AUDACIOUS, ABSORBING FANTASY THRILLER heralds the return of reluctant magic-user Ray Lilly, this time to an eerie nightmare world that only he can conquer. Satisfyingly twisty plot, memorable characters, tough paranormal noir voice. A MINUS

THE IRON GATE: TWENTY PALACES
Radar Avenue Press
2022

A CHICAGO CHILDHOOD REMEMBERED in rich, evocative detail—powerful novel captures the last days of the Robert Taylor Homes, when “urban renewal” put an end to a community already besieged by violence, racism, and public neglect. B PLUS

LAST SUMMER ON STATE STREET
William Morrow
2022

HIGH-STAKES LEGAL THRILLER shines brightest with its intense psychological suspense; courtroom scenes are entertaining, if faintly implausible. B PLUS

THE MURDER RULE
William Morrow
2022

INTRIGUING COZY MYSTERY set in 1940s England features an appealing and earnest amateur sleuth and a wealth of period atmosphere. B PLUS

DAGGERS AT THE COUNTRY FAIR: A BRAND NEW COZY MURDER MYSTERY FROM CATHERINE COLES FOR 2022 (THE MARTHA MILLER MYSTERIES BOOK 2)
Boldwood Books
2022

AFTER HEARTBREAK, GROWTH and, eventually, love—the intertwined tales of two women who find their way out of complicated childhoods to lives of accomplishment, and in the end, to each other. Beautiful, compassionate story in gorgeous prose. B PLUS

YERBA BUENA
Flatiron Books
2022

MIND-BLOWINGLY BEAUTIFUL, INVENTIVE novel by Gayl Jones follows the friendship of two talented Black women—one a writer, one a visual artist—through their travels, their relationships, their searches for success and self-realization. SOLID A

THE BIRDCATCHER
Beacon Press
2022

BEAUTIFULLY MYTHIC SEAFARING tale of spirit possession and family honor feels like a legend from a lost world. B PLUS

THE DROWNED HEIR
Jennifer R. Donohue
2022

THE EXTRAORDINARY JEAN RHYS—pioneering modernist writer best known for Wide Sargasso Sea, her feminist, anti-colonialist re-imagining of Jane Eyre’s “madwoman in the attic”—is the subject of this fascinating, impeccably researched biography. B PLUS

I USED TO LIVE HERE ONCE
W. W. Norton & Company
2022

FROM GHANA TO BRITISH VOGUE, iconic fashion editor Edward Enninful’s life story is part fairy tale and part incredibly hard and devoted work—and he doesn’t shy away from addressing the racism and homophobia he’s faced in his rise to fame. B PLUS

A VISIBLE MAN
Penguin Press
2022

SATIRE, EXISTENTIAL HORROR, body horror, and an insider’s look at Los Angeles microcelebrity culture combine in this absolutely stunning short novel. What a ride! A MINUS

#THIGHGAP (MY DARK LIBRARY BOOK 2)
Cemetery Gates Media
2022