GRITTY GLASGOW POLICE procedural has lots of local color, an admirably twisty plot, and memorable lady sleuths.

A MOTHER’S MEMOIR of her son’s autism, and of his fierce determination to work and advocate for independence.

SLY, GRIMLY CHARMING prep-school thriller: part HARRIET THE SPY, part THE SECRET HISTORY, entirely engrossing.

TENSE PARANORMAL THRILLER with a touch of snark as the UK’s supernatural secret service takes on US cultists.

COMPELLING, WELL RESEARCHED look at the US’s culture of trash creation and its impact on the environment.

LIGHTHEARTED CHICK-LIT tone sits oddly with the “seeing ghosts” theme of this novel. Great LA details, though!

RETURNING TO DETROIT after a mysterious murder, a man and woman find new hope as well as answers. Atmospheric.

MEDITATIVE, ELOQUENT ESSAYS from novelist Marilynne Robinson touch on faith, aging, and the joy of reading.

CHARMING COMIC NOVEL in blog form follows a sweet but dim English housewife through a crash course in reality.

QUIRKY, HIGHLY INFORMATIVE overview of laws about sexual behavior from Hammurabi to the trial of Oscar Wilde.