Showing results by narrator "Amy Ryan" in All Categories

Corinne Gray is a woman whose life is falling apart. When probationary detective Kyle Nazarian unexpectedly knocks on her door on a rainy morning, she knows why. He wants to talk about her son, Ben. This is her chance to finally explain how her sweet-natured child – who loved history and dreamed of swimming for Olympic Gold – grew up to do the unthinkable. What really happened to Ben? And could anyone have prevented it?

Ford Donoghue broke my heart a decade ago. And no matter how hard I tried, I was never really over it. I perfected the art of ignoring him whenever he came home to Hatterwick Island—cold shoulders, polite smiles, and walls a mile high. It worked. Until the day his thirteen-year-old daughter walked into my bar, scared and looking for a father she’s never met. One phone call later, Ford’s back in Hatterwick. And so are all the feelings I swore I’d buried. But this isn’t about us. At least, it wasn’t supposed to be. When a body washes up on the beach, the whole island goes on edge.

Jase Gizmodo is the wild card of the world-famous band BENT. He drums like a legend, lives like a rebel, and attracts headlines like a magnet. But when his recklessness causes a no-nonsense judge to threaten the band's upcoming international tour, he needs a quick fix—and proof that he’s settling down might just do the trick. Enter Hendrix Wright. Cookie queen. Small business owner. And barely hanging on. Her dream bakery is on the brink of closing its doors thanks to her ex’s betrayal, and she needs a miracle.

This collection brilliantly explores the ways in which women are horrifying, as much as it captures the horrors that are done to them. Spanning a range of genres and topics - from the mundane to the murderous and supernatural - these are stories about sex and punishment, guilt and anger, the pleasure and terror of inflicting and experiencing pain. These stories fascinate and repel, revolt and arouse, scare and delight in equal measure. And, as a collection, they point a finger at you, daring you to feel uncomfortable.

After twenty years, the cracks in Lauren Reed’s marriage are showing. She and her husband, Jack, feel more like roommates than a loving couple. What they have in common are two wonderful teenagers, Michael and Maddie, and the same wistful question: When did it all go wrong? Now that Lauren’s decided to get on with her life—alone—divorce is inevitable. Not to the kids. They aren’t giving up so easily.

Throughout the annals of fiction, there have been many celebrated detective teams: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Nick and Nora Charles. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. That last pair is the creation of beloved mystery writer Anne Perry, who, as the editor of Odd Partners and in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America, has enlisted some of today’s best mystery writers to craft all-new stories about unlikely duos who join forces - sometimes unwillingly - to solve beguiling whodunits.

He was my high school crush. Now he’s pretending to be my boyfriend—and I’m pretending I’m not falling for him. When Hoyt McNamara stepped in to rescue me from a drunk with grabby hands, pretending to be my boyfriend, I knew two things: One, I still hadn’t outgrown the way I felt about him. Two, it was a terrible idea to let him get involved.

What's a little marriage between friends? Mia has been Braxton's best friend for years. Even when they no longer lived in the same foster family, even after he'd aged out of the system, he'd continued to look out for the one person who got under his skin and made him care. For the last six years, Mia's been keeping her head down, putting one foot in front of the other, unable to trust anyone with her secrets—including the foster brother who's been the one bright spot in her life, as well as her secret crush.

Kitchens of the Great Midwest is about a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country's most coveted dinner reservation. When Lars Thorvald's wife, Cynthia, falls in love with wine - and a dashing sommelier - he's left to raise their baby, Eva, on his own. He's determined to pass on his love of food to his daughter - starting with puréed pork shoulder. As Eva grows, she finds her solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota.

I drowned when I was sixteen. My brother's best friend brought me back, but nothing was the same. I can't remember what happened. My parents dragged me away from my island home in the name of keeping me safe, and thrust me into hell instead. I came back to Hatterwick to rebuild my life and—hopefully—my memory. Now a new inheritance threatens to expose those long buried secrets, and someone will stop at nothing to ensure I never remember what really happened that fateful night.

They traded the battlefield for a bakery. But these veterans are about to learn that love might be their hardest mission yet. In the heart of small-town Tennessee, three former military brothers-in-arms are building a new life—one cinnamon roll at a time. The bakery was supposed to be a fresh start. But love, danger, and the women who challenge everything they thought they knew have other plans. From estranged marriages and surprise proposals to healing old wounds and protecting newfound joy, these men will risk it all for the lives—and the loves—they’re finally learning to build.

Captain Mitchell Greyson is a man who believes in duty. A bigger purpose and a thirst to prove himself took him away from his tiny Tennessee hometown-and the girl he loved-more than 30 years ago. After a distinguished career in the Navy, Grey is heading home, searching for new purpose and a glimpse at the road not traveled.

Braxton Whitmore needs a change. After leaving the Marines, he’s free to build a new life. But is he gonna be a baker? Really? When his buddy inherits a decrepit bar and proposes they partner up to turn it into a bakery, Brax figures, "Why not?" Until his ex comes walking in. Mia Whitmore has built a new life for herself, far from the heartbreak and secrets that tore her marriage apart. The last thing she expects is for her estranged husband to be business partners with her latest client. Or for Brax to think they’re already divorced.

I learned very young that love had the power to destroy us, and vowed never to lose myself to love another. I escaped Texas, and broke his heart to save myself. Five years later, my dreams shattered, and I’m on a bus back to the place I never wanted to be in. But, sometimes, the thing you’re most scared of has the power to save you in the end.

In this sweet and steamy bundle of nostalgic romcoms, five found family friends make their mark in the small southern town dubbed the Hollywood of the South, even as they drift apart, fall in love, and come together again.

Summer, 1991: Working at a beachfront hotel in their sleepy southern coastal town gives life-long friends Violet, Danielle, Whitney, Ford and Sully the chance to spend as much time as possible together after college graduation—and before real life begins. One exceptionally busy night, each of them wrestles with potentially life-changing choices, all while serving guests at a wedding, searching for a lost dog, protecting hatching sea turtles, and managing a love triangle.

In honor of the release of the concluding installment in the Neapolitan Novels, John Waters, Amy Ryan, Sonali Deraniyagala, Elizabeth Strout, Judith Thurman, and Parul Sehgal celebrate the author with readings and discussion. Hosted by Amanda Stern.

It begins with a drowning. One day Mr. Arcilla, the romance language teacher at Briarfield, an all-girls boarding school, is found dead at the bottom of Reed Pond. Young and handsome, the object of much fantasy and fascination, he was adored by his students. For Lilith and Romy, Evie and Claire, Nellie and Grace, he was their first love and their first true loss.

It's a rollicking cat-and-mouse tale, but this time, they're both on the same side - racing against time to save our world and theirs. The task takes on new urgency when they discover that what is at stake is nothing less than the power of imagination itself. A modern take on timeless truths, familiar rhymes, fables, and fairy tales, told through the eyes of an "ultra-logical" mouse, a nonpredatory cat, and a teenage storyteller. You think you know these tales, but once the layers start peeling back, what is underneath will surprise and delight you.

From the creator of 'Cat Person' - the first short story to go viral - comes You Know You Want This, a compulsive collection about sex, dating and modern life. These are stories of women’s lives now. They also happen to be horror stories. In some, women endure the horror. In others, they inflict it. Here are women at work, at home, on dates, at the doctor’s, with their families and with their friends. Here are women grappling with desire, punishment, guilt and anger. These are stories that make you feel fascinated but repelled, scared but delighted, revolted but aroused.