THE PERILS OF TIME TRAVEL, outlined in a neatly plotted British thriller with an eye for telling detail. Lots of action in this riff on essential tropes. SOLID B

RETURN TO TOMORROW (THE TIME BUBBLE BOOK 11)
Jason Ayres
2021

MARVELOUSLY COMPLEX MYSTERY, constructed as a nesting puzzle of a book within a book, delights. Shades of the Golden Age sleuths add luster. B PLUS

MOONFLOWER MURDERS
Harper
2020

SAD, SWEET, ELLIPTICAL novel about death and relocating and feeling lost. Observant, understated prose. B PLUS

EDIE RICHTER IS NOT ALONE
Unnamed Press
2021

FROM COUCH POTATO TO TRIATHLETE: superstar horror writer Tim Lebbon’s witty personal account of how he got fit in his forties is ridiculously entertaining and surprisingly inspiring. A MINUS

RUN WALK CRAWL: GETTING FIT IN MY FORTIES
Dreaming in Fire
2021

A BRUTAL CHILDHOOD GRACED primarily by nature and a love of reading: Gary Paulsen’s simple, direct autobiography shows how he became such a powerful writer for children. B PLUS

GONE TO THE WOODS
Farrar
2021

THE CREATOR OF HARRIET THE SPY lived a life as wild as any author could imagine. Fascinating biography of a famously private person draws on deep research and many interviews. B PLUS

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LIE
Seal Press
2020

MURDER ON A REALITY SHOW: now the surviving cast, stranded on an uninhabited island, must fight for their lives. Cleverly plotted and timely thriller with a well drawn protagonist and a sharp take on the power of social media. B PLUS

THE ISLANDERS: A GRIPPING AND UNPUTDOWNABLE CRIME THRILLER
Canelo Crime
2021

A MYSTERIOUS DETECTIVE AGENCY far beneath the streets of London faces danger from within. Lovely mid-20th century thriller with fanciful gadgets galore. B PLUS

MARION LANE AND THE MIDNIGHT MURDER
Park Row
2020

A SECOND EPIC, PICARESQUE SATIRE from Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen follows his nameless Vietnamese protagonist to Paris, where he is embroiled in underworld as well as political dangers. Glorious, orotund, metaphysical, witty. SOLID A

THE COMMITTED
Grove Press
2021

THE FOG OF WAR meets the mists of faerie in this intriguing fantasy novel set just after World War I. Clever interweaving of historical fact and ancient legend. B PLUS

DAZZLEPAINT
Walrus Publishing
2021