Northwick’s debut is a spicy 1920s set Gothic inspired dark romance focused on love, families, memory, mysteries, and—of course—the supernatural. Millie Foxboro, a naïve young woman afflicted with traumatic amnesia, arrives at the foreboding Willowfield mansion to assist Professor Callum Hughes, the brooding but handsome owner, with his work on a book on Celtic mythology. Haunted by the deaths of her anguished father and abusive mother, Millie finds herself increasingly drawn to and repelled by Hughes’s equally wounded soul and foul temper, as well as the strange mystery of his wife’s madness and death, which might have been caused by Willowfield’s ghosts—or by Callum himself. Millie also meets the housemaid Felicity and her flirtatious brother Rodney the groundskeeper, who seems to know about Willowfield’s secrets. Desperate for money, Millie is reluctant to leave, even as Willowfield’s dark past and her own shaky sanity threaten her life.

Northwick conjures a compelling mystery in the classic gothic mode, with intriguing characters and a crumbling estate brought to vivid life by the assured prose. Millie is a vulnerable heroine, who starts off defying Callum’s controlling behavior, refusing to wear the clothes that he bought for her, though soon she’s caught up in an abusive romance, with the sex rough after their violent arguments. The Cruel Dark suggests cycles of abuse, as Millie has disturbing memories of her mother beating her. Callum, meanwhile, is driven by memories of his own eccentric mother who was obsessed with Celtic folklore. But it’s not just their paths that are haunted, as Northwick stages harrowing encounters with what seem to be ghosts.

While mostly fast paced, the story occasional slows or turns repetitive, focused more on the destructive romance than the many tantalizing mysteries. Lovers of dark romance and stories of creepy estates will find much to relish, though, as Northwick guides readers through a shadowed world of chandeliers and “decaying cornices.” This gothic is sumptuous, jolting, and occasionally—like Willowfield’s gardens—blooming with hope.

Takeaway: Sumptuous gothic romance of memory, ghosts, and a destructive love.

Comparable Titles: Beth Underdown’s The Key in the Lock. Alexis Henderson’s House of Hunger.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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In this emotional and inspiring memoir, Van Dusen shares the triumphs and tragedies of a life—and a deep resilience—that took her from “nothing” to being one of the nation’s top financial advisers. “Nothing about my childhood indicated I had a shot in hell” at that kind of success, Van Dusen writes, though her portrait of growing up in a boisterous Italian family split by divorce and lacking any tradition of wealth is often warm and inviting. Starting her career in the go-go 1980s, Van Dusen experienced the scandals, economic crises, and relentless work culture of Wall Street, plus the added challenges of thriving as a woman in a deeply entrenched boys club.

Her story frankly covers wrenching events, including a rape, and builds to the devastating events of 9/11, and her direct, inviting telling of it is always focused on the bottom line, as you would hope for a trailblazer in the stock trade. Running with Grace is deeply personal but also rich with lessons, as Van Dusen digs deep into her drive to make it in the male-dominated business of investment, plus what it takes to bet on oneself against all odds. With anecdotes about run-ins with notorious figures like Bernie Madoff ("eerily calm as he threw me out of his office”), plus moving stories about family, especially her late husband and the grandfather who helped raise her, Van Dusen’s brisk debut is equally heart-warming and motivating, as no matter what life throws at her Van Dusen never stops running after her goals.

That title is somewhat literal. Running and exercise became a major part of Van Dusen's everyday life as a form of healing and peace amid all of the injuries, sickness, tragedy and stress formulating in her personal life and her career. Fans of upbeat business memoirs full of feeling will be engaged as Van Dusen sets the pace.

Takeaway: Inspiring memoir of Wall Street success and never slowing down.

Comparable Titles: Barbara Chase-Riboud's I Always Knew, Tessa Fontaine's The Electric Woman.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Tirado-Ryen (Two Weeks of Summer) delves deep into the psyche of a woman set adrift after an accident robs her of her memory and identity. In an opening straight from a fairy tale, amnesiac Vickie wakes up in the hospital, frequently visited by heartthrob icon of stage and screen, Jack Post. With only snippets coming to her, she’s discharged from the hospital into the loving care of Jack and his staff. As they grow closer, locked in a mutual attraction and honest chemistry, bits and pieces —likes, dislikes, the fact she speaks Spanish—creep in, but she’s both wary of the new information while still clinging to it. All is well until a private investigator reveals Vickie’s jolting truth: her name isn’t Vickie, and she’s not at all free to pursue this promising connection with Jack.

Throughout the novel, facets of who Anne, formerly Vickie, once was shine through in all of their awkward, cringe-worthy glory, as the story twists into unexpected but exciting directions. When she discovers that the woman she was before the accident isn’t someone to be proud of, that her husband is about to divorce her, and her twin sister hates her with a passion, Anne finds herself unable to reconcile the two sides of herself. Looking back on her pre-accident choices and companions brings her to an intense period of self-evaluation, which leads her to some key insights —and, encouragingly, an era of new growth.

The stark, raw exploration of physical and emotional trauma responses coupled with descriptions of infidelity and manipulative behaviors may be difficult for some readers. However, Tirado-Ryen beautifully illuminates human resilience and the journey of self-discovery. Anne’s path is, of course, not smooth, but her development, as well as that of a few secondary characters, is organic and will have readers wishing and hoping for the best possible outcome.

Takeaway: Enthralling story of memory, identity, and redemption.

Comparable Titles: Melissa Hill’s One Last Gift, Michelle Reid’s The Unforgettable Husband.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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A dispatch from a more civilized discourse, this insightful collection from Briggs offers a comprehensive week-to-week view of epochal events and challenges faced by the United States between late 2019 and 2022, with an emphasis on politics, policy, and the travails of both parties, especially “the splintering of the GOP in ways that harken back a century” and the Democrats being tied to an unpopular president and a left wing given to “incessant frothing about income and wealth inequality in America.” Briggs digs deeper, offers more evidence, and thinks through positions more openly than many columnists, even in the paragraph-long “short takes” that end each column and often consider the arguments of thinkers from across the ideological spectrum. An attorney well-known for antitrust work, Briggs offers a nuanced and pragmatic approach to controversial topics, favoring practical solutions rather than mere partisan finger-pointing.

These essays, originally published in The Chesapeake Observer, exemplify a principled conservatism as they cover a wide range, including the rise of China; the moderation of the 2020 presidential debate; the Biden Administration's quest to forgive student loans; the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the leaking of the decision and the political fallout afterwards; and the “damage to our democratic way of life” represented by colleges that, he argues, discourage “independent mindedness.” Briggs acknowledges when he gets it wrong—a July 2022 column predicts “the beginning of the end” for Biden’s political fortunes, while a September piece breaks down the sudden reversal of the Democrats’ prospects. And, credit where it’s due, a January 2023 piece makes the case that, in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy “will not be able to command the fealty of his thin majority to achieve material legislative success.”

Briggs’s intellectual integrity, reliance on data, and refusal to rely upon received wisdom sets his columns apart, and his insightful, engaging prose clarifies complex ideas without simplifying them. Readers on the right and left will find their beliefs challenged with welcome thoughtfulness, and the very ideas of truth, inquiry, and respectful, persuasive debate affirmed.

Takeaway: Unusually thoughtful essays of policy and politics in the Biden era.

Comparable Titles: Ross Douthat, John Podhoretz.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

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