CANDID MEMOIR OF ADDICTION by a literary agent reveals so much that many readers may find it uncomfortable. SOLID B

PORTRAIT OF AN ADDICT AS A YOUNG MAN: A MEMOIR
Little Brown and Company
2010

VIVID DESCRIPTIONS of New England (as ever from Joyce Maynard) don’t redeem preposterous switched-babies plot. C MINUS

THE GOOD DAUGHTERS
William Morrow
2010

PRIVATE DETECTIVES hunt a serial killer. Fifth in a deftly done series; strong characters, vivid NYC setting. B PLUS

MISTER X
Kensington Publishing Corporation
2010

OLD-SCHOOL HORROR with a Great Depression setting and a spaghetti-Western feel; spooky despite overwriting. SOLID B

MR. SHIVERS
Orbit
2010

THE END OF A MARRIAGE and its impact on a group of female friends; nothing too new, but well observed moments. SOLID B

LOVE IN MID AIR
Grand Central Publishing
2010

MILITARY/SPY THRILLER entertains, despite its supremely implausible plot and a dash too much of Jung. SOLID B

THE GOOD SON
Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.
2010

AMERICAN “COMPANY TOWNS” of the 19th and 20th centuries explored in this engaging popular history. B PLUS

THE COMPANY TOWN: THE INDUSTRIAL EDENS AND SATANIC MILLS THAT SHAPED THE AMERICAN ECONOMY
Basic Books
2010

CHILLING PORTRAIT of a deeply disturbed woman trying to fit into her suburban neighborhood. Eerie first novel. B PLUS

A KIND OF INTIMACY
Europa Editions
2010

INSIDE THE WORLD’S SPACE PROGRAMS with Mary Roach, whose detailed research and irreverent humor rule as ever. A MINUS

PACKING FOR MARS: THE CURIOUS SCIENCE OF LIFE IN THE VOID
W. W. Norton & Company
2010

SMART, TENSE thriller features a psychologist sleuth and a vividly described Boulder, Colorado setting. SOLID B

THE LAST LIE
Dutton Adult
2010