FINDING A VOICE AND A LANGUAGE: a writer’s journey between her mother’s Puerto Rican family, languages, and spirituality, and her father’s disaffected Anglo whiteness and atheism, to her own power and creativity. Lovely, strong, thoughtful. B PLUS

MY BROKEN LANGUAGE
One World
2021

JOHN LE CARRÉ’S FAREWELL to his readers is an exquisitely crafted, elegiac novel about a spy service in disarray, a lost empire playing lapdog to an empire in decline, and above all, the many ways in which humans fail the people they love. B PLUS

SILVERVIEW
Viking
2021

A RUINED EARTH, HUMANITY DIVIDED between a struggle for life on the treacherous planet and a sterile existence in orbiting settlements: elegant, nuanced, poetic novel imagines the complexities of this far-future world. B PLUS

THE SWIMMERS
Titan Books
2021

VIRTUAL REALITY THRILLER set in the not too distant future takes us to a world where games have become a matter of life and death for some. Sharp writing, intriguing plot. B PLUS

THE TERMINAL CODE: A VIRTUAL REALITY SCI FI MURDER MYSTERY THRILLER (SCAPE SAGA BOOK 1)
New Degree Press
2021

A FAMILY TREE OF LOVE: evocative, poetic novel traces a pair of lovers’ families up to the moment they find each other. Vivid, unforgettable characters. B PLUS

MONSTER IN THE MIDDLE
Riverhead Books
2021

BEWITCHING BALLET GOTHIC delves deep into two dancer sisters’ lives, and the lingering bonds and conflicts from their childhood. Nobody does women on the edge like Megan Abbott! B PLUS

THE TURNOUT
G.P. Putnam's Sons
2021

STYLISH, SHARP MYSTERY set in the world of multi-level marketing offers a relatable amateur sleuth and a clever critique of the deceptive lures of “direct sales” organizations. B PLUS

THE DOWNLINE
Independently published
2021

WHEN HUMANS AND NATURE CLASH: Mary Roach’s latest is an entertaining look at wildlife law enforcement, from leopard hunting in the Himalayas to bear patrols in Aspen, Colorado. B PLUS

FUZZ
W. W. Norton & Company
2021

A SPACESHIP’S PSYCHOLOGIST DISCOVERS mysterious dreams among its human crew, and disturbing changes to its android staff as well. Taut science-fiction thriller set on an enigmatic ice planet captures the imagination. B PLUS

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE
DAW
2021

A NEAR-FUTURE ALIEN INVASION threatens all of humanity. Tense thriller mixes science fiction and prepper apocalypse for a high-energy page turner. B PLUS

ARRIVAL (THE KYRON INVASION BOOK 1)
Anthem Press
2021