Cheating death doesn't necessarily require the discovery of eternal life. It can simply mean enjoying life, and living it to the fullest to the very end. And that's exactly what four life-long friends who make up the Black Widows do. Previously known as the Foolish Hearts when they were young girls in 1950s Houston, the now grown women reunite in Mexico to plan out their retirement together. All but one of them kick in on a luxurious mountain home in Lake Chapala, but the commitment is more than financial. To put it softly: club membership requires agreeing to a very specific end-of-retirement “out clause.” But their new situation in vibrant Mexico rejuvenates their lives physically, mentally, and emotionally. Surrounded by beauty and challenged to learn new ways of thinking, they've never felt better. Their secret pact has nearly become obsolete, until the visit from a gentleman suffering Alzheimer's brings to light a new perspective on their club's somewhat dark origins. The Black Widow Club is a lighthearted and poignant tale of hope, discovery, and realizing that learning and personal growth can happen at any age.

With her signature warmth, hilarity, and tendency to overshare, Leslie Gray Streeter gives us real talk about love, loss, grief, and healing in your own way that "will make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page" (James Patterson). Leslie Gray Streeter is not cut out for widowhood. She's not ready for hushed rooms and pitying looks. She is not ready to stand graveside, dabbing her eyes in a classy black hat. If she had her way she'd wear her favorite curve-hugging leopard print dress to Scott's funeral; he loved her in that dress! But, here she is, having lost her soulmate to a sudden heart attack, totally unsure of how to navigate her new widow lifestyle. ("New widow lifestyle." Sounds like something you'd find products for on daytime TV, like comfy track suits and compression socks. Wait, is a widow even allowed to make jokes?) Looking at widowhood through the prism of race, mixed marriage, and aging, Black Widow redefines the stages of grief, from coffin shopping to day-drinking, to being a grown-ass woman crying for your mommy, to breaking up and making up with God, to facing the fact that life goes on even after the death of the person you were supposed to live it with. While she stumbles toward an uncertain future as a single mother raising a baby with her own widowed mother (plot twist!), Leslie looks back on her love story with Scott, recounting their journey through racism, religious differences, and persistent confusion about what kugel is. Will she find the strength to finish the most important thing that she and Scott started? Tender, true, and endearingly hilarious, Black Widow is a story about the power of love, and how the only guide book for recovery is the one you write yourself.

Stylish, amusing, and deliciously wicked—a superb murder mystery from the acclaimed author of The Thin Woman Divorce can end a marriage. Murder can do it better. Meet Ellie Haskell, née Simons, thin woman, newlywed, potential murderess. Her life in charming Chitterton Fells promises nothing but endless bliss—until she meets two of the most cunning and unlikely private eyes ever to track down a diabolical killer. Misses Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell of Flowers Detection Agency have been called in by a major insurance company to investigate the deplorably high incidence of sudden death among the married men of this picturesque municipality. The spinster sleuths soon discover that all the husbands had been unfaithful and their deaths neatly arranged by an enterprising social organization called The Widows Club. But to find the mastermind behind this insidious ring, the Tramwells need an unhappy and betrayed wife. Enter Ellie, who will endanger life and husband to join The Widows Club and arrange to have her dearly beloved . . . dead.

The Black Widow Club members, known as “spiders,” are comprised of Mel Arthur Thompson, Stuart Lopez, Robert Randolph “Buck” Buxton, and Tommy Stark. This quartet of adventurers is always looking for mystery and they find one on a mysterious farm where a feed truck makes regular deliveries although no animals are present. The boys’ curiosity leads the “spiders” to unlock the mysteries of the barn where they uncover a million-dollar stolen car “chop shop” operation. Can the four put a stop to this shady business? You’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat as you follow the exciting and terrifying adventures of The Black Widow Club!

This is the moving story of a teenage bride who is forced back to the high-school life she thought she'd left behind. For seventeen-year-old Tam, running off to marry her musician boyfriend is the ideal escape from her claustrophobic life on the island, and the ultimate rebellion against her father and stepmother. But when Tam becomes a widow just weeks later, the shell-shocked teen is forced to find her way forward by going back to the life she thought she'd moved beyond-even as her struggle to deal with her grief is forcing her to reinvent herself and reach out to others in ways she never imagined.

She destroys the men she loves—and escapes every time. The most dangerous killer James Patterson has ever created is also his most seductive. On his first night with Detroit PD, Officer Walter O’Brien is called to a murder scene. A terrified twenty-year-old has bludgeoned her kidnapper with skill that shocks even O’Brien’s veteran partner. The young woman is also a brilliant escape artist. Her bold flight from police custody makes the case impossible to solve—and, for Walter, even more impossible to forget. By the time Walter’s promoted to detective, his fascination with the missing, gray-eyed woman is approaching obsession. And when Walter discovers that he’s not alone in his search, one truth is certain. This deadly string of secrets didn’t begin in his home city—but he’s going to make sure it ends there.

From the host of the popular podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, comes a wise, humorous roadmap and caring resource for anyone going through the loss of a loved one—or even a difficult life moment. In the span of a few weeks, thirty-something Nora McInerny had a miscarriage, lost her father to cancer, and lost her husband due to a brain tumor. Her life fell apart. What Nora discovered during this dark time is that, when you’re in these hard moments, it can feel impossible to feel like even a shadow of the person you once were. People will give you all sorts of advice of how to hold onto your sanity and sense of self. But how exactly? How do you find that person again? Welcome to The Hot Young Widows Club, Nora’s response to the toughest questions about life’s biggest struggles. The Hot Young Widows Club isn’t just for people who have lost a spouse, but an essential tool for anyone who has gone through a major life struggle. Based on her own experiences and those of the listeners dedicated to her podcast, Terrible, Thanks for Asking, Nora offers wise, heartfelt, and often humorous advice to anyone navigating a painful period in their lives. Full of practical guidance, Nora also reminds us that it’s still okay to laugh, despite your deep grief. She explores how readers can educate the people around them on what to do, what to say, and how to best to lend their support. Ultimately, this book is a space for people to recognize that they aren’t alone, and to learn how to get through life’s hardest moments with grace and humor, and even hope.

Kamii My marriage ended tragically. Since then, the only excitement in my lonely, pathetic, workaholic life is reading romance novels. However, I now have the chance to be whoever I want to be, where no one knows my past and will never be my future. Preston I like to bury my pain somewhere I can anonymous and still be faithful to my deceased wife's memory. There, I can give and receive pleasure without guilt or attachment. My mask securely attached to hide the lies of my past. When their worlds collide, fantasies become a reality by pushing boundaries. Their anonymity offers protection from painful pasts, cunning schemes and dangerous lies. But when the masks are removed, there are no safewords to protect hearts and lives from buried truths.

A candid and moving autobiography by the 'Black Widow' of billiards Jeanette Lee was 18 years old when she walked into a New York City pool hall and became enamored by the elegant geometry of the game. Before long, she was an unmistakable figure on the international competition circuit, dressed head-to-toe in black, stalking the billiards table and gazing down her cue as if tracking her prey. In this new memoir, the woman nicknamed 'The Black Widow' opens up about her legendary career and the rich, unpredictable life she's woven around it. Lee details her upbringing in a Korean-American household in Brooklyn, her single-minded drive to reach the pinnacle of her sport, and her unlikely entry into the realm of mainstream celebrity in an era where female athletes rarely got their share of the limelight. Lee also reflects on her lifelong struggle with scoliosis, which necessitated over twenty operations during her playing career; her public battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer; and the communities that gave her strength throughout. Written with warmth and candor, this is the definitive story of a true icon.