STEAMPUNK, ALIEN LIZARDS, and a queenly Dahomeyan secret agent assassin add up to complex alt-Victorian fun.

A NATURE WRITER LOOKS at the social and historical impact of weeds, and offers a defense of their complexity.

PUBLIC HEALTH VISIONARY Paul Farmer’s wrenching look at Haiti’s progress, challenges since 2010’s earthquake.

ULTRASTYLISH CAPER SET in Venice finds a gentleman thief-turned-novelist protagonist in a twisted conspiracy.

CORRUPTION, TURF WARS in the Edinburgh police brought to life; Ian Rankin’s gutsy, gritty panache is inimitable.

BREATHTAKING HISTORICAL FANTASY: glorious take on the power of magic AND sharp commentary on race in the US.

WELL-CRAFTED REGENCY COZY mystery, complete with an Austenesque plucky, bookish spinster sleuth. Quality fun.

INSIDE THE ANTIQUITIES-LOOTING scandal that rocked the Getty Museum and the art world. Detailed but absorbing.

PREP-SCHOOL INTRIGUE, family conflict from parents’ point of view in YA star Sara Shepard’s debut for adults.

INTRICATE COMPLEXITY IS both a bug and a feature in Neal Stephenson’s latest techno-thriller magnum opus.