UK JOURNALIST’S LOOK AT Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine conflicts works best in moments of pure battlefield memoir. SOLID B

THE SPIDERS OF ALLAH: TRAVELS OF AN UNBELIEVER ON THE FRONTLINE OF HOLY WAR
St. Martin’s Griffin
2009

FAST-PACED, FUNNY MYSTERY takes on media consultants, Eastern European celebrities, California crazies, FBI drones. A MINUS

A DATE YOU CAN’T REFUSE
Broadway Books
2009

SPRAWLING NOVEL of 1970s Tennessee politics, high finance has charm, rich detail, but an oddly old-fashioned feel. SOLID B

THE MILLIONAIRES
Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
2009

WELL-CURATED COLLECTION of the best American true crime writing covers three centuries of fascinating malefactions. B PLUS

TRUE CRIME: AN AMERICAN ANTHOLOGY
Library of America
2008

APPEALINGLY GEEKY LITTLE BOOK about the culinary and cultural history of pie has offbeat facts, interesting recipes. B PLUS

PIE: A GLOBAL HISTORY
Reaktion Books
2009

GRIM, GORY LITTLE HORROR TALE with a touch of noir, a lot of cynicism about the state of love and law enforcement. SOLID B

EMPTIES
Golden Gryphon Press
2009

RICHLY IMAGINED FANTASY in this latest tale of Inspector Chen, who helps to police Heaven, Hell, and Singapore-3. B PLUS

THE SHADOW PAVILION: A DETECTIVE INSPECTOR CHEN NOVEL
Night Shade Books
2008

INSECTS AS WEAPONS IN HUMAN WARS, from ancient times to present day, are the subject of this well-researched tome. SOLID B

SIX-LEGGED SOLDIERS: USING INSECTS AS WEAPONS OF WAR
Oxford University Press, USA
2008

FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT by the last survivor of the German Army officers’ conspiracy to kill Hitler is spare, direct. SOLID B

VALKYRIE: THE STORY OF THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER, BY ITS LAST MEMBER
Knopf
2009

SMART, HIGH-CONCEPT GERMAN THRILLER serves up Hitchcock-worthy twists and turns, keeps readers guessing. A MINUS #beachread

THERAPY
St. Martin’s Press
2009