A VERY SCOTTISH ZOMBIE apocalypse hits a small town. Scary and funny, with lots of local color. SOLID B

THE SHUFFLIN’ DEID
Derek Paterson
2016

MYSTERIES OF THE ALASKAN WILDERNESS haunt this grandly constructed historical novel (with a touch of magic). B PLUS

TO THE BRIGHT EDGE OF THE WORLD
Little Brown and Company
2016

A COMPLICATED FRIENDSHIP RESURFACES for a woman whose life is in crisis. Sleek, du Maurier-esque thriller! B PLUS

INTRUSION
Little a
2016

A STOLEN TIME MACHINE is the last desperate hope of a haunted man on the run. Fascinating SF thriller. B PLUS

YOU DON’T BELONG HERE
Snowbooks
2016

SHARP, SALTY HUMOR draws on the ridiculousness of trying to be “feminine” enough for showbiz and the world. SOLID B

YOU’LL GROW OUT OF IT
Grand Central Publishing
2016

A HEART-POUNDING HAUNTED HOUSE take for the 21st century: a salvage crew uncovers a mansion’s dark secrets. B PLUS

THE FAMILY PLOT
Tom Doherty Associates
2016

BAWDY, HEARTBROKEN HOWL of pain: a writer struggles with her addiction and self-hatred. Sharp first novel. SOLID B

PROBLEMS
Coffee House Press
2016

THE POWER OF VIDEO GAMES, from tragic (literally fatal obsessions) to uplifting (solace for the bereft). B PLUS

DEATH BY VIDEO GAME: DANGER, PLEASURE, AND OBSESSION ON THE VIRTUAL FRONTLINE
Melville House Publishing
2016

1954 BASEBALL BLOCKBUSTER still has lots of charm. Faustian plot handled well, and the prose is crisp as an apple.

THE YEAR THE YANKEES LOST THE PENNANT
W. W. Norton
2004

FAMILY DRAMA WITH a touch of mystery is beautifully written, very Dickensian for both good and ill. B PLUS

MERCURY
Harper
2016