A Friend of Mr. Lincoln, Stephen Harrigan, Penguin – Imagine becoming a close personal associate of a world famous, almost god-like, historical personality. This is the intriguing premise of Stephen Harrigan’s A Friend of Mr. Lincoln.

The Library of Light and Shadow, M J Rose, Atria – French artist Delphine Duplessi fled to New York city to escape a doomed love affair. Gifted with a magical talent, Delphine can draw shadow portraits that reveal peoples’ innermost secrets in shocking detail.

A Twisted Vengeance by Candace Robb – In 1399, England is under threat of civil war. Henry, Duke of Lancaster seeks to reclaim his inheritance, declared forfeit by his cousin King Richard II – but does he seek to take the crown itself?

The Night Bird, Brian Freeman, Thomas and Mercer – San Francisco homicide detective Frost Easton takes on the strangest case of his career when a number of women die after suffering psychotic breaks. Each lived a perfectly normal life up to the moment they went crazy.

The Man of Legends, Kenneth Johnson, 47North – December 2000: New York City counts down to the new Millennium and newspaper journalist Jillian Guthrie notices something odd in the photos selected for a special edition.

Fatal, John Lescroart, Atria Books – Kate Jameson’s life ran on rails up to the moment she fell in lust with a brief acquaintance at a dinner party. Peter Ash showed little interest in her, yet she can’t stop thinking about him.

Soleri, Michael Johnston, TOR Forge – The Soleri, gods among men, have ruled the world for almost 3,000 years. Their capital of Solus is a marvel of art and architecture, run through with elaborate rituals.

Sisters One, Two, Three, Nancy Star, Lake Union Publishing – The Tangle family of New Jersey had its troubles. Glory Tangle was a vain social-climber with theatrical ambitions, a strict and occasionally unfeeling mother to her children Callie, Mimi, Charlie and Ginger.

The Blind Astronomer’s Daughter, John Pipkin, Bloomsbury Publishing – The second half of the eighteenth century sees an explosion in astronomical research. Amateur and professional astronomers across Britain and Ireland search the heavens in increasing numbers, mapping the skies and seeking out new phenomena.

Jane Bowles Collected Writings, Library of America – Jane Bowles published a comparatively small body of work during her life, yet it had a major impact on American literature.