TOUCHING, CLEAR-EYED MEMOIR juxtaposes tales from childhood with the story of a pregnancy that ended sadly. B PLUS

POOR YOUR SOUL
Soho Press
2016

STYLISH, TAUT THRILLER is a sharp twist on the “woman on the run” theme. Sleek, noir-flavored prose and plot. B PLUS

PASSENGER
Simon & Schuster
2016

HARD-EDGED POST-APOCALYPTIC THRILLER boasts ingenious plotting and lots of action. Creepy future heroics! B PLUS

THE INFECTED
Severed Press
2016

WODEHOUSE MEETS STEAMPUNK meets country-house murder mysteries in a delightful mix of fantasy and fun. B PLUS

THE UNPLEASANTNESS AT BASKERVILLE HALL
Book View Cafe
2016

DAZZLING PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER explores the patterns of cruelty in a seemingly stable family. Haunting. B PLUS

THE CELLAR
Mysterious Press
2016

THOUGHTFUL, SWEET NOVEL about friendship between two women, one in her twenties and one in her eighties. B PLUS

BRONTE PLOT
THOMAS NELSON PUBLISHERS
2015

THE SEX LIVES OF MARINE animals, entertainingly discussed by a marine conservation ecologist. Racy stuff! B PLUS

SEX IN THE SEA : OUR INTIMATE CONNECTION WITH SEX-CHANGING FISH, ROMANTIC LOBSTERS, KINKY SQUID, AND OTHER SALTY EROTICA OF THE DEEP
St. Martin’s Press
2016

JUICY CHICAGO MYSTERY with an appealing teacher-sleuth and loads of local flavor. Well-drawn characters! B PLUS

MELODY FOR MURDER
Pen-L Publishing
2015

A LOVE LETTER TO CERVANTES from writer Ilan Stavans explores the complexity and impact of DON QUIXOTE. B PLUS

QUIXOTE
W. W. Norton & Company
2015

A MAN DISPLAYED AT A ZOO: how early 20th century racism, colonialism, and pseudoscience destroyed a life. B PLUS

SPECTACLE
Amistad Press
2015