Finalist for the 2022 Will Rogers Medallion Award “Terrific.” –Timothy Egan, The New York Times “A riveting investigation of both American myth-making and the real history that lies beneath.” –Claudio Saunt, author of Unworthy Republic From the New York Times bestselling author of Escape From Camp 14, a “terrifically readable” (Los Angeles Times) account of one of the most persistent “alternative facts” in American history: the story of a missionary, a tribe, a massacre, and a myth that shaped the American West In 1836, two missionaries and their wives were among the first Americans to cross the Rockies by covered wagon on what would become the Oregon Trail. Dr. Marcus Whitman and Reverend Henry Spalding were headed to present-day Washington state and Idaho, where they aimed to convert members of the Cayuse and Nez Perce tribes. Both would fail spectacularly as missionaries. But Spalding would succeed as a propagandist, inventing a story that recast his friend as a hero, and helped to fuel the massive westward migration that would eventually lead to the devastation of those they had purportedly set out to save. As Spalding told it, after uncovering a British and Catholic plot to steal the Oregon Territory from the United States, Whitman undertook a heroic solo ride across the country to alert the President. In fact, he had traveled to Washington to save his own job. Soon after his return, Whitman, his wife, and eleven others were massacred by a group of Cayuse. Though they had ample reason - Whitman supported the explosion of white migration that was encroaching on their territory, and seemed to blame for a deadly measles outbreak - the Cayuse were portrayed as murderous savages. Five were executed. This fascinating, impeccably researched narrative traces the ripple effect of these events across the century that followed. While the Cayuse eventually lost the vast majority of their territory, thanks to the efforts of Spalding and others who turned the story to their own purposes, Whitman was celebrated well into the middle of the 20th century for having "saved Oregon." Accounts of his heroic exploits appeared in congressional documents, The New York Times, and Life magazine, and became a central founding myth of the Pacific Northwest. Exposing the hucksterism and self-interest at the root of American myth-making, Murder at the Mission reminds us of the cost of American expansion, and of the problems that can arise when history is told only by the victors.

A local dispute leads to suspicion of murder for a small-town California bookshop owner in this cozy mystery by the New York Times bestselling author. The small town of South Cove, California, has all kinds of attractions, from resorts and beaches to Jill Gardner’s charming bookshop café. But now Jill may have discovered yet another hidden treasure. The old stone wall on her property might be the remnant of a centuries-old mission worthy of being declared a historical landmark. There’s just one problem—and his name is Craig Morgan. The obnoxious owner of South Cove's most popular tourist spot, The Castle, Craig makes it his business to contest Jill’s claim. When Craig is found murdered at The Castle shortly after a heated argument with Jill, even her detective boyfriend Greg has to ask her for an alibi. Jill decides she must find the real murderer to clear her name. But when the killer comes for her, she'll need to switch from historic preservation to self-preservation.

Two Irish priests lives were forever changed when they moved to an island devastated by corruption and greed.They left Ireland in the 1960s to work in conflict resolution between Muslim and Christian communities in the Philippines, a country which was rapidly descending into civil war, Murder in the Missions tells their story.

Local mystery adds a novel twist to the quite, remote Cherry farming community of Old Mission. In 1895, Julia Curtis was found strangled, pregnant, and buried in a shallow grave near her home on Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City. A search for the murderer led investigators to a likely suspect, Woodruff Parmelee. From these bare bones, Stephen Lewis recreates the personalities, relationships and motives for this century old murder that rocked northern Michigan way back when. Tension builds from the first chapter as Lewis weaves the Curtis family ghosts and the Parmelee family skeletons, cleverly creating characters, motives, and relationships that keep the pages turning. There are clues: an empty bottle of laudanum, the footprints, the note'all leading to the climax courtroom drama and a suspect's alibi.

Will they find life on Mars, or death? When the science officer for the first mission to Mars dies suddenly, backup Hattie Fredericks gets the coveted place on the crew. But her presence on the Starship provokes suspicion when it coincides with a series of incidents which threaten to derail the mission. After a near-miss while landing on the planet, the world watches as Hattie and her fellow astronauts struggle to survive. But, worse than the harsh elements on Mars, is their growing realisation that someone, somewhere, is trying to destroy the mission. When more astronauts die, Hattie doesn’t know who to trust. And her only allies are 35 million miles away. As the tension ratchets up, violence and suspicion invade both worlds. If you like science-based sci-fi, and a locked-room mystery with a twist, you'll love this book. Buy it now

Before the New York Times bestselling success of Defending Jacob, William Landay wrote this critically acclaimed first novel of crime and suspense—perfect for fans of John Grisham, Scott Turow, and Dennis Lehane. “Landay writes with eloquent intensity.”—The New York Times Book Review By a shimmering lake in western Maine, a body lies sprawled in a deserted cabin. The dead man was an elite D.A. from Boston whose beat was the city’s toughest neighborhood: Mission Flats. For local police chief Ben Truman, investigating the murder will mean leaving his quiet home and joining a vengeful manhunt in a world of hard streets and harder bargains. The cops have zeroed in on a suspect, a ruthless predator targeted for prosecution by the murdered D.A. But Ben distrusts the Boston police—especially when he uncovers a secret history of murder and retribution stretching back twenty years. As past and present collide, as tribal loyalties threaten to lynch an innocent man—or let a guilty one go free—one thing remains certain: The most powerful revelations are yet to come. Includes an excerpt of Defending Jacob “A crackling debut that answers the question: Who will be the next Grisham?”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “An inventive, gripping suspense debut . . . Landay deals out pertinent details with the finesse of a poker player. . . . A rich, harrowing and delightful read.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[Landay’s] tale is reminiscent of his fellow Beantown writer Dennis Lehane, which is a true compliment.”—Rocky Mountain News “Waiting for a new Landay novel is like waiting for a guy from Cremona to build a violin: anxious but worth it.”—Lee Child Winner of the CWA John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award for Best First Crime Novel