Featuring: Madeline Ashby, Holly Baxter, Rosalind Brown, Ron Corbett, Sebastien de Castell, Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack, Gareth Hanrahan, Matthew Hart, Adelle Waldman, Craig Whitlock, Don Winslow, Josh Young & Manfred Westphal

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Madeline Ashby, GLASS HOUSES (Tor Books)

A near future whodunit for fans of Glass Onion and Black Mirror; join a stranded start-up team led by a terrifyingly realistic charismatic billionaire, a deserted tropical island, and a mysterious AI-driven mansion — as the remaining members disappear one by one.

A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.

Luckily, those who survived have found a beautiful, fully-stocked private palace, with all the latest technological updates (though one without connection to the outside world). The house, however, has more secrets than anyone might have guessed, and a much darker reason for having been built and left behind.

Kristen, the hyper-competent “chief emotional manager” (i.e., the eccentric boyish billionaire-CEO Sumter’s idea of an HR department) is trying to keep her colleagues stable throughout this new challenge, but staying sane seems to be as much of a challenge as staying alive. Being a woman in technology has always meant having to be smarter than anyone expects….and Kristen’s survival skills are more impressive than anyone knows.

I’m a fan of Ashby’s work, and this novel sounds very interesting. Looking forward to reading it as soon as I can. Glass Houses is due to be published by Tor Books in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Interview with Madeline Ashby (2012); Guest Post on “How Do You Make Non-Humans Seem Human?”

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

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Holly Baxter, CLICKBAIT (Harper Perennial)

The first thing they tell you when you begin your training is never to become the news.

Natasha has screwed up royally. Her mistake isn’t just embarrassing, it’s a breach of journalistic ethics that makes headlines and costs her a plum job reporting from London. Back in New York at thirty-five and single, divorced from a kind man she loved, she finds herself at the bottom of the media food chain — a junior reporter at a clickbait factory, rewriting sensational tabloid stories to make them just different enough to avoid lawsuits.

As if her professional fall from grace weren’t bad enough, she’s taken the money she’d saved for a down payment for a home on a charming Brooklyn block with her husband, and rashly bought a boxy apartment overlooking the gray ocean in Rockaway Beach, Queens.

Though seeing friends and family only serves to remind her of what she’s lost, things begin to pick up when her ex-boyfriend Zach moves back to New York and accepts her offer of a spare bedroom. The arrangement is strictly platonic, of course — for him. But Natasha can’t help but wonder whether he might be the solution to all her problems.

As Natasha’s obsession with Zach grows and her involvement in increasingly dystopian “churnalism” deepens, her worlds threaten to collide in the most cataclysmic, extremely public way.

Thought this sounded really interesting. Will read very soon. Clickbait is due to be published by Harper Perennial in North America and in the UK.

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

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Rosalind Brown, PRACTICE (FSG Books)

A day in the life of a young student who experiences her thoughts, fantasies, and wishes as she writes about — or tries to write about — Shakespeare’s sonnets.

Rosalind Brown’s Practice shows us just one day. Annabel, sitting in her small student room, attempts to write an essay about Shakespeare. She follows a meticulous, solitary routine but finds it repeatedly thrown off course as the day progresses: by family and friends who demand her attention and time, by thoughts of her much older boyfriend and his impending visit, by wild sexual fantasies and stories of her own invented characters — and by darker crises, obliquely glimpsed but capable of derailing Annabel’s carefully laid plans.

A while ago, I saw some early, positive buzz for this short novel. I took a punt, and requested it for review, and I’m very happy that I was approved for it. I started reading it shortly after receiving it. (Review soon.) Practice is due to be published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in North America (June 25th) and Weidenfeld & Nicolson in the UK (out now).

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

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Ron Corbett, CAPE RAGE (Berkley)

Danny Barrett is caught between a family of criminals and the psychopath who is tracking them…

The FBI has a hundred undercover agents who can work in the city, but Danny Barrett is the one they call when they need someone to investigate crimes in the wilderness.

This case is a particularly difficult one. For more than a century the Danby family have ruled as kings in their corner of the Pacific Northwest. The Feds were mostly willing to look the other way while the family smuggled everything from liquor to cigarettes across the border, but lately things have taken a darker turn.

A recent bank robbery in Seattle looks like it may have been committed by the Danbys, but there’s no way the FBI can get any locals to turn against them. Only Danny Barrett has what it takes to get inside the organization and shut them down.

But before Danny can do that he’s going to have to contend with Henry Carter, a former in-law and current psychopath. The Danbys thought they left Henry for dead in the deepest part of the woods, but he’s coming back. He’ll go to hell to get his revenge, and he’s willing to take the whole family with him.

The premise for Corbett’s second Danny Barrett novel caught my attention, when the publisher reached out. I didn’t realize it was the second novel in a series, though, so I’ll have to get the first (The Sweet Goodbye) before reading Cape Rage — which I fully intend on doing. Cape Rage is due to be published by Berkley in North America and in the UK.

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

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Sebastien de Castell, PLAY OF SHADOWS (Mobius)

Swordplay, magic, intrigue and friendships stronger than iron: the first volume in the new swashbuckling fantasy series set in the universe of THE GREATCOATS.

Damelas Chademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel.

He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer.

With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed grandson of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.

Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…

I thoroughly enjoyed de Castell’s first two Greatcoats novels, so the fact that he has returned to that world is a great thing. It has also given me the poke in the memory that I have the other books to catch up on, so I can read this one! A project for the spring/summer, I think. Play of Shadows is due to be published by Mobius Books in North America (April 2nd), and Jo Fletcher Books in the UK (out now).

Also on CR: Interviews with Sebastien de Castell — 2014 and 2017; Guest Post on “Where Writers Get Their Groove”, “Malevolent Seven — Infernalist Magic”; Excerpt from Crucible of Chaos

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

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Melissa Fitzgerald & Mary McCormack, WHAT’S NEXT? (Dutton)

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, What’s Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television.

What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.

I have been eagerly anticipating this book ever since it was announced (which actually wasn’t that long ago, but anyway). I started reading it as soon as I had the review copy. Review soon. (TL;DR version: a must for all fans of The West Wing.) What’s Next? is due to be published by Dutton in North America and Headline in the UK, on August 13th.

Follow the Author (Fitzgerald): Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Follow the Author (McCormack): Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via Edelweiss

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Gareth Hanrahan, THE SWORD UNBOUND (Orbit)

He thought he was saving the world. That was his first mistake.

Twenty years ago, Alf and his companions defeated the Dark Lord and claimed his city. Now, those few of the Nine that remain find themselves unwilling rebels, defying the authority of both the mortal lords they once served and the immortal king of the elves — the secret architect of everything they’ve ever known.

Once lauded as a mighty hero, Alf is now labelled a traitor and hunted by the very gods he seeks to bring down. As desperate rebellion blazes across the land, Alf seeks the right path through a maze of conspiracy, wielding a weapon of evil. The black sword Spellbreaker, ever hungry for slaughter, has found its purpose in these dark days. But can Aelfric remain a hero, or is his legend tarnished forever?

The second novel in Hanrahan’s second fantasy series with Orbit, Lands of the Firstborn. I’ve let the first book slip by unread, but I’m keen to get caught up as soon as I can — the author has a real gift for world-building and writing gripping plots. The Sword Unbound is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on May 7th.

Also on CR: Interview with Gareth Hanrahan (2019); Excerpt from The Sword Defiant

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

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Matthew Hart, THE LUCIFER CUT (Pegasus)

When a New York diamond dealer and his wife are found dead in a chilling assassination, and a mysterious gem — the Lucifer Cut — goes missing, U.S. Treasury agent Alex Turner and his lover, the billionaire Russian diamond thief known as Slav Lily, are thrust into a web of global intrigue. Uncertain they can even trust each other, the two find themselves on the trail of a secret so lethal it threatens not only the world diamond trade but the national security of the United States.

In a fiction first, diamond expert Matthew Hart tears the curtain from the secretive world of lab-grown diamonds, where master “chefs” create astonishing gems in the 8,000-degree furnaces of their reactors. Finally one of them makes what no one thought possible — a fake so perfect not even experts can unmask it. But as Alex and Lily soon discover, its allure is even more profound than its beauty as a jewel, and the stone ignites a murderous race from New York to London and finally to Cape Town, as a deadly enemy tries to beat them to the diamond.

With knife-sharp dialogue and lacerating irony, Alex and Lily navigate an ever-shifting underworld and the storms of their own desire as they rush to unravel the enigma of the Lucifer Cut and the treacheries of the human heart.

This is the third novel by Hart, and another intriguing-sounding caper/mystery. I need to catch up with the other books, but I am very much looking forward to doing so. The Lucifer Cut is due to be published by Pegasus in North America and in the UK, on June 11th.

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

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Adelle Waldman, HELP WANTED (W. W. Norton)

Every day at 3:55 a.m., members of Team Movement clock in for their shift at big-box store Town Square in a small upstate New York town. Under the eyes of a self-absorbed and barely competent boss, they empty the day’s truck of merchandise, stock the shelves, and scatter before the store opens and customers arrive. Their lives follow a familiar if grueling routine, but their real problem is that Town Square doesn’t schedule them for enough hours — most of them are barely getting by, even while working second or third jobs.

When store manager Big Will announces he is leaving, the members of Movement spot an opportunity. If they play their cards right, one of them just might land a management job, with all the stability and possibility for advancement that that implies. The members of Team Movement — including a comedy-obsessed oddball who acts half his age, a young woman clinging on to her “cool kid” status from high school, and a college football hopeful trying to find a new path — band together to set a just-so-crazy-it-might-work plot in motion.

I really enjoyed Waldman’s novella New Year’s, a prequel to The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. (a novel I really need to get around to reading). The premise for the author’s latest really caught my attention, and the following buzz that has surrounded the book has only increased my interest. Looking forward to reading it as soon as I can. Help Wanted is out now, published by W. W. Norton in North America, and Serpent’s Tail in the UK.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter

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Craig Whitlock, FAT LEONARD (Simon & Schuster)

An account of one of the biggest public corruption scandals in American history — exposing how a charismatic Malaysian defense contractor bribed scores of high-ranking military officers, defrauded the US Navy of tens of millions of dollars, and jeopardized our nation’s security.

All the admirals in the US Navy knew Leonard Glenn Francis — either personally or by his legendary reputation. He was the larger-than-life defense contractor who greeted them on the pier whenever they visited ports in Asia, ready to show them a good time after weeks at sea while his company resupplied their ships and submarines. He was famed throughout the fleet for the gluttonous parties he hosted for officers: $1,000-per-person dinners at Asia’s swankiest restaurants, featuring unlimited Dom Pérignon, Cuban cigars, and sexy young women.

On the surface, with his flawless American accent, he seemed like a true friend of the Navy. What the brass didn’t realize, until far too late, was that Francis had seduced them by exploiting their entitlement and hubris. While he was bribing them with gifts, lavish meals, and booze-fueled orgies, he was making himself obscenely wealthy by bilking American taxpayers. Worse, he was stealing military secrets from under the admirals’ noses and compromising national security.

Based on reams of confidential documents — including the blackmail files that Francis kept on Navy officers — Fat Leonard is the full, unvarnished story of a world-class con man and a captivating testament to the corrosive influence of greed within the ranks of the American military.

The new book from the author of The Afghanistan Papers (a very good deep-dive into the US’s war in Afghanistan). An intriguing premise, and looking forward to diving in. Fat Leonard is due to be published by Simon & Schuster in North America (May 14th) and Free Press in the UK (June 6th).

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

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Don Winslow, CITY IN RUINS (Harper)

Sometimes you have to become what you hate to protect what you love.

Danny Ryan is rich. Beyond his wildest dreams rich.

The former dock worker, Irish mob soldier and fugitive from the law is now a respected businessman – a Las Vegas casino mogul and billionaire silent partner in a group that owns two lavish hotels. Finally, Danny has it all: a beautiful house, a child he adores, a woman he might even fall in love with.

Life is good. But then Danny reaches too far.

When he tries to buy an old hotel on a prime piece of real estate with plans to build his dream resort, he triggers a war against Las Vegas power brokers, a powerful FBI agent bent on revenge and a rival casino owner with dark connections of his own.

Danny thought he had buried his past, but now it reaches up to him from the grave to pull him down. Old enemies surface, and when they come for Danny they vow to take everything – not only his empire, not just his life, but all that he holds dear, including his son.

To save his life and everything he loves, Danny must become the ruthless fighter he once was – and never wanted to be again.

Ranging from the gritty back rooms of Providence, RI to the power corridors of Washington, DC and Wall Street to the golden casinos of Las Vegas, City in Ruins is an epic crime novel of love and hate, ambition and desperation, vengeance and compassion.

The final novel in Winslow’s Danny Ryan trilogy, and also his final novel. I’m still not entirely sure why he’s retiring from writing, but it is what it is. He’s a great author, and I still have many of his back catalogue to catch up on (something I’m very much looking forward to doing). I’ve already read and reviewed this book — fans of the author will find much of what they’ve come to love in his work, and it’s a mostly satisfying end to the trilogy. City in Ruins is due to be published by Harper in the UK, and William Morrow in North America, on April 2nd.

Also on CR: Reviews of The Force, Broken, City on Fire, City of Dreams, and City in Ruins

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

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Josh Young & Manfred Westphal, THE FIXER (Grand Central Publishing)

A riveting tell-all biography that delves into the extraordinary life of Hollywood’s most infamous private detective and “fixer” to the stars, revealing newly discovered shocking revelations from his never-before-seen investigative files.

During the height of Hollywood’s golden age, one man lorded over the city’s lurid underbelly of forbidden sin and celebrity scandal like no other: Fred Otash. An ex-Marine turned L.A.P.D. vice cop, Otash became the most sought-after private detective and fixer to the stars by specializing in the dark arts that would soon dominate the entertainment industry.

Otash was notorious for bugging the homes, offices, and playpens of movie stars, kingmakers, and powerful politicians, employing then state-of-the-art methods of electronic surveillance and wiretapping for a who’s who list of clients for whom he’d do “anything short of murder.”  He lied to federal authorities to protect Frank Sinatra from criminal liability; recorded Rock Hudson’s coming out confession to his estranged wife; moved in with Judy Garland to help her get sober; taped President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy’s tragic love affairs with the greatest sex symbol of all time, and he listened to Marilyn Monroe die.

Based on Otash’s never-before-seen investigative files and personal archives, THE FIXER takes readers inside the sensational and nefarious world of the man whose art imitating life inspired the private eye characters portrayed by Jack Nicholson in Chinatown and Russell Crowe in LA Confidential.

As a big reader of Hollywood history (and fiction related to that industry), I thought this sounded quite interesting. Looking forward to giving it a try as soon as I can. The Fixer is due to be published by Grand Central Publishing in North America and in the UK, on April 16th.

Follow the Author (Young): Goodreads
Follow the Author (Westphal): Goodreads
Review copy received via NetGalley