Grisly details and uncommon perspectives make this a psychologically captivating mystery, if not one for the squeamish. Charlie Donlea’s "The Girl Who Was Taken" is a uniquely premised, pulse-pounding, psychological thriller about... Read More

"A Garden Wall in Provence" is a pleasing romp through the countryside of France, complete with quirky neighbors and croissants. Carrie Jane Knowles’s "A Garden Wall in Provence" is an utterly charming novella about mothers and... Read More

A funny, touching story is enlivened by literary techniques that will delight word nerds. A quirky but lovable word nerd develops an unusual neurological syndrome, in Man Martin’s "The Lemon Jell-O Syndrome", an intelligent, whimsical... Read More

It is fulfilling to accompany this charming narrator on his journey of transformation. A journey through intense grief is at the heart of Eugene Mirabelli’s deeply affecting novel, "Renato After Alba", a standalone follow-up to Renato... Read More

The prose captivates the senses and makes one yearn for the dazzling seascape it describes so eloquently. Fragile father-daughter and father-son bonds, pernicious sibling rivalry, the complexities of race relations: combine that with a... Read More

Weinberg paints a vivid portrait of a learned man who refused to be silenced. "Dolet" is the engaging tale of a real-life Inquisition-era writer and scholar. Compelling and action-filled, this historical novel portrays an uncelebrated... Read More

Flanked by a quirky cast of characters, this intriguing novel features two amateur detectives who set out to solve the murder of a winemaker. When the heir to one of France’s long-established Cognac wineries drowns, a question arises... Read More

The delightful protagonist of this whodunit is full of spunk and grit, adding intrigue and fun. Racing against the clock, an audacious forensics librarian pairs with with her brother to solve a murder, in Sharon St. George’s "Due for... Read More