Featuring: David Baldacci, Sash Bischoff, Ron Currie, Matthew Gabriele & David M. Perry, Amy Gamerman, Lev Grossman, Bella Mackie, Brittany Newell, Robin Niblett, Gail Simone, Elissa R. Sloan, Maggie Su
Year: 2024
Upcoming: THE SUMMER GUESTS by Tess Gerritsen (Penguin/Thomas & Mercer)
In March 2025, readers will be able to get their hands on The Summer Guests, the second novel in Tess Gerritsen‘s Martini Club series. The Spy Coast was, somewhat surprisingly, the first of Gerritsen’s novels that I read, and it left me very keen to read more. As I finished it, the sequel had already been announced by Thomas & Mercer (North American publisher), and yesterday I noticed that the cover artwork had been unveiled for both the UK and North American editions. One of my most-anticipated reads of next year, here’s the synopsis:
The chilling follow-up to The Spy Coast, plunging the Martini Club into the search for a missing teen — with a startling connection to their own pasts.
When former spy Maggie Bird retired to the seaside hamlet of Purity, Maine, she settled in for a quiet life with breathtaking views. But enemies from her past soon threatened to destroy everything.
Maggie survived, thanks to her wits and the collective intelligence of the Martini Club, the circle of ex-CIA friends in her cocktail-sipping book club. Their handiwork, however, caught the attention of young police chief Jo Thibodeau. Now Jo and her neighborhood ex-spies have an uneasy alliance.
After a teenager vanishes — and Maggie’s neighbor becomes the prime suspect — she joins the investigation, determined to prove her friend’s innocence. But the girl’s wealthy family pushes for an arrest. And when authorities discover a long-dead corpse in a nearby pond, the case becomes doubly complicated, with unthinkable ties to long-buried secrets.
As Jo grapples with two unexplained mysteries, the Martini Club races to uncover the truth behind shadowy secrets… before more lives are lost.
Tess Gerritsen’s The Summer Guests is due to be published by Bantam Books in the UK (March 27th, 2025) and Thomas & Mercer in North America (March).
Also on CR: Review of The Spy Coast
Quick Review: THE SPY WHO VANISHED by Alma Katsu (Amazon Original)
An intriguing and engaging espionage tale from Alma Katsu
The Spy Who Vanished is a three-part journey into the political unrest that forces Russia’s most famous spy to choose between his legacy and who he wants to become. Read or listen to each immersive story in a single sitting.
I’m a big fan of Alma Katsu’s spy fiction — I loved Red Widow and Red London, in particular — and so when I saw that the author had written a three-part espionage story for Amazon, I jumped at the chance to read it. Continue reading
Quick Review: DEVIL’S KITCHEN by Candice Fox (Forge Books)
An undercover investigator works to bring down an arson crew in New York City
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…
This is only the second novel by Candice Fox that I’ve read. Given how much I enjoyed this and Gathering Dark, it’s a bit strange that I haven’t read more. Devil’s Kitchen is a fast-paced, engaging mystery with great characters. I enjoyed this a lot. Continue reading
Excerpt: THE TRAP by Ava Glass (Cornerstone)
A few days ago (August 1st), Penguin Cornerstone published the latest novel by Ava Glass, The Trap. It’s the third novel starring investigator Emma Makepeace (after Alias Emma and The Traitor). As part of the blog tour to mark the release, the publisher has provided CR with an extract, drawn from Chapters 2 and 23 of the novel. (See full tour details at the end of this post.) First, here’s the synopsis:
How far would you go to catch a killer?
This is the question UK agent Emma Makepeace must ask herself when she is sent to Edinburgh for the upcoming global G7 Summit.
The Russians are in town and Emma and her team know a high-profile assassination is being planned.
But who is their target?
There is only one way to find out. Emma must set a trap using herself as bait.
As the most powerful leaders in the world arrive and the city becomes gridlocked, Emma knows the clock is ticking
Excerpt: WITCH QUEEN OF REDWINTER by Ed McDonald (Tor Books)
On November 12th, Tor Books is due to publish WITCH QUEEN OF REDWINTER by Ed McDonald, the third novel in the Redwinter series. To mark the upcoming release, and to whet readers’ appetites for the novel, the publisher has allowed CR to share the first two chapters! Before we get to the excerpt, here’s the synopsis:
Having been saved from execution at the hands of the Draoihn — powerful magic users Raine used to count as allies — Raine finds herself in the Fault, a vast magical wasteland, which is falling apart before her eyes.
Alongside her two closest companions, they are searching for the only person Raine believes can help them get back home: the enigmatic and infuriatingly elusive Queen of Feathers.
But what home are they trying to get back to? Ovitus LacNaithe, power-hungry traitor that he is, has taken control of the Draoihn and is unwittingly doing the bidding of a darker master. He is soon to take control of the Crown of Harranir and plunge the land into unending darkness.
The fate of two worlds hangs in the balance. The stakes have never been higher. It’s going to take Raine’s dark, terrible powers, as well as the unbreakable bond of three friends, to ensure everyone lives to see the dawn.
Quick Review: DOUBLE EXPOSURE by Elissa R. Sloan (William Morrow)
An interesting, albeit flawed look at Hollywood celebrity culture
A sweeping drama about two A-list stars — a former star couple — as they cross each other’s paths over and over again through the years, in a story that examines the work we have to do in order to grow into the people we want to become.
Maiko Fox and Adrian Hightower were young, beautiful, in love… and famous. The latest model to grace the Valentina Posh runway show and the hottest new superhero actor were Hollywood’s breakout couple. They were in every magazine, all over the most popular celebrity-blogs, and on countless E! News stories.
They starred in a blockbuster film together, reaping box-office gold. Fans were at a fever pitch. No one could get enough of Madrian, the couple that printed money for the studios, for the paparazzi, for themselves.
But then, their relationship crumbled.
Years later, with Adrian topping the Hollywood A-list as a writer and director, dating the country’s biggest pop star, and Maiko starring in movies for her celebrated producer-director husband, they live totally different lives. But they can never be too far apart. Madrian is still a box office draw, and the studios keep throwing them together.
As the two grow more and more entangled again professionally, Maiko and Adrian have to reckon with themselves: are they happy with their current lives? Or have they grown to be better people when with each other?
I enjoyed Sloan’s debut novel, The Unravelling of Cassidy Holmes, which focused on the fallout of a pop star taking her own life. In this third novel, Sloan takes another look at celebrity culture: specifically, celebrity couples, and the ways in which careers and relationships can become intertwined in the entertainment industry. I had very high hopes for this novel, and there’s some interesting stuff in here; but, ultimately, it didn’t feel as accomplished or gripping as the author’s debut. Continue reading
Excerpt (2): NEW ADVENTURES IN SPACE OPERA, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Tachyon Publications)
On August 13th, Tachyon Publications are due to publish New Adventures in Space Opera, the latest fantastic new collection of science fiction edited by Jonathan Strahan. To celebrate the upcoming release, the publisher has provided CR with two excerpts! The first excerpt went up on last week, and the second — from Charlie Jane Anders‘s “A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime” — is below.
First, here’s the anthology’s synopsis:
Award-winning science fiction editor Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction of the Year series) presents this quintessential guide to the New Space Opera, showcasing short stories from fifteen of acclaimed speculative fiction authors, including Charlie Jane Anders, Alastair Reynolds, Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Ann Leckie, Sam J. Miller, and more.
In “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance,” a cloud-based contractor finds a human war criminal clinging to the hull of the ship. The clones of “All the Colours You Thought Were Kings,” about to attend their coming-of-age ceremony, are also plotting treason. During “A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime,” two outlaws go on the run after stealing a device from a space cult.
Take a faster-than-light trip to the future. Discover where memes rise and fall in moments. Here are the new, adventurous, and extremely efficient–takes on interstellar battles, sentient spaceships, and galactic intrigue. The future is sooner than you think, and there’s only so much time to visit.
New Books (June-July 2024)
Featuring: Mike Brooks, Joseph Finder, John French, Richard Grant, James Lee Hernandez & Brian Lazarte, Luis Jaramillo, Joseph Kanon, Alma Katsu, Hayley Krischer, David List, Hannah McGregor, Robert Rath, Neal Stephenson, Andrea Warner, Thomas J. Whalen
Excerpt (1): NEW ADVENTURES IN SPACE OPERA, edited by Jonathan Strahan (Tachyon Publications)
Next month, Tachyon Publications are due to publish New Adventures in Space Opera — a fantastic new collection of science fiction, edited by Jonathan Strahan and featuring a great many talented authors. To celebrate the pending release (it’s out on August 13th), the publisher has provided CR with two excerpts! The first excerpt, below, is from Tobias S. Buckell‘s “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance”. The second excerpt will go up next week.
Here’s the anthology’s synopsis:
Award-winning science fiction editor Jonathan Strahan (The Best Science Fiction of the Year series) presents this quintessential guide to the New Space Opera, showcasing short stories from fifteen of acclaimed speculative fiction authors, including Charlie Jane Anders, Alastair Reynolds, Yoon Ha Lee, Becky Chambers, Ann Leckie, Sam J. Miller, and more.
In “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance,” a cloud-based contractor finds a human war criminal clinging to the hull of the ship. The clones of “All the Colours You Thought Were Kings,” about to attend their coming-of-age ceremony, are also plotting treason. During “A Temporary Embarrassment in Spacetime,” two outlaws go on the run after stealing a device from a space cult.
Take a faster-than-light trip to the future. Discover where memes rise and fall in moments. Here are the new, adventurous, and extremely efficient–takes on interstellar battles, sentient spaceships, and galactic intrigue. The future is sooner than you think, and there’s only so much time to visit.
Civilian Reader 