THE BRILLIANCE OF JAMES BALDWIN illuminates this kaleidoscopic look at his uneasy relationship with the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, and with America itself, as Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. ties Baldwin’s moment insightfully to ours. A MINUS

BEGIN AGAIN
Crown
2020

MURDERER, CANNIBAL, FEMME FATALE: Dorothy Daniels, protagonist of this elegant, thoughtful thriller, is each of these; but above all, she’s a fascinating monster the equal of Nabokov’s Humbert Humbert. A MINUS

A CERTAIN HUNGER
Unnamed Press
2020

HISTORY AND HATE REIMAGINED in a world where the Ku Klux Klan’s anger and violence have summoned powerful monsters, and a Black resistance fights them with African magic. Strong, evocative horror. A MINUS

RING SHOUT
Tordotcom
2020

CHARMING, TWISTY MYSTERY takes the “retired sleuth cozy” trope to the next level: marvelous characters, a satisfying plot, lovely Kentish local color. A MINUS

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB
Pamela Dorman Books
2020

AN INTRICATE TAPESTRY OF A NOVEL, woven from the few facts we know of Shakespeare’s life, tells a brutally beautiful tale of love and loss. A MINUS

HAMNET
Knopf
2020

THE ASTONISHING INTELLIGENCE OF BIRDS is spotlighted in this fascinating story of the latest findings from researchers and observers around the world. Richly detailed and completely engrossing. A MINUS

THE BIRD WAY
Penguin Press
2020

INTENSE SCIENCE FICTION THRILLER with non-stop action and one of the best plots since Jurassic Park. A MINUS

THE TWIN PARADOX (THE TWIN PARADOX SERIES BOOK 1)
Trevaney Bay
2020

INSIGHTFUL INQUIRY INTO HOW RACISM in the US has created a self-reinforcing caste system draws connections to the history of India’s caste system and Nazi Germany’s Nuremberg Laws. Thought-provoking and powerful. A MINUS

CASTE (OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB)
Random House
2020

A LAKOTA RESERVATION “ENFORCER” has to risk everything to protect his nephew and his people. Gorgeously written Native noir with sharp, unforgettable characterization. A MINUS

WINTER COUNTS
Ecco
2020

PALM BEACH REELS as its galas explode with inexplicable snakes, in this latest (and very timely) comic thriller from Carl Hiaasen. A MINUS

SQUEEZE ME
Knopf
2020