Jenny Milchman books in order

Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide.

The first few hours following Nora’s devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them.

Unraveling her late husband’s final days, Nora searches for an explanation—but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan’s best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden.

Liz Daniels should be happy about setting off on a rare family vacation. Instead, she feels uneasy about taking her kids away from home to see their grandparents. Her husband, Paul, hasn’t spoken to his parents—or about them—in years, and it’s a long drive to the remote farmhouse. 

After a day on the road, Liz decides it’s time to check in to a hotel for the night. After all, everything always looks better in the morning. But when the sun comes up, she finds her worst fears realized and her entire existence upended: Paul is suddenly a stranger to her, and Liz must now fight to save her family. 

Her panic mounts as she races to unravel a web of lies, following a thread that leads deep into the woods and journeying from a safe, ordinary life to a disturbing, hidden world born from dreams and haunted by nightmares.

Sandy Tremont has always tried to give her family everything. But, as the sky darkens over the Adirondacks and a heavy snowfall looms, an escaped murderer with the power to take it all away draws close.

In her isolated home in the shadowy woods, Sandy prepares dinner after a fight with her daughter, Ivy. Upstairs, the fifteen-year-old—smart, brave, and with every reason to be angry tonight—keeps her distance from her mother. Sandy’s husband, Ben, a wilderness guide, arrives late to find a home simmering with unease.

Nearby, two desperate men on the run make their way through the fading light, bloodstained and determined to leave no loose ends or witnesses. After almost twenty years as prison cellmates, they have become a deadly team: Harlan the muscle, Nick the mind and will. As they approach a secluded house and look through its windows to see a cozy domestic scene, Nick knows that here he will find what he’s looking for . . . before he disappears forever.

Opening the door to the Tremont home, Nick brings not only a legacy of terror but a secret that threatens to drag Sandy with him into the darkness.

Newlyweds Nat and Doug expected a romantic adventure when they decided on a canoe trip for their honeymoon, but they're not alone in the woods.

Six million acres of Adirondack forest separate Natalie and Doug Larson from civilization. For the newlyweds, an isolated canoeing honeymoon seems ideal―a chance to start their lives together with an adventure. But just as Natalie and Doug begin to explore the dark interiors of their own hearts, and the deceit that has led to their love, it becomes clear that they are not alone in the woods.

Six million acres makes it easy for the wicked to hide. And even easier for someone to go missing for good.

As they struggle with the worst the wilderness has to offer, a man watches them, wielding the forest like a weapon to get exactly what he wants. And once they are near his domain, he will do everything in his power to make sure that they never escape the of terror in the woods.

Opportunity: Teacher needed in one-room schoolhouse on remote island in Maine. Find the freedom in a fresh start.

Julie Weathers isn't sure if she's running away or starting over, but moving to a remote island off the coast of Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life. The sun-washed, sea-stormed speck of land seems welcoming, the lobster plentiful, and the community close and tightly knit. She finds friends in her nearest neighbor and Callum, a man who appears to be using the island for the same thing as she: escape.

But as Julie takes on the challenge of teaching the island's children, she comes to suspect that she may have traded one place shrouded in trouble for another, and she begins to wonder if the greatest danger on Mercy Island is its lost location far out to sea, or the people who live there.

LUNCH READS: TWO SHORT MYSTERY STORIES:

THE VERY OLD MAN…by Jenny Milchman

A chance encounter in a grocery store spooks a young mother. When small accidents begin to happen around her young child, she wonders if the old man who'd given her daughter a quarter is to blame.

ESCAPE FROM SOUTHERN POINT…by Libby Sternberg

At small town on the Outer Banks, a loving groom fails to show up on his wedding day. As family and friends try to locate him and explain his absence, the bride's aunt draws on town gossip to figure out where he's gone, unintentionally mimicking the Jessica-Fletcher-like character her sister actress plays on TV.

A collection of stories that is thrilling and touching, amusing and exciting, uplifting and poignant…

The Heist--A superstitious bride-to-be pulls her fiancé into a strange quest.

The Uraniums--A rock & roll concert is forever etched in the minds of the fans who witnessed it.

A Forever Home--An adult orphan searches for a “forever home.”

Apfelstrudel--A survivor from World War II is on a journey to find one last memory of her mother.

This compelling anthology includes stories from New York Times best-selling author Regina Calcaterra, Sherwood Anderson Award winner Kristopher Jansma, and Canadian best-selling author Marissa Stapley, along with 12 others.