Books published by St. Martin's Publishing Group

"The fully-illustrated, anecdote-rich story of the celebrated rapper and the iconic Wu-Tang Clan, told by one of its founding members With his fellow New Yorker RZA, Dennis Coles-aka Ghostface Killah-established the Wu-Tang Clan, the legendary hip-hop group whose flexible format (originally seven members, growing to ten, it performs in various combinations and also allows its members solo careers), danceable singles and intimate melodic lyrics have kept it at the pinnacle of rap and hip-hop from its founding in the early 1990s to today. Rise of a Killah, Ghost's autobiography, is intense rather than comprehensive, looking back at his childhood in Staten Island, his commitment to his family (including a brother with muscular dystrophy) and lifelong sidekicks, how crime and violence have affected his life, his fellow Wu-Tang members, a formative touring trip to Japan in 1997, and his art. Some of the many evocative and exciting elements in the book are Ghost's lyrics-some printed, some included as pages from drugstore black composition notebooks with his hand-written raps-from the '90s, as well as roughly-designed Xeroxed posters for the Clan's earliest performances and throwdowns, great in-concert photographs, a range of shots of limited-edition shoes and clothing, and a newly-commissioned cartoon of an attack on Ghost by an intruder slinging not bullets but bleach. Rich with both story and imagery, some of it exclusive to this book, Rise Of A Killah is both visual record and a real-feel narrative of a performer's life"--

She lost her words but found her voice.All My Rage meets The Poet X in this electric debut that explores a Muslim teen finding her voice in a post-9/11 America.Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh's niece - the poet that will fill her uncle's shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option.When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate's political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be. With a touch of magic and poetry sprinkled throughout, Sarah Mughal Rana's Hope Ablaze is heartbreaking, often funny, and ultimately uplifting, not only celebrating the Islamic faith and Pakistani culture, but simultaneously confronting racism and Islamophobia with unflinching bravery.

In The Orbit of You is a YA story of enduring love from acclaimed author Ashley Schumacher, where a personality test reunites two friends and makes them second guess their careful plans.It's been years since Nova Evans last saw Sam. She was too young then to understand why he had to move away-and what it had to do with the cuts and bruises he got from home and never wanted to talk about. All she knew is that they promised to find each other when they were older, something she thought was impossible thanks to her and her mom moving around constantly. Until she bumps into Sam in her new school, and realizes he has clearly forgotten their childhood promise.Sam Jordan has a plan for his life: accept his college football scholarship, date his girlfriend Abigail, and-most importantly-hide how much he wants to do something, anything other than The Plan(TM) his parents and coaches have set before him. It doesn't matter if sometimes he finds himself thinking about the new girl he met in the cafeteria, a girl who reminds him of a past that hurts to remember.When a school-wide personality test reveals Nova and Sam to be each others' top matches-not only that, but a match of 99%, the highest in the school-they begin to remember why they were such close friends, all those years ago. As well as the myriad of reasons this new-yet-familiar, magnetic, sparkling thing between them will never, ever work out.In the Orbit of You is a story about the enduring and changing nature of friendship, of the strange struggle between who you are and who you want to be, and finding your voice after trauma.

A Mystery of Mysteries is a brilliant biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines the renowned author's life through the prism of his mysterious death and its many possible causes.It is a moment shrouded in horror and mystery. Edgar Allan Poe died on October 7, 1849, at just forty, in a painful, utterly bizarre manner that would not have been out of place in one of his own tales of terror. What was the cause of his untimely death, and what happened to him during the three missing days before he was found, delirious and "in great distress" on the streets of Baltimore, wearing ill-fitting clothes that were not his own?Mystery and horror. Poe, who remains one of the most iconic of American writers, died under haunting circumstances that reflect the two literary genres he took to new heights. Over the years, there has been a staggering amount of speculation about the cause of death, from rabies and syphilis to suicide, alcoholism, and even murder. But many of these theories are formed on the basis of the caricature we have come to associate with Poe: the gloomy-eyed grandfather of Goth, hunched over a writing desk with a raven perched on one shoulder, drunkenly scribbling his chilling masterpieces. By debunking the myths of how he lived, we come closer to understanding the real Poe-and uncovering the truth behind his mysterious death, as a new theory emerges that could prove the cause of Poe's death was haunting him all his life.In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Poe's increasingly desperate last months and his brief but impactful life, Mark Dawidziak sheds new light on the enigmatic master of macabre.

Large-print sudoku puzzles for everyone!This large-print sudoku collection features 300 brain-boosting puzzles designed to keep your mind sharp. Regardless of age or level of expertise, it's the perfect size for solving this beloved logic puzzle wherever you go.Features:- 300 sudoku puzzles for all skill levels- Big grids with lots of space for easy solving- Introduction by puzzlemaster Will Shortz

A glittering realm of crystalline mysteries awaitsLet prismatic splendor light the way to surreal dreamscapes. Mythographic Color and Discover: Crystal Kingdom is a sparkling passage from the mundane to the mesmerizing in immersive detail. Adorn your imagination in geodes and gemstones, settle in among kaleidoscopic creatures that gleam in sun and starlight, and discover twinkling crystal empires of glass pyramids and diamond ice. Open a glistening chamber of more than 45 hand-drawn illusions with brilliant hues and personalized flourishes in Mythographic Color and Discover: Crystal Kingdom.- Let your artistic vision shimmer and shine with spectacularly detailed illustrations- Color tiny geode dimensions, dazzling flora and fauna, and jewel-studded landscapes- Bring your own touches to each piece with colored pencils, gel pens, or even glitter

Discover boundless inspiration and unseen paradisesFind yourself on a transfixing coloring exploration of endless beauty and stunning grandeur. Mythographic Color and Discover: Shangri-La is an enthralling glimpse into unraveling mysteries captured in magnificent detail. Feel the magnetic pull of spellbinding escapes, and follow paths speckled with surprises. Uncover candy-coated heavens and kaleidoscopic daydreams lush with blossoming flora, castle-topped fungi, and enchanting galaxies tucked inside teacups. Color the astonishing dreamlands found in more than 45 hand-drawn fantasies in Mythographic Color and Discover: Shangri-La.- Expand your mind and your artistic sensibilities with abundantly creative illustrations- Color gorgeous peculiarities, wild creatures, and immersive expanses- Transform each mesmerizing piece with colored pencils, gel pens, or even watercolors

A happy day is just a cloud doodle away!Let your creativity soar with Cloud Doodles, where the sky is your canvas and every cloud is your muse. With just a few swoopy lines and some artful dots and dashes, you can turn a fluffy cumulus into a dancing elephant or a wispy cirrus into an ice-cream cone! Aim for fun, not perfection, and keep it easy breezy.- Great activity for all ages- Hundreds of clouds to transform and share with friends - Adorable artist-rendered cloud doodles to inspire you

Find your flow in tranquil doodlesLet your pen and imagination wander. Slow Down and Draw Something is an art book that sets you up with drawing inspiration and gives you the tools to make each page your own. This collection of abstract art reveals more than 40 drawing starters accompanied by poetic prompts to relax, inspire, and guide you. Each illustrated space evokes textures, explores nature, and enhances the senses. Immerse yourself in flourishes on each page to soothe your thoughts, settle into serenity, and find yourself entranced in a peaceful space of artistic expression.- Let daily anxiety fade away with creative art therapy- Embrace slowness, invite beauty, and enhance your artistic abilities- Enjoy space to relax and reflect without expectations or schedules

Bring adorable animals to life through coloring and crochet!Discover another level of cuteness as you explore the world of amigurumi! This Japanese art of crocheting tiny, lovable creatures is a warm hug for the imagination. Now you can experience the magic of these sweet creations through coloring with The Cutest of Cute Amigurumi Critters. Each charming scene includes delightful crochet details to fill with your favorite hues. And if you're ready to crochet your own little critter, bonus step-by-step amigurumi patterns make it simple. So, grab your favorite coloring tools-and maybe a crochet hook-and prepare to fall head over heels for amigurumi.- Escape into an enchanting land of fluffy bunnies, cuddly sloths, huggable bears, magical merkitties, and playful otters- Color more than 40 darling original amigurumi illustrations- Create precious gifts for friends and family with perforated coloring pages or fun crochet creaturesWhether you're a devoted crafter, a coloring book fan, or both, The Cutest of Cute Amigurumi Critters is a perfect blend of hands-on creativity and relaxation.

You'll laugh so hard you'll puke!Step right up and enjoy a hilarious compendium of giggles and guffaws! The Grossest Joke Book Ever Written . . . Only Grosser! is a fresh pile of hilarity that will delight any jokester and disgust all your friends and unlucky strangers. With hundreds of yucky knock-knocks and fart jokes galore, this book will be sure to ruin any polite setting, such as teatime, quiet time, or time-out. Complete with eye-popping illustrations that are gross (but not too gross), this heap of rude-ish humor and goofy gags will delight readers everywhere!- LOL about boogers, wedgies, poop, and air biscuits - Become the best comedian around with hilarious one-liners, riddles, and quips- Enjoy silly family-friendly illustrations for endless laughs

Instant New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller! An intimate and light-hearted memoir by viral sensation and three-time Emmy-nominated musical comedian Randy Rainbow that takes readers through his life-the highs, the lows, the lipstick, the pink glasses, and the show tunes.Randy Rainbow, the man who conquered the Internet with a stylish pair of pink glasses, an inexhaustible knowledge of Broadway musicals, and the most gimlet-eyed view of American politics this side of Mark Twain finally tells all in Playing with Myself, a memoir sure to cause more than a few readers to begin singing one of his greatest hits like "A Spoonful of Clorox" or "Cover Your Freakin' Face." As Randy has said, "There's so much fake news out there about me. I can't wait to set the record straight and finally give people a peek behind the green screen." And set the record straight he does. Playing with Myself is a first-hand account of the journey that led Randy Rainbow from his childhood as the over-imaginative, often misunderstood little boy who carried a purse in the second grade to his first job on Broadway as the host at Hooters and on to the creation of his trademark comedy character. In chapters titled "Pajama Bottoms" (a look back at the days when he wore pajama bottoms on his head to pretend he was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz), "Yes, It's My Real Name, Shut Up!" (no explanation necessary...) and "Pink Glasses" (a rose-colored homage to his favorite accessory), Playing with Myself is a memoir that answers the question "Can an introverted musical theatre nerd with a MacBook and a dream save the world, one show tune at a time?"This paperback edition includes the new introduction, "Pretend It's Champagne."

What in the bleu blazes is happening in Yarrow Glen now?Cheesemongers from across the Northwest have come to the Sonoma Valley for the Northwest Cheese Invitational. As owner of the local cheese shop, Curds & Whey, Willa Bauer loves it. The event showcases custom cheese creations, and it's the perfect time to gather with old colleagues to honor her former boss, the late and grate cheese legend, Max Dumas. He was famous for journeying into the wild bleu yonder to where he aged his award-winning custom Church Bleu. Only Max knew the recipe and location to his beloved cheese, and many are eager to have these revealed at his will reading. But instead of naming someone to inherit his cheese and its secrets, Max stuns everyone with one cryptic clue. When a fellow cheesemonger dies under mysterious circumstances--the woman they all thought would get the secrets to Max's prized possession--everyone falls under suspicion. Willa adores Church Bleu as much as the next cheese connoisseur, but it's not to die for. Is a killer trying to get away with murder...and the cheese?

A sparkling and steamy Sapphic romance, Fly with Me by Andie Burke is filled with sharp banter and that sweet, swooping feeling of finding "the one" when and where you least expect it.A one-way ticket to love or a bumpy ride ahead?Flying-phobic ER nurse Olive Murphy is still gripping the armrest from her first-ever take-off when the pilot announces an in-flight medical emergency. Olive leaps into action and saves a life, but ends up getting stuck in the airport hours away from the marathon she's running in honor of her brother. Luckily for her, Stella Soriano, the stunning type A copilot, offers to give her a ride.After the two spend a magical day together, Stella makes a surprising request: Will Olive be her fake girlfriend?A video of Olive saving a life has gone viral and started generating big sales for Stella's airline. Stella sees their union as the perfect opportunity to get to the boys' club executives at her company who keep overlooking her for a long-deserved promotion. Realizing this arrangement could help her too, Olive dives into memorizing Stella's comically comprehensive three-ring-binder guide to fake dating. As the two grow closer, what's supposed to be a ruse feels more and more real. Could this be the romantic ride of their lives, or an epic crash and burn?

Named a Best Book of Fall 2022 by Parade . BuzzFeed . New York Post . GMA.com . People"Loigman's latest is a gem. A scrappy Jewish teenager newly arrived in 1920s New York struggles to follow her calling as a matchmaker--seventy years later, her cynical divorce-attorney granddaughter realizes she has very inconveniently inherited the family gift for matching soulmates. Both funny and moving, The Matchmaker's Gift made me smile from start to finish."--Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose CodeIs finding true love a calling or a curse?Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York's Lower East Side, Sara's vocation is dominated by devout older men-men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers, and to demand the recognition she deserves.Two generations later, Sara's granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, representing the city's wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara's matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby's grandmother leave this library to her and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages? Why does the work Abby once found so compelling suddenly feel inconsequential and flawed? Is Abby willing to sacrifice the career she's worked so hard for in order to keep her grandmother's mysterious promise to a stranger? And is there really such a thing as love at first sight?

Unravel the mesmerizing mysteries of surreal dreamworlds!Discover hidden chambers of beauty and endless imagination. Mythographic Color and Discover: Labyrinth is an inspired journey through spectacular enigmas and enthralling mazes in staggering detail. Immerse yourself in a realm where snaking paths reveal trance-inducing expanses, the clicking of gears snap open capacious universes, and mythic creatures protect the secrets of the past and future. Unlock the key to more than 45 hand-drawn mysteries by adding your own unique splashes of color in Mythographic Color and Discover: Labyrinth. - Let your creativity flourish with marvelously detailed illustrations - Color entrancing animals, mythical beasts, winding pathways, and peculiar puzzles - Bring your artistic vision to each piece with colored pencils, gel pens, or even watercolors

A gripping exploration of the intense psychology and character of Benedict Arnold, arguing that he was essential to victory before he was a traitorBenedict Arnold committed treason- for more than two centuries, that's all that most Americans have known about him.Yet Arnold was much more than a turncoat-his achievements during the early years of the Revolutionary War defined him as the most successful soldier of the era. GOD SAVE BENEDICT ARNOLD tells the gripping story of Arnold's rush of audacious feats-his capture of Fort Ticonderoga, his Maine mountain expedition to attack Quebec, the famous artillery brawl at Valcour Island, the turning-point battle at Saratoga-that laid the groundwork for our independence.Arnold was a superb leader, a brilliant tactician, a supremely courageous military officer. He was also imperfect, disloyal, villainous. One of the most paradoxical characters in American history, and one of the most interesting. GOD SAVE BENEDICT ARNOLD does not exonerate him for his treason-the stain on his character is permanent. But Kelly's insightful exploration of Arnold's career as a warrior shines a new light on this gutsy, fearless, and enigmatic figure. In the process, the book offers a fresh perspective on the reasons for Arnold's momentous change of heart.

"If anyone can save capitalism from the capitalists, itΓÇÖs Steven Pearlstein. This lucid, brilliant book refuses to abandon capitalism to those who believe morality and justice irrelevant to an economic system." ΓÇöEzra Klein, founder and editor-at-large, VoxPulitzer Prize-winning economics journalist Steven Pearlstein argues that our thirty year experiment in unfettered markets has undermined core values required to make capitalism and democracy work.With a New Introduction by the AuthorThirty years ago, ΓÇ£greed is goodΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£maximizing shareholder valueΓÇ¥ became the new mantras woven into the fabric of our business culture, economy, and politics. Although, around the world, free market capitalism has lifted more than a billion people from poverty, in the United States most of the benefits of economic growth have been captured by the richest 10%, along with providing justification for squeezing workers, cheating customers, avoiding taxes, and leaving communities in the lurch. As a result, Americans are losing faith that a free market economy is the best system.In Moral Capitalism, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steven Pearlstein chronicles our descent and challenges the theories being taught in business schools and exercised in boardrooms around the country. WeΓÇÖre missing a key tenet of Adam SmithΓÇÖs wealth of nations: without trust and social capital, democratic capitalism cannot survive. Further, equality of incomes and opportunity need not come at the expense of economic growth.Pearlstein lays out bold steps we can take as a country: a guaranteed minimum income paired with universal national service, tax incentives for companies to share profits with workers, ending class segregation in public education, and restoring competition to markets. He provides a path forward that will create the shared prosperity that will sustain capitalism over the long term.Previously published as Can American Capitalism Survive?

Friday Night Lights meets Mare of Easttown in this small-town mystery about an unlikely private investigator searching for a missing waitress. Pay Dirt Road is the mesmerizing debut from the 2019 Tony Hillerman Prize recipient Samantha Jayne Allen.Annie McIntyre has a love/hate relationship with Garnett, Texas.Recently graduated from college and home waitressing, lacking not in ambition but certainly in direction, Annie is lured into the family business-a private investigation firm-by her supposed-to-be-retired grandfather, Leroy, despite the rest of the clan's misgivings.When a waitress at the café goes missing, Annie and Leroy begin an investigation that leads them down rural routes and haunted byways, to noxious-smelling oil fields and to the glowing neon of local honky-tonks. As Annie works to uncover the truth she finds herself identifying with the victim in increasing, unsettling ways, and realizes she must confront her own past-failed romances, a disturbing experience she'd rather forget, and the trick mirror of nostalgia itself-if she wants to survive this homecoming.

FBI profiler Sayer Altair hunts a brilliant serial killer with a dangerous obsession in Caged, a gripping thriller from debut author Ellison Cooper. In a residential Washington, D.C. neighborhood, a young woman''s body is found in the basement of an abandoned house--starved to death in a cage, along with the video footage of a dark and deadly ritual. The victim is identified as the daughter of a prominent D.C. politician, and it falls to the FBI to track down the unconscionable psychopath who murdered her. FBI special agent Sayer Altair would rather conduct research on criminality than catch actual criminals. But when she''s offered a promotion hinging on her next assignment, she reluctantly accepts the "Cage Killer" case. Taunted by a photo of another victim at the mercy of this vicious killer, Sayer and her team are driven to put an end to these grisly homicides. During the investigation, clues emerge connecting the murders to Sayer''s past. Now, the stakes are personal, and the deeper Sayer is drawn into the deadly web, the more she believes she is the only one who can uncover the killer''s identity. Told with devastating detail, shocking twists and unrelenting suspense, Cooper proves her exceptional ability to entertain and enthrall.

The Explosive National BestsellerA memoir by the highest-ranking covert warrior to lift the veil of secrecy and offer a glimpse into the shadow wars that America has fought since the Vietnam Era.Enrique Prado found himself in his first firefight at age seven. The son of a middle-class Cuban family caught in the midst of the Castro Revolution, his family fled their war-torn home for the hope of a better life in America. Fifty years later, the Cuban refugee retired from the Central Intelligence Agency as the CIA equivalent of a two-star general. Black Ops is the story of Ric's legendary career that spanned two eras, the Cold War and the Age of Terrorism. Operating in the shadows, Ric and his fellow CIA officers fought a little-seen and virtually unknown war to keep the USA safe from those who would do it harm. After duty stations in Central and South America and the Philippines, Black Ops follows Ric into the highest echelons of the CIA's headquarters at Langley, Virginia. In late 1995, he became Deputy Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force. Three years later, after serving as head of Korean Operations, Ric took on one of the most dangerous missions of his career: to re-establish a once-abandoned CIA station inside a hostile nation long since considered a front line of the fight against Islamic terrorism. He and his team carried out covert operations and developed assets that proved pivotal in the coming War on Terror. A harrowing memoir of life in the shadowy world of assassins, terrorists, spies and revolutionaries, Black Ops is a testament to the courage, creativity and dedication of the Agency's Special Activities Group and its elite shadow warriors.

Joe Ledger and Rogue Team International plunge into mortal peril as this new and deadly arms race threatens to ignite new wars throughout the Middle East.After years of searching, a new cave filled with Dead Sea Scrolls is found, and among them are bizarre books of actual magic. Terrorist groups and multinational corporations scramble to acquire these treasures in the hopes that magic is the true WMD of the 21st Century. But everyone who goes near those scrolls goes insane. The fabric of reality is shredding. Is this the result of ancient magic, or is it a new bioweapon that fractures the mind of anyone exposed?Cave 13 pits Joe Ledger against warring factions of ideological terrorism, corporate greed, and massive international crime syndicates in what might well become a new Age of Miracles.

The Next Big Idea Club, August 2023 Must-Read BookIn 2016, scientists proved that humans could see light at the level of a single photon. We are living in historic times when humans may look at the very fabric of the universe in a laboratory setting. Around the world, other recent discoveries about the senses are just as astounding. It turns out we can hear amplitudes smaller than an atom, smell a trillion scents, have a set of taste buds that can discern molecules of fresh water, and can feel through the sense of touch the difference of a single molecule. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made takes readers through their own bodies, delving into the molecular and even the quantum, and tells the story of our magnificent sensorium and what it means for the next wave of human potential. From the laboratories to the ordinary homes where these breakthroughs are taking place, the book explores our current sensory Renaissance and shows readers how they, themselves, can heighten their own senses and experience the miraculous.

A movie production brings drama-and murder-to a close-knit New England village, forcing Riley Rhodes to scoop out the suspects.Former CIA librarian and amateur sleuth Riley Rhodes is loving her fresh start as the manager of the Udderly Delicious Ice Cream Shop. The leaves are turning, tourists are leaf-peeping, and Penniman, Connecticut is putting finishing touches on the weekend long Halloween Happening. But the village is also buzzing. Former child star Cooper Collins is overseeing the production of a romantic comedy that's filming on the town green and his domineering socialite mother, Diantha, is planning her lavish Halloween themed wedding at her Inn on the Green. Her fiancé has run the Inn's kitchen for years, ably aided by his recent ex-wife, chef Mary Ann Dumas. An old friend of Riley's, Mary Ann turns to her when the bride requests a spooky ice cream wedding cake.But the weekend takes a frightful turn when Diantha is found dead and suspicion falls on Mary Ann. The cast of potential suspects is long-each wedding guest had a chilling motive to kill the vicious heiress. Can Riley unmask the murderer before another guest ends up on ice?