October 15, 1793: the eve of Marie-Antoinette’s execution. The Reign of Terror has descended upon revolutionary France, and thousands are beheaded daily under the guillotine. Edmond Coffin and Jonathan Gravedigger, two former soldiers now employed in disposing of the dead, are hired to search the Parisian neighborhood of Haarlem for a mysterious mixed-race "leopard boy," whose nickname derives from his mottled black-and-white skin. Some would like to see the elusive leopard boy dead, while...

**This stunning novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change everything in the present.A Secret Kept is now a major motion picture starring Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds), Laurent Lafitte (The Crimson Rivers), and Audrey Dana (Roman de Gare)!**It all began with a simple seasid...

The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire, but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? From the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti and Maria comes a “rollicking drama” (Good Housekeeping) that is “intimate and entertaining” (Associated Press).“Both a gripping, fictionalized biography of an intriguing woman and a well-paced, illuminating chronicle of the French...

James Baldwin’s groundbreaking novel whose frank exploration of sexuality and self-acceptance was decades ahead of its time—named one of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the past 100 years“Baldwin writes . . . with unusual candor and yet with such dignity and intensity.”—The New York TimesIn 1950s Paris, a young American expatriate finds himself caught between his repressed desires and conventional morality. David h...

An epic romantasy saga where vampires and Lifebloods are bound by ancient bloodlines, forbidden magic, and fated love in a hidden war for the future of the vampire race.Clarity Parker thought discovering the truth about her supernatural bloodline would finally give her answers.Instead, it started a war.The hidden world she only recently uncovered is fracturing. Ancient alliances are breaking. Long-forgotten enemies are awakening. And every revelatio...

A thriller of war that never was—of survival in an impossible city—of surreal cataclysm. In The Last Days of New Paris, China Miéville entwines true historical events and people with his daring, uniquely imaginative brand of fiction, reconfiguring history and art into something new.“Beauty will be convulsive. . . .”In the chaos of wartime Marseille, American engineer—and occult disciple—Jack Parsons stumbles onto a c...

A career is blooming...A glittering French aristocrat is on the run, disguised as a British governess. England's top spy has a score to settle with her family. But as they're drawn inexorably into the intrigue and madness of Revolutionary Paris, they gamble on a love to which neither of them will admit.

The Grand Budapest Hotel recounts the adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. Acting as a kind of father-figure, M. Gustave leads the resourceful Zero on a journey that involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; the battle for an enormous family fortune; a desperate chase on motorcycles, trains, sledges and skis;...

From the bestelling author of GIRL IN HYACINTH BLUE, "A vivid exploration of one of the most beloved Renoir paintings in the world, done with a flourish worthy of Renoir himself" (USA Today)With her richly textured novels, Susan Vreeland has offered pioneering portraits of artists' lives. As she did in Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Vreeland focuses on a single painting, Auguste Renoir's instantly recognizable masterpiece, which depicts a...

A sparkling, witty and compelling novel based on the tragic rise and fall of the beautiful seventeenth century swordswoman and opera singer, Julie d'Aubigny (also known as La Maupin), a woman whose story is too remarkable to be true - and yet it is.Versailles, 1686: Julie d'Aubigny, a striking young girl taught to fence and fight in the court of the Sun King, is taken as mistress by the King's Master of Horse. tempestuous, swashbuckling and volatile, within two years she has run aw...

Winner, EFestival of Words 2013, Historical Fiction category.Shortlisted, Writing Magazine Self-Publishing Awards, 2013.Featured in “Off the Beaten Path” recommendations, Historical Novel Society Conference, 2013.They drowned Victoire’s mother, claiming she was a witch. Then her father died beneath the wheels of a nobleman’s carriage.Forced to leave her village, Victoire finds work in Paris. But domestic employment comes at a high price and the orphaned girl...

From the author of the beloved Josephine B. Trilogy, comes a spellbinding novel inspired by the true story of a young woman who rises from poverty to become confidante to the most powerful, provocative and dangerous woman in the 17th century French court: the mistress of the charismatic Sun King.1660, ParisClaudette’s life is like an ever-revolving stage set. From an impoverished childhood wandering the French countryside ...