A SPARE, ODDLY SWEET noir parable about Brooklynites brought together and torn apart by a mysterious crisis. B PLUS

ACT OF GOD
Pantheon Books
2015

AN INTERSTELLAR REALITY SHOW is a disgraced space cop’s last chance for redemption. Clever SF thriller! B PLUS

DEEP YELLOW
None
2015

HENRY VIII’S RISE and reign, as seen by a Plantagenet courtier with divided loyalties. Compelling fiction! B PLUS

THE KING’S CURSE
Touchstone
2015

A TURN-OF-THE-CENTURY WOMAN MAGICIAN’S secrets come to light in a graceful, spellbinding historical novel. B PLUS

THE MAGICIAN’S LIE
Sourcebooks Landmark
2015

A HIGH-ENERGY AUSTRALIAN MYSTERY set in a beach haven for aging hippies, surfers, and rock stars. Sharp! B PLUS

A NOTE BEFORE DYING (A GHOSTWRITER MYSTERY BOOK 6)
Larmer Media
2015

AN UNDERGROUND CITY, a political tinderbox, a postapocalyptic neo-Victorian world, and a high-stakes thriller. B PLUS

THE BURIED LIFE : RECOLETTA BOOK 1
Angry Robot
2015

A HARDBOILED MYSTERY CAPTURES the rough, gritty feel of 1970 Las Vegas. Lots of action and vivid scenes. B PLUS

JOEY’S PLACE
None
2015

LEGENDARY GAMBLERS, RESURRECTED by a sorcerer for an all-star poker tournament. Fantasy with a twist! B PLUS

DEAD MAN’S HAND
Book View Cafe
2015

NEAR-FUTURE APOCALYPTIC NOIR set in a dying Manhattan. Lots of action and a tough Hammett-style hero. B PLUS

NEAR ENEMY: A SPADEMAN NOVEL
Crown Publishing Group
2015

THE FIERCE BATTLES AND INTRIGUE of 10th century England come alive in Bernard Cornwell’s latest riproarer. B PLUS

THE EMPTY THRONE
Harper
2015