Set in the small town of Merriweather, Wisconsin, during the Great Depression, this endearing story tracks the reluctant return of Melody Merriweather from her vibrant college life in Chicago to the helm of the family business following her father's heart attack. Eager to revitalize the quaint yet quiescent Merriweather Mercantile, Melody introduces chic products like silk scarves and velvet hats, but her modern flair clashes with the old-world pragmatism of Mrs. Haufbrau, her father's immutable staff member, who regards such luxuries as frivolous amid the economic despair. As Melody's inventory languishes, her initial optimism is further dampened by the revelation of her family's debts.

Cox’s spin-off of her Henrietta and Inspector Howard series offers a cozy, intimate glimpse of Melody's trials amidst economic woes, rendering a historical fiction that does not overwhelm with a broad geopolitical plot. Desperate to fix her family’s financial woes, inspiration strikes when Melody learns of her father’s prohibition-era moonshine business. Warned by Cal, the surly but handsome butcher at the Merc, she pivots to his suggestion of selling cider, hoping for a lucrative turnaround. The arrival of lodgers Frank and Julius, restorationists bent on preserving traditional craftsmanship, adds to the intrigue.

The novel shines in its palpable sense of place—from the spirited Harvest Fest to badger holes, old zinc mines, and quaint Cornish cottages. Cox favors small-town charm exploration, infused with humor and romance, with Melody's matchmaking schemes that soon become dramatic, her hanging engagement with her old beau, and her complicated moments with Cal. Melody's strong character development, humorous interludes, and the underlying themes of dreams versus familial obligations, tradition versus modernity, and community spirit compensate for the repetitive minutiae of daily store operations that occasionally drag the narrative. Though the ending is neatly tied, it hangs with a surprising romantic twist, leaving readers of lighthearted historical fiction eager for the next installment.

Takeaway:Small-town saga of matchmaking and family business during the Great Depression.

Comparable Titles: Helen Simonson's Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Gabrielle Zevin's The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-

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Danbury’s third in his Phoenix series picks up on the events from X, as the Martinsen family recovers from the kidnapping—and trafficking attempt—of their seven-year-old daughter, Rose, over a year ago. With all their energy dedicated to Rose’s emotional rehabilitation, parents Curt and Phoenix are cautiously optimistic and relieved to have their family reunited, ready for a much-deserved family break over the upcoming Easter holiday. But their plans are abruptly disrupted when Curt disappears after a post-work drink with his colleagues, throwing the family into chaos as Phoenix must balance the search for her husband while tending to her still-fragile daughter.

A tale of immense resilience, this novel offers a look at the lengths people will go to protect their loved ones—and how seemingly minor decisions can dramatically alter lives. When Tempest, a woman driven by childhood trauma and mental illness, drugs Curtis at a local bar and kidnaps him, Danbury reveals her motivations in chilling snapshots that hint at twisted logic and a desperate grab at revenge for her past abuse. The story unfolds from multiple perspectives, and Tempest emerges from those as an exceedingly dangerous, broken human—a skilled killer with a photographic memory and untreated personality disorder. Readers will find themselves teetering between hatred and sympathy for her.

Danbury delivers a crisp timeline here—the story’s events take place over merely one week’s time period, moving from warm Arizona homes to imposing mountain ranges—and the pace is electric, keeping readers guessing with a simple but powerful narrative style that builds dramatic tension without embellishment. Added to that is the novel’s nuanced view of mental illness, making this high-impact story truly compelling. So Much Forever can function as a standalone, but its charged suspense will undoubtedly compel new readers to return for the rest of the series.

Takeaway: Tense thriller that contemplates mental illness, family, and resilience.

Comparable Titles: Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us, Gillian Flynn’s Dark Places.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

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Hyde’s sophomore collection is a moonlit homage to the wonders of Minnesota that investigates the region’s mythos, moods, and storied places using some traditional forms, like the ballad, and diction that hearkens back to Blake and Wordsworth (from “Goose Capital”: “Once honked upon, one wishes // to harvest the honk. My passions // played in the firmament’s fairyland.”) but with contemporary subject matter. These include state highways, a Dinkytown used book store, and the state’s beloved roadside attractions, like “Big Tom, the world’s largest // turkey statue,” in whose size and story Hyde finds much broader resonance. Fable-like and anecdotal prose poems also feature in Hyde’s collection, particularly in “Part IV: Family and Faith,” which features poems, like “Bible Understudy (Luke 23: 42-43)” that grapple with the complexities of speech and silence within the Lutheran faith.

The structure of Hyde’s collection is a series of landscapes at times physical and elsewhere metaphysical, spiritual, psychological, and mythological, often overlapping and in relationship to one another. “Maps sketch a wish, a fancy, a hope, // to corral all the space you can rope,” Hyde writes in “Minnesota Maps,” effectively transforming cartography into myth that serves the mission of private property. Meanwhile, in “Part III: Inner Outposts,” poems like “Brain River” and “Guard Dog,” illustrate the speaker’s cerebral geography: “it vandalized my frontal lobe, // inciting Matters Gray. // With narcissism’s harpsichord, // the beast began to play.”

Like maps, poetry also offers a tangible connection between the self and nature, and Hyde’s poems seek to chart that bridge or boundary, like the epic “Into the Woods”, wherein the forest encroaches on the speaker’s home and transports him “in Time” to “erstwhile Minnesota”. There, the speaker realizes “the woods pose in randomness. // So do the machinations of men. // I fancy God placed the trees in forests as a model to guide // the conduct of Man’s social order.” Abundant with tall tales, rich insights, and surprising metaphors, Hyde’s collection is a deeply felt consideration of Minnesota landscapes, places, and ways of being and believing.

Takeaway: Poetic tribute to Minnesota, rich in imagery and philosophical searching.

Comparable Titles: Campbell McGrath; Jane Hufford Downes’s Birds of the Midwest.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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This emotive, to-the-point debut finds a young poet exploring verse as urgent artistic outlet, a method to “try to paint things so they can see what going on with me”. In direct, pointedly vernacular language— “And Your mind might be disturbed like Van Gogh // But in reality, you are a starry night that will brighten up anyone night”—Harris works through relatable concerns. A lack of polish is balanced by emotional urgency, a sense of play, and how the act of writing itself becomes an act of seizing control over one’s heart and life. “There were some nights I laughed // There were some nights I wanted to give up,” he writes, of composing these verses. The result is uplifting and alive with playful insight, into the self and the world it inhabits.

It’s little wonder, then, that after sharing raw considerations of love that didn’t work out, of wishing his mother were around, of picking “my friends like I pick my fruits // so I won’t be like Eve picking fruits from the forbidden tree” Harris closes with a direct invitation to readers. “Tag, You're it. // It's your turn to start writing & I can't wait to read what you put out.” Some poems document the poet’s determination to live well (“Had to remove these negative thoughts from my head like lice”); others directly encourage readers. “Please realize your beautiful brown skin is rich and nourishing just like soil meaning you can grow into anything you want to be,” he writes in the tender, resonant “Dear little brown boys.”

As those quoted lines suggest, sometimes, especially when the poet has worked up to a big point or moment of catharsis, meter and rhythm slip away. That diminishes the verses’ power, on the page, though such passages might have significantly more punch read aloud. Even without professional polish, poems like the clever-yet-piercing “unsent love letter” capture emotional truths with power.

Takeaway: A young poet’s raw but upbeat dive into what usually stays unspoken.

Comparable Titles: Ben Esqueda’s Feeling This Way, Morgan Richard Olivier’s The Tears That Taught Me.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B-
Marketing copy: A-

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Hopeful and tender, intimate yet sweeping, this impassioned novel from Wilson offers family drama, spiritual mystery, some toothy media and religious satire, and a father’s touching concern for his suddenly famous daughter. An uplifting message shines through the narrative, even as the story touches on gang violence, fraudulent preachers, and the madness of American crowds. Wilson has written a call for love and grace. But for all its heady concerns and no-fooling miracles, One Shining Soul is blessedly down-to-Earth in its scenes, characterization, and understanding of life.

That’s a rarity in fiction that dares to imagine divinity walking among us today. Wilson’s story comes from the perspective of a father whose daughter, Olisa, was born in a motel during the Los Angeles riots of 1992, and demonstrates miraculous abilities throughout her childhood, from saving the lives of pets to seeming to communicate with voices from beyond our realm. When she returns home to Venice Beach after serving in the Peace Corps, Olisa, through some power inside her, publicly heals a gang leader who had been fatally stabbed. Soon, reporters are after her, supplicants are beseeching her, and Joe, her restauranter father, discusses with the family what to do next. Joe’s uncomfortable with the consensus: Olisa will go public, with PR reps and a splashy concert spearheaded by her brother Noel, a record industry wunderkind.

That’s a grabber of a hook, and Wilson writes strong, long, compelling scenes with crisp, convincing dialogue and an interest in the many moral and cultural angles of a Black woman as a holy savior in contemporary America. No surprise that she’s soon targeted by megachurch televangelists and other hateful types, though Wilson brings fresh wit and energy to these encounters. Holding to Joe’s perspective means readers don’t get much understanding of Olisa’s inner life, but through her Wilson forcefully advances the conviction that “living a life guided by love and compassion is the way to uncomplicate our existence.”

Takeaway: Warm, ambitious novel of a divine healer born in L.A. and sharing her love.

Comparable Titles: Gayl Jones’s The Healing, Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: B+

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The fourth installment in Dewhurst’s Rugged Cross Ranch series, after Laura’s Redemption, centers on Heidi Müller, left shaken after an attack from a scorned suitor, as she seeks to restore her sense of purpose and faith. She’s aided on her road to recovery by her loving family and Jacob Collins, her new, idealistic neighbor with strong Christian beliefs. The story grapples with love, faith, families, trauma, and healing, as Heidi draws from Jacob’s resolve only to discover he needs her comfort just as much when a devastating accident changes his life forever.

Dewhurst shines in her descriptions of Heidi’s relationships with her overprotective but loving parents, Johann and Ingrid, who understand her anguish and encourage her to express herself through art—and to lean on her faith while she heals. Johann is wary of Jacob’s growing feelings for Heidi, but Jacob, along with his own close-knit family, eventually proves himself trustworthy with a wealth of patience and kindness. Those values—Christian faith and a deep, abiding commitment to family—form the foundation of this redemptive story.

The couple’s journey starts strong, but, as in all good romances, it has its fair share of trials they must overcome together—especially when Jacob loses his hand in an accident with a mechanical reaper, challenging his faith and miring him in self-loathing. As he lashes out at his family and attempts to abandon Heidi from his own fears of rejection, his brother, Luke, gently encourages him with wise words: “Focus on all the other blessings in your life and choose to be thankful for them,” he advises. Their journey is painful for all involved, but they persevere, earning lasting devotion on the other side. Heidi’s gift to Jacob—her own painting of birch trees—symbolizes their hope and rebirth, as do her uplifting words that “after the winters of life, spring will come—and spring will be glorious.”

Takeaway: Love, faith, and creativity aid a young woman’s healing after trauma.

Comparable Titles: Valerie M. Bodden’s Pieces of Forever, Francine Rivers’s Redeeming Love.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Religion is a crime, described as a “virus” that must be eradicated, in Shorr’s well-drawn debut novel, set in a near future where the New Dominion rules the land—and 70 million are dead from their devastating war. The former region of New York is reduced to a wasteland of sand dunes, while the New Dominion’s leader—a senator destined to be president—bombs warehouses hiding books and hunts down religious leaders. Near the top of his list is Rabbi Moshe and his small group of Jewish refugees, as they desperately wait for their contact to deliver a map to guide them to the coast—and across the ocean to religious freedom.

Shorr masterfully builds a buzzing tension as Moshe and co. navigate a world where their beliefs—and very identities—are discarded as “invasive cultural artifact[s].” When their map finally surfaces, but in the hands of fugitive Abe Katz instead of their expected collaborator, Moshe must decide if he can trust this newcomer—a man secretly raised as a Jew but who worked for the senator in the past, before he was imprisoned for “harboring a discordant ideology.” Shorr shapes that dark cloud of mistrust throughout the novel, as neighbors turn against neighbors while the new government watches with satisfaction.

As Moshe, Abe, and the others travel east with the senator on their heels, Moshe, the keeper of the ark—a digital compendium of Judaic knowledge that stores the Torah, the Prophets, and the Talmud—feels the weight of what’s been lost. He commiserates, “I am the only one who remembers our ways. Sometimes, it feels as though I am the only one who cares to remember.” Dark yet hopeful, this is a solemn celebration of finding strength through knowledge and teaching—and an understated testament to faith and sacrifice, a reminder to never “forget who you are.”

Takeaway: Heartfelt celebration of knowledge and religious faith to overcome repression.

Comparable Titles: Walter M. Miller Jr.’s A Canticle for Leibowitz, Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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In this irresistible, frighteningly plausible spy thriller, the first of a trilogy, debut novelist Macy takes readers back to 2018 and the Trump presidency with Elda Ainsworth, a Navy veteran, Cold War-era American spy in semi-retirement in Maine. At the request of top CIA operatives, Elda is racing to get her longtime translator friend, Korinna, out of Russia before Putin has her assassinated for translating discussions involving the president of the United States, including U.S. election interference. “The consequences of that information getting out will topple the American president and weaken Russia,” muses a longtime Russian spy named Toshchiy “Tosh” Chelovek and Elda’s adversary of many years. Plucky Elda is up for the extraction attempt, but her wife Dawn is less than happy about it.

What happens next is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride, as Elda lands in Moscow and deftly dodges numerous assassination attempts (many committed by Tosh’s favorite Russian assassin, Anatoly Petrov) in her quest to rescue Korinna, her musician husband Egor, and their two small Troodle dogs, Dasha and Sasha. As Korinna and Elda stay one step ahead of those who wish them dead, they head from Moscow to St. Petersburg to Germany to the Netherlands, among other locations—with means of transport including container ships, U.S. Navy ships, luxury railroads and even Jet Skis. Disguises are abundant, and Macy skillfully deploys these and other fun elements of spycraft in surprising ways readers will relish.

Macy mines her own past for Elda’s striking authenticity—she is a former officer in the US Navy and a mathematics teacher; the latter is Elda’s cover story in Russia. Macy’s story is impeccably plotted and touchingly humane, with characters both good and bad. Readers will undoubtedly want to off Elda’s drug-addicted half-brother, a supporting character with a very high and unjustified view of himself, but they will bond with Elda’s CIA boss. This smart, high-paced tale will delight fans of high-stakes thrillers.

Takeaway: Pulse-pounding espionage with a strong heroine and emotional resonance.

Comparable Titles: Lindsay Smith’s Sekret, T.A. Maclagan’s Alexandra Gastone series.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

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Hope’s cheery debut sees sparks fly in the blue skies above the Atlantic, when flight attendant Emerson Nichols encounters Jackson Riley, a gorgeous but sulky first-class passenger on her Christmas Eve flight to Paris. At 33, Emy is single and loves her life; her job affords her opportunities to see the world and soak in experiences she otherwise would never have, and, to top it off, her soon-to-be-married best friend—fellow flight attendant Chloe—is joining her for a memorable Christmas day in Paris. Emy’s plans take a turn when Jackson grumbles onto the scene, and their instant attraction makes for an interesting flight—especially when Chloe secretly slips Emy’s phone number Jackson’s way.

Hope’s buoyant style is just right for this happily-ever-after tale. The characters are appealing and relatable, genuinely connecting with each other in ways that will resonate with readers. Emy and Chloe are great friends, bolstered by a crew that looks out for each other, and both Emy and Jackson are content with their lives, albeit a trifle lonely, as everyone around them seems to be settling down. Emy recognizes the privileges that come with being single and an international traveler, though she confesses the lifestyle can be isolating, a perfect setup for her intriguing meet-cute in the skies.

Emy and Jackson’s electric chemistry is palpable—and their blues, when separated by circumstances outside their control, ring true. Thanks to their family members, and a few lucky breaks, the two reunite in a satisfying, steamy scene that genre fans will savor, and Hope aptly describes their stolen moments together in Paris without veering into touristy fare, focusing instead on the couple’s growth as the city swirls around their whirlwind romance. The spotlight stays on upbeat, carefree romance throughout, making this once-in-a-lifetime chance at love a breezy treat.

Takeaway: Chance encounters lead to perfect love in this breezy romance.

Comparable Titles: Max Monroe’s Wildcat, Lacie Waldon’s The Layover.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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This lively children’s debut by Bryant finds Santa in a dreadful fix when a harried new elf mixes up his calendar—and schedules him for his annual fly-by in October instead of Christmas Eve. That festive faux paus lands Santa in the charming town of Holidayville just as their annual Fall Festival kicks off, plunking him into pumpkin carvings, costumes, and loads of sweet treats. Santa, dubious of his surroundings and thrown off by the absence of twinkling lights and Christmas carolers, tries to reorient himself but is quickly discovered by a pair of charming young girls, Rihanna and Harlem, who are, of course, delighted to discover the jolly old elf grumbling to himself on a side street.

Bryant has a good handle on what makes holidays special, and her upbeat tale overflows with cheer. Rihanna and Harlem, best friends who relish the playful atmosphere of Holidayville’s Fall Festival, are the perfect guides for Santa: they immediately whisk him away to the town’s celebrations, reassuring him that he’ll fit right in, given that the whole place is decked out in costume, and enthusiastically coerce him to trick or treat, bob for apples, and even share a spooky story or two. Santa can’t stay for long, but he does give them a night they’ll never forget—and discovers his own “peace and joy” in the process.

Sandra Figueras’s bright, cozy illustrations bring to mind the glorious sights and smells of the holiday season, and readers will appreciate the book’s diverse characters—alongside Rihanna and Harlem’s exuberance for all things fall, from their coordinated mermaid gowns to their appreciation for Santa’s special treats from his toy sack. Luckily, Santa’s schedule snafu doesn’t hold up Christmas, and he returns to Holidayville right on time—and with heartwarming notes for both girls, reminding them that “the most magical moments happen when you least expect them.”

Takeaway: Schedule snafu lands Santa in the middle of a fall festival.

Comparable Titles: Will Hillenbrand’s Santa’s Story, Kevin Maher’s Santa Doesn’t Need Your Help.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Offering a potent blend of medical drama and suspense, this series kickoff from Krentz (author of the Mahoney & Squire series, among other thrillers) centers many of its heart-stopping developments in the emergency room of Bethesda Metro Hospital, with Zack Winston, an ER doc haunted by the death of his wife and the patients he’s lost. After the shocking death of another patient, despite Zack’s “extraordinary measures,” Zack finds himself targeted by a negligence lawsuit filed by the nurse who is now the widow of the deceased. With his name dragged through the mud, plus a surprise attempt on his life, Zack begins to realize that he is facing some kind of conspiracy. Fortunately, as Krentz’s story surges ahead, Zack’s got a top-notch defense attorney and the will to tell himself to “Man up and carry on, sailor.”

Taking full advantage of its tense, convincing ER setting, Krentz’s swift storytelling is both exciting and humane, as invested in the mystery Zack faces as the challenges of serving as a front-line medical professional. Every page is alive with striking medical and technical detail, with situations that force Zack into hard choices and self doubt, or convincing legal drama, or straight-up suspense as the body count starts to rise. The major players have hidden depths to them, especially Zack, plagued with uncertainty after once having felt like a “bad ass” doctor, and brilliant, empathetic defense attorney Bridget Larson, whose best moments showcase her legal brilliance even as she’s beleaguered by issues with family.

Krentz’s leads will win readers over with their power-through resilience, their ability to work towards a hopeful outcome even when there’s scant promise of victory. But what mystery lovers might most appreciate is Krentz’s deft plotting, from red-herrings to narrative sleight-of-hand involving what’s filtered through the perspectives of characters. Dead Already favors the hard work of saving lives and finding the truth over empty action.

Takeaway: Medical mystery series starter, as an ER doc faces conspiracy.

Comparable Titles: Kelly Parsons’s Doing Harm, Gary Gerlacher’s AJ Docker Medical Mystery series.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Dead Already

Visual artist Smirnova, who has worked on award-winning shows and films like Game of Thrones, Stranger Things and The Revenant, finds freedom on the page in this debut poetry collection, which employs sculpted free verse to make spiritual contact, or a spiritual contract, and create a space of belonging for the individual in a unified community of energy. “We are a pulse of heartbeats,” she writes, “pulses of ancestry // We are pulsars of the universe // and stars in someone’s sky.” Reversing the image of a person staring at the stars, Smirnova builds a bridge between the self and the cosmos and between the divisions of chronological time, all in clear, concrete language that communicates with emotional force but leaves open other possibilities and meanings.

Smirnova’s collection is structured by loosely bound sections, which can overlap in theme, form, and subject matter. The first section, titled “Nature,” contains an ecstatic homage to the natural world and its cycles and transformations, but also a questioning both scientific and spiritual: “Is there logic // or just an intuitive movement, // that brings together // a state of things?” The penultimate section, “Cities,” romanticizes the hum of concentrated humanity in the urban environment, but also addresses the contrasting loneliness one feels in a crowded space, a loneliness that echoes these relatable lines from the poem “Ice Breaker” in the “Love” section: “I boomeranged your thoughts // Looked in your soul for more // but couldn’t find.”

Introspection is also a frequent creative force as Smirnova’s poetry assesses the individual’s relationship to the universe but also the very concept of a self: “I am rebuilding myself // from ashes, // I am redrawing myself // from blank.” Rather than a fixed entity, the self here is, like nature, an ever-shifting journey. “One day you have to take a path,” Smirnova writes, “that is unique, that no one took,” and ultimately, the path itself “makes you the one”—and part of the oneness that carries everything.

Takeaway: Searching, of-the-moment poems on nature, love, and the path of the self.

Comparable Titles: Amanda Lovelace, Caroline Kaufman.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

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This tension-filled historical romance, set in early 1900s Glasgow, finds 23-year-old Sophie Belle caught in a social-class-defying, whirlwind affair with the dashing Scottish barrister Benedict Cochrane. Sophie, who works at her family’s haberdashery while dreaming of escaping to the glamourous New York City to live with her aunt and uncle, knows she’s a spinster in most people’s eyes, but she could care less—she has plans for herself, and they don’t include a husband. Enter the 34-year-old Benedict, who inadvertently stumbles onto Sophie after his sister, Euphemia, makes her acquaintance at a tea shop—and immediately starts falling for her, despite her lowly status as “a shopkeeper’s daughter.”

The dynamic between the couple is rife with both fiery arguments and undeniable chemistry, as Benedict’s aloof arrogance clashes with Sophie’s kindness and strong-willed charm. Coia-Ramsay, the author of several historical romances, including Bernadette Barrymore, captures the tension of that love-hate relationship against the backdrop of class divide in early 20th century Great Britain, transforming it into a significant source of conflict throughout the book. It is Benedict’s growing attachment to Sophie—and the looming threat of her departure to America—that pushes him to act rashly, culminating in an impulsive proposal to avoid losing her that infuses their interactions with both frustration and passion.

Coia-Ramsay’s worldbuilding is rich with period details, from Benedict’s love for Scotland to the social nuances of their world, and the supporting characters, particularly Euphemia and Judge Hicks, add layers to the narrative, weaving in a parallel romance that offers its own moments of intrigue. The initial hostility between Benedict and Sophie simmers with excitement, though some readers may find his domineering attitude difficult to digest by modern standards. Nonetheless, their journey across the Atlantic as they navigate their new life together offers plenty of emotional highs, solidifying the story as a thrilling exploration of love and class in a changing world.

Takeaway: Historical romance rife with passion and early 20th century social class conflict.

Comparable Titles: Darcy Burke’s One Night of Surrender, Eva Devon’s The Beast and the Bookseller.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

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This brutal yet ruminative road thriller from Santana, the kickoff to a series, explores the mind, travels, and possible redemption of Rylan Beam, a man driven to exact justice on those he believes have escaped it—a mission he often carries out with a hammer. Haunted by a troubled past that includes military service in Iraq and the loss of his father and wife, Rylan has created “The Garbage Route,” a list of individuals he seeks to confront and punish. Among his targets are Edward Chaffin, a child molester, and Abraham Poindexter, who attacked a woman with nitric acid after being rejected by her. Santana intertwines Rylan's present-day surveillance, doubts, and bone-crushing murders with flashbacks into his past, revealing Rylan's motivations and the emotional scars that have shaped him.

Rylan’s past relationship with Abigail reveals his vulnerable and loving side, while his experience of the dehumanizing realities of war powers his quest for vengeance. Rylan approaches each victim with meticulous planning and cold detachment. As he captures each, his calm demeanor starts to unravel, exposing his unpredictable and inhumane nature. Santana depicts these encounters with disturbing detail, compelling readers to grapple with the ethics of Rylan’s actions, especially as “fresh-faced FBI agent” Helio Sangria takes up the case. At times, in brisk italicized in-his-head colloquies, Santana captures Rylan talking himself through his disquiet, coming up with rationalizations.

The Shattered Bones delves into the psyche of a vigilante, exploring themes of personal trauma, the quest for justice, and muddy lines between right and wrong. The novel's deliberate, taking a deep dive into Rylan's thoughts—he feels deeply alone, in 2017, after seeing the Wolverine film Logan and having no one to discuss it with. Such detail can at times feel indulgent, but as a complex character study of a man haunted by his past and driven to right the world’s wrongs at any cost, the novel weaves a morally intricate narrative. However, it leaves significant plot threads unresolved, setting up a potential sequel while falling short of delivering a complete arc for Rylan.

Takeaway: A soldier’s brutal quest for revenge powers this psychological road-trip thriller.

Comparable Titles: Stephen Graham Jones’s The Least of My Scars, James Ellroy’s Killer on the Road.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about The Shattered Bones

Debut author Briggs shares her experiences with a cutting-edge therapy for autism that may offer hope to other parents of children on the spectrum. Briggs and her husband, Carl, knew that their daughter Sarah was developing differently from other babies. When Sarah turned one, she was diagnosed with a chromosomal condition (which Briggs doesn’t define) that often includes autism. When Briggs discovered The Son-Rise Program, an approach taught by the Autism Treatment Center of America (ATCA), she found hope in tailoring the program to her daughter. (One co-creator of the technique, Samahria Lyte Kaufman, pens the thoughtful forward.) The intensive one-on-one home-based therapy method includes focused therapy, including eye contact, child-led play, and interactive attention.

Briggs chronicles the highs that will inspire parents of children with autism—her non-verbal daughter speaking for the first time, followed by a rapidly expanding vocabulary; purposeful eye contact; Sarah mastering toilet training. She also lays bare her own insecurities about parenting Sarah and her neurotypical sister Amy: “It can be hard to imagine what it was like to have to teach your kid each tiny bit of every single thing,” she writes. She frankly acknowledges doubts and setbacks, encounters with medical professionals, and her own changing hopes and expectations, such as no longer harboring the wish that Sarah might one day “pass” as neurotypical. There’s also, as the title suggests, triumphs, joy, and breakthroughs.

Briggs writes movingly and with grace about the emotions parents of children with special needs face before marshaling their strength and actively advocating for their children and their future. She praises the volunteer teams she recruited to help deliver the therapy to Sarah, and rejoices in the progress and triumph her daughter achieves with her “village” of helpers. While she notes that the method doesn’t work 100 percent of the time, in every situation, Briggs’s journey transforms her daughter’s future, and her candor and insight will resonate with parents facing similar challenges.

Takeaway: Inspiring story of a mother’s fight to give the best life to a child with autism.

Comparable Titles: Heidi Mavir’s Your Child is Not Broken, Kate Swenson’s Forever Boy.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

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Asking “so, what is the best way to picture God?”, King argues for a middle ground between the New Atheists and traditional believers, an in-between paradigm that shatters the false dichotomy between science and religion. "I would go so far as to say that faith almost necessitates a belief in evolution," King writes, but atheists who nod at that will likely feel challenged, elsewhere, at King’s championing of the “hidden scientific and psychosocial benefits that are built into the institute of worship” or his amusing suggestion that perhaps “God simply wiped out the dinosaurs out of sheer boredom.” Such thoughtful irreverence powers God, the Evolver as King offers a fresh, often surprising exploration of these issues, heavily backed by an eclectic mix of references and data points—from cutting-edge science, an array of sacred texts, the intelligence of crows, to Nietzsche's assertion that man created God and not the other way around.

With both a light touch and academic confidence, King posits that extraterrestrials may have seeded life on Earth, supporting Richard Dawkins's argument for a Higher intelligence, parallel to ancient scriptures' description of angels. He further examines the ancestry of early humans (Adamites) interbreeding with hominids—a theory he finds echoed in the Koran—and speculates that interactions between Adamites and Neanderthals could explain myths about trolls and giants, perhaps even inspiring worship due to physical differences—leading to a conclusion that humans possess an innate drive to search for the divine. King’s bold sweep of evidence and argument—among other topics, King contemplates apocalypses, space travel, immortality, self-determinism, the multiverse, Carl Sagan’s idea that humans are made of “star stuff,” and the possibility humans were fashioned from clay—imbues the book with wonder.

King suggests with some passion a fundamental unity among all religions as they evolve. Readers who welcome the challenge of fresh thinking and tearing down rigid boundaries will enjoy this exploration of the DMZ between science and spirituality.

Takeaway: Ambitious, fascinating reexamination of the conflict between science and spirituality.

Comparable Titles: Francis J. Collins's The Language of God, Ursula Goodenough's The Sacred Depths of Nature.

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Cover: B+
Design and typography: A-
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Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

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