INTENSE, POETIC BIOGRAPHICAL novel celebrates the woman known as “The Mexican Girl” in Kerouac’s ON THE ROAD. A MINUS

MANANA MEANS HEAVEN
University of Arizona Press
2013

AN INTERSTELLAR ECOLOGIST FIGHTS to understand the natural and political environments of an alien world. Cool! B PLUS

THE ONE-EYED MAN : A FUGUE, WITH WINDS AND ACCOMPANIMENT
Tor Books
2013

FROM GHANA TO THE US and back again, an expatriate family creates new connections. Gorgeous debut novel. B PLUS

GHANA MUST GO
Penguin Press HC
2013

THE HEYDAY OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK radio, as seen through a lovingly detailed history of Boston’s WBCN-FM. SOLID B

RADIO FREE BOSTON
Northeastern University Press
2013

THE FIRST MODERN HOMICIDE investigation? An 1845 Englishman apprehended by telegraph, tried by toxicology. SOLID B

THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE: A TRUE TALE OF PASSION, POISON AND PURSUIT
Oneworld Publications
2013

VIVID NEW ORLEANS setting, multifaceted heroine make this urban fantasy a cut above the rest. Lots of fun! B PLUS

THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE ELECTRIC CONSTABLE: A TRUE TALE OF PASSION, POISON AND PURSUIT
Oneworld Publications
2013

A well-crafted urban fantasy is like a gorgeous souffle of magic and romance and mystery and suspense. All the elements have to be mixed with a deft hand, or the concoction collapses into a sticky, indigestible puddle. Leah Cutter’s Siren’s Call is a complete delight from star to finish, and her evocation of the fierce love and pride New Orleanians have for their city is a welcome added touch.

Kai DuPrie is always on the threshold of two worlds. Half African American, half Chinese, she’s also half human and half magic. And like all the best insider/outsider characters, she’s become a private detective, using her special gifts to solve problems and find lost things.

And lost people. Or beings. Kai’s search begins when a Siren in human form comes seeking help to find her missing sister. This clever twist on a noir trope blossoms into a taut, complex plot that reveals a hidden world of magic below the surface of New Orleans. Cutter masterfully weaves her creations into the city’s legends and mystique. It’s an elegantly wrought book as well as a great page turner, and I’m hoping for more Kai DuPrie adventures.

VIVID NEW ORLEANS setting, multifaceted heroine make this urban fantasy a cut above the rest. Lots of fun!

THE RISE OF THE BLACK POWER Movement, and other social change in 1960s San Francisco: vivid, compelling novel. B PLUS

VIRGIN SOUL
Viking Adult
2013

AS NATURE REBOUNDS amid the Northeastern US’s suburban sprawl, “nature wars” arise. Fantastic reporting! A MINUS

NATURE WARS: THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF HOW WILDLIFE COMEBACKS TURNED BACKYARDS INTO BATTLEGROUNDS
Broadway Books
2013