At the beginning of this hugely entertaining near-future dystopian thriller from comic book writer Soule (Anyone), the Louvre is burning, along with the priceless treasures within. It’s the handiwork of a group called Team Joy Joy, whose mission is to eradicate anything giving people pleasure or hope; objects in their crosshairs include art, food, books, and jobs. Many of its members are afflicted with a malady called The Grey, a clinical depression that manifested in the years after the Covid-19 pandemic and infected 27% of the world’s population. British-born Lily Barnes, a materials engineer living in Hong Kong, uncovers a mysterious piece of technology that may help slow the spread of The Grey, and her quest to uncover its secrets begins a suspense-laden trek across time and space that leads her to a ship harboring all of humanity’s memories and puts the fate of the human race on the line. Rich characters and a full-throttle plot, plus a solid finale, elevate this page-turner. It’s a winner. Agent: Seth Fishman, Gernert Company. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this promising if flawed slice of psychological suspense from Stewart (Wild Girls, as Mary Stuart Atwell), Nicola Bennett remains obsessed with the never-solved disappearance of her high school friend Lauren Ballard 16 years ago—and haunted by the suspicion that she may have made the young woman a target. So when Nicola’s mother’s death brings her back to her Appalachian hometown, the unemployed English professor sets out to solve the mystery herself. Not much has changed in Tyndall County since her teen years, when the protective wings of queen bee Lauren were the only thing keeping Nicola from becoming a total outcast. Except, that is, for the sparks suddenly flying between Nicola and Lauren’s hunky widower, who would have been scrutinized harder by investigators had he not belonged to one of the county’s most prominent families. As Nicola retraces Lauren’s steps in search of clues, it dawns on her that her obsession with Lauren’s case may have more to do with her own self-image than justice for her friend. Stewart doesn’t quite stick the landing after a climactic twist, but her messy, endearing lead and swift pacing make for a mostly thrilling ride. This should please fans of Megan Miranda and Megan Abbott. Agent: Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this inventive psychological thriller from Boland (The Secret Mother), Alice Porter walks down the aisle to marry the love of her life, only to come face to face with a stranger when she reaches the altar. Even more frightening is that her family and friends all insist that this mystery man is, indeed, her fiancé. Shaken, Alice calls off the wedding and sets out to discover the truth about the man everyone claims is her intended. Her increasingly desperate attempts to uncover the truth expose ugly fault lines in her relationships with everyone until, eventually, Alice begins to doubt her own sanity. Just when she’s on the brink of a breakdown, an unlikely savior appears. As the novel gains steam, the twists come at such a dizzying rate that some readers may struggle to keep up, but Boland never fails to keep things exciting. Fans of Lucy Foley should enjoy this surprise-packed ride. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

The brilliant final entry in Wolff’s Discipline Files trilogy (after 2021’s How to Betray Your Country) is another clever, twisty treat for espionage fans. Leonard Flood has gained a reputation as a dogged interrogator for MI5, and his skills have brought him to the attention of Charles Remnant, who heads a “secret cadre of officers” known as the Gatekeepers, who, in addition to their official duties, spy on the spies in their own department. Remnant taps Flood to help determine the loyalties of Willa Karlsson, who resigned the previous year after vetting candidates for the spy agency for decades, including Flood himself; she’s been poisoned and is recovering in the hospital. Given a spate of recent episodes that have hit MI5 with what Remnant terms “turbulence,” the officer fears there may be rot inside the service. Flood agrees to probe Karlsson’s activities, which turns up one surprise after another and leaves him questioning the loyalties of more than one colleague. Wolff is particularly good at making his lead, who could have been a colorless figure in lesser hands, sympathetic, and delivers some truly knockout twists. John le Carré admirers will be hungry for more. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

Bushnell (The Insides) skillfully blends genres in this charming supernatural mystery set in 1909 Boston. Artie Quick, a saleswoman at Filene’s department store, has her heart set on becoming a detective. To that end, she disguises herself as a man and attends an all-male night class on criminal investigation offered by the Boston YMCA. The instructor sees through Quick’s disguise immediately, but agrees to let her stay in the course, and soon she pairs up with her friend Theodore Reed, a student of the occult, to solve a slate of mysteries. First up is a series of unidentified screams near the Boston Common, followed by a woman who narrowly escaped strangulation. Quick and Reed suspect the cases may be related, but have little to go on. They hit a major setback when the YMCA cancels the crime course without explanation, leaving Quick and Reed to wonder if their investigations are being deliberately sabotaged. Quick is a hugely endearing lead, and the solution to the mystery is likely to surprise even seasoned genre fans. This is an off-kilter delight. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

McCaw’s fifth mystery featuring Hawaiian Police Chief Detective Koa (after 2022’s Treachery Times Two) is a labored misfire. Koa is in the crosshairs of the newly elected Hawaii Island mayor Bobbie Satō . During the mayoral campaign, Koa arrested Satō ’s teenage son, who’d been stalking a former girlfriend, and Koa now fears that he’ll be ousted from his post. His position becomes more fraught after his younger brother, Ikaika, becomes the prime suspect in a fatal stabbing; despite Ikaika’s past history of violence and the presence of his fingerprints on the knife, Koa is certain he’s being framed. Koa intervenes in the inquiry to exonerate Ikaika, a decision that coincides with an attempt on the life of a friend and colleague who may be being targeted by terrorists she tangled with in a prior posting. The excessively busy plot isn’t helped by subpar prose (“Soon, he thought, he would feel the kick of the weapon as it sent revenge hurdling toward the object of his wrath”). Series fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Mel Parker, Mel Parker Books. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this enthralling psychological thriller from Clarke (Girl, 11), 26-year-old Del Walker, who has been “bouncing around minimum wage jobs” since she graduated college, opens a days-old voicemail from former flame Lars Obam, whom she hasn’t seen in years. His message is cryptic: “I need to talk to you. You... you were right.” A quick internet search turns up news that Lars has died in a hunting accident and the funeral will be held in Del’s hometown of Bower, Minn. Though she vowed never to return home, harboring major resentment toward the cultish local pastor, Del suspects foul play after hearing Lars’s voicemail and knows she must go back to uncover the truth about his death. Del is a dynamic narrator, and Clarke augments her musings with excerpts from her teenage diary and blog posts written by Lars’s wife, in which she presents the teachings of Bower’s sinister pastor. All of this intrigues, though the ending might strike readers as a touch too predictable. Still, this salacious mix of small-town cults and amateur sleuthing is mostly satisfying. Agent: Sharon Pelletier; Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

In this dazzling debut thriller from journalist Michallon, handsome Hudson Valley family man Aidan Thomas has a ghastly secret in his shed—and even worse ones hidden elsewhere. He’s a serial killer prone to kidnapping his victims whose story emerges gradually, from multiple female narrators: Emily, a lonely bartender who befriends Aidan in hopes of a romantic fling; his 13-year-old daughter, Cecilia; and his latest, still-living victim, whom Aidan insists call herself Rachel. When Aidan and Cecilia are forced to move after Aidan’s wife dies, “Rachel” convinces Aidan he can safely take her with them (with the explanation to Cecilia that she’s a friend of a friend who needs a place to live). In the new living situation, though, Rachel gets bold, befriending Cecilia and planting seeds for her freedom, no matter how risky. The ensuing match of wits and wills between the Rachel and Aidan becomes almost excruciating in Michallon’s skillful hands, and as challenging as the going can get, it’s impossible to look away from. This is a smart, female-focused inversion of the serial killer thriller perfect for readers who otherwise wouldn’t give the genre a second look. Agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

Thorogood follows up 2021’s The Marlow Murder Club with another brisk and breezy cozy featuring 78-year-old Judith Potts, who creates crosswords for national newspapers, and her friends Suzie and Becks. Judith is surprised when Sir Peter Bailey—the head of one of the town’s most preeminent families—asks her to attend a garden party at his home the day before his wedding to his live-in nurse. There, the champagne-sipping guests suddenly hear a tremendous crash and, rushing into the house, find Sir Peter crushed beneath a fallen bookcase. As the only key to the room is in the dead man’s pocket, the police are quick to assume the death was accidental. Judith does not agree. But how will she and her friends prove that someone had committed murder inside a locked room? With quiet help from a police sergeant and their own wits, the women start parsing clues to home in on the killer. Thorogood’s characters are vivid and companionable, the dialogue sparkles with wit, and the plot gives armchair detectives a fighting chance to solve the mystery. This is good, fast-moving fun. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink

Bartz (We Were Never Here) delivers a cleverly plotted page-turner that doesn’t quite stick the landing. After unemployed marketer Kelly Doyle gets dumped by her fiancé, she leaps at an invitation from Sabrina Lamont, her high school pal turned successful romance novelist, to wait out the pandemic lockdown with her and her husband, Nathan, a high-level Department of Defense analyst, in the couple’s secluded Virginia mansion. As soon as Kelly passes through the luxurious property’s gates, not even the adjacent cemetery can keep her from feeling like she’s stepped into one of Sabrina’s steamy novels. That sensation only intensifies as Kelly finds herself unexpectedly attracted to both of her hosts and swept into a throuple. Kelly feels desired, daring, and empowered—until she discovers she isn’t the pair’s first lover and that her predecessor has vanished. As an increasingly anxious Kelly attempts to learn more about the last woman’s disappearance without jeopardizing her relationship with the Lamonts, Bartz expertly whips up a dizzying kaleidoscope of suspicion (including two truly game-changing twists) before serving up a regrettably far-fetched denouement. The only misstep comes at the end, and it’s one that will unfortunately leave readers disappointed. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA. (June)

Reviewed on 04/07/2023 | Details & Permalink