Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke with Harry Marks, 321 pages

 The podcast, Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities, has delighted millions of listeners for years with tales of the wonderful, astounding, and downright bizarre people, places, and things throughout history. Now, in Cabinet of Curiosities the book, learn the fascinating story of the invention of the croissant in a country that was not France, and relive the adventures of a dog that stowed away and went to war, only to help capture a German spy. Along the way, readers will pass through the American state of Franklin, watch Abraham Lincoln’s son be rescued by his assassin’s brother, and learn how too many crash landings inspired one pilot to leave the airline industry and trek for the stars.

For the first time ever, Aaron has gathered scores of his favorites in print, and curated them into a beautiful, topical collection for devoted followers and new fans alike

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren, 321 pages

 Welcome to New York’s legendary hotel for women.

Liberated from home and hearth by World War I, politically enfranchised and ready to work, women arrived to take their place in the dazzling new skyscrapers of Manhattan. But they did not want to stay in uncomfortable boarding houses. They wanted what men already had—exclusive residential hotels with maid service, workout rooms, and private dining.

Built in 1927, at the height of the Roaring Twenties, the Barbizon Hotel was designed as a luxurious safe haven for the “Modern Woman” hoping for a career in the arts. Over time, it became the place to stay for any ambitious young woman hoping for fame and fortune. Sylvia Plath fictionalized her time there in The Bell Jar, and, over the years, it’s almost 700 tiny rooms with matching floral curtains and bedspreads housed, among many others, Titanic survivor Molly Brown; actresses Grace Kelly, Liza Minnelli, Ali MacGraw, Jaclyn Smith; and writers Joan Didion, Gael Greene, Diane Johnson, Meg Wolitzer. Mademoiselle magazine boarded its summer interns there, as did Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School its students and the Ford Modeling Agency its young models. Before the hotel’s residents were household names, they were young women arriving at the Barbizon with a suitcase and a dream.

Not everyone who passed through the Barbizon’s doors was destined for success—for some, it was a story of dashed hopes—but until 1981, when men were finally let in, the Barbizon offered its residents a room of their own and a life without family obligations. It gave women a chance to remake themselves however they pleased; it was the hotel that set them free. No place had existed like it before or has since.

What the Devil Knows by C.S. Harris, 321 pages

 It's October 1814. The war with France is finally over and Europe's diplomats are convening in Vienna for a conference that will put their world back together. With peace finally at hand, London suddenly finds itself in the grip of a series of heinous murders eerily similar to the Ratcliffe Highway murders of three years before.

In 1811, two entire families were viciously murdered in their homes. A suspect--a young seaman named John Williams--was arrested. But before he could be brought to trial, Williams hanged himself in his cell. The murders ceased, and London slowly began to breathe easier. But when the lead investigator, Sir Edwin Pym, is killed in the same brutal way three years later and others possibly connected to the original case meet violent ends, the city is paralyzed with terror once more.

Was the wrong man arrested for the murders? Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for assistance. Pym's colleagues are convinced his manner of death is a coincidence, but Sebastian has his doubts. The more he looks into the three-year-old murders, the more certain he becomes that the hapless John Williams was not the real killer. Which begs the question--who was and why are they dead set on killing again?

The Emperor's Assassin by T.F. Banks, 321 pages

For twenty years, England and France have been at war. Now the war has come home…

On a sunny July day in 1815, Plymouth Sound is crowded with boats vying for a view of England’s great battleship HMS Bellerophon. For aboard the vessel is the stout little Frenchman who threw the world into chaos. In London, some people clamor for Napoleon’s execution, others for his exile, and still others for a civil trial on English soil. For one humble London detective, the debate has turned deadly. Bow Street Runner Henry Morton has a murder to solve--and Napoleon himself is at the heart of the matter.

The victim is a Frenchwoman, the mistress of a count. Soon Morton is racing through a demimonde of French expatriates, Bonapartists, fanatical Royalists, and one very dangerous, drunken petty crook. From an exotic London brothel to a scene of carnage on a Dartmoor farm, the detective enters a covert war over Napoleon’s fate. And amid the betrayal, deception, and murder, Morton will face a waterloo of his own.

Weird History 101 by John Richard Stephens, 321 pages

f you've ever wondered what it was really like on the sinking Titanic, or how it felt to be shipped across the Atlantic on a slave ship, or how easy it was to sell CIA secrets to the KGB, then this is your chance to find out! Wierd History 101 contains dozens of new twists on dusty old histories, including: The flip side of "official" history! Experience the true stories behind the history you learned in school: Native American witnesses's bloody descriptions of Custer's Last Stand The destruction of The White House by foreign invaders Actual government documents revealed! See how close we've come to nuclear annihilation: In 1957, the U.S. Air Force accidentally dropped a hydrogen bomb on Arizona! Official government pamphlets that claim a nuclear attack wouldn't ruin your whole day! Bizarre medical remedies! Discover hair-raising treatments including: Taking "mummy powder" for migraines Eating live millipedes to aid the digestion Weird History 101 is the ultimate historical reference, bursting with fascinating, entertaining, and sometimes bloodcurdling tales from around the world. Imagine learning this in school: Unbelievable tales of animal prosecutions! Learn how a French lawyer successfully defended a group of rats Witness a Church's excommunication of a swarm of insects Houdini's secrets revealed! Read how the greatest escape artist of all time: Survived being buried alive Escaped being submerged under water for 93 minutes You'll wish this book had been your history class textbook!

Bad Moon Rising by Ed Gorman, 321 pages

A hippie commune has invaded Black River Falls. While the majority of the townspeople believe that the bohemians have the right to stay, there is a minority that constantly accuses them of everything from criminal activities to Satanism. As usual, lawyer and private investigator Sam McCain finds himself in the middle of the controversy, especially when the teenage daughter of Paul Manwaring, one of the town's wealthiest men, is found murdered in the commune's barn. A deeply troubled young man named Neil Cameron is immediately charged with the crime, but Sam has serious doubts.

What Remains of Heaven by C. S. Harris, 321 pages

The Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries are a new favorite of mine. I've really enjoyed watching the developing relationship between him and Hero Jarvis. You definitely want to start from the beginning from these books to truly appreciate the details.