New Releases by Tananarive Due

S. A. Cosby's All the Sinners Bleed meets Percival Everett's Erasure in this literary thriller following the grandson of a famous Black actress from the 1920s to the 1940s, now a filmmaker himself, who returns to his grandmother's cabin retreat in the California mountains only to encounter the legacy of her rage born in Old Hollywood. Award-winning author Tananarive Due returns with the follow-up to the multi-award-winning The Reformatory in this generational novel of rage. With flashbacks to Johnny’s grandmother—who brushed shoulders with giants like Lena Horne, Clark Gable, and Hattie McDaniel—this novel explores three generations, beginning with Mazelle Washington’s life as a young actress. Fifty years after Mazelle’s death, Johnny will discover the secret she kept and nurtured since she was a child, when she had a dark wish come true. A monster lurks outside Mazywood, hidden for generations, and Johnny brought his family to its hunting grounds.

Literary horror icon and multi-award-winning novelist TANANARIVE DUE (The Reformatory) and hot newcomer KELSEY RAMSAY present MOON DOGSÑfollowing East African werewolves secretly living in Miami, as this minority within a minority is caught in a burgeoning war that threatens both lycanthrope and human lives.Ê

"An extraordinary work of humane imagination...Call it magic realism with soul. The closest compatriot of The Between is Toni Morrison's Beloved. Not shabby."--Locus A man risks his soul and his sanity to save his family from malevolent forces in this brilliant novel of horror and the supernatural, now updated with new material, from the award-winning pioneer of speculative fiction and author of the classic My Soul to Keep--now available as a Harper Perennial Olive Edition. When Hilton was a boy, his grandmother sacrificed her life to save him from drowning. Thirty years later, he begins to suspect that he was never meant to survive that accident, and that dark forces are working to rectify that mistake. When Hilton's wife, the only elected African American judge in Dade County, Florida, begins to receive racist hate mail from a man she once prosecuted, Hilton becomes obsessed with protecting his family. The demons lurking outside are matched by his internal terrors--macabre nightmares, more intense and disturbing than any he has ever experienced. Are these bizarre dreams the dark imaginings of a man losing his hold on sanity--or are they harbingers of terrible events to come? As Hilton battles both the sociopath threatening to destroy his family and the even more terrifying enemy stalking his sleep, the line between reality and fantasy dissolves . . . Chilling and utterly convincing, The Between is the haunting story of a man desperately trying to hold on to the people and life he loves as he slowly loses himself.

*Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner * New York Times Notable Book * Locus Award Finalist * Winner of the Bram Stoker Award and the Shirley Jackson Award * “You’re in for a treat...one of those books you can’t put down...Due hit it out of the park.” —Stephen King A gripping, page-turning “masterpiece” (Joe Hill, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fireman) set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead. Gracetown, Florida June 1950 Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory. Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late. The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.

Now in paperback, this blockbuster story collection further cements Tananarive Due’s status as a leading innovator in Black horror and Afrofuturism; featuring two new stories —Includes “Incident at Bear Creek Lodge,” winner of the World Fantasy Award —Selected for the Locus Magazine 2023 Recommended Reading List —“Rumpus Room” selected as finalist for a 2023 Bram Stoker Award for Long Fiction "[A] master class in horror fiction and sci-fi written by one of the very best in the genre." —Joe Hill, NPR's Weekend Edition "The Wishing Pool . . . is a major treat, full of major scares. Due excels at twist endings but also brilliantly creates an atmosphere of creeping dread in which you know something terrible is coming . . . Due shows just how much territory she can cover in one short book and just how versatile terrifying tales can be." —Washington Post "Holy hell: These fourteen stories from author and film historian Due might scare even the most dauntless horror fans to death . . . A patchwork of stories that somehow manages to be both graceful and alarming, putting fresh eyes to the unspeakable." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review AMERICAN BOOK AWARD–WINNING AUTHOR TANANARIVE DUE's second collection of stories includes offerings of horror, science fiction, and suspense—all genres she wields masterfully. From the mysterious, magical town of Gracetown to the aftermath of a pandemic to the reaches of the far future, Due's stories all share a sense of dread and fear balanced with heart and hope. In some of these stories, the monster is racism itself; others address the monster within, each set against the supernatural or surreal. All are written with Due's trademark attention to detail and deeply drawn characters. The story "Incident at Bear Creek Lodge" is a World Fantasy Award finalist, and this paperback reissue includes two new stories.

A young Black girl finds herself trapped between desperation and her family’s dark history in The Keeper, a horror graphic novel written by New York Times bestselling, award-winning masters of horror Tananarive Due (The Reformatory) and Steven Barnes, illustrated by Marco Finnegan. NAMED A BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST NAMED A BOOK WE LOVED BY NPR Aisha has suffered a devastating loss. Her parents were killed in a car crash, and now she must move to decrepit and derelict Detroit to live with her ailing grandmother. However, shortly after moving in, Aisha’s grandmother’s health rapidly deteriorates. With her dying breath, she summons the dark spirit that has protected their family for generations to watch over Aisha. At first it seems that this spirit, whom Aisha refers to as the Keeper, is truly doing as her grandmother asked, caring for Aisha and keeping her safe; however, it soon becomes clear that this being can only sustain itself by stealing life from others. As the Keeper begins to prey on the apartment building’s other residents, Aisha and her friends must come together to destroy it . . . or die trying.

"In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness"--Amazon.com.

The date: A week after tomorrow. An infection has swept the world, bringing on an epidemic of mindless attacks that leave everyone changed. Society has broken down. Survivors call the infected Freaks. But the Freaks are more than simple, mindless zombies - they are actually the result of an alien life form slowly colonising Earth, and humanity is ultimately enmeshed in a struggle for control of the planet. Part Dawn of the Dead and part Road Warrior, Domino Falls is a horrifying, exciting and strangely romantic coming-of-age story set on the edge of Apocalypse.

In this next pulse-racing instalment to an award-winning mystery series, Tennyson Hardwick faces his most challenging case yet. When the actor-turned-sleuth is filming his part in a television detective series in South Beach, Florida, his family join him on set. When his daughter's friend goes mysteriously missing and later washes ashore, the authorities fear the death is connected to a highly dangerous serial killer. Tennyson believes he knows who the killer is, but the suspect disappears...or so he thinks. Soon Tennyson and his family are in grave danger.

"The first book of an exciting new paranormal series from two award-winning authors about what happens when an alien race brings Earth to the brink of the Apocalypse. The husband and wife writing team of Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes continue to achieve extraordinary literary feats with this first book in the exciting new Devil's Wake series. Due's The Living Blood and My Soul to Keep were each named to Publishers Weekly's list of Best Novels of the Year, and both were nominated for the Bram Stoker award. Barnes scored New York Times' bestsellers with The Legacy of Heorot and Star Wars: The Cestus Deception, and he has been nominated for both the Hugo and Cable Ace awards for his work in television.The eeriness of Devil's Wake begins a week after tomorrow. An unprecedented infection has swept across the world, bringing an epidemic of mindless biting attacks from the infected that leave their victims "changed." Society has broken down. The victims are more than mindless zombies. They are the result of a sinister alien life-form in the wake of the aliens' insidious plot, humanity ultimately becomes enmeshed in a brutal struggle for control of its home, planet Earth.Part Dawn of the Dead and part Road Warrior, Devil's Wake is a testimony to courage, friendship, and the power of faith. Horrifying and heartbreaking, exciting and challenging, it is a compelling, brilliant story on the edge of what could be the end of it all"--

"An eerie epic. I loved this novel." -- Stephen King The award-winning master of horror, acclaimed author, screenwriter, and scholar Tananarive Due’s classic African Immortals series starts with an electrifying piece of dark fantasy, My Soul to Keep. When Jessica marries David, he is everything she wants in a family man: brilliant, attentive, ever youthful. Yet she still feels something about him is just out of reach. Soon, as people close to Jessica begin to meet violent, mysterious deaths, David makes an unimaginable confession: More than 400 years ago, he and other members of an Ethiopian sect traded their humanity so they would never die, a secret he must protect at any cost. Now, his immortal brethren have decided David must return and leave his family in Miami. Instead, David vows to invoke a forbidden ritual to keep Jessica and his daughter with him forever. Harrowing, engrossing and skillfully rendered, My Soul to Keep traps Jessica between the desperation of immortals who want to rob her of her life and a husband who wants to rob her of her soul. With deft plotting and an unforgettable climax, this tour de force that Stephen King called 'An eerie epic' is sure to win Due a legion of new fans.

From the bestselling and award-winning author of The Reformatory, a heart-stopping novel that continues the story of descendants of an immortal line of people who are the only ones capable of saving the world. Fana, an immortal with tremendous telepathic abilities, is locked in a battle of wills. Her fiancé is Michel. But Johnny Wright, a mortal who is in love with her, believes that if she doesn’t stay away from Michel, they will become the Witnesses to the Apocalypse described in the Book of Revelation. Fana and the Life Brothers are rushing to distribute their healing “Living Blood” throughout the world, hoping to eliminate most diseases before Fana is bound to marry Michel. Still, they cannot heal people faster than Michel can kill them. Due weaves a tangled web in this novel, including beloved characters from her bestselling Joplin’s Ghost, in a war of good against evil, making My Soul to Take a chilling and thrilling experience.

Patricia Stephens Due fought for justice during the height of the Civil Rights era. Her daughter, Tananarive, grew up deeply enmeshed in the values of a family committed to making right whatever they saw as wrong. Together, in alternating chapters, they have written a paean to the movement—its hardships, its nameless foot soldiers, and its achievements—and an incisive examination of the future of justice in this country. Their mother-daughter journey spanning two generations of struggles is an unforgettable story.

*From the author of The Reformatory—A New York Times Notable Book of 2023* Acclaimed for her novels ranging from supernatural thrillers to historical fiction, award-winning author Tananarive Due imagines the story of an ancient group of immortals—a hidden African clan that has survived for more than a thousand years—facing one of the most challenging issues of our time: a devastating pandemic. In this sequel to her Essence bestsellers, The Living Blood and My Soul to Keep, fan-favorite Tananarive Due introduces readers to a new drug: Glow. Said to heal almost any illness, Glow gets its power from the blood of immortals, and it’s up to the Blood Colony, a small but powerful group of immortals, to keep the supplies coming so that AIDS and other diseases will be wiped out. Meet Fana Wolde, seventeen years old, the only immortal born with the Living Blood. She can read minds and her injuries heal immediately. When her best friend, a mortal, is imprisoned by Fana’s family, Fana helps her escape and together they run away from Fana’s protected home in Washington State to join the Underground Railroad of Glow peddlers. But Fana has more than her parents to worry about: Glow peddlers are being murdered by a violent, hundred-year-old sect with ties to the Vatican. Now, when Fana is most vulnerable, she is being hunted to fulfill an ancient blood prophecy that could lead to countless deaths. While her people search for Fana and race to unravel the unknown sect’s mysterious origins, Fana must learn to confront the deadly forces—or she and everyone she loves will die.

Now in paperback, the steamy, action-packed thriller from a dream team, starring unlikely but unforgettable African-American hero Tennyson Hardwick - son of a cop, B-list actor and former gigolo, destined to become a kick-ass crime fighter. When an afternoon of passion makes Tennyson a suspect for murder, he needs to clear his name. Plunging into the urban jungle of rap rivalries, the sex trade and dirty cops, Casanegra takes readers on a wild ride through Hollywood, heart-pounding in every way.' - E. Lynn Harris, bestselling author of A Little Prayer)'

Award-winning author Due's spine tingling tale of supernatural suspense "weaves a stronger net than ever" (Kirkus Reviews") as a woman searches for the inherited power that can save her hometown from the forces of evil.

*From the author of The Reformatory—A New York Times Notable Book of 2023* In this chilling historical novel that's part love story, part ghost story, a female singer's life spins horrifically out of control as a long-dead music legend chooses her to continue his legacy. When Phoenix Smalls was ten, she nearly died at her parents' jazz club when she was crushed by a turn-of-the-century piano. Now twenty-four, Phoenix is launching a career as an R&B singer. She's living out her dreams and seems destined for fame and fortune. But a chance visit to a historical site in St. Louis ignites a series of bizarre, erotic encounters with a spirit who may be the King of Ragtime, Scott Joplin. The sound of Scott Joplin is strange enough to the ears of the hip-hop generation. But the idea that these antique sounds are being channeled through Phoenix? Her life is suddenly hanging in the balance. How will she find her true voice and calling? Can the power of her own inner song give Phoenix the strength to fight to live out her own future? Or will she be forever trapped in Scott Joplin's doomed, tragic past? Stunningly original, Joplin's Ghost is a novel filled with art and intrigue—and is sure to bring music to readers' ears.

Stunning...an event of sustained power and energy... This novel should set a standard for supernatural thrillers of the new millennium' - Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW) Jessica is still coming to terms with the disappearance of her husband, David, and the death of her first daughter by his hand. Now, Fana, their second daughter, is exhibiting unsettling powers, and Jessica is confronted with the shocking truth: that an ancient lifeblood courses through Fana's veins - and there are those who will stop at nothing to exploit her power.'

“One of the most exciting novels of the year . . . The dramatic story of Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first black female millionaire.”—E. Lynn Harris Born to former slaves on a Louisiana plantation in 1867, Madam C.J. Walker rose from poverty and indignity to become America’s first black female millionaire, the head of a hugely successful beauty company, and a leading philanthropist in African American causes. Renowned author Alex Haley became fascinated by the story of this extraordinary heroine, and before his death in 1992, he embarked on the research and outline of a major novel based on her life. With The Black Rose, critically acclaimed writer Tananarive Due brings Haley’s work to an inspiring completion. Blending documented history, vivid dialogue, and a sweeping fictionalized narrative, Tananarive Due paints a vivid portrait of this passionate and tenacious pioneer and the unforgettable era in which she lived. Praise for The Black Rose “An artfully framed page-turner.”—Essence “An impressive accomplishment . . . Due’s combination of historical study and fictional exploration endows this gripping tale with intimacy and emotional authenticity.”—The Miami Herald