IN A RAMPANTLY RACIST NEAR-FUTURE US, medical “whitening” divides a family and a city. Bold, complex satire dazzles. A MINUS

WE CAST A SHADOW (HARDCOVER)
One World
2019

A MOMMY BLOGGER’S SECRET unraveled by a young cop with a complicated family situation. Clever premise, lots of action. SOLID B

TAINTED LOVE (AN ALEX MERCER THRILLER BOOK 6)
Stacy Claflin
2019

HOW COUNTRIES CREATE THEMSELVES, from Somaliland to Abkhazia to the Mohawk nation of Akwesasne. Thought-provoking and relatable. B PLUS

INVISIBLE COUNTRIES: JOURNEYS TO THE EDGE OF NATIONHOOD
Yale University Press
2018

BLACKNESS AS AN EXTREME SPORT, and other funny, crushing, insightful thoughts on race and gender in America. Don’t miss out on this. A MINUS

WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU MAKES YOU BLACKER (HARDCOVER)
Ecco
2019

WITTY INTERGALACTIC CAPER with some literary twists and a wild cast of characters. Lots of fun! B PLUS

THE WRATH OF CONS
St. Culain Press
2018

A ZIMBABWEAN FAMILY’S HISTORY encompasses revolution, independence, genocide, and life’s more ordinary heartbreaks. Stunning prose with echoes of Achebe and Nabokov. A MINUS

HOUSE OF STONE (HARDCOVER)
W. W. Norton & Company
2019

IN AN ALTERNATE WALES, HIBERNATION is how humans survive winter, mammoths roam the glaciers, and only the Winter Consuls keep order. Wildly inventive fantasy thriller. B PLUS

EARLY RISER (HARDCOVER)
Viking
2019

A HOUSE OF MYSTERIES, including a years-old skeleton, is a real estate agent’s first assignment. Fun cozy with some spooky twists. B PLUS

MIND YOUR MANORS (A FLAMINGO REALTY MYSTERY BOOK 1)
CeeCee James
2018

A PARANORMAL ADVENTURER SLAYS demons and sorceresses, but dating may be her biggest challenge yet. Delightfully fun, witty fantasy. B PLUS

CONSTANCE VERITY SAVES THE WORLD
Gallery / Saga Press
2018

A “MACHINE SICKNESS” THAT destroys petroleum and plastics leads to the creation of new technologies and societies. High-concept SF. B PLUS

CATALLAXIS (EUPOCALYPSE BOOK 3)
Peri Dwyer Worrell
2019