“Downton Abbey meets Gangs of New York…a gem of a novel to be inhaled in one gulp” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) about a devoted maid whose secretive world is about to be ripped apart at the seams—a lush and evocative debut set in 19th-century New York that’s perfect for fans of Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith and Emma Donoghue’s Slammerkin. By day, Mary Ballard is dutiful lady’s maid to Charlotte Walden, a wealthy and accomplished belle of New York City high society. But Charlotte would never trust Mary again if she knew the truth about her devoted servant’s past. On her nights off, Mary sheds her persona as prim and proper lady’s maid to reveal her true self—Irish exile Maire O’Farren. She finds release from her frustration in New York’s gritty underworld—in the arms of a prostitute and as drinking companion to a decidedly motley crew consisting of members of a dangerous secret society. Meanwhile, Charlotte has a secret of her own—she’s having an affair with a stable groom, unaware that her lover is actually Mary’s own brother. When the truth of both women’s double lives begins to unravel, Mary is left to face the consequences. Forced to choose between loyalty to her brother and loyalty to Charlotte, between society’s respect and true freedom, Mary finally learns that her fate lies in her hands alone. A captivating historical fiction of 19th century upstairs/downstairs New York City, The Parting Glass examines sexuality, race, and social class in ways that feel startlingly familiar and timely. A perfectly paced, romantically charged “story of the sumptuous world of the privileged and the precarious, difficult environs of the immigrant working poor is highlighted by vibrant characters and a well-paced plot, which will pull readers into the tangled tale” (Publishers Weekly).

While on Injured on Duty status, Lauren Riley's hired as a private investigator to travel to rural Ireland in search of a Picasso painting stolen twenty years earlier in this nerve-shredding thriller. An old wound forces Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley onto Injured on Duty leave. Unless she rests she faces the threat of early retirement. However, dreading the prospect of doing nothing for six months, Lauren renews her private investigator license. She's soon contacted by Sharon Whitney, the ex-wife of wealthy Buffalo resident - and suspected mob boss - Howard Whitney. During their bitter divorce twenty years earlier a Picasso painting was stolen from their home and never recovered. After the main suspect passes away from ill health in Ireland, Sharon to hires Lauren to locate the painting - before her ex-husband does. Lauren expects a low-stress, fact-finding trip yet arrives in Ireland to discover suspicions around the suspect's death and his home ransacked. With the clock ticking, uncovering the truth behind the painting's disappearance may be far more dangerous than Lauren imagined.

Once a struggling community of Irish immigrants, Lake Erie’s Whiskey Island has a past as colorful as the patrons who frequent the Whiskey Island Saloon. A local gathering place for generations, the saloon is now run by the Donaghue sisters, whose lives and hearts have been shaped by family tragedy and a haunting mystery. When an act of violence sets the wheels of fate in motion, Megan Donaghue, a woman unwilling to trust in love, and Niccolo Andreani, a man unwilling to trust in himself, are determined to learn the truth about one fateful night in the family’s long-forgotten past. As an old man struggles to protect a secret as old as Whiskey Island itself, a murder that still shadows too many lives is about to be solved—with repercussions no one can predict.

In recent years scholars have re-evaluated the "parting of the ways" between Judaism and Christianity, reaching new understandings of the ways shared origins gave way to two distinct and sometimes inimical religious traditions. But this has been a profoundly textual task, relying on the writings of rabbis, bishops, and other text-producing elites to map the terrain of the "parting." This book takes up the question of the divergence of Judaism and Christianity in terms of material--the stuff made, used, and left behind by the persons that lived in and between these religions as they were developing. Considering the glass, clay, stone, paint, vellum, and papyrus of ancient Jews and Christians, this book maps the "parting" in new ways, and argues for a greater role for material and materialism in our reconstructions of the past.

A portrait based on personal stories by friends and family members traces the late comedian's passionate dedication to bringing laughter into the lives of others, his successes on SNL and in numerous top films, and the incapacity for moderation that led to his fatal battle with drugs and alcohol.

Mary Saunders' lust for linen, lace and a shiny red ribbon leads her to a life of prostitution.

Fiona O'Meara dreams of attending nursing school during the early 1970s. The path that leads to her goal has been torturous, beginning with the migration of her family from Ireland. Soon after arriving at the university, Fiona meets a black medical student, Josh Thomas, who moonlights as a teaching assistant. Although friendly, Josh is reticent to discuss personal matters, but finds himself quickly warming to Fiona's natural charm. He reveals his poverty-ridden upbringing and mother's self-sacrifice. Josh and Fiona find many similarities between Irish and Black history. Josh proposes an alternative to Fiona's working as an underpaid nursing assistant for people who trivialize life and death. He encourages her to become nanny to Daniel, the son of a busy emergency room physician, Michael Patrick O'Byrne, himself and Irish emigrant. Fiona endeavors to discover a way into Daniel's heart. He has remained despondent since the death of his mother. Life in the household is tense between Daniel's unsatisfied needs and his father's desire to marry again. Meanwhile, Josh irritates a widening circle of acquaintances. Fiona encourages him to speak to a friend, Dev Porter, a flamboyant detective in the Richmond police department. Josh promises to speak to the detective but never follows through. Between school and worry about Josh, Daniel, and an ever-widening circle of acquaintances, Fiona exhausts herself. A dear friend vanishes after a fateful phone call, and Fiona calls the police. Dev Porter responds, armed with information suggesting foul play. Dev keeps Fiona abreast of the investigation, hoping her friendship with the victim will spark some insight into the case. Soon after, a car hits Daniel. Fiona despairs. In their grief, Fiona and Michael turn to each other. Michael seeks solace in Fiona's embrace and her bed. Fiona loses her virginity to the man she has loved for most of a year. Fiona's friend's body remains undiscovered for over a year. A second skeleton is unearthed, and Dev Porter provides the key to the identity of he second victim. The detective and his partner interrogate the man thought to have been responsible for the deaths of both men. Already serving four consecutive life sentences, with no possibility of parole, the man agrees to provide the gruesome details of both murders. Ironically, although involved, the man most likely to have killed Fiona's friend is guiltless of the crime.