Professional scuba diver Ricky Yamamoto returns for a third adventure in Grogan’s Divemaster Ricky series (following Derelict), this time tasked by mysterious clients with collecting samples in the waters off southeast Asia. On the boat with her are old friend Captain Rich and the couple who hired them, Lonnie and Margo, lottery winners who are funding an environmental study. (Their boat’s name? Powerballer.) The expedition soon draws the scrutiny of pirates, the Thai navy, and the Myanmar authorities. As the situation sinks from bad to worse, Ricky finds her clients have been hiding things from her—and that she now must solve multiple mysteries and use her wits to save her life.

Ricky narrates, her observations powered with a lively humor, and Captain Rich is a great foil, with their ongoing love-hate relationship a highlight. The plot takes some time to really get moving, and then has so many twists (including a surprising personal connection) that readers will have to work some to keep up, but the snappy dialog, larger-than-life cast, and fascinating milieu keep the pages turning. “Give me warm, gin-clear water and colorful reefs,” Ricky declares, and her love for the sea sets her and the series apart, with this entry finding time for her thoughts on orca, threats to coral, and our changing oceans.

Also enlivening the book are some terrific diving scenes. Grogan delivers almost poetic descriptions of sea life and does a great job with the beauty of southeast Asia: a delta alive with tributaries and side-channels "was like a massive, shimmering fractal." Readers interested in diving technology will find much detail here, though Ricky & co. also find themselves in a number of action scenes, some of them on a Clive Cussler level of inventiveness. Through it all, Ricky shows a remarkable talent for both cool fatalism and self-preservation—she finds “a certain satisfaction” in kicking one adversary in the head—leaving readers to eagerly await what she'll get into next.

Takeaway: This scuba thriller series dives into danger with an agreeably light touch.

Great for fans of: Micki Browning’s Beached, Andrew Mayne’s The Girl Beneath the Sea.

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

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Saddle up for a wild ride (pun intended). The third title in Cox’s series finds United States Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Nick Tanner dispatched to the swamps of Mississippi on a job that entails trading 243 endangered turtles with a wild reptile dealer named Johnny Chang. When the deal doesn't go down as planned, Tanner—and another undercover agent already in place— team up to shut Chang's operation down. Cold-Blooded Trade is an assured crime thriller alive with vivid characters, wicked plot twists, and jolts of action, set against a deadly, evocative milieu that finds Tanner “belly-deep in swamp water, boots sucked hard into the muck, all the while keeping a wary eye for cottonmouths and leeches.”

Cox does a stellar job at penning intriguing characters that readers will connect to. Tanner leaps off the page,a doting father and a proud pet owner with a job that brings excitement at every turn. That pet is a highlight—a blind bobcat named Ray (as in Charles)— as is Tanner’s unique beat, which gives Cox the chance to plot out a thriller that mixes a smart procedural with The Crocodile Hunter. The hero’s personal life is engaging, too, with him balancing wildlife trafficking busts gone wrong with trying to get to his daughter’s gymnastics meet.

While it’s best to start with book one in the series for full clarity on Tanner's backstory, new readers will be able to dive right into the “slimy, green-black muck” of this entry’s gator-holes. Full of witty banter, the wildest of wildlife, and action-packed encounters, Cold-Blooded Trade is a polished, sharply written thriller that never stops until its satisfying conclusion. Animal lovers especially will find themselves invested in Tanner's investigation and turning the pages to find out how it all ends.

Takeaway: This standout procedural sends a wildlife agent into the Mississippi muck.

Great for fans of: C.J. Box, Pamela Beason’s Endangered.

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

Click here for more about Cold-Blooded Trade

This compact devotional debut offers Christian readers an appealing balance of biblical study and self-exploration as Sexton analyzes the “misinformation, myths, and flat-out lies surrounding who God is.” Each chapter examines common misconceptions related to Christian beliefs—ranging from understanding the personality of God to more weighty topics such as suicide and abuse—and Sexton offers contemplative activities to help readers “fight [their] battles and thoughts with God’s truth.” Sexton’s focus on self-compassion while teasing out the underlying factors driving certain behaviors is particularly helpful, as is her willingness to broach some challenging topics that many devotionals avoid.

Despite the guide’s brevity, readers will find it overflowing with useful information and exercises. Sexton urges transparency, using her own experience of sexual abuse as inspiration for readers to explore the traumas impacting their ability to lead a meaningful life, and she is careful to allow readers the space to individualize biblical concepts for their own needs. Those struggling with depression—including suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors—will find Sexton’s welcoming attitude refreshing, and her acknowledgement that “life is hard, it is messy, and it hurts, but it is worth living” is comforting. She’s frank about the lies we often tell ourselves, such as “things will never be better” or “judging others is harmless,” and above all, she emphasizes the need for personal grace and empathy—alongside a solid sense of God’s love as unconditional and restorative.

Sexton’s journal prompts and guided learning questions—all accompanied by corresponding biblical verses and themes—will spark deep thought for readers, and there’s ample space to jot down notes and reflections. Backmatter is both practical and informative: Sexton lists potential alternatives to self-harm, several national resources (the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, among others), and recommendations for further study on setting healthy boundaries. This is a well-rounded, practical devotional that takes on critical issues in an inviting way.

Takeaway: This Christian devotional offers meaningful inspiration for real-life problems.

Great for fans of: Tanya Rad and Raquelle Stevens’s The Sunshine Mind, Priscilla Shirer’s Awaken.

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

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Orr (The Executive Suite) crafts a cozy mystery that offers a fresh spin on the lengths we’ll go to for true love. A neighborhood dog digging up a human jawbone in idyllic Jensen Beach, Florida, gives the neighbors something to talk about—and sets off a disturbing series of events for Charlotte, whose Aunt Adeline just happens to own the bone-filled yard responsible for all the fuss. When Adeline goes missing, local law enforcement rings up Charlotte to fill her in on the investigation, and she’s shocked to discover there’s a whole host of human remains buried in her aunt’s yard.

The mystery’s standard fare here, but that doesn’t take away from the fun of unraveling Adeline’s past, particularly when Charlotte stumbles onto a cryptic poem and video log of her aunt’s seeming confession. While she’s deciphering her aunt’s clues, Charlotte gets caught up with local cop Derek—but just as things start to heat up between the two, Charlotte gets an ominous warning that there’s more to Derek than meets the eye. That suggestion sets up the novel for an unconventional twist in the end (some readers may be discomfited by revelations that keep it all in the family), but Orr keeps readers spinning with some considerable things-are-not-as-they-seem unveilings throughout.

The She Shed’s draw is undoubtedly Orr’s quirky characters. Adeline’s closest friends—“old-school Grateful Dead hippie” Randall, gal pal Millie, and the enigmatic, angry Betty—add plenty of fuel to the small-town fire, as does the questionable mayor, who’s formed his own vigilante squad to “protect women” but seems desperate to cover up the town’s slaveholding secrets at the same time. Readers will appreciate Orr’s tidy wrap-up of the murders, and most of the characters earn the happy ending they deserve; the town, however, turns out to be “full of skeletons—literally.” Backmatter includes entertaining recipes from one of the story’s main players.

Takeaway: A small-town mystery full of quirky characters and plenty of plot twists.

Great for fans of: Tracy Rees’s Hidden Secrets at the Little Village Church, Sheila Connolly’s Many a Twist.

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

Click here for more about The She Shed

Aly’s A Third Option spins a marriage-of-convenience love story around Amy, a New York City professional in awkward circumstances when she finds herself pregnant and her boyfriend is uninterested in being a father. Knowing that she will never be promoted to partner as a single mother, she’s left choosing between her career and her future child until Reggie, a new associate, offers a third option— marry him until the child is born, and then the pair can go their own separate ways. Amy takes him up on his offer, but this convenient marriage is quickly beset with inconveniences, as Amy’s ex Tom publicly claims the child as his, and Reggie’s ex Isabella isn’t ready to let him go.

Despite that classic romance setup, A Third Option is poised between the romance and general fiction genres, as it focuses heavily on being a woman in a high-powered and traditional world. Much of the story is centered around the slightly anxious comedy of the pair getting to know each other and dealing with their exes. This is handled with an empathetic sense of comedy, even when questions of paternity get heated, as when Tom levels a sexist slur at Amy in Bryant Park.

Soon Amy’s learning to make it work with Reggie despite their differences—she reads the Times, he reads the Post—and even feels a pang of jealousy toward Isabella. Reggie has his own reasons for proposing the marriage plan to Amy, and both characters’ perspectives drive the tale, which develops into a legal battle over parental rights to Amy’s fetus, a case that this often sprightly novel presents with welcome seriousness. True to its title, A Third Option is about making bold new choices from apparently limited alternatives, and the story, as it builds to a satisfying ending, continually finds ways to do just that. Lovers of grown-up love stories about characters who break the mold will find much to enjoy.

Takeaway: A grown-up marriage-of-convenience story that surprises.

Great for fans of: Lauren Asher’s Terms and Conditions, Suzanne Wright’s The Favor.

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

Click here for more about A Third Option

Hammy struggles with sharing toys with their younger sibling Oinkers, but when Mom steps in to mediate the situation she finds herself having to take her own advice in this humorous twist on books about sharing. Tempted by the alluring smell of truffles—every pig’s favorite treat—Hammy takes Oinkers along on a quest for justice, sniffing out Mom’s truffle stash and her own struggle to share. Jhon Ortiz’s expressive and sometimes lush digital illustrations add to the humor, focusing on characters’ faces and their outsized reaction to match the text. Kids and parents alike will appreciate the charm of this ironic lesson.

Trouble with Truffles showcases an unorthodox method of getting siblings to bond and get along, but does so with heart and humor the whole way, from Hammy going “hog wild” while refusing to share, to much boisterous oinking, to the smears on the pigs’ faces after digging into their truffle feast. For those unfamiliar with truffles or pigs’ connection to them, Richey uses the plot to introduce the connection, while those already familiar with pigs’ affinity for these prized fungi will likely already be laughing. Richey notes the visual similarities between chocolate truffles and mushroom truffles on a “Did you know?” page, writing that she thinks “the truffles Hammy’s mom loves…are really chocolate truffles and not the mushroom kind.” Further information about pigs and truffles can be found there, too, as well as a map of some locations where truffles can be found globally.

Readers will notice subtle nods to Sherlock Holmes in the illustrations, furthering the visual humor. Well-suited to self-deprecating or at least good-humored parents and the kids that love them, as well as folks looking to learn more about pigs or getting siblings to share, Trouble with Truffles has plenty to offer and is sure to elicit more than a few giggles.

Takeaway: Mom is forced to follow her own advice in this playful tale of pigs learning to share.

Great for fans of: Rachel Bright’s The Squirrels Who Squabbled, Jory John’s Something’s Wrong.

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

Click here for more about Trouble With Truffles

Set in Earth’s next century, Shokeir’s debut sci fi thriller, the first in a series, features a ragtag, shifting group of teens and eccentrics on a mission to stop the terrorists who slaughtered a military training base called the Bunker, which was full of teenage cadets. When a mysterious superpowered man wearing an unremoveable helmet is dug up alive in the desert, a young heiress named Victoria Zaidi soon appears at the semi-secret military base to confront him, convinced that he’s somehow involved in the death of her father. A group of mercenaries aren’t far behind, slaughtering everyone in their path except for a small group including a mad general and his loyal aide, Victoria and her bodyguard, a couple of lucky cadets, and the helmeted mystery man, who goes by Slate and can’t resist wisecracks like “I’ll go punch the kangaroo turd who’s responsible for this right in the wombats.”

That captures the tone of the adventure that follows. As the group flees through the desert toward Cairo, Shokeir pits them against a host of dangers: terrorists, attack drones, giant robotic spider creatures, and more, in action-heavy encounters. They escape largely through Slate’s lightning-blasting heroics, though not without sustaining casualties, and make their way to Cairo, where they learn that a criminal organization known as Cloak, possibly run by other superpowered beings, may be plotting a massive terrorist attack.

The constantly escalating action and stakes are the main draw of this story, though those stakes are undercut by a tendency to gloss over potentially resonant emotional beats—like the deaths of various members of the party—with one-liners. But readers who relish inventive, playful action and worldbuilding (a trip to a movie theater showing a jingoistic action fantasy memorably sells this future) and also relentless Deadpool-esque quipping will enjoy the ride.

Takeaway: This SF adventure mixes relentless quips with over-the-top action.

Great for fans of: Darius Brasher’s Seraph Rising, Jeremy Eaton’s Preparing for the Future.

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

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Kaufer’s epic debut is a fantasy, the kickoff to a series, but readers might forget that in the first 150 or so pages as, Ana, a contemporary woman with a deep fear of intimacy after experiencing abuse, gets caught up in a slow-burn romance with Rafe, the out-of-nowhere protector who saves her from a mugger and then refuses to leave her side as she’s rushed to the hospital with a bullet wound. He’s still there for her when she’s discharged, tending to her, helping her handle the police detectives who insist her story doesn’t quite add up. He’s dashing but gentle, helping her heal, in every sense.

Readers will recognize plenty of warning signs about Rafe’s potential deeper motives, of course, as does Ana’s reporter roommate and only friend, Kara. Kara doesn’t trust Rafe but when called away on an assignment must ask him to watch over Ana, who has a history of self-harm. Kaufer drops hints about what might really be going on, but she immerses readers in uncertainty as Rafe and Ana explore a chaste but romantic intimacy. Perhaps to preserve the mystery, Kaufer writes from a brisk but distant third-person perspective, offering little interiority, so readers rarely are privy to what these characters are thinking.

That makes for fast reading, sometimes too fast, as confrontations with the cops, that mugger, and others pass too quickly to build tension. Eventually, Kaufer reveals the answers. It would be churlish to spell them out here, but readers should remember that, yes, this is a fantasy, with magic, questions of royal lineage, high stakes palace intrigue, a jeerable villain, and a dash of tragedy as the Maristellar Kingdom faces tumult and the story builds to a resonant cliffhanger. The choice to delay the introduction of these elements throws the book’s genre balance toward romance, but readers who love the blend will find much here that intrigues and engages.

Takeaway: A woman’s surprise romance with the man who saves her blooms into epic fantasy.

Great for fans of: Elsie Winters’s Leviathan’s Song, Sarah Zettel’s A Sorcerer’s Treason.

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

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Papagni’s debut blends romance and mystery with rich worldbuilding. Charles and Alex are one of those couples that boasts a great origin story: they met at a Boston diner in a chance encounter and enjoyed an instant connection, with Alex afterwards feeling she owes him a minor debt. Charles is a self-made investment banker with a teenage son, Charlie, while Alex is a gorgeous, considerate kindergarten teacher from a posh background. Things seem poised for the two of them to share an idyllic relationship, but life is not that simple: Charles’ work life is full of murky dealings, and before long, Alex and Charlie get dragged into it. Are their lives headed straight towards tragedy?

The novel’s first half is squarely a romance, showing how the leads came together: when Alex phones Charles after their first meeting, a mixup has him expecting a business contact on the line, so he answers “Hello you nasty, SOB”! This upbeat courtship is offset by a cast of eclectic, well-rounded characters—Papagni has done a great job of building a robust world and ecosystem around her leads that supports them and lends their lives credibility. Deeper in, though, the plot thickens and the mystery and suspense elements become prominent, involving the SEC, a stalker, a break-in, and a murder. Meanwhile, Charles faces temptation—and this hard declaration from Alex: “I need to know if you have broken the law and what other shoe is going to drop.”

Readers, too, will be anticipating the drop of those shoes, and some of the plot twists strain credulity. But overall, there’s a lot to enjoy in this novel full of conversations, friendships, and a mystery, all of which are dealt with an airy touch, imbuing the material with an inviting lightness despite some darker themes. Lovers of romance and family dramas will enjoy this book which is both endearing and easy to read.

Takeaway: An endearing, fast paced romance with a Boston businessman turns suspenseful.

Great for fans of: Linda Howard’s Mr. Perfect, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Forever, Interrupted.

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

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Graham’s debut novella offers the haunting tale of a young woman reentering society and grappling with reality after experiencing wrenching trauma and loss as a girl. In Lancashire, England, Elise Rose's life is upended at the age of seven when she witnesses her mother's murder at the hands of a gentleman caller. Then, at the age of twenty, Elise is released into the custody of her grandfather, Emmett, at the end of a two year stay in a psychiatric unit after an episode of psychosis. When she stumbles upon a quaint house on Darcy Lane one day, with a bold red door and a pond out back, Elise becomes fixated with what the house symbolizes and the future she envisions.

Darcy Lane’s emotionally charged story pulses with themes of loss, redemption, and growth. While taking on weighty themes, Graham draws intriguing parallels between Elise's life and her mother's, from their strong resemblance to their decisions to trust the wrong people, creating suspense as the story progresses. The characters are both complex and relatable, their motivations, as in life, sometimes enigmatic. The prose, though, is pared down and brick-blunt: ”Stood at his bedroom window was Emmett. The two of them held stare for a moment.” Those sturdy sentences, though, can be at tense odds with the view of the world through Elise's eyes, as readers will at times wonder whether what she perceives is what’s truly happening. Graham also allows himself to change perspective within a chapter or even paragraph, which demands readers stay alert to keep up.

Those who do will find themselves rooting for the protagonist to break a generational cycle of mistakes and overcome the tragic setbacks of her childhood. The plot moves at a steady pace toward a conclusion that, in hindsight, feels inevitable and will please fans of humane, realistic fiction in which characters face traumatic pasts.

Takeaway: A moving novella of a young woman facing the lingering effects of childhood trauma.

Great for fans of: Amber McBride’s Me: Moth, Kathleen Glasgow’s Girl in Pieces.

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

Click here for more about Darcy Lane

Read, seasoned author of Turning Points at Trial and other persuasion guides for attorneys, offers welcome expertise to anyone eager to improve their speaking skills, even the many who harbor fear at the very thought of giving a presentation. “Being true to yourself is the starting and ending point of this book,” he declares early on in this polished and practical guide, and he breaks that easier-said-than-done goal down into actionable, achievable steps that will give even the most anxious speakers a path to being their best at the podium or on the Zoom call. Public speaking is less a talent than a skill, Read argues, one that anyone can learn and hone with enough willingness, practice, and honest effort.

Demonstrating the kind of confident organizational clarity he urges readers to master, Read arranges the material into three sections— how to persuade, how to deliver your presentation, and how the masters persuade. He packs each with encouraging advice covering a host of topics (how to present without notes; what persuasive speakers need to understand about the brain; visual guides related to PowerPoint best practices) plus abundant sources, quotations, links to talks to study, and fresh, fascinating case studies from attorneys in the courtroom that illustrate the implementation of his methodology.

As the subtitle suggests, Read blends his own hard-won, up-to-date insights with tried-and-true techniques, from the Rule of Three to the “memory palace,” and he explores tools used by great orators throughout. His clear, engaging prose style and emphasis on the pragmatic makes this guide accessible to readers new to the art but also a resource for seasoned speakers, who will likely find illumination in advice on video meetings or his reconsideration of the importance of listening. Chapter-summarizing road maps and checklists and a thorough index and table of contents increase the book’s utility.

Takeaway: A courtroom persuasion expert’s illuminating guide to persuasive public speaking.

Great for fans of: Carmine Gallo’s Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds, Mike Acker’s Speak With No Fear.

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

Click here for more about Winning at Public Speaking

Zellgert (The Adventures of Randy trilogy) draws on personal experience with loneliness and depression to craft an emblematic and relatable science fiction journey. The story centers on Stewart, a man who lived in a world without color. Everything was white, with only the black outlines showing edges and corners that were anything other than white. That was until a little girl, running from a policewoman, slipped an orb into Stewart’s pocket. It wasn’t until he was home and pulled the orb out of his pocket that he found it lit up the world in color. Thus begins Stewart’s mission of keeping color in his life and fighting off the frightening forces eager to see everything vibrant drained away.

Stewart floats through outer space in a space suit, facing scary and dangerous figures who want him to fail and give up on himself. Zellgert introduces evils like “Iniquitous” and “Dr. Despondency,” who assail Stewart with the kind of thoughts that come with depression, like “nobody likes you” and “you don’t deserve to live.” Yet these negative figures are regularly scared away by those like The Four Artists, who show Stewart light and color and where to go to escape the darkness. Equally important, Stewart meets friends in space who make him feel less alone, and need his help fighting too.

Although abstract in presentation, Zellgert never pushes the symbolic nature of the story to the point where it’s confusing to follow. Readers who can relate to the challenges Stewart faces will find wisdom and encouragement in this treatment of the hurdles created by depression, anxiety, and loneliness, especially as Zellgert shows how those hurdles can be overcome—and, crucially, that sometimes Stewart has to try more than once. When he falls off the path of light, he gets the help he needs to find his way back. Both science fiction and full of heart, this will be a relatable journey many will find inspiring.

Takeaway: A relatable, even inspiring science fiction depiction of depression and loneliness.

Great for fans of: Emma Newman’s Planetfall, Victor LaValle’s The Devil in Silver.

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

Click here for more about Stewart

In Sanders’ disquieting plunge into the murderous mind, young women have been disappearing in an idyllic New Hampshire town, and nobody knows when the serial killer called the Huntsman and his Rohypnol-laced apples will strike again. ICU nurse Max Mason thought he’d seen the worst of humanity in Afghanistan, but he wasn’t prepared for the Huntsman to kidnap his pregnant wife, Annie, or for the prime suspect, Lincoln Douglas Raider, to fall into his lap as a coma patient. Annie’s location remains a mystery, but Max, striking up a relationship, tells Linc that he has a secret of his own: he, too, is a killer, and they could be amazing partners, except for Linc’s wife, Jolene, newborn daughter, Rosy, and Max’s detective sister, Darby.

As with the Huntsman in Snow White, themes of jealousy and love drive the plot: the Huntsman, stalking unsuspecting women; Max, willing to do whatever it takes to find his missing wife; Jolene, frantic for her ideal family life; Darby, hunting the Huntsman; and Linc, living on a farm that Sanders makes richly creepy, seeming to confess to crimes of his own. Sanders teases out the mysteries with an emphasis on suspense rather than serial-killer gore. Max’s narration is compelling, and the compassion he feels for his accidental friends proves affecting, but readers will likely have a sense of what shoe’s going to drop quite a while before it finally does. The final act, though, is gripping, and the novel is powered by fleet, sharp-edged scenes, memorable dialogue, and pared-down prose tinged with dark poetry.

The complexity of Max and Linc’s relationship elevates the mystery into something like a duel or even a suspenseful courtship, as Sanders challenges and rewards readers’ expectations—and empathy. The element of found family is unsettling, as is the detachment with which Linc prepares a rabbit stew—“Skinned, Fluffy has disappeared. It’s just meat”—and discusses coyotes’ zeal for blood. Such scenes pulse with nervy power.

Takeaway: The tense story of a desperate infiltration into the farm, life, and mind of a potential serial killer.

Great for fans of: Alaina Urquhart’s The Butcher and the Wren, Devashish Sardana’s The Girl in the Glass Case.

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

Click here for more about THE HUNTSMAN

Jones (Forever Yours) delivers a clever and electrifying adventure on an alternate Earth alive with shapeshifters and volatile politics. A civil war has trapped bear shifter Dr. Teresa Pérez-Soto and her clinic filled with human, bear, and elephant shifter orphans. Fayola, an ultra dangerous impundulu—a large bird shifting telepath who drinks blood—is on a mission from her government, The United Wake of Benekal, to extract the doctor from the war zone but not the children. Successfully completing this last mission will free Fayola from her mandatory military service and allow her to return to her beloved father. Always stalwart, this time she shows empathy when human child Jwahir calls her “Dela Eden,” her savior, and Fayola risks everything to transport the children to safety.

Adhering to her mantra, “The better a soldier I become, the easier the missions will be, and the quicker I’ll be able to return home,” Fayola is an imposing figure in her human form and nearly indestructible in her bird form, with huge wings, a beak that can penetrate elephant hide, and the ability to generate golden lightning. At the start Jones focuses on developing the strong female characters and the intricate world building, though the plot accelerates when The Wake’s leaders, intrigued by Fayola’s empathy and negotiating skills, choose not to court martial her. Instead, she’s assigned to the new Criminal Exploitation Unit to save children in trouble. These include Jwahir, who sends word that her adoptive bear shifter father is abusing her.

Jones masterfully constructs an original world of extraordinary shapeshifters, a militaristic society, a rich political environment, and a mission to combat human trafficking. With a nod to the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Jones sets a diverse cast in an immersive, compelling world in a story that evokes loyalty and the desire to do good. Readers will find this a winner.

Takeaway: Science fiction fans will embrace the strong female lead and unique shapeshifters in this adventure with a heart.

Great for fans of: Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child, Robert McCammon’s The Wolf’s Hour.

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

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The fiction debut from Cawthon (author of Origins & Faith) lives up to its title with its beautiful juxtaposition of loss, empathy, and courage, all set in a neighborhood neatly sewn together by Cawthon’s warm storytelling. Present day Savannah is home to a low-income family teetering on the brink of ruin with matriarch Jolene terminally ill and son Billy Ray adapting to manhood as a teenager whose father has deserted them. Immediate concerns for his younger brother and dodging family conflicts weigh down Billy Ray from the start. Cawthon invites readers to walk alongside Billy Ray on his many trials, observing tough decision-making, reveling in the young man’s strength, and witnessing his maturation and the development of his moral character.

Bullying surfaces in many interactions between characters, a theme that does not discriminate on age, relation, or circumstance. Confrontations at school with peers occur frequently, while at home he faces all-too-common altercations instigated by his uncle. But vital moments of tender honesty between Billy Ray and his steadfast supporter Aunt Becky give depth to their family’s complex relationships. With direct prose and clear love for his characters, Cawthon blends sometimes painful realism with an abiding belief in resilience and the selflessness of the best of humanity.

Cawthon throws many obstacles at his protagonist, some devastating and violent. But through it all the theme of “how to keep faith in the face of fear” powers the story. The author’s also attentive to problems that can seem minor by comparison, such as Billy Ray’s embarrassment for being “some sort of freak” for having an old flip phone—later, it’s with the greatest elation that he receives a laptop as a Christmas gift. Such sweet moments bring solace. Readers who relish stories of good people finding their path, with prayer and lots of heart, will want to walk this street.

Takeaway: The ultimately heartening story of an impoverished Savannah coming of age.

Great for fans of: Rose Betit’s Sparrows, V. L. Brunskill’s Waving Backwards.

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

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Voorhees puts a poetic form typically associated with comic doggerel to dedicated spiritual purpose in this urgent, charming collection of limericks, arranged to suggest the stages of a life and a path toward enlightenment. Opening with stanzas about living in a sleep-like state—in which people are “Avoiding the ache/ Of being awake”—The Garden Path then journeys on, chapter by chapter, charting a seeker-to-be’s development, from first recognizing a need for something more nourishing from this life (“The bird in the ribcage must fly/ But fearful of making a try”) to tentative first steps (“Shun greedy confusion!/ Drop that illusion!”) and beyond. At long last, in the ninth chapter, the seeker stands confidently before “the image of eternity” knowing that “A sensitive mind/ will find if inclined/ A ship to sail this endless sea.”

There’s an inspired tension between the limerick form, so rigid and predictable, and the searching, consciousness-expanding material. Voorhees acknowledges this with an imprecation, in introductory material, to “learn the difference between container and content.” Since the time of Edward Lear, limericks have encouraged readers to enter a spirit of anticipatory play, their minds reaching ahead to what the final rhyme might be. By contrast Voorhees tends to place less emphasis on the last word—the container—and more on the ideas—content—throughout, inviting readers to search for deeper meaning rather than a punchline.

Tasteful sketches accompany verses about what “bozos” we can be and the effort it takes to “attain the goal/ Becoming human, free and whole.” To fit the rhyme and meter Voorhees isn’t afraid to bend language and grammar, though it seems churlish to complain when the limericks encourage a state of contemplative reverie—and when it’s the content that counts. A concluding essay, “Seeking Truth in Dangerous Times,” is illuminating, especially when Voorhees, a mathematician, contemplates the mathematics of infinity, through the lens of Omar Khayyam.

Takeaway: Inspiring limericks that follow and encourage a spiritual awakening.

Great for fans of: The Penguin Book of Spiritual Verse, Omar Khayyam.

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

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