Laurah Norton

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Illinois

On the Road with the Cold Case Investigators Who Identify the Nameless

A fascinating deep dive into the dark world of forensic science as experts team up to solve the identity of an unknown woman named "Ina Jane Doe," exploring the rapidly evolving techniques scientists are using to break the most notorious cold cases, written by the host of the popular true crime podcast, The Fall Line Fans of true crime shows like CSI, NCIS, Criminal Minds, and Law and Order know that when it comes to "getting the bad guy" behind bars, your best chance of success boils down to the strength of your evidence--and the forensic science used to obtain it. Beyond the silver screen, forensic science has been used for decades to help solve even the most tough-to-crack cases. In 2018, the accused Golden State Killer, Joseph DeAngelo, was finally apprehended after a decades-long investigation thanks to a very recent technique called forensic genealogy, which has since led to the closure of hundreds of cold cases, bringing long-awaited justice to victims and families alike. But when it comes to solving these incredibly difficult cases, forensic genealogy is just the tip of the iceberg--and many readers have no idea just how far down that iceberg goes. For Laurah Norton, forensic science was always more of a passion than anything else. But after learning about a mishandled 1990s cold case involving missing twins, she was spurred to action, eventually creating a massively popular podcast and building a platform that helped bring widespread attention and resources to the case. LAY THEM TO REST builds on Laurah's fascination with these investigations, introducing readers to the history and evolution of forensic science, from the death masks used in Ancient Rome to the 3-D facial reconstruction technology used today. Incorporating the stories of real-life John & Jane Does from around the world, Laurah also examines how changing identification methods have helped solve the most iconic cold cases. Along the way readers will also get to see Laurah solve a case in real time with forensic anthropologist Dr. Amy Michael, as they try to determine the identity of "Ina" Jane Doe, a woman whose head was found in a brush in an Illinois park in 1993. More than just a chronicle of the history of forensics, LAY THEM TO REST is also a celebration of the growing field of experts, forensic artists, and anthropologists (many of whom Laurah talks to in the book), who work tirelessly to bring closure to these unsolved cases. And of course, this book asks why some cases go unsolved, highlighting the "missing missing," the sex workers, undocumented, the cases that so desperately need our attention, but so rarely get it. Engrossing, informative, heartbreaking, and hopeful, LAY THEM TO REST is a deep dive into the world of forensic science, showing readers how far we've come in cracking cases and catching killers, and illuminating just how far we have yet to go.

Lay Them to Rest

7d0cf529-b8de-4932-ab3a-4ae1a0c89114-1

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a riveting noir about a daydreaming secretary, a lonesome thug, and the mystery of the missing woman that brings them together. 1970s Mexico City. Maite is a secretary who lives for one thing: the latest issue of Secret Romance. While student protests and political unrest consume the city, Maite escapes into stories of passion and danger. Her next-door neighbor, Leonora, a beautiful art student, seems to live a life of intrigue and romance that Maite envies. When Leonora disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman--and journeying deeper into Leonora's secret life of student radicals and dissidents. Meanwhile, someone else is also looking for Leonora at the behest of his boss, a shadowy figure who commands goon squads dedicated to squashing political activists. Elvis is an eccentric thug who longs to escape his own life: He loathes violence and loves old movies and rock 'n' roll. But as Elvis searches for the missing woman, he comes to observe Maite from a distance--and grows more and more obsessed with this woman who shares his love of music, and the unspoken loneliness of his heart. Now as Maite and Elvis come closer to discovering the secrets behind Leonora's disappearance, they can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives, with hitmen, government agents, and Russian spies aiming to protect Leonora's secrets--at gunpoint. Their lives become more colorful than comics, more passionate than a pop song, and stranger than pulp fiction.

Velvet Was the Night

224a3331-0dd1-4e79-8f3e-3012382d4434-1

Steven Rowley

An Indie Next List Pick

A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises--especially to ourselves--by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

It's been a minute--or five years--since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began. Now Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle find themselves at the brink of a new decade, with all the responsibilities of adulthood, yet no closer to having their lives figured out. Though not for a lack of trying. Over the years they've reunited in Big Sur to honor a decades-old pact to throw each other living "funerals," celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth living--that their lives mean something, to one another if not to themselves.

But this reunion is different. They're not gathered as they were to bolster Marielle as her marriage crumbled, to lift Naomi after her parents died, or to intervene when Craig pleaded guilty to art fraud. This time, Jordan is sitting on a secret that will upend their pact.

A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley's signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.

The Celebrants

9de2fd25-e058-4f66-9770-51d8475da0b0-1

Erin Young

Cover is a little damaged. Otherwise, great condition.

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

A Novel

"As Mare of Easttown brilliantly tweaked the police procedural format, so does Erin Young in her lean-limbed, gripping new novel." --Oprah Daily
The Fields is now in Development for Television with Made Up Stories (Big, Little Lies, Luckiest Girl Alive)

Some things don't stay buried.

It starts with a body--a young woman found dead in an Iowa cornfield, on one of the few family farms still managing to compete with the giants of Big Agriculture.

When Sergeant Riley Fisher, newly promoted to head of investigations for the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office, arrives on the scene, an already horrific crime becomes personal when she discovers the victim was a childhood friend, connected to a dark past she thought she'd left behind.

The investigation grows complicated as more victims are found. Drawn deeper in, Riley soon discovers implications far beyond her Midwest town.

The Fields

3700de11-e077-4609-a916-eda2db9367d1-1

Set in a lushly drawn world inspired by Inquisition Spain, Zoraida Córdova's fantasy is an epic tale of love and revenge perfect for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas!
 

As a memory thief– the rarest and most feared of the magical Moria– Renata was used by the crown to carry out the King's Wrath, a siege that resulted in the deaths of thousands of her own people.

 

Now Renata is one of the Whispers, rebel spies working against the crown. The Whispers may have rescued Renata years ago, but she cannot escape their mistrust and hatred—or the overpowering memories of the hundreds of souls she drained during her time in the palace.

 

When Dez, the commander of her unit—and the boy she's grown to love—is taken captive by the notorious Principe Dorado, Renata must return to Andalucia and complete Dez's top secret mission herself. But as Renata grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the fate of the entire kingdom—and end the war that has cost her everything.

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Incendiary

Adriel Wallaker

Rachel Ward

Grzegorz Wozniak

Renovia, once the strongest nation in the world, has collapsed.

Child siblings Kairo and Aterah escape to the future but lose the Archeodon crown in the process—an artifact that grants each nation authority over the afterlife. Without it, they have no magic, and the Renovian population is regarded as less than human by the four neighboring kingdoms.

Too young to remember where they came from, Kairo and Aterah grow up with the remnants of Renovia: a broken, primitive people that have been oppressed back into the stone age.

When the Sigu Nii, an imperialistic people with a bloodlust social hierarchy, discover that Aterah can see the future in her dreams, they send unstoppable warriors tearing through their little outpost and steal her away.

Kairo abandons his post to chase after her through uncharted hostile territory. While trying to remain undiscovered, he grapples with cultures that are more technologically advanced and morally barbaric than his own.

Jamie Rincker

@jamie182840

Books Listed

Following

Followers

Laurah Norton

Lay Them to Rest

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Velvet Was the Night

Steven Rowley

The Celebrants

Erin Young

The Fields

Zoraida Cordova

Incendiary

Adriel Wallaker; Rachel Ward; Grzegorz Wozniak

Illyadra

Get The App

Browse by categories

Laurah Norton

Lay Them to Rest

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Velvet Was the Night

Steven Rowley

The Celebrants

Erin Young

The Fields

Zoraida Cordova

Incendiary

Adriel Wallaker; Rachel Ward; Grzegorz Wozniak

Illyadra

Get The App