THE MYSTERIOUS, FASCINATING LIVES of the writers (Christie, Sayers, Bentley) who created The Detection Club. B PLUS

THE GOLDEN AGE OF MURDER
HarperCollins
2015

SHARP, SAD, THOUGHTFUL memoir of alcoholism and recovery is startlingly open about a writer’s drinking life. SOLID B

BLACKOUT: REMEMBERING THE THINGS I DRANK TO FORGET
Grand Central Publishing
2015

THE OTHER SIDE OF CAMUS: brilliant, brittle Algerian novel of a family shattered by the murderous Meursault. A MINUS

THE MEURSAULT INVESTIGATION
Other Press (NY)
2015

JAMES BOND RETURNS in a period thriller starring Grand Prix racing (vintage Fleming) and a space race plot. SOLID B

TRIGGER MORTIS : WITH ORIGINAL MATERIAL BY IAN FLEMING
Harper
2015

STAGE FRIGHT! INTRIGUING hybrid of memoir and journalism combines personal experience with current research. B PLUS

PLAYING SCARED
Bloomsbury USA
2015

ANCIENT GODS WALK the modern earth, and a magical blade thirsts for their blood. High adventure fantasy. B PLUS

DOMINIONS
Book View Cafe
2015

THE UNIQUE CHARMS OF THE OCTOPUS, captured in a vivid, loving account by a veteran nature writer. A MINUS

THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS
Atria Books
2015

A 1970s SUBURBAN CHILDHOOD, captured in quotidian detail (“Maude”! MAD Magazine!), with a touch of heartbreak. B PLUS

I WAS A CHILD: A MEMOIR
Penguin Publishing Group
2015

GRITTY, BAWDY DYSTOPIAN fantasy with a Nordic flavor set in a fallen city. Lots of action, a strong heroine. SOLID B

AFTER THE FALL (RAUD GRIMA BOOK 2)
None
2015

NEUROSCIENCE AND PSYCHOANALYSIS: a lively look at some of the people bridging the gap between the disciplines. B PLUS

IN THE MIND FIELDS A PERSONAL EXPLORATION OF NEUROPSYCHOANALYSIS
Pantheon Books
2015