In 1935, Polly Adler was New York City's most successful madam. She was fiercely protective of the women in her employ. When her establishment, along with other area brothels, fell under mob control, Polly knew she had to fight back. Eunice Carter was an assistant district attorney working for Thomas Dewey, who created a task force to bring down the elusive mob bosses. Eunice worked on linking figures including Lucky Luciano to the city's brothels. Polly, a Russian-Jewish imm

Phoebe Berman is 29 years old and lives in Los Angeles. She loves her job as a pre-K teacher, enjoys a great circle of friends, and has a loving family. What she also has is her virginity. A disastrous and traumatizing first-kiss incident in middle school has escalated into a significant fear of intimacy. Yet, the organized, label-machine loving, list-making, romance book reading Phoebe is determined to lose her virginity by her fast-approaching 30th birthday. She has compose

Francesca "Frankie" Gardiner and George Saint James have been best friends since childhood. Although they had drifted apart, when Frankie introduced George to her fiancé Nate, a slightly older man, George felt they weren't a good match. George agreed to be her best man but the night before the wedding, Nate called it off, with no explanation. Heartbroken, Frankie decides not to let her honeymoon go to waste and invites George to go with her. It was an opportunity for Frankie

Daphne Fuller leads a fulfilling life as an English teacher at a Manhattan prep school. At 53, she is happily married to 70-year-old Jonathan, a retired hospital administrator. While walking through New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jonathan notices a man who seems to be following Daphne. Although she doesn't recognize him, the man is Eddie Triplett, her mother's second husband. Daphne's parents, Buddy and Abigail, divorced when she and her sister were young. Abigail is

Set in the late 1990s in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, John-Calum “Cal” Macleod is returning home after attending art college in Edinburgh, on the mainland. He claims that his return is based on his maternal grandmother Ella's failing health, but the truth is that he has been unable to find work and is out of money. Cal's father, John, is a sheep farmer, tweed weaver, and deacon of their local church. The community awaits Cal's return, expecting him to work for his father

In 1919, Washington, D.C. serves as the backdrop where Elisabeth Beaumont is working in her family's jewelry business. Beaumont Jewelers had been thriving but after the tragic death of her twin brother Julien, everything changed. Her father, who was a master at designing jewelry, was left too traumatized to continue his work. The responsibility of saving the business along with the family home rested on Elisabeth's shoulders, despite her own grief. Julien had been successful

In 2000, AJ Graves is 17 when she meets 21-year-old Noah Drew, who starts working with her at a video rental store in their small Massachusetts town. He's the youngest member of the Drew acting dynasty. They quickly become close. Drew's great-aunt Eudora gives them acting and improv lessons. And then Noah disappears. They reunite seven years later when an opportunity arises to create an unscripted prequel to the sixties sci-fi show Astronauticals, which starred Eudora, and wa

Lina Mariano is living in her hometown on the Jersey Shore. She had hoped to move to Manhattan but after losing her job in NYC, she was hired as a lifestyle reporter for a local website, Shore Life, mainly focusing on area weddings. What was meant to be a short-term job has now lasted six years. Lina's career has stalled and her love life is non-existent. With summer here again, fortunately, her best friend Maren has come back to visit. However, also back in town from Califor

Author Faye Wader's career is starting to wane. Her mystery series about a crime-solving math teacher still has legions of fans, but new writers, like Abby Schuss, who has been organizing fan events, are surpassing her in popularity and sales. In response, Faye plans her own fan weekend in her home state of Massachusetts on the remote Great Misery Island. Her assistant, Jade Smythe, an aspiring writer, organizes a fun weekend for fifty of Faye's most dedicated fans, including

In Redbelly Crossing, south of Sydney, Australia, Chloe Lutz, an aspiring journalist, has been found murdered in a small motel above the rural community's sole pub. Evan Powder, the Senior Sergeant of the area, is eager to tackle a high-profile case that could potentially restore his tarnished reputation. However, he is not happy that his estranged brother Russell, a Sydney-based Detective Inspector, has been sent to help in the investigation. Russell is reluctant to travel

It's 1954 and Cynthia Proctor is finishing her sophomore year at a prestigious college in Maine. Although she is determined to pursue the male-dominated field of economics, her scholarship is not renewed. Her wealthy roommate, Pauline, invites her to spend the summer at her family's sprawling estate on Long Pond in Mount Vernon, Maine. Hoping to earn enough money to return to school, Cynthia finds a summer job working as a chambermaid at Elizabeth Arden's Maine Chance, an exc

It's 2022 and Carrie Cole has settled into a peaceful life in Devon, England. She's married to Robin and left her promising career as a surgeon to focus on raising their twins. While content with her life, she has worked hard to move past the devastation of her first marriage, which lasted only a few hours. Back in 2010, Carrie met Johan Kullberg, a man she was sure was her soulmate. During a trip to Thailand, he proposed, they married on the beach, and just hours later, he w

Leo and April Torres have been married for nine years. On the same evening Leo tells April he wants a divorce, an accidental fire erupts and destroys their house. Although the couple and their two children, Sadie and Otto, make it out safely, their lives also go up in flames. They temporarily move in with April's parents, Deb and Billy Russo. Told from the perspectives of April, Leo and Deb, in present day and flashbacks, their stories unfold. While April grew up in a loving

It seems like a typical day at a train station. Commuters stand on the platform, awaiting the 7:06 train to London Victoria. However, we are made aware that in five minutes, someone will die, and it will be one of five people: Emma, a single mother; her six-year-old son Gideon; Liam, a successful businessman; Mrs. Worth, a retired woman in her seventies; or Sonny, a man with a gambling addiction. The all-knowing narrator, who frequently breaks the fourth wall, shares the stor

In the present-day, Riley is preparing for her wedding to Sam. While he has a large family, her only family member is her grandmother, Betty, who suffers from dementia. During a period of clarity, Betty reveals clues about Riley's long-deceased mother's true heritage. Following this shocking discovery, she and Sam travel from New Jersey to Tipperary, Ireland. The story shifts to 1956. Margaret Lannigan is in love and eagerly awaits marrying Joseph. Her sister Sheila had alway

On May 1, 1992, Jules Delaney, a popular high school student, is violently attacked after leaving a concert by herself. The people in her small Nebraska town have been on edge since a local girl was killed by the notorious May Day Killer, who has been attacking girls and women across the Midwest annually on May 1st, since the 1980s. Jules survives but doesn't tell anyone, fearing another attack. Quinn Riley, who is not as popular as Jules, became friends with her during study

Julia, Emily, and Nora made a vow to their Grandma Vera to spend a week together every May at the Coronado, California beach house left to them. After losing their mother at a young age, their maternal grandmother wanted to ensure the sisters never lost touch. Julie, the eldest, goes to law school, marries, and has a daughter, yet each year she is drawn back to the old feelings for the charming neighbor she always thought she'd end up with. Middle sister Emily continues to fe

Clare Bast lives in Manhattan with her husband Jed. After becoming pregnant with their daughter Sophie, she put her PhD studies on hold. Jeb works for a hedge fund and comes from an affluent family. At a party hosted by gallery owner Gabriel Prévost, Clare feels an immediate connection and is drawn back into the art world she misses. After a violent murder and theft of a valuable work of art, Clare becomes a suspect. Alexandra Andrews' novel, Who Is Maud Dixon? (2021) was s

Daisy Stevens, a nurse, moves to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, seeking a fresh start after a traumatic work experience. Shortly after her arrival, an abandoned baby is brought to the hospital by Mason Thaysden, the local high school baseball coach who was once a star pitcher in his school days but never reached the big leagues. After saving the newborn, Mason is eager to get to know Daisy better and introduces her to his large family, which include his Aunt Tilley, a woman a

In 1950, Ellie Chang, a 28-year-old Chinese American journalist, is traveling to North Korea following the invasion of South Korea by its army and the initiation of a "police action" by the United States under the United Nations. After her plane is shot down, Ellie is saved by Emma, a woman searching for her daughter, who was captured and forced to become a "comfort woman" by the Imperial Japanese Army. Ellie is taken in by Pak Sung-Ho, a Baptist minister, and his wife Imo, w