Meslin’s debut is an ambitious and frighteningly convincing international thriller set against the chaos and promise of the Soviet Union's collapse. When a highly dangerous portable nuclear weapon is stolen in the Soviet Republic of Moldavia in 1991, the world's superpowers rush to discover who is behind the theft and what intentions they harbor, creating a high-stakes political game that spans continents and reaches into space. Meslin persuasively puts readers in explosion-rocked streets, Parisian salons, St. Maarten casinos, and the Oval Office, illuminating the nuances of splinter groups, arms sales, and the tradecraft of diplomacy and espionage among a far-flung cast. “One can’t simply waltz into a Western capital sporting a tactical nuke and expect to leave it wherever he likes,” the Director of Central Intelligence declares, deep into the nerve-wracking story. He’s immediately corrected: “Simon, that seems to be precisely what they have done.”

Meslin demonstrates an impressive knowledge of Cold War politics and nuclear security protocols, bringing authenticity to the complex plot involving a U.S. Nuclear Emergency Search Team, a veteran Mossad agent, a determined KGB investigator, and classic spy-thriller twists like a sleeper agent, presented with welcome plausibility. He particularly excels in both presenting and making dramatic the technical aspects of nuclear security and satellite surveillance, all without letting his expertise slow down narrative momentum. Especially engaging is the depiction of the Soviet Union's final days, capturing the political tensions and power vacuum that could make a nuclear crisis possible.

Reflecting the global crisis, the narrative frequently shifts between Moscow, Washington, Israel, geostationary orbit, and more, creating a brisk but at times disjointed reading experience. Still, the challenge of keeping up with the many interest parties will pay off for lovers of smart, real-world thrillers, as Meslin builds to a tense climax that effectively pays off its many plotlines.

Takeaway: Sophisticated thriller of international crisis management as the Soviet Union collapses.

Comparable Titles: Owen Matthews’s Black Sun Trilogy, Brian Freemantle’s Bomb Grade.

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

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This thought-provoking, pointedly unconventional memoir navigates the complex terrain of privilege, race relations, and personal reckoning in contemporary America. In the playful first pages, Gidding (author of Failure: An Autobiography) writes, of himself, “Look at him go. He writes, he hopes.” From there he considers, among other concerns, questions of why write at all, especially as an old white man, and what it means to write when he feels “muzzled” as “certain topics—race, gender, and so on—are off-limits for oldsters like me to consider in a more critical light.” His approach is searching, often expressive of uncertainties, but humane and compelling. Despite the title, Gidding eschews both reactionary pushback against societal changes and empty sloganeering endorsing them, and the book grows rich and affecting as it digs into stories of the Major and Minor Periods of Gidding’s life—and whether they’re his stories to tell.

Gidding grapples with these complexities while employing a unique narrative structure that presents both the author's voice and a critical alter-ego, Joßche, prone to hectoring, italicized interruptions. As Gidding describes, with rare and welcome frankness, his youthful introductions to America’s racial realities, Joßche takes on the role of the uncharitable reader, lobbing stinkbombs like “Curious about a biracial family, but not about African American literature?” Gidding's approach to hot-button issues is refreshingly nuanced and self-deprecating, plunging into topics like the unbridled anger that some white people feel towards marginalized groups. Giddin’s writing about family is likewise exploratory and open-hearted, his lifelong tendency toward the Lucretius Effect and a “Imagination of Disaster,” and finding a way to live after the death of his first wife.

The result, while innovative and often hilarious, can feel fretful, though that is the spirit of the project, if not the era. What’s worth marveling at is how, even as he second guesses himself and refuses to “refrain from making bad jokes,” Gidding, with biting prose and incisive wit, hits on uncomfortable truths and shares a host of moving, urgent stories from his life, each studded with insights.

Takeaway: An inventive reckoning with age, whiteness, writing, and life itself.

Comparable Titles: Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility, Garrett Bucks’s The Right Kind of White.

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

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Will Barnes, a battle-worn, no-longer active duty Marine and stroke survivor, searches for meaning in his fractured life by tracing his German mother’s roots in Canfield’s sequel to The Errors of Mankind. Will meets Johann, a 90-year-old relative involved in the Nazi’s paramilitary, whom he immediately admires for his wisdom on war and human nature. When Johann dies, Will clashes with Johann’s grandson Friedrich, a history professor who attributes the Second World War solely to Germany’s racism and superiority. Infuriated by this simplistic view, Will resolves to write a book about the roots of war, inspired by Johann’s perspectives and his own desire for redemption—a path fraught with guilt and regret.

Better is the End balances heavy political commentary with explorations of Will’s strained relationships—with his son, wife, granddaughter, and a Japanese girl he abandoned—stressing how war shapes identity. Canfield examines the revisionist view of World War II, a heavy lift but one that he tackles ambitiously, using Will as a lens to critique America's obsession with militarism, neglect of the psychological toll of war, the long-held narrative of America as a global liberator, and media manipulation—a global concern still eerily relevant today. Will's haunting reflection—"Did my darkness come from all the sin that I inflicted on the world? Or did it come from all the sin that I had witnessed in the world?"—anchors central themes of war’s lasting trauma and its perpetuating cycle of violence.

While the crisp and provocative dialogue occasionally veers into didacticism—characters serving as philosophical mouthpieces rather than well-rounded individuals—Canfield's prowess connects history with modern dilemmas by avoiding binary narratives for a nuanced understanding of the ethical foundations of military might. The message is clear: redemption is hard-won but necessary. This thoughtful blend of historical exposition and personal reflection scrutinizes the timeless search for a moral compass in a world often bereft of one.

Takeaway: A retired Marine’s account of war, guilt, and personal redemption.

Comparable Titles: Sarah Waters’s The Night Watch, Pat Barker’s Regeneration.

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

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Allen-Walters presents the intertwined stories of two families in the Banat region of Serbia during World War II whose unwavering Christian faith guides them through the brutal hardships of communist rule in what was then named Yugoslavia. The book emphasizes how their steadfast adherence to their beliefs provided both protection and strength in the face of oppression, as they ultimately found their freedom and immigration to the United States. Central to the narrative is Kalman Hartig, a courageous Seventh-day Adventist and violinist, who endured persecution and imprisonment as a conscientious objector.

Walters skillfully depicts the Hartig and Kirchner families' experiences, exploring sibling tensions and early religious influences, with family photographs adding personal and historical depth. The book intricately weaves these family stories against the backdrop of war and post-war challenges, particularly focusing on religious tolerance and immigration. Rich with biblical stories and verses that deepen the characters' motivations, the memoir vividly portrays the horrors of labor camps and prisons, leaving readers deeply moved. Kalman’s letters to his family ground the narrative, evoking empathy far beyond simple descriptions. Themes of healing and rebuilding with familial support are also explored.

Kalman Hartig’s story is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit, faith, and the transformative power of music. Through Hartig’s harrowing experiences, the book explores themes of perseverance, integrity, and the will to survive despite unrelenting cruelty. This moving account not only honors Hartig's bravery but also serves as a call to cherish freedom and practice tolerance for all religious and ethnic backgrounds. This book will resonate deeply with readers who value personal stories of overcoming adversity, particularly within the context of faith-based endurance.

Takeaway: Rousing story of Christian perseverance under communist rule.

Comparable Titles: Walter J. Ciszek’s With God in Russia, Liao Yiwu’s God Is Red.

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

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When the carousel animals finally break free from their Brooklyn park prison one brilliant night, 10-year-old Pearl Twist is astounded. Lion, her special carousel friend, promised he would come live with her one day—and now that the day is here, Pearl is understandably anxious. The two quickly settle in together, though fears of the dreaded Cornelius Cage, the carousel keeper, plague their newfound happiness. Soon, after the pair encounter the volatile but goodhearted Crow, they jet to a magical new world, the City of Zinnia—“an infinite universe created by thought”—where they run into a host of colorful characters in their quest to escape Cornelius.

Lion is so much more than Pearl’s magical best friend in this endearing tale; he’s “a welcome escape from the enduring grief and sadness of losing her father,” a mirrored counterpart of bravery and strength to Pearl’s own struggles with self-doubt and anxiety. Soles (author of Peace Came Over) crafts the pair’s adventure with loving care, spotlighting Pearl’s fears of abandonment against the greater context of the story’s themes on grief and friendship. The death of Pearl’s father years earlier plays a strong part in how she views and interacts with her new environment, as she and Lion meet mind reader Rosie, her friend Inchworm, and John, a mysterious boy who serves as their guide, of sorts, in the beautiful and sometimes dangerous Zinnia.

Soles’s vivid descriptions of Zinnia’s endlessly shifting landscapes, wildlife, and weather will delight readers of all ages, though they feel overdone at times. Lion’s happiness at his newfound freedom is uplifting, and it inspires Pearl to change her own life, as she learns to sacrifice herself for her friends and reflects on whether “it’s more important to give joy or to have joy.” This is a touching homage to the power of friendship and the delight of helping others.

Takeaway: Friendship and a magical adventure help a grieving girl heal.

Comparable Titles: Ross Welford’s Time Traveling with a Hamster, Cassie Beasley’s Circus Mirandus.

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

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Tender yet satiric, empathetic yet frank about human failings, Donovan’s follow-up to Sunnyville again explores the lives of the residents of Sunny Glen Palms, a sprawling retirement community near Tampa Bay, Florida. There, couples bicker and dish, drive golf carts and play pickleball, and strive to find connection and peace in later life. Donovan spins a rich, funny story of what appears to be at least three impending disasters. First, there’s the hurricane bearing down on the Gulf. Then there’s the fiftieth anniversary party of Mike and Peggy Beamish, a celebration whose joyousness is undercut by Mike’s cheating and Peggy’s decision to end this “most farcical of marriages” soon after. Finally, there’s the relatively younger woman bringing urgent news to 57-year-old hoarder Kenny, a punk rocker, early retiree, and “Mister non-conformity himself.” The news: their one-night stand has resulted in a pregnancy. But Kenny, at 57, isn’t sure he’s ready for fatherhood.

Set in a 2004 roiling with the politics of life during wartime, Sun of Sunnyville lays bare, with a reportorial eye, the secrets and hearts of its cast of retirees. Despite some biting passages, especially on the subject of men with rage issues, Donovan’s storytelling emphasizes each character’s humanity—and how so many have pickled or lost connection to what really matters. The novel bustles with scandals, slicing remarks, and pitch-perfect dialogue that invites readers to feel as if we’re eavesdropping. But at the story’s core is a pervasive loneliness, as characters face the consequences of years of turning to adultery, pop culture, political arguments, or intoxicants as “a means to escape a very lonely selfish world.”

What a relief, then, that characters like Peggy and Marge find each other and forge new connections, surprising themselves. (A visit to a storm-tossed Disney park is a bittersweet comic highlight.) The novel is hefty, with slow pacing and a sometimes overwhelming wealth of detail about each character’s daily grind and vividly drawn past. But it’s got a sharp eye and a big heart.

Takeaway: Incisive, sprawling novel laying bare the hearts and lives of Florida retirees.

Comparable Titles: Dave Lutes’s The Wall(s); Cathie Pellitier.

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

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A helpful resource for parents with teenagers, What's Wrong with My Teen? takes an in-depth look at the heavy subject matter of teenage addiction. Raphael, an addiction and mental health clinician, shares her personal story with alcohol and substance abuse as a teen and provides professional know-how on navigating challenging adolescent behaviors. "I define addiction as short-term pleasure, long-term pain, and the inability to stop or stay stopped," she explains. Dispelling common myths surrounding addiction and expounding on the struggles teens face with mental health in general, Raphael’s instructive debut will help parents broach conversations and implement actionable steps to build healthy, dynamic relationships with their kids.

"My story is an example of the impact of trauma on mental and emotional well-being," Raphael writes. Attempting to cope with the loss of her mother at the tender age of 13, and later being diagnosed with Crohn's disease, Raphael found herself escaping her problems and pain with alcohol and drugs. From her own recollections, she counsels parents that it’s not just obvious, life-altering events that push teens into addiction; small, everyday stresses play a role as well. Raphael encourages parents to expend their energy on listening and understanding the “whys” behind their teen’s behavior, and to "refrain from blaming, shaming or judging.” To help parents get to the root of the problem, she provides case studies, scientific background on teen brain development, warning signs of abuse, and more.

Interactive exercises scattered throughout Raphael’s guidance will help parents implement her advice, and she ends chapters with review summaries as well as journaling exercises for parents to organize their thoughts and emotions. From moments of crisis to everyday ups and downs, Raphael’s guidance covers all the necessary bases to help parents open healthy lines of communication, set clear boundaries, and create a safe space for teens as they navigate into adulthood.

Takeaway: Step-by-step guide for parents of teens struggling with mental health and addiction.

Comparable Titles: Joani Geltman's A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens, Frances E. Jensen's The Teenage Brain.

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

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Outraged and outrageous, this scathing satire, Cann’s debut, finds a laid-off sketch-comedy writer so desperate for work that he just rolls with a production assistant role on a reality show starring right-wing debutante, Lane Bryantt, determined to “make Hollywood great again” and her influencer daughters. Despite Lane’s pointed question “Are you a Jew?”, protagonist John strives to please her, her family, and the producer, no matter how degrading or inane the task. As the relentlessly profane, proudly church-going women strive to go from “Wyt Tee and Eye Gee” famous to “TV famous,” John often runs afoul of them, especially after nudging the sisters’ brother Lucas (“I’m incel, and it’s a side effect of being related to you”) into a scene-stealing role.

Even worse for the stars-on-the-rise is the producer’s choice to livestream their lives with up-to-the-moment audio commentary from online viewers broadcast into their own house. Cann emphasizes the cruel depravity of all involved, and this section of the novel—women performing intimate, monetizable parodies of their lives while enduring relentless abuse from strange men—lays bare dark truths about the worst of “reality” and influencer culture. Canceled keeps changing up its game from there, with the sisters eventually fleeing an invasive new contract with a Japanese producer. The arc of these lives bends inexorably toward porn.

Cann’s understanding of the business of TV and streaming is clear throughout, and he scores big laughs and some insights about privacy and consent. The novel’s over-the-topness, though, precludes giving readers reasons to care much about John or anyone else. The prose tends toward wordiness, and the storytelling, while continually inventive, lacks narrative suspense. Cann takes the kind of risks readers might expect with a title like Canceled, offering countless jibes about the women’s bodies and quease-inducing scenes in which a Yale-educated rapper and the Japanese producer, for reasons of their own, speak as comic racial stereotypes, daring readers to abandon the book.

Takeaway: Pointedly outrageous satire of reality TV and influencer culture.

Comparable Titles: Mark E. Greene’s Lobster Wars, Nick Lennon-Barrett’s Reality Bites.

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

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This brisk, engaging novel of the aftermath of the first World War finds two young American men, Beau Shipley from Charleston and the half-Quebecois Caleb “Keeby” Styles, facing the question of how to go on with life after injury and existential terror in the trenches. Paris ignites something in both men, as Beau fumbles, at first, to reconcile his new interest in painting with his responsibilities back in the States. Keeby falls in with a Left Bank Bolshevik collective, penning articles for a revolutionary broadsheet—"The poorest and most destitute among Paris’s denizens would become his muses,” notes Helms (author of Holy City, among many others.) As Keeby discovers a wild new life among the minds shaping the century, Caleb, back home, faces his wealthy father’s expectations, the tragedy that has befallen the woman he considers his true love, and an America shaken by the Spanish Flu and Prohibition.

At the heart of Helms’s novel are questions of what to make of new possibilities and dreads in a world shattered by war at an industrial scale. Helms relishes the dishy pleasures of Paris salon culture, imagining sharp, inspired colloquies with Stein, Pound, Rimbaud, and more, but rather than simple celebrity cameos these encounters suggest the new ways of living, seeing, and creating now open to Caleb and Keeby. A vital thread about a film adaptation of a book by Keeby reveals the accelerated rate of change in culture, tech, and mores.

The drama is intimately personal as Beau finds himself exemplifying a lost generation. A South Carolina seething with racism no longer feels like home, but rousing moments of discovery as an artist—"the world collapsed into only three entities—the church, the light, and the paint”—and the frisson of new ideas offer liberation. Despite themes of trauma and suicide, the storytelling is fleet and crisp, the prose as pleasurable as the “croissants and Normandy butter and sweet French fruit preserves” that break these characters’ fasts.

Takeaway: Moving novel of the lost generation of soldiers and artists in Paris after WWI.

Comparable Titles: Liza Klaussmann’s Villa Americana, Malcolm Cowley’s Exile’s Return.

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

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When Sachi Kubo-Sanchez, unhappy and unfulfilled in her marriage, decides a change is in order, she determines to rediscover her love for life. “I thought this was life: as good as it gets. Then something shifted,” she muses, as, with the help of her boisterous friend, Anna, and her therapist, Sachi embarks on an intimate journey of self-discovery. She divorces her husband, commits to rekindling her passions, and steps out as a single mother in her 40s, in the bustling day-to-day of New York City, attempting to understand—and accept—her sexual desires while testing the waters of online dating.

Delving into the complex psyche of a middle-aged woman starting over, Uno creates a deeply relatable protagonist struggling to let go of her past. Therapy helps Sachi deal with unresolved sexual trauma from her youth while resurrecting her inner child—who she aptly names Sunshine—as she opens herself up to new ideas about life, sex, and relationships. Through family dynamics, self-awareness, and therapy, Uno’s thoughtful fiction debut explores the multitude of ways the outside world can influence one woman's mental health, even as she makes a concerted effort to grow on her own terms.

Sachi's story—often unfolding through Sunshine’s voice—quickly evolves into a broader pursuit of meaning and purpose, and readers will appreciate her raw and vulnerable honesty. As she wrestles with her inner demons—and experiments sexually—Sachi reawakens the buried forces driving her mental health, sexuality, and ideas on love. “It took me forty-something years to create my universe with my bare hands and uncontrollable outside hands as well,” she reflects, “and now I had chosen to recreate it.” The result of those birth pains is a complex rendering of Sachi’s true self, sweetly melded with her inner child into a stunning portrait of “joy, grace, and beauty.”

Takeaway: Middle-aged woman works through past trauma in the midst of starting over.

Comparable Titles: Rabih Alameddine’s An Unnecessary Woman, Rowan Beaird's The Divorcées.

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

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Illouz-Eliaz’s middle-grade science debut teaches plant biology through the eyes of a curious young girl named Lona, when her mother brings her a special gift—an Arabidopsis thaliana plant she names Arbi. Lona’s mom, a plant scientist, spins stories of Arbi each night, telling how the plant germinates, sprouts, and flourishes, as Lona grows increasingly more excited about her new charge. When she learns that Arbi is a “model plant”—one that, according to her mom, is “used in science to learn about plants in general”—Lona can’t help but share her exciting news with her friends at school.

Illouz-Eliaz’s background in plant biology shines throughout this informative book, as Lona’s mother never shies away from using scientific terminology—like meristem, genome, and whorls, among others—to explain the processes that make Arbi so special. Some of those lessons are remarkably adaptable to Lona’s own experiences, including how plants confront stress, a helpful example that reminds Lona of her own sadness when her family moved to San Diego and she was forced to make new friends. When she reflects on a plant’s amazing capabilities to adjust to their environment, Lona wisely wishes she “was as flexible as plants.”

Though the terminology may be challenging for younger readers, Illouz-Eliaz breaks the lessons into bite-size pieces, allowing Lona’s childlike curiosity to drive each one. It’s sweet to see her mother’s trust that she can grasp the complex information, and Imily Mitrani’s understated graphics help illustrate all that Lona is learning—from plant diagrams to seed representations. Arbi is so much more than a model plant—she’s the spark that ignites Lona’s thirst for learning and inspires her, in the end, to gift her classmates their own Arbi seedlings for class graduation, a chance to “[carry] home a tiny pot with a green beginning.”

Takeaway: A fascinating lesson on plant biology, through the eyes of a young girl.

Comparable Titles: Benson Shum’s Little Seed, Helena Harastova’s How Plants Talk.

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

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Garwood-Jones’s emotional picture book debut for adults examines the messy, complicated experience of grief for “adult orphan[s].” Centering on the perspectives of middle-aged individuals whose parents have died, this creative rendering presents portraits of people navigating the five hallmark stages of grief developed by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—alongside a brief description or quote that showcases their emotions. Garwood-Jones refers to her featured portraits as “stagers,” and, in a nod to the chaos of grieving, she acknowledges that “popular culture has turned [grief] into an overly simplistic linear time line, leaving little room for complexity, nuance, and the unpredictable detours people take.”

These stirring vignettes represent a wide range of relationships, with some warm and heartfelt while others are gut-wrenchingly raw. In “The Wounded” section, “Gerald’s body language still holds on to his mother’s constant criticism,” while dancer Sadie tries to escape the “crippling waves” of her parents’ words and actions. “The Nostalgic” sees Pete reluctant to discard his father’s old shoes—as “proof he was on this earth”—and Alison relistening to her mother’s voice mails to recall the sound. Garwood-Jones herself is no stranger to sorrow, with this book being her way of working through the pain of losing both parents. “I saw grief up close,” she writes, “It was intense. I had to look away. But it kept staring back at me, so I offered it my hand.”

The illustrations are sketched in varying shades of purple, evoking energy, sadness, and intensity across nearly every page as they capture a fragment of time in someone’s life—a woman looking over her shoulder to see the memory of her dead father haunting her, or the moment a man, overcome with grief, rests his head in his hands. These sparse snapshots, paired with the poignant and touching text, will comfort readers wrestling with their own burden of loss.

Takeaway: Stirring resource for adults wrestling with the grief of losing their parents.

Comparable Titles: Alessandra Olanow’s Hello Grief, Megan Devine’s How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed.

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

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White’s debut centers on Gwen, a woman who is many things—a single mother to a baby she did not plan on having, a top-tier attorney working in legal aid to protect society’s most vulnerable, and a bulimic who obsessively runs; during one such run, four weeks postpartum, her baby is kidnapped. Gwen’s story initially unfolds through her therapy session—where readers learn the devastating details of the kidnapping and glimpse Gwen’s inner turmoil—before opening the plot to include former drug dealer Zivi, the kidnapper of Gwen’s baby for his own desperate reasons: to comfort his beloved Giselle, who is still reeling from the death of their baby.

At its heart, this is a daunting tale of parenthood, love, and devotion, one that reveals the power of unresolved trauma. Gwen, though stuck in a cycle of self-blame, continues to grapple with the emotional impact of unplanned motherhood; Zivi, while having committed to a crime-free life, cannot bear to witness Giselle’s sadness; and Giselle, even as she grieves for her child, cannot stop herself from falling in love with Gwen’s. Alongside the unraveling of the story’s three main perspectives is the unraveling of its central mystery, though, unlike traditional whodunits, this is a mystery that plumbs the motivations behind the kidnapping, the tangle of relationships that precipitated it, and the aftershocks it produces for the novel’s main characters. White skillfully builds on these layers, making readers question not only the morality of the crime, but who the real protagonist and antagonist are.

This is a unique crime-driven thriller that explores two contrasting sides to parenthood—nurturing and destructive—both of which play into not only Gwen’s downward spiral but also Zivi and Giselle’s shocking outcome. A must read for those interested in suspenseful novels with considerable psychological depth, White’s writing will entertain and surprise in equal measure.

Takeaway: A compelling psychological thriller exploring parenthood and trauma.

Comparable Titles: Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere, Sam Vickery’s The Perfect Baby.

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

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Zeus—a little French Bulldog living in the big city—will win hearts in Gladstone’s endearing debut. From his New York City high rise, Zeus, whose owner affectionately calls him “Little Zeusy,” spends his time napping in his monogrammed dog bed and chasing toys, until one day he gets the opportunity of a lifetime: his apartment door is left open, allowing Zeus a glimpse into the great beyond. He immediately seizes on the chance to explore the world, darting off down the hallway and onto his floor’s elevator, but it doesn’t take long for Zeus to see he’s bitten off more than he can chew.

Through Zeus’s eyes, younger readers spy the excitement—and terror—that comes with exploring big places all alone. The building complex is intimidating, to say the least, and Zeus doesn’t realize until it’s too late that not everyone wants to help him make it back home. He passes an elderly renter who can’t get away fast enough, and a young pool enthusiast seems friendly—until she carries him outside the recreation area and leaves him to his own devices. Poonam S’s digital illustrations aptly portray Zeus’s enthusiasm when he first escapes—and his growing fear, as the story progresses, that he will never find a way home.

Gladstone gradually builds Zeus’s sense of unease, through his treks through progressively scarier floors as he searches for his apartment (Zeus’s last stop, the basement, is dark, smelly, and forbidding), before gifting him the perfect helper at just the right moment—a relief for younger readers who may wonder whether this story has a happy ending. It does, thankfully, and Zeus celebrates that happy conclusion with a well-deserved snuggle and a nap, all thanks to one very accommodating doorman. Kids will cheer for Zeus’s curious spirit while wondering alongside him “where [his] next adventure is going to be.”

Takeaway: Big city pup learns to stay close to home in this charming tale.

Comparable Titles: Doug Salati’s Hot Dog, Marianna Coppo’s Such a Good Boy.

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

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Raha issues a warning at the beginning of this refreshing debut, that readers may “stop comparing [themselves] to others… [and] might even start enjoying [their] work,” by learning Raha’s steps to making value-driven decisions. Though the methodology has been around for years, Raha delivers a creative take on determining core values, giving readers space to actively engage (journaling prompts, reflection questions, and useful summaries abound), while escaping a world that he describes as upside-down, “obsessing about great outcomes and not great decisions.” Through parables and personal experience, Raha teaches readers to marry their values to their work, producing a satisfying and fruitful union.

Beginning with a journey through his own life, Raha describes his “narrow mind” and how he broke away from conventional thinking to understand, as his mentor Prof. Ronald Howard, put it, that “you cannot judge the quality of a decision from the quality of the outcome.” The writing is satisfyingly candid, relating personal stories—such as one that details an embarrassing talk that flounders when PowerPoint slides go rogue—to serve as inspiration for Raha’s ideas, and he cautions readers not to think of this book as a “get-rich-quick guidebook,” advising that “listening to your spirit” can lead to decisions others may view as careless or erratic at times.

This book is not material to skim over lightly; it requires intense concentration and reflection. Raha identifies three categories of values that readers can integrate into their work—heart, habit, and head—and offers creative ways to check the validity of those values. Work becomes meaningful when values are followed, he writes, going on to encourage readers that “Great outcomes are out of our control, and so we will focus on investing in great decisions.” To that end, Raha includes graphs and charts that drive his points home and closes with a QR code link to his podcast for further learning.

Takeaway: Refreshing take on why values and work must align for true success.

Comparable Titles: Israel Joshua Chukwubueze’s The Psychology of Decision Making, Joseph Nguyen’s Don't Believe Everything You Think.

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

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Little’s gripping crime thriller, continuing the stories of his characters in Murder for Me, combines psychological suspense and the looming threat of a natural disaster to explore themes of identity, survival, and the lengths people will go to protect what they value most. Set against the backdrop of an approaching hurricane in Houston, Texas, the novel follows the savvy Marilyn, a manipulative swindler whose carefully constructed world of deception threatens to unravel as the storm—and determined ex-detective, O.C. Simms, fired from the force for not bringing Marilyn in—close in on her.

Little’s characterization shines exceptionally bright with Marilyn, a master manipulator who retains the sweet, loving embrace of a mother trying to give her son a good life, even as she takes advantage of everyone else to get what she wants. And what Marilyn wants most is for O.C. to leave her alone: he’s hot on her trail, without permission from the force, and desperate to prove to himself—and the world—that his firing was unjust. Little carefully builds the two distinct sides of Marilyn, a loving mother and scheming monster, in unnerving scenes that find her cuddling her son while considering how to force Timmy, a 27-year-old hacker, to do her evil bidding.

Highlighting the ultimate outcome for hardened criminals, Little uses Timmy’s fate as a presage for Marilyn, who becomes increasingly desperate as O.C. makes headway in discovering her new identity. Outside of his determination to bring Marilyn to justice, Little keeps O.C. fairly contained, never delving too deeply into other aspects of his life (though readers will sense his simmering rage and overwhelming desire to clear his name). The action climaxes when a gunman enters O.C.’s home and threatens his girlfriend and her family, driving O.C.’s final steps toward Marilyn. Though some grammar errors distract, Little expertly balances character development with pulse-pounding action sequences in this stormy offering.

Takeaway: Chilling character study of a master manipulator pursued by a determined ex-cop.

Comparable Titles: Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors.

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

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