In his zany and appealing debut, Starr delivers a fantasy-filled middle grade tale centered on eccentric witch Martha May McKenzie, who conjures up a magic-filled cake to cheer up her grieving grandchildren after their police officer father’s death. One bite is enough to trigger the magic—but Martha’s magic goes awry when she leaves her grandson Lucas in the room with the cake—and he eats an entire slice. Suddenly, Martha, her daughter Jamie, granddaughter Trinity and grandson Lucas are hurled backward in history to the Middle Ages, when Martha’s pet goat was a beautiful witch named Jezebel.

Imaginative world-building transports readers to a playful world and time when kings ruled the land, bows and arrows were the weapons of the day, yet windows have glass and kids still call each other “nerd.” The prevailing sense of fun encourages readers just to go with it, and soon enough the stakes get higher: when an evil duke sees Trinity’s cell phone, he proclaims it to be a black magic box and vows to kill the entire family. Hijinks ensue, with the plucky family eluding the duke’s murderous efforts. Starr takes the opportunity to impart positive lessons to young readers, including the importance of apologizing when appropriate, healthy eating, and following boundaries.

Starr excels in creating descriptive prose (“This old lady had an outrageously wild mountain of untamed hair, the likes of which belonged in a zoo, with never-ending locks of beautiful golden-brown curls that fell to the floor”) and appropriate middle-grade gross-out elements like a goat urinating on Jamie (“she stuffed her wet, smelly, disgusting socks into her shoes. They made a sloshy, squishy-squashing squidgy sound”), burp clouds, and a magical fairy who makes her home in Martha’s nostril. Starr keeps the excitement going until the very last page—although the story ends on a cliffhanger. Still, middle-grade fantasy fans will relish Starr’s well-plotted and hilariously imagined tale.

Takeaway: Funny middle-grade fantasy of magic, witches, goats, and gentle gross-outs.

Comparable Titles: Max Brallier, Jacob Sager Weinstein.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

Click here for more about Martha May McKenzie

A journalist seeking to enjoy the holiday season becomes embroiled in a jewel heist murder mystery in Bailey’s third installment of her Olivia Penn Mystery series (after Silence Says the Most). Journalist Olivia Penn has returned to her hometown of Apple Station, Virginia, where she writes a newspaper advice column, aided by her widowed father with testing out recipes for the column’s “recipe extravaganza for the Christmas season.” Olivia’s budding friendship/romance with local Detective Preston Hills seems to be going smoothly until his mother Bev is targeted by a blackmailer implicating Preston’s deceased father in the heist of a $15 million necklace with local criminal Stuart Carter. When Stuart is released from prison for another crime and ends up murdered, Preston and FBI Special Agent Paul Allen seek to find the connection between the heist and the murder. Despite Preston’s reluctance at involving her, Olivia volunteers to handle the drop for the blackmail money.

Bailey simultaneously paints the idyllic picture of a small Virginia town decorated for the holidays while contrasting it against crimes of murder and high-end theft, especially as Oliva continues to search for connections between the jewel heist and murder. She uncovers some disturbing evidence, hoping she can connect the dots without putting her own life in danger. The sense of community is strong throughout the fast-paced novel as evidenced by the support of likable figures like Olivia’s neighbor Sam, a gun-wielding former Marine who accompanies Olivia when she meets up with John Mack, a less-than-truthful private investigator.

While mystery is the primary focus which keeps readers guessing amid a plethora of twists and turns, the promise of a sweet Christmas romance between Olivia and Preston adds allure to the holiday setting. Olivia is a memorable protagonist, whose caring nature is equally matched with her intelligence. And while reading the previous installments would help provide backstory, it is a standalone novel sure to please fans of cozy, holiday mysteries.

Takeaway: Cozy Christmas mystery involving blackmail, murder and theft of a $15 million necklace.

Comparable Titles: Joanne Fluke’s Christmas Dessert Murder, Donna Andrews’s Twelve Jays of Christmas.

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

Click here for more about Under the Cocoon Moon

Sweeping, surprising, and alive with wide-ranging empathy and sociocultural insight, this slow-burn thriller—the debut from Flores, Jr.—surveys, from the vantage point of the late 1960s, the complex history of fictional Allen County, a stretch of borderland California transformed, by the “will, sweat and blood … of Okies, Mexicans, Filipinos, Chinese, Italians, Portuguese, Swiss, southern Blacks, hustlers, cattle thieves” and more “to one of the richest farmlands in the world.” The mystery, when it eventually comes, centers on issues of who actually owns land and water, as the scion of the wealthy Allen family considers bequeathing his expansive estate to charity, much to the chagrin of many interested parties, including a robustly corrupt sheriff who quotes John Wayne while shaking down motorists.

That plot engages, but the novel’s heart is in its inspired portraiture of the characters populating this milieu, chief among them occasional narrator, the youngest son of Allen County’s Mendoza family, and his older brothers, both of whom are serving in Vietnam. As that narrator comes of age in fractious times, playing baseball and feeling rite-of-passage humiliation at a school dance, he bears witness to the ways that war ravages the older men in his life, especially his brother, Curtis, who comes home with an out-of-nowhere wife and terrifying addictions. Flores, Jr., connects those changes to the trauma endured by older veterans, too, illuminating generational cycles of violence and abuse. Here’s a story of men and murder, legacy and secrets, that plumbs the depths of why its characters might be moved to violence.

First-person passages alternate with the perspectives of characters from varied backgrounds, exploring the workings, justice system, and deep-rooted inequities of Allen County, while newspaper clippings and other surprises (prayers, a confessional, letters to and from soldiers) offer crucial context. Lean prose touched with grace keeps the pages turning, even as In the Shadow of the Sun takes more pages laying groundwork than is typical for the genre.

Takeaway: Borderland California 1960s thriller with an incisive eye to history and power.

Comparable Titles: Ruchika Tomar’s A Prayer for Travelers, Attica Locke.

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

Click here for more about IN THE SHADOW OF THE SUN

The dark underbelly of tariff policy and international trade sends down-and-out Seattle investigator Lars Severin across the globe in this mystery thriller from Alexander (Blood in the Bluegrass). When two US Department of Commerce agents disappear after inspecting a shady export company in rural China, and the official inquiry proves “unusually thin,” a wealthy relative recruits Severin to find the truth. Accompanied by his old college buddy Wallace Zhang, who’s handily fluent in Mandarin, Severin retraces the steps of the missing agents through China, a trail littered with greed, corporate crime, espionage, and possibly murder.

While the investigation unfolds at a steady pace, Severin and Zhang spend their downtime drinking and exploring Severin’s troubled psyche as Alexander digs deep into his lead’s troubled state. Mired in depression, blacklisted by powerful enemies, and haunted by ghosts from his days as a homicide detective, Severin considers himself a “defrocked alcoholic burnout.” But once he takes the case the dust shakes of his wings: picking locks and pressing witnesses are second nature, even though hardboiled Severin insists on pretending he’s only in it for the money. Zhang’s companionship is also more important than Severin wants to admit, and it’s not until a violent attack leaves Zhang barely alive that Severin’s defenses finally begin to crumble, as he realizes Zhang is his last link “to how things used to be.”

The focus on Severin’s redemption is at times on-the-nose, but readers who love seeing down-and-out investigators bounce back will relish his transformation. Some incidental characters appear and vanish too quickly to register with much power, but the plotting is deep and layered, and fascinating settings are rendered in immersive detail, from a posh enclave in the San Juan Islands to colonial relics in old Shanghai. Alexander is a former federal agent whose knowledge of tariff policy and Washington bureaucracy lends authority to the finer details of “antidumping” investigations, an obscure topic readers will come away feeling expert in.

Takeaway: Slow burn mystery set amid a fascinating corner of international corporate crime.

Comparable Titles: Nelson DeMille, Brian Haig’s Man in the Middle.

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

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Immunologist Breivik’s debut urges a way of understanding cancer and also death and life themselves, and what it means to be human. With an inviting tone, rigorous science, and a distaste for miracle cures, Breivik delves into what cancer actually is, how it develops (it’s “not just about genes that get damaged,” he notes. “It is about genes that replicate and evolve”), and what a potential cure would mean for humanity. "If we want to understand cancer, we need to see beyond the fearful monster," he argues, and he makes the case that we need to study the “elephant” that is cancer from new angles to achieve true comprehension. He breaks down the science—cell biology, gene mutation and regulation, how “Life, in all its forms, is about information.”

Making Sense of Cancer centers on the radical idea that there may never be a cure for cancer and that acceptance of this fact is key to arriving at new solutions to how cancer is viewed, treated, and prevented. Cancer does not always mean a death sentence, Breivik argues, making the case that cancer is an evolutionary occurrence in the cycle of life, human and animal. The result is a gently provocative, highly quotable (“We seem to get cancer from almost everything—especially the things that, for many, make life worth living”) book that urges greater preventative measures and takes many unexpected turns, all while inviting in both lay readers and the science-minded alike with lucid, engaging prose.

Breivik includes comic-strip style illustrations to lighten the tone, and he exhibits refreshing humility throughout this, at one point acknowledging the possibility that "some future cancer researchers will make me the laughingstock of the scientific community." Still, his exploration of questions like “Can we eliminate cancer and still be human?” is eye-opening. Readers who enjoy grounded-yet-bold medical research, contemplation of evolution, and in-depth scientific exploration will engage with Breivik’s searching, unexpected, powerfully argued vision.

Takeaway: Bold, well-argued case for accepting the potential incurability of cancer.

Comparable Titles: David Servan-Schreiber’s Anti-Cancer, Athena Aktipis's The Cheating Cell.

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

Click here for more about Making Sense of Cancer

This gripping historical saga, set in China during the Song dynasty, opens with Hasan Arslan, an expert bowyer who aspires to be designated as an officer of the Imperial Court. Despite the unfair reality that no Gelolu has ever earned his ideal rank, he desires to achieve it with his innovative design of the Gaze Mountain Bow and his calculation of the exact date of the Winter Solstice. Failure in his invention and calculation means severe repercussions for him and his family. As the fight against the Xixia nomads ensues, his devotion to the emperor is tested.

Marr weaves an intricate, unpredictable plot and offers striking insights into the culture that thrived during the Song dynasty. Hundred Beam Bridge sheds light on the beliefs and ethos of the era, such as Hasan's conviction that their heirloom Pixius (a lion body with feathered wings and the head of the dragon) is the source of their prosperity and protection, a blessing he fervently desires to preserve for his family's future, while conveying a powerful message about enduring issues of human society, including racial prejudices, gender identities, diverse religious beliefs, and corruption in politics, all as urgent in the lives of Hasan's sons and grandchildren as they are today.

Scenes of sports, training, and battle are exciting, especially the horrors of siege warfare, and Marr’s interest in military technology, like the development of mechanized crossbows, will appeal to the history-minded. Meanwhile, the story spanning 88 years of rivalry, betrayal, love, and life, illustrates the problems of navigating familial pressures living in the Imperial Court, at a time when matters of inheritance and position held paramount importance. That scope means that the elaborate web of names and lineages demands readers put in some work to keep up, though Marr develops tension over who will survive in the fights against Xixia nomads and the Jurchen Jin Empire—and the fate of key characters’ challenges to traditions and norms.

Takeaway: Rich, sweeping story of war and love in ancient China.

Comparable Titles: Anchee Min's Empress Orchid, Guy Gavriel Kay's Under Heaven.

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

Click here for more about Hundred Beam Bridge

The debut from communications strategist Barry offers an action plan for those seeking to better engage clients, prospects, employees, and even friends and family on the basis of the way people actually think and learn: narrative. Based on the premise that we not only each enjoy a good story but that stories quite literally shape our brains and “how we perceive information,” Barry digs into why narrative is so powerful and how each of us can understand and apply it more effectively. While Barry takes a no-nonsense approach and emphasizes practical communication strategies, The Strategy of Story also dissects powerful stories from history before connecting ancient approaches, including oral storytelling, to contemporary life, with a nod to social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and our societal shift from the large screen to small ones.

No matter the era or medium, Barry argues, the essential structure of stories—and the urgency of an emotionally powerful hook—endures. She shares insights and anecdotes from renowned storytellers ranging from Plato to Patton to Groucho Marx, while also applying the principles behind their success to business and communication today, drawing on her experience as a consultant for top-shelf companies. Wide-ranging examples of business successes and even the speech Peggy Noonan wrote for Ronald Reagan after the Challenger tragedy persuasively demonstrate the power of establishing a narrative in challenging, inspiring, and forcing us to go deeper or see problems in a new light, something any goal-oriented business leader would desire.

In a direct, friendly style, Barry blends the conceptual and the pragmatic, boiling the heady stuff down into actionable tips like relying on graphics to reinforce one’s message, establishing clear beginnings, middles, and ends, understanding one’s audience to win its trust, and the power of gesturing, timing and humor. What resonates most powerfully is her conviction that, no matter how technology-reliant society becomes or how far we venture from traditional support structures, story will remain central to our lives. Why? Because it touches our humanity.

Takeaway: Potent, practical guide to the power of storytelling in business and life.

Comparable Titles: Philipp Humm’s The Storytelling Method, Janine Kurnoff’s Everyday Business Storytelling.

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

Click here for more about The Strategy of Story: Why Story Works and How You Can Make It Work for You

Most kids encounter school bullies at some point, and the impact can be detrimental to their mental and emotional well-being. In Dee’s heartwarming picture book for young children, a little girl named Zafera demonstrates the power of being different. When Zafera first starts school, she is excited to play with other kids—but because she often has dirt on her face and twigs in her hair, she is shunned and mocked. Despite this cruelty, Zafera continues to smile and be herself—and one day, she delivers handmade invitations to her birthday party. Out of morbid curiosity, all of her classmates agree to attend—and they soon discover Zafera’s connection with the natural world is the source of her peace.

After the party, Zafera’s problem reaches a swift conclusion: She is accepted by everyone, including the most popular girl at school. While achieving this sort of social clout is desirable for young people, it also feels contrary to the book’s goals. To her credit, Zafera herself does not express any interest in the social hierarchy, instead carrying on with her simple, natural lifestyle despite others’ opinions. Interestingly, she does not struggle with any emotional fallout from the teasing, which will feel somewhat disingenuous to anyone who has dealt with bullying. On the flip side, her self-assuredness will encourage kids to embrace what makes them unique.

Sara Roche and Ed Espitia’s inviting, color-rich illustrations clearly show how Zafera stands out from the crowd. Her wild, red hair is adorned with natural ornaments, and she is shown sprawled in the grass, building structures out of sticks while her peers swing from monkey bars. Traditionally beautiful with expressive, green eyes, Zafera is an easy character to like, even if she’s not always relatable. This charming story introduces a challenge many children will face—and encourages them to respond by staying true to themselves.

Takeaway: Rousing story of a young girl staying true to herself in the face of bullying.

Comparable Titles: Patty Lovell’s Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, Ed Vere’s How to Be a Lion.

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

Click here for more about The Dirt Girl

This guide to financial independence from investor and analyst Withrow (author of The Individual is Rising) blends conspiratorial proclamations of impending financial collapse with everyday investment advice. The first half is devoted to how we arrived at the present financial state, nationally and internationally, with much spirited finger pointing, including claims of a “silent coup” perpetrated by the Federal Reserve and a portrayal of the “European-aligned globalists” behind a “Great Reset” that calls for nothing less than “overthrowing whatever’s left of our traditional economic system and replacing it with a grotesque version of neo-feudalism.”

The second half is about how to achieve financial independence through Withrow’s method of real estate investing. WIthrow makes the case that the days of “easy money,” i.e., zero or near-zero interest rate policies, are over, as global interest rates move to “more normal” historical amount. Occasionally leaning on theories from the Austrian School of Economics, Withrow provides a good, common-sense approach to running a successful real estate business, covering such aspects as the risks involved in renting, buying, selling and borrowing. He emphasizes the importance of assembling your “team,” the intricacies of insurance, and the various business structures from which one can run a real estate company. The advice is sound and actionable.

Tha alarmed and alarming open section, devoted to “deep state” theories and events beyond the average citizen’s control, ranges over a great many topics and personalities, sounding familiar but heated warnings of the coming destruction of individuals’ rights but without presenting much in the way of evidence. Finally, the book closes with a pitch to join Withrow’s organization, The Phoenician League, where he offers to “walk with you every step of the way,” on the journey to financial independence. The bottom line, whether readers buy the “silent coup” or not: real estate success is no different from any other business—it’s hard work.

Takeaway: Real-estate investment guide for readers worried about a Great Reset upending capitalism.

Comparable Titles: David Alan Vogel’s Thriving During the Great Reset, Jeff Goble’s Nest Egg.

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

Click here for more about Beyond the Nest Egg

In this masterful family drama, debut novelist Peck delivers an eleven-year-old girl’s account of her beloved parents’ subtle power struggles. Immersed in the beauty of a 1956 Cape Cod summer, Lily Grainger yearns for the approval and affection of her family. As her father oversees the building of a home they can’t afford and extended family members interfere, tensions between him and Lily’s bitter mother escalate from bickering to outright tempests, much to their children’s anxiety. Across the pond, the lives of her cousin, aunt, uncle, and “another woman” vibrantly color Lily’s daily life. Amid the tumult, Hurricane Carolyn approaches the vulnerable peninsula, threatening the house construction and family harmony.

Peck acknowledges that many of the novel’s moments mimic her own life, such as summers spent on the Cape and her love of the cello. This memoir-style authenticity yields exceptionally original characters who entertain the reader with their complexity and humor, influence Lily’s choices, and set Peck’s novel above others. Vivid descriptions of Lily’s home and landscape stir yearning for a long-gone, untouched Cape Cod: “Seaweed, washed ashore by winter tides, bearded the beach.” Seemingly ordinary daily activities take on fresh interest with the backdrop of simmering family tension as the house construction progresses.

The gorgeous yet readable writing style situates the narrative squarely in the sophisticated up-market genre of literary fiction. Subtle irony infuses Lily’s point of view as she observes her feuding loved ones. Nuggets of wisdom bring the poetic style immediacy while still expressing a tween girl’s outlook: “I wondered why, when you hold your breath, your heart doesn’t stop beating.” Lily’s longing for her parents’ validation and her dawning maturity will warm hearts as much as the writing style will impress lovers of literary fiction.

Takeaway: Lush, memory-driven story of family life in mid-century Cape Cod.

Comparable Titles: Vendela Vida’s We Run the Tides, Mary Petiet’s Wash Ashore.

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

Click here for more about Water Music: A Cape Cod Story

Hill (author of My Prison Without Bars) examines the life of Dr. Goodman Basil Espy, III, an inspiring physician who dedicated his life to serving others. Hill begins with Espy’s rural childhood, spent fishing and helping out on his grandfather’s farm in Alabama—a childhood that Espy treasured, though it was cut short when the attack on Pearl Harbor prompted his father to re-enlist in the military, leaving Espy, the oldest of four brothers, as the “family leader” at the tender age of six. Even from that age, Espy worked to discern his purpose, amid multiple family moves and life tragedies.

That purpose was challenging to nail down initially; though Espy felt a “Calling” to become a minister, his true desire was to pursue medical school. After much personal back-and-forth, he opted to follow his heart, entering the Tulane School of Medicine following graduation from Georgia Tech in the late 1950s. That decision eventually paid off, as Espy became a well-respected obstetrician who not only performed countless life-saving procedures domestically, but also traveled abroad to offer his expertise to underserved women in other countries. Hill covers Espy’s professional achievements alongside his personal struggles, including two failed marriages and the tragic death of his daughter, Anne, who suffered from epilepsy.

Espy’s Christian faith beats a steady rhythm throughout the narrative, sparking comfort when tragedy arrives and driving Espy’s constant desire to serve others. Espy, who traveled to several foreign counties on medical missions over the course of his life, vowed to put aside personal relationships after his second divorce, in an effort to focus solely on philanthropy. Hill includes personal anecdotes of Espy’s patients, as well as historical stories and photographs to anchor Espy’s experiences (including flashbacks to the Truman presidency, Al Capone’s role in Prohibition Chicago, and more). This will entertain readers who relish in-depth biographies accompanied by rousing historical context.

Takeaway: An inspiring medical biography celebrating Christian beliefs.

Comparable Titles: Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, J. Thomas Grant’s The Next Patient.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Apostle, the miraculous journey of Dr. G.B. Espy

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

Click here for more about The Cruel Dark

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

Click here for more about Running with Grace

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

Click here for more about Forgetting Me

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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Saller (Eddie’s War) delivers a strong middle-grade thriller with her latest work. Nearly 90 years after lab assistant Madeleine Eleanor Carruthers is executed, leaving four children behind, her great-granddaughter, Madeleine Stanton—known as Lainie—uncovers bits of her story and sets out to exonerate her great-grandmother and namesake. Like her great-granddaughter, the first Madeleine was born at midnight at the start of a new century, and when a local TV reporter asks for an interview about “Millenium Girl,” Lainie is thrilled. But on set, the reporter blindsides Lainie with sensationalized material about her disgraced relative—and sends Lainie on a crusade to find a way to clear Madeleine’s name, with her friends Seth (who might just become more than a friend) and Elle.

Saller skillfully weaves history and present-day hints to create an irresistible narrative, rich with exciting clues, that readers will eagerly devour. A missing and mysterious blue journal, kept by Madeleine in the 1930s, promises to reveal the truth—if they can find it. Living in the old family Victorian provides Lainie with plenty of tantalizing hidden hiding spots, and readers will hold their breath as they wait to see if each hiding place is the one that will solve the mystery. Lainie’s great-uncles, Madeleine’s sons, provide clues, and one particularly juicy secret comes from their younger sister Cecily, kidnapped and renamed Gracie by her nanny during Madeleine’s trial.

Saller’s talent for thoroughly researching her subjects is on full display—readers will find themselves mentally traveling the Victorian family home right along with Lainie and her friends. Saller also doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, such as unethical drug companies, unjust execution after defending one’s own life, and unnecessary commitment to mental hospitals. Lainie and her friends are thoroughly believable and appealing, leading readers to follow them on this multi-decade-old mystery trail. This tantalizing tale will engage readers from the first page to the last.

Takeaway: This expertly plotted middle-grade thriller will enthrall readers.

Comparable Titles: Katherine Rundell, Paul Griffin.

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

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