A HAUNTING IN A HAUNTED WORLD: fascinating account of a 1938 psychic investigation that shared London headlines with reports on the growing Nazi threat. As usual, Kate Summerscale brilliantly ties an isolated event to a historical moment. A MINUS

THE HAUNTING OF ALMA FIELDING
Penguin Press
2021

ELECTRIFYING FANTASY THRILLER, set in a Denver replete with witches, elves, and other supernatural beings, doubles as a moving tale of a family shattered by secrets and betrayals. B PLUS

WHITE TRASH WARLOCK
Blackstone Publishing
2020

EASY RAWLINS RETURNS in a 1969 adventure that mixes money, sex, and betrayal on a wild ride through old Los Angeles. And as always, Walter Mosley is the master of the contemplative noir. B PLUS

BLOOD GROVE (EASY RAWLINS #15)
Mulholland Books
2021

A LIFE ENCHANTED BY MUSIC: legendary songwriter, guitarist, and singer Richard Thompson tells his story from childhood to Fairpoint Convention fame through his unforgettable duo work with Linda Thompson. Lovely and unassuming. B PLUS

BEESWING
Algonquin Books
2021

PICTURESQUE, VIBRANT FANTASY combines a snappy steampunk court intrigue plot with the mysteries of an alien? interdimensional? people and their technology. Thoroughly engrossing. B PLUS

TOWER OF MUD AND STRAW
Vestige
2021

STIRRING HISTORICAL FANTASY imagines a mill workers’ strike in 19th century Massachusetts, but powered by witchcraft. Vivid characterization and a wealth of detail. B PLUS

THE FACTORY WITCHES OF LOWELL
Tordotcom
2020

GLOSSY, STYLISH THRILLER pits a UK influencer and her family against a determined stalker. High-energy pageturner with wickedly clever swipes at the Internet tastemaker industrial complex along the way. B PLUS

PEOPLE LIKE HER
Harper
2021

SHARP NEAR-FUTURE THRILLER follows homicide detectives from Virginia to Syria on the track of a dangerous, elusive suspect. Lots of action, smart plotting. B PLUS

PHANTOM ECHO: A SCI-FI THRILLER (SINGULARVERSE BOOK 1)
Ascendant Ink
2021

A REAL TREAT FROM STEPHEN KING: his latest for Hard Case Crime is a sharp, witty blend of social satire, horror, and hard-boiled thriller, with one of his best precocious-kid protagonists ever. B PLUS

LATER
Hard Case Crime
2021

A GIFT—AND A CURSE—from the sky changes a young girl’s life inexorably. Set in rural Ghana in the near future, this poetic Africanfuturist tale balances richly specific, evocative description with echoes of the universal. B PLUS

REMOTE CONTROL
Tordotcom
2021