A RETIRED HITMAN BATTLES the people suddenly trying to kill him after decades out of the game. Sharp thriller from Thomas Perry captures the point of view of those—on both sides of the law—to whom life and death are logistics. B PLUS

EDDIE'S BOY
Mysterious Press
2020

A DRAGON, A BARD, A VILLAGE (or town?), and an unlikely band of adventurers add up to a witty, entertaining riff on classic high fantasy. Fun for Pratchett fans! B PLUS

THE PART ABOUT THE DRAGON WAS (MOSTLY) TRUE
The Parliament House
2020

A NO-FRILLS LIFE IN NORTHERN IRELAND and a young woman whose no-nonsense approach to her job (chip shop), her mother (an Irish Blanche DuBois), and her community (still devastated by The Troubles) gets her through. Funny, raunchy, real. B PLUS

BIG GIRL, SMALL TOWN
Algonquin Books
2020

ACCIDENTAL TIME TRAVEL from the 2040s to 1999 gives a woman a new perspective on her past and future. Smart SF with a touch of romance and a Christmas theme! B PLUS

TALKING TO HERSELF: A CHRISTMAS TIME TRAVEL TALE
Melissa Powell Gay LLC
2020

THE DIFFICULTY OF TRUE COMPASSION, and of connecting deeply with others, occupies a writer’s thoughts until a longtime friend makes an extraordinary request. Meditative, nuanced, melancholy. B PLUS

WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH
Riverhead Books
2020

A HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF DRUGS, prohibition, and policing around the world. Packed with riveting interviews and revealing anecdotes, entertaining and informative. SOLID B

DOPEWORLD
St. Martin's Press
2020

ALIENS BOUGHT THE EARTH, and only an unlikely trio from England can help get it back. Clever, timely space adventure with more than a hint of Douglas Adams is a lot of fun. B PLUS

HOW TO BUY A PLANET: FRESH AND FAST-PACED SCI-FI COMEDY SATIRE – 'TOTALLY MESMERISING' (OXFORD DAILY INFO REVIEW)
Squirrel &amp
2020

THE BRILLIANCE OF JAMES BALDWIN illuminates this kaleidoscopic look at his uneasy relationship with the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, and with America itself, as Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. ties Baldwin’s moment insightfully to ours. A MINUS

BEGIN AGAIN
Crown
2020

MURDERER, CANNIBAL, FEMME FATALE: Dorothy Daniels, protagonist of this elegant, thoughtful thriller, is each of these; but above all, she’s a fascinating monster the equal of Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert. A MINUS

A CERTAIN HUNGER
Unnamed Press
2020

A MISSING WOMAN REAPPEARS after five years’ absence, but an FBI agent has a feeling that all’s not as it seems. Tense thriller with some surprising twists. B PLUS

NOT DEAD YET (EVA RAE THOMAS MYSTERY BOOK 7)
BUOY MEDIA
2020