In a political moment when social panics over literature are at their peak, Dangerous Fictions is a mind-expanding treatise on the nature of fictional stories as cultural battlegrounds for power. Fictional stories have long held an uncanny power over hearts and minds, especially those of young people. In Dangerous Fictions, Lyta Gold traces arguments both historical and contemporary that have labeled fiction as dark, immoral, frightening, or poisonous. Within each she asks: How “dangerous” is fiction, really? And what about it provokes waves of moral panic and even censorship? Gold argues that any panic about art is largely a disguised panic about power. There have been versions of these same fights over fiction for centuries. By exposing fiction as a social danger and a battleground of immediate public concern, we can see what each side really wants—the right to shape the future of a world deeply in flux and a distraction from more pressing material concerns about money, access, and the hard work of politics. From novels about people driven insane by reading novels to “copaganda” TV shows that influence how viewers regard the police, Gold uses her signature wit, research, and fearless commentary to point readers toward a more substantial question: Fiction may be dangerous to us, but aren’t we also dangerous to it?

From the bestselling author of The Art Forger See No Evil is a supernatural thriller about witchcraft, reincarnation, and murder in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lauren Freeman, a graduate student writing a book about American witch trials, touches the worn leather binding of The Chronicle of the Coven, sees a flash of knives and hears a strange chorus of voices in her head. At first, Lauren is undeterred, but when her professor is killed, everything changes. After her son’s kidnapping, multiple murder attempts, and a chase through labyrinthine subway tunnels, Lauren finally confronts the perpetrator of these horrific events and acknowledges that, even in the everyday, things are often not as they seem. See No Evil is a supernatural thriller about witchcraft, reincarnation, and murder in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The story opens as Lauren Freeman touches the worn leather binding of The Chronicle of the Coven. She sees a flash of knives and hears a strange chorus of voices in her head. Lauren is undeterred. A newly divorced single mother, she is a graduate student in history writing a book about American witch trials with her professor Jackie Pappas. Lauren needs the money the book will bring. Its focus is a mysterious event that took place in 1692 when seven convicted “witches” vanished from their prison cells on the eve of their executions and were never seen again. Lauren and Jackie’s research begins to uncover bizarre reports. Then, suddenly, Jackie is dead, and Lauren is left to write their book alone. Lauren knows that Jackie was murdered and that if she is not careful, she will be next. Lauren’s battle to avenge Jackie’s death and save her own life takes her from Wiccan festivals to ancient cemeteries to the bowels of dark libraries. After her son’s kidnapping, multiple murder attempts, and a chase through labyrinthine subway tunnels, Lauren finally confronts the perpetrator of these horrific events and acknowledges that, even in the everyday, things are often not as they seem. “See No Evil pits an intrepid historical researcher against folktales of witchcraft and reincarnation in a suspenseful tale reminiscent . . . of Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby. It will keep you on the edge of your chair. Be sure to read this one with all of the lights turned on.” —The Armchair Detective “Shapiro exhibits great talent at characterization. The book is well-paced and the entire story is engrossing. I enjoyed See No Evil immensely.” —Mystery News “This masterpiece encompasses an array of thrilling elements: danger, witchcraft, history, love and suspense. The story is eerie and seductive and the author magically ends almost every chapter with some kind of shock.” —Gothic Journal “Barbara Shapiro has achieved notice as a master of mystery.” —The Boston Globe on The Safe Room B.A. Shapiro is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Art Forger, five additional novels, four screenplays, and a nonfiction book. She is the recipient of the 2013 New England Book Award for Fiction, a 2013 Massachusetts Must-Read Book award, and a 2012 Boston Globe Best Crime Book award. Shapiro was also nominated for a 2013 Massachusetts Book Award. She lives in Boston and is working on her next novel.