Nicola is having a really bad day. She’s tired of her job, her boss, and even her San Francisco apartment, which she’s just heard she’s being evicted from anyway. Her life’s only excitement is fueled by fantasy – about the expensive lingerie she wears under her business suits, about a man she sees at lunch every day, a darkly handsome man she calls Chorizo, after the kind of pizza he orders. She’s flat-out tired of her life, and nothing brings it home more than running into her annoying but harmless ex-husband, Scooter, on the way to work. But if ever anyone learns a lesson in “be careful what you wish for,” it’s Nicola, because suddenly her life seems to be full of excitement. First she gets kidnapped after kickboxing class by two inept teenagers who, it turns out, aren’t your garden-variety ransom kidnappers at all. But before she can resolve this situation, her innocent flirtation with Chorizo turns sinister. Suddenly Nicola’s problem is no longer how to survive her boredom but how to survive, period. All in all, Martha Conway’s debut is a deliciously hip, sexy, and suspenseful crime novel.

12 Bliss Street: A Novel

Conway, Martha

Literature & Fiction

Minotaur Books

Thieving Forest

North American Book Awards Winner for Best Historical Fiction "An extraordinary new historical novel." —Akron Beacon Journal "A powerful tale of sisterhood and survival." —San Jose Mercury News ”Conway's historical novel features prose as rich as its characters ... hypnotic.” —Kirkus Reviews
 On a humid day in June 1806, on the edge of Ohio's Great Black Swamp, seventeen-year-old Susanna Quiner watches from behind a maple tree as a band of Potawatomi Indians kidnaps her four older sisters from their cabin. With both her parents dead from Swamp Fever and all the other settlers out in their fields, Susanna makes the rash decision to pursue them herself. What follows is a young woman's quest to find her sisters, and the parallel story of her sisters' new lives. Thieving Forest explores the transformation of all five sisters as they contend with starvation, slavery, betrayal, and love. Fast-paced and richly detailed, Thieving Forest is a riveting novel that demonstrates the true wildness of the wilderness, and the rugged perseverance of those who find themselves there. 10% Thieving Forest Author Edition Discount Enter discount code FD52R8T3 after adding to cart.

United States

Noontime Books

2014 North American Book Award Winner for Best Historical NovelIndependent Publishers Book Awards Silver Medal "An elegiac, hopeful historical novel... hypnotic." -Kirkus Reviews  "An extraordinary new historical novel." -Akron Beacon JournalOn a humid day in June 1806, on the edge of Ohio's Great Black Swamp, seventeen-year-old Susanna Quiner watches from behind a maple tree as a band of Potawatomi Indians kidnaps her four older sisters from their cabin. With both her parents dead and all the other settlers out in their fields, Susanna makes the rash decision to pursue them herself. What follows is a young woman's quest to find her sisters, and the parallel story of her sisters' new lives. One sister is left for dead and two others are traded to a band of Wyandots for the price of a horse. Meanwhile Susanna spends the next five months searching for them. The man who loves her, Seth Spendlove, is also in pursuit after he realizes that his family was involved in the kidnapping. Part Potawatomi himself, Seth unwittingly sets off on his own quest to reclaim his heritage. He allies himself with a Potawatomi named Koman, and together they canoe through the Great Black Swamp and into enemy territory looking for Susanna. Surviving snake bite, near-starvation, and captivity, Susanna transforms herself from the perennial younger sister to a capable young woman determined to find her family. Thieving Forest is a riveting novel that demonstrates the true wildness of the wilderness, and the rugged perseverance of those who find themselves there.

Named one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016 Readers' Favorite Book Award Winner CHICAGO, 1921: Al Capone is on the rise, and a new music called jazz fills the speakeasies. When talented young pianist Eve Riser is caught in a drive-by shooting that kills the bootlegger standing next to her, she forms an unlikely friendship with the bootlegger’s sister, Lena. Eve is looking for her missing stepsister, a popular night club singer, and Lena wants to find out who killed her brother. Together these two women navigate the back alleys and jazz clubs of the Roaring Twenties, encountering charismatic managers, handsome musicians, and a mysterious gangster called the Walnut who seems to be the key to it all. As they fight racial barriers trying to discover the truth, Eve and Lena must learn to rely on each other and trust no one else. SUGARLAND mixes the excitement of the 1920s with the darker side of Prohibition in a gripping story with “real suspense for anyone who likes a good mystery.” (Kirkus Starred Review)

Sugarland

Named one of Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2016 Readers Favorite Book Award Winner CHICAGO, 1921: Al Capone is on the rise, and a new music called jazz fills thespeakeasies. When talented young pianist Eve Riser is caught in adrive-by shooting that kills the bootlegger standing next to her, sheforms an unlikely friendship with the bootlegger's sister, Lena. Eve islooking for her missing stepsister, a popular night club singer who hasbeen missing since the shoot-out, and Lena wants to find out who killedher brother. Together these two women navigate the back alleysand jazz clubs of the Roaring Twenties, encountering charismaticmanagers, handsome musicians, and a mysterious gangster called theWalnut who seems to be the key to it all.As they fight racial barrierstrying to discover the truth, Eve and Lena must learn to rely on eachother and trust no one else. SUGARLAND mixes the excitement ofthe jazz age with the darker side of Prohibition in a gripping storywith "real suspense for anyone who likes a good mystery." (KirkusStarred Review)

Sugarland: A Jazz Age Mystery

The New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Set aboard a nineteenth century riverboat theater, this is the moving, page-turning story of a charmingly frank and naive seamstress who is blackmailed into saving runaways on the Underground Railroad, jeopardizing her freedom, her livelihood, and a new love. It’s 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue—until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist, Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena’s Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states. May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay, and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who ferry babies given up by their slave mothers across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her new-found friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of Dr. Early who captures runaways and sells them back to their southern masters. As May’s secrets become more tangled and harder to keep, the Floating Theatre readies for its biggest performance yet. May’s predicament could mean doom for all her friends on board, including her beloved Hugo, unless she can figure out a way to trap those who know her best.

The Underground River: A Novel

Atria Books

The Underground River

Set aboard a nineteenth century riverboat theater, this New York Times Notable book is the “captivating, thoughtful, and unforgettable” (Kathleen Grissom, author of The Kitchen House) story of a charmingly frank and naive seamstress who is blackmailed into saving runaways on the Underground Railroad, jeopardizing her freedom, her livelihood, and a new love. It’s 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue—until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist, Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena’s Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states. May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay, and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who help ferry slaves across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her newfound friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of a slave catcher. As May’s secrets become more tangled, the Floating Theatre readies for its biggest performance yet. May’s predicament could mean doom for her friends on board, including her beloved Hugo, unless she can figure out a way to entrap those who know her best. “Twain has his ‘Life on the Mississippi’. Conway’s life on the Ohio makes you see the place, through May’s eyes, in all its muddy glory” (New York Times Book Review).

It's 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue-until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena's Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states.May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay, and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who ferry babies given up by their slave mothers across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her new-found friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of Dr. Early, who captures runaways and sells them back to their southern masters.

Genre Fiction

Tantor Media, Inc.

It's 1838, and May Bedloe works as a seamstress for her cousin, the famous actress Comfort Vertue-until their steamboat sinks on the Ohio River. Though they both survive, both must find new employment. Comfort is hired to give lectures by noted abolitionist Flora Howard, and May finds work on a small flatboat, Hugo and Helena's Floating Theatre, as it cruises the border between the northern states and the southern slave-holding states. May becomes indispensable to Hugo and his troupe, and all goes well until she sees her cousin again. Comfort and Mrs. Howard are also traveling down the Ohio River, speaking out against slavery at the many riverside towns. May owes Mrs. Howard a debt she cannot repay, and Mrs. Howard uses the opportunity to enlist May in her network of shadowy characters who ferry babies given up by their slave mothers across the river to freedom. Lying has never come easy to May, but now she is compelled to break the law, deceive all her new-found friends, and deflect the rising suspicions of Dr. Early, who captures runaways and sells them back to their southern masters.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Conway, Martha. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Conway, Martha

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Conway, Martha. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

12 Bliss Street: A Novel

Thieving Forest

Thieving Forest

Sugarland

Sugarland: A Jazz Age Mystery

The Underground River: A Novel

The Underground River: A Novel

The Underground River

The Underground River

The Underground River