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Nash Falls

💼 Author: David Baldacci✨ NEW RELEASECrime Action & Adventure

When Walter Nash is recruited by the FBI to help bring down a global crime network his life is turned completely upside down in this thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci.

Nash is an intelligent man, tough but fair-minded. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.

However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.

Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with the FBI, she turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated. And that forces Nash to take the ultimate step both to survive and to take his revenge: He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been.

And even that may not be enough.

David Baldacci is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who has sold over 150 million copies worldwide and defined modern thriller writing with series characters like Amos Decker, John Puller, and the Camel Club. His ability to create ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances—and watching them either rise to the challenge or be destroyed by it—has made him one of the most reliably entertaining thriller writers working today. Baldacci’s strengths lie in propulsive plotting, morally complex situations, and protagonists who must compromise their principles to survive.

Why I’m including this: Baldacci takes the “ordinary man recruited by the FBI” premise and immediately adds layers of complication. Nash isn’t just some random guy—he’s risen to the top of an investment firm through intelligence and tenacity, meaning he has skills the FBI needs but also everything to lose. The timing of the FBI’s approach (right after his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral) suggests family history and daddy issues will complicate Nash’s transformation. Victoria Steers being described as an “international criminal mastermind” whom the FBI has been chasing for years raises the stakes—Nash is going up against someone far more experienced and dangerous than he is. The phrase “Nash has little choice but to accept” suggests the FBI isn’t asking nicely, creating resentment that will color his cooperation. When Steers discovers Nash is working with the FBI and “turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated,” Baldacci promises a twist that will fundamentally change the story’s direction. The key line is “He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been”—Nash the successful, ethical family man must become something darker, more ruthless, possibly criminal himself to survive and win. That “And even that may not be enough” is classic Baldacci raising the stakes beyond what seems survivable. If you’ve loved Baldacci’s Camel Club series, his Amos Decker novels, or any thriller where ordinary people discover capacities for violence and deception they never knew they had, this promises similar moral complexity and escalating danger. This is Baldacci doing what he does best: taking someone with everything to lose and forcing them to risk it all.

Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms

🎄 Author: Claire Kingsley🎉 NEW RELEASESmall-Town Christmas Romance

From USA Today Bestselling author Claire Kingsley, the stand-alone small-town/romcom/romantic suspense/Christmas romance you didn’t know you needed.

Handsome, charismatic, and charming, Jensen Lakes is an enigma in a designer suit. But his playboy reputation is a persona—one of many—that he uses in his unique line of work.

A priceless heirloom goes missing right before the holidays, and Jensen is hired to find it. Tracking down the perpetrator will be simple. He’ll be in and out before Santa hits chimneys.

Natalie Thatcher needs a break. She’s a dedicated sister, aunt, and nurse, but her life is no Christmas carol. Between bills, mounting home repairs, and holiday shopping still to be done, most days she feels like a tangled strand of lights.

Jensen follows his quarry to Tilikum, and the Christmas-clad town throws him for a loop. As does Natalie. He enlists her aid—who better to help him navigate the local quirks than the captivating woman next door? Despite their chemistry and sizzling banter, love isn’t on his Christmas list. Or hers.

But as danger mounts, Jensen finds himself in an unexpected position—falling in love with his partner. And when her life is on the line, he’ll risk everything to keep her safe.

And get her home for Christmas.

Author’s Note: A handsome charmer falls hard for a sassy small-town girl. Adventure, witty banter, Christmas coziness, and a holiday happily ever after that will leave your heart full.

Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms can be read as a stand-alone romance.

Claire Kingsley is a USA Today bestselling author who has mastered the art of blending multiple romance subgenres into single stories that deliver on all fronts. Her ability to combine small-town charm, romantic comedy humor, genuine suspense, and holiday warmth has attracted readers who want their romance to be more than just will-they-won’t-they—they want adventure, danger, and Christmas magic wrapped together with a bow.

What makes this special: Jensen Lakes being described as having a “playboy reputation” that’s actually “a persona—one of many—that he uses in his unique line of work” immediately signals he’s more than a charming pretty boy. He’s essentially a private investigator or retrieval specialist (think Leverage or White Collar) who uses different identities and personas professionally. The setup is Murder, She Wrote meets Hallmark Christmas movie—Jensen tracking a stolen heirloom to a quirky small town called Tilikum, expecting a quick in-and-out job, only to get tangled up in both the town’s Christmas festivities and Natalie Thatcher’s complicated life. Natalie being a nurse, sister, and aunt dealing with bills and home repairs makes her refreshingly grounded—she’s not waiting for Prince Charming, she’s trying to keep her family afloat. The “feels like a tangled strand of lights” is perfect small-town Christmas imagery. Jensen enlisting Natalie’s help to navigate local quirks creates forced partnership dynamics, while “despite their chemistry and sizzling banter, love isn’t on his Christmas list. Or hers” promises both will fight the attraction before inevitably surrendering. The escalation from finding a stolen heirloom to “danger mounts” and “her life is on the line” suggests the theft is connected to something more serious, giving this romantic suspense stakes beyond simple romance obstacles. Kingsley’s promise of “adventure, witty banter, Christmas coziness, and a holiday happily ever after” tells you exactly what you’re getting—this is comfort-read territory that also delivers genuine thrills. If you’ve loved Debbie Macomber’s Christmas romances but want more action, Susan Mallery’s Fool’s Gold series (small-town romance with humor), or any Hallmark movie where the charming stranger turns out to be more than he seems, this delivers similar warm fuzzies with added suspense. This is the perfect holiday read for when you want your Christmas romance with a side of danger.

Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II

⚓ Author: Tom Clavin🎉 NEW RELEASEWorld War II History

The true story of the deadliest submarine in World War II and the courageous captain who survived torture and imprisonment at the hands of the enemy.

There was one submarine that outfought all other boats in the Silent Service in World War II: the USS Tang. Captain Richard Hetherington O’Kane commanded the attack submarine that sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine. These undersea predators were the first to lead the offensive rebound against the Japanese, but at great cost: Submariners would have six times the mortality rate as the sailors who manned surface ships.

The Tang achieved its greatest success on October 24, 1944, when it took on an entire Japanese convoy and destroyed it. But its 24th and last torpedo boomeranged, returning to strike the Tang. Mortally wounded, the boat sunk, coming to rest on the bottom, 180 feet down. After hours of struggle, nine of the 87 crewmen, including O’Kane, made it to the surface.

Captured by the Japanese, the Tang sailors joined other submariners and flyers – including Louis Zamperini and “Pappy” Boyington – at a “torture camp” whose purpose was to gain vital information from inmates and otherwise let them die from malnutrition, disease, and abuse. A special target was Captain O’Kane after the Japanese learned of the headlines about the Tang. Against all odds, when the camp was liberated in August 1945, O’Kane, at only 90 pounds, still lived. The following January, Richard O’Kane limped into the White House where President Truman bestowed him with the Medal of Honor.

This is the true story of death and survival in the high seas—and of the submarine and her brave captain who would become legends.

Tom Clavin is a #1 New York Times bestselling author specializing in American military history, having written multiple acclaimed books about World War II heroism including Halsey’s Typhoon and The Last Stand of Fox Company. Clavin’s strength lies in finding the human stories within massive historical events, focusing on individual courage and survival rather than just strategic military operations. His meticulous research and narrative skill make history read like thriller fiction while honoring the real people who lived these extraordinary stories.

Why I’m including this: The USS Tang story is almost too dramatic to be real—the deadliest American submarine in WWII, sunk by its own torpedo boomeranging back and striking the boat. That detail alone is devastating: after achieving legendary success, destroying an entire Japanese convoy, the Tang‘s final torpedo malfunctions and kills the very crew who fired it. The survival horror of being trapped in a submarine 180 feet underwater, only nine of 87 men making it to the surface, is nightmare fuel for anyone with a trace of claustrophobia. But the story doesn’t end there—O’Kane and his surviving crew are captured and sent to a “torture camp” specifically designed to extract information and let prisoners die slowly. The fact that O’Kane shared captivity with Louis Zamperini (subject of Unbroken) and “Pappy” Boyington (legendary Marine ace) puts this in the company of the war’s most harrowing POW stories. O’Kane being singled out for special torture because the Japanese learned about the Tang‘s success adds personal vendetta to already horrific circumstances. That he survived to weigh only 90 pounds at liberation but still made it to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor from President Truman is the kind of triumph-over-impossible-odds narrative that great nonfiction is built on. Clavin’s subtitle promises “the true story of death and survival,” and he delivers on both—this isn’t sanitized history but an unflinching look at submarine warfare’s brutal reality and the concentration camp horrors that followed. If you’ve loved Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, In Harm’s Way by Doug Stanton (USS Indianapolis), or any WWII history that focuses on individual courage under unimaginable circumstances, this delivers similar gut-punch emotional impact grounded in meticulous historical research. This is the kind of story that reminds you real life produces narratives no fiction writer would dare invent because they’d seem too implausible.

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