ANCIENT ATHENS goes noir in this Periclean private-eye yarn featuring a flip, jaded tough-guy Greek sleuth. B PLUS

THE PERICLES COMMISSION
St. Martin’s Press
2010

WITTY, CHARMING MEMOIR of growing up gay in the 1970s Midwest; no new ground here, but lots of warmth, humor. SOLID B

WHERE’S MY WAND?: ONE BOY’S MAGICAL TRIUMPH OVER ALIENATION AND SHAG CARPETING
Amy Einhorn Books
2010

FLUFFY JET-SET CAPER features jewel robberies, TV stars, makeovers, a pampered chihuahua, way too much plot. B MINUS

IT ALL BEGAN IN MONTE CARLO
St. Martin’s Press
2010

TRAGICOMEDY OF MANNERS and marriage skewers the cashmere-and-granola self-righteousness of Brooklyn Heights. SOLID B

THE HEIGHTS
Penguin Group (USA)
2010

QUIRKY CHARM, offbeat structure are at the heart of this sweet, poignant novel about love, loss, and lightning. B PLUS

THE HANDBOOK FOR LIGHTNING STRIKE SURVIVORS
Crown Publishing Group
2010

AMERICANA CHARM and a World War II setting make this small-town mystery a delightful read. B PLUS

MISS DIMPLE DISAPPEARS
St. Martin’s Press
2010

THE TOO-SHORT LIFE of ’70s music superstar Karen Carpenter is illuminated in this deeply researched biography. B PLUS

LITTLE GIRL BLUE: THE LIFE OF KAREN CARPENTER
Chicago Review Press
2010

STRONG CHARACTERIZATION does a lot to redeem the overused “cat and mouse game with a serial killer” plot here. SOLID B

ON THE LINE (LYDIA CHIN AND BILL SMITH SERIES #10)
St. Martin’s Press
2010

COMPLICATED EXPERIMENTAL novel is as much about the idea of narrative as it is about a high-school sex scandal. B MINUS

THE REHEARSAL
Hachette Book Group
2010

STYLISH CAPER, third in a series, features an English thief-turned-writer and his loyal agent trapped in Vegas. SOLID B

THE GOOD THIEF’S GUIDE TO VEGAS (GOOD THIEF’S GUIDES)
Minotaur Books
2010