Through insightful flashbacks, Shabel delves into the intricacies of the four women’s wartime experiences—and their friendship formed in dire circumstances—in this eighth installment of his Crime Mysteries series (after God Knows No Heroes). Helen lost her husband and two sons in a German concentration camp after choosing to remain in Krakow rather than become a poor immigrant in New York; Rachel risked her life to help Jewish children escape; and Mary and Lilly also faced unthinkable violence and loss. When Helen encounters their present-day adversary who threatens their lives, she senses something more sinister about his identity, a suspicion that Joshua is determined to investigate.
While the Benash trial and the women’s pasts dominate the narrative, Shabel injects the story with an insider's perspective on the tension of courtroom drama and achieving a fair trial, highlighting the typical struggle for justice amidst a prejudiced judge and an unsympathetic defense attorney. Shabel’s revelatory insights into the gravity of war and his profound empathy for the survivors— "she knew that death would be so much kinder than remaining alive under these conditions"—compensate for the occasionally dragging plot, making this an engaging read for fans of historical fiction, crime, and mystery.
Takeaway: Alcoholic lawyer takes on a family case closely tied to WWII.
Comparable Titles: William Landay's Defending Jacob, Kate Quinn's The Alice Network.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-
Eventually, Kai returns, apparently unharmed, though parents and children alike will wonder why Worth’s stop-and-start storytelling never fully acknowledges the danger of children diving to frolic with orca, or the horror his family endures while he’s gone. A tour of a California aquarium teaches Kai and Irma l what they already suspect—captivity is hard on marine life. (“Oh, how I miss all the ocean commotion and all the creatures who live in it,” a sea crab says.) The efforts the kids and their teacher take to create a nonprofit specializing in sea pens are heartening, a demonstration of achievable real-world goals amid a chat-with-animals fantasy that edges, at times, toward the adult spirituality genre, with the cat declaring “Trust your intuitive sensory organ, that operates from the pineal gland.”
The book’s inspirational power is undercut, though, by uncertainties in the storytelling, with the setting and stakes unclear in the opening pages, plus some hard-to-parse sentences and occasional text-dense layouts. Some playful design elements, like text that swoops and splashes on the page, prove intuitive to read. Stacy Heller Budnick’s accomplished art joyously celebrates the tale’s many animals, plus its diverse roster of kids.
Takeaway: Splashy, slightly spiritual tale of kids saving marine life the right way.
Comparable Titles: Donna Sandstrom’s Orca Rescue, Fiona Barker’s Setsuko and the Song of the Sea.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B+
Excellent prose carries the reader through, rich in metaphor and symbolism help capture the mental state of the author as she navigates a grief that readers may not be intimately familiar with, but may relate to the grieving they have experienced. Suesse is especially engaging on the tricky topic of shifting one’s perspective while enduring grief, opening up to being curious about the future, all while still allowing yourself to be angry—and daring to analyze that anger’s true roots. In addition to her own practices and hard-won insights (“The first order of business is to stop negative momentum”), Suesse peppers in wisdom from all manner of philosophers and writers.
Ideal for people who are navigating profound loss, Notes From Planet Widow offers welcome comfort, polished writing, clear-eyed guidance, and—by its very existence—heartening proof that we do survive grief … and even can thrive in the wake.
Takeaway: Personal experience combines with selected wisdom to help anyone processing loss.
Comparable Titles: Kim Murdock’s Feeling Left Behind, Jennife Katz’s The Good Widow.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Blending heartening, Bible-based musings on facing challenges and resisting temptation with lessons in mindfulness and some pop science, The Plans He Has for Me urges readers to pray and reflect each morning for 84 days of abstaining. Forte writes devotional texts with clear eyes about what it takes to resist (Day Four: “You are closer to the finish line of something better than you think or believe”), a strong sense of each believer’s influence in the world (Day 52: “Our choices provide inspiration, light, and love to others”), and an encouraging attention to what it takes to change habits over time (Day 64: “Take a moment on this day to remember the various health benefits you have seen already”).
Forte urges readers, in devotional passages, to consider “self-care habits that allow you to love yourself more,” but examples and introductions to such practices are beyond the purview of this volume. Supplementary and introductory materials are scant, and despite references to The Plans He Has for Me as “an alcohol-free program” itself, the book has a supplementary feel, a potentially helpful component in a broader effort toward recovery.
Takeaway: Heartening Christian devotionals for readers endeavoring to leave alcohol behind.
Comparable Titles: Heather Harpham Kopp’s Sober Mercies, Friends in Recovery’s The Twelve Steps for Christians.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Spirituality surfaces throughout the book, as Sarge and Bernie meet an array of colorful characters who push them to reflect on the greater meaning of life. Quotes by Buddha, musings on the Bhagavad Gita, and Zen Buddhism are interspersed among all the action, making the high-speed, cross-country escape somewhat of a catalyst for pondering the non-attachment and rootlessness that comes with being on the road. In one particularly moving scene, as Sarge and Bernie open up to a man called The Professor, Sarge reflects that “everyone here has something that they are walking away from or maybe just left behind,” prompting readers to contemplate just what Sarge and Bernie may be running from—or towards.
Fratello leaves the minutiae of Sarge’s predicament rather hazy, allowing space for the duo—and readers—to sink into their journey as they cultivate a deep friendship and personal transformation along the way. Each chapter is punctuated with quirky characters attempting some version of that journey in their own lives, a strength of the novel that, though not as flashy as its drug cartel regimes and Russian threats, carries serious weight, making this entertaining read surprisingly discerning.
Takeaway: A lively escape turns into a reflection on life in this discerning thriller.
Comparable Titles: Ian Fleming’s Diamonds are Forever, Eric Ambler’s Epitaph for a Spy.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
This marriage of new and (revisited) selected work reveals an experienced poet seeking new modes of expression. Meditating on the language to describe a tree, Thompson writes, "Let me grow a word for this." Indeed, her verse is plantlike, establishing deep roots before stretching sunward; the images are verdant if occasionally disorienting. Though the poems’ subjects vary considerably, nature is a prominent throughline—whether recounting personal history or detouring into myth, Thompson’s eye ceaselessly returns to the natural world. "There's a lot I’m skipping," she admits in "The Cabin,” because, relatably, "I want to get to the blue jays." The effect encourages readers to note details, both on the page and in the world around them.
As a retrospective project, memory is another major theme. Thompson’s portrayal is bittersweet. Memory falters and fails in her poems, but it is also carefully excavated and preserved, sometimes remade: Apollo's priestess is suspended between divination and dementia; an anxious child catches her mother’s proud expression; a father's ghost attends his daughter's wedding. The poems illuminate with fairytales and birdsong both what remains and what has been forgotten. “Memory slips away now,” Thompson reflects, “like a fish you see moving under water, sliding past the hook." Tender, reflective, and finely crafted, Journey Bread baits that hook.
Takeaway: Tender poems of personal history, myth, and meditations on nature.
Comparable Titles: Deborah Digges, Theodore Roethke.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Told only through pictures, this story is sincere and touching in its message of unconditional love. Despite her struggles, Grandma is treated consistently with kindness and respect, with her daughter and granddaughter assisting her as needed. This offers children a helpful example of how to treat their own elderly relatives. The absence of words will also allow kids to tell the story themselves and discuss what is happening with an adult who can help them fully understand scenes that, while upsetting, have become an increasingly common part of growing up. Still, the mother in the story does explain, with warmth, the hard truth of the grandmother’s diagnosis: that no medicine can cure the disease, and that her condition will get worse.
Amy Bunnell Jones’s vibrant and distinctive images are more than up to the task of carrying this relatable story. Set in the colorful tropical climate of Jamaica, the pictures show Grandma enjoying nature, eating meals with her family, and connecting deeply with those around her. The characters’ emotions are clearly visible on their faces, whether Grandma is grinning broadly while hugging her dog or the little girl is grappling with tinges of sadness over her grandmother’s illness. Overall this book shows the power of love and patience in navigating challenging circumstances.
Takeaway: A little girl grapples with her grandmother’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Comparable Titles: Kathryn Harrison’s Weeds in Nana’s Garden, J Elizabeth’s Will Grandma Remember Me?
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Their soul connection, however, adds a layer of confusion to their feelings: is it love or obligation that draws them to each other, and how do they handle the 400-year-old curse of Langley/Kingsley unions? As they uncover clues, sometimes in the form of ghosts, they learn they must first travel to Evan’s ancestral home, Ravenhurst, and fight wraiths and “unbelievables” who travel via shadow. From there, the quest takes them even deeper back in time, which once again involves possessing others’ bodies—always a tricky situation that Tansley keeps fresh and strange. With the help of family and friends, both living and ghosts, the heroes persevere, as Tansley builds to sharp twists and surprises, jolting readers, raising the stakes, and showcasing Kat’s increasing confidence and maturity: “Maybe it’s from seeing so many lifetimes of mistakes,” the era-hopping, legacy-saving hero quips. “I’ve picked up a thing or two.”
Despite the richness of invention and complexity of out-of-time family legacies, Tansley keeps the rules and quirks of this cozily gothic saga’s ghosts, possessions, secrets, time hops, and more crisp and clear, while deftly wringing from them much suspense and surprise. (This time, loyal gargoyles are a highlight.) This entry moves the narrative significantly forward, and the fans will be eager to get to the next.
Takeaway: Sparkling adventure of ghosts, secrets, time travel, and just enough romance.
Comparable Titles: Adriana Mather’s How to Hang a Witch, Kate Anderson’s Here Lies Olive.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Bareford meticulously captures interwar America, immersing readers not just by infusing the pages with an abundance of era-specific cultural references (Betty Boop, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” Clark Gable) but also by making real contemporary events foundational to the story—the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and the Veterans Work Program camps are historically accurate. Many characters are also drawn from Cuba’s history—Ernest Hemingway, Cuban General Gerardo Machado, and gangster Meyer Lansky all figure in, along with many other public figures and private citizens, each identified at the back of the book.
While the main characters are fictionalized composites, they blend seamlessly into the book’s authentic people, places and events, their network of liaisons and motivations adding drama and passion to their nonfictional backdrop. Fast-paced and often racy, with snappy dialogue laced with wry humor, Veterans Key never shies away from the tragedies of the time. Visceral flashbacks of the Great War, brutal political violence, and the heartrending death and destruction that the hurricane inflicts may disturb some readers. Bareford surfaces the human experience within these massive, intractable events, offering an exciting window into the past.
Takeaway: Exciting, immersive political thriller that blends historical fact and fiction .
Comparable Titles: Ken Follett, Frederick Forsyth.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
As his peers begin their assignment, Garrett stares at a blank page, unable to think of anything except what he would rather be doing instead of writing, like “science or math” or even unpleasant tasks, like babysitting his younger brother, taking out the trash, or even getting “an itchy red rash”. Steder’s illustrations of these hypothetically more tolerable tasks are expressive, vibrant, and imbued with characteristics of Garrett’s personality. When Garrett starts to panic about his empty page, Steder cleverly draws a scribbling, chaotic landscape of mental claustrophobia that reflects Garrett’s inner turmoil with clarity and empathetic power.
In imagining tasks he would rather be doing, Garrett unwittingly builds a narrative of his own self: a caring, helpful, adventurous son, student, friend, brother, and, most importantly, a “one-of-a-kind” person. Though centered on a seemingly mundane classroom exercise, Hayes’s story packs profound lessons and demonstrates the transformations students experience in their intellectual capacity and self-esteem when they step outside their comfort zones. Young students who suffer from scholastic apathy or insecurities regarding school work will see a kindred spirit in Garrett and may find his unorthodox storytelling refreshing and inspiring.
Takeaway: Fun, inspiring story about a young student finding his voice during a writing assignment
Comparable Titles: Corinna Luyken’s The Book of Mistakes, Jolene Gutiérrez’s Too Much!
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Aleja’s narrative entwines historical detail and mystical elements, portraying Takeshi's internal struggle as he is tasked with convincing local healers in Guam to aid the Japanese troops, who are suffering from mysterious ailments. The tension escalates as Takeshi learns that the island’s spirits demand repentance for the soldiers' transgressions, and his superiors' relentless destruction of the locals leaves few healers capable of assisting. Aleja doesn’t shy away from recounting the brutality and violence of the island’s occupation, and the story’s supernatural dimension adds a layer of complexity, with the spirits’ retribution against the invaders a chilling counterpoint to their wartime atrocities.
Takeshi's moral conflict and gradual transformation is both compelling and heartbreaking, shedding light on the human capacity for compassion amidst the horrors of war. The story’s supernatural components take longer to develop, but as Takeshi discovers more of the spirits’ forces, so, too, does his awareness grow that he, and his fellow soldiers, must learn to respect the island—and its people—in spite of their military assignment. The book excels in its atmospheric setting and character development, delivering a thought-provoking read that deftly combines historical fiction with fantasy and cultural exploration.
Takeaway: Haunting journey through the complexities of war, culture, and the supernatural.
Comparable Titles: Christine Kohler, Tanya Taimanglo.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Willis’s project is to guide readers to a third choice, one that reclaims the best of traditional masculinity, prepares men to meet the obligations of maturity, and prevents “masculine crises”—like porn addiction or inceldom—through rites of passage, actively encourages discussion and contemplation of what it means to be a good man, and more. There’s clear-eyed, inspiring material throughout, though the text is often searching and somewhat arcane, especially as Willis contemplates the urgency of separating from one’s parents before their deaths, “petro males” and their lack of interest in recycling, how the intelligence of “blue-collar men” is often underestimated, or why young men should read Kipling, who is quoted at length. Readers unfamiliar with Scylla and Charbydis will have to Google.
Willis assigns some sharp advice to “co-author” Pluck, an “inner voice” who urges readers to “seek the highest internal standards” and offers reminders like “nonconformism is the gateway drug to comfort zone extraction.” There’s truth in that line, which exemplifies the spirit of this impassioned, at-times fusty book that, for all its eccentricities, offers much to consider, such as the importance of respecting family history, taking care of one’s health, maintaining basic civilities, always striving to learn, and not accepting simple ideas about what a man should be.
Takeaway: Impassioned call for a new, un-toxic masculinity.
Comparable Titles: Frederick Joseph’s Patriarchy Blues, bell hooks’s The Will to Change.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
The series again offers literate high adventure that demonstrates a clear love of the pulp past, newsreels and radio, and long-gone American vernacular—“You’re not gonna blow your wig again and make tracks again?” Sarah asks Doug, the quick-fingered cardsharp whose displacement from the Reagan era (via the virus that drives the series) offers opportunity for out-of-time confusion, pathos, and comedy. When Doug glimpses a bowler-hatted “commuter,” he thinks he’s “dressed like that band that came out [with] the Specials and the English Beat.”
For all the fun and adventure—the story involves circus life and catacombs, Brownshirts and secret basement lairs—the conflict centers on issues of control and freedom, with Sarah and co. at times wondering what they really know about the Executive. The Executive, they know, wants to change the future; the Brotherhood wants things to remain the same. Doug proclaims he’s “not much of a joiner,” but his discovery of a cause over the novel’s course proves rousing, as a robust set of heroes face questions about who to trust and the possibility that Father Michael is working with a greater threat than they know—and possibly the Nazis, too. Readers who love smart time-travel adventure with found family teambuilding will be eager for the next volume.
Takeaway: Smart, surprising time-travel adventure steeped in 1930s New York.
Comparable Titles: Connie Willis, Roy Huff.
Production grades
Cover: B-
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Ottosen spends a lot of time fleshing out his protagonists before the threads of the narrative start to converge in this historical thriller, but once the action begins it rarely lets up. As the story unfolds, the conspiracy theory that Jesus Christ fathered a child—who became the Merovingian line of kings in France—becomes a crucial cog in a plot to install Prince Henrik as the new king of Denmark, due to his supposed connection to the Merovingian line. That development connects Ottosen’s story to the Mayan calendar, counting down to Ragnarök—the Norse apocalypse.
Though tangled, the narrative’s myriad pieces eventually come together in a breathlessly thrilling pace, as seemingly trivial details become critical—and the most unlikely conspiracy possibilities become all too real. The final narrative thread belongs to Hans Jensen, an unassuming mailman with deep loyalties to Muslim terrorists. Storm, Holm, and Østergaard all must confront life-risking perils of their own, as they face consequences that suggest the very fabric of the world is in danger. This entry culminates with the trio cooperating with a mysterious counter-terrorism unit, led by surprising figures, to best a shadowy opponent who’s trying to pin the attacks on the royal family on Iran. Ottosen leaves readers with a jolting ending that sets the stage for the next in the series.
Takeaway: Conspiracies, terrorism, and a looming apocalypse unite in this breakneck thriller.
Comparable Titles: James Rollins’s Arkangel, Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B+
While Obi and Nkechi navigate their changing environment, readers are transported back to days of panic and seclusion, as the United States—and the world—tries to predict COVID-19’s aftereffects. The Ifeanyis initially enjoy their time working from home, but it soon grows wearisome, as “cabin fever” sets in and the family fights a growing sense of isolation, prompting Obi to reminisce about his upbringing’s communal atmosphere juxtaposed with contemporary life’s remoteness. When Obi’s Uncle Ugo is invited to take part in a film documentary on his experiences during the Nigerian Biafran War, it prompts Obi and Nkechi to draw parallels between their parents’ generation and their own, and they vow to never “dim the light on our children’s dreams.”
Readers may want to start with the first book, as Achebe pulls from his characters’ histories for background, but he includes a mix of contemporary events—including George Floyd’s murder—and a handful of twists to keep readers engaged. The question of what justice should look like pops up throughout, and Achebe capably shows that joy and sorrow are never far apart, as an acquaintance observes “we are all living on borrowed time...try and make the best of every minute.”
Takeaway: A Nigerian American family navigates the COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparable Titles: Nikki May’s Wahala, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Surveying her own life from a healthier, happier maturity, Joy is unsparing when it comes to sharing trials she has endured—rape, addiction, partner violence—and choices she has made. But even when addressing the weightiest topics, like attending a retreat for mothers who have had an abortion, her sharp-elbowed insights, buoyant dark humor, and commitment to empathy and acceptance all cast a spell—reading this is like a long boozy monologue from a funny friend, right down to asides recommending songs (over 700, in footnotes), gushing about Janet Jackson and the trail-blazing magazine Jane, and always cracking jokes.
The too-muchness of it all extends to the word count—this book goes on for days, and the topical chapter structure doesn’t allow for narrative momentum. That’s part of the point, though, as Joy charts her own course in all things. Her taste for lists (including a rundown of years of Halloween costumes, her favorite oldies, what she dislikes about her body, and more) is as engaging as her zeal for truth-telling, and her stories are often moving, especially on the subjects of friends, her children, and accepting others for who they are.
Takeaway: Frank, funny epic-length memoir of sex, motherhood, music, and taking control.
Comparable Titles: Elizabeth Wurtzel; Jerry Stahl’s Permanent Midnight.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A