New Release Books by Alex Tresniowski

A man desperate to know his true identity struggles to solve the infamous kidnapping that nearly destroyed his family—and find his twin sister, who has been missing for more than fifty years. When he was ten years old, Paul Fronczak was snooping around for Christmas presents in a crawl space in his family’s Chicago home. There, he found hundreds of old newspaper clippings about the kidnapping of a one-day-old infant in a hospital in 1964. He also learned that, two years later, the boy was found and returned to his family—and that the boy was him. Nearly fifty years later, Paul, acting on long-held suspicions, took a DNA test that proved he was not the kidnapped boy. In an instant, he found himself at the center of two half-century-old mysteries—who was he, and where was the real Paul? True Identity is about three separate major investigations—the hunt for the real Paul Fronczak; the search for the author’s missing twin sister Jill; and finally, the investigation into his true identity, his heart and soul and the demons inside him—inherited and created—that still need to be confronted.

From New York Times bestselling author Alex Tresniowski comes a “compelling” (The Guardian) and “riveting” (The New York Times Book Review) true-crime thriller recounting the 1910 murder of ten-year-old Marie Smith, the dawn of modern criminal detection, and the launch of the NAACP. In the tranquil seaside town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, ten-year-old schoolgirl Marie Smith is brutally murdered. Small town officials, unable to find the culprit, call upon the young manager of a New York detective agency for help. It is the detective’s first murder case, and now, the specifics of the investigation and daring sting operation that caught the killer is captured in all its rich detail for the first time. Occurring exactly halfway between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the formal beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, the brutal murder and its highly-covered investigation sits at the historic intersection of sweeping national forces—religious extremism, class struggle, the infancy of criminal forensics, and America’s Jim Crow racial violence. History and true crime collide in this “compelling and timely” (Vanity Fair) murder mystery featuring characters as complex and colorful as those found in the best psychological thrillers—the unconventional truth-seeking detective Ray Schindler; the sinister pedophile Frank Heidemann; the ambitious Asbury Park Sheriff Clarence Hetrick; the mysterious “sting artist,” Carl Neumeister; the indomitable crusader Ida Wells; and the victim, Marie Smith, who represented all the innocent and vulnerable children living in turn-of-the-century America. “Brisk and cinematic” (The Wall Street Journal), The Rope is an important piece of history that gives a voice to the voiceless and resurrects a long-forgotten true crime story that speaks to the very divisions tearing at the nation’s fabric today.

Everyone loves coming-home stories, especially when they include dogs and happy endings! From Steven Carino and Alex Tresniowski comes Oliver for Young Readers, a heartwarming and true story of a man searching for a beloved lost dog and finding more than he’d ever hoped for. When Steven Carino discovered his dog, Oliver, had been stolen from his car, he knew he would do anything to get Oliver back. The friendly Yorkie–Shih Tzu mix—with his bundle of black and brown hair, long floppy ears, and big round eyes—had been Steven's companion during even the loneliest days. But it took more than one man to bring Oliver home. It took a community of friends and strangers who believed that love is worth fighting for. Oliver for Young Readers offers a story of good triumphing over despair, a beautiful reminder that a little kindness can truly change the world. This middle grade book: Is for ages 8 to 12 Has a kid-friendly design and a four-page photo insert that features Oliver and Steven Includes Oliver’s “thoughts” during the journey and extra stories of Oliver and Steven’s adventures Is a great gift for dog lovers Has a companion book for adults: Oliver: The True Story of a Stolen Dog and the Humans He Brought Together Oliver for Young Readers is a story of good people—including hardworking immigrants, wealthy suburbanites, car mechanics, deli workers, old friends, close relatives, street cops, a dedicated TV news reporter, and one very gifted hairdresser—offering help without asking for anything in return. It's a story of near misses, false hopes, and fresh leads ending in a joy-filled reunion on the streets of a rundown New York neighborhood. It's a story of faith renewed and hope restored.

From New York Times bestselling authors Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski comes the young readers edition of an unbelievable memoir about an unlikely friendship that forever changed the lives of a busy sales executive and a hungry eleven-year-old boy. On one rainy afternoon, on a crowded New York City street corner, eleven-year-old Maurice met Laura. Maurice asked Laura for spare change because he was hungry, and something made Laura stop and ask Maurice if she could take him to lunch. Maurice and Laura went to lunch together, and also bought ice cream cones and played video games. It was the beginning of an unlikely and magical friendship that changed both of their lives forever. An Invisible Thread is the true story of the bond between an eleven-year-old boy and a busy sales executive; a heartwarming journey of hope, kindness, adventure, and love—and the power of fate to help us find our way.

One day in 1986, Laura Schroff, a busy ad sales executive, passed an eleven-year-old boy panhandling on the street. She stopped and offered to take him to McDonald's for lunch. Twenty years later, at Laura's fiftieth birthday party, Maurice Mazyck gave a toast, thanking Laura for her act of kindness, which ended up changing the course of his life. In that toast, Maurice said that when Laura stopped on that busy street corner all those years ago, God had sent him an angel. Laura's invisible thread journey has deepened her belief that angels -- divine and otherwise -- are all around us. After her previous book was published in 2011, readers from around the country and world began sharing with Laura their own stories about how chance encounters with strangers have changed their lives. From a woman who saved a life simply by buying someone a book, to a financier who gave a stranger the greatest gift of all, to a teacher who chose a hug over discipline and changed a lost boy's future -- Angels on Earth will introduce a series of remarkable people whose invisible thread stories will move, surprise, and inspire readers.

December 10, 2009. McVea was being treated in a hospital for pancreatitis when her heart stopped pumping for nine minutes. She went to heaven, stood with God, and was forever changed. By dying, she learned how to live. McVea believes we have to chase heaven while we are still alive-- and allow God to turn our lukewarm love into a firestorm of faith.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling authors of An Invisible Thread comes the true, heartfelt, and extraordinary story of how one woman’s decision to help a boy on the street changed both of their lives forever. New York Times bestselling author Laura Schroff tells the remarkable story of her lifelong friendship with a boy named Maurice who she met on the street while he was asking for change in her book, An Invisible Thread. Now, in this sweet picture book, Laura retells the first Christmas that she and Maurice spent together. She shares how Maurice gave her a small white bear and, as she later learns, the only thing he had that he could truly call his own—to show her how grateful he was for their friendship. This heartwarming tale captures the true meaning of the holidays and will be one you’ll want to share with your family year after year as a reminder that a gift from the heart is always the best present under the tree.

A memoir from the New York Giants player and Ewing's sarcoma survivor.

The remarkable story of a woman, plagued with guilt and skepticism, dramatically changed by the nine minutes she spent in heaven. "God let me see me through His eyes. And in that instant I knew that God had always loved me, through all of those dark and difficult years when I doubted His existence, through every crisis and every heartbreak that made me turn away from Him more. I knew, in that instant, that His love was endless and boundless, and that if He loved me so much, how could I not love myself?" For most of her life, Crystal McVea was a skeptic whose history of abuse and bad choices made her feel beyond the reach of God--who questioned if God was even real. She had all but given up hope. Then came December 10, 2009--and the moment that changed everything. For nine minutes that night, Crystal went into full respiratory arrest. She was unconscious and unable to breathe on her own, unaware of the crisis happening around her as the hospital staff rushed to save her life. Crystal doesn't remember the trauma or losing consciousness; she just remembers waking up in heaven, next to God. Waking Up in Heaven invites readers to witness the relentless pursuit of God in a life that was broken and seemingly beyond hope, an awe-inspiring account of love, forgiveness, and redemption, and the healing power of God's presence.

By the end of 1934 Melvin Purvis was, besides President Roosevelt, the most famous man in America. Just thirty one years old, he presided over the neophyte FBI's remarkable sweep of the great Public Enemies of the American Depression - John Dillinger; Pretty Boy Floyd; Baby Face Nelson. America finally had its hero in the War on Crime, and the face of all the conquering G-Men belonged to Melvin Purvis. Yet these triumphs sowed the seeds of his eventual ruin. With each new capture, each new headline touting Purvis as the scourge of gangsters, one man's implacable resentment grew. J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, was immensely jealous of the agent who had been his friend and protege, and vowed that Melvin Purvis would be brought down. A vendetta began that would not end even with Purvis's death. For more than three decades Hoover trampled Purvis's reputation, questioned his courage and competence, and tried to erase his name from all records of the FBI's greatest triumphs. Alston Purvis is Melvin's only surviving son. With the benefit of a unique family archive of documents, new testimony from colleagues and friends of Melvin Purvis and witnesses to the events of 1934, he has produced a grippingly authentic new telling of the gangster era, seen from the perspective of the pursuers. By finally setting the record straight about his father, he sheds new light on what some might call Hoover's original sin - a personal vendetta that is one of the earliest and clearest examples of Hoover's bitter, destructive paranoia.

Looks at the life and career of FBI agent Melvin Purvis, who was responsible for capturing such criminals as John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson, and argues that his reputation was destroyed by an envious J. Edgar Hoover.

As a senior writer at "People" magazine, Tresniowski is known for getting into the hearts and minds of ordinary and famous people alike. Now he delivers a touching celebration of extraordinary human grace under pressure in a book which arms readers with the tools and the resolve they need to make the most of hard times.

CREEK GOD James Van Der Beek is a young actor on the verge of megastardom. Riding high on the huge success of his film Varsity Blues, and with his hit show Dawson's Creek about to enter its third season, James is poised to become one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood. Just like the sensitive, soulful, and oh-so-sexy Dawson, James grew up in a small New England town, where he dreamed of big-time success. Teen People called him a "real-life Brandon Walsh." A Renaissance man who is gorgeous to boot, he excelled at everything he tried: sports, academics, music, and especially drama. In BOY NEXT DOOR, you'll find out how James first discovered acting and the hits and misses of his early career. And, of course, you'll get all the essentials--his passions and turn-offs, his hopes and aspirations, his dates and loves. When it comes to his career and future, James has the Midas touch. And BOY NEXT DOOR is pure gold!

A collection of photographs and essays provides a journey into the secret world of twins with profiles of thirty-eight sets of twins who speak about their relationships

Tiger Woods is the world's greatest golfer, and possibly its most recognized sportsman. In Tiger Virtues, author Alex Tresniowski defines the 18 elements—drawn from Buddhist principles—that constitute Woods' winning approach to golf, and reveals how his unprecedented mastery of the game is a metaphor for life. Preparation, positive thought, stillness, intuition, patience, and other strategies worth adopting on a larger scale are explored in Woods' attitude toward golf. His application of Buddhist principles has been well-documented, and he is known for his relentless commitment, fierce competitiveness, and uncanny ability to perform at his best under pressure. In fact, he has noted that “Golf has been good to me, but the lessons I've learned transcended the game.” The text is supported by original interviews with more than 40 current golf pros and analysts, and most importantly, by the cooperation of Tiger's strongest influence, his father and manager, Earl Woods. Tiger Virtues works as both a golf coach and a life coach. It outlines each virtue, from Sureness to Adaptability, that Woods embodies in his approach to golf, and seamlessly applies them to real life.