POWERFUL, SURREAL PARABLE of Black anger in the face of social injustice: in a bleak near-future, a woman and her brother discover the supernatural might of her channeled rage. B PLUS

RIOT BABY
Tordotcom
2020

AN AMBITIOUS FBI AGENT takes on a mysterious assassin in the midst of a national political crisis. Sleek DC thriller with a strong Black woman protagonist. B PLUS

THE DIVIDE: A JADE HARRINGTON NOVEL (JADE HARRINGTON SERIES BOOK 3)
JAB Press
2019

A HARLEM WOMAN HUNTS for her missing sister; smart, resonant, timely thriller takes a turn into something even more complex. Sleek, bold prose. B PLUS

SPEAKING OF SUMMER
Counterpoint
2019

NONSTOP ACTION, HIGH STAKES and a fascinating near-future Africa: suspenseful conclusion to a brilliant science fiction trilogy pitting humans against aliens, and against each other. B PLUS

THE ROSEWATER REDEMPTION (THE WORMWOOD TRILOGY #3)
Orbit
2019

A CROATIAN WRITER’S BLEAK childhood rushes back in a flood of recovered memories. Taut psychological thriller weaves in the fall of Yugoslavia and the casual cruelties of village life. B PLUS

DARK MOTHER EARTH
Amazon Crossing
2020

DEATH IN A SCOTTISH CASTLE inspires a young socialite to turn sleuth. Charming 1920s cozy with a vividly drawn protagonist. B PLUS

MURDER BY MIDNIGHT (A MISS ALICE MURDER MYSTERY BOOK 1)
Blythe Baker
2020

SHIMMERING LIKE A HOLLYWOOD SUNSET, Eve Babitz’s essays capture both the glamour and the grit of the late 20th century. B PLUS

I USED TO BE CHARMING
NYRB Classics
2019

A ZANY TREASURE HUNT brings together a reclusive researcher and a troubled heir, as well as a crew of Boston eccentrics and a very helpful ghost. Lovely, expansive novel with a heart of gold. B PLUS

TUESDAY MOONEY TALKS TO GHOSTS
Mariner Books
2019

HARVESTING HISTORY FROM THE THAMES: a thoroughly delightful account of the riverside archaeology Londoners call “mudlarking”. B PLUS

MUDLARK
Liveright
2019

BANISHED FROM THEIR NATIVE ISLAND with an hour’s notice, the people of Diego Garcia try to make new lives in Mauritius. Sparse, impassioned novel sheds light on this historic injustice. B PLUS

SILENCE OF THE CHAGOS
Restless Books
2019