Featuring: Meg Charlton, Tess Gerritsen, Gina Gershon, Rachel Howzell Hall, Fonda Lee, Meg Mason, Tim Blake Nelson, Jennifer Niven, Matthew Quirk, Sydney Rende, Cameron Sullivan, Lavie Tidhar

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Meg Charlton, VOYAGERS (Harper)

When the Signal — a mysterious transmission pulsing from the edge of the solar system — arrives, the world changes overnight. Planes are grounded, satellites fail, and speculation abounds. With many believing it could be first contact with extraterrestrial life, humanity holds its breath. But for Alex, a thirtysomething lawyer who’s spent years distancing himself from the unexplainable, the Signal feels deeply personal — the opening of an old wound.

Decades ago, Alex and a girl named Ana both vanished for thirty-six hours while on vacation in Palm Springs. When they returned, dazed but unharmed, the six-year-olds’ account of the experience had all the hallmarks of an alien abduction. The media frenzy that followed made them famous, and the long months of child stardom, of talk shows and sitcom cameos, forged a seemingly unbreakable bond between them — until the mystery behind their disappearance began to tear them apart.

Now, with the world on edge and the Signal growing stronger, Alex is drawn back to the one person who might have answers. Ana — now a professional advocate for experiencers of extraterrestrial contact — is leading a retreat near Palm Springs, a stone’s throw from the site of their childhood disappearance. As the former best friends tentatively reunite, what starts as a quest to confront the reality of their original experience becomes a larger reckoning with friendship, faith, family, and truth itself — what it means to see the stories we tell ourselves for what they really are.

This novel has a lot of comps, apparently: “In the tradition of Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” and “the imaginative soul and propulsive storytelling of Station Eleven and The Ministry of Time“. All of these comparisons are certainly intriguing, though, given that I liked all of them. Looking forward to reading this soon. Voyagers is due to be published by Harper in North America (June 16th) and Borough Press in the UK (July 2nd)

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

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Tess Gerritsen, THE SHADOW FRIENDS (Thomas & Mercer)

A harrowing and emotional thriller where ghosts of the Cold War return with a vengeance — and cannot be outrun.

When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.

Desperate to uncover the truth, Ingrid’s drawn back into the game by a magnetic ex-CIA colleague — and former lover — who was with her on the long-ago doomed mission. He convinces her to join him, and together they head to Amsterdam to track down her would-be killer.

Ingrid’s frantic husband Lloyd and Maggie Bird are close behind, but a clandestine network of assassins is intent on stopping them. Forced to question every allegiance, the Martini Club must rely on the skills they tried to leave behind. Because in this game of revenge and deception, the past never dies — it just hides in the shadows.

The third and highly-anticipated third novel in Gerritsen’s Martini Club series! I thoroughly enjoyed the first two books, so when this came available for review I jumped at the chance — also nice, because I had only seen a tentative 2027 publication date (sorry, UK readers: you will still have to wait until 2027…). I’ll be reading this very soon. The Shadow Friends is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America (August 25th) and Bantam in the UK (January 21st, 2027).

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

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Gina Gershon, ALPHAPUSSY (Akashic Books)

From a wayward California girl growing up in the heart of the porn-born San Fernando Valley, Gina Gershon found herself on a journey that has been anything but traditional. Along the way, she had to learn how to spot the toxic types — in both her personal life and her career — and figure out how to dodge, outsmart, or hustle her way through. From the Valley to the slums of Beverly Hills to New York City, she was confronted with shady characters and sketchy situations, all the while fighting to protect her autonomy as a woman and as an actress with a decidedly unconventional path.

AlphaPussy is a collection of true stories that explore themes of experience, survival, and the art of figuring it out as you go. They include strange encounters with celebrities and film directors such as Paul Verhoeven, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, Prince, Jennifer Tilly, Sylvester Stallone, David Mamet, Bob Fosse, and so many others. Often hilarious, usually cautionary, and almost always wrapped in absurdity, Gershon’s tales explore how she found herself through bad decisions, awkward moments, and cringe-worthy encounters that somehow gave rise to survival skills.

Gershon stresses that while it can be important to listen to others, it’s more important to listen to oneself. To trust your gut. In a world full of bullies, predators, and people trying to tell her who she was, or who she should be, it was crucial for Gershon to become an AlphaPussy: a woman who navigates through this perilous jungle of a world with personal agency and responsibility.

I think Face/Off was the first time I saw Gershon in a movie, and have since seen a ton of her work. Looking forward to reading this memoir. AlphaPussy is due to be published by Akashic Books in North America and in the UK, on March 3rd.

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

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Rachel Howzell Hall, MIST AND MALICE (Thomas & Mercer)

A small-town PI is drawn into a killer conspiracy…

Private investigator Sonny Rush, the newest resident of Haven, California, knows that this fogbound coastal hamlet is every bit as dangerous as her hometown of Los Angeles. And when teenager and repeat runaway Honor Butler shows up at Sonny’s door with terror in her eyes, Sonny is immediately pulled into a new case that lands close to home.

Desperate, hungry, and in need of someone she can trust, Honor tells Sonny a horrifying story about where she’s been — and what she’s been forced to do. Then, hours later, the forest near Sonny’s cottage yields the remains of a missing day laborer, a man whose wife has been searching for answers for months. Soon, coincidence sharpens into conspiracy.

As Sonny digs deeper, the threads of these cases twist together into something horrifying: a ruthless network preying on the vulnerable, protected by the very people meant to uphold the law. With every step closer to revealing Haven’s corruption, Sonny risks pulling the lives of her loved ones into the cross fire — and exposing the shadows of her own past. Because in this town, loyalty can be fatal, and survival means deciding who you’re willing to betray.

I’ve been a big fan of Hall’s novels for some time, now, and I  thoroughly enjoyed last year’s first novel in the Haven series, Fog and Fury. Very glad that readers will get to return to Haven in this second book. (And, who knows, maybe a third and more…?) I am reading it at the moment, so I’ll hopefully have a review up pretty soon — I may save it for a couple of weeks, but nevertheless soon. Mist and Malice is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America and in the UK, on May 19th.

Also on CR: Reviews of Fog and Fury and And Now She’s Gone

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Review copy received via NetGalley

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Fonda Lee, THE LAST CONTRACT OF ISAKO (Orbit)

A battle-worn corporate samurai undertakes one last mission on a merciless planet where death is always a mere breath away…

LIVE BY THE CODE. DIE BY THE KNIFE.

Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow — to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her death. But when she’s offered a final mission, she can’t refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last — and worst — apprentice, who’s somehow made his way to the top. As she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity’s existence among the stars.

The Last Contract of Isako is epic science fiction like only Fonda Lee can write it — set in a world where money trumps loyalty, the elite have the power to extend life or end it, and one woman in the twilight of her calling must decide what’s ultimately worth living — or dying — for.

A new stand-alone(?) novel from the author of the acclaimed Green Bone Saga and others. The synopsis caught my attention (though the cover is also pretty great), and I’m very much looking forward to reading it. The Last Contract of Isako is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on May 5th.

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

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Meg Mason, SOPHIE, STANDING THERE (Harper)

Sophie Pattison loves books. And as well as a dream job at a local book festival, she has a husband she adores, a lifelong best friend, Emma, and a brother she’s always been close to. Which makes you wonder why since Christmas Sophie has been living alone, estranged from Emma, avoiding her brother, and about to be fired.

Now it feels like the only thing she has left is reading. When Sophie re-discovers an author she first read in her twenties, the words on the page reach her in a new way — becoming both solace and company. Devouring every one of her novels, Sophie begins to dream of meeting her, knowing she never will. But what if she did? What if, by then, the author feels like a friend? What if, for Sophie, it feels almost like love?

In this much anticipated novel, Meg Mason captures the heartache and dark humor of our relationships in all their complexity, giving us a story about the power of connection and an ode to the inexplicable nature of the human heart.

This had a little burst of buzz shortly before it was made available for review, and I thought it sounded like it might be interesting. I’m always a little cautious when it comes to novels about books/reading, because if I am unfamiliar with any/all of the books that it features/mentions, then I always feel like I’ve missed something. Nevertheless, I’m looking forward to reading this. Sophie, Standing There is due to be published by Harper in North America (September 8th) and Bloomsbury in the UK (August 27th).

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads
Review copy received via Edleweiss

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Tim Blake Nelson, SUPERHERO (Unnamed Press)

A-list actor Peter Compton and producing partner Marci Levy exist in the rarefied air of Hollywood’s elite. Their status as a married power couple is unmatched, their presence in any room transformative and god-like. But as their private jet lands in Atlanta to begin production on a tentpole superhero movie, even their privileged position will come under threat by the massive pressures of such an  undertaking.

Compton, a self-educated recovering addict, sees the role of Sparta comics superhero Major Machina as the opportunity to transcend his already stratospheric platform. As director Joel Slavkin, Oscar-winning DP Javier Benavidez, and a crew of hundreds arrive in Atlanta to begin shooting, it doesn’t take long for the production to be embroiled in the tension and egos that drive the film. But when video of Peter’s disastrous on-set behavior goes viral, Peter and Marci’s partnership will be challenged as it never has before. As the stakes grow ever higher, it may just take a superhero to save them.

With his signature wit and razor sharp dialog, Tim Blake Nelson invites the reader to walk alongside him as he enters the closely-guarded world of industrial strength cinema.

I recently listened to an interesting interview with Tim Blake Nelson on Kim Masters’s The Business podcast, and the discussion of his latest novel piqued my interest. I’ve seen the author’s work in many movies and TV shows (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Lincoln, Kill the Messenger, Poker Face, and The Lowdown to name just a very small number of his roles — he has 109 credits on IMDb, not including upcoming roles). The publisher was kind enough to share a DRC with me. I also tracked down Nelson’s previous novel, City of Blows, which I hope to read soon. Superhero is out now, published by Unnamed Press in North America and in the UK.

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

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Jennifer Niven, MEET THE NEWMANS (Flatiron Books)

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb — literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.

When Del — the creative motor behind the show — is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?

I missed this novel until the buzz and attention that appeared a couple of weeks before it was published. It’s strange that I missed it, because it looks like a novel that should definitely appeal to me — long-time CR readers will know how much I enjoy novels that are Hollywood-adjacent. (I’ve notice quite an uptick in the number of books either just-published or on the way, in this sub-genre. Hopefully they won’t flood the market, and keep the quality high.) I’ll be reading this very soon. Meet the Newmans is out now, published by Flatiron Books in North America and Macmillan in the UK.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

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Matthew Quirk, THE METHOD (William Morrow)

A silent war.
An unlikely spy.
She’s done playing by their rules.

Actress Anna Vaughn is fearless — on screen, at least. She tends to play doomed brunettes with a badass streak, and has put in countless hours training for parts and learning how to fight, shoot, and drive like a pro.

She likes to believe she is as tough as her characters, but off-camera she leads a far quieter life: trying to keep her acting career alive so she can take care of her younger sister.

When her best friend Natalie, her rock, disappears after a night out with a mysterious new man, the signs point to foul play and a circle of spies operating in Manhattan. Anna must use all the tricks she’s learned for her roles to hunt for her missing friend. She quickly learns the dangers are all too real.

She crosses paths with Kevin Matthews, an FBI agent on the same trail, tracking a string of killings and disappearances and a powerful clique of oligarchs. With Matthews as her handler, she has only days to prepare for the greatest performance of her life — going undercover. She will follow in her friend’s footsteps through the gilded mansions, yachts, and secret clubs of New York to infiltrate the conspiracy and bring Natalie home.

As the killers close in, her only chance for survival is to become as lethal as the characters she once played.

No camera. No script. Just instinct.

The latest novel from the author of The Night Agent, which was recently adapted into a TV show by Netflix (it’s pretty good — season two was a little uneven, though). I’ve been reading Quirk’s novels since his debut, the blisteringly-paced The 500, which I read it in one sitting, late into the night. The Method is out now, published by William Morrow in North America and in the UK.

Also on CR: Reviews of The 500, The Directive, The Night Agent, Red Warning, and Inside Threat

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky

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Sydney Rende, I COULD BE FAMOUS (Bloomsbury)

A debut story collection following ten ambitious women and one male superstar as they pursue their desires — however deluded — for more.

A listless woman befriends an influencer at a rooftop party, only to discover her lifestyle is not as glamorous as it seems. A college freshman gives the world’s longest blow job to a boy whose name she’s forgotten. A fan-favorite reality TV star joins a dating app after an explosive breakup, ready to move on, but finds she’s in control only when cameras are rolling. While working in a hot tub showroom, a struggling actress goes method so she can nail an audition for the role of High School Junkie Girlfriend. Threaded throughout these explorations of neuroses and aspirations is one Arlo Banks, a hotshot actor who faces his own downfall when he’s accused of cannibalism.

I Could Be Famous is a love letter to big ambitions and bigger dissatisfactions, belief in ourselves, and the fascination we hold with the idea that we could — somehow, someday — be famous.

I’ve been waiting for this short story collection for quite some time. I spotted it in a catalogue, I think, and have since seen some pretty good early reactions. I’ll be reading this next. I Could Be Famous is out now, published by Bloomsbury in North America and Fleet in the UK.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram

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Cameron Sullivan, THE RED WINTER (Tor Books)

A devastating love story. A bewitching twist on history. A blood-drenched hunt for purpose, power, and redemption.

In 1785, Professor Sebastian Grave receives the news he fears most: the terrible Beast of Gévaudan has returned, and the French countryside runs red in its wake.

Sebastian knows the Beast. A monster-slayer with centuries of experience, he joined the hunt for the creature twenty years ago and watched it slaughter its way through a long and bloody winter. Even with the help of his indwelling demon, Sarmodel — who takes payment in living hearts — it nearly cost him his life to bring the monster down.

Now, two decades later, Sebastian has been recalled to the hunt by Antoine Avenel d’Ocerne, an estranged lover who shares a dark history with the Beast and a terrible secret with Sebastian. Drawn by both the chance to finish the Beast for good and the promise of a reconciliation with Antoine, Sebastian cannot refuse.

But Gévaudan is not as he remembers it, and Sebastian’s unfinished business is everywhere he looks. Years of misery have driven the people to desperation, and France teeters on the edge of revolution. Sebastian’s arcane activities — not to mention his demonic counterpart — have also attracted the inquisitorial eye of the French clergy. And the Beast is poised to close his jaws around them all and plunge the continent into war.

It seems like a long time since I enjoyed a chunky fantasy novel by a new-to-me author. Sullivan’s Red Winter, however, caught my attention because of the synopsis. It sounds quite different to previous novels in the genre that I’ve recently tried, so I have quite high hopes for it. (It’s also received a fair bit of early praise from contemporary authors and reviewers.) It’s been described as a “masterful retelling of the history you think you know, with dark magic, dark humor, and the lore of the first werewolf.” Looking forward to giving this a try as soon as I can. The Red Winter is due to be published by Tor Books in North America (February 24th) and in the UK (February 26th).

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

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Lavie Tidhar, THREE COFFIN PROBLEM (JABberwocky)

Medieval Europe. A world of darkness. Of Gothic castles, isolated monasteries, of monks and knights and things that go bump in the night. A world where vampires can roam at will… At least, as long as they obey the rules! For a vampire may not murder another vampire. Not unless they have a really good reason to, anyway.

Enter Judge Dee. Ancient. Immortal. Ascetic. His cold intellect draws him wherever a mystery is present, and he will rest at nothing to solve the puzzle. Jonathan, the judge’s human assistant, on the other hand, mostly just wants cheese. With bread, if possible. And some pickles would be nice. After all, it’s not easy spending your life in the company of murderous vampires who only see you as a tasty snack…

Their adventures take them from the warm Italian valleys to the heights of the French Alps as they come face to fang with fiendishly complicated puzzles—not the least of which is love! But as they are drawn inexplicably onwards to London, Jonathan wonders what awaits them when they finally arrive—and what choices he may have to make once they get there.

This is a collection of Tidhar’s excellent Judge Dee short stories, originally published by Reactor/TorDotCom. If you haven’t had the chance to try them, yet, then I’d highly recommend you do. I read most of the stories collected here, already, but I’m looking forward to revisiting them and also reading the others. A must for fans of Golden Age fantasy, but who also want a dash of the supernatural/vampire in them. The Three Coffin Problem is due to be published by JABberwocky in North America and in the UK, on June 16th.

Also on CR: Interview with Lavie Tidhar (2019), Interview with Tidhar & Nir Yaniv (2023); Excerpts from Neom, The Circumference of the World, and The Best of World SF (Tidhar edited); Reviews of The Violent Century and By Force Alone

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