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    A Fortune of Sand

    A Novel

    Author Ruta Sepetys On Tour
    Large Print
    $32.00 US
    Diversified | Random House Large Print
    On sale May 26, 2026 | 464 Pages | 9798217347667
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    The daughter of a powerful tycoon escapes to a glamorous artists’ retreat—where dark secrets and dangerous temptations await—in this gripping Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea.

    “Enthralling . . . While history is often molded by those in power, there are always those who can wrest control and write a new story of their own.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies

    Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.
    Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful Detroit dynasty—a family rich in money and poor in charm. Creative, reckless, and never quite what they wanted, Marjorie has spent her life overlooked by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an elite arts program backed by a mysterious patron, she grabs the chance to finally step out of her family’s shadow.

    The building is grand.

    The talent is extraordinary.

    And something is deeply wrong.

    The program is strict in ways that feel sinister. Doors lock at strange hours. Rumors spread about women going missing. And the handsome benefactor behind it all is as magnetic as he is unsettling. As Marjorie gets pulled deeper into his world, she must fight to discover the truth before she loses herself completely.

    Set in the fading splendor of 1920s Detroit and inspired by real, long-buried events, A Fortune of Sand is a glittering, gothic page-turner about power, control, and the price women pay when they demand to be seen.
    © Laura Smith
    Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RutaSepetys. View titles by Ruta Sepetys
    “Ruta Sepetys is a literary citizen of the highest order, a true friend to readers, writers, and booksellers. Her books are moving, fascinating, and meticulously researched. She makes history live in order that we may learn from it.”—Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

    “Sepetys beautifully captures the madcap days of Prohibition in the Detroit suburbs, centered around the wealthy Lennox clan. Underneath the gilt, however, cracks abound, inspired by real-life events of the time and uncovered through Sepetys’s impeccable research. A heady exploration of women’s agency, as well as a killer romance and a beguiling mystery. Wildly entertaining.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

    “Enthralling . . . While history is often molded by those in power, there are always those who can wrest control and write a new story of their own. A Fortune of Sand should be required reading.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies

    “I’ve been waiting for this day for years . . . at long last, Ruta Sepetys has given us an adult novel! Set in Prohibition-era Detroit, A Fortune of Sand is inspired by the documented lives of the nouveau riche automotive dynasties and the undocumented stories of the infamous Eloise Asylum. As a seasoned historical novelist, Sepetys knows gold when she finds it, and this book sparkles! For readers seeking the glamour of The Great Gatsby with the mystery of an Agatha Christie novel, A Fortune of Sand is for you.”—Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?

    “A richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and [Detroit’s] dark underbelly. . . . This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach.”—Booklist, starred review

    About

    The daughter of a powerful tycoon escapes to a glamorous artists’ retreat—where dark secrets and dangerous temptations await—in this gripping Prohibition-era novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea.

    “Enthralling . . . While history is often molded by those in power, there are always those who can wrest control and write a new story of their own.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies

    Detroit, 1927. A city of smoke and ambition, where glittering wealth conceals a graveyard of secrets.
    Marjorie Lennox is the youngest daughter of a powerful Detroit dynasty—a family rich in money and poor in charm. Creative, reckless, and never quite what they wanted, Marjorie has spent her life overlooked by her controlling father and self-absorbed siblings. But when she secretly applies to an elite arts program backed by a mysterious patron, she grabs the chance to finally step out of her family’s shadow.

    The building is grand.

    The talent is extraordinary.

    And something is deeply wrong.

    The program is strict in ways that feel sinister. Doors lock at strange hours. Rumors spread about women going missing. And the handsome benefactor behind it all is as magnetic as he is unsettling. As Marjorie gets pulled deeper into his world, she must fight to discover the truth before she loses herself completely.

    Set in the fading splendor of 1920s Detroit and inspired by real, long-buried events, A Fortune of Sand is a glittering, gothic page-turner about power, control, and the price women pay when they demand to be seen.

    Author

    © Laura Smith
    Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists. Between Shades of Gray was adapted into the film Ashes in the Snow, and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RutaSepetys. View titles by Ruta Sepetys

    Praise

    “Ruta Sepetys is a literary citizen of the highest order, a true friend to readers, writers, and booksellers. Her books are moving, fascinating, and meticulously researched. She makes history live in order that we may learn from it.”—Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake

    “Sepetys beautifully captures the madcap days of Prohibition in the Detroit suburbs, centered around the wealthy Lennox clan. Underneath the gilt, however, cracks abound, inspired by real-life events of the time and uncovered through Sepetys’s impeccable research. A heady exploration of women’s agency, as well as a killer romance and a beguiling mystery. Wildly entertaining.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

    “Enthralling . . . While history is often molded by those in power, there are always those who can wrest control and write a new story of their own. A Fortune of Sand should be required reading.”—Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies

    “I’ve been waiting for this day for years . . . at long last, Ruta Sepetys has given us an adult novel! Set in Prohibition-era Detroit, A Fortune of Sand is inspired by the documented lives of the nouveau riche automotive dynasties and the undocumented stories of the infamous Eloise Asylum. As a seasoned historical novelist, Sepetys knows gold when she finds it, and this book sparkles! For readers seeking the glamour of The Great Gatsby with the mystery of an Agatha Christie novel, A Fortune of Sand is for you.”—Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?

    “A richly detailed portrait of the glittering city and [Detroit’s] dark underbelly. . . . This will appeal to fans of Kate Atkinson’s Shrines of Gaiety and Jennifer Egan’s Manhattan Beach.”—Booklist, starred review

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