Maria was eight months old in 1942 when a childless couple found her, wrapped in a blanket, at the side of a road near Krosno, Poland. A note pinned to the blanket stated only her first name and her date of birth. The couple picked up Maria and raised her, but she grew up longing for identity and connection. Who was she, and what had happened to her family?Years later, Maria’s story came to the attention of Stanley Diamond. Diamond was the founder of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland,...

SPEAK UP AND PERSUADEAt some point in our lives, we’ve all experienced an injustice, large or small—a restaurant botching our lunch order or a boss who isn’t following the guidelines for workplace etiquette—and suffered in silence for fear of offending anyone. When we fail to speak up, however, we shortchange ourselves. Amy Fish encourages standing up for yourself (and others) by complaining effectively. Her suggestions will appeal to anyone who wants to s...

Between 1967 and 1972, a previously obscure group of authors entered the US cultural spotlight. During this five-year period, at least thirty anthologies of poetry and prose by African American, Latinx, Asian American, and Native American children came out of adult-led workshops, classrooms, and sites of juvenile incarceration. Mass-market publishers, independent imprinters, and local mimeograph machines produced volumes with titles such as I Am Somebody! and The Me Nobody Kno...

Eric Chistiansen—not his real name—has been looking for sanctuary for a long time. He finally thinks he's found a crime syndicate that might watch his back while he tries to disentangle himself from his highly lucrative, highly illegal job as a killer for hire, albeit a picky one. He's ready to hang up his guns for some peace.Brady Carnegie came to this little slice of desert between Meth and Hell because he wanted to help bring crime down. He's deeply disappointe...

A tomcat, a psychopath, and a psychic walk into the desert to rescue the men they love…. Can everybody make it out with their skin intact? PI Jackson Rivers and Defense Attorney Ellery Cramer have barely recovered from last November, when stopping a serial killer nearly destroyed Jackson in both body and spirit. But their previous investigation poked a new danger with a stick, forcing Jackson and Ellery to leave town so they can meet the snake in its den. Jackson Rivers grew up with the me...

Amy Lane's Fish Out of Water universe has expanded to include garage mechanics, assassins, nurses, psychics, and adult film stars. Many of them forged a safe, hidden haven in Victoriana--the middle of the desert.This collection of shorts revolves mostly around the Victoriana crew—the desert Fish, a group of people with specialized skills, a strong moral code, and an aversion to the rules. Join Burton, Ernie, Ace, Sonny, Jai, and George as they deal with impossible storms, visiting a...

Fish Out of Water: Book ThreeA tomcat, a psychopath, and a psychic walk into the desert to rescue the men they love…. Can everybody make it out with their skin intact?PI Jackson Rivers and Defense Attorney Ellery Cramer have barely recovered from last November, when stopping a serial killer nearly destroyed Jackson in both body and spirit.But their previous investigation poked a new danger with a stick, forcing Jackson and Ellery to leave t...

Jackson and Ellery face their toughest case yet—against the criminal justice system itself.Jackson Rivers and Ellery Cramer have worked difficult jobs before, but usually it's getting the facts that's the problem. For their newest client, the trouble isn't finding the truth—it's corruption at the highest levels of the justice system. It isn't enough to find the actual perpetrator and unveil a heartless plot—not when the DA is the bad guy and he's using cops as his goons. Keeping the...

Fish Out of Water: Book SixJackson Rivers has been learning how to take care of himself so he can be there for Ellery Cramer, but after eight weeks of healing, body and soul, he's itching to get back to work. Finally Ellery gives him a simple task: pick up a file on a kid who probably didn't commit murder but who refuses to participate in his own defense.Nothing is ever that easy.A horrifying game of connect-the-dots leads one case to anoth...

PI Jackson Rivers and Henry Worrall have gotten used to throwing themselves into danger as a team, so when Henry is hurt badly one night defending a friend and her teenage ward, it's all hands on deck for Jackson, his fiancé Ellery Cramer, their firm, and their friends. Henry is battling for his life. The least they can do is hunt down Henry's shooter and keep the intended victims safe.Knowing Jackson will dedicate himself to tracking down a very dangerous assailant with no regard t...

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles and The Joy Luck Club comes “a rollicking, adventure-filled story . . . packed [with] the human capacity for love” (USA Today).“Amy Tan has created an almost magical adventure that, page by page, becomes a metaphor for human relationships.”—Isabel AllendeA SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Fish Out of Water: Book TwoThey must work together to stop a psychopath—and save each other.Two months ago Jackson Rivers got shot while trying to save Ellery Cramer's life. Not only is Jackson still suffering from his wounds, the triggerman remains at large—and the body count is mounting.Jackson and Ellery have been trying to track down Tim Owens since Jackson got out of the hospital, but Owens's time as a member of the department makes th...