
From page one, this volume stirs chills of recognition as David Corbett’s “An Incident at the Cultural Frontier” opens with a trucker’s convoy of “inspectors” rolling up on a polling place, and Faye Snowden’s electric “The Obsession of Abel Tangier” turns on the line “Ethel started bringing a loaded Smith & Wesson .45 to every school board meeting after the death threats started.” Other stories center persistent American anxieties, like the possibility that an organized crime syndicate will do whatever it takes to rig a Newark mayoral race in Thomas Pluck’s “Joey Cucuzza Loses His Election,” or the radio host whose racist invective reveals the ugly truth of a beach town’s secession campaign in Sarah M. Chen’s jolting “Riviera Red.”
The speculative tales prove both playful and upsetting. Babies seize the power of the ballot from indifferent parents in Camille Minichino’s inspired and inspiring “Vote Early,” while Ember Randall’s “How to (Actually) Change the World” imagines the fate of the first A.I. candidate for president. History and political violence (the murder of a Chicago alderman in 1963; the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s presumptive Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914) loom over the collection, but what’s scariest is most familiar: men with power intimidating everyone else to give up their own.
Takeaway: Outraged crime stories from diverse authors, all centered on the act of voting.
Great for fans of: Leye Adenle’s When Trouble Sleeps, Malka Older.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Tanda suffuses her storytelling with heart, and readers will be transported back to an earlier time, following new Italian immigrants eking out a living in California. Violetta’s whirlwind romance with handsome Sardinian newcomer Gaetano sets her heart aflame, even as she is promised to another man to seal a Mafia deal. There are sharp, suspenseful moments when readers will clearly experience Violetta’s desperation alongside her, but at other times, some flowery choices (the two lovers are wont to quote Shakespeare) can prove distracting to the overall tone of the plot. Nonetheless, the tender and tense moments scattered throughout this story help buoy its dark atmosphere.
While the novel offers the suspense, intrigue, and even the romance you would hope for in the kickoff to a series titled “Mafia Matriarchs,” historical fiction readers will appreciate Tanda’s serious handling of the Italian immigrant experience, as she draws on her own Italian heritage to paint an honest picture of the trials her community faced–while not shying away from the drama of what one character calls “The Black Hand, the Commission, Cosa Nosta. The mob. The Mafia.” Tanda consulted with sensitivity readers on her depiction of Barbara, a Black woman who encounters the systemic racism faced by Black people in America. The essence of Tanda’s message: that we are all not that different.
Takeaway: The start of the “Mafia Matriarchs” series offers tense historical fiction in early 20th century America.
Great for fans of: Amy Harmon’s The Song Book of Benny Lament, Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

Despite strong pacing and effective interrogations and courtroom drama, it’s nuanced and complex character work that drives this thriller. Reed is a broken man trying to put himself together, returning to work, starting to date again, even seeing a therapist, though he finds himself unable to let go of the past. He always tries to do the right thing, especially when innocents are involved, no matter the cost. The villains, too, are multilayered characters, like the actual killer and his criminal father, whose individual senses of morality lead to some unexpected conclusions. Alaska’s winter storms raise the stakes throughout, as simply driving on a road becomes a perilous undertaking, much less being outside for extended lengths of time.
Norgard makes the reader care about Reed's journey, and it doesn't hurt that Reed has an insolent wit that he can't seem to turn off, a defense mechanism as he haltingly tries to process his grief. Norgard's attention to detail with regard to both character and setting elevates Road Kill far above a typical hard-boiled detective story, and fans of mysteries with memorable leads will find much to like in its mix of hard-boiled, funny, and haunted.
Takeaway: A tough Alaskan winter raises the stakes in this polished and compelling character-driven mystery.
Great for fans of: Peter James’s Dead Simple, Dana Stabenow.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A
Adams builds to that insight over the course of that long night, and the extended memories of friends and lovers and disappointments that preoccupy Jack as he contemplates how he came to be so alone. The follow-up to Bent, Rode offers Adams ample chance to showcase a feel for motorcycles, night skies, crooked-steep San Francisco streets, and the thrill and terror of sexual outlawry. He’s especially good at pinning down moments between people that list quietly, inexorably toward a discomfiting wrongness.
A book of significant beauty and pain, broken relationships and sexual frankness, Rode’s survey of the events and people that led Jack toward bottoming out also at times proves playfully comic (Jack learns the worst thing a first-time sex worker can say to a prospective john: “My schedule’s wide open at the moment.”) The title promises momentum, but this character study is all about how a man got brought to this point, told with painstaking detail. But readers of impassioned, character-driven fiction that transgresses the polite will find much to relish here.
Takeaway: A penetrating novel of a philosopher/hustler/ex-fireman, reflecting on his life, stranded in San Francisco.
Great for fans of: John Rechy, Nelson Algren.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Jimmy’s world is exciting and unique. Despite starting out at a school, the story quickly ventures out into a wide world of magical trains, airships, and the gulf between the official history and the actual history of the Eight Countries. While Jimmy’s adventures can at times feel like he’s a game protagonist following a tutorial, he exhibits a hearty, can-do attitude that makes him enjoyable to read; he holds his own with a very strong supporting cast. Michaels surrounds his protagonist with strong and interesting women, including the fort leader Jenna, who takes on a mentoring role; the prickly but helpful nurse Christine; and of course, Tessa the ghost, fallen hero, who at times can be bossy though she genuinely cares about Jimmy.
The plot is straightforward, with more action than talk, but still builds to a satisfying confrontation with the villain. A fresh adventure through a unique magical world, this series start will leave readers eagerly awaiting a sequel. Fans of fantasy series–and RPG games–will relish the story’s world and style.
Takeaway: Christopher Mannino’s The Scythe Wielder’s Secret, C.M. Carney’s Barrow King.
Great for fans of: This promising YA fantasy debut pits a teen boy and a ghost hero against the secrets of the past.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Despite the language of evolutionary selfishness, Sweet examines themes of struggle and triumph over adversity, and portrays his profiled leaders as having objectives beyond themselves–at times, to serve the good of the larger society, as in Caesar’s disruption of the oligarchy of the late Roman Republic. This good of the larger society, then, is in service to a larger Evolutionarily Stable Strategy. Sweet takes care to emphasize that “fighting” should not be defined solely by violence, but the majority of people he uses as examples, with the exception of Bill Gates, are accomplished warriors.
The history that Sweet tells is fascinating, and always connected to his broader arguments. Reviewing stages of successful fighting, he covers topics such as how to effectively study an opponent (pointing out that many commanders were victorious simply because they were misunderstood by their rivals) and why striking in combination is a powerful method of offensive fighting. The intricacy of his accounts can be daunting, particularly of battles and campaigns that become challenging to track without maps or illustrations; endmatter includes a bibliography for further research.
Takeaway: History-loving readers with some fight in them will appreciate Sweet’s survey of powerful men, how they’ve fought, and what they reveal.
Great for fans of: Andrew Roberts’s Napoleon: A Life, Gerald A. Michaelson and Steven Michaelson’s Sun Tzu: The Art of War for Managers.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
Maxwell has crafted a myriad of dismaying characters, including a sadistic former cult member and kidnapper (among other things), a child pornography fan turned rapist, and the diabolical cult leader who catalyzed it all. Much of the novel takes place when Sally is a young girl, and her quest is not for the faint of heart. Readers will find themselves simultaneously disgusted, scared, and fascinated by how the loose threads and varying viewpoints will come together in the end. Rest assured–although the story becomes tangled, particularly when characters swap names, time periods, and relationships with each other, all of the ghosts of 2165 Hillside’s past will be exorcized by the end.
A slew of different narrators deliver this story in a way that affords readers the chance to play detective, but buyer beware: some of the text will be difficult to forget, especially some sex scenes. Readers will be gripped by the novel’s fast pace once the groundwork is laid, but a natural aversion to some of the characters may at times override the thrills. Maxwell ties up the ending nicely but leaves plenty for readers to think about after the last page is turned.
Takeaway: A harrowing ghost story in which a young girl struggles to separate truth from fiction and save her kidnapped sister.
Great for fans of: Julia Heaberlin’s Paper Ghosts, Ania Ahlborn’s Within These Walls.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

This epic telling of a story too rarely told is powered by that zeal, as Treviso vaults ahead in time, from Aetna’s childhood to the hours before Vespers–a chapter-heading timestamps add a thriller’s momentum to a novel deeply concerned with character, history, and the immersive dramatization of long-gone ways of life—but also enduring truths about courage, loyalty, and honor. Treviso proves adept at presenting vicars and generals, cathedrals and markets and a dazzling cave, and the horror and glory of fighting for what matters, as Aetna of the volcanic spirit faces overwhelming odds—and connects ever more deeply to her home and its people.
The action is crisp, clear, brutal, and frequent, and Treviso’s not shy about terror and torture: General Rochefort, a memorable villain, relies so often on a neck vise the he keeps it cinched to his belt. Readers who prefer historical fiction with less extravagant violence may be jolted by the stabbings and gaping wounds, but those who prefer martial adventure and tales of revolution, regardless of genre, will find much here to relish, tremble at, and in the end cheer.
Takeaway: This vigorous retelling of a 13th century Sicilian revolution will dazzle fans of martial historical fiction.
Great for fans of: Ernest K. Gann’s Masada, Bernard Cornwell.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
A Someday Courtesan traces an emotional arc from Haven’s often difficult early experiences with men, plus her urge toward people-pleasing, to the later satisifaction she finds in sex work. The connection might come through more clearly if the earlier chapters, told in a youthful voice, offered more introspection and reflection. Later chapters have more in-the-moment realness but lack much introspection, obligating readers to step into underage trauma without a strong sense of why they are doing so.
The story of Haven’s secret relationship with an older man, and her inability to relate to her peers after his death, has a fairytale mood that adult readers may find disturbing but emotionally impactful. Sections concerning the author’s relationship to acting follow the book’s most thoughtful growth path: her adoration of a successful peer, her willingness to suspend disbelief about the older “agent” taking nudes of her in his apartment, her success in using her physicality in a well-received comic role, and the final vignette of the book, in which she discovers how to embody a character through tapping into her own experience, carry readers along her path of self-discovery.
Takeaway: A sex worker reflects on her earliest years, experiences with love and sex, and discovery of who she is.
Great for fans of: Melissa Febos’s Girlhood, Sita Kaylin’s Anything but a Wasted Life.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B
What tiny turtle–that’s how he’s identified in the book–discovers in this simple journey is the value of friendship. His new acquaintances devote themselves to picking out potential shells, none of which seem to be the right fit: the seal suggests a small pebble, the pelican offers a piece of seaweed, and a beach mouse thinks he’s hit paydirt until his choice turns out to be a hermit crab. Some readers may find the straightforward plot and repeated action to be predictive, but younger fans will be comforted by the storyline’s familiarity.
Ingledew’s endearing pictures of tiny turtle trying to navigate his surroundings without his iconic shell will easily entertain young readers, and the story’s abundance of unique dialogue makes it a perfect read-aloud choice. Readers will get to learn new words and see them in action, such as the “huffy hermit crab” ultimately “identifying with the tiny turtle’s predicament” or the “peckish pelican” who routinely announces the turtle’s plight to the other creatures. Ingledew’s attention to detail and cheerfully expressive illustrations make this engaging story one that animal lovers will be eager to revisit.
Takeaway: This heartwarming tale of a tiny turtle finding his shell will engage and encourage young readers.
Great for fans of: Kelly Tills’s Chicks Don’t Eat Candy, Serena Lane Ferrari’s Clumsy Nelson.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
“Set the example; choose one good thing to do for another today,” Nocero advises on March 1, after a thoughtful, paragraph-length essay on leading by example and an on-point quotation from the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca. Each day of the year occasions a full page of similar content, highlighted by Nocero’s engaging, original reflections, which tend to be warm, even insistent affirmations that celebrate wandering, living in the moment, aspiring to new heights, and more: “The sun has risen,” she writes for April 20th, “and so will you as you ascend the spiral staircase of life, ready to take in its majesty one step at a time. Now go!”
Nocero offers a wealth of inspirational content keyed to the passages of a year. It can be repetitious if you plow straight through, but taken as it’s intended, read over weeks and months, her distinctive voice sets this guide apart, reading first as a coach but then, as the days pass, as something closer to a conscience, encouraging and exhorting, insisting that now is the time to dare to do great things.
Takeaway: A full year’s worth of fresh, enthusiastic inspiration packed into an inviting guide.
Great for fans of: Max Lucado’s Grace for the Moment, Julia Cameron.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Enchantment abounds in this meaningful story, and Crichton, who writes prose of hypnotic power, sprinkles in some fascinating physics as well. When Tipani stumbles into a store with a curious owner named Piper Weaversage, a First Degree Dream Fae, she learns that not only are other dimensions real, but she is a secret Weaver–a special human charged with protecting the tapestry that forms the universe. Tipani launches headfirst into her new abilities, including time and space travel, in hopes that they will help restore her family, but the journey is more dangerous than she ever imagined. While she fights to preserve the world, she is pulled into a surreal nightmare where she is forced to face her own inner demons along the way.
Rich with metaphor and double meaning, this novel is weightier than it might seem–though some readers may feel lost during accounts of Tipani’s lucid dreams. But the lesson on facing fears and persevering at all costs is crystal clear, and Crichton proves adept at interlacing painful reality with ethereal tones. Any readers who have felt powerless to change traumatic situations will find an escape here.
Takeaway: This powerful adventure of childhood self-discovery blends physics, fantasy, and the fabric of existence.
Great for fans of: Dani Resh’s Compass to Vinland, Michelle Madow’s Elementals Academy.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B
Lafaut draws from his own experiences to provide realistic examples to readers, offering charts to illustrate concepts like the “Sin-Conduit Structure” and the ramifications of unresolved sin and candidly detailing his own process for exploring and conquering bad habits. He addresses heavyweights like fear and pride, cautioning readers to see through these behaviors to the underlying issues, explaining that conceit is born out of a desire for belonging and arguing that fear becomes unproductive when it causes self-reliance instead of depending on God to solve problems. Lafaut also offers hope for readers who persevere through the hard work–he describes the end result as a “tree of life” that will eventually result in positive traits like joy and faithfulness.
The overarching goal according to Lafaut is “to do to others what we would want done to us,” and he frequently cautions readers to avoid being “moral policemen” in favor of increasing tolerance and empathy. Prayer is his recommended currency to work through unhealthy traits and build a more intimate spiritual life. This is not light reading, but it’s written with passion and clarity. Christians struggling to come to terms with personal faults will find plenty to digest.
Takeaway: Christian readers will appreciate this comprehensive examination of how to overcome sin and unhealthy habits.
Great for fans of: John Owen’s Overcoming Sin and Temptation, Jerry Bridges’s Respectable Sins.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: B
The individual portraits of couples, the result of interviews and surveys, dig into the specifics of childless adult-ing, teasing out the varied ways couples arrange their lives and roles. Zigmont, part of a childless couple himself, sees a tendency—shared in his own relationship—among his subjects to live what he calls the ““Gardener and Rose approach,” in which one partner, the Gardener, creates the stable environment for the other “to bloom.” Examples abound in his interviews: Michelle, 26, faced was encouraged by her husband to quit her “toxic” job. The couple crunched the numbers, made some sacrifices, identified some new income sources, arranged for health insurance—and Michelle embraced her freedom.
Zigmont probes his subjects on their financial stability, retirement plans, debt and employment situations, and the choices—or circumstances—that led them to the “Childfree Life.” Their accounts are frank and eye-opening, certain to be illuminating for anyone living, considering, or finding themselves facing a similar lifestyle. Some cite climate change or school shootings as reasons not to have children, and Zigmont sees a relationship between experiencing childhood poverty and choosing to go childless. Asked if she has any regrets, 28 year-old Autumn responds “Hell no, no. None. Zero nada.” Such open discussions of this topic remain rare and valuable.
Takeaway: Revealing portraits of 26 childless couples, their financial lives, and their lack of regrets.
Great for fans of: Amy Blackstone’s Childfree by Choice, Evan Carney’s Retirement Planning for Singles and Childless Couples.
Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
Wergland’s sharp characterizations will capture the attention of readers of character-driven fiction. Ben’s indecisiveness on how to handle relationships with his wife Ingrid and his lover Alison highlights his own sense of unfulfillment, and Wergland’s deft portrait of Ingrid, the beleaguered mother and neglected wife, stirs sympathy. Silverman wraps its very human drama in a story that’s also convincing when it comes to the art and business of music, with Ben’s connection to his musical legacy given equal weight with his personal struggles. Wergland reveals a good ear for indie and rap: Da Funk’s gritty, sometimes tentative lyrics reflect a band re-establishing themselves as adult artists. Ben’s connection to his musical legacy is given equal weight as his personal struggles as he tries to reconcile his new life with his past.
Wergland tempers the heavy human drama with welcome comic touches. Baby Zack, the cause of Ingrid and Ben’s sexual frustrations, is known as the “Immobilizer,” and Ben wonders distractedly, if he turns out not to be present his child’s development, who will teach Zack about “Mozart, the Marx Brothers, the expansion of the cosmos.” With refreshing wit and intimacy, Wergland creates a nuanced portrait of a family on the brink of collapse.
Takeaway: An intimate portrait of a musician torn between past and present makes for a funny, heartfelt novel.
Great for fans of: Claire Lombardo’s The Most Fun We Ever Had, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Maybe In Another Life.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A
It’s the summer of 600, and 10-year-old Borus leaves home to attend the Trinity School for Knights. Kassandros (known as Kass) is devastated to lose his cherished older brother, even though he will be joining Borus next year, but at seven, Julien (called Jules) is more focused on his pony and undeniable horse skills. Jensen emphasizes individual achievement by setting the brothers on different paths: Borus becomes a master swordsman, Kass accompanies the Wolf to the remote Southwind Fort and bravely employs his archery skills when they’re ambushed by an invading force, and Jules shocks his parents when his magic manifests.
Jensen’s story is rich with details of chivalric combat, whether it’s rigorous training exercises created by inventive instructors or bloody skirmishes that shatter the Etrian peace, as well as plenty of magic to please fantasy fans. Jules is a rarity, a weather mage who can manipulate the forces of nature, and his father tries to ground him with a cautionary tale of an ancestor whose abilities drained her of life. Heroes are more stoic than emotional in this tale, and their actions are emphasized over their words, as Jensen explores the formative years of the valiant Wolfensberger brothers as a quest for knowledge and experience, in preparation of what they’ll face in future volumes.
Takeaway: More sword than sorcery, this adventure focuses on the rituals of knighthood and coming-of-age as training.
Great for fans of: John Flanagan’s The Ruins of Gorlan, Andrew Peterson’s On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, and Pedro Urvi’s The Traitor’s Son.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-