Featuring: Lucinda Berry, Jonathan Coe, Katie Cotugno, Andrew Ewell, Lee Goldberg, K. J. Parker, George Pelecanos, Simon Scarrow, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Douglas Westerbeke, Rob Young, Jeff Zentner

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Lucinda Berry, KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE (Thomas & Mercer)

A fast-paced thriller about how one woman’s murder unravels the tangled web of lies and deceit connecting a group of Hollywood elite.

When Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms’ Club, turns up dead in her own pool, it quickly becomes clear this wasn’t an accident. And the party guests — all members of the exclusive club — are now key suspects in her murder.

Accusations fly, and three mothers find themselves at the center of the investigation. Whitney, Brooke, and Jade all have heavy secrets to bear… and possible motives for their friend’s murder. But as the police look closer, more secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots are revealed than the women could ever imagine.

With everything at stake, deceit threatens to shatter their illusions of the perfect life. West Hollywood will never be the same.

I haven’t read anything by Lucinda Berry before, but the synopsis for this one caught my attention. Hope to read it soon. Keep Your Friends Close is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America and in the UK, on November 7th.

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

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Jonathan Coe, MR. WILDER & ME (Europa Editions)

In the heady summer of 1977, a naïve young woman called Calista sets out from Athens to venture into the wider world. On a Greek island that has been turned into a film set, she finds herself working for the famed Hollywood director Billy Wilder, about whom she knows almost nothing. But the time she spends in this glamorous, unfamiliar new life will change her for good.

While Calista is thrilled with her new adventure, Wilder himself is living with the realization that his star may be on the wane. Rebuffed by Hollywood, he has financed his new film with German money, and when Calista follows him to Munich for the shooting of further scenes, she finds herself joining him on a journey of memory into the dark heart of his family history.

In a novel that is at once a tender coming-of-age story and an intimate portrait of one of cinema’s most intriguing figures, Jonathan Coe turns his gaze on the nature of time and fame, of family and the treacherous lure of nostalgia. When the world is catapulting towards change, do you hold on for dear life or decide it’s time to let go?

Jonathan Coe is an author I’ve long meant to try, but for some reason never have — I think I have three of his other novels, too, somewhere on my Kindle. Anyway, when I was offered a review copy of this novel, I jumped at the chance. Review hopefully soon. Mr. Wilder & Me is out now, published by Europa Editions in North America and Penguin in the UK.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received from publisher

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Katie Cotugno, MEET THE BENEDETTOS (Harper Perennial)

Every family is complicated, and the Benedettos are no exception. A few years after a reality show skyrocketed them to pop culture fame, the five twenty-something sisters are living together in their parent’s crumbling McMansion, almost broke and teetering towards rock bottom. Their fortunes brighten when Charlie Bingley, the dashing star of Captain Fantastic, moves into the neighborhood with Will Darcy, his best friend from Julliard, in tow.

Charlie immediately falls for warm and lovely June, the oldest Benedetto sister. While the Benedetto’s flighty matriarch, Cinta, brashly encourages the potential match, there are plenty of others determined to steer Charlie away from this ridiculous family of reality show has-beens.

Lilly Benedetto, the sensible second oldest sister, is all too aware that her family is viewed as a spectacle. She usually doesn’t care what the world thinks because she faces deeper sorrows. And she most certainly does not have the patience for the likes of Will Darcy, a man plagued by his own private demons. Lilly finds Will to be stuck-up, arrogant, and judgmental. Will thinks Lilly is loud, brash, and defensive. And while the two clash at every turn, they can’t seem to stay away from each other…

Katie Cotugno brings a big, boisterous cast of characters to life in this deliciously sprawling Los Angeles story — a thoroughly fresh and modern tale about a family that’s “famous for being famous,” the ways that preconceived notions make fools of us all, and how unexpected romance can bloom despite the odds.

The new adult novel from the author of Birds of California (which I still have, and need to get around to reading at some point). The pitch is “The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice“, which might not seem like the best way to grab my attention, but it nevertheless did (I have no interest, really, in reality TV…). Looking forward to giving it a try soon. Meet the Benedettos is due to be published by Harper Perennial in North America, on December 5th. (At the time of writing, I couldn’t find any information regarding a UK publisher.)

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

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Andrew Ewell, SET FOR LIFE (Simon & Schuster)

A creative writing professor at a third-tier college in upstate New York is on his way home from a summer fellowship in France, where he’s spent the last three months loafing around Bordeaux, tasting the many varieties of French wine at his disposal, and doing just about anything but actually working on his long overdue novel. A stopover in Brooklyn to see his and his wife’s closest friends — John, a jaded poet-turned-lawyer with a dubious moral compass, and Sophie, a once-promising fiction writer with a complicated past and a mysterious allure — causes further trouble when he and Sophie wind up sleeping together while John is out serenading Brooklyn coeds with poems instead of preparing legal briefs.

But instead of succumbing to his failures as a teacher, writer, and husband, an odd freedom begins to bubble up. Could a love affair be the answer he’s been searching for? Could it offer the escape he needs from the department chair, Chet Bland, who’s been breathing down his neck? Relief from the gossip of colleagues and generational tension with students? Respite from embarrassment over his wife, Debra Crawford, and her meteoric rise as a novelist? His escapades might even make the perfect raw material for an absolutely devastating novel, which would earn him tenure, wealth, and celebrity — everything he needs to be set for life. If only he could be the one to write it.

The synopsis for Ewell’s debut novel caught my attention, and I was lucky enough to receive a DRC of the novel. It’s not out until early next year, so I’ll hold off on the review until closer to release — but I did start reading it pretty soon after I got the DRC. I’ll write a fuller review soon, but I did quite enjoyed it — the protagonists is a bit of an ass, but Ewell’s writing is excellent and reminded me of Jonathan Tropper and maybe a little bit of Richard Russo — however, the novel didn’t quite stick the landing, and the final quarter-or-so didn’t grab me as much as the first half. In some odd ways, while breaking the mould of this genre, it nevertheless didn’t deviate that much from the formula, despite early promise. Set For Life is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in North America and in the UK, on February 6th, 2024.

Follow the Author: Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Lee Goldberg, DREAM TOWN (Thomas & Mercer)

A gated dream town for the megarich becomes a murderous nightmare…

Hidden Hills is a private celebrity enclave of white picket fences and horse trails that seems to exist in a dreamworld. But when reality superstar Kitty Winslow is killed within their gates and corpses are found in the vast state park outside them, LASD detective Eve Ronin realizes there is a deadly, razor-thin line between what’s real and what’s imagined.

Eve discovers that Kitty’s surreal on- and off-camera life, a blur of fact and fantasy, shockingly mirrors her own as she struggles to investigate the killings, wade into a music industry war, and battle a vicious Chilean gang — all while her life is being turned into a fictional cop show directed by her estranged father.

Eve’s grip on reality and the case is strained to the breaking point as the slayings continue, the media frenzy reaches a fever pitch, and the only inescapable truth she can see is death…and it’s coming for her.

This is the fifth novel in Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series. I really enjoyed the first novel, but then inexplicably keep getting distracted when I decide to continue reading the others… I’ll have to add this to the List of Series To Catch Up On — perhaps a plan for 2024? Looking forward to reading this, anyway. Dream Town is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America and in the UK, on January 16th, 2024.

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Review copy received via NetGalley

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K. J. Parker, SAEVUS CORAX CAPTURES THE CASTLE (Orbit)

A heroic tale of honor, friendship, and battlefield salvage.

It’s important to look after your crew when you’re in the battlefield salvage business. It’s stressful work at the best of times, and although your employees are unlikely to be happy it makes sense to keep them alive.

So when Saevus Corax finds himself having to capture a castle to stop his men from being killed, he has no choice but to give it a try. Needless to say, the conventional rules of siegecraft are unlikely to be followed.

This is the third novel in Parker’s new Corax trilogy. I haven’t yet had a chance to read the first in the series — Saevus Corax Deals With the Dead — but I fully intend on getting caught up as soon as I can. (Long-time readers of CR will know how much I love Parker’s fiction.) Saevus Corax Captures the Castle is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on November 21st.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads
Review copy received from publisher

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George Pelecanos, OWNING UP (Mulholland Books)

Four blistering novellas, drawn together by themes of strife, violence, and humanity…

When the son of the Carusos is involved in a hold up, the family home comes under siege in the form of a no-knock warrant. Months after the cops destroyed their home, the Carusos struggle to return to normal. Elsewhere, two former inmates reunite by chance on the set of a TV production. Both have found their way on the straight and narrow path, that is, until one sees the potential for an easy grift. A teenage boy must step into the man he’d like to be as a hostage crisis grips his hometown. A woman adrift meets a man tied to her grandmother’s past, an encounter that awakens her to a bloody history that undergirds the place she grew up.

Pelecanos’ portraits are characterized by shades of grey, resisting the mold of heroes and villains, victims and perpetrators, good and evil. At once streetwise and full of heart, Owning Up grapples with random chance, the bind of consequence, and the forked paths a life can take. 

Pelecanos is an author I really must read more by. All of his books have sounded interesting, and he’s clearly very successful and well-established (he’s also involved in some excellent TV shows, many of which I also have on my Must Watch list — for example, The Wire, Treme, We Own this City, The Deuce). This collection of shorter fiction should be a great introduction to the author’s work. I’ll be reading this as soon as I can. Owning Up is due to be published by Mulholland Books in North America (February 6th, 2024) and Orion in the UK (February 8th).

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

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Simon Scarrow, DEAD OF NIGHT (Kensington)

As Germany strangles under the tight grip of the Nazi Party, the frozen winter of 1940 brings even more reasons to fear the dark in the crackling new WWII crime novel…

One freezing night in 1940 Berlin, an SS doctor and his wife return from an evening mingling with their fellow Nazis at the concert hall. By the time the sun rises, the doctor will be lying lifeless in a pool of blood…

The hurried and official version of the Reich is suicide, but Smesler’s widow doesn’t believe it. At the risk of running afoul of the Gestapo, neither does Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke. The warnings to drop the investigation only compel Schenke to dig deeper. Then Schenke learns of the suspicious death of a child in a remote clinic outside Potsdam.

At first, the cases seem unconnected, but soon chilling links emerge that point to a terrifying secret. Schenke isn’t the only one in jeopardy. So is everyone within his circle, including Smesler’s widow who has a secret of her own.

Under a pitiless regime, how deep into hell are they willing to go to find the truth? And what will it take to make it out alive?

A long time ago, I picked up the first couple of books in Scarrow’s Eagles of Empire series, which I very much enjoyed. After college, when I ended up traveling a lot and took a while to settle down, I drifted away from the series (although I do want to return to it at some point). In the meantime, Scarrow has also turned his hand to historical mysteries/thrillers — which I am very much interested in. This is the second novel in Scarrow’s Berlin Wartime thriller series (or Criminal Inspector Schenke series). I don’t actually remember requesting a review copy of this, but I picked up the UK edition while there, before getting approved for this DRC. Should probably read the two novels, then… Dead of Night is due to be published by Kensington Books in North America, on December 26th; it’s out now in the UK, published by Headline.

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Review copy received via NetGalley

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Adrian Tchaikovsky, HOUSE OF OPEN WOUNDS (Head of Zeus)

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition with the bright flame of reason, so they deliver a mountain of ragged, holed and scorched flesh to the field hospital tents just behind the frontline.

Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.

Led by ‘the Butcher’, an ogre of a man who’s a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit’s motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Their’s is an unspeakable trade: elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers.

Entrusted – for now – with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital’s crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yansic’s thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse.

Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle…

This is the second novel in Tchaikovsky’s City of Last Chances fantasy series. I’ve been really slow about getting around to reading the first, eponymous novel, but I really do hope to do so very soon. I don’t believe I’ve ever been disappointed by a Tchaikovsky book (short story, novella, or novel), so I just need to get over my lingering fantasy-funk and get stuck in. House of Open Wounds is due to be published by Head of Zeus in the UK.

Also on CR: Interview with Adrian Tchaikovsky (2012); Guest Posts on “Nine Books, Six Years, One Stenwold Maker”, “The Art of Gunsmithing — Writing Guns of the Dawn“, “Looking for God in Melnibone Places: Fantasy and Religion”, and “Eye of the Spider”; Excerpt from Guns of the Dawn; Reviews of Empire of Black & Gold, Guns of the Dawn, Children of Ruin, Spiderlight, Ironclads, Made Things, Shards of Earth, One Day All This Will Be Yours, and Ogres

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

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Douglas Westerbeke, A SHORT WALK THROUGH A WIDE WORLD (Avid Reader Press)

An epic debut that charts the incredible, adventurous life of one woman as she journeys the globe trying to outrun a mysterious curse that will destroy her if she stops moving.

Paris, 1885: Aubry Tourvel, a spoiled and stubborn nine-year-old girl, comes across a wooden puzzle ball on her walk home from school. She tosses it over the fence, only to find it in her backpack that evening. Days later, at the family dinner table, she starts to bleed to death.

When medical treatment only makes her worse, she flees to the outskirts of the city, where she realizes that it is this very act of movement that keeps her alive. So begins her lifelong journey on the run from her condition, which won’t allow her to stay anywhere for longer than a few days nor return to a place where she’s already been.

From the scorched dunes of the Calashino Sand Sea to the snow-packed peaks of the Himalayas; from a bottomless well in a Parisian courtyard, to the shelves of an infinite underground library, we follow Aubry as she learns what it takes to survive and ultimately, to truly live. But the longer Aubry wanders and the more desperate she is to share her life with others, the clearer it becomes that the world she travels through may not be quite the same as everyone else’s…

Fiercely independent and hopeful, yet full of longing, Aubry Tourvel is an unforgettable character fighting her way through a world of wonders to find a place she can call home. A spellbinding and inspiring story about discovering meaning in a life that seems otherwise impossible, A Short Walk Through a Wide World reminds us that it’s not the destination, but rather the journey — no matter how long it lasts — that makes us who we are.

I caught the cover reveal for this over on either Twitter or Instagram, and thought the premise was intriguing. I dropped a request on Edelweiss and the publisher was very kind in approving it. I hope to read this pretty soon, but I’ll hold off a little while before publishing a review — there’s a bit of a wait until it arrives on shelves. A Short Walk Through a Wide World is due to be published by Avid Reader Press in North America and in the UK, on April 9th, 2024.

Follow the Author: Goodreads
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Rob Young, LONGSHOT (Black Library)

Transplant. Cadian. Sniper. Legend.

Sergeant Darya Nevic is all of these and more… but behind the stories stands a soldier haunted by the unwelcome fame her successes have brought.

During the Cadian 217th’s assault on the manufactorum world of Attruso, Darya finds herself out of her depth, in a war that is fought with words as much as with weapons. As a fearsome winter closes in and her men begin to die around her, she will be forced to confront her doubts and make an impossible choice – to become the figurehead her soldiers need, or to believe the unimaginable promises of the mysterious t’au.

With the fate of her regiment in her hands, which path will she choose?

Earlier this year, I read one of Young’s short stories, which also featured an Imperial sniper, and very much enjoyed it. So, when this full-length novel was announced, I decided I wanted to give it a try and pre-ordered it. I hope to get to it very soon. Longshot is out now, published by Black Library in North America and in the UK.

Follow the Author: Goodreads

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Jeff Zentner, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT (Grand Central Publishing)

Colton Gentry is riding high. His first hit in nearly a decade has caught fire, he’s opening for country megastar Brant Lucas, and he’s married to one of the hottest acts in the country. But he’s hurting. Only a few weeks earlier, his best friend, Duane, was murdered onstage by a mass shooter at a country music festival. One night, with his trauma festering and Jim Beam flowing through his veins, Colton stands before a sold-out arena crowd of country music fans and offers his unfiltered opinion on guns. It goes over poorly.

Immediately, his career and marriage implode. Left with few choices or funds, he retreats to his rural Kentucky hometown. He’s resigned himself to has-been-dom, until a chance encounter at his town’s new farm-to-table restaurant gives him a second shot at life: a job working in the kitchen with Luann, his first love, who has undergone her own reinvention. Told through perspectives alternating between his senior year of high school, his time coming up with Duane as hungry musicians in Nashville, and the present, COLTON GENTRY’S THIRD ACT is a story of coming home, undoing past heartbreaks, and navigating grief, and is a reminder that there are next acts in life, no matter how unlikely they may seem.

Thought this sounded interesting. I’ve tried a couple of Zentner’s previous novels — his debut didn’t really click for me, but the premise for this one sounded interesting enough that I wanted to give his books another chance. Crossing fingers… I’ll be reading this soon-ish. Colton Gentry’s Third Act is due to be published by Grand Central Publishing in North America and in the UK, on April 30th, 2024.

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