The debut from communications strategist Barry offers an action plan for those seeking to better engage clients, prospects, employees, and even friends and family on the basis of the way people actually think and learn: narrative. Based on the premise that we not only each enjoy a good story but that stories quite literally shape our brains and “how we perceive information,” Barry digs into why narrative is so powerful and how each of us can understand and apply it more effectively. While Barry takes a no-nonsense approach and emphasizes practical communication strategies, The Strategy of Story also dissects powerful stories from history before connecting ancient approaches, including oral storytelling, to contemporary life, with a nod to social media, artificial intelligence (AI), and our societal shift from the large screen to small ones.

No matter the era or medium, Barry argues, the essential structure of stories—and the urgency of an emotionally powerful hook—endures. She shares insights and anecdotes from renowned storytellers ranging from Plato to Patton to Groucho Marx, while also applying the principles behind their success to business and communication today, drawing on her experience as a consultant for top-shelf companies. Wide-ranging examples of business successes and even the speech Peggy Noonan wrote for Ronald Reagan after the Challenger tragedy persuasively demonstrate the power of establishing a narrative in challenging, inspiring, and forcing us to go deeper or see problems in a new light, something any goal-oriented business leader would desire.

In a direct, friendly style, Barry blends the conceptual and the pragmatic, boiling the heady stuff down into actionable tips like relying on graphics to reinforce one’s message, establishing clear beginnings, middles, and ends, understanding one’s audience to win its trust, and the power of gesturing, timing and humor. What resonates most powerfully is her conviction that, no matter how technology-reliant society becomes or how far we venture from traditional support structures, story will remain central to our lives. Why? Because it touches our humanity.

Takeaway: Potent, practical guide to the power of storytelling in business and life.

Comparable Titles: Philipp Humm’s The Storytelling Method, Janine Kurnoff’s Everyday Business Storytelling.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Strategy of Story: Why Story Works and How You Can Make It Work for You

Most kids encounter school bullies at some point, and the impact can be detrimental to their mental and emotional well-being. In Dee’s heartwarming picture book for young children, a little girl named Zafera demonstrates the power of being different. When Zafera first starts school, she is excited to play with other kids—but because she often has dirt on her face and twigs in her hair, she is shunned and mocked. Despite this cruelty, Zafera continues to smile and be herself—and one day, she delivers handmade invitations to her birthday party. Out of morbid curiosity, all of her classmates agree to attend—and they soon discover Zafera’s connection with the natural world is the source of her peace.

After the party, Zafera’s problem reaches a swift conclusion: She is accepted by everyone, including the most popular girl at school. While achieving this sort of social clout is desirable for young people, it also feels contrary to the book’s goals. To her credit, Zafera herself does not express any interest in the social hierarchy, instead carrying on with her simple, natural lifestyle despite others’ opinions. Interestingly, she does not struggle with any emotional fallout from the teasing, which will feel somewhat disingenuous to anyone who has dealt with bullying. On the flip side, her self-assuredness will encourage kids to embrace what makes them unique.

Sara Roche and Ed Espitia’s inviting, color-rich illustrations clearly show how Zafera stands out from the crowd. Her wild, red hair is adorned with natural ornaments, and she is shown sprawled in the grass, building structures out of sticks while her peers swing from monkey bars. Traditionally beautiful with expressive, green eyes, Zafera is an easy character to like, even if she’s not always relatable. This charming story introduces a challenge many children will face—and encourages them to respond by staying true to themselves.

Takeaway: Rousing story of a young girl staying true to herself in the face of bullying.

Comparable Titles: Patty Lovell’s Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, Ed Vere’s How to Be a Lion.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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This guide to financial independence from investor and analyst Withrow (author of The Individual is Rising) blends conspiratorial proclamations of impending financial collapse with everyday investment advice. The first half is devoted to how we arrived at the present financial state, nationally and internationally, with much spirited finger pointing, including claims of a “silent coup” perpetrated by the Federal Reserve and a portrayal of the “European-aligned globalists” behind a “Great Reset” that calls for nothing less than “overthrowing whatever’s left of our traditional economic system and replacing it with a grotesque version of neo-feudalism.”

The second half is about how to achieve financial independence through Withrow’s method of real estate investing. WIthrow makes the case that the days of “easy money,” i.e., zero or near-zero interest rate policies, are over, as global interest rates move to “more normal” historical amount. Occasionally leaning on theories from the Austrian School of Economics, Withrow provides a good, common-sense approach to running a successful real estate business, covering such aspects as the risks involved in renting, buying, selling and borrowing. He emphasizes the importance of assembling your “team,” the intricacies of insurance, and the various business structures from which one can run a real estate company. The advice is sound and actionable.

Tha alarmed and alarming open section, devoted to “deep state” theories and events beyond the average citizen’s control, ranges over a great many topics and personalities, sounding familiar but heated warnings of the coming destruction of individuals’ rights but without presenting much in the way of evidence. Finally, the book closes with a pitch to join Withrow’s organization, The Phoenician League, where he offers to “walk with you every step of the way,” on the journey to financial independence. The bottom line, whether readers buy the “silent coup” or not: real estate success is no different from any other business—it’s hard work.

Takeaway: Real-estate investment guide for readers worried about a Great Reset upending capitalism.

Comparable Titles: David Alan Vogel’s Thriving During the Great Reset, Jeff Goble’s Nest Egg.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

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In this masterful family drama, debut novelist Peck delivers an eleven-year-old girl’s account of her beloved parents’ subtle power struggles. Immersed in the beauty of a 1956 Cape Cod summer, Lily Grainger yearns for the approval and affection of her family. As her father oversees the building of a home they can’t afford and extended family members interfere, tensions between him and Lily’s bitter mother escalate from bickering to outright tempests, much to their children’s anxiety. Across the pond, the lives of her cousin, aunt, uncle, and “another woman” vibrantly color Lily’s daily life. Amid the tumult, Hurricane Carolyn approaches the vulnerable peninsula, threatening the house construction and family harmony.

Peck acknowledges that many of the novel’s moments mimic her own life, such as summers spent on the Cape and her love of the cello. This memoir-style authenticity yields exceptionally original characters who entertain the reader with their complexity and humor, influence Lily’s choices, and set Peck’s novel above others. Vivid descriptions of Lily’s home and landscape stir yearning for a long-gone, untouched Cape Cod: “Seaweed, washed ashore by winter tides, bearded the beach.” Seemingly ordinary daily activities take on fresh interest with the backdrop of simmering family tension as the house construction progresses.

The gorgeous yet readable writing style situates the narrative squarely in the sophisticated up-market genre of literary fiction. Subtle irony infuses Lily’s point of view as she observes her feuding loved ones. Nuggets of wisdom bring the poetic style immediacy while still expressing a tween girl’s outlook: “I wondered why, when you hold your breath, your heart doesn’t stop beating.” Lily’s longing for her parents’ validation and her dawning maturity will warm hearts as much as the writing style will impress lovers of literary fiction.

Takeaway: Lush, memory-driven story of family life in mid-century Cape Cod.

Comparable Titles: Vendela Vida’s We Run the Tides, Mary Petiet’s Wash Ashore.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Hill (author of My Prison Without Bars) examines the life of Dr. Goodman Basil Espy, III, an inspiring physician who dedicated his life to serving others. Hill begins with Espy’s rural childhood, spent fishing and helping out on his grandfather’s farm in Alabama—a childhood that Espy treasured, though it was cut short when the attack on Pearl Harbor prompted his father to re-enlist in the military, leaving Espy, the oldest of four brothers, as the “family leader” at the tender age of six. Even from that age, Espy worked to discern his purpose, amid multiple family moves and life tragedies.

That purpose was challenging to nail down initially; though Espy felt a “Calling” to become a minister, his true desire was to pursue medical school. After much personal back-and-forth, he opted to follow his heart, entering the Tulane School of Medicine following graduation from Georgia Tech in the late 1950s. That decision eventually paid off, as Espy became a well-respected obstetrician who not only performed countless life-saving procedures domestically, but also traveled abroad to offer his expertise to underserved women in other countries. Hill covers Espy’s professional achievements alongside his personal struggles, including two failed marriages and the tragic death of his daughter, Anne, who suffered from epilepsy.

Espy’s Christian faith beats a steady rhythm throughout the narrative, sparking comfort when tragedy arrives and driving Espy’s constant desire to serve others. Espy, who traveled to several foreign counties on medical missions over the course of his life, vowed to put aside personal relationships after his second divorce, in an effort to focus solely on philanthropy. Hill includes personal anecdotes of Espy’s patients, as well as historical stories and photographs to anchor Espy’s experiences (including flashbacks to the Truman presidency, Al Capone’s role in Prohibition Chicago, and more). This will entertain readers who relish in-depth biographies accompanied by rousing historical context.

Takeaway: An inspiring medical biography celebrating Christian beliefs.

Comparable Titles: Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air, J. Thomas Grant’s The Next Patient.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Apostle, the miraculous journey of Dr. G.B. Espy

Northwick’s debut is a spicy 1920s set Gothic inspired dark romance focused on love, families, memory, mysteries, and—of course—the supernatural. Millie Foxboro, a naïve young woman afflicted with traumatic amnesia, arrives at the foreboding Willowfield mansion to assist Professor Callum Hughes, the brooding but handsome owner, with his work on a book on Celtic mythology. Haunted by the deaths of her anguished father and abusive mother, Millie finds herself increasingly drawn to and repelled by Hughes’s equally wounded soul and foul temper, as well as the strange mystery of his wife’s madness and death, which might have been caused by Willowfield’s ghosts—or by Callum himself. Millie also meets the housemaid Felicity and her flirtatious brother Rodney the groundskeeper, who seems to know about Willowfield’s secrets. Desperate for money, Millie is reluctant to leave, even as Willowfield’s dark past and her own shaky sanity threaten her life.

Northwick conjures a compelling mystery in the classic gothic mode, with intriguing characters and a crumbling estate brought to vivid life by the assured prose. Millie is a vulnerable heroine, who starts off defying Callum’s controlling behavior, refusing to wear the clothes that he bought for her, though soon she’s caught up in an abusive romance, with the sex rough after their violent arguments. The Cruel Dark suggests cycles of abuse, as Millie has disturbing memories of her mother beating her. Callum, meanwhile, is driven by memories of his own eccentric mother who was obsessed with Celtic folklore. But it’s not just their paths that are haunted, as Northwick stages harrowing encounters with what seem to be ghosts.

While mostly fast paced, the story occasional slows or turns repetitive, focused more on the destructive romance than the many tantalizing mysteries. Lovers of dark romance and stories of creepy estates will find much to relish, though, as Northwick guides readers through a shadowed world of chandeliers and “decaying cornices.” This gothic is sumptuous, jolting, and occasionally—like Willowfield’s gardens—blooming with hope.

Takeaway: Sumptuous gothic romance of memory, ghosts, and a destructive love.

Comparable Titles: Beth Underdown’s The Key in the Lock. Alexis Henderson’s House of Hunger.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Cruel Dark

In this emotional and inspiring memoir, Van Dusen shares the triumphs and tragedies of a life—and a deep resilience—that took her from “nothing” to being one of the nation’s top financial advisers. “Nothing about my childhood indicated I had a shot in hell” at that kind of success, Van Dusen writes, though her portrait of growing up in a boisterous Italian family split by divorce and lacking any tradition of wealth is often warm and inviting. Starting her career in the go-go 1980s, Van Dusen experienced the scandals, economic crises, and relentless work culture of Wall Street, plus the added challenges of thriving as a woman in a deeply entrenched boys club.

Her story frankly covers wrenching events, including a rape, and builds to the devastating events of 9/11, and her direct, inviting telling of it is always focused on the bottom line, as you would hope for a trailblazer in the stock trade. Running with Grace is deeply personal but also rich with lessons, as Van Dusen digs deep into her drive to make it in the male-dominated business of investment, plus what it takes to bet on oneself against all odds. With anecdotes about run-ins with notorious figures like Bernie Madoff ("eerily calm as he threw me out of his office”), plus moving stories about family, especially her late husband and the grandfather who helped raise her, Van Dusen’s brisk debut is equally heart-warming and motivating, as no matter what life throws at her Van Dusen never stops running after her goals.

That title is somewhat literal. Running and exercise became a major part of Van Dusen's everyday life as a form of healing and peace amid all of the injuries, sickness, tragedy and stress formulating in her personal life and her career. Fans of upbeat business memoirs full of feeling will be engaged as Van Dusen sets the pace.

Takeaway: Inspiring memoir of Wall Street success and never slowing down.

Comparable Titles: Barbara Chase-Riboud's I Always Knew, Tessa Fontaine's The Electric Woman.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Running with Grace

Tirado-Ryen (Two Weeks of Summer) delves deep into the psyche of a woman set adrift after an accident robs her of her memory and identity. In an opening straight from a fairy tale, amnesiac Vickie wakes up in the hospital, frequently visited by heartthrob icon of stage and screen, Jack Post. With only snippets coming to her, she’s discharged from the hospital into the loving care of Jack and his staff. As they grow closer, locked in a mutual attraction and honest chemistry, bits and pieces —likes, dislikes, the fact she speaks Spanish—creep in, but she’s both wary of the new information while still clinging to it. All is well until a private investigator reveals Vickie’s jolting truth: her name isn’t Vickie, and she’s not at all free to pursue this promising connection with Jack.

Throughout the novel, facets of who Anne, formerly Vickie, once was shine through in all of their awkward, cringe-worthy glory, as the story twists into unexpected but exciting directions. When she discovers that the woman she was before the accident isn’t someone to be proud of, that her husband is about to divorce her, and her twin sister hates her with a passion, Anne finds herself unable to reconcile the two sides of herself. Looking back on her pre-accident choices and companions brings her to an intense period of self-evaluation, which leads her to some key insights —and, encouragingly, an era of new growth.

The stark, raw exploration of physical and emotional trauma responses coupled with descriptions of infidelity and manipulative behaviors may be difficult for some readers. However, Tirado-Ryen beautifully illuminates human resilience and the journey of self-discovery. Anne’s path is, of course, not smooth, but her development, as well as that of a few secondary characters, is organic and will have readers wishing and hoping for the best possible outcome.

Takeaway: Enthralling story of memory, identity, and redemption.

Comparable Titles: Melissa Hill’s One Last Gift, Michelle Reid’s The Unforgettable Husband.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about Forgetting Me

A dispatch from a more civilized discourse, this insightful collection from Briggs offers a comprehensive week-to-week view of epochal events and challenges faced by the United States between late 2019 and 2022, with an emphasis on politics, policy, and the travails of both parties, especially “the splintering of the GOP in ways that harken back a century” and the Democrats being tied to an unpopular president and a left wing given to “incessant frothing about income and wealth inequality in America.” Briggs digs deeper, offers more evidence, and thinks through positions more openly than many columnists, even in the paragraph-long “short takes” that end each column and often consider the arguments of thinkers from across the ideological spectrum. An attorney well-known for antitrust work, Briggs offers a nuanced and pragmatic approach to controversial topics, favoring practical solutions rather than mere partisan finger-pointing.

These essays, originally published in The Chesapeake Observer, exemplify a principled conservatism as they cover a wide range, including the rise of China; the moderation of the 2020 presidential debate; the Biden Administration's quest to forgive student loans; the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade and the leaking of the decision and the political fallout afterwards; and the “damage to our democratic way of life” represented by colleges that, he argues, discourage “independent mindedness.” Briggs acknowledges when he gets it wrong—a July 2022 column predicts “the beginning of the end” for Biden’s political fortunes, while a September piece breaks down the sudden reversal of the Democrats’ prospects. And, credit where it’s due, a January 2023 piece makes the case that, in the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy “will not be able to command the fealty of his thin majority to achieve material legislative success.”

Briggs’s intellectual integrity, reliance on data, and refusal to rely upon received wisdom sets his columns apart, and his insightful, engaging prose clarifies complex ideas without simplifying them. Readers on the right and left will find their beliefs challenged with welcome thoughtfulness, and the very ideas of truth, inquiry, and respectful, persuasive debate affirmed.

Takeaway: Unusually thoughtful essays of policy and politics in the Biden era.

Comparable Titles: Ross Douthat, John Podhoretz.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

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Saller (Eddie’s War) delivers a strong middle-grade thriller with her latest work. Nearly 90 years after lab assistant Madeleine Eleanor Carruthers is executed, leaving four children behind, her great-granddaughter, Madeleine Stanton—known as Lainie—uncovers bits of her story and sets out to exonerate her great-grandmother and namesake. Like her great-granddaughter, the first Madeleine was born at midnight at the start of a new century, and when a local TV reporter asks for an interview about “Millenium Girl,” Lainie is thrilled. But on set, the reporter blindsides Lainie with sensationalized material about her disgraced relative—and sends Lainie on a crusade to find a way to clear Madeleine’s name, with her friends Seth (who might just become more than a friend) and Elle.

Saller skillfully weaves history and present-day hints to create an irresistible narrative, rich with exciting clues, that readers will eagerly devour. A missing and mysterious blue journal, kept by Madeleine in the 1930s, promises to reveal the truth—if they can find it. Living in the old family Victorian provides Lainie with plenty of tantalizing hidden hiding spots, and readers will hold their breath as they wait to see if each hiding place is the one that will solve the mystery. Lainie’s great-uncles, Madeleine’s sons, provide clues, and one particularly juicy secret comes from their younger sister Cecily, kidnapped and renamed Gracie by her nanny during Madeleine’s trial.

Saller’s talent for thoroughly researching her subjects is on full display—readers will find themselves mentally traveling the Victorian family home right along with Lainie and her friends. Saller also doesn’t shy away from tough subjects, such as unethical drug companies, unjust execution after defending one’s own life, and unnecessary commitment to mental hospitals. Lainie and her friends are thoroughly believable and appealing, leading readers to follow them on this multi-decade-old mystery trail. This tantalizing tale will engage readers from the first page to the last.

Takeaway: This expertly plotted middle-grade thriller will enthrall readers.

Comparable Titles: Katherine Rundell, Paul Griffin.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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Rich, jealous, spoiled, so-called “best friends” in California’s Silicon Valley prove to be exactly what readers might suspect in this engaging domestic thriller—husbands who constantly feel their masculinity slipping away and women who stab each other in the back, full of insecurities and striving for position. Newcomer to the neighborhood, Cleo Baird, has her eyes set on one particular person when she shows up with her three-year-old daughter, Izzy, to the Oak Valley playgroups—Alex Drake. Alex has it all—a hot husband, a bubbly personality, a close-knit community of best friends…basically, she’d be considered queen bee if they were all back in high school, which, in this hierarchical enclave, is exactly how it feels to the characters themselves.

While Cleo zeroes in on becoming Alex’s best friend, readers quickly see that something more complex is going on, and that nothing about Cleo’s meeting her is coincidental. Worthington’s polished debut compels as Alex seems to be falling into a trap, letting Cleo into her circle with open arms, and giving her intimate details of her life and marriage, while Cleo shares next to nothing about herself and her own background. One of Alex’s friends, Jenna, sees through the façade, but Worthington convincingly comes off as jealous and Alex quickly dismisses her—until it’s too late. Meanwhile, Worthington reveals the imperfections and occasional horrors beneath the veneer of wealth and privilege.

Full of twists and turns, suspense and psychological insight, The Playgroup reveals, in brisk and conversational language that will keep readers of domestic thrillers engaged, a community rich with luxury and fashion but also relentless dish, politicking, and betrayals, a darker Mean Girls full of status-obsessed adults who act like children but scheme like pros. The final twist is satisfying and surprising, and Worthington finds sharp, tragic comedy in her incisive treatment of women who strive to perform the appearance of perfection—trying to distract from the fact that a house is old and unfashionable “overpriced charcuterie and triple creme brie.”

Takeaway: Twisty story of lies and betrayal among moms in luxurious Silicon Valley.

Comparable Titles: Tarryn Fisher’s The Couple Next Door, Jeneva Rose’s One of Us is Dead.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Playgroup

Tirado-Ryen probes the limits of love in this sweet coming-of-age debut. At 18, Arkansas native Connie Baltimore has never had a serious boyfriend. Though she’s eager to discover romance, it’s not high on her list—she’s more interested in finishing high school than she is in chasing boys. Plus, her best friend, Dee, does plenty of that for both of them: she’s brash, outspoken, and dates guys just “for the sex.” While trying to navigate young adulthood, Connie’s world is upended: her older sister’s marriage is on the rocks and forces her to move back home, and her father’s best friend, Nick, who’s struggling to recover from his wife’s death, ends up staying with the family as well.

Young adult readers will find much to relate to here. Despite the turmoil at home, Connie is very much the average high school senior, trying to find her place in the world while navigating the storms that accompany young adulthood. When sparks start to fly between her and Nick, things get exponentially more complicated: Nick’s close to her father’s age, a hurdle the two have yet to truly think through, resulting in their decision to keep their romance under wraps. And there’s convincingly drawn trouble on the friendship front as well: though Dee and Connie experience some of the same rites of passage, they couldn’t be more different—and that difference eventually leads to a rift in their relationship, made more serious by Connie’s romance with Nick.

Tirado-Ryen doesn’t shy away from the harder topics. Connie has a pregnancy scare that brings up some weighty options, and Dee’s struggles with sexual and physical abuse, handled sensitively, simmer throughout the novel. The central romance stays mellow but also serves as a major catalyst in Connie’s life, though the ending, which may shock readers, comes rather abruptly, and feels hurried. Still, The Secrets Inside proves appealing as it plumbs the heart.

Takeaway: A forbidden romance gives this sweet coming-of-age story an edge.

Comparable Titles: Marie Force’s Georgia on My Mind, Jenn Bennett’s Starry Eyes.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about The Secrets Inside

Clarke’s elaborate debut fantasy offers spirited humor, fresh and winning language, and a spirit of go-for-broke invention as it mixes surprises and perspectives in a somewhat chaotic solution. In the town of Wontmoil, apothecary Growina Crowe is lonely, so when witch friend Margaret Bograven gives her a discarded grimoire, Growina attempts to cast the spell “To summon an otherworldly companion.” But Growina knows she’s not a witch: she skips some parts and is accident prone around burning candles and boiling over tea. Soon the local bank places a bounty on the mystery beast that ate off its locks. The bounty hunting Team Wontmoil is formed, consisting of Growina; the condescending wizard Theo; the three witch Bograven Sisters; and twin space aliens Zizel and Zemni who can create a physical object out of whatever word they speak.

As that summary suggests, Clarke’s world building draws from many genres and traditions, a mash-up approach whose moment-to-moment fun at times lacks context and coherence. The sense of a story getting out of hand, in fact, is written into the plot. The point of view switches from Growina to that of Florian Honeybeard, a female impersonator thespian who is kidnapped by mercenaries who mistake him for a soothsayer. Coerced into guiding leader Captain Beatrix Bodkins to a fortune, Florian invents an accidentally prophetic story about a tentacled beast wreaking havoc in Wontmoil. Bodkin, riding a chair with animated monster legs, drags Florian in pursuit, along with painter Wardric, whose artwork creates in reality whatever he paints, and a ghost made of sand in a box.

These many elements also collide in a fantasy world where nearly anything can happen with few clear rules. Readers invested in traditional plotting may wander, but many inventions here engage. Growina is a sympathetic character who yearns to get out of her shell, be useful, and make friends. The bats that carry messages like carrier pigeons and excerpts from the Lazy Botanist’s Guide are bold, fun touches.

Takeaway: Wildly inventive fantasy fun, with no clear rules.

Comparable Titles: Genevieve Cogman, T. Kingfisher.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Click here for more about How to Fix a Flubbed Summon

Future mercenary Cain searches for deeper meaning amidst the body count and corporate skullduggery in this searching cyber-future action thriller from James (author of The Parnell Affair), the first in the Cain Series. Rising up from petty crime in the flooded streets of Brooklyn to become a high-class mercenary who operates in shades of moral gray, Cain, a soldat de fortune, describes himself as “the man that goes through that door”—he gets the job done. But, with every inventive score he undertakes—from infiltrating orbital space stations, a one-man corporate prison bust, or leading commandos to steal experimental technology—he finds his personal life with girlfriend Francesca Pieralisi, the corruption-fighting mayor of sea-wall-protected Venice, threatening to come undone.

As the title suggests, Ethos of Cain strives to unpack the mind and heart of the eponymous mercenary, blending introspection with action, espionage, and the surprises of a class-divided future where humanity has expanded into the solar system but remains resilient in its corruptibility. James offers a hero of unrivaled skill and, at first, nearly inaccessible morality, but then strives to deepen Cain, especially through the relationship with Francesca, as Cain must reckon with the man he’s become, and if it’s who he wants to be. The adventure will give him opportunity, of course, as James stages crisp, surprising action involving corp-cops, airfoils, TransAtmovVettes, and other innovations crafted to please SF and cyber-punk fans.

Cain can be a bit of a mope, and at times the introduction of this world comes at the expense of narrative momentum, but James excels at making it all feel real, from planning missions to the way the wealthy separate themselves from everyone else. Dialogue often has a fun, seedy spirit (“Don’t think we’ll need this much beef,” the standout Scarlatti says upon meeting Cain), and the tantalizing conspiracies, future tech, mission planning, and Cain’s reliable old .45 and the possibility of a mega-score will please lovers of SF action.

Takeaway: Future mercenary confronts the truth of himself in this action-packed thriller.

Comparable Titles: RJ Roder’s Rise of Metal, Joel Shepherd’s Crossover.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-

Click here for more about Ethos of Cain

Openshaw’s surprising novel of art, aging, and what life’s all about is three books in one. There is the awed but irreverent quest of protagonist Sam, an artist facing a troubled marriage and a dearth of inspiration, moved to undertake a “kind of crazy spiritual quest”: to trace the construction of Michaelangelo’s Tomb of Pope Julius II, perhaps the great artist’s greatest challenge, intended to be “A work of art on a scale that hadn’t been attempted in a thousand years.” Sam’s friend Burke links Michelangelo’s mid-life crisis to Sam’s own malaise. “Some men get a red sports car and a trophy wife,” Burke says. “Michelangelo built a Tomb.” As Sam digs into what went wrong half a millennia ago, Openshaw offers an in-depth history of Michelangelo’s life and career, plus elements of a travel guide, complete with photos, illustrations and informative maps and cartoons, documenting real journeys—and the story of the tomb itself, a grand project that never worked out like Michelangelo had envisioned.

Openshaw is a seasoned tour guide and veteran travel-television show writer, and his expertise in Italy, art, and Michelangelo in particular shines on nearly each page. Meanwhile, Sam’s sandwich-generation troubles—painful divorce; trying to help his aging parents; maintaining a relationship with his young daughter—has him reeling. His admission, in a seedy Bologna hotel, that he has “no home” suggests Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, while accomplished passages of travel writing bring Italy to touching life.

Sam finds some relief in spirited carousing and a hopeful romance, and his travails are wittily juxtaposed against those of his idol, Michelangelo, though at times the balance between the novel’s three modes favors the informative, as Openshaw digs deeply into Renaissance sculpture, patronage, politics and more, considering theories of why the tomb became something of a footnote. Still, Openshaw’s depiction of Michelangelo as a human being with faults and frailties is fascinating. Michelangelo at Midlife is like a trip to Italy, edifying, informative, and unpredictable.

Takeaway: Surprising novel of art, history, and mid-life crises, including Michelangelo’s.

Comparable Titles: Stephanie Storey’s Oil and Marble, Theresa Maggio’s Mattanza: Love and Death in the Sea of Sicily.

Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A-

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Urging a pivot toward fulfillment, control, and flow in one’s work and career, Galica’s up-to-date debut offers motivational testament to the possibility of career-minded women taking risks, moving past fear of the unknown, and trailblazing their own paths to greater success. Galica notes that “two-thirds of the female workforce is wondering whether they should not just leave their jobs but change industries entirely." Her practical-minded guide offers clear lessons in becoming "unstuck" from draining and unfulfilling career choices. Sharing inspiring interviews with women who made the “leap,” and drawing from her personal experience, Galica delves into why women often feel dissatisfied at work, how to embrace what matters most, and what it takes to bet on themselves—and discover career paths that are more engaging and rewarding.

While Galica writes with a coach’s warm directness, Leap acknowledges the real challenges that can stymie workers’ seeking more. She considers the familiar advice “to align career with your passion” and makes the case that, often, passion isn’t enough. Instead, she argues that playing to one’s strengths and “replacing 'follow your passion' with 'go where you want to contribute'" is crucial, especially for women, who often are made to feel “guilty or uncomfortable switching careers just for passion’s sake.”

Galica backs up insights like that with hard-won wisdom and action steps, engaging reflection exercises, and compelling, on-point testimony from women who dared to leap—and flourish, including heavy hitters like filmmaker Ava DuVernay and celebrity chef Ina Garten. Touchingly, Galica considers the example of her own mother, who over time, unable to let go of “socioeconomic guilt and fear,” resisted making a change, until at last, in her fifties, she followed her joy, her strengths, and her sense of where she wanted to contribute, returning to school and starting fresh. Leap demonstrates that such happy endings don’t have to be put off.

Takeaway: Wise, action-oriented guide for women considering career changes.

Comparable Titles: Karen Arrington's Your Next Level Life, Tessa White's The Unspoken Truths for Career Success.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

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