THE 25TH CENTURY, GRANDLY imagined as a world both archaic and futuristic, shines in a taut SFF thriller. B PLUS

TOO LIKE THE LIGHTNING
Tor Books
2016

MYSTERIES OF THE ALASKAN WILDERNESS haunt this grandly constructed historical novel (with a touch of magic). B PLUS

TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD
Little Brown and Company
2016

A COMPLICATED FRIENDSHIP RESURFACES for a woman whose life is in crisis. Sleek, du Maurier-esque thriller! B PLUS

INTRUSION
Little a
2016

A STOLEN TIME MACHINE is the last desperate hope of a haunted man on the run. Fascinating SF thriller. B PLUS

YOU DON’T BELONG HERE
Snowbooks
2016

A HEART-POUNDING HAUNTED HOUSE take for the 21st century: a salvage crew uncovers a mansion’s dark secrets. B PLUS

THE FAMILY PLOT
Tom Doherty Associates
2016

THE POWER OF VIDEO GAMES, from tragic (literally fatal obsessions) to uplifting (solace for the bereft). B PLUS

DEATH BY VIDEO GAME: DANGER, PLEASURE, AND OBSESSION ON THE VIRTUAL FRONTLINE
Melville House Publishing
2016

FAMILY DRAMA WITH a touch of mystery is beautifully written, very Dickensian for both good and ill. B PLUS

MERCURY
Harper
2016

SEVEN “CELEBRITY” FOSSILS provide an intriguing window into the world of paleoanthropology. Engaging writing! B PLUS

SEVEN SKELETONS
Viking
2016

INTENSELY READABLE HISTORY of four lives linked by the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials. Brilliant, wise. B PLUS

EAST WEST STREET: ON THE ORIGINS OF “GENOCIDE” AND “CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY”
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
2016

HIGH-ENERGY SUPERNATURAL THRILLER pits super-powered secret agents against creepy horrors. Lots of fun! B PLUS

STILETTO
Little, Brown and Company
2016