Featuring: M.R. Carey, Alice Cooper, Gil Durán, Lee Goldberg, Ryan Graudin, Christopher Lloyd, Robert Miner, Antony Penrose, Ben Rhodes, Alex Segura, Kayla Rae Whitaker, Alex Wright
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M.R. Carey, THE TINDER BOX (Orbit)
In a kingdom forgotten by history, a legend unfolds…
Wounded in his county’s endless wars, former soldier Mag Tresti finds work in the home of a reclusive widow, Jannae Mirchella. But Jannae is more than she seems. A witch of great skill and might, she hides her powers and her deep-laid plans behind a mask of harmless respectability.
When a dead demon falls out of the sky, the fates of the soldier and the witch are irrevocably intertwined. On the demon’s body Mag finds a tinderbox — an artefact of terrifying magical power that can not only grant his every wish, but also change the fate of nations.
This is a tale of spellcraft and devilry, of witchcraft and trickery — of the wickedness that resides within a few, the goodness that lies deep within us all, and the choices on which our lives turn.
Like many people, I really discovered Carey’s books with the excellent The Girl With All the Gifts, and have been a happy reader ever since. I’ve fallen a little behind (his recent sci-fi novels look particularly interesting, though), and do hope to get caught up. This latest novel sounds intriguing, so I may start my catch-up with this one, depending on my mood. The Tinder Box is due to be published by Orbit Books in North America and in the UK, on June 23rd.
Also on CR: Guest Post on “Writing Strong Women”; Review of The Girl With All the Gifts
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Alice Cooper, DEVIL ON MY SHOULDER (Grand Central)
The definitive autobiography from Alice Cooper, the Godfather of Shock Rock and one of the world’s more iconic musicians with a career spanning six decades.
In the beginning Alice Cooper was the name of a rock group. Then my stage name. And then a monster. Now I’ve written a book that tracks Alice’s evilution, how he and I became almost fatally intertwined, and how I’ve tamed him at last. After over thirty records and sixty-plus years, the story of Alice Cooper has become a tangle of embellishments, elaborations and outright fabrications, that I think it’s time to sort reality from myth: the slaughtered chickens, the bans and record burnings, the evangelical terrors, Ouija boards and poltergeists, resurrections and revenge from the grave, the cross-dressers, thieves, drug addicts and hopeless alcoholics, the house fires and car crashes—all will be revealed for what they really were.
I’m also coming clean about the extent of my addictions, my blackout years, the creative process fuelled by alcohol, drugs and round-the-clock TV, my scramble to the top of the pile and the terrible slide back down. I want to talk about the origin of Cold Ethyl, the guillotine and the dead babies, the best and worst of my reviews, my feelings of guilt and regret after people got hurt or died, what life was like on the road until the wheels came off the bus, what a romantic I am at heart and how I’ve stayed married for half a century even after my wife came at me with a frying pan.
And I want to talk about God. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna bang you on the head with a Bible, I just want to describe how it is that I found Him dwelling in me. Alice, that inveterate liar, was a voice in my ear for so long, whispering lies and sweet nothings, pretending to be my better conscience and my inspiration, pretending to be me, that I think it’s only right to present both sides of the story: the angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other.
Alice Cooper first entered my life, at least in a way that I noticed, when I watched Wayne’s World. Ever since, I’ve been a fan of his music. I’ve read a couple of books about Cooper’s career and band (Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs! by Dennis Dunaway, for example), but never one of his own books. This will now change, as this is now one of my most-anticipated memoirs of the year. Devil On My Shoulder is due to be published by Grand Central Publishing in North America (October 6th) and Ebury Spotlight in the UK (October 8th).
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Gil Durán, THE NERD REICH (Pub)
A fearless and urgent chronicle of the tech-authoritarian movement from its early days in San Francisco politics to its current moment on the international stage, exploring the wild and dystopian ambition of the technocrats at its center, and offering a road map to resistance.
When Silicon Valley says it is ‘‘moving fast and breaking things,’’ the world interprets the chaos as a necessary cost of innovation. Gil Durán reveals something far more sinister: a decades-long campaign to replace elected governments with corporate rule.
Drawing on insider political experience and new investigations, Durán traces this ideology from its philosophical roots in The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. He introduces its modern apostles — Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and Elon Musk — and shows how the promise of technological liberation has transformed into a global movement for digital feudalism, powered by cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and the algorithmic propaganda of social media.
The Nerd Reich explains the origins, strategies, and ambitions of Silicon Valley’s war on democracy for the first time. From San Francisco’s weaponized elections and secret billionaire projects to the White House, Durán exposes how the world’s richest men are building a new political order.
The Nerd Reich is more than a hidden history, it’s an urgent warning: democracy is being dismantled not by coups or tanks, but by code, capital, and the illusion of innovation. Durán insists there is still time to fight back — if we act now.
The title of this book was the first thing to catch my attention — it’s quite brilliant. I made a note of it, and then saw it was available for request for review, and jumped on that immediately. Thankfully, the publisher granted my request, and I’ll be reading this very soon — perhaps next. The Nerd Reich is due to be published by Avid Reader Press in North America on August 18th.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, BlueSky
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Lee Goldberg, SPLIT SCREEN (Thomas & Mercer)
Reality and fiction collide in shocking violence for Detective Eve Ronin…
When Erin Casey, the actress who plays LASD detective Eve Ronin on TV, is gunned down after a ride-along, the intended target is obvious: the real Eve. What isn’t obvious is why.
As Eve hunts the shooter, her world fractures into more deadly reflections. The new sheriff forces Eve to exploit her fame to burnish his image — or he’ll destroy her partner, Duncan. And a reckless half sister Eve never knew she had pulls her toward a criminal conspiracy that’s already dumped a corpse in a Topanga Canyon ravine.
To save Erin, protect her half sister, and survive herself, Eve must find the killers before they strike again — and before her enemies inside the department finish the job for them.
The seventh novel in Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series (soon to be adapted for television). I’ve read, and enjoyed, the first two books and really must get caught up. A project for the summer, I think. If you’re a fan of straightforward crime/mystery, then I think you should give this series a try. Split Screen is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America and in the UK, on October 20th.
Also on CR: Review of Lost Hills
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Ryan Graudin, BRIGHT AND BROKEN THINGS (Redhook)
A young scholar learns he may be the key to uncovering an ancient Egyptian artifact coveted by a powerful cabal of magicians in this enchanting novel set among the glittering parties and Egyptology craze of 1920s London.
Ezra Bright has returned to London after serving in World War I but, like many surviving soldiers, he’s haunted — by the horrors of the front lines, the loss of his adoptive brother and the strange magic flickering at the edge of his vision. Desperate to outrun his past, Ezra falls into a dazzling new world of socialites known for their elaborate costume parties and sprawling scavenger hunts.
But these Bright Young Things are hungry. And none more than Celia, a disgraced heiress, who warns Ezra that these parties are only a glittering façade for a secret society of magicians. For centuries, the Order, at the behest of its mysterious leader, has plundered magical relics. Their ultimate prize lies buried in Egypt, and unlocking it requires ancient magic — one Celia believes Ezra alone possesses.
When a note in his room is mistaken for the opening clue of a scavenger hunt, Ezra and his friends are launched into high stakes race across Egypt. As secrets are unearthed and the dead refuse to stay buried, Ezra must confront the truth of his heritage — and the full cost of his power — before the Order claims it first.
I haven’t read anything else by Graudin, but the synopsis for this one caught my attention — what is it about Ancient Egypt that remains so compelling to readers? (Is it just the British, because of, um, the unfortunately history of the British in the region?) Hopefully reading this soon. Bright and Broken Things is due to be published by Redhook in North America and in the UK, on September 22nd.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Christopher Lloyd, IN MY OWN TIME (Grand Central)
An intimate portrait drawn from the defining moments of his life, from his early years in theater to his time on the sets of iconic television and film, his struggles with addiction, and an isolated childhood of privilege.
Whether appearing as a disembodied head in Wednesday or taking on the title role in a stage production of King Lear, Christopher Lloyd has become known for portraying larger-than-life characters with a singular intensity and imagination. Now, for the first time, Christopher shares stories from his life that he has rarely spoken about before.
IN MY OWN TIME begins with Christopher’s childhood at Waveny, the sprawling Connecticut estate. Raised primarily by governesses and wandering the grounds, he became a quiet observer of the people and relationships around him, including the complicated dynamic between his creative mother and his stern father.
With New York already a familiar part of his world, Christopher immersed himself in the demanding life of the theater. On stage he developed the intensity, imagination, and fearlessness that would come to define his work. From there, Christopher’s career expanded across television and film, where audiences came to know him as the intense and unpredictable Taber in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the eccentric and beloved Reverend Jim Ignatowski on Taxi, and the wild-eyed genius Doc Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy — performances that helped define some of the most enduring films and television of their time.
Christopher Lloyd offers a rare and deeply personal reflection on a life spent both onstage and on screen, told with charm, dry wit, and honesty. In sharing the stories behind his work, his struggles, and the people and places that shaped him, IN MY OWN TIME reveals the thoughtful and deeply observant man behind the iconic characters.
I’ve been trying to remember if I first saw Christopher Lloyd in Back to the Future or Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. It was probably the latter, but I’ve certainly seen him far more often in the Back to the Future and, strangely, his great, small part in an episode of The West Wing. He’s a magnificent actor, but also one I don’t know too much about, aside from what I’ve seen on screen. Really looking forward to reading this. In My Own Time is due to be published by Grand Central Publishing on October 27th.
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Review copy received via NetGalley
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Robert Miner, THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS (Simon Six)
A billionaire philanthropist determined to bankrupt herself in pursuit of a better world. A couple hungering for power beyond their media empire. A grieving vigilante on a quest for justice. The characters of Robert Miner’s propulsive literary thriller all share America’s obsession with firearms, and they are willing to go to extremes to realize their visions of the future.
Thoughts and Prayers interrogates a quintessentially American issue, asking what sort of progress is possible when no side seems willing to compromise. The solution is, for grabs, but in a country home to four hundred million firearms, how else could the story end except with a bullet?
I have no idea what to expect from this novel. It’s about a topic that I have been interested in for decades — how can one not be, if you study US politics and look on in bewilderment as their fetishistic approach to firearms becomes ever-more extreme? I haven’t read anything else by the author, but I am looking forward to giving this a try. Thoughts and Prayers is due to be published by Simon Six in North America on March 9th, 2027.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
Review copy received via Edelweiss
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Antony Penrose, THE LIVES OF LEE MILLER (Thames & Hudson)
Beautiful, bewitching and an exceptionally good photographer, Lee Miller was one of life’s adventurers.
She became a Vogue cover girl in 1920s New York before embracing Paris, photography and Surrealism, and then dramatically changed her life yet again, reinventing herself as a war correspondent, notably covering the liberation of Dachau.
These are but three of the many lives of Lee Miller, intimately recorded here by her son, Antony Penrose. Featuring a selection of Miller’s finest work, including portraits of her friends Picasso, Tanning and Ernst, Penrose’s tribute to his mother brings to life a uniquely talented woman and the turbulent times in which she lived.
While in Paris last week, we went to the Lee Miller exhibition at the Musee d’Art Moderne. While I had been a little familiar with her work, the exhibition was fascinating and made me interested in learning more about Miller’s life. So, naturally, I bought the biography at the museum’s book shop. It’s not the only book I bought on the trip, but it’s one I wanted to give a nod to here. The Lives of Lee Miller is out now, published by Thames & Hudson in the UK
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Ben Rhodes, ALL WE SAY (Random House)
For 250 years, we have debated what it means to be American. This question shaped the compromises in our Constitution and the arguments we’ve been having ever since — spawning abolitionism, secession, and civil war; populism, mass migration, and global leadership; movements for reform and the backlashes to them. In All We Say, Ben Rhodes tells the story of fifteen speeches — some iconic, others long forgotten — which have both shaped and reflected the argument Americans have been having from our founding to the intense divisions of our time.
Through riveting and beautifully rendered accounts of the people, movements, and moments that produced these speeches, Rhodes traces the history of our battle over identity. The result is a singular and revealing portrait of America itself: a nation divided between two stories — one of inheritance, power, and exclusion, the other of equality, striving, and belonging. Drawing on a decade writing for Barack Obama, Rhodes also shows us how words can redirect a nation, what makes a speech enduring, and why oratory is a unique form of persuasion in American democracy.
From Benjamin Franklin’s call for compromise at the Constitutional Convention, to Alexander Stephens’ case for white supremacy as the cornerstone of the Confederacy; from Martin Luther King’s dream of true equality to Donald Trump’s rallying cry against democracy itself, these speeches remind us that history is a living argument. At a time when American identity — and truth — is contested, All We Say offers a fresh and powerful look at who we really are and who we could still become.
I’ve been a long-time fan of Ben Rhodes’s work. Pod Save the World is one of my favourite podcasts, and Rhodes’s first two books — The World As it Is and After the Fall — are probably amongst my favourite non-fiction books of the past few years. So, this new book was an automatic pre-order, and I’ll be getting to it as soon as I can. (I’m falling a bit behind on my reading plans, because of a long bit of travel.) All We Say is out now, published by Random House in North America and Bodley Head in the UK.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
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Alex Segura, SILENT CITY (Thomas & Mercer)
In the dark heart of Miami’s underworld, a man’s quest for redemption collides with a deadly criminal conspiracy in a harrowing novel of suspense by the award-winning author of Secret Identity.
Miami sports editor Pete Fernandez’s life is falling apart. He’s reeling from his father’s death, still in love with an unfaithful ex, and drowning himself in booze and regret. Then comes the curious request from the father of missing crime reporter Kathy Bentley: Find his daughter. Playing detective and out of his element, Pete is dragged into something more sinister than he agreed to.
Kathy was investigating a notorious urban legend called the Silent Death, a phantom assassin who has haunted the dark streets of Miami for years. As Pete begins investigating, he reconnects with a childhood friend turned ex-con and stumbles into a conspiracy that only deepens when more bodies pile up. What started as a simple favor is now a race against time to stop a killer who’s one step ahead of him.
It’s a violent wake-up call. But redemption comes with a price, because Pete has no idea how much more he has to lose.
Next year, Thomas & Mercer will publish a revised edition of Segura’s 2013 novel. I’d been considering getting it, having enjoyed other books by the author (especially Secret Identity), when I happened to see it available for review. I considered this a bit of biblio-fate, and will hopefully get to this very soon. Silent City is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America and in the UK, on January 26th, 2027.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via NetGalley
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Kayla Rae Whitaker, RETURNS AND EXCHANGES (Random House)
A sweeping novel of one Kentucky family’s rise and fall throughout the 1980s — a tragicomic tour de force about love and marriage, parents and children, and the perils of mixing family with business…
It’s December 24, 1979, just before closing at Baker-Taylor’s discount department store, and Fran (née Baker) is surveying her domain. Her husband, Fred, is charming customers in the front of the store, while last-minute shoppers in the toy aisle are fighting over the lone remaining Atari. The older Taylor kids are on register, while the younger ones’ chaos is contained to the stockroom. All is right in the world as the new decade approaches.
With four healthy children and financial stability their own parents could have only dreamed of, Fred and Fran are the picture of the American Dream — rags to riches — with a successful chain of family-owned stores built on years of hard work and long hours. Underneath the surface, however, the business is changing at a breakneck pace, and each member of the family is struggling to keep up.
Money is transforming Fred, and the extremes he will go to in order to fit in with the slicked-back high society crowd of Lexington, Kentucky, are embarrassing, if not downright dangerous. Josiah, the oldest son, wants nothing to do with the family business; Sam is seeing things that might not really be there; and Benny and Birdie are growing up with a fraction of the parenting that their older brothers had. Meanwhile, Fran, her family’s stable core, is falling for Wendy, a cashier at Baker-Taylor’s, risking everything along the way. While trying to maintain the facade of a perfect success story, Fred and Fran learn that in matters of love and money, once it’s gone, it’s gone — no returns, no exchanges.
The new novel by the author of The Animators. Thought it sounded interesting, and will read it hopefully soon. Returns and Exchanges is out now, published by Random House in North America and Scribe in the UK.
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram
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Alex Wright, EMPIRE OF INK (Basic Books)
A sweeping history of America’s first media revolution: the rise of the newspaper, and the transformation of a fledgling republic into the world’s first information superpower.
No society had ever generated so much ink and paper in so little time. Between the Revolutionary War and the dawn of the twentieth century, the number of American newspapers increased five hundredfold. In Empire of Ink, Alex Wright tells the story of how an unruly young democracy found its voice—shaped by the interplay of new technologies, bold public policies, and a distinctly American zeal for free expression that unleashed the greatest outpouring of print the world had ever seen.
It was a wild, boisterous time—populated by gunslinging editors, tramp printers, zealous reformers, brilliant inventors, and literal snake-oil salesmen. Together, they transformed journalism, built a new industry, and helped forge the nation’s character. By century’s end, this freewheeling press had begun to give way to news syndicates, wire services, and corporate interests. Wealthy media barons seized on new technologies and economies of scale to consolidate power—shaping the mass media that would define the twentieth century.
Vividly bringing a pivotal chapter in American history to life, Empire of Ink reveals how the nation’s age-old struggles over truth, technology, and power continue to echo into today’s digital age.
I have long be interested in the history of American news media. From the early years of the Republic and the wild ecosystem of partisan publications, to the evolution of news in the 21st Century, it’s a subject that I have long found interesting and important. So, when I saw this book was going to be published, it immediately went on my Must Read list. Hopefully get to it very soon. Empire of Ink is out now, published by Basic Books.
Civilian Reader 