May 13-19: A Rumrunner, A Swashbuckler And A Team Of Spies

During Prohibition, Joe Coughlin defies his strict, law-and-order upbringing by climbing a ladder of organized crime. Starting as a petty thief in Boston, he travels south and eventually becomes the Gulf Coast's most successful rumrunner. In Tampa, Fla., and in Cuba, he encounters a dangerous cast of characters who are all fighting for their piece of the American dream.

Gen. Thomas-Alexandre Dumas was one of the heroes of the French Revolution, leading armies of thousands in triumph through the snows of the Alps and the sands of Egypt. Today, he is almost forgotten, though he lives on in his son's stories. The son of a Haitian slave and a French nobleman, this mixed-race swordsman was the father of novelist Alexandre Dumas, and his adventures helped inspire The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Tom Reiss' biography of the elder Dumas explores the real-life adventures behind these classic novels.

Early in 1944, American, British and Canadian soldiers gathered in Southern England and prepared to invade Nazi-occupied Europe. It was hard to hide the largest invasion force in history, so Great Britain instead tried to deceive the Germans into believing that the D-Day attacks would be anywhere but Normandy. As Ben MacIntyre explains, a sophisticated operation of deception began, in which extraordinary spies — including untrustworthy double agents, West End set designers and at least one pigeon handler — successfully fooled the Germans and saved thousands of lives.

Justin Lee was raised in a conservative Southern Baptist home and was so committed to his faith that classmates called him "God Boy." But as he entered high school, Lee came face to face with feelings he had tried to suppress and realized that he was gay. As a gay man who felt called to service in the evangelical Christian ministry, Lee has urged people on both sides of the debate to promote peace. In his new book, he remembers his path to self-acceptance and encourages gay Christians, their families and their churches to enter into dialogue.