Editorial reviews

Debut novelist Berry creates relatable characters who can laugh at themselves even when they fall down hard, but the gist of the book can be summed up when one of them approaches a problem by “produc[ing] a piece of writing about it and put[ting] it all behind her.”

Whether it's Nutting's swift, biting humor or wildly funny scenes like the one involving a drunken Hazel's awkwardly intimate encounter with Diane, she demonstrates a mastery of comic timing and an ability to pump unflagging energy into her plot.

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen is, plain and simple, a hoot. The old coot’s humor comes out on every page, as does his kind and gentle heart.

Hall’s stories are dark and strange, sensual and finely worded, literary without being pretentious. Madame Zero is a quick read, but the images and characters will surely linger in the minds of readers long after the last page is turned.

[W]hat makes Dead On Arrival most appealing is that the issues it raises stay with the reader after the final page; it’s not just a good read, it’s a provocative one.

A brave and honest memoir.... Lights On, Rats Out is quite sad and piercingly smart, making for an unforgettable read.

The novel haunts on all levels, both in the reader’s desire for a hint of hope, and in the author’s refusal to console. Once read, this story is not forgotten.

Stanton’s last official act for Abraham Lincoln was to organize the search for John Wilkes Booth and the others who were part of the assassination plot.

Perrotta admirers will admire much of Mrs. Fletcher, though they may mourn the better version that’s visible in the margins.

Tedious, and unpleasantly so.

Middling Dunmore, but middling Dunmore is still damn fine. Her death at 64 is a real loss.

This entertaining-enough thriller is built on a social history of a flawed American city.

Tedium is inevitable as we watch these Tudor heirs wait.

It’s hard to think of any writer since Flannery O’Connor, referenced at several key moments here, who’s succeeded as consistently as Slaughter at using horrific violence to evoke pity and terror. Whether she’s extending her franchise or creating stand-alones like this, she really does make your hair stand on end.

A procedural with a complex heroine and a torrid pace. This series kickoff is at once credible, moving, and suspenseful.

More seasonal goodwill (think of a rainbow-cast remake of It’s a Wonderful Life) than misdirection in a story that perfectly illustrates its heroine’s bromide: “When you think about it, all crimes are stupid.”

A sturdy, starchy police procedural most likely to appeal to readers with a hearty appetite for police routine.