SCIENCE FICTION AND METAPHYSICS MEET in this whimsical, witty interdimensional adventure. Clever fun! B PLUS

OCCAM'S ODYSSEY (A QUANTUM HEART TRILOGY BOOK 2)
Antonis Tsagaris
2020

A LAKOTA RESERVATION “ENFORCER” has to risk everything to protect his nephew and his people. Gorgeously written Native noir with sharp, unforgettable characterization. A MINUS

WINTER COUNTS
Ecco
2020

PALM BEACH REELS as its galas explode with inexplicable snakes, in this latest (and very timely) comic thriller from Carl Hiaasen. A MINUS

SQUEEZE ME
Knopf
2020

A BRAND-NEW BED-AND-BREAKFAST has a bit of a ghost problem. And then a bit of a murder problem. Cute paranormal mystery with a touch of romance and a quaint Maine setting. SOLID B

THE GHOSTLY GROUNDS: MURDER AND BREAKFAST (A CANINE CASPER COZY MYSTERY—BOOK 1)
Sophie Love
2020

A FIERCE LITTLE GHOST from the old Black Brooklyn community of Weeksville finds the right people to hear her story: a librarian haunted by her own sister’s early death and a young widower. Sweet novel about history, love, and loss. SOLID B

UNSEEN CITY
Red Hen Press
2020

ELENA FERRANTE, POET laureate of young women’s disaffection, triumphs again in a tale of a precocious, angry girl from two shattered families. A MINUS

THE LYING LIFE OF ADULTS
Europa Editions
2020

A WOMAN WITHOUT A MEMORY nonetheless feels compelled to help her husband become a rock star. But where did she come from? Why does 1969 feel so strange to her? Intriguing speculative fiction with a musical twist. A MINUS

HARMONY LOST (SONGS OUT OF TIME BOOK 1)
Imagine Imprints
2020

A GHANAIAN MARRIAGE STORY with a powerfully realized heroine captures some of the tensions between deep-rooted cultural traditions and global media ideals. Strong and evocative writing shines. B PLUS

HIS ONLY WIFE
Algonquin Books
2020

DURING SLAVERY AND AFTER, a small, entwined Black community seen through the eyes of its mother and daughter “conjure women.” Lush, powerful prose and indelible characters. B PLUS

CONJURE WOMEN
Random House
2020

BACK FROM HELL and having a tough time reintegrating into the land of the living, Sandman Slim faces down some very bad creatures. Richard Kadrey’s latest shows that he’s still the king of grunge punk metaphysical fantasy. B PLUS

BALLISTIC KISS
Harper Voyager
2020