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Time Is Heartless: The Heartless Series: Book Three
Sarah Lahey
The surprising, emotionally resonant third entry in Lahey’s near-future Heartless Series blends thoughtful, inventive science fiction with romance, family drama, and a heartwarming commitment to love and family, even for hard-working scientists, time-traveling cyborgs, and Super AI-Plus meerkats. In 2053, Quinn Buyers, a climate scientist living in a boat outside the floating equatorial city of Usus, finds that her “every kilowatt of energy, every joule of motivation” is going to Molly, her young daughter, while her work and her marriage suffer. Her husband, Tig, is a complicated man/machine—they met on time-travel adventures earlier in the series, and he just might be the ancient Sumerian king Gilgamesh. His government work takes him away too often, and he’s also caught up in some personal missions he won’t tell Quinn about.

But she’s off on missions of her own, raiding a government lab to track down a friend and later infiltrating TechCom, Earth’s biggest technology fair, where her now-sentient AI meerkat companion Mori—"the most advanced machine on the planet”—has escaped to after expressing a deep desire for love. That’s just a few of the heady, inventive threads tangling up Quinn and her friends and family in a novel that pulses with both ideas, humanity, and (at its start and ending) adventure. Lahey’s storytelling circumnavigates a fascinating Earth of heat surges, advanced tech, dark secrets, and deeply human connection—a capacity shared even by some non-human characters.

Future politics power elements of the plot, as the increasingly militant Authentic Human Association, outraged at “Transhumans,” crashes TechCom. Action involving HOTRODs (the “mean machines”), mercs, komodo dragons, and more is crisp and exciting, but what’s most engaging is Quinn’s connections with others and the world Lahey is still revealing. Accounts of TechCom’s splendors and horrors are marvelous, and Lahey, in inviting prose, deftly binds the conceptual to the emotional. The richness of relationships, backstories, and worldbuilding mean readers new to the series should start with the first book.

Takeaway: Richly emotional and inventive near-future SF drama of a heat-choked Earth.

Comparable Titles: Cassandra Rose Clarke’s The Mad Scientist’s Daughter,, Annalee Newitz’s Autonomous.

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

Val Vega: Secret Ambassador of Earth
Ben Francisco
Francisco thrills with a coming-of-age debut set among the stars. Sixteen-year-old Val Vega from New Jersey worries about her SATs and hangs out with BFFs Kate and her nonbinary crush, Will. Her Uncle Umberto, adored by Val for being understanding and easy to talk to, has just returned from his work in Istanbul, where he negotiates for the rights of marginalized territories around the world. But when Umberto dies—reportedly of a heart attack—shortly before he’s scheduled to arbitrate an important negotiation, Val’s life is turned upside down.

At Umberto’s wake, Val discovers the true nature of his work: he was Earth’s ambassador for the interstellar council of planets, his co-workers are space aliens, and he was most likely murdered. On top of those otherworldly revelations, the Interstellar Assembly is coming up, and Val’s been named as Umberto’s successor—and she’s urgently needed to negotiate a treaty between the Etoscans and the Levinti, alien colonists who are fighting for control of the planet Hosh. As Val finds her footing in the interstellar world of politics, her confidence slowly grows, a much-needed shift given her suspicions about her uncle’s death.

Readers will relish being swept into Val’s efforts to find the traitor amongst her uncle’s alien co-workers: is it Johnny, a Synthetic who used to be a war machine; Pash-Ti, an arrogant seven-foot-tall stick insect and Levinti sympathizer; or Wasala, a Hoshan exile and telepath, who resembles a six-legged raccoon? To aid with her search, Val confides in and enlists the help of Timoteo, her older brother and Harvard poli-sci major, who happens to have the hots for Johnny. Francisco’s writing is fast-paced and heartfelt, with diverse characters and a charming blend of politics, momentous space negotiations, and murder mystery—along with a crucial message that people can work through their differences without resorting to violence.

Takeaway: Teenager steps up as Earth’s ambassador to negotiate interstellar peace.

Comparable Titles: Marissa Meyer’s Cress, Jina S. Bazzar’s Imperial Stardust.

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

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Psychopathic
Jason Melby
Melby (author of Music City Madness) generates an unsettling thriller centered on wealthy psychiatrist Faith Galloway, left legally blind and with traumatic partial amnesia after a tragic skydiving accident a decade earlier. Adding to her troubles, Faith is being stalked by a violent former patient, Ronald Neyman, recently escaped from a mental hospital and responsible for a murderous rampage. Neyman’s killing frenzy sets off a frantic search, with burned out FBI Agent Mark Brannigan and his inexperienced partner Paulan Nehnja leading the charge, while a parallel storyline follows Steven Jenkins, a ruthless, unethical scientist who’s obsessed with reviving coma patients through experiments with a dangerous new drug.

Faith is a vulnerable hero, constantly fighting for her independence, whether she’s attempting to purchase a gun out of fear for her life or bonding with Zeus, her ferociously protective Seeing Eye dog. Both she and Neyman portray the duality of obsession: she’s desperate to stop him, while he has his own reasons for his relentless pursuit. Mark’s desire to catch Neyman is a slow burn, and, though he initially hesitates when informing Faith of Neyman’s escape, the assignment quickly becomes his preoccupation as well. Throughout, Zeus is a shoo-in for the story’s true hero as he repeatedly rescues Faith, including from Jenkins’s sleazy partner in crime, Marvin Tibbs, while her own patronizing boyfriend, Julian, carelessly dismisses her fears.

Though brisk and suspenseful, Faith’s story is hijacked at times by Melby’s lengthy descriptions of the medical processes involved in Jenkins’s work, as he rashly moves forward with a presumptive miracle treatment that’s untested and delivering unsafe side effects, fixated on continuing its use—even with his own wife. Melby probes questions of morality on several levels, and readers should be prepared for graphic descriptions and gruesome crime scenes. The romance that blossoms between Faith and Mark adds welcome buoyancy to this sinister thrill ride.

Takeaway: Graphic thrill ride packed with obsession, corruption, and greed.

Comparable Titles: Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark, Freida McFadden’s The Inmate.

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

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Drawn from Life
Sarah P. Blanchard
Blanchard delivers a twisty thriller and memorable cast in this spirited debut. After Emma Gillen suffers a car accident that kills three people and leaves her with a permanent brain injury, her guilt is overwhelming, despite the fact that the police ruled it all an accident. Fast forward eight years and Emma, now the bookkeeper and occasional artist’s model for Stonefall Art Center, has established a new rhythm in her life—a rhythm that falls apart when her abrasive cousin Lucy returns to town, dredging up the pair’s destructive history and throwing Emma into chaos.

Lucy, who has now reinvented herself as Lyssa Morales, is quick to pledge love for her family as the reason she’s come back, but it soon becomes obvious to Emma that Lyssa is short on money and willing to do anything to get it. The stakes increase even more when vandals attack the art center and Emma receives threatening mail, sparking a worry that the two incidents are somehow connected. As Emma races to connect the dots, Blanchard skillfully layers suspense and red herrings throughout, keeping the story humming with muscular prose and deft characterizations.

Readers will sympathize with Emma—whose brain injury often causes her to utter unintended malapropisms—and love the supportive group of people in her life, including her former physical therapist, Jonah, her father, Frank (who is dealing with the effects of long COVID), and handyman Chaz, whose devotion to Emma and relationship to her accident comes as an explosive surprise. Emma’s essential goodness shines through as she tackles her guilt, misguided as it may be, and readers will love to hate Lyssa, whose questionable moral compass powers the story, resulting in a satisfying—and jolting—dénouement. Blanchard’s prowess in storytelling and expert delivery of suspenseful set ups will delight thriller buffs.

Takeaway: Expertly plotted thriller powered by twisty suspense and memorable characters.

Comparable Titles: Mary Higgins Clark, Ashley Farley.

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

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Land Grab
Kit Karson
In this intriguing small-town murder mystery, the first of her Anderson Chronicles, Karson opens with Peter Elliott's role as sheriff in Anderson, Montana, as he’s forced to settle a clash in the Sapphire Pit, a local tourist attraction, over accusations made by a frantic mother that sapphires are being stolen from her son by the local octogenarian patriarch, David Howard. Things start going haywire from there: Peter is startled awake by a phone call at dawn reporting a body’s been found at a bakery, assumed to be the baker himself, and later, David is found hanging by the spiral staircase in his mansion, a questionable suicide with curious timing.

Anderson is quaint, boasting a rich history as a ranching outpost as well as the occasional hunting ground for gold and silver—and now sapphires, as the Sapphire Pit has grown an influx of outsiders. The crime rate is low, and residents pride themselves on having a "high code of ethics," but for a place where "most disagreements could be solved with a few phone calls from the sheriff’s office," the town is suddenly thrust into a maelstrom of turmoil with murder, missing persons, poisoned pies, disturbing letters, threatening calls, and suspected land disputes. Peter muses in distress, "Every law enforcement officer has those cases. The ones that hit them in the gut, and the heart, and mess with their heads."

Karson introduces—albeit overwhelmingly in the first chapter—a broad set of characters, and narrowing down the suspects becomes harrowingly difficult as the story progresses. Though the emotional investment in Karson’s characters feels minimal, the unresolved case of Peter's murdered parents and the story’s international intrigue (following the involvement of Russian mafias and land ownerships) create high-stakes power struggles that surpass the typical concerns of a small community, enough to entice readers to stick around for the next treat in the series.

Takeaway: Intriguing whodunnit mixed with politics and mafia crimes.

Comparable Titles: Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, Tana French's In the Woods.

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

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Gates of Wisdom: How Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz Created “Am Yisrael Chai” & His Other Life Stories
Rabbi Yacov Barber
Wise, incisive, and bursting with wit and rousing conviction, this collection of tales from the life of Rabbi Yehonatan Eybeshitz, freshly translated into English, follows Reb Yehonatan (1696 –1764), the “Torah, Talmud, and Kabbalah genius” from boyhood to prominence as “one of the greatest rabbis of the last 500 years.” The stories dazzle, inform, delight, and challenge. Reb Yehonatan proves an inspiring exemplar of a “holy and righteous” life, a thinker and leader equally comfortable navigating Talmudic complexities, urging students toward breakthroughs, and addressing—and often outfoxing—kings and others with power, including a host of 18th century anti-Semites.

Barber finds contemporary—but timeless—resonance in Reb Yehonatan’s work as a master maker of amulets, especially when he served as rabbi in the French town of Metz, where Jews faced expulsion. Barber demonstrates that, while facing this crisis, Reb Yehonatan inscribed on amulets a powerful phrase whose historical origin has been the source of great comment and curiosity in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. The phrase: Am Yisrael Chai, which is often translated as “The Jewish people will live for eternity.” Barber persuasively credits Reb Yehonatan with the creation of this rallying cry, and he calculates that Reb Yehonatan wrote it almost 46,000 times.

As in Barber’s indispensable earlier translations of Reb Yehonatan’s writings (Pearls of Wisdom; Sparks of Wisdom), the stories collected here have been translated with an eye for clarity of communication. They cover a wide variety of scenarios, from points of law to brilliant ripostes to why sometimes, in the face of injustice, it’s justified to bribe a judge. The prose is direct and inviting, even when the young rabbi-to-be spins marvelous, playful conclusions out of complexities of law and language. Helpful background sections provide crucial context as the stories follow Reb Yehonatan into maturity and across Europe, demonstrating not just that the Jewish people will live for eternity but invaluable guidance for how best to do so.

Takeaway: Brilliant tales of an 18th century rabbi’s life, with urgent contemporary resonance.

Comparable Titles: Yaacov Dovid Shulman’s Rashi; Rebbe Nahman of Breslov.

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

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The Truth About Stepmoms
Renee Bolla
“I heard stepmoms are evil,” a bespectacled young girl declares at the start of Bolla’s humorous, wholesome picture book, which finds its narrator grappling with frightening rumors and myths. She’s heard that stepmothers have propensity for greed, use excessive hot water in the shower, and could possibly “witches in disguise.” Though the girl has enjoyed a warm relationship with Via, the girlfriend of her father’s who has now become her stepmom, she’s worried that Via’s new status will not just mark an end to their days of “epic” dance parties and make-believe hair salon fun. She’s worried Via will turn into “Momzilla”—and that she’ll lose the Via she’s come to love. But then the child’s father does the unthinkable, leaving her alone with Via for a whole day. The kid is determined to figure out exactly what kind of stepmom she’s up against.

Like Bolla’s other picture books (Finding Bunny and Imagine That), The Truth About Stepmoms takes a lighthearted approach to serious difficulties children face, but it also distills the complex, emotional dynamics of blended families into an accessible narrative for kids and adults alike. Jack Button’s bright, expressive illustrations add a cozy warmth and soft-edged glow to Bolla’s story, and they also illuminate the child’s thriving imagination and sunny home life, which includes an exceptionally loyal (and charmingly designed) house cat and a stepmom who isn’t nearly as bad as the fairytales would have the child believe.

In fact, Via proves to be the kind of stepmom who makes pancakes with extra chocolate chips for dinner, leaves funny notes in lunch boxes, and is “always there to give [...] a tight hug” whenever the child is feeling down. Families seeking a gentle, silly, and well-illustrated tale introducing the concept of stepparents will find this an excellent choice. Rather than a witch, the truth is that stepmoms “will be here to add a little extra love … every step of [the] way.”

Takeaway: Gorgeously illustrated story that busts myths about stepmoms

Comparable Titles: Suzanne Lang’s Families, Families, Families!, Elizabeth Blake’s Green Bean.

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

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Brave Mermaids: The Treasure
Maria Mandel Dunsche
Dunsche continues her Brave Mermaids series (after Shell of Magic) with this playful tale of shipwrecks, hidden treasure, and working together. Mermaid sisters Livi and Lexa are back, exploring the deep blue with their merpup, Finn, when Livi zeroes in on a shipwreck she spotted one day while playing—a discovery so impressive that Lexa declares it to be “splashtastic!” Even the resident shark can’t dampen their spirits as the bubbly pair set about exploring, in the process uncovering a sparkling golden treasure chest.

The loot proves irresistible, but the sisters soon realize it won’t be an easy task to open the chest; after several attempts, Lexa gives up, while Livi vows to unseal the treasure at any cost (and calls Lexa a “seapooper” for losing interest). The girls eventually call in the help of several sea-dwelling friends, including familiar faces from the first in the series. Soon, it’s all hands on deck as the group works to crack open the chest: seacorn Aria tries tickling it with a pirate’s feather, and when that doesn’t work, Sparkles the dolphin insists a pirate polka will do the trick. That’s delightful, of course, but after their attempts fail, Livi, true to form, still refuses to give up, suggesting the friends band together to try their ideas all at the same time—a breakthrough that will please readers.

De Zoysa’s luminous illustrations are splashtastic themselves, evoking an ocean teeming with life; whether it’s the sisters’ iridescent mermaid tails, flashy fish swarming around the ship’s wreckage, or the treasure in all its glittering glory, younger readers will find a torrent of eye-catching visuals in this cheerful tale. Ultimately, the friends’ decision to work together pays off: Livi finally gets her treasure, and, as a thank you to her friends for their help, everyone gets their own piece. Dunsche includes a treasure-themed maze for younger readers at the end.

Takeaway: Mermaid sisters rely on their friends’ help to uncover shipwrecked treasure.

Comparable Titles: Kim Ann’s Where Do Mermaids Go on Vacation?, Rachel Bright’s The Squirrels Who Squabbled.

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

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Marriage and Hanging
Genevieve Morrissey
Inspired by a notorious real 19th century case, Morrissey (author of the Antlands science-fiction series) delivers an engrossing murder mystery set in 1830s New England and thoughtfully tethered to the faith, expectations, and marital customs of the era. In Milltown, a mill girl named Mary Hale is found hanged and, mysteriously, pregnant. While her death initially is deemed “a clear case of self-murder,” the town gossips suggest there’s a darker truth, and soon enough the sheriff arrives at the home of Rachel Woodley, eager to question her husband, the Reverend Josiah Woodley, who fits a witness’s description of "a tall man, in a long coat, with a fur hat.” With Josiah behind bars, Rachel steels herself to discover the truth, including what he meant when he said, "It is on my conscience."

That premise grabs attention, but what sets Morrissey's novel apart is its deep dive into 1830s life, from the miserable and dangerous conditions endured by mill workers to Rachel’s disappointment that her marriage, even before the accusation, is cold and distant. (Rachel knows that if she were to ask local notables for advice, she would be encouraged only to “prayer, patience, and womanly submission.”) With that richness of milieu, the pacing is deliberate but steady, as Rachel’s investigation offers Morrissey opportunity to examine matters of belief, morality, and the suppression of women’s individuality, especially among the mill girls, whose independence is treated by society as something improper.

Deeply grounded in early American Christianity, the narrative highlights the low regard that institutions held for women—Rachel is forbidden to testify on behalf or against Josiah. As she and her maid, Kitty, work the case, Rachel balances a laid-back amiability with a shrewd doggedness. The mystery itself proves gripping, with Morrissey deftly teasing revelations and then showing her cards at the perfect moment. Readers will be privy to gossip, occasional prison rendezvous, undercover investigations, and an ending that satisfies but finds Rachel facing an uncertain future.

Takeaway: This deft historical New England mystery digs deeply into women’s lives.

Comparable Titles: Robert Brighton's The Buffalo Butcher, R. J. Koreto's The Turnbull Murders.

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

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Meet Zoe Richards
Joshua A Stauffer
In this heart-warming middle grade novel, Zoe Richards, a new fourth grader at West End Elementary, learns a lot about herself and her classmates when they’re all assigned an autobiography project. While pondering what she will share about herself, Zoe befriends a fellow classmate, Joshua, who eats lunch alone and is considered weird and hard to deal with at times—at least according to her friend Victoria—due to having autism. With the help of her neighbor, Felix, Zoe puts in the time and care to learn about Joshua and autism, and she and Joshua become closer. Through Zoe’s empathetic story, readers will get to meet Joshua, to, and learn about his boundaries and the way he sees the world.

Stauffer approaches the topic of being an outsider amongst peers with sensitivity and insight through the inviting figures of Joshua and Zoe, a new student distinguished by her compassionate spirit and inquisitive nature. Set in 2006, Meet Zoe Richards pulses with an undercurrent of nostalgia for a simpler time before social media upended young lives and relationship dynamics. For her autobiography project, Zoe reviews old VHS tapes of her childhood and learns the valuable lesson—still resonate today—that time stands still for no one. Zoe comes to terms with missing her old home and neighborhood, while adjusting and finding new ways to enjoy her current home and school life.

Filled with themes of family, friendship, and diversity, this story will touch the hearts of young readers with real world situations such as learning disabilities, the complexity that comes with growing older, and facing school bullies. Meet Zoe Richards is a feel-good children's story that will teach middle grade readers empathy, compassion, and the realistic nature of what Zoe herself identifies as the "bittersweet transition" into adulthood. “I thought growing meant getting bigger and stronger. Instead, I feel like the world is getting smaller, and I’m just getting old,” she declares, the words sure to strike older readers, too.

Takeaway: Touching story of friendships among outsiders and facing adulthood.

Comparable Titles: Meg Eden Kuyatt's Good Different, Kereen Getten's When Life Gives You Mangos.

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

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Zodiac Pets
Eric Giroux
This potent novel of growing up and facing the world delves into the intersection of democracy and everyday life in the small town of Pennacook, introduced in Giroux’s Ring on Deli, where challenges such as floods and roaming boars upend lives, with citizens mired in a state of fear and resignation. Amidst this backdrop we meet Wendy Zhou, a middle schooler, who emerges as the protagonist to confront the stagnant status quo of water-filled roads. Her journey to Pennacook follows the death of her father, with her mother consumed by apathy, distant and uninvolved. Despite this, Wendy’s sharp observations and budding writing skills lead her to volunteer at the Beat, the town’s weekly newspaper under the haphazard leadership of Graham A. Bundt. Bundt’s journalistic approach leaves her searching for tangible evidence and a newsworthy mentality. The amusingly drawn Beat staff—a “piccolo playing snot named Delmore,” Denise, and Sall—struggle to work as a team.

As Wendy’s curiosity ignites a mission to unravel the mysteries behind the town’s plight. Giroux weaves a gripping narrative, laced with humor, that interrogates and encourages reflection on individuals’ susceptibility to the influence of those in power. As Wendy navigates the complexities of middle school relationships, or in her case the lack thereof, she becomes increasingly aware of the townspeople’s unquestioning acceptance of their situation without question, a classic coming-of-age discovery—adults don’t always actually know what they’re doing!—that here is developed with incisive power.

This quest persists into Wendy’s college years. As a senior, she digs deeper into the reasons behind Pennacook’s decline and seeks companionship with Lena whose tendencies mirror Wendy’s suicidal father. The story serves as a poignant reminder of how easy it is to succumb to the status quo, relinquishing our responsibility in the process. Through Wendy’s eyes, readers see how unquestioning acceptance can lead to our own undoing, making this a compelling and thought-provoking read.

Takeaway: Resonant novel of a young journalist digging at hard truths about her hometown.

Comparable Titles: Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, Brandon J. Wolf’s A Place for Us.

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

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Kill Well: The Steep Climes Quartet: Book One
David Guenette
Set in a near future where the DSM 7 includes a diagnosis of “climate anxiety,” the first entry in the Steep Climes Quartet, Guenette’s pointedly realistic thriller series, opens with a bang, as Cynthia Wainwright witnesses the murder of the boss, apparently at the hands of a police officer, amid the scrub of the Mojave Desert. Cynthia had been scheduled to meet him to drive to a meeting with the head of an investor group interested in their company Carbon’s End, which is committed to “fossil fuel divestiture.” When Cynthia, stunned, gets a text from the boss she has just seen get killed—a boss with whom she has been sharing a sexual relationship—she flees the scene in a panic. She’s hunted (by a killer, by PIs she’s not sure she can trust) but eventually finds possible security with young Jimmy, a recent college grad she encounters on a train leaving a Chicago roiled by brownouts and climate riots.

Jimmy’s heading to the Berkshires to see his father, Davin Caine, an artist/farmer/consultant and “COVID divorcee” currently applying his skills to helping a local news startup survive. The mystery of who wants Cynthia dead will upend both men’s lives, as they uncover a conspiracy involving oilmen, lobbyists, PACs, and a powerful effort to protect fossil fuel profits. Guenette demonstrates a sure hand throughout for step-by-step investigations and how the world actually works: tracking, hacking, oil business shenanigans, how contract killers communicate, and even the struggles of raising sweet corn and running an Airbnb.

Despite the crackerjack opening, the novel is chatty and fitfully paced, especially in a first half that alternates Cynthia’s flight (and sensitively handled mental struggles) with Davin’s gardening, consulting, and property management. In these, Guenette explores, with a convincing edge of reportage, the realities of climate change, and plants seeds for this long novel’s strong final third. It’s all convincing and plausible, but thriller readers will be eager to get back to Cynthia.

Takeaway: Pointedly realistic thriller of murder, the fossil fuel industry, and climate activism.

Comparable Titles: Brooks B. Yeager’s Chilly Winds, Joel Burcat’s Amid Rage.

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

Life Plans On Dive Bar Napkins
Paul Manser
Blending concision with tales of excess across the world, Manser’s compact debut packs a potent punch. The 33 chapters, some just a few paragraphs long, tell stories of adventure traveling—in Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Norway, the U.S., and more— from the perspective of a man who calls the heavily mustachioed Mexican cop shaking him down for a bribe “Officer Porn Star.” The kind of adventure that Manser describes only comes when one eschews all-inclusive cruise packages and ventures freestyle into the world, armed with a quick wit, sense of adventure, a trusted buddy, and alcohol. Lots of alcohol. But this collection is more than a catalog of drunken tales. Manser’s stories are poignant, well observed, and build to bittersweet endings of not-meant-to-bes and lessons learned the hard way. Ever humble and looking for the bigger picture, Manser spares us Hemingway-esque machismo and produces a book as surprising as the locales it covers, all while holding the reader in rapt attention.

An accomplished magazine and travel writer, Manser brings readers the globe in a spare, polished, self-revealing voice. With crisp, vivid description and bursts of wit, his stories can verge from the somewhat comical to the truly frightening in short order. In describing his trip to the Arctic Circle we can feel the cold claustrophobia as his dog-hauled sled spins out of control: “My face is pushed into the snow… The sled falls over my legs. I can’t breathe.”

The stories are just as likely, though, to turn comic, as in encounters with a Guatemalan tarantula or the beautiful woman at a Reykjavik bar who notes that she could possibly be Manser’s cousin. Manser’s stylish prose is matched by a sleek layout and strong photography, with design elements that handle the chores of place-setting, freeing Manser to start his tales at their high points. The result is inviting and exciting, a triumph of travelogue and design that’s full of surprises.

Takeaway: Tautly told global travel misadventures, with a keen eye for design.

Comparable Titles: Adam Fletcher’s Don’t Come Back, Eileen Kay’s Nothing Went to Plan and Other Silver Linings.

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

Click here for more about Life Plans On Dive Bar Napkins
The Wannabe Investor: 40 Must-Know Facts Before Buying Your First Stock
Ann Marie Sabath
Approximately 40 percent of Americans shy away from investing in the stock market due to lack of knowledge, funds, or confidence, Sabath (author of What Self-Made Millionaires Do That Most People Don't) notes in this pragmatic guide crafted to invite new investors (ie, “wannabe”s) into the fold. Sabath, herself a wannabe-investor-turned-diversified stock owner, lays out in each chapter a “Must-Know Fact,” each separately numbered. Fact #1 concerns the importance of becoming financially literate. Not doing so, she argues, “hinders us from achieving financial stability” and “building wealth.” She knows that intimately—before applying these lessons in her own life, Sabath was an “ordinary person” whose money went to sleep for a Rip Van Winkle-like 20 years languishing in low-performing certificates of deposit, all while the stock market roared ahead.

Sabath’s 40 facts demystify the world of finance, debunk myths (“I don’t have enough money to invest”), and lay out a clear route to understanding one’s own finances and taking the steps not just to invest but to make informed choices. Sabath explains, in crisp and direct prose, basic concepts as long-term investing, while offering action steps, examples, hypotheticals, and more. She demonstrates that one should contribute to qualified retirement plans while building an emergency fund and eliminating debt. Other issues covered include risk, tax minimization, automatic investing, the importance of working with a fiduciary, and the power of compounding.

Sabath’s straight-talking lessons will open new investors’ eyes in this era of self-directed retirement accounts, long life spans, and a questionable Social Security system. For all her helpful specifics (“allocate no more than 10 percent of your portfolio to a single investment when you’re purchasing it”) perhaps Sabath’s greatest lesson is that the secret to investing success is no secret. Systematically saving and sensibly investing while minimizing taxes and expenses will help one live a comfortable life. As Sabath notes, most of us are capable of meeting such challenges. The Wannabe Investor illuminates the path.

Takeaway: Clear-eyed advice for anyone making excuses not to invest.

Comparable Titles: Jean Chatzky and Kathryn Tuggle’s How to Money, John Bogle’s The Little Book of Common Sense Investing.

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

Verse of Life
Joel David Kilgore
Kilgore’s spirited and hefty second collection (following The Spirit’s Call) uses poetry as ministry to reinvigorate faith in the hearts of Christian readers, examine the relationship between America and God, explore theological mysteries, and plead in the face of injustice to “Let us all be seen as children / Of the God that we believe.” Whereas Kilgore’s debut offered a general overview of his Christian faith, the almost 200 poems constituting Verse of Life focus on the innumerable ways Christ presents Himself in the poet’s life and the employment of faith as lifestyle rather than mere belief. “The art of holy living,” Kilgore writes, “Is in a single prayer, // To ask and then be faithful // That God will meet you there.”

For Kilgore, poetry functions as prayer—a subject upon which he devotes many lines and guidance, noting “It just takes one prayer / To know Him e'er true”—but also as a means of channeling the voice of God. In “From Whence It Comes,” the speaker notes, “as words do hit the paper // They jingle life and rhyme, // They often tell a story // That truly isn't mine,” but instead “a gift from God.” That might sound lofty, but these simply structured rhyming verses express a faith “All sprinkled with humility / And a pinch of humbleness or two.” Spiritual reflections on earthly matters are striking: “Let Me Breathe,” for example, is a poignant elegy for George Floyd.

“Congressional Seat” and “The Leader” also utilize Christian morals, condemning dishonesty and sin among sitting members of congress and presidents past, but the thread that binds Kilgore’s collection together amid topics secular and spiritual is a forthright commitment to “life with God” that is profound in its plea simply to pray and have faith in God’s answer. Through verse, Kilgore searches, connects, and rejoices, inviting readers to join him.

Takeaway: Prayerful poems that examine living in the path of Christ.

Comparable Titles: Christian Wiman’s “Hammer Is the Prayer”; Geoffrey Hill.

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

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Red Season
Gary Genard
Genard’s standout fiction debut follows Dr. William Scarlet, surgeon for Scotland Yard in the Golden Age of Queen Victoria’s reign, and man with a secret: he possesses psychic abilities that allow him to glimpse the darkest hearts roaming the streets of London. With just one touch, Scarlet can expose the horrific fate of victims and their killers, a talent that lands him in the spotlight when children start disappearing from London after dark. As the crimes escalate, the supernatural seems to gain in power as well, sparking all manner of intriguing happenings: a séance plunges its participants into visions of snakes and rivers of blood, sleepwalking hints at something darker, and madness abounds.

The blend of mystery, history, and something possibly beyond our ken is enticing. Scarlet, a member of the wonderfully named Society for Supernatural and Psychic Research, is quickly bonded to this like-minded group of gentlemen desperate to solve the horrific crimes. Those crimes, tantalizingly, seem to coordinate with sundown and the moon’s patterns each month, prompting Scarlet and his trusted colleague, Django Pierce-Jones, to initiate a perilous investigation that will please lovers of supernatural-adjacent suspense as the heroes find themselves in the crosshairs of evil from both sides of the veil.

Genard’s cast of characters is rich and engaging enough to build a series upon, including the famous (and slightly pompous) artist Ambrose Reed, a widower who has found love again with fiancée Elizabeth Wilson, as well as Elizabeth's elder sister, Catherine, unmarried and independent, strong of mind and opinion. Added to the mix are Mrs. Bain, the mysterious older woman who woos Ambrose away from Elizabeth, and the late Mary Reed, Ambrose's deceased wife. Genard’s protagonist is both kind and rebellious, unable to stop using his powers as long as they bring peace and aid the public, and his humane use of his powers will endear him to readers—while keeping them eager to see his future adventures.

Takeaway: Scotland Yard faces séances, murder, and the possibly supernatural.

Comparable Titles: Michael Ward’s Rags of Time, T. L. Huchu’s The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle.

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

Click here for more about Red Season
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