It's Moscow, 1936 and Stalin's Great Terror is beginning. In a deconsecrated Church, a young woman is found dead. Committed to uncovering the truth behind this gruesome murder, Captain Alexei Dimitrevich Korolev, from the CID of the Moscow Militia, enters the realm of the Thieves, who run Moscow's underworld.

Strangers seek refuge at the abbey as floodwaters rise, a body falls, and a relic vanishes—in this “top drawer” mystery featuring the twelfth-century monk (Chicago Sun-Times) In the chill, rainy autumn of 1144, two groups of visitors seek the hospitality of the Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul, and Brother Cadfael fears trouble has come in with them. Among the first arrivals is Brother Tutilo, a young Benedictine with a guileless face and—to Brother Cadfael’s shrewd eyes—a mischievous intelligence. The second group, a ribald French troubadour, his servant, and a girl with the voice of an angel, seems to Brother Cadfael a catalyst for disaster. All of Cadfael’s fears become manifest as rising floodwaters endanger the abbey’s most sacred relic, the remains of Saint Winifred. When the bones disappear and a dead body is found, Brother Cadfael knows carnal and spiritual intrigues are afoot. Now, in a world that believes in signs and miracles, Brother Cadfael needs his prayers answered—as well as some heavenly guidance to crucial clues—to catch a killer hell-bent on murder.

The Holy Family is set upon by roadside thieves when Jesus is a boy. The leader of the gang is the Bad Thief; among them is a young Dismas, the Good Thief. Remembering his own mother and family, Dismas is moved with compassion and persuades the leader to let them go. While on the cross many years later, Dismas is caught in the entrancing gaze of Mother Mary from down below, and suddenly realizes that the man next to him was the captivating boy from that fateful day long ago. He asks Jesus for forgiveness. Knowing exactly who he is, Jesus forgives him and assures him of Paradise that very day.

This first English translation of Sholom Aleichem's rediscovered novel, Moshkeleh the Thief, has a riveting plot, an unusual love story, and a keenly observed portrayal of an underclass Jew replete with characters never before been seen in Yiddish literature. The eponymous hero, Moshkeleh, is a robust chap and horse thief. When Tsireleh, daughter of a tavern keeper, flees to a monastery with the man she loves--a non-Jew she met at the tavern--the humiliated tavern keeper's family turns to Moshkeleh for help, not knowing he too is in love with her. For some unknown reason, this innovative novel does not appear in the standard twenty-eight-volume edition of Sholom Aleichem's collected works, published after his death. Strikingly, Moshkeleh the Thief shows Jews interacting with non-Jews in the Russian Pale of Settlement--a groundbreaking theme in modern Yiddish literature. This novel is also important for Sholom Aleichem's approach to his material. Yiddish literature had long maintained a tradition of edelkeyt, refinement. Authors eschewed violence, the darker side of life, and people on the fringe of respectability. Moshkeleh thus enters a Jewish arena not hitherto explored in a novel.

An exceptional thief… Kyra specializes in nighttime raids, using her sharp senses and uncanny agility to plunder Forge’s wealthiest homes. Then she meets James, the deadly but intriguing Head of the Assassin’s Guild. He has a job for Kyra: infiltrate the impenetrable Palace compound. The pay is good, and the challenge appealing. But as Kyra establishes herself in the Guild, things start to unravel. Her assignments become increasingly violent, demanding more than Kyra is willing to give. And as she grows closer to the darkly attractive James, she can’t shake the feeling that his plans run deeper than he claims. A knight sworn to vengeance… When Tristam’s best friend is killed by Demon Riders—barbarians riding vicious wildcats—he vows to defeat them. The young knight throws himself into his quest, only to find his efforts thwarted by a mysterious and very talented thief. When a twist of fate throws Kyra and Tristam together, they realize that Forge faces greater dangers than either of them had imagined. They must make a choice: continue to fight each other, or work together to unravel the truth. Then, as sinister forces close in, Kyra and Tristam discover a shocking secret that will change their lives forever.

Alzheimer’s disease, a haunting and harrowing ailment, is one of the world’s most common causes of death. Alzheimer’s lingers for years, with patients’ outward appearance unaffected while their cognitive functions fade away. Patients lose the ability to work and live independently, to remember and recognize. There is still no proven way to treat Alzheimer’s because its causes remain unknown. Mind Thief is a comprehensive and engaging history of Alzheimer’s that demystifies efforts to understand the disease. Beginning with the discovery of “presenile dementia” in the early twentieth century, Han Yu examines over a century of research and controversy. She presents the leading hypotheses for what causes Alzheimer’s; discusses each hypothesis’s tangled origins, merits, and gaps; and details their successes and failures. Yu synthesizes a vast amount of medical literature, historical studies, and media interviews, telling the gripping stories of researchers’ struggles while situating science in its historical, social, and cultural contexts. Her chronicling of the trajectory of Alzheimer’s research deftly balances rich scientific detail with attention to the wider implications. In narrating the attempts to find a treatment, Yu also offers a critical account of research and drug development and a consideration of the philosophy of aging. Wide-ranging and accessible, Mind Thief is an important book for all readers interested in the challenge of Alzheimer’s.

When he runs out of toilet paper, Leon must find something else to use. With that, his troubles begin.