AT THE INTERSECTION OF MAGIC AND SCIENCE, two people battle to save the world. Again. Tense, terrifying novel mixes science fiction, fantasy, and horror with insightful characterization. B PLUS

A BROKEN DARKNESS (BENEATH THE RISING #2)
Solaris
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

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

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

A SUMMER’S SPOOKY IDYLL for teens in the blush of first love grows increasingly terrifying. Smart, understated horror with a gorgeously realized setting. B PLUS

A HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE
Del Rey
2021

A CHILDHOOD BETWEEN NATIONS, shaped by the legacies of colonialism and diaspora, but most of all by loss. Raw, candid memoir with an intriguing and daring structure. B PLUS

AFTERSHOCKS
Simon & Schuster
2021