A SHIP’S LAST CRUISE turns sour, as things fall apart and tensions build. Sharp parable of changing times, vivid characters. B PLUS

THE LAST CRUISE
Doubleday Books
2018

INTRIGUING THRILLER, VIVID New Mexico setting: a burned-out financial genius stumbles into a deadly clash of cults. SOLID B

THE TORCHBEARERS: A NOVEL
Terra Nova Books
2018

AN ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTFUL MEMOIR from the late, great fashion writer and photographer Bill Cunningham tells witty, wise tales of fashion’s golden years. A MINUS

FASHION CLIMBING (HARDCOVER)
Penguin Press
2018

A FAMILY’S TWIN LEGACIES: Jell-O, and a profound dysfunction that wealth did nothing to relieve. Thoughtful, touching memoir. B PLUS

JELL-O GIRLS (HARDCOVER)
Little
2018

A DEEP-SPACE COLONY IN CRISIS as they start life on a new planet. Fast-paced SF thriller with memorable characters. B PLUS

THE CONCORDIA DECEPTION – A SPACE COLONIZATION EPIC ADVENTURE (SPACE COLONY ONE BOOK 1)
InfiniteBook
2018

ENTERTAINING RIFF ON AUSTEN recasts awkward sister Mary from Pride and Prejudice as a keen observer with a gift for words. B PLUS

MARY B : A NOVEL: AN UNTOLD STORY OF PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Random House
2018

VAMPIRES GO VIRAL: a bloodborne epidemic leads to the creation of a new elite. Cleverly framed thriller with a touch of satire. B PLUS

A PEOPLE'S HISTORY OF THE VAMPIRE UPRISING (HARDCOVER)
Mulholland Books
2018

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF AWKWARDNESS, explored in a heady, sometimes vicariously embarrassing, mix of personal stories and research findings. B PLUS

CRINGEWORTHY : A THEORY OF AWKWARDNESS
Portfolio
2018

MARVELOUSLY SUSPENSEFUL THRILLER about a lifelong con artist desperately trying to make a better life for herself and her children. A MINUS

THE DRAMA TEACHER (HARDCOVER)
Crown
2018

INTENSE NEAR-FUTURE THRILLER follows a ragtag resistance against an AI-enabled totalitarian state. Lots of action, firefights! B PLUS

CALCULATED FATE
Conor McCarthy
2018