A Free StateThe author of City of Refuge returns with a startling and powerful novel of race, violence, and identity set on the eve of the Civil War. The year is 1855. Blackface minstrelsy is the most popular form of entertainment in a nation about to be torn apart by the battle over slavery. Henry Sims, a fugitive slave and a brilliant musician, has escaped to Philadelphia, where he earns money living by his wits and performing on the street. He is befriended by

An atmospheric literary mystery about an infamous painting rumored to be cursed—and the family torn apart by its disappearance

Alvie Fitz doesn’t fit in

Their story is one of horror and hardship

and work of one of the most beloved authors in modern literary history

(Reviving Ophelia) and by Mead's daughter

A gang's-eye look at the 2006 Shedden Massacre

so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself

and Susan Klintock has always liked a challenge

and part Shakespearean drama

a successful lawyer

but the beaches have eroded

If he says something is impossible