THE MONA LISA STOLEN! Picasso a suspect! True tale of 1911 art theft delights. B PLUS

VANISHED SMILE: THE MYSTERIOUS THEFT OF MONA LISA
Knopf
2009

TRIPPY FRENCH EXPERIMENTAL NOVEL is a creepy fantasia on the life of Paul Gauguin, colonialism, fashion, art. SOLID B

SAVAGE
Dalkey Archive Press
2009

TIGHTLY PLOTTED MYSTERY, the 10th for Inspector Peter Diamond, features historical reenactors, preservationists. B PLUS

SKELETON HILL (PETER DIAMOND SERIES #10)
Soho Press, Incorporated
2009

PYNCHON’S BACK, with a magnificent, vivid mix of noir detective tale and surf hippie ramblings. Just amazing! SOLID A

INHERENT VICE
Penguin Press
2009

TRUE CRIME AND MEMOIR mashed up in a gonzo narrative of sex, drugs, bondage, domination, and a murder trial. A MINUS

THE ADDERALL DIARIES: A MEMOIR OF MOODS, MASOCHISM, AND MURDER
Graywolf Press
2009

SPRAWLING, SUSPENSEFUL speculative thriller about an online role-playing game’s intersection with real danger. B PLUS

THIS IS NOT A GAME
Orbit/Yen
2009

COMPLEX, ATMOSPHERIC mystery is the 17th to feature Minnesota lesbian restaurateur and sleuth Jane Lawless. B PLUS

THE MIRROR AND THE MASK (JANE LAWLESS SERIES #17)
St. Martin’s Press
2009

MOODY, MEDITATIVE, eloquent novel takes us inside the head of a young woman navigating a complex family life. B PLUS

THE VISIBLES
Free Press
2009

CHARMING AND HIGHLY READABLE overview of personal space travel is a great layperson’s introduction to the field. B PLUS

HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN SPACESHIP: THE SCIENCE OF PERSONAL SPACE TRAVEL
Plume
2009

TRULY OFFBEAT MEMOIR from an ex-greeting card writer in love with words. SOLID B

HOUSE OF CARDS: LOVE, FAITH, AND OTHER SOCIAL EXPRESSIONS
Riverhead Hardcover
2009