Books published by Simon & Schuster

In this gritty and suspenseful family drama from celebrated storyteller Keith Lee Johnson, three brothers find their professional and romantic lives veering out of control and heading toward a shattering conclusion.Brothers Jericho, Sterling, and William Wise may be bonded by blood, but life has dealt them very different hands. Jericho is a drug and munitions dealer, the leader of an elite group of former military personnel. Sterling is an attorney who finds himself fired from his prestigious San Francisco law firm on the same day he's expecting a verdict on a nationally televised case that was supposed to make his career. And William, a widowed psychologist and the youngest Wise brother, has spent the past five years alone but is finally imagining what it might be like to love again. Only trouble is, Terry Moretti, the woman he's dating, is white, and she can't seem to understand the societal and familial taboos that keep William from getting too closely involved. Jericho has a whole other dilemma to deal with—one that could see him ending up in jail for a very long time. Meanwhile, Sterling's luck seems to turn around when he meets a mysterious woman who offers him the world, but in return, he would need to comply with her racial prejudices—is he willing to pay her price? Keith Lee Johnson's twisting, riveting plot and crackling dialogue will captivate the reader from page one, and the extraordinary Wise Brothers' choices will lead them inexorably toward a stunning and unforgettable climax.

Shonda Cheeke's hip and provocative follow-up to the critically acclaimed Another Man's Wife welcomes readers back into the world of Yani and Alex Chance and the ever popular Asia Fenton as they strive to stay strong in the face of tough choices, unexpected complications, and the sweet joys and bitter lows of love. Asia Fenton is finally on the road to her happily ever after. Her new relationship with the handsome Detective Johnny Johnson is everything the good doctor ordered after a failed attempt to reconcile with her former fiancé, who had a pregnant girlfriend he forgot to tell her about. When the sounds of the wedding bells become overwhelming, her new neighbor and former fiancé step in to change the tempo of the dance. Yani and Alex Chance have weathered one test of their love, but there's more in store. The second family of Yani's estranged husband, Jarrin, turns up in the New York city, in hopes of making family connection. Through her reluctance, Yani decides to make an effort for the children's sake. When tragedy strikes, Yani and Alex are faced with a heartfelt decision which causes a wedge to be drawn between them. As Asia struggles with the inevitable choice she must make, and Yani and Alex work to straighten out the growing conflict threatening their happiness, the devastation of September 11th rocks New York City -- and strikes close to home in a way no one could have expected. In the Midst of It All is a gripping, moving novel that invokes every emotion as Shonda Cheeke's compelling characters deal with the task of recovering, rebuilding, and moving into the future with hope and love.

From one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary urban fiction comes a gripping, erotic, edge-of-your-seat thriller about four strangers whose lives are about to collide, with explosive and murderous consequences.Alias suffers from a Curse that has haunted his family for generations and he vows to do whatever it takes to end it, even if the breaking of the Curse results in his own death.D. Wayne's traumatic childhood at the hands of his abusive mother has turned him into a demented killer following the voice of his God, Ruh, who guides him in a deadly search -- a journey that leads him to the brink of madness.Doin and Joozy both feel separated from the rest of the society, but as their imperfections draw them together, they discover a love that they thought was impossible.Set in the raw and tumultuous landscape of the projects, Nane Quartay's sharp-edged second novel chronicles the lives, loves, and losses of these four young strangers whose lives become inextricably intertwined. Eroticism, mysticism, and suspense are seamlessly woven together in a tough and thought-provoking narative that reaches a shocking climax and brings an entire city to the brink of chaos.

How do you measure the worth of a woman? Or determine the value of a man? In this sexy, suspenseful novel, Cheryl Faye takes on the hot-button issues facing men and women as they struggle to build meaningful, lasting relationships.In this novel about two friends -- and the man who plays a key role in both their lives -- Cheryl Faye tells a compelling story of friendship, jealousy, ambition, self-deception, and love.Jamilah Parsons and Sabrina Richardson are roommates and unlikely friends. Jamilah is a voluptuous, down-to-earth graphic artist who knows what she wants -- a man to love her for herself. Gorgeous and model-thin, glamorous Sabrina is beset by doubts and insecurities. She uses her beauty to reel in the kind of man she thinks will give her the good life, without having to give anything in return. When Sabrina brings home sexy attorney Darius Thornton, the stage is set for conflict and drama. Jamilah is attracted to Darius; but Darius only has eyes for Sabrina, who is determined to keep him at arm's length until she has him right where she wants him. Then she meets someone even better -- or so she thinks. What she doesn't know is that beneath this new suitor's suave exterior is a man filled with pain, ready to lash out at those closest to him. Now Sabrina must discover a courage she never knew she had, while Jamilah grapples with her own complicated feelings for both Sabrina and Darius.Intense, provocative, and intricate, Be Careful What You Wish For introduces complex, flesh-and-blood characters that readers will relate to, root for, and remember long after the final page.

Tina Brooks McKinney makes a winning debut in this emotionally charged novel about female friendship. All That Drama introduces two unforgettable heroines who will make an indelible mark on readers from all walks of life.Sammie Davis was accustomed to chaos in her life. For Sammie, it had always been that way and it drew me to her like a bee to honey..."Marie Morgan, a single mother of two, is currently separated from her husband. One day on the way to work Marie meets Sammie in an Atlanta subway station. With her short skirts, high heels, and occasional birdcage hairdo, Sammie is everything Marie is not -- fearless, brazen, flamboyant, and completely unselfconscious. A woman who flaunts her wild unconventionality, Sammie exudes self-confidence and dares to laugh at life. Soon Marie is feeling empowered by her new friend; as Marie's "freeway of choice," Sammie is always on hand whenever Marie feels the urge to be a little wild. Yet beneath her facade of bravado and sexual abandon, Sammie conceals her own deep pain and a dark history that gradually comes to light.A powerful novel about the doubts, insecurities, and low self-esteem that can sabotage our most important relationships, All That Drama offers a fresh, witty, and moving look at women's issues, and the sisterhood that can also sustain us through life's toughest times.

In the tradition of The Dirty Girls Social Club comes a hip, tell-it-like-it-is novel about a group of friends whose tangled interrelationships, explosive secrets, and sexual infidelities could destroy their precious bond.An aspiring film actress, Nikki Moreno has finally decided to move to L.A. It won't be easy saying goodbye to her Detroit hometown -- particularly her best friend, Rosie, a "straight-up gangsta who looks like the Hispanic version of Cindy Crawford -- mole and all -- and a figure that J.Lo would envy." Rosie is not only Nikki's closest friend, she is also her cousin who is beset by her own problems: she is wildly attracted to the pretty and proper Crystal, a friend of both Rosie and Nikki. And as if things couldn't possibly get more complicated, Nikki's ex comes back into her life. Faced with the possibility of renewed love, Nikki must make what could be the most important decision of her life.

Set in Memphis, Tennessee and Paris, France UNDERCOVER is a tale of a "rehabilitated" drag queen (Nathaniel aka "Miss Nay"/"Lady Champaign") that marries his best friend and attempts to lead the straight life expected by society. But financial situations force him to take extra employment and ultimately lead him back to his old lifestyle. Prior to all of this, Nathaniel and his wife have three children, one of whom becomes HIV+ through a blood transfusion. Nathaniel, by participating in risky sexual behavior, contracts HIV/AIDS and eventually succumbs to it.UNDERCOVER is a story for all readers regardless of race, profession or sexual orientation.

Johnathan Luckett returns with a novel that sizzles and sparks flames, taking readers on a sexy and suspenseful journey through the lives of three best friends as they navigate the trials and tribulations of life, love, and friendship. From the nation's capital to the streets of New York City and the French Quarter of New Orleans, Trey, Vince, and Erika are on a mission to experience all life has to offer, including relationships gone bad to steamy sex—and all the drama in between. Trey, a love-to-hate-him type player with irresistible good looks and a charming personality, is forever running from Layla, a charmingly beautiful woman with a mysterious past. A successful motivational speaker, author, and artist by day and a hopeless romantic by night, Vince is the true embodiment of a Renaissance man. Always searching for his ideal mate, Vince finds beauty in every woman he meets—until it becomes painfully apparent that she is not the one. Confident, beautiful, and successful Erika thinks she has found the one after sifting through the endless line of fake wannabes and bottom dwellers. But when problems arise in the bedroom, she is forced to take a step back and think about what is most important in her relationships. As they support and encourage one another through adversity, heartache, and misfortune, Trey, Vince, and Erica leave a trail of pandemonium everywhere they go. Along the way, their friendship is tested as two mysterious women enter their lives. Suddenly, their world is spinning madly out of control, and when the dust settles, things may never be the same.

Packed with emotional drama, this is the steamy story of the reunion of a manand a woman who share an intimate past--one that leads to a dangerous game ofdeception.

Against the backdrop of Kentucky in the 1970s -- and against all odds -- a black woman and a white man find a love that transcends race, class, and condemnation.J. Marie Darden's magnificent love story Enemy Fields is set in 1971 -- a time of war not just in Vietnam or the streets of Washington, but also in Bourbon County, Kentucky. When the Mandarenes, a wealthy white family, move into the deserted mansion across the field behind her house, Sister takes a job with them. She soon finds herself in the middle of a drama that will change the racial balance of her town by falling in love with Evian, the youngest son in the Mandarene family.In haunting prose and beautiful images, Enemy Fields is a moving story full of insight into human hearts caught in the crossfire of one of the most volatile and violent periods of American history.

New from the author of "Love and Justice" comes the story of a Virginia detective who must track down a ruthless murderer while he pieces together the remains of his own shattered heart.

A genetic apocalypse is ravaging the earth, women are disappearing from the planet, and the only hope to keep civilization from crumbling is a ten-year-old girl.In the future, people lose the ability to have daughters; and as women begin to disappear from a world already gripped by chaos, some people begin to think that a 10-year-old black girl will be the next Messiah. Seven years after the onset of this genetic apocalypse, all women have disappeared from cities like New York. Civilization, itself, seems to have ground to a halt as men, numbed by the holographic pleasures of their technological age, wait for the inevitable death of their species. It is then that a powerful military force, known simply as The Horde, begins a systematic offensive against the world's great cities. As this final battle unfolds, the girl presumed to be God escapes from the fortress where The Horde had been keeping her and thousands of other women. Once free, she forms a series of alliances—first with a cult convinced of her divinity, then with the scientist originally responsible for the genetic apocalypse, and finally with a man without a past, whose evolving conceptualization of reality seems to be the key to saving the human race. Interwoven with a rich mosaic of characters—like the seemingly supernatural Quibb; the industrial magnate, Shaka; the gender-defying cyber witch, Circe; and the revolutionary firebrand, Tio Mendez—God in the Image of Woman tells the epic story of people searching for their humanity in an age where the end of the human race seems terrifyingly close.

One by one, government officials are being picked off and the FBI have no leads—who's killing them and, more importantly, why?An affluent Supreme Court nominee and her husband are murdered by a skillful hand several days before her confirmation hearing. The next day, another high-ranking member of Washington D.C.'s elite circle is murdered. On top of these murders, a serial rapist has terrorized the city, with sixty-seven male victims and counting. FBI Special Agent Phoenix Perry is working the rapist case when she's hand-picked by the President to solve the mystery and to stop the blood thirsty killer. Little does she know that the cases are related, and the assassin seems to know her every move. As the mystery unravels, Perry learns more than she cared to know about the case—and herself.

Lacking in self-confidence and enduring the mistreatment of an insensitive employer, overweight twenty-eight-year-old secretary Jordan finds passion and fulfillment in the arms of her boss's partner, only to discover that he is already married, a situation that culminates in her being falsely accuse

Caught in the downward spiral of poverty and violence, Chico Grayson, a gifted teenage poet growing up in the brutal streets of Richmond, Virginia, where his only escape is through a ever more brutal series of crimes. Original.

Taj and Cheyenne. Twenty years ago, they were young and innocent and on the brink of passion. Then something terrible happened. Now a chance encounter will take them back to the night that changed their lives forever...It is eight P.M., a few weeks before Chritsmas. New York is vibrantly alive with holiday cheer. With snow blanketing the ground, last-minute shoppers rush in and out of brightly lit stores, while carolers brave the cold to bring music to the streets. Stopping at an old stone church with his girlfriend, Nicole, Taj joins in song with the other worshippers...and hears a soulful, hauntingly familiar voice. Moments later, Cheyenne, seated in the front pew, is stunned when a stranger leans in and softly murmurs a name she thought she'd never hear again: "Jazz..." Suddenly, she is hurled back through the years, to the brutal event that shattered their innocence and ideals, and the pact she and Taj made in its horrific afemath. But two decades have brought changes. Cheyenne is married now. Yet from the moment she and Taj meet again -- awakening long-buried memories and rekindling desire -- they realize that they hold the power to liberate themselves from the dark echoes of the past. For they have been given a precious gift -- one that will determine the rest of their lives. The choice is up to them.Introducing a pair of unforgettable characters, whose bond transcends time and distance, Jasminium tells a mesmerizing story of the very human need for connection, and of the power of love to transform lives.

Synopsis coming soon.......

* "An engaging tale of five organs, the stomach, liver, spleen, heart (his favourite) and uterus and the history of those who tried to understand them." Laurie Tarkan, The New York Times

Using experiences from other women and her own expertise, the author discusses how to overcome the emotional trauma and deal with breast cancer from diagnosis to recovery.

From Simon & Schuster, Buying a Business (For Very Little Cash) is a definitive guide from Joseph R. Mancuso and Douglas D. Germann, Sr.Buying a Business (For Very Little Cash) will help readers to select a business, use a broker, find a deal, follow leads, make a contract, and more!

The much-anticipated sequel to Shattered Souls, From My Soul to Yours is a steamy, page-turner full of friendship, drama and dirty secrets.

With a brilliantly plotted crime novel set in small-town Massachusetts, the prize-winning author of Prince of Thievesearns a place alongside the likes of Dennis Lehane and Jeffery Deaver as a master of gritty suspense.

Synopsis coming soon.......

Seeking acceptance in her socially driven new hometown, Emma Harris struggles with the foibles of the privileged life as she ends a new best friendship, learns unwritten dress codes, vies for the attentions of a garage boy band, and survives the politics of divorce. Original. 50,000 first printing.

Synopsis coming soon.......

A trio of sizzling and sensuous novellas chronicles the romantic exploits of three "alpha" male heroes and their female counterparts

'In WHO NEEDS GOD, Kushner glides thoughtfully and literately from Elie Wiesel to William James to African mythology to make his case for God's role in our lives.' NEWSWEEK