As the rich novels of Julie Smith remind us, New Orleans is a city of excess. These days the local philosophy that too much is not enough seems to encompass not only the famed Crescent City pleasures of sex, music, and food, but also the escalating horror of violent death. However, with a new, honest police superintendent, NOPD detective Skip Langdon feels there's hope for the city she loves. But no sooner does Superintendent Albert Good take office than he is gunned down by an assassin, and within hours the killer himself is killed. A mysterious entity calling itself The Jury claims credit for this act of vigilante justice. Who or what is The Jury? No one knows, but Skip perceives in it the evil brilliance of her old adversary, charismatic con man and cold-blooded killer Errol Jacomine. She's always suspected it's just a matter of time before Jacomine's megalomaniacal ego orchestrates his revenge. The time is now. From across the South, the players in the unfolding drama come together--a pretty college student on the run, a monk who has packed a lifetime's worth of misery into a few years, and a madman with a murderous agenda. Beautiful New Orleans gathers them all into her casual embrace, while Detective Skip Langdon races (perhaps to her own destruction) to forestall the bloodshed to come.

“Well written, fascinating, rich in plot and characters . . . presents [not only an interesting story, but] a portrait of the Jewish community in the 19th-century South.”—Newark Sunday Star-Ledger She was the exquisite daughter of a wealthy Jewish merchant. From a charmed girlhood in opulent New Orleans, she would be swept into the cataclysm of the Civil War. Forced to choose between her duties as a Southern wife and mother and her love for a forbidden man, a forbidden cause, Miriam Raphael is at the center of the whirlwind in a spellbinding novel of divided loyalties and divided hearts. “Seductive . . . moves along briskly through the kind of territory her avid readers most appreciate.”—Publishers Weekly “As a romance, Crescent City can’t miss!”—The New York Times Book Review

This killer Bookshots special edition of four first-rate thrillers features the Women's Murder Club, a deadly little black dress, a ruthless band of thieves, and a lethal team of vengeful warriors. The Trial: An accused murderer called Kingfisher is on trial. And Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club are in for a courtroom shocker you'll never see coming. Little Black Dress: Can a little black dress change everything? What begins as one woman's fantasy is about to go too far. Heist: A band of ruthless thieves is about to pull off the perfect diamond heist-until a rival crew arrives at the exact same time. The Women's War: Former Marine Corps colonel Amanda Collins and her lethal team of women warriors have vowed to avenge her family's murder.And they have nothing left to lose . . . BookShots Lightning-fast stories by James Patterson Novels you can devour in a few hours Impossible to stop reading All original content from James Patterson

When his wife disappears without a trace, a desperate man turns to Chicago’s toughest PI for help in this classic hardboiled mystery. Elizabeth Tollman puts the roast in the oven, goes out to buy a loaf of bread, and never comes home. Half an hour later, her husband finds the bread outside their front door, but his wife is nowhere to be seen. Edward Tollman calls her friends, combs the streets, even pokes his head into local bars—but Elizabeth has vanished into thin air. The police can’t help him without evidence of a crime, so Tollman turns to the one man in Chicago who’s mean enough to get results: Barney Burgess, PI. Burgess is strapping and tough, with an ugly mug that’s almost handsome in a Humphrey Bogart sort of way. In fact, everything about him seems straight out of a B movie—right down to his spit-shined shoes and his itchy trigger finger. Burgess is used to dealing with killers, but Tollman’s case will be the most dangerous of his career.

“A dizzying, suspenseful whirl that surprises at every turn.” -Entertainment Weekly Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they're plunged into the fight of a lifetime, making them question everything they thought they knew. With a sizzling romance at its heart and surprises at every turn, the #1 bestselling Crescent City series has captivated readers everywhere with its exploration of loss, power, and love.

“A dizzying, suspenseful whirl that surprises at every turn.” -Entertainment Weekly Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life-working hard all day and partying all night-until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She'll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose-to assassinate his boss's enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he's offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach. As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City's underbelly, they're plunged into the fight of a lifetime, making them question everything they thought they knew. With a sizzling romance at its heart and surprises at every turn, the #1 New York Times bestselling Crescent City series has captivated readers everywhere with its exploration of loss, power, and love.