A BURGLAR FINDS HERSELF in more trouble than she bargained for when she stumbles across a murder scene. Tense thriller with great L.A. flavor! B PLUS

THE BURGLAR (HARDCOVER)
Mysterious Press
2019

CRYOGENIC INDENTURED SERVANTS on a desolate, rocky moon find different ways of coping with loneliness, near-immortality. Smart, thoughtful, exciting! B PLUS

SYCORAX: BOOK 1: THE UNIQUE MIRANDA TRILOGY
Akolutos Press
2019

A DISILLUSIONED SEOUL ASSASSIN tries to change his luck as the world he knows falls apart. Stunningly beautiful prose, and an equally fine thriller. A MINUS

THE PLOTTERS (HARDCOVER)
Doubleday
2019

A WITCHES’ BIKER GANG fights threats both human and paranormal. Sassy mystery with some well-played romantic tension! B PLUS

BAD TO THE CRONE
WinchesterShaw Publications
2019

QUIRKY, BITTERSWEET FABLE of an eccentric family seen through a child’s eyes. Prizewinning French novel newly translated! SOLID B

WAITING FOR BOJANGLES (HARDCOVER)
Simon & Schuster
2019

A SHADY LADY FLEES her life of crime in 1921 New York, takes refuge in Portland’s “premier Negro hotel,” and helps uncover Klan crimes and other horrors. Fascinating, serious thriller. B PLUS

THE PARAGON HOTEL
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
2019

A WILD RIDE OF A THRILLER pits national treasure Bill Walton and broadcasting partner Dan Pasch against some really bad dudes. Sharp, funny writing! A MINUS

FRIEND OF THE DEVIL
James Kirkland
2019

LOVINGLY ACERBIC COMEDY of manners follows an upper-middle-class family’s summer of self-doubt in perfectly crafted prose. A MINUS

CHEER UP, MR. WIDDICOMBE
Atria Books
2019

A DAUGHTER’S LOVE LETTER to her fierce, complex Chicana mother, and to the cultures that shaped her. Raw and passionate. B PLUS

NATIVE COUNTRY OF THE HEART (HARDCOVER)
Farrar
2019

BEAUTIFUL, SURREAL Hungarian essays take a lighthearted approach to the most serious subjects, and vice versa. B PLUS

NIGHT SCHOOL (PAPERBACK)
Open Letter
2019