Biologist, Ned Fielding leaves the tattered remains of his marriage behind to spend six months on Winward Island, a property shared by SENCA, his land conservation group, and the reclusive, Widow Barlow. Dispatched to the island to study a rare species of carrion beetle, Ned finds himself much more interested in studying the island’s only other human, the beautiful, Addie Barlow, whose screams of terror awaken him in the dead of night. A hurricane and near drowning throw the island’s two inhabitants together and they begin a smoldering love affair. The locals call the Widow Barlow a witch and enchantress. They claim she murdered her much older husband, the philanthropist, King Barlow, but Ned cannot quite believe the wild tales about the gentle woman he adores. Enchantress, maybe—with her closest companions, an osprey, dolphin and coyote – but murderess? Will Ned’s quest for the truth destroy their love and Addie’s heart?

Her heart beats fast in her chest as she cautiously opens the front door and takes in the smashed plates on the kitchen floor and upended furniture. She follows the trail of red droplets on the floor, knowing what she’s about to find. Knowing that something terrible has happened… Stephanie Miller is an average working mom. She isn’t perfect, but when her war hero husband dies and her work puts her in news headlines, her past is laid bare for all to see. Determined to make a new life for herself and teenage daughter, Amy, she fears it’s only a matter of time before the biggest mistake of her life is revealed. As Stephanie and Amy take refuge on a remote island in Washington, it feels like they’re learning how to live again. But then they come home to graffiti on their garage door, there’s no escaping the hate online, and Stephanie is sure somebody is watching from the shadows outside their house. When one of Stephanie’s close friends is murdered in her own home, she knows her worst fears have come true. Someone knows the truth. And she must become the fighter her husband always knew her to be if she is to protect her daughter, and everything left in the world that she loves. An absolutely nail-biting thriller from bestselling author, L.A. Larkin. Perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Gregg Olsen. An addictive, unputdownable, up-all-night read. What readers are saying about Widow’s Island: “WOW… Just wow, OMG… Keeps you captivated and glued to your Kindle… I found myself on the edge of my seat and I’m certain that if I was in the habit of biting my nails, I wouldn’t have any left… Worth far more than five stars.” Nicki’s Life of Crime, 5 stars “I couldn’t put this one down! I don’t know where to begin with this thriller thrill ride… Twists and turns and surprises to keep you on the edge of your seat.” Problematic Pug, 5 stars “Wow! What a heart-pounding thriller! I couldn’t put it down.” Lindzanne1_bookworm, 5 stars “Wow!… What a story! I think my heart pounded out of my chest!… What a heart-pounding, suspense-filled book.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “I had to finish it immediately!… This story has it all… I loved it!’ Sinfullywickedbookreviews, 5 stars “Oh wow, what an incredible book this was! It was my first book by this author and jeez she captivated my attention from the very beginning.” Bforbookreview, 5 stars “To say this was a nail-biting thriller would be an understatement.” Goodreads reviewer “I could not put this book down and I read it in one sitting. It was creepy and thrilling and had my on the edge of my seat.” Fictionvixenreads.com “Captivating… Full of tension… A gritty read that will keep you guessing.” Briannesbookreviews, 5 stars “A bone-chilling, heart-pounding, sucking in your breath kind of read… I raced through this in just a couple of hours.” NetGalley reviewer “One of those books where I wish there was a ranking above 5 stars.” Nigel Adams Book Worm, 5 stars “I absolutely loved this book!… The twists, turns and ending were shocking and exciting.” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars “A tense and compulsive psychological thriller… It will keep you guessing… Nail-biting.” Avidreadersretreat

Set against the backdrop of an eerie island town in the dead of winter, The Wife and the Widow is a mystery/thriller told from two perspectives: Kate, a widow whose grief is compounded by what she learns about her dead husband’s secret life; and Abby, an island local whose world is turned upside down when she’s forced to confront the evidence that her husband is a murderer. But nothing on this island is quite as it seems, and only when these women come together can they discover the whole story about the men in their lives. Brilliant and beguiling, The Wife and the Widow takes you to a cliff edge and asks the question: how well do we really know the people we love?

Everyday life is turned upside down in the quiet community when stories of a naked stranger roaming the eastern shores of the island spread like most rumors do. Reports of the incident were startling and the mystery wasnt easy for anyone to explain. As the investigation moved forward, following several sightings by local residents, the uncomfortable situation only created more questions than answers.

Get to know the inhabitants of a tiny Japanese island--and their unusual stories and secrets--through this fascinating, intimate collection of portraits. "This book beautifully describes the residents of tiny Shiraishi Island as well as telling how Amy herself came to be in such a fascinating little corner of Japan…Amy herself, with this book, has shown herself an integral part of this preservation. --Rebecca Otowa, author of At Home in Japan When American journalist Amy Chavez moved to the tiny island of Shiraishi (population 430), she rented a house from an elderly woman named Eiko, who left many of her most cherished possessions in the house--including a portrait of Emperor Hirohito and a family altar bearing the spirit tablet of her late husband. Why did she abandon these things? And why did her tombstone later bear the name of a daughter no one knew? These are just some of the mysteries Amy pursues as she explores the lives of Shiraishi's elusive residents. The 31 revealing accounts in this book include: The story of 40-year-old fisherman Hiro, one of two octopus hunters left on the island, who moved back to his home island to fill a void left by his brother who died in a boating accident. A Buddhist priest, eighty-eight, who reflects on his childhood during the war years, witnessing fighter pilots hiding in bunkers on the back side of the island. A "pufferfish widow," so named because her husband died after accidentally eating a poisonous pufferfish. The ex-postmaster who talks about hiking over the mountains at night to deliver telegrams at a time when there were only 17 telephone numbers on the island. Interspersed with the author's reflections on her own life on the island, these stories paint an evocative picture of the dramatic changes which have taken place in Japanese society across nearly a century. Fascinating insights into local superstitions and folklore, memories of the war and the bombing of nearby Hiroshima, and of Shiraishi's heyday as a resort in the 1960s and 70s are interspersed with accounts of common modern-day problems like the collapse of the local economy and a rapidly-aging community which has fewer residents each year.

“This is the hopeful book we all need right now. I loved it!”—Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lies That Bind As Seen on the TODAY SHOW A Southern Living Best Beach Read * A PopSugar Best Book of May * An Us Weekly Summer Beach Staple * A Frolic Under-the-Radar Book of May * An OK Magazine Best Summer Beach Read * An EW.com Best Book of Spring * A Country Living Can't Miss Beach Read * A LibraryReads Pick for May * An Emily Giffin Book Club pick Sometimes all you need is one person to really see you. Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper? Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most. USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and an outsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than the facts.

From the acclaimed author of Daughters and Brown Girl, Brownstones comes a “work of exceptional wisdom, maturity, and generosity, one in which the palpable humanity of its characters transcends any considerations of race or sex”(Washington Post Book World). Avey Johnson—a black, middle-aged, middle-class widow given to hats, gloves, and pearls—has long since put behind her the Harlem of her childhood. Then on a cruise to the Caribbean with two friends, inspired by a troubling dream, she senses her life beginning to unravel—and in a panic packs her bag in the middle of the night and abandons her friends at the next port of call. The unexpected and beautiful adventure that follows provides Avey with the links to the culture and history she has so long disavowed. “Astonishingly moving.”—Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review