Featuring: David Bell, Sarah Brooks, James S.A. Corey, Fiona Davis, Candice Fox, Austin Grossman, Maya Kessler, Daniel Konstanski, Talia Lavin, Tim Robey, Jason Schreier, Andrea Stewart

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David Bell, STORM WARNING (Berkley)

A man living on a Florida barrier island must protect his family from both an approaching hurricane and a relentless killer.

Jake Powell is racing to get off the island as a powerful hurricane approaches. When he finds his best friend Dallas, the building manager, dead from a blow to the skull, Jake realizes there’s more than the storm to fear. There’s a murderer on the island, maybe even still inside the nearly abandoned building.

Dallas had repeatedly run afoul of the wealthy owners of the building by complaining about code violations and the precarious state of the condos. But he’d also once told Jake that every resident had a secret they’d come to Florida to escape. Had one of them killed to conceal their sins? As a dozen people shelter together in hopes of surviving the deadly hurricane, a second murder makes it all too clear: one of them is a dangerous killer.

When the publisher reached out about this, I don’t think I’d heard of Bell before. Thought the novel sounded interesting, though, so looking forward to giving it a try at some point soon. Storm Warning is due to be published by Berkley in North America and in the UK, on June 25th.

Also on CR: Excerpt from Storm Warning

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Review copy received from publisher

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Sarah Brooks, THE CAUTIOUS TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO THE WASTELANDS (Flatiron)

It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

There is only one way to travel across the Wastelands: on the Trans-Siberian Express, a train as famous for its luxury as for its danger. The train is never short of passengers, eager to catch sight of Wastelands creatures more miraculous and terrifying than anything they could imagine. But on the train’s last journey, something went horribly wrong, though no one seems to remember what exactly happened. Not even Zhang Weiwei, who has spent her life onboard and thought she knew all of the train’s secrets.

Now, the train is about to embark again, with a new set of passengers. Among them are Marya Petrovna, a grieving woman with a borrowed name; Henry Grey, a disgraced naturalist looking for redemption; and Elena, a beguiling stowaway with a powerful connection to the Wastelands itself. Weiwei knows she should report Elena, but she can’t help but be drawn to her. As the girls begin a forbidden friendship, there are warning signs that the rules of the Wastelands are changing and the train might once again be imperiled. Can the passengers trust each other, as the wildness outside threatens to consume them all?

One of my most-anticipated novels of the year. Hope to get to this ASAP. The Cautious Traveller’s Guide to the Wastelands is out now, published by Flatiron Books in North America, on Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

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James S. A. Corey, THE MERCY OF GODS (Orbit)

How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end.

The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy.  Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.

Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team.  Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.

They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure.  Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.

With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.

Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination.  He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.

This is where his story begins.

The first in a new series from the authors of The Expanse. Really looking forward to reading it as soon as I can. The Mercy of Gods is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on August 6th.

Also on CR: Review of Leviathan Wakes

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Review copy received via NetGalley

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Fiona Davis, THE STOLEN QUEEN (Dutton)

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare — a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing… and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past — which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

I haven’t read any of Davis’s books thus far, but I do love a historical mystery. The synopsis caught my attention, and the publisher was kind enough to provide a DRC. It’s not out for some time, but I think I’ll be reading it pretty soon. (I’ll try to hold off on posting a review, though, until a bit closer to its release date.) The Stolen Queen is due to be published by Dutton Books in North America and in the UK, on January 7th, 2025.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Candice Fox, DEVIL’S KITCHEN (Forge Books)

The firefighting crew of Engine 99 has spent years rushing fearlessly into the hot zone of major fires across New York City. This tight-knit, four person unit has faced danger head-on, saving countless lives and stopping raging fires before they can cause major destruction.

They’ve also stolen millions from banks, jewelry stores, and art galleries. Under the cover of saving the city, these men have used their knowledge and specialist equipment to become the most successful heist crew on the East Coast.

Andy Nearland, the newest member of Engine 99, is good at keeping secrets. She’s been brought on to help with their biggest job ever — hitting New York’s largest private storage facility, an expensive treasure trove for the rich and famous.

She’s also an undercover operative, charged with bringing the crew to justice.

Keeping Andy’s true motives hidden proves more and more dangerous as tempers flare and loyalties are tested. And as the clock counts down to the crew’s most daring heist yet, her cover might just go up in flames…

I haven’t read as many of Fox’s novels as I would like — what I have read, though, I’ve very much enjoyed. So, I’m very much looking forward to reading this (and also getting caught up on the author’s previous novels). Devil’s Kitchen is out now, published by Forge Books in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Review of Gathering Dark

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Review copy received via NetGalley

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Austin Grossman, FIGHT ME (Michael Joseph)

Dr Rick Tower is a mild-mannered English professor easing into middle-age at a medium-sized New England college. A genial blur, he thinks. Even his vices are unremarkable.

But it wasn’t always like this. Not until they changed his name, altered his looks and told him: ‘pretend you were never different’.

Because, decades earlier after a very bad day at high school, he was committed to a secret government facility with three other kids, Cat, Jack and Stephanie, each special in their own way. Tested, tutored and trained, this extraordinary quartet were then told to save the world.

It was the best thing that ever happened to them. Until it became the worst.

Now, twenty years after the tragedy that forced him into academic non-entity, a mysterious disappearance means Tower must reunite with his former comrades. Each returns with their own agenda. And while great power might come with great responsibility, there’s little of that on display from any of them.

Combining compelling storytelling and fierce imagination with a rich cast of characters, Fight Me is a page-turning and distinctive thriller, a unique tale of good and evil, and a memorable portrait of man trying to do the right thing at any cost. Against impossible odds…

I somehow managed to miss entirely that this novel was on the way. It wasn’t available in North America for a while (it now is), which was a bit surprising. I hope to get to this very soon. Fight Me is due to be published by Michael Joseph in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Reviews of You and Crooked

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Maya Kessler, ROSENFELD (Avid Reader Press)

A brazenly sexy and scathingly candid novel about a white-hot relationship and the two intractable characters who emerge from it transformed.

Noa Simon is a thirty-six-year-old filmmaker who knows what she wants when she sees it, and when she meets Teddy Rosenfeld, an antagonistic, older CEO, she goes for the jugular. An electrifying encounter in a bathroom stall after their first meeting only serves to whet Noa’s appetite, and despite Teddy’s subsequent rejections, she is exhilarated by the challenge — and by her own insatiability. In her first power play, she takes a job at his office, setting up a battle of the wills that Teddy proves unable to resist. Their ravenous, volatile romance will ultimately unearth difficult secrets from both of their pasts, and finally force Noa to reckon with her deepest desires and most destructive impulses.

Written with visceral intensity and voyeuristic precision, Rosenfeld is a propulsive tale of sexual abandon that titillates and interrogates in equal measure.

This novel has been getting a bit of pre-publication buzz. I don’t really know much about it, nor what to expect from it, but I’m looking forward to giving it a try. (It was a huge hit, apparently, in Israel, where it was first published.) Rosenfeld is due to be published by Avid Reader Press in North America, on November 19th.

Follow the Author: Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Daniel Konstanski, THE SECRET LIFE OF LEGO BRICKS (Unbound)

This first official book for Adult Fans of LEGO® takes the reader on a visually stunning journey from the very earliest hollow bricks to the complex shapes and building techniques of today. 

LEGO bricks are design icons and marvels of engineering. Virtually unchanged for over fifty years, the brick is still at the very centre of LEGO’s ethos: each brick connects to every other brick, allowing the construction of almost anything you can imagine. LEGO minifigures may be the friendly faces of the LEGO world, but bricks in all their different shapes and forms are its very foundation.

The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks explores the brick’s rich history in full colour and unparalleled detail. Granted unprecedented access by the LEGO Group, Daniel Konstantski has interviewed design masters, element testers and the so-called ‘rock stars’, the set designers, to reveal for the first time how and why new LEGO bricks are made. 

This is the book the fans have always wanted: a truly behind-the-scenes look at the story of the beloved LEGO brick and the company which makes it, with a wealth of exclusive visual material from the LEGO Archive in Billund.

Who doesn’t love Lego? Saw this available for review request, and I thought it would be interesting to read. I couldn’t find much information about the author online, but his name pops up a lot in the Lego-related corners of social media (for example, check out this build) — I assumed it existed, but damn, there’s a lot of Lego-related content online… Looking forward to reading the book soon. The Secret Life of Lego Bricks is due to be published by Unbound in the UK (September 19th) and Sourcebooks in North America (September 24th).

Follow the Author: Goodreads
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Talia Lavin, WILD FAITH (Legacy Lit)

An investigation into the rise of the Christian right over the last half-century that lays out the grim vision Evangelicals are enforcing on our democracy.

All across America, a storm is gathering: from book bans in school libraries to anti-trans laws in state legislatures; firebombings of abortion clinics and protests against gay rights. The Christian right, a political force in America for more than half a century, has never been more powerful than it is right now — and propelled Donald Trump to power, and they won’t stop until they’ve refashioned America in their own image.

In Wild Faith: How the Christian Right is Taking Over America, author Talia Lavin goes deep into the beliefs that motivate the Christian right, from its segregationist past to a future riddled with apocalyptic visions. Along the way, she explores what motivates anti-abortion terrorists; the Christian Patriarchy movement, with its desire to place all women under absolute male control; the twisted theology that leads to rampant child abuse; and the ways conspiracy theorists and extremist Christians influence each other to mutual political benefit.

Using primary sources and firsthand accounts, Lavin introduces readers to “deliverance ministers” who carry out exorcisms by the hundred; modern-day, self-proclaimed prophets and apostles; Christian militias, cults, zealots, and showmen; and the people in power who are aiding them to achieve their goals.

From school boards to the Supreme Court, Christian theocracy is ascendant in America — and only through exploring its motivations and impacts can we understand the crisis we face. Can a multiracial democracy survive in the face of an organized, fervent theocratic movement, one that seeks to impose its religious beliefs on every citizen of this country — whether they believe in Jesus, or somebody else, or no God at all?

The new book from the author of Culture Warlords. As someone who started to pay real attention to US politics with the election of George W. Bush, I’ve long been fascinated by the place of the Christian Right in America’s political sphere. Really looking forward to reading this, and hope to start it very soon. Wild Faith is due to be published by Legacy Lit in North America and in the UK, on October 15th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Tim Robey, BOX OFFICE POISON (Hanover Square Press)

A riotous and revealing story of Hollywood’s most spectacular flops and how they ended careers, bankrupted studios and changed film history.

“Failure fascinates, for all the reasons that success is a drag…”

From grand follies to misunderstood masterpieces, disastrous sequels to catastrophic literary adaptations, Box Office Poison tells a hugely entertaining alternative history of Hollywood, through a century of its most notable flops. What can these films tell us about the Hollywood system, the public’s appetite – or lack of it – and the circumstances that saw such flops actually made? Away from the canon, this is the definitive take on these ill-fated, but essential celluloid failures.

Robey covers a vast century of flops, including: Intolerance; Queen Kelly; Freaks; Sylvia Scarlett; The Magnificent Ambersons; Land of the Pharoahs; Doctor Dolittle; Sorcerer; Dune; The Adventures of Baron Munchausen; Nothing But Trouble; The Hudsucker Proxy; Cutthroat Island; Speed 2: Cruise Control; Babe: Pig in the City; Supernova; Rollerball; The Adventures of Pluto Nash; Gigli; Alexander; Catwoman; A Sound of Thunder; Speed Racer; Synecdoche, New York; Pan; and Cats.

From Daily Telegraph film critic Tim Robey, this is a brilliantly fun exploration of human nature and stupidity in some of the greatest (or most disastrous) film flops throughout history.

Thought this sounded interesting — so often, it’s the successes that get all the attention, but often the stories behind “busts” can also be illuminating, informative, and interesting. Box Office Poison is due to be published by Hanover Square Press in North America (November 5th), and Faber & Faber in the UK (November 7th).

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Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Jason Schreier, PLAY NICE (Grand Central Publishing)

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known to celebrate the joy of gaming over all else. What was once two UCLA students’ simple mission — to make games they wanted to play — launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.

But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard’s proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company’s once pristine image. Then, in 2021, a staggering sexual misconduct and discrimination lawsuit against the company triggered a widespread reckoning and a shocking $69 billion acquisition.

Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment. From previously unrevealed stories of Blizzard’s early culture, including fist fights and a hotel ban, to the full story of Titan, Blizzard’s most high-profile canceled project, and the behind-the-scenes saga of how Blizzard executives battled their Activision overlords tooth and nail, this book explores the delight and despair of what it really means to “bleed Blizzard blue.” Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.

I remember playing a demo of Warcraft, many years ago. I enjoyed it, but wasn’t in a position to buy the full game. In fact, I never bought any Warcraft game, and have never played World of Warcraft (although, I know some people who love it). I have, therefore, been aware of Blizzard for what feels like decades at this point. So, when I saw this book was available for review, I thought I’d give it a try. Play Nice is due to be published by Grand Central Publishing in North America and in the UK, on October 8th.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley

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Andrea Stewart, THE GODS BELOW (Orbit)

A story of magic, betrayal, love, and loyalty, where two sisters will clash on opposite sides of a war against the gods.

A divine war shattered the world leaving humanity in ruins. Desperate for hope, they struck a deal with the devious god Kluehnn: He would restore the world to its former glory, but at a price so steep it would keep the mortals indebted to him for eternity. And, as each land was transformed, so too were its people changed into strange new forms – if they survived at all.

Hakara is not willing to pay such a price. Desperate to protect herself, and her sister Rasha, she flees her homeland for the safety of a neighboring kingdom. But when tragedy separates them, Hakara is forced to abandon her beloved sister to an unknown fate.

Alone and desperate for answers on the wrong side of the world, Hakara discovers she can channel the magic from the mysterious gems they are forced to mine for Kluehnn. With that discovery comes another: her sister is alive, and only the rebels plotting to destroy the God Pact can help rescue her.

But only if Hakara goes to war against a god.

This is the first novel in Stewart’s new Hollow Covenant fantasy series. I haven’t had a chance to read the author’s first trilogy (so many books, so little time), but I’ve heard nothing by good things about the books. So, I thought I’d give this new one a try, as my introduction to her work. The Gods Below is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on September 3rd.

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Review copy received via NetGalley