer even while the "Slasher" continues to strike. The investigation takes him back to the Big Island - and to the long-dormant case the reporter Zoèe Akona won't leave alone. Kawika is about to discover what happens when the secrets of the past catch up with the promises of his future"--

Helping her beloved grandfather John, who suffers from dementia, break out of his nursing home, 6-year-old Gracie Lynn joins him on a quest to chase the sun while her estranged parents frantically try to locate them before something bad happens.

"New York, 1804. America's beloved Alexander Hamilton lies dead after a duel with Aaron Burr. Meanwhile, Eliza Hamilton's eighteen-year-old son, Alexander Jr., was seen fighting with a man in a tavern the night before his father's duel and quickly comes under suspicion for murder when the man turns up dead. Eliza searches for ways to clear her son's name, even as she is grieving, but as she combs through her late husband's papers, she finds evidence of a plot to steal money from the government during his tenure as secretary of state. Hamilton was accused of stealing that money, and it was a scandal that almost broke the family--but is Eliza now holding proof of Alexander's innocence? Deep in debt and despair, with eight children to support, Eliza turns to selling her handmade lace--and is drawn into a mysterious network of widow lacemakers who are intimately connected to New York's high-society families. They know their dead husbands' secrets--and soon, Eliza begins to piece together the truth. There's a dark plot connected with the duel, as one by one, witnesses to thebout are being killed. Now, Eliza must not only clear her husband's and son's names but keep herself out of the killer's sights."--Publisher marketing.

"Actress Eden Blake's biggest claim to fame is a mortifying pharmaceutical commercial for male enhancement pills. That is, until the female lead on the nationwide tour of Broadway's hit Pride & Prejudice musical abruptly quits, and Eden is called up to fill the role. The cast of Liz and Darcy: The Musical has just settled into a three-week run in Washington, DC, and Broadway royalty Brennon Thorne is set to play Darcy. Despite Brennon's reputation as being 'a dream to work with,' Eden's first impression of him is more like a nightmare. Now, she'll have to kiss the pompous jerk eight shows per week. Brennon can't disguise his disdain for understudies like Eden. But New York is filled with reminders of his most recent failed relationship, and this American tour is a much-needed distraction from his loneliness. As Eden and Brennon take the stage playing Jane Austen's most memorable characters, their reality begins to mirror Elizabeth and Darcy's explosive chemistry and all. Together, they power through press performances and curtain calls, even as rumors of Brennon's checkered romantic past resurface and prove to Eden that he can't be trusted. But with each choreographed stage kiss, Eden and Brennon's passion for the stage-and each other-ignites. Maybe, just maybe, not all rumors are to be believed and not all showmances are doomed to fai

"Verona, 1947. Textile historian Marianne Baxter comes to post-war Italy with one thing on her mind: three pristine Victorian dresses, once owned by the famous poet Christina Rossetti. Hidden away in a trunk for nearly a century, they were recently discovered at the Fondazione Museo Menigatti and Marianne's expertise is needed before they go on exhibit. Still grieving the loss of her husband, the trip is also a reason for Marianne to start over. But when she arrives, she discovers an unsupportive but handsome museum owner, a superstitious local community, and a mysterious letter with a scribbled warning hidden among the dresses. Verona, 1864. Christina Rossetti returns to her family's homeland in hopes of leaving her unfulfilled personal life and poetry career in England and beginning a new chapter. After a chance encounter with an old family friend, she finds a gift her father once gave her: a small ornate box with the three Muses carved into the lid. When she stumbles across a secret compartment, Christina finds a letter from her father with an urgent and personal request. The letter, speaking of a pendant and stolen book that must be returned, connects Marianne and Christina-and leaves them both with more questions than answers. Inspired by the real-life mysteries surrounding poet Christina Rossetti, The Lost Dresses transports readers to Verona with the enchantment and intrigue of Italian art and fashion"--

"It's not all snowflakes and sugarplums when murder crashes Taylorsford's first Winterfest ... Returning to her role as an amateur detective is the last thing library director Amy Muir wants. She's already buried under an avalanche of responsibilities, including sharing the directorship of the local public library, parenting her holiday-obsessed five-year-old twins, and helping her choreographer husband, Richard, present The Nutcracker as part of the town's festivities. With her frosty mother-in-law, Fiona, visiting for the holidays, Amy definitely has enough on her Christmas cookie plate. But when the chair of the festival committee is found as dead as Dickens's proverbial doornail at the town's ice rink, Amy is determined to uncover the real perpetrator to protect her brother-in-law, Ethan Payne, who was placed at the scene. The clock is ticking down as Sheriff Brad Tucker is equally sure that Ethan is guilty. It's beginning to look a lot like the murderer hasn't wrapped up his killing spree, and now, it might just be 'lights out' on the holiday festivities--and on Amy's life"--

Investigative Services Branch agent Felicity Harland ventures through volcanic wilderness to investigate a murder at a new hike-in lodge at Pinnacles National Park.

T. Kingfisher meets Cassandra Khaw in a chilling horror novel that illustrates the fine line between humanity and monstrosity.Blackwood mansion looms, surrounded by nightmare pines, atop the hill over the small town of Crooked Tree. Ben Bookman, bestselling novelist and heir to the Blackwood estate, spent a weekend at the ancestral home to finish writing his latest horror novel, The Scarecrow. Now, on the eve of the book’s release, the terrible story within begins to unfold in real life.Detective Mills arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder: a family butchered and bundled inside cocoons stitched from corn husks, and hung from the rafters of a barn, eerily mirroring the opening of Bookman’s latest novel. When another family is killed in a similar manner, Mills, along with his daughter, rookie detective Samantha Blue, is determined to find the link to the book—and the killer—before the story reaches its chilling climax.As the series of “Scarecrow crimes” continues to mirror the book, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect. He can’t remember much from the night he finished writing the novel, but he knows he wrote it in The Atrium, his grandfather’s forbidden room full of numbered books. Thousands of books. Books without words.As Ben digs deep into Blackwood’s history he learns he may have triggered a release of something trapped long ago—and it won’t stop with the horrors buried within the pages of his book.