Top 25 August Fiction

by Ivan Doig

Possibly the best novel yet by one of America’s premier storytellers. Full review >

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by David R. Gillham

The blond beauty is Sigrid, a stenographer living alone with her unpleasant mother-in-law while her husband, Kaspar, serves... Full review >

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by Elie Wiesel & translated by Catherine Temerson

Nobel Peace Prize winner Wiesel continues to remind us of the brilliant possibilities of the philosophical and political... Full review >

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by Julia Keller

A fictional debut for a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, born and raised in West Virginia, whose love for the state,... Full review >

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by M.L. Stedman

A polished, cleverly constructed and very precisely calculated first novel. Full review >

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by Selden Edwards

A powerful, intense and fascinating read. Full review >

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by Amanda Coplin

Superb work from an abundantly gifted young writer. Full review >

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by Garry Disher

To Disher’s usual brisk pacing, add heaps of noir. The result is not for everyone but is a banquet for those who like it... Full review >

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by Sarah Andrews

Geologist Andrews enhances Em’s adventures (Dead Dry, 2005, etc.) with expert detail. A challenging mystery with the added... Full review >

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by Kathleen George

George’s all-too-familiar story is so richly observed, subtly characterized, precisely written—her syncopated paragraphs are... Full review >

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by Gregg Hurwitz

A fine thriller that succeeds on every level. How often do you read about a hero who just wants to die in peace? Full review >

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by Mary NDiaye & translated by John Fletcher

Unrelenting in its anger, pain and sorrow, but hard to put down. Full review >

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by Enid Shomer

By weaving her own imaginative constructions in with actual journal entries of both Flaubert and Nightingale, Shomer... Full review >

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by Peter Stamm translated by Michael Hofmann

For those who have an affinity for metaphysical fiction written with a surgeon’s precision, this collection will spur... Full review >

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by Louise Penny

Elliptical and often oracular, but also remarkably penetrating and humane. The most illuminating analogies are not to other... Full review >

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by Jennie Fields

One doesn’t have to be an Edith Wharton fan to luxuriate in the Wharton-esque plotting and prose Fields so elegantly... Full review >

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by Karin Fossum & translated by K.E. Semmel

As in Ruth Rendell’s books as Barbara Vine, readers are invited to watch helplessly as things go from bad to much, much... Full review >

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by Victoria Dahl

Rising romance star Dahl delivers with this sizzling contemporary romance. (Warning: Steamy situations and straightforward... Full review >

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by Lisa Kleypas

A little magic, a lot of romance and well-drawn characters make a satisfying read. Full review >

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by David Cristofano

Unique premise, empathetic characters, believable villains, all beautifully played out as a tale of the limits of love and... Full review >

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by Charles Cumming

Cumming's sixth thriller (The Trinity Six, 2011, etc.) is smart and intricate, with a large cast of cool characters and an... Full review >

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by Alexander McCall Smith

Another charming demonstration that it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive—a motto that might stand for every soap... Full review >

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by Patricia Harman

Midwives are warriors in this beautifully sweeping tale. Full review >

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by Molly Ringwald

This is a beautiful exploration of how the heart’s irrational responses to love and betrayal can stand in the way of... Full review >

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by Duong Thu Huong ; translated by Stephen B. Young ; Hoa Pham Young

A complex, politically daring story, much of which will be unfamiliar to Western readers—and that demands to be read for... Full review >

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