Books like The Dead Heart by Douglas Kennedy

The compelling and gripping new novel from the bestselling author of The Pursuit of Happiness, A Special Relationship and State of the Union.Like all Hollywood screenwriters, David Armitage wants to be rich and famous. But for the past eleven years, he's tasted nothing but failure.Living on the outskirts of Los Angeles with his wife, an out of work actress, and daughter, they struggle to get by on low paid jobs, each day bringing a fresh round of disappointment.Then, after ten years of rejection, one of David's scripts is bought for television and he suddenly finds that he's the creator of a hit series. Blinded by success, it isn't long before he starts an affair with a beautiful young producer, leaving his family behind for A-list celebrity status.Rich and successful, David is living the kind of life he always dreamed of, but when a reclusive billionaire enters into his life proposing a collaboration, he finds that one decision can destroy everything you've ever worked for.

Set in postwar New York, the novel follows Greenwich Village friends, a bold young woman, and a returning Army journalist as they navigate love, loyalty, and the looming McCarthy witch‑hunts.

Harvard professor Jane, who vowed never to marry or have children, becomes unexpectedly pregnant and reexamines her commitment to motherhood amid a distant partner.

**WHAT IF YOU COULD GIVE UP YOUR LIFE AND TAKE OVER SOMEONE ELSE'S?** Ben Bradford has it all. A beautiful wife, two adorable children, a big house in an upscale neighborhood, and a top paying job as a partner at a New York law firm. But scratch the surface and you'll find a deeply unhappy man. Not only did he want to be a photographer, but his wife is slipping away from him into the arms of another man.... who just happens to be a photographer. **WHAT IF YOU HAD NO CHOICE?** When a confrontation with the lover turns ugly, a split second is all Ben needs to realize he can head out west with a new identity and a proverbial second chance at making it big as a photographer. But the price he pays is high. Ben must give up his family, his job, his home, his LIFE. And just when you think he's pulled it off, it turns out there's a hitch. Even in places like a small Montana town, it's only a matter of time before your past catches up with you.

A travel writer in Maine remembers his life in West Berlin, where a romance with a translator leads him into the dangerous world of Cold War espionage between the Stasi and the CIA.