The sniffles suggest you’ve broken rules or behaved immorally in Grydsuk’s heady debut, an ambitious science-fiction story that opens with a denunciation of humanity itself, from a voice purporting to be its creator. “You have been weighed, measured, and found wanting,” humanity is told, deep into our present information age, just before a virus is unleashed upon it. The story itself picks up a century after this “Correction.” Now, humanity is kinder, better caretakers of the planet, and held to universal rather than relative moral standards. It’s ruled by the Biodome, whose series of “existential viruses” (EV)s have infected and wiped out millions of our age’s “incorrigibles” and now serve as a “righting protocol,” sending a virus to individuals who get out of line.

Readers’ guide to this provocative world is Midwestern teen Everett Steele, a recent high school graduate. Setting the novel apart from other visions of a future where free will is threatened, Grydsuk leaves it to readers to work out how this “Age of Resolve”—in which smallpox is weaponized to eliminate “the dregs of humanity in their power suits”—compares to our fractious present. Everett, though, believes in the Biodome, and her plans of a life working in the Department of Animal Welfare get upended when she discovers that powerful people are manipulating EV in cruel experiments.

Grydsuk blends elements of coming-of-age dystopian—or is utopian?—adventure with bold inquiries into free will and the nature of humanity. Would it be moral, the novel asks, to eliminate viruses purportedly crafted by God to root out “fraud and corruption and abuse of power”? The questions have power, and Grydsuk pens crisp, tense scenes of steadfast Everett and Biodome agent Jake, her eventual partner in protecting EV, contending with snakes, secrets, and the new Department of Citizen Safety, who carry ancient weapons called “gun”s. Less arresting are scenes of the seditious scientists themselves and a survey of human atrocities, with historical photos, that runs more than 30 pages, diminishing narrative momentum.

Takeaway: A provocative future where viruses target rulebreakers—and the hero sides with the viruses.

Great for fans of: Kristin Cast’s The Key to Fear, Lauren Beukes.

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

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Lieutenant James Harper perseveres and takes on an urgent new mission in the second installment of Gabhann’s ambitious Shiloh Trilogy, which continues to bring the Civil War era to vital life and showcase what it took to live through it. This entry finds its hero fresh out of a Confederate prison. Lieutenant Colonel Monroe, his commanding officer, is doing his best to sway an inquiry into Harper’s escape into a potential court-martial, thanks to his longstanding grudge, and Harper has other challenges brewing, too: he’s convinced a local house of ill repute is sending classified information to the Rebs, and he’s determined to take down its owner, Franklin Bosley.

Harper’s zeal to stop Bosley drives the story, as the lieutenant takes an undercover assignment to pose as a disgruntled Union soldier in Bosley’s establishment, in hopes of infiltrating a spy ring. Gabhann finds suspense in this story while also capturing the texture of these lives and their era, especially as Harper starts to fall for one of Bosley’s workers, Maggie, who has her own reasons to hate the Confederates—she lost her husband and son in the war, a tragedy that Harper can relate to, as his wife and child were murdered by outlaws. That sense of urgent loss in a violent world keeps the story tense as Harper and Maggie find themselves caught up in Bosley’s net, facing fresh danger, unsure if anyone can really be trusted.

Readers will find Harper more likable in this entry; his softness with Maggie, and newfound respect from his men, particularly Corporal Gustav Magnusson, gives this now-seasoned character welcome warmth and gravity. Harper’s motivations are mostly admirable, despite some rash actions, and the addition of Gustav’s sweet courtship with sex worker Katie lightens the mood. That, combined with General Grant’s return to favor and Harper’s seeming exoneration, sets up readers for more action—and maybe some romance—in the dark days ahead.

Takeaway: Undercover spies, betrayals, and a dash of romance heat up this vivid Civil War novel.

Great for fans of: Gwen Bristow’s The Handsome Road, Bernard Cornwell’s The Bloody Ground.

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

Click here for more about Harper's Rescue: A Novel of Redemption in the Civil War - 2nd edition

Gabhann rounds out his Shiloh Trilogy with this action-packed entry (after Harper’s Rescue) that follows Lieutenant James Harper on his return to the First Iowa Volunteer Infantry. Harper—along with the loyal Corporal Gustav Magnusson and Katie Malloy, a recently rescued saloon-girl disguised as an army nurse—may have returned to his battalion, but his new job as Assistant Quartermaster is basically busywork, and it’s keeping him from the heat of battle at a crucial moment in history. Desperate to get back into action, Harper is shocked when his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Monroe, suddenly promotes him to Captain—opening the door for Harper to get his coveted command.

Harper is once again the daring, brash officer fans have come to love in this final installment. Between his efforts to join the fighting, and his compulsion to protect Katie from the harsh reality of camp life, he’s every bit the heroic Union soldier. Meanwhile, Magnusson is fighting his own demons, torn between his attraction to Katie and his fears that a former prostitute may not fit into his family’s staunch Quaker beliefs, and the physical injuries he received after rescuing Katie from her past life are interfering with his military aspirations. Gabhann skillfully dramatizes the interpersonal conflicts of his main players, adding a depth to the story that makes this more than just bloody, convincing battle setpieces, and the supporting characters are rich in their own right—particularly Sarah Featherstone, a First Iowa sergeant’s wife, who shows as much spirit as her battle-hardened husband.

Though the ending may feel somewhat neat given the complexities of the characters—and the war and its aftermath—Gabhann gives readers satisfying closure while honoring the brutality of the war itself. They don’t write them like this anymore: sweeping, dramatic, alive with blood and soil, balancing what it would have felt like to be there with the urgent question of what it all meant.

Takeaway: A Civil War captain faces his ultimate test in this battle-hungry novel.

Great for fans of: E.L. Doctorow’s The March, Bernard Cornwell’s Battle Flag.

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

Click here for more about Harper's Shiloh: A Novel of the First Bloodiest Battle

Entertain Impact founder and CEO Paul Katz lays out how he has found success in employing “the power of Influencers for social impact”—and how, though clear action steps, readers can harness that power, too, for their own campaigns and endeavors. Noting that the way to reach the masses has changed, Katz argues that marketing can now be as simple as a well known social media influencer wearing a brand that catches the eye of their million followers, Katz offers readers his original five-step D.R.E.A.M. method for finding and partnering with influencers, “an encompassing term” that includes “social media influencers, public figures, and celebrities collectively,” figures who can have an “exponential impact” when “throwing their popularity, social capital, and platform behind a particular cause or brand.”

Katz calls that impact the Influencer Effect, and he’s spent a career harnessing its power for social causes and philanthropic campaigns. His advice and techniques here, though, can be applied to a variety of types of campaigns, as Katz illuminates, with insight and concrete examples, how an influencer’s reach, engagement, and target audience can draw attention and revenue to a brand or cause. Dispelling myths attached to marketing and endorsements—such as having to know the people already, needing lots of capital, or needing a big name celebrity for success—Katz provides a fresh road map to making the influencer effect effective for all parties involved. Katz explains that when shrewdly handled, all stakeholders (including the influencer) garner positive results from implementing the influencer effect.

Blending Katz’s hard-won experience and “pro tip”s with clarifying research on metrics, audience reach, social media platforms, and much more, Good Influence is a vital resource guide for businesses, nonprofit organizations, and anyone with something to market. This easy-to-follow guide showcases new and innovative ways to use the rise of content creators and influencers to create a buzz around practically everything.

Takeaway: A vital resource guide for leaders working with influencers to get their messages out.

Great for fans of: Carlos Gil’s The End of Marketing, Brittany Hennessy’s Influencer.

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

Click here for more about GOOD INFLUENCE

This heartening romance featuring young professionals figuring themselves out keeps it light despite a focus on family reconciliation and personal growth. The therapist whom pharmacist Nichole begins seeing to address her PTSD after a robbery at her store suggests an accountability partner as she explores broader issues. Nichole surprises herself by choosing Kam, the obnoxious know-it-all to whom she drunkenly spilled her guts at a mutual friend’s wedding rehearsal. As Kam pushes her toward reconciliation with her estranged father and standing up for herself at work, Nichole’s therapeutic efforts make her ready to upgrade from her unsatisfying “situationship” to considering something more real.

Enekwa quickly builds sympathetic appeal for both leads, despite narrating the story primarily from Nichole’s perspective and presenting Kam as initially difficult. Their mutual friends, meanwhile, are encouraging but not pushy about getting the couple together, and the pages pulse with lively relationships, memorable dialogue, and an enticing vibe of upbeat cosmopolitanism. The positive characterizations (except for explicit antagonists like Shawn, the non-boyfriend, and Tom, the lazy pharmacy manager) continue through the book, making it easy to believe in and cheer for Nichole’s ability to make things better. Enekwa deftly highlights the cast’s cultural diversity, through conversation and wedding and holiday traditions. Much of the book’s pleasures come from feeling invited into this group.

An emphasis on the details of Nichole’s therapy sessions makes Nichole’s emotional states and growth goals clear, though often her personal growth is charted through exposition rather than dramatic scenecraft. The story glosses over some disagreements between Nichole and Kam, leaving Kam’s internal states a bit mysterious, and many of the conflicts are framed as essentially misunderstandings fixable by developing greater self awareness. Still, Enekwa’s warm, feel-good storytelling will resonate with lovers of light, appealing romances with lovable friends, an interest in personal growth, and more vulnerability than sizzle.

Takeaway: Lovers of romance high in personal growth and low in drama will find this satisfying.

Great for fans of: Talia Hibbert’s Act Your Age, Eve Brown, Beth O’Leary’s The Flatshare.

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

Click here for more about Tell Me Everything: An Rx Chronicles Book

“Materialism is pure dogma” writes Siegel (More Work or More Free Time) in this assiduous treatise on the merits of dualism over materialism. Contending that “reasoning and evidence” are necessary to determine the credibility of dualism, Siegel encourages readers to approach the text as true skeptics—those who have “an open mind and [decide] what to believe based on the evidence.” He explains the main principles behind both materialism and dualism—applying them to concepts such as morality and subjective experience—while arguing that materialism is routinely self-contradictory and, though he notes that it cannot be disproved, he insists its followers should openly explore other ideas.

Siegel’s text is weighty material, packed with philosophical rationales and fresh, revealing examples, but he offers readers thought-provoking reflections on his path to validating dualism, a belief that “mind and matter both exist independently, and our bodies are somehow connected with our minds.” He shares the uniqueness of humans and our evolutionary ability to reason reliably about the world around us, as opposed to being simple products of “evolved matter,” using this development as evidence for dualism. Siegel also delves into near-death experiences as confirmation that consciousness and body are able to function separately—a direct conflict with materialism’s belief that “science can, in principle, explain everything.”

Siegel takes a strong stance against creationism (a “demonstrably false idea” he writes) and cautions readers against “drawing a halo around the word ‘religion’ and thinking that it is always good.” Spiritual experience, he contends, can be considered a “fluke,” though he argues that his perspective on dualism finds support in religions like Jainism. The second half of the book is dedicated to refuting proponents of materialism, including Christopher Hitchens, an “intellectual lightweight” who, Siegel asserts, dismisses eastern religions without merit. Siegel’s passion for dualism—and willingness to tackle its complex nature—will illuminate.

Takeaway: A thorough, clarifying analysis of dualism versus materialism.

Great for fans of: David J. Chalmers’s The Conscious Mind, Steven Richheimer’s The Fallacy of Materialism.

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

Click here for more about A Skeptic's Faith

Internal medicine doctor Hester offers readers hands-on methods to take the “rightful place at the center of [their] healthcare team” in this practical guide. Acknowledging the complexity of the healthcare system in America, Hester offers easy-to-follow suggestions that will empower patients to take control of their care, starting with a breakdown of the eight main factors doctors use to diagnose health conditions. She goes on to explain how readers can better prepare for medical appointments to save time and money—and how to follow up on the care received in those appointments.

Most helpful in this resource are the myriad of graphs and visual aids Hester delivers to help streamline medical care. Whether suffering from abdominal pain, headaches, or countless other conditions, readers will welcome Hester’s well-ordered questionnaires: she addresses the history behind each concern, narrows down onset symptoms, and draws attention to potential underlying factors, all in an organized format that will simplify medical appointments. Hester delves into the insurance side of things too, summarizing the internal appeals process for denied claims, outlining the specifics of health plans, and more.

This is a hands-on log in many ways, and Hester incorporates useful technology alongside the tried-and-true approaches: going beyond her advice to keep a journal of blood sugar, exercise, and other relevant health data, Hester also reviews electronic health records and endorses apps readers can use to manage their medical appointments and general wellbeing. There’s even a list of reputable sites to research physician competency, and the three appendices offer explanations of common medical abbreviations, terms, and standard tests—including chemistry profiles and electrocardiograms, among others. For those readers still experiencing uncertainty about their medical care, Hester explains the alternative of a patient advocate “to break down each situation and ensure that the desired outcome is in your favor.” Readers will be impressed by this valuable resource.

Takeaway: A practical tool for helping readers navigate increasingly complex medical care systems.

Great for fans of: RealMe Journals’s My Personal Medical Log Book, MG Publish LB’s Doctor Visit Log Book.

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

Click here for more about Patient Empowerment 101

In this sweeping story, the first of his Shiloh Trilogy, Gabhann follows General Grant’s early Civil War campaigns through the eyes of Lieutenant James Harper of the First Iowa Volunteers. Harper, fresh out of a skirmish in which he helped save Grant’s life, but lost the trust of his men in the process, finds himself denied a command position and answering to Colonel Monroe, who’s holding a grudge against Harper, convinced he should be discharged. Despite the cards being stacked against him, Harper’s sure of his military prowess and willing to serve as Monroe’s adjutant, as long as he has a shot at a command post in the future.

Gabhann compellingly captures the neighbor-turned-enemy spirit of the Civil War in the complex relationships between his characters and their duties. Harper staunchly disapproves of the Abolitionists, blaming them for the entire war, but he’s loyal to the Union—and to General Grant. Meanwhile, his short fuse repeatedly lands him in hot water, and even his friendly brothers-in-arms find his swagger hard to stomach. Harper’s growth makes for an exciting read, especially when a scouting mission goes south, and Harper finds himself a prisoner of war, along with several of his men who still aren’t sure they can depend on him. Ultimately, Harper channels his recklessness to pull through for his fellow soldiers, winning their confidence just as the higher chain of command starts head hunting him again, but this time he’s not alone, as Grant has just been relieved of duty as well, by the infamous General Halleck.

Fans of Civil War fiction will relish the battle details and intricate military hierarchy that makes and breaks key skirmishes. The milieu and dialogue is convincing, though Gabhann takes a storyteller’s creative license with his characters. A parallel story of a naïve prostitute trying to survive never fully connects to Harper’s narrative, but the ending sets the stage to watch the two come together in a future volume.

Takeaway: A hotheaded Union officer faces battles, prison, and his own shortcomings in this sweeping Civil War novel.

Great for fans of: Michael Shaara’s Killer Angels, Howard Bahr’s The Black Flower.

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

Click here for more about Harper's Donelson: A Novel of Grant's First Campaign, 2nd edition

This stinging near-future satire from Tree (If Only) charts the rise of neo-Fascism in the Europe of the 2030s. Four people meet on a cruise sailing along the coast of France: a painter, a student, a journalist and his wife. Despite the rise of the hateful NSLF, and a vicious anti-immigration demonstrations on the mainland, their holiday seems splendid, all “pongy pizza counters and chromed-up ice cream parlours,” until suddenly it isn’t. Faced with escalating violence, the quartet find themselves embroiled in the NSLF and We Are England, a similar group that likewise seems to harbor an agenda even darker than it publicly admits, and what seems to be a Europe once again teetering on the brink of genocide.

Right off the bat, Tree’s language is snarky, succinct, and rather funny, despite the novel’s dead-serious warning. He deftly blends the absurd with the politically urgent and sharp observations about human behavior. He’s also a great writer of dialogue, with conversations between characters always engaging, revealing, and convincing. The perspective shifts among the characters and even time periods, but the narrative’s still unified and consistently compelling thanks to Tree’s free-wheeling flow, his urgent, possibly prescient themes, and humor that’s both incisive and pained.

Tree takes none of this lightly, however, and plot developments involving anti-semitic violence are suitably wrenching. At some points in recent history, reviewers might carp that what Joe discovers when infiltrating We Are England is over the top, but contemporary history demonstrates that’s not so. Tree likewise avoids the opposite danger of being too on-the-nose by imbuing his tale of hate on the march with surprise, humanity, moral outrage, and the hard-won truth that humanity seems condemned to keep repeating the worst of history. Lovers of pointed satire and novels of political terror and burgeoning dystopias will find much that resonates in this potent story, which is as frightening as it is funny.

Takeaway: This searing satire imagines, with uncommon wit, a fascist uprising in near-future Europe.

Great for fans of: Jon Raymond’s Denial, Nancy Mitford’s Wigs on the Green.

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

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“All I could see was schizophrenia, waiting for the right moment to strike,” Murphy writes, deep into this relentless fiction debut. The bluntly declarative pitch of those lines captures the spirit of Sandi Jacobs, a pained, often incoherent surge of shocking incidents, unreliable narration, and fleeting moments of human connection. The story’s told by the young woman of the title, whose diagnosis about a third of the way through the book, and subsequent hospitalization, casts a new light on the wild drama and violence that precedes it. As she bounces in and out of mental institutions—going "back and forth for so long that they started to feel like field trips”—Sandi is gaslit, abused, betrayed by others, and must face Schizophrenia itself, personified in harrowing scenes.

“Harrowing” is the term for Sandi Jacobs, a novel that rarely lets up its disorienting swirl of terrors, coming so fast that readers will wonder whether they truly happened or whether Sandi imagines them: when Dustin, the 19 year old who has impregnated Sandi’s 15 year-old sister, abducts elementary-aged Sandi from a boarding school where she’s giving a presentation in Italian, is he really chased by cartoonish thugs who call him a “cracker”? Does Dustin, at 19, truly rent cars and board airplanes with a blood-soaked little girl in tow?

In the climax, some of these unreliable details—like her teen sister’s bizarrely well-paid job cleaning a library—accumulate into a mystery Sandi must decide whether to face. But in the moment they’re merely confusing rather than suggestive, as the storytelling throughout is rarely controlled or convincing. The fevered narrative reads like a draft rather than a polished book as it bucks wildly, leaping in time and perspective with little warning, so much so that little clues don’t get a chance to seed, grow, and entice. Still, there’s raw power in the language, welcome interludes of warmth with a boy named Callum, and some of the jolting plot twists are inspired in concept, if rushed in execution.

Takeaway: A disorienting gush of a novel that dares readers to keep up with its young narrator’s mind.

Great for fans of: Francesca Zappia’s Made You Up, An Na’s The Place Between Breaths.

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

Click here for more about Sandi Jacobs

“God wasn’t coming,” a character thinks after speaking a prayer, one of his first, at the darkest moment of this sweeping novel of faith, suffering, and street-life. As the blows rain down, Perry, an unhoused but entrepreneurial and community-minded young man realizes “This wasn’t going to be over till it was all the way over.” But Epperson—and God—have a surprise coming for Perry, who’s been made a target for what he accidently knows about a Boston drug lord’s business. Epperson’s fiction debut walks the line between life and death as Perry, in the warm mist of what comes next, gets a surprising chance to connect to the host of troubled characters populating this ambitious novel—and maybe find salvation.

God is coming, of course, just in mysterious ways. The story unfolds with Dickensian sweep, digging into the lives of Perry and his father, who live in an alley; the criminals after them; the penthouse executive who quite literally looks down on lives like these; the cops and district attorneys who can’t, for varied reasons, take meaningful action. The most convincingly dramatized lives here are the nun who helps a young woman find protection and support after a man close to the family rapes and impregnates her, and the demoralized priest facing the truth that the members of his congregation “are starving for faith.”

Perry laces through these lives in surprising ways, especially in the novel’s second half, which adds cosmic mystery to the realism of the first. The dialogue of street criminals meanwhile, is unconvincing, but the grind and difficulty of their tasks rings true. Epperson’s portrayal of a businessman who detests the unhoused and funds abortion groups has a satiric edge that contrasts with the heroism and decency of the restaurant and newsstand owners who aid Perry. Christian readers seeking redemptive fiction with compassion and a street edge will find much inspiration here.

Takeaway: This inspirational but gritty Catholic novel of street life and redemption is powered by compassion.

Great for fans of: Joseph F. Girzone’s The Homeless Bishop, Maya Sinha’s The City Mother.

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

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Griswold’s first book is a fictionalized history of the life of Michael Montraville Weaver, founder of the town of Weaverville in North Carolina. Montraville is the last child of John and Elizabeth Weaver, early settlers in the mountainous regions of Western North Carolina, named after Elizabeth’s favorite character in Susanna Rowson's famous novel Charlotte Temple. In the absence of a school nearby, Montraville grows up learning from his parents and the Bible, plus friends like Red Bird, the son of a Cherokee chief. Ordained a Methodist preacher and married to Jane Baird, life seems set for the hardworking Mont, but he discovers that the future holds unexpected challenges, chief among them the Civil War and its aftermath.

Griswold blends research with fiction to bring life to the past, though the balance of storytelling and history often leans toward history, with much attention paid to the context and texture of Mont’s life rather than scene-driven drama. Occasionally, Griswold shifts away from the title character, as in passages following Mingo, a slave who has escaped his bondage, which broadens the novel’s purview. Mont considers himself a benevolent slaveholder—one providing Christian teaching and “more reward and less punishment”—but Griswold’s thoughtful depiction makes no excuses for the historical crime, emphasizing instead the moral blindness of people who couldn't see the violence inherent in the ownership of human beings.

Readers eager to immerse themselves in complex history as it was actually lived will find much here that fascinates and resonates, such as the incident of Mont taking on a church elder and popular preacher after the latter’s attempt to force himself on Easter, an attractive slave girl. Also engaging is Griswold’s portrayal of the unrelenting efforts of John Weaver and Mont in maintaining cordial relations with the Cherokee and the continual injustices meted out to the Native American population. This is an illuminating, often arresting read that examines, with persuasive power, the drift of life and mind of a Carolina landowner navigating the bumptious end of the eighteenth century and the dawn of the next.

Takeaway: A thoroughly researched novel about the life and times of the founder of Weaverville, North Carolina.

Great for fans of: Robert Hicks’s The Widow of the South, Nancy E. Turner’s These Is My Words.

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

Click here for more about Montraville, Episodes in an Early Appalachian Life

“Nothing ages people more than secrets,” Vancise writes in this polished, dark-as-blood-wine thriller, which finds a young woman, digging into the mysteries posed by an old photograph of her late grandfather’s, and then facing unspeakable horrors of the past—and, of course, her present. In a small Arkansas town in 1991, Evie Day sees again a photo that has long haunted her, an image from 1933 of a tall woman and a tiny coffin. Soon she’s dug up intriguing clues that suggest her police chief grandfather harbored secrets: a vial of blood in his desk; a key to a safety deposit box in Castlewood, a town four hours away. Meanwhile, an older man named Charlie works with a specialist to recover suppressed memories and shares horrific visions of occult torture in a Castlewood foster home.

Writing with crisp efficiency, mordant wit, and bursts of searing terror, Vancise whets the novel’s escalating puzzles and portents with an edge of queasy uncertainty. As the two perspective characters’ paths edge closer to crossing, readers will question what to believe—and whether Evie and especially Charles have hidden agendas. Character work is engaging and surprising, with relationships coming to life in well-honed dialogue. Apparent coincidences like Evie encountering an ex, or running into an acquaintance who does profiling work for the FBI, don’t just help the plot along—they contribute to the feeling of fevered suspicion.

That tense atmosphere does not slow momentum. Vancise teases with potent recurring images—a tuxedoed man with a lollipop; a baby in “little black mask with gold stars covered its mouth and nose”—that will compel readers of thoughtful, occult-tinged, buried-secret thrillers to tear through the pages to discover the truth behind them. The revelations jolt but satisfy, the romance is handled with heart and a touch of heat, and the villains are quite literally bloodthirsty.

Takeaway: This smart thriller pits an Arkansas woman against a haunting, possibly occult mystery.

Great for fans of: Gina Sorell’s Mothers and Other Strangers, C​​raig DiLouie’s The Children of Red Peak.

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

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Kallona’s playfully imaginative novel for middle-grade readers follows a girl named Lucy on an adventure to discover why everyone in her family has stopped laughing—as well as her own exciting destiny. The story begins during a snowy winter in the Scottish town of Fiddle Wood, where 12-year-old Lucy lives with her parents, her brother, Ben, and grandmother. Predictably, everyone is bored and miserable, having been stuck indoors for weeks on end. One day it occurs to Lucy that no one has laughed in a long time, not even Grandma, who had “an incredible hooting laugh which made everyone else laugh too.” When Lucy mentions this, Grandma makes a surprising declaration: “It’s the Old Man of Smoo!” she insists.

While Grandma is seen by some as a “batty old woman,” Lucy and Ben take her seriously. Without hesitation, they and their Uncle Patrick accompany the elderly woman on a trip to find Gabel Lylhu, who Grandma explains is “one of the ticklers of the world” and whose name is an anagram for “belly laugh.” On their journey, Lucy learns Gabel is responsible for keeping the world laughing, and his inaction has led to a widespread lack of humor. As Lucy and her family put together the pieces of the puzzle, she discovers her own surprising connection to the ticklers, a story development that will encourage young readers to delve into their own unique family histories.

From start to finish, this tale is relentlessly offbeat and fanciful, inviting readers to enter a world where laughing gull feathers are as valuable as treasure and Gabel must sniff out Smoo’s armpits with his “Nez Extraordinaire.” At times this extravagant fantasy can become nonsensical, but it is grounded by Lucy’s unwavering respect for her grandmother and, in the end, her exciting personal revelation. Young readers will relate to Lucy’s plight as they undertake similar ventures of self-discovery in their own lives.

Takeaway: This playful story follows a girl’s efforts to discover why everyone has stopped laughing.

Great for fans of: Kat Zhang’s The Emperor's Riddle, Varian Johnson’s The Parker Inheritance.

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

Click here for more about The Tickling Tale of Smoo

With a curious blend of convincing detail and men’s adventure fantasy, this account of a Massachusetts “country boy”’s experience as a paratrooper in Vietnam charts a childhood of fallout shelters and science-lab bombmaking, training at Fort Dix and elsewhere, much vigorous lovemaking, and at last the experience of leaping from a CV-2 Caribou and into action. In country Shannon—either the author himself, or a fictionalized version—will face deadly wildlife, Viet Cong patrols, disgraced Foreign Legion mercenaries, and women eager for his amorous attention. One mission results in 27 confirmed kills but also a major’s declaration that “I regret that we cannot report on your success or the body count.” (That’s in spite of an introductory note carping at Hollywood movies that present soldiers as “fantastic super-heroes.”)

Whether readers buy that or not, Shannon’s an amusing, engaging storyteller, attentive to technical detail and ironic twists, especially when the tale turns on showing up blowhards, authority figures, or enemies. That’s true of the memoir’s first third, too. The funny, often dangerous stories of youthful hunting hijinks, car racing, gas-siphoning, and encounters with the police—including a doozy of a revenge plot against his town’s chief—honor a bygone era of childhood troublemaking.

Shadow Dancer is classified as fiction, though introductory notes insist it’s based on a true story. Either way, for all the persuasive detail about military life, many stories here are quite literally incredible, such as the narrator’s account of his first “burial duty,” in which he informs a young mother that her son was killed in paratrooper training—and then shares with her several days of passion. (Sex scenes include terms like “love lava.”) A cloak-and-dagger episode involving Shannon—or some version thereof—getting the drop on rogue CIA agents potentially involved in the Kennedy assassination is too hard to follow to assess its credibility. Page-long paragraphs and a tendency toward run-on sentences also diminish narrative clarity and momentum.

Takeaway: This pulpy account of a country boy’s experience in Vietnam is quite literally incredible.

Great for fans of: John Ringo, Gregory A. Daddis’s Pulp Vietnam.

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

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“Coming together is what it takes to address ‘wicked’ problems,” Justis and Student note in this innovative guide to leadership in a time of societal upheaval, to preparing organizations for the challenges of an uncertain future, and to enacting real change through collaboration and "recombinant innovations'', which is the process of repurposing and refashioning successful ideas in different ways in different fields and circumstances. They make a powerful case for new leadership strategies, with an emphasis on intersectionality and networking while building partnerships among businesses, the government, and nonprofit organizations—and lay out practical steps to making such collaborations succeed. Don't Lead Alone draws on fresh case studies and the authors’ own experience to demonstrate the urgency—and some best practices—for working in tandem with multiple branches of leadership teams.

The subtitle’s imperatives—"Think Like a System,” "Act Like a Network,” "Lead Like a Movement"—serve both as the authors’ message and the text’s organizational foundation. Forming an easy-to-follow road map, each section is a building block to creating and leading within a constantly evolving network to build a better, adaptable, diverse team. "One of the advantages of acting like a network is that not only does it bring in new people, but it also brings in new tools and skills,” the authors note, with their customary precision and lucidity. Exploring ideals such as code-mixing, taking risks, managing secret agendas, and writing with inviting directness but also thoughtful thoroughness, Justis and Student provide a wealth of guidance for handling the complex dynamics that come along with building expansive, collaborative networks.

Entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, government officials, and many others in leadership roles will find much unique, forward-thinking, highly practical insight here. While organizations are a team effort, the authors demonstrate throughout that leadership roles are too often thought of as an individual task. Don't Lead Alone turns this idea on its head, offering both inspiration and nuts-and-bolts tools for moving toward a collaborative approach.

Takeaway: This innovative leadership guide bursts with insight and practical suggestions for collaboration.

Great for fans of: Eric Coryell’s Revolutionize Teamwork, Gretchen Anderson’s Mastering Collaboration.

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

Click here for more about Don't Lead Alone