
The depth of McGarry’s research is impressive. His art uncovers the stories of people from prominent citizens to young telegraph boys. Key West is portrayed as a hub of industry, a bustling railroad town and a multifaith community. He is sensitive to the dynamics of race in Key West at the time, profiling a leader of the Ku Klux Klan as well as a Black harbor pilot and one-time child laborer Louis Welters, seen at age 13 in his security pass but also, in a photo from 2006, at age 100. He also reflects briefly on some gendered differences in Key West at the time, with one person profiled only receiving a pass because she possibly needed to bring her husband lunch.
McGarry’s love for Key West shines through his portrait paintings and the stories and photographs he shares, and the reader will grow to love them as well. Faces of Old Key West 1918 conveys both an artistic and a historic narrative, helping the reader feel the personalities of these men and women who lived on the island. Anyone looking for a specific name or organization, whether an ancestor or simply the origin of a street name will benefit from a helpful index. A winning mixture of art and history, Faces of Old Key West 1918 is sure to appeal to anyone who loves the Keys, tourists and locals alike.
Takeaway: A lovely collection of photographs and paintings of Key West and its people, circa 1918.
Comparable Titles: Maureen Ogle’s Key West: History of an Island of Dreams, John Viele’s Tales of Yesterday's Florida Keys.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Told in a non-linear narrative, The Benevolent World Banker successfully balances the backstory leading to the abduction and the mounting tension of David’s predicament, as Nielsen teases revelations about what’s really going on. Nielsen offers some thriller violence—“In frustration, he simply shot the man closest to him in the head”—but the novel is replete with smart economic and political talk, offering a fresh perspective on the nuts and bolts of working at an institution such as the World Bank. Often, the telling here feels like insider gossip. Plot-heavy with a slow burn, the story of David’s captivity is an arresting, upsetting account of the physical and psychological torment that comes with witnessing firsthand the horrible lengths his captors will go to execute their retribution.
Nielsen brings a welcome sense of international complexity to the story, both in its texture and plotting— David can’t trust the U.S. government will bother saving him, as he’s Danish, not American. That’s also true of Nielsen’s treatment of faith, as David tries to make sense of the intricacies of Christianity and Islam while in the throes of grief and torture: which God rules—the vengeful or the merciful one? Readers of thrillers invested in the workings of the world, especially particularly politics and economics, will find this engaging.
Takeaway: Smart international thriller of an economist kidnapped by terrorists.
Comparable Titles: Brad Taylor's The Devil's Ransom, Chris Pavone.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A-

So, the gunslingers set out on an irresistible mission, a hook that the book itself lives up to. Pyke offers rousing adventure, engaging camaraderie between the characters, a smoldering romance with a young debutante, and enough surprising political intrigue—involving the feds, Mexico, the French who are blockading Mexican ports, and the possibility of Crockett being a bargaining chip between governments—to keep the storytelling fresh, even for seasoned Western readers. The story moves fast, despite Pyke’s feel for immersive scenic detail (“Ahead was day after day of vast grasslands of dense little bluestem, waves of grama grass, thick buffalograss, low-lying tumblegrass, and yellow-flowering snakeweed”) and welcome commitment to historical plausibility.
Besides prairie grass and politics, Pyke knows his way around horses, Hawken rifles, maritime battles, and desert scrub, keeping the excitement up while never losing sight of the cast’s humanity. As the story stretches south, incorporating historical personages like Santa Anna, Pyke takes pains to keep style and prose close to reality, making sure that the actual history on display here (and contextualized in clarifying notes) is as engaging as the what-if? of Crockett’s possible survival.
Takeaway: Gunslingers hunt for Davy Crockett after the Alamo in this polished Western.
Comparable Titles: Stephen Harrigan’s The Gates of the Alamo, Cameron Judd’s Crockett of Tennessee.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
Armstrong balances the importance of being career-driven and persistent on the journey toward success with the need for individuals to shift their focus inward, as well, making the case that it takes more than business savvy and mastery of the “golden pyramid” to be prepared for an executive role. That also demands a strong will, a positive mindset, and understanding of how to make your value tangible to others. It takes sound well-being to overcome fear, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt. She urges readers to generate results, generate relationships, and cultivate resilience—the three organizing principles of this guide, and each crucial at the start, middle, or height of a career. “You don’t have to wait for someone else to make you an executive,” Armstrong writes. “You already are, and you can bring this forward on day one.”
The general advice here, such as “Exude presence” or “Don’t derail” (as in don’t thwart your own ambitions through neediness, arrogance, risk aversion, eccentricity, and more), always comes with rundowns of clear, practical specifics, presented with the kind of succinct directness that is itself a model for executive communication. Armstrong’s own anecdotes are supplemented by inspirational (sometimes familiar) tales of executive success that demonstrate her principles. Throughout, she lays bare what it takes to succeed—and to protect one’s position— in volatile times, both from an aspirant’s and an executive’s perspective.
Takeaway: An empowering self-help guide to achieving success as an executive leader.
Comparable Titles: Suzanne Bates’s All the Leader You Can Be, Bella Rushi’s The Innovative Executive.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
For all those urgent themes and dangers, much of this hopeful novel portrays middle school antics and angst between PJ and her African immigrant friend Hakima, who are working on their environmental awareness school project. But PJ notices that any time someone speaks out about combating climate change, a coldness somehow manifests, and along the wall a dark, intimidating shadow seems to creep toward them. A letter addressed to PJ that her kindly retired postman neighbor had kept for the last 12 years sets in motion PJ’s destiny as one of a group of children around the world who will not be silenced by the darkness. Instead, she will speak for the children, animals, habitats, and cultures that will soon be extinct if we don’t stop the devastation.
Tween readers will relate to the schoolroom bullying, sibling rivalry, friendship dynamics, and desire to be special and valued, but will wait impatiently for PJ’s destiny to finally be revealed, and for resolution of the cryptic clues that keep their secrets hidden until the last quarter of the book. Nevertheless, the heartfelt message is in the right place that children must play an important role: to safeguard the future of the planet they will inherit.
Takeaway: A spunky tween delivers a message of hope for a world facing climate destruction.
Comparable Titles: Lauren James’s Green Rising, Mark Smith’s If Not Us.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-
Particularly helpful are Blackburn’s hands-on applications that range from guided reflections to exercises designed with interaction in mind. (One roleplay centers on resolving challenging relationship issues, and readers are encouraged to practice forgiveness when collaborating with others.) Drawing on her and her interviewees’ personal experiences for learning opportunities, Blackburn shares how she has cultivated inclusivity while building new relationships with co-workers, neighbors, and others—and she commiserates with the inner fears and struggles many face when initiating new friendships or social encounters.
Blackburn professes "I believe that we have no choice but to figure out how to honor, respect, and know 'the others’ in our midst.” That rousing sentiment runs throughout the book as she provides tips to engage in healthy communication and active listening in an effort to build commonality with others. The material is as inspirational as it is constructive, but it’s also practical. Blackburn examines how to set boundaries and stretch comfort zones. This is a winning resource for anyone seeking meaningful and strong connections with the people around them.
Takeaway: Inspiring, practical resource for cultivating multicultural community.
Comparable Titles: Brené Brown’s Atlas of the Heart, Jennie Allen’s Find Your People.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Hale has created an engrossing world powered by inventive technology and social structures, complex modulation simulations and training drama, and compelling dystopian themes—the written word is illegal and only digital communication is allowed, dark hints of a potential human future. With an eclectic group of characters that are powerful, smart, and entertaining, Runners is never dull. Hale prioritizes character amid the action, exploring the tight familial bond of Alexander's diverse crew, which ensures the suspense ramps up as the connections strengthen, the trash-talk flies, and readers become attached. For all the crisp dialogue, the novel at times suggests a science-fiction take on progression fantasy, offering superpowered villains, out-of-this-world tech weapons, and an urgent mission to destroy the final boss.
Fans of intricate world building, action packed fight sequences, and ensemble character arcs will enjoy this, though at times the flatly declarative lines describing actions during dialogue get awkwardly repetitive. Emotions will run high as each character faces their own tragic loss, or be put at risk themselves as they face off against the Shadows, the powers that be, and former friends turned enemy.
Takeaway: Space-assassins in training power this fast-paced SF adventure.
Comparable Titles: Tochi Onyebuchi’s War Girls, Richard K. Morgan’s Altered Carbon.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A

Broken down into four tenets of socially conscious communications, which include “Dare to Ask,” “Dig In,” “Widen Your Lens,” and “Follow Through,” Fox’s guide is brimming with practical guidance, like how to use an “equity lens” in order to minimize stereotyping and biases, a tutorial on “radical listening” to allow for the inclusion of historically silenced perspectives, a clarifying breakdown of the asset-framing storytelling model, and many other practical strategies that show readers how to use the mechanism of empathy to shift companies’ purpose from productivity to people.
Fox’s guide is direct, inviting, and accessible, but it’s also hearteningly bold, as the empathy method challenges orthodoxies of traditional profit-first business communications practices that ignore what Fox calls “the human factor.” Fox notes that, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements and how they’ve affected consumer consciousness, “empathy is an essential tool for business success, directly correlating to growth, productivity, and earnings per employee,” and this guide offers the tools to show business leaders across various industries how to flip the paradigm and put that empathy into practice.
Takeaway: Human-centric business guide centering communication as a facilitator of social change.
Comparable Titles: Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead, David Bornstein’s How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
After being tragically widowed, Skye, John’s wife, finds comfort in the arms of the attentive Thomas, though as the years pass Thomas becomes secretive, controlling and short-tempered, culminating in a shocking burst of domestic violence. Readers know from the beginning that Thomas is psychologically troubled, and what John’s fate will be, which diminishes suspense and surprise. The twists that do come are welcome: Thomas believes that mysterious "assets” are in danger, as Cruickshank drops hints about a Conquistador's journal and underground vaults, and a number of relationships eventually are revealed to be quite different than what readers expect.
The story is good and fast-moving, with welcome moral weight offsetting some dark material, such as graphic descriptions of sexual assault, torture, and abuse. The swings of sanity and madness in Thomas are scary, and Cruickshank’s portrait of the insulating—and possibly deadening—effects of wealth and power often chill, and not just when Thomas performs dark acts. “Love, integrity, and goodness are relative qualities for people like me,” he declares to a priest, seeming truly to believe it. Cruickshank’s decade-spanning portrait is damning, inviting readers not to wonder whodunnit but just how much worse he’ll still do—and whether a new generation can set things right.
Takeaway: Generation-spanning thriller of murder, power, and a wealthy family’s secrets.
Comparable Titles: Michael Robotham’s The Other Wife, May Cobb’s My Summer Darlings.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

As a healthcare provider himself, Turker’s experience in the American healthcare system shines throughout, both in memorable incidental detail and surprising-but-convincing plot points that center on the shark-like nature of donors or patients whose hateful natures demand healthcare providers work doubly hard on their bedside manners. One scene finds Marty giving care to a neo-Nazi, and discovering that his conception of the Hippocratic oath has limits; meanwhile, a bishop is eager to “rid St. Salacious of Marty’s ‘taco-crowd’ have-nots, [and] Sister Catherine’s meddlesome oversight.” This sometimes dark material is handled a fiery wit that keeps the pages turning.
Turker’s own compassion powers the novel, the satire more outraged than outrageous. As he faces religious fervor, bigotry, and good old-fashioned greed in a succession of compelling scenes with whip-smart dialogue, Marty becomes one of the rare voices of compassion and courage in a system that consistently has cared more about the dollar value than the care provided. As Marty becomes a catalyst for change, readers of thoughtful literary fiction, no matter their faith or lack thereof, will find this polished novel’s observations darkly comforting—eventually even hopeful—in the face of rising intolerance and a national health crisis.
Takeaway: Stellar novel of a Jewish doctor bringing change to a corrupt Catholic hospital.
Comparable Titles: Yan Lianke’s Heart Sutra, Kyle Bradford Jones’s Hospital!.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

As noted in a sensitive author’s note, Medusa broaches painful subjects, such as spousal abuse and rape, demonstrating with some power how urgent and distressingly familiar these issues have remained over millenia, and how easily the perpetrators of such outrages can find excuses for them—and even societal support. In Medusa’s narrative, the abuse comes from what gods feel they’re owed, whereas for Chloe it comes as punishment when her husband sees her true bisexual self as an affront to God, his brutal behavior excused by her pastor and mother.
Transmuting tragedy into something inspiring, Fisher shows that even the bleakest moments don’t have to limit one’s possibility of future happiness, even as one must still bear the pain. Medusa learns to live with her curse rather than let it destroy her, and when she meets Chloe her own history becomes something she can draw on for good: to help a stranger who’s struggling with a similar weight. The lesson of standing up for yourself and unconditionally loving others is a powerful and positive message that’ll leave readers feeling heartened.
Takeaway: Mythology, fantasy, and empathy power this story of Medusa and millenia of abuse.
Comparable Titles: Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, Jennifer Saint’s Ariadne.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-
McMahon’s language is subtle and shrewd, and he’s adept both at backroom dialogue and polished political speechcraft and TV appearances. The different timelines and the sense—stirred by the title and Teddy’s arresting announcement that “I am writing this for you in case anything happens to me”—that a tragedy is looming will set readers on edge, especially as McMahon suggests that everything’s not exactly as Teddy perceives it to be. The happenings and discoveries of both timelines clash tellingly with each other, adding nicely to the tension. The characters, too, are well-etched and convincing; McMahon favors empathy and complexity over easy villainy, and in spite of their failings this cast succeeds in winning reader affection.
The intriguing, complex nature of Teddy’s love both for Charlotte and Conrad is delineated well. One final twist strains credulity, but McMahon writes with compelling power of the feeling of getting in too deep and possibly losing one’s self. A sharp line like this, about Teddy being handed a bag to vomit into, lingers after the last page is turned: “I deposited some jerk chicken and whatever was left of my soul into it.”
Takeaway: Compelling novel of love, politics, and the loss of one’s soul.
Comparable Titles: Curtis Sittenfeld’s American Wife, Kennedy Ryan’s The Kingmaker.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Pooh fans will find this as charming as the familiar bear himself, and Gundrum works hard to keep the reading simple but powerful. For the letter “H,” Pooh and Piglet embrace—and Gundrum encourages readers to use hugs as a way to heal, while the entry for “D” expresses the importance of a Difficult Day made better by the quiet presence of a friend. In classic Pooh fashion, wisdom is dispensed freely but subtly, as when Pooh declares “sometimes the smallest things take up the most ROOM in your heart,” and Gundrum takes time to bolster Pooh’s advice with her own understanding of just what cancer patients need: “If you do nothing every day, that’s ok! Your job is to get better. Let your medical team do the work. Let your friends and neighbors lend a hand if you need help with anything!”
For readers newly diagnosed with cancer, Gundrum explains the different tests they may face and offers practical tips to help negotiate treatment—including suggestions for keeping the body and brain active and diet recommendations for days when “your appetite is gone and nothing tastes like you remember.” The book’s strength is Gundrum’s tender reminders to never give up, wrapped in the gentle ambience of Winnie the Pooh and his friends. In Christopher Robin’s words, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
Takeaway: Whimsical Pooh-isms to inspire and uplift cancer patients.
Comparable Titles: American Cancer Society’s Because… Someone I Love Has Cancer, Nancy Emerson et. al’s Finding the “CAN” in Cancer.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B+
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B
God Luv Us is a racially charged thriller that, as it tears into a heart-racing plot, at times plunges readers into the perspectives of the hateful: “White freedom comes with a cost,” one POV character declares, not long after insisting “This isn’t cross burning or storming the U.S. Capitol. This is all out war.” The stakes feel urgent and personal as Jeffers squares off with Tarpon and other monsters, and Starr digs deeply into both characters’ perspectives, creating an explosive tension—and moments of sickening unease—that keep the pages turning. Readers with the stomach for it will be intrigued and engaged from the opening chapter, as Jeffers’s voice and unusual yet exciting occupation grab from the start.
Written with dark, gritty prose and a wicked sense of humor, God Luv Us mines tension from the ways in which these characters perceive and scheme against each other, as neither Jeffers nor readers ever feel confident about who they can trust. The result is a thrill ride, often blood-spattered, that bucks expectations right up to a satisfying, climatic ending that will leave readers wanting to dive into the next installment. Fans of action thrillers that feature real world, social justice themes, and frank talk about race in America will enjoy the inventive setup and lead, as well as the accomplished story.
Takeaway: Dark crime thriller that pits a “counter-racist hitman” against white supremacists.
Comparable Titles: Aaron Philip Clark’s Trevor Finnegan series, Attica Locke.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A

Every word here has earned its place on the page. Descriptions of Kentucky nature and contrasting city structures effortlessly draw readers into the scene, and both characters and setting pulse with life. Kiser’s people are full of incisive questions about identity, family, and generational trauma, especially in relation to southern culture. In “Daughters,” women in a family ranging over four generations grapple with the meaning of miscarriage, pregnancy, and motherhood in their shared experiences of grief and fear, while “Decoration Day” finds a daughter visiting her father’s gravesite, reminiscing on their complicated relationship, nostalgic for the place that brought both hardship and belonging: “the hills and the long chain of kinfolk who had been left behind.”
Kiser’s especially good at communicating legacy and connection through objects, such as a “Wedding Ring” quilt made by one narrator’s mother “of swatches of brocade dresses that had belonged to her own mother.” Those connections especially resonate because, as the subtitle suggests, many stories center on women who abandon the valleys of their childhood for city landscapes and college campuses. Kiser captures both the promise and loss of this, the complexity, common for first-generation students, of being caught between two worlds shaped heavily by class, generation, and locale. This collection is perfect for readers who have found themselves caught between two different lives and understand the many varied definitions of “home.”
Takeaway: Accomplished stories of being pulled towards and away from a rural home.
Comparable Titles: Beth Gilstrap’s Deadheading, Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Yet there is purpose to this yearning, suffering, and questioning, just as Jesus had purpose in the Gospels to seek a desert of solitude, too, and face trials there. “All the pain and sorrow” Spratley writes in “Perspectives,” “served as a tool” to look inward and find a spiritual awakening and a new purpose in life: creativity, generosity, and love. The narrator’s outlook shifts from a state of longing for answers and connection toward a state of curiosity in which there’s “much to discover but even more to create” and a willingness to help others who are walking through the desert, seeking the other side.
Paired with each of these somber yet hopeful verses are often oversaturated landscape photos and contrived works of surrealist digital art from the public domain whose inclusion appears largely extraneous, though at times they offer a striking visual complement to Spratley’s poems. But it’s in the poet’s own words and ruminations—and in the aching spiritual journey the narrator takes through them—that is where Desert Plains shines. Readers seeking accessible but not simple poems that delve deeply into the complexities of Christian spirituality will find Spratley’s debut validating and inspired.
Takeaway: Poems of faith exploring suffering, raw landscapes, and spiritual awakening.
Comparable Titles: Daniel C. Colesworthy, Greta Zwaan
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: B
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-