Steven Wright

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ERNEST J. GAINES AWARD FOR LITERARY EXCELLENCE

"With this splendid debut, Steven Wright announces his arrival as a major new voice in the world of political thrillers. I enjoyed it immensely." —John Grisham

A blistering and thrilling debut—a biting exploration of American politics, set in a small South Carolina town, about a political operative running a

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In this world, each emoji has only one facial expression, except for Gene, who is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become normal, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5 and Jailbreak. Together, these unlikely heroes embark on an epic app-venture through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the code that will fix Gene!

The beautiful Princess Odette is transformed into a swan by an evil sorcerer's spell (which can only be broken by a vow of everlasting love) and held captive at an enchanted lake. There, she befriends Jean-Bob the frog, Speed the turtle and Puffn the bird. Despite their struggle to keep the princess safe, these good-natured animals can do nothing about the sorcerer's spell.

"Call me lucky tells the story of Barry Crimmins, a beer-swilling, politically outspoken and whip-smart comic whose efforts in the 70s and 80s fostered the talents of the next generation of standup comedians. But beneath Crimmins' gruff, hard drinking, curmudgeonly persona lay an undercurrent of rage stemming from his long-surpressed and horrific abuse as a child, a rage that eventually found its way out of the comedy clubs and into the political...