"Cussy Mary Carter is the last of her kind, her skin the color of a blue damselfly in these dusty hills. But that doesn't mean she's got nothing to offer. As a member of the Pack Horse Library Project, Cussy delivers books to the hill folk of Troublesome, hoping to spread learning in these desperate times. But not everyone is so keen on Cussy's family or the Library Project, and the hardscrabble Kentuckians are quick to blame a Blue for any trouble...

"In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good. Picking up her mother's old packhorse library...

"CID officer-turned-small-town-investigator Mick Hardin is up against unforeseen forces who will stop at nothing in this vividly atmospheric thriller from acclaimed literary crime novelist Chris Offutt. A literary master across genres, award-winning author Chris Offutt's latest book, Shifty's Boys, is a compelling, propulsive thriller of murder and mayhem in the hills of eastern Kentucky. Mick Hardin is an Army CID officer home on leave, recovering...

"Kentucky packhorse librarian Tansy Calhoun doesn't mind the rough trails and long hours as she serves her mountain community during the Great Depression. Even the rough people-like ornery Perdita Sweet-have their charms. But can love bloom in such rocky soil?"-- Kentucky packhorse librarian Tansy Calhoun doesn't mind the rough trails and long hours as she serves her Appalachian mountain community during the Great Depression. When a charming writer...

When it comes to men, Nealy is very content with her new husband, lawyer Hatch Littletree. When it comes to horses, she is never satisfied. Nobody can measure up to her standards as a trainer, not even her daughter Emmie, who now runs the family's famous stables, Blue Diamond Farms. But returning to Blue Diamond Farms for a family reunion sends Nealy reeling. Emmie has let the farm slide, and she has picked a small, gutsy colt to send to the Derby--a...

"Growing up on their hardscrabble farm in rural Kentucky, fifteen-year-old Albertina “Bertie” Winslow has learned a lot from her mama, Polly. She knows how to lance a boil, make a pie crust, butcher a pig, and tend to every chore that needs doing. What she doesn’t know, but is forced to reckon with all too soon, is how to look after children as a mother should… When Polly succumbs to a long illness, Bertie takes on responsibility for her four...

Amish widower Samuel Fisher journeys from Lancaster County to Bluegrass Country seeking a balm for his grief after his wife's death. Esther Beiler, who helps watch his children there develops a crush on Samuel and a true affection for his kids. Can she win his heart, or has he already lost it to an English woman? How will God untangle these star-crossed lovers when jealousies and misconceptions threaten to tear them apart?

Pastry chef Sophia Cummings is commissioned to cater the Heart of the Town Library charity fundraiser, but the evening turns frosty when a man is murdered. Sophia Cummings knows that the way to a man's heart is through his sweet tooth, and plans to use that knowledge-- and her skills as a New York City-trained pastry chef-- to open the hearts and wallets of Rumford, Kentucky's richest men. As proprietress of For Goodness Cakes, Sophia has been commissioned...

He wanted power. Oliver Russell is fated to rise to the pinnacle of power, the office of President of the United States. She wanted revenge. Leslie Stewart is his betrayed fiancee, a woman dedicated to a single purpose-the downfall of Oliver Russell. Amassing her own media empire, marshaling all her forces against him, she stands poised to destroy Russell on the eve of his most dazzling triumph.

"In rural Kentucky, back in 1933, Carol's daddy lost his 13-year-old daughter in a game of cards. Award-winning author Simon Van Booy's spellbinding novel spans decades as he tells the story of Carol and the people in her life. Incidents intersect and lives unexpectedly change course in this masterfully interwoven story of chance and choice that leads home again to a night blessed with light. "What you give in this world," an old man tells his grandson,...