Alexander, Ellie. Meet Your Baker: A Bakeshop Mystery. St. Martin’s. Dec. 2014. 320p. ISBN 9781250054234. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781466857247. M
On the rebound from a broken marriage, baker Juliet 
Capshaw returns to her hometown of Ashland, OR, to mend her broken heart and work at her family’s bakery, Torte. When the newest board member of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival ends up dead in the shop, Juliet and her mother find themselves in deep trouble. The suspects are almost too numerous to count as the victim was disliked by almost everybody, including festival director Lance and longtime festival member Caroline, Torte employees Andy and Stephanie, and man-about-town Richard, who’s trying to drive Torte out of business. Fortunately for Juliet, her old high school sweetheart is investigating the case. Can the culprit be found and Torte saved? VERDICT This debut culinary mystery is a light soufflé of a book (with recipes) that makes a perfect mix for fans of Jenna McKinley, Leslie Budewitz, or Jessica Beck.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Bard-Collins, Joan. Honor Above All. Allium Pr. of Chicago. Nov. 2014. 312p. ISBN 9780989053570. pap. $17.99; ebk. ISBN 9780989053587. M
Civil War veteran Garrett Lyons works as a Pinkerton agent. But after his partner Sam Wilkerson was fatally ambushed in St. Louis, Garrett returns the body to Chicago and vows to find the killer. With a desire to continue investigating the situation involving counterfeit bonds that got Sam killed, Garrett quits the agency. General Stannard, Garrett’s former commanding officer, hands him a bundle of counterfeit money, and Garrett believes the two cases are connected. Along with a rising young architect named Louis Sullivan, with whom he plays poker, Garrett investigates. VERDICT This debut is almost as much an architectural history as it is a mystery. The author details the construction of the first modern skyscrapers that transformed 1880s Chicago from a backwater crossroads into an urban giant. Garrett is a likable sleuth, and the supporting characters are equally appealing and colorful; Louis Sullivan is charming, and Garrett’s romantic interest, Charlotte Reid, runs high-stakes poker games. Fans of Walter Satterthwait’s mysteries featuring Pinkerton agents Jane Turner and Phil Beaumont will enjoy this series launch.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Barrett, Colin. Young Skins. Black Cat: Grove Atlantic. Mar. 2015. 224p. ISBN 9780802123329. pap. $16; ebk. ISBN 9780802192103. F
As we see in the six short stories and novella included here, the residents of the fictional County Mayo town of Glanbeigh are desperate folk. All seem to be on a quest for something unobtainable—understanding, love, redemption—and though the violence running through the streets like a current is tempered by a shared tenderness and humor, Glanbeigh remains a grim place where its unforgettable citizens come to terms with what might have been. For example, Tug, a big man given to bouts of rage, tries to experience normalcy by neglecting to take his meds. Likewise, Bat conceals and maybe protects his gentle nature behind a busted-up face, dirty clothing, and body odor. In the end, Glanbeigh seems to take more from its residents than it gives, with most compensating by honoring an unspoken code of simple decency and a few undermining it at every opportunity. VERDICT Justly acclaimed for his lyrical, deadpan style by some of the giants of contemporary Irish literature, including Anne Enright and Colm Tóibín, Barrett offers an extraordinary debut that heralds a brutal yet alluring new voice in contemporary fiction. [See Prepub Alert, 9/15/14.]
Barry, Quan. She Weeps Each Time You’re Born. Pantheon. Feb. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9780307911773. $24.95; ebk. ISBN 9780307911780. F
In 2001, on an evening with a full moon—when Asian 
folklore says a rabbit appears on the lunar surface—Amy Quan searches for a woman in Vietnam, “where I was born in the same year as her, our lives diametrically opposite.” The woman, called Rabbit, was miraculously pulled from the grave of her dead mother on another full-moon night in 1972 and nourished long past infancy by a silent woman who will never nurse her own baby. Raised by two grandmothers and a sometime father and watched over by others, Rabbit encounters the “unnamed dead” in a country torn apart by centuries of domination and destruction. In the aftermath of war, “the government was trying to create one memory, one country, one official version of what happened.” From single deaths to mass graves, Rabbit reveals the “stories the world is eager to bring to light…[the] stories it doesn’t want told.” VERDICT Blurring boundaries between history and invention, life and death, even verse and prose, English professor (Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison) and multi-award-winning poet Barry’s first novel is fierce, stunning, and devastating. Readers haunted by Kim Thúy’s Ru, Chang-rae Lee’s A Gesture Life, and Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain will revel in it. [See Prepub Alert, 8/4/14.]
Callahan, Michael. Searching for Grace Kelly. Mariner: Houghton Harcourt. Jan. 2015. 288p. ISBN 9780544313545. pap. $15.95; ebk. ISBN 9780544313569. F
In the 1950s, gals with guts and a dream, could leave their small-town life and head for the Big Apple, where the Barbizon Hotel for Women awaited. This is where young ladies lived while chasing fame, fortune, and a career. Vanity Fair contributing editor Callahan captures the essence of the Barbizon as it really was—part dorm, refuge, and place of awakening. The three main characters experience life in New York from different perspectives. Laura is an elegant Smith College student who lands a prestigious internship at Mademoiselle magazine. Dolly, a plain yet spunky working girl, attends secretarial school and does some serious husband hunting. Vivian, a gorgeous Brit, dreams of being a famous singer but for now works as a cigarette girl at the hottest nightclub. All three tangle with young men, and reach for their dreams. They experience the city fully, from the seedy, intellectual Beat scene to Madison Avenue’s upper crust. VERDICT Callahan’s debut novel truly captures glamorous New York City from young women’s perspective in the 1950s. For aficionados of anything from the Fifties and the movie The Best of Everything (1959).
Chance, Maia. Snow White Red-Handed: A Fairy Tale Fatal Mystery. Berkley Prime Crime. Nov. 2014. 336p. ISBN 9780425271629. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9780698140011. M
Victorian actress Ophelia Flax quits her music hall job to protect her ward, Prudence Bright, and signs on as a lady’s maid to the wife of a crass American millionaire, Homer Coop. When the entourage arrives in the Black Forest of Germany, where Coop has purchased a castle, mysterious events occur. Discovered in the woods is a tiny cottage where a dwarf corpse is found. Is this Snow White’s dwelling? Then Coop is killed after eating a poisoned apple, and the cottage’s artifacts are stolen. The primary suspect is Prue, but Ophelia is determined to prove her charge’s innocence, with the assistance of a handsome English professor of folklore. VERDICT Offering a clever twist on the tales of the Brothers Grimm, this debut historical cozy (and series launch) introduces an attractive, spunky heroine, full of piss and vinegar, and an entertaining, well-constructed plot that will satisfy fans of folklore and fairy tales.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Corrigan, Maya. By Cook or by Crook: A Five-Ingredient Mystery. Kensington. Nov. 2014. 310p. ISBN 9781617731389. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781617731396. M
Cookbook publicist Val Deniston left New York under a cloud after she was involved in a terrible car accident that injured a celebrity chef. Now she lives in Bayport, MD, with her grandfather, while working at a fitness club snack bar and gathering material for her own cookbook. On the morning that she is scheduled to meet real estate agent Nadia, who wants to hire her to cater an event, Val arrives at the club and finds Nadia’s body, stabbed through the neck with a wooden tennis racket. Is that a clue? Unfortunately, the prime suspect is Monique, Val’s cousin, who accused Nadia of having an affair with her husband. Then there’s Gunnar, the debonair visitor from DC, and, Luke, Val’s old boyfriend from high school. VERDICT Lots of suspects abound and the puzzle solution is deftly handled in this charming cozy debut that is appealingly set on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With recipes included, this is definitely a starter for fans of Diane Mott Davidson, Lou Jane Temple, and Virginia Rich. [Corrigan was a winner of the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Unpublished Mystery/Suspense for The Art of Deceit.—Ed.]—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Ekbäck, Cecilia. Wolf Winter. Weinstein: Perseus. Jan. 2015. 400p. ISBN 9781602862524. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781602862531. F
Maija and her family move from their native Finland to Swedish Lapland in the summer of 1717, hoping for a fresh start. That dream is shattered when Maija’s oldest daughter, Frederika, discovers the mutilated body of a fellow settler on nearby Blackåsen Mountain. While the community insists a wolf is to blame, Maija is convinced he was murdered, and her investigation triggers events that will change their lives forever. As a harsh winter sets in and the settlers struggle to survive, Maija becomes entangled in the secrets, past tragedies, and religion of her neighbors and the native Lapps. Both Maija and Frederika are at once guided and tormented by the spirits of the dead, as they each attempt to solve the murder. VERDICT Swedish-born debut author Ekbäck writes with deliberate pacing and immerses the reader in the endless snowfall of winter with her hypnotic prose. The novel will appeal to readers who like their historical fiction dark and atmospheric, or mystery fans who are open to mysticism and unconventional sleuths. Readers who enjoyed the winter landscape and magical realism of Eowyn Ivey’s The Snow Child may also want to try this. [See “Editors’ Fall Picks,” LJ 9/1/14.]
Founds, Kathleen. When Mystical Creatures Attack! Univ. of Iowa. 2014. 206p. ISBN 9781609382834. pap. $16. F
In her 2014 John Simmons Short Fiction Award winner, Founds plays brightly and insightfully with form, starting with the opening, title story. Given the journaling prompt “Write a one-page story in which your favorite mystical creature resolves the greatest sociopolitical problem of our time,” the students of high school English teacher Laura Freedman respond with pieces that are funny, touching, and sometimes disdainful; Janice Gibbs observes, “You had always been so nice, and you were acting whacked.” By the second story, Ms. Freedman is desperately building up Wellness Points in an asylum based on “a capitalist model of cognitive behavior therapy.” VERDICT The brief, linked pieces here are fresh, witty, and revelatory of our times.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Greenburg, Bradley. When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed. Sandstone: Dufour. Dec. 2014. 350p. ISBN 9781908737878. pap. $19. F
Greenburg’s debut novel opens with an epigraph taken from a May 1865 piece in the Cincinnati Enquirer: “Slavery is dead, the negro is not, there is the misfortune.” The awful truth behind that statement—that emancipation did not end hatred and discrimination—is demonstrated in a narrative that spans decades. In the early Reconstruction era, 12-year-old Clayton McGhee travels north from Alabama with his parents and grandparents, who hope to build a new life in Indiana. Smart and perceptive—in the first chapter, he’s shown trying to buy a book—Clayton encounters ingrained prejudice that eventually leads to violence. VERDICT This historical combines the pleasures of old-fashioned storytelling with the sobering and ever-needed reminder of the price of racial hatred.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Harris, Sherry. Tagged for Death: A Sarah Winston Garage Sale Mystery. Kensington. Dec. 2014. 296p. ISBN 9781617730177. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781617730184. M
Sarah Winston is starting over at age 38. After her career Air Force husband loses his job over “conduct unbecoming an officer,” a euphemism for having an affair with 19-year-old Tiffany, Sarah is single and living on her own without the benefits of a BX (Base Exchange) for the first time in her adult life. To survive financially, Sarah has become a garage sale queen. But when she finds her ex-husband CJ’s bloody BDUs (battle dress uniform) in a garbage bag at a tag sale, along with a maternity top marked with Tiffany’s name, she knows something is amiss. CJ is now the police chief of Ellington, MA, and while he might be a cheater, Sarah knows he could never be a killer. Something is going on in Ellington, and Sarah means to get to the bottom of it. VERDICT Full of garage-sale tips, this amusing cozy debut introduces an unusual protagonist who has overcome some recent tribulations and become stronger. A solid choice for fans of Jane K. Cleland’s “Josie Prescott Antique Mystery” series.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Hart, America. into the silence: the fishing story. Red Hen. 2014 160p. ISBN 9781597095402. pap. $15.95. F
Young Natalia stands fishing not far from her father, singing in an unearthly voice that hints at a special future; later, she becomes an accomplished musician, dividing her time between piano and violin. Her father pushes her forth, her mother and sister pull her back, yet Natalia does things her own way by leaving school and following ballet dancer Dan to the city. So far, a standard story line, but the telling in this debut novel is anything but; all lowercase, with phrases repeatedly conjoined, the narrative creates a sense of rush, compression, and intimacy that mirrors Natalia’s agitated state. VERDICT For language lovers rather than plot seekers; certainly demanding, but Hart is someone to watch.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Hepner, Braden. Pale Harvest. Torrey House. 2014. 360p. ISBN 9781937226398. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9781937226343. F
After his parents were killed in a car accident, Jack Selvedge went to live with his grandparents on their dairy farm; at 20, he’s still there, doing back-breaking labor. An autumnal sense pervades his story, as he witnesses his grandmother’s death and meditatively debates options with friend Heber; Jack’s for staying put, but their little Utah town is clearly dying, like towns everywhere in the American West. Still, there’s the generously depicted dignity of hard work and the promise of hope in the return of lovely Rebekah Rainsford. VERDICT A quietly dazzling debut that any reader could enjoy.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Leya, Ella. The Orphan Sky. Sourcebooks Landmark. Feb. 2015. 336p. ISBN 9781402298653. $24.99; ebk. ISBN 9781402298660. F
Growing up in Azerbaijan, 15-year-old Leila has experienced a life steeped in communism, from her grandfather’s role as a Red Commissar to being a member of the Youth League of the Communist Party. When Leila is approached by the charming and attractive Comrade Farhad, she is eager to prove her worth by accepting his challenge to spy on the owner of a music store. Leila is also a renowned pianist with dreams of representing Azerbaijan in international competition. But the task becomes complicated when she is swept away by both melodies of foreign music and the mysterious anticommunist owner, Tahir. The stories and sounds place our protagonist in a tangled web of conflicted emotions, torn between her growing feelings for Tahir and her faltering confidence in the government. In addition, Leila is facing pressure to marry by family members trying to contain their own demons. VERDICT The author’s background in music and understanding of life in late 1970s Azerbaijan is evident in this debut novel. The vivid details of the setting and music will engage readers who otherwise might not have knowledge of the country and its history at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. A strong choice for readers of historical fiction who are deeply interested in the Middle East and musical detail.
McHugh, Mary. Chorus Lines, Caviar, and Corpses: A Happy Hoofers Mystery. Kensington. Nov. 2014. 268p. ISBN 9781617733598. pap. $7.99; ebk. ISBN 9781617733604. M
With four of her other fiftysomething friends, travel magazine columnist Tina Powell started a tap-dancing troupe that became an Internet sensation. As a result, the Happy Hoofers are hired as entertainment for a cruise on the Volga River, sailing from Moscow to St. Petersburg. On the cruise’s second night a corpse is found in the river near where the boat is docked. Is it the unscrupulous British chef who didn’t know how to cook? Is it the innocent American young man traveling solo? And who could possibly have developed such animosity toward their fellow passengers in just two days? VERDICT Featuring travel tips from Tina (as chapter headings) and recipes, this series debut by the author of Cape Cod Murder and How Not To Act Like a Little Old Lady features plenty of cozy adventure for armchair travelers and mystery buffs alike. Sue Henry and Peter Abresch fans will be delighted with this alternative.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Meginnis, Mike. Fat Man and Little Boy. Black Balloon. 2014. 242p. ISBN 9781936787203. pap. $16; ebk. ISBN 9781936787210. F
Inside a bunker, a fat man guarded by Japanese soldiers lies pinkly naked. Something strange is happening: “He remembers how it was to explode. It was everything coming out everywhere. Shit and piss and puke and blood and scream. It was being the world…. It was like being born.” Then he’s rescued by a skinny little boy who says, “So, you are my brother.” Yes, the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki have come to life and bond closely as they stumble through a smoking, hostile landscape, trying to make sense of the world. Eventually, they flee to France and then America to submerge their dark past. VERDICT Not for fans of routine war novels, this Horatio Nelson Prize winner is an imaginative and surprisingly intimate look at the consequences of our actions and the costs of war.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Moshfegh, Ottessa. McGlue. Fence. 2014. 144p. ISBN 9781934200858. pap. $15.95. F
In the 1850s, in a ship’s hold somewhere in the South 
Pacific, McGlue awakens blood soaked and so hungover he can’t remember the previous evening, when he presumably killed a man named Johnson. Because Johnson had rescued McGlue from a vagabond life and got him his berth, and because McGlue is rowdy, abrasive, foulmouthed, and inclined to call people faggots and blackies, readers will condemn him out of hand. But as the story unfolds, a different understanding of events emerges. VERDICT Rawly written yet superbly controlled, this accomplished debut is the inaugural winner of the Fence Modern Prize in Prose; it would have been no surprise to see it coming from a major literary house, so look there for Moshfegh’s next.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal
Olsson, Fredrik T. Chain of Events. Little, Brown. Nov. 2014. 432p. tr. from Swedish by Dominic Hinde. ISBN 9780316335003. $26; ebk. ISBN 9780316334990. F
Ex-army cryptologist William Sandberg is abducted from his room in a Stockholm hospital by a shadowy organization that orders him to code a reply to a mysterious message. William isn’t quite a guest at the Alpine castle, nor is he exactly a prisoner. The men in charge, though, will do whatever is necessary to get his help. Meanwhile, William’s estranged journalist wife, Christina, is determined to track him down despite the risks, while Janine, a young scientist who uncovered some dangerous information, is kidnapped by the same group holding William. Ever resourceful, Janine and William attempt to escape their captors several times, but as they uncover more of the truth, they’re forced to stay and discover the meaning of what’s hidden in our DNA or witness the greatest human catastrophe yet. VERDICT Swedish screenwriter Olsson’s debut novel is a thrilling page-turner reminiscent of the of the works of Michael Crichton or David Baldacci. Fans of suspense and adventure fiction will enjoy traveling along with the protagonists across continental Europe in search of answers. Each revelation is unexpected and an intriguing twist that keeps readers hanging on.
Otto, Shawn Lawrence. Sins of Our Fathers. Milkweed. Nov. 2014. 356p. ISBN 9781571311092. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781571319128. F
In a small town in Minnesota, bank president JW excels at teaching interested business administrators about risk management accounts funded by Indian reservation casinos. Following the accidental death of his son, JW withdraws from his wife and daughter, spending all of his free time at casinos. Consequently, he and his wife separate, and he and his daughter grow apart. In addition, JW’s boss, Mr. Jorgensen, catches him embezzling funds from the bank to pay his gambling debts. Offering an alternative to pressing charges, Mr. Jorgensen asks JW to derail a competitor’s plans to start a new bank on the reservation. As JW plots his next move, he must choose between self-preservation and justice. VERDICT The writer and coproducer of the Oscar-nominated film House of Sand and Fog delivers an excellent debut literary thriller. Fans of Larry Watson and Louise Erdrich will enjoy the intricate plot, well-developed characters, and social commentary about Native American culture. Moreover, readers who are interested in mysteries with a Minnesota setting will want to try this edgy page-turner. [See “Famously Firsts,” Fall/Winter 2014/15 First Novels, LJ 10/1/14.]
Ruud, Jay. Fatal Feast: A Merlin Mystery. Five Star: Gale Cengage. Jan. 2015. 298p. ISBN 9781432829872. $25.95. M
When an Irish knight dies at a feast that Queen Guenivere is hosting for the Knights of the Round Table, Sir Mador accuses the queen of murder when it turns out that Sir Patrise, the deceased, had eaten a poisoned apple. Guenivere must extricate herself from this predicament without the assistance of her stalwart champion, Sir Lancelot. King Arthur dispatches Gildas, Guenivere’s loyal page, into the woods to find the wizard Merlin, who has disappeared into a deep depression since being rejected by Nimue. This is just the puzzle to reignite Merlin’s passion for justice. VERDICT Literary critic and scholar Ruud (Critical Companion to Dante; Encyclopedia of Medieval Literature) launches a new historical series revolving around King Arthur and his court, set here in the High Middle Ages, rather than England’s more ancient past when Christianity vied with paganism as recounted in Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur. The author also draws from this medieval source the story of the poisoned apple. Fans of medieval mysteries and Arthurian legends will enjoy this imaginative tale of gallant knights.—Viccy Kemp, Flower Mound P.L., TX
Slomski, Heather A. The Lovers Set Down Their Spoons. Univ. of Iowa. 2014. 146p. ISBN 9781609382827. pap. $16. F
“We are sitting at a table in a restaurant. The four of us. You. Me. The woman with whom you had an affair. Her boyfriend.” So opens the title story of Slomski’s 2014 Iowa Short Fiction Award winner, and it’s so apt, cutting, and funny that most folks will want to read on. In the remaining stories, all told in brisk yet sympathetic language, Slomski plumbs loneliness and misconnection, as in “Correction,” ending with a woman who sits drinking to “block out the mistake I made in leaving him.” VERDICT Promising work about contemporary life.—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal