Kirjahaku

In this one-of-a-kind mystery with heart and humor, a hilariously grumpy pony must save the only human he's ever loved after discovering she stands accused of a murder he knows she didn't commit. Pony has been passed from owner to owner for longer than he can remember. Fed up, he busts out and goes on a cross-country mission to reunite with the only little girl he ever loved, Penny, who he was separated from and hasn't seen in years. Penny, now an adult, is living an ordinary life when she gets a knock on her door and finds herself in handcuffs, accused of murder and whisked back to the place she grew up. Her only comfort when the past comes back to haunt her is the memory of her precious, rebellious pony. Hearing of Penny's fate, Pony knows that Penny is no murderer. So, as smart and devious as he is cute, the pony must use his hard-won knowledge of human weakness and cruelty to try to clear Penny's name and find the real killer. This acutely observant, feel-good mystery reveals the humanity of animals and beastliness of humans in a rollicking escapade of epic proportions.

The Italian Party is a sneaky book: half glamorous fun, half an examination of America’s role in the world. Scottie and Michael, young newlyweds arriving in Siena in 1956, are seduced by Tuscany’s famous beauty and the sensory experience of a summer in the ancient city. But their reasons for being there - and the secrets they are keeping from each other - force them beneath the beautiful surface to a more complex view of Italy, America, and each other. When Scottie’s Italian teacher, a teenager with secrets of his own, goes missing, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband, and her country. Michael’s dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate, and love to a new kind of complicated truth. Filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, Prosecco, handsome locals, and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.

What if you found yourself in the middle of a war armed only with lipstick and a sense of humour? Abandoned as a child in Los Angeles in 1931, dust bowl refugee Sally Brady convinces a Hollywood movie star to adopt her, and grows up to be an effervescent gossip columnist secretly satirizing Europe’s upper crust. By 1940 saucy Sally is conquering Fascist-era Rome with cheek and charm. A good deed leaves Sally stranded in wartime Italy, brandishing a biting wit, a fake passport, and an elastic sense of right and wrong. To save her friends and find her way home through a land of besieged castles and villas, Sally must combat tragedy with comedy, tie up pompous bureaucrats in their own red tape, force the cruel to be kind, and unravel the mystery, weight, and meaning of family. Heir to Odysseus’s wiles and Candide’s optimism, Sally Brady is a heroine for the 21st century.

"A fresh breeze of wit and glamour." --The Wall Street Journal "Richly evocative of the charms and contradictions of Italy. Brava " --Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author "A gorgeously entertaining story about a spirited woman during wartime that manages to be a clever caper at times but taut and profound at others"* What if you found yourself in the middle of a war armed only with lipstick and a sense of humor? Abandoned as a child in Los Angeles in 1931, dust bowl refugee Sally Brady convinces a Hollywood movie star to adopt her, and grows up to be an effervescent gossip columnist secretly satirizing Europe's upper crust. By 1940 saucy Sally is conquering Fascist-era Rome with cheek and charm. A good deed leaves Sally stranded in wartime Italy, brandishing a biting wit, a fake passport, and an elastic sense of right and wrong. To save her friends and find her way home through a land of besieged castles and villas, Sally must combat tragedy with comedy, tie up pompous bureaucrats in their own red tape, force the cruel to be kind, and unravel the mystery, weight, and meaning of family. Heir to Odysseus's wiles and Candide's optimism, Sally Brady is a heroine for the 21st century.