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Book List
FICTION
LAST MAN IN TOWERAdiga nails the culture of corruption. How exciting to watch a writer come into his own, surpassing the achievement of his... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
UNTIL THE DAWN'S LIGHTA beautiful and affecting novel, Tolstoyan in its compassion for humanity. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE SENSE OF AN ENDINGA knockout. What at first seems like a polite meditation on childhood and memory leaves the reader asking difficult... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS YOUBerg’s masterful portraits and keen insight makes for a memorable read. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
THE HUM AND THE SHIVERby Alex Bledsoe
A sheer delight. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
NOW YOU SEE MEby S.J. Bolton
Bolton (Blood Harvest, 2010, etc.) provides excruciating tension and much else. Romantics can drool over Jonesbury’s... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
BACK OF BEYONDby C.J. Box
Once again, Box provides the complete suspense package: unobtrusively slick detection, buckets of surprises and mounting... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEYTubal and Co. is a small, ancient private bank in London, and its longtime chief, Sir Harry Trevelyan-Tubal, has drafted his... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
GUILT BY ASSOCIATIONby Marcia Clark
A 15-year-old girl is raped. The Latino boy she’d been tutoring is the sole suspect. She’s rich, the daughter of Frank... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE GRIEF OF OTHERSWith gorgeous prose, Cohen skillfully takes us from past to present and back again as she explores the ramifications of... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
OPEN CITYby Teju Cole
Determining whether the novel's main character is hero, villain or somewhere in between might require the reader to start... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
RED ON REDA first novel sure to make the bestseller lists. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
GALOREA lively, eccentric, mythmaking novel inspired by 200 years of Canadian history. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
THE TRINITY SIXTaut, atmospheric and immersive—an instant classic. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
MISTERIOSOby Arne Dahl & translated by Tiina Nunnally
Thoughtfully haunting and sometimes beautifully written, the first of Hjelm’s cases to be translated into English is likely... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
VERY BAD MENby Harry Dolan
The rare crime novel with something for everyone who reads crime fiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
WHEN THE SAINTSby Dave Duncan
An authoritative reworking of history, combining a splendid welter of religious and political intrigues with Duncan's... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE PRAGUE CEMETERYby Umberto Eco
What does it all add up to? An indictment of the old Europe, for one thing, and a perplexing, multilayered,... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
A CUPBOARD FULL OF COATSAn impressive debut, particularly notable for its pellucid prose. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE FORGOTTEN WALTZby Anne Enright
In rueful, witty, unpredictable and compassionate prose, Enright gives expression to subtle, affecting shades of human... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE MAGICIAN KINGby Lev Grossman
Fabulous fantasy spiked with bitter adult wisdom—not to be missed. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
FAITHHaigh deals with complex moral issues in subtle ways, and her narrative is beautifully, sometimes achingly poignant. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE ART OF FIELDINGby Chad Harbach
A promising debut—and one guaranteed to draw attention, for it commanded an unusually big advance and will likely be pushed... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
BUZZ ALDRIN, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN ALL THE CONFUSION?by Johan Harstad & translated by Deborah Dawkin
A modern saga of rocketships, ice floes and dreams of the Caribbean, and great fun to read. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
THE WOODCUTTERNear the end, a character refers to the fate of “the dreadful, drab English.” There’s nothing drab about this dark and... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
BLOODMONEYA terrific, believable novel about the intersection of politics, ethics and finance. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE MIGHTY WALZERA delight from start to finish, and a note-perfect evocation of the gray 1950s. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE SISTERSby Nancy Jensen
Encompassing the lives of women in the 20th century, this sprawling saga is tender and satisfying, with a heartbreaking end. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
11/22/63by Stephen King
Though his scenarios aren’t always plausible in strictest terms, King’s imagination, as always, yields a most satisfying... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
PICTURES OF YOUHeartfelt (everyone cries), deft and highly readable fiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
DRAWING CONCLUSIONSby Donna Leon
As languid in its movement as a gondola ride. Yet none of Brunetti’s earlier cases (About Face, 2009, etc.) is as... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
PARTITIONSWritten with piercing beauty, alive with moral passion and sorrowful insight—a rueful masterpiece. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
RIZZO'S FIREby Lou Manfredo
Bar none, Joe Rizzo is the most authentic cop in contemporary crime fiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
THE TROUBLED MANby Henning Mankell & translated by Laurie Thompson
Though shivering in the winter of his discontent, Wallander will grip the reader hard. Flawed and occasionally exasperating,... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE PARIS WIFEby Paula McLain
A pleasure to read—and a pleasure to see Hadley Richardson presented in a sympathetic light. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
TRACKERSby Deon Meyer
A first-rate thriller; a touch slow to get going, but hard to apply the brakes to once it gets rolling. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
EMBASSYTOWNA major intellectual achievement that, despite all difficulties, persuades and enthralls. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
STEALING MONA LISALike La Joconde, Carson’s debut novel is set in an elegant frame—a newspaper reporter wrests the amazing story from a dying... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
1Q84by Haruki Murakami & translated by Jay Rubin & Philip Gabriel
Orwellian dystopia, sci-fi, the modern world (terrorism, drugs, apathy, pop novels)—all blend in this dreamlike, strange and... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
THE SNOWMANby Jo Nesbø and translated by Don Bartlett
The smart, suspenseful cat-and-mouse game will remind some readers of Erik Skjoldbjærg’s 1997 film Insomnia—and that’s high... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
ORIENTATION AND OTHER STORIESPrecisely written, deeply human stories. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
STATE OF WONDERby Ann Patchett
Thrilling, disturbing and moving in equal measures—even better than Patchett’s breakthrough Bel Canto (2001). Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE LEFTOVERSby Tom Perrotta
There’s even a happy ending of sorts, as characters adapt and keep going, fortified by the knowledge that they “were more... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE INFORMANTby Thomas Perry
Beneath the sky-high body count, the twisty plot is powered by Perry’s relentless focus on the question of where the next... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE TRAGEDY OF ARTHURA literary lark, at times too labored, that offers an amusing gloss on the publishing industry’s recent problems with fakes. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
SNUFFA treat no fan of Discworld—and there are boatloads of them—will want to miss. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
THE QUANTUM THIEFSpectacularly and convincingly inventive, assured and wholly spellbinding: one of the most impressive debuts in years. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
THE COMPLAINTSby Ian Rankin
Will readers miss Rankin’s long-running protagonist, John Rebus (Exit Music, 2008, etc.)? Don’t see why they should. Bonus:... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
AMERICAN MASCULINEby Shann Ray
Think Hemingway or Jim Harrison, and know that Ray's collection is the deserving winner of the Bread Loaf Writers'... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
A MOMENT IN THE SUNby John Sayles
A long time in coming, with an ending that's one of the most memorable in recent literature. A superb novel, as grand in its... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
ECHOES OF THE DEADShifting seamlessly between past and present versions of the case, Spencer produces a tour de force readers won’t quickly... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
REAMDEWho’ll prevail? We don’t know till the very end, thanks to Stephenson’s knife-sharp skills as a storyteller. An intriguing... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
LUCIFER'S TEARSNazi collaboration, government cover-ups, kinky sex, a baby daughter waiting impatiently to be born and a vigilante-minded... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE YEAR WE LEFT HOMEA masterful wide-angle portrait of an Iowa family over three decades. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
IN THIS LIGHTBluntly powerful but deeply nuanced stories from a unique voice in American fiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE EMPTY FAMILYLikely to rank with the best story collections of the year. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >MYSTERY & DETECTIVE
THE KING OF DIAMONDSA thick web of family tensions and psychological dysfunction with a whodunit chaser, Tolkien's third novel (The Inheritance,... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
WE THE ANIMALSUpon finishing, readers might be tempted to start again, not wanting to let it go. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE SECRET HISTORY OF COSTAGUANATo read this novel is to enter a Borgesian rabbit hole—it’s a fiction that purports to tell the truth obscured by another... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE SUBMISSIONby Amy Waldman
A stellar debut. Waldman’s book reflects a much-needed understanding of American paranoia in the post-9/11 world. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
CLOSE YOUR EYESA captivating story of loss, forgiveness and ultimate redemption. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE RICHEST HILL ON EARTHPassionate, intelligently written, thoroughly entertaining historical fiction. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE FAMILY FANGby Kevin Wilson
A fantastic first novel that asks if the kids are alright, finding answers in the most unexpected places. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >THRILLER & SUSPENSE
THE GENTLEMEN'S HOURby Don Winslow
A former private investigator with an encyclopedic knowledge of the seamier side of Southern California, Winslow... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
ANNABELA compelling, gracefully written novel about mixed gender that sheds insight as surely as it rejects sensationalism. This... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
THE ROCK HOLENot just scary but funny too, as Wortham nails time and place in a sure-handed, captivating way. There’s a lot of good stuff... Full review >
FULL REVIEW >FICTION
MOONDOGSAn unusual and unusually involving first novel with strong characters and nifty supernatural effects. Full review >
FULL REVIEW >Recent News & Features
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