CHARMING SOUTH CAROLINA MYSTERY stars a retired schoolteacher sleuth investigating a murder at her forty-fifth high school reunion. Well-plotted whodunnit with a vivid cast of characters bonded by family, friendship, and faith. B PLUS

AN UNSAVORY MESS (EUGEENA PATTERSON MYSTERIES)
Independently published
2021

RE-ENVISIONING BLACK SPIRITUALITY, incorporating the dignity of family, community, nature, history, and the body. Powerful vision deeply rooted in the African American Christian tradition offers wisdom for people of many backgrounds. B PLUS

THIS HERE FLESH
Convergent Books
2022

THE COMPLICATED FRIENDSHIP OF TWO young Black women—one adopted by white parents, one raised in a Black household—shows its strains as some cruel truths are revealed. Pointed, deft social satire relies on vivid characterizations. B PLUS

CHERISH FARRAH
Dutton
2022

AN EPIC SUPERNATURAL BATTLE threatens the earth, and only the huntress Arden Finch can gather elves, djinn, weres, vampires, and other magical beings to fight the ancient gods. Sharp, sexy fantasy with relatable characters and a strong Black voice. B PLUS

ETERNAL HUNTRESS: SHADOWS OF OTHERSIDE BOOK 5
Benu Media
2021

A CYBER-ENHANCED MECHANIC AND A TRADITIONAL herdsman go on the run in a near-future Nigeria riven by environmental disaster and corporate greed. Suspenseful thriller with strong characterizations and a vivid sense of place. B PLUS

NOOR
DAW
2021

IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA, a young man wanders the South looking for a feeling of home. Mystical, poetic novel about a displaced man with a strong connection to a 17th century saint shines in its extraordinarily vivid prose. B PLUS

NONE BUT THE RIGHTEOUS
Counterpoint
2022

A PODCASTER’S COMPLICATED LIFE gets more complicated when the man who broke her heart years ago comes back into it. Not to mention her mother’s illness, or her conflicts with her beloved sisters. Smart Black women’s fiction with some spicy scenes. B PLUS

THE PARKER SISTERS: AURORA
Tay Mo&#39
2022

DAZZLING SATIRE OF AMERICAN publishing, of the deep legacy of racism, but also of the gulf between Africans and African-Americans, and above all of the profound brutalities of the Biafran War. And yet, the book’s most central lesson is one of love. SOLID A

NEW YORK, MY VILLAGE
W. W. Norton & Company
2021

STELLAR BIOGRAPHY OF CIVIL rights legend Constance Baker Motley highlights the life and achievements of this influential activist, lawyer, politician, and judge and deftly fills out the historical context. Wonderfully readable and informative. A MINUS

CIVIL RIGHTS QUEEN
Pantheon
2022

A HIGH-ENERGY THRILLER GOES to unexpected places and takes on some big ideas. Lots of action as well as an added science-fiction dimension; imagine a National Treasure/Matrix intersection with a focus on the Black community. SOLID B

THE RECRUITER (THE REWIRED SERIES BOOK 1)
Three to Five Publishing, LLC.
2021