Ms. Mebel Goes Back on the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto

 

Decent.

Ghost-Eye by Amitav Ghosh

 

This seems like something I would hate, what with all of the magical realism and meandering, overly-detailed discursions. But for some reason I loved it. Maybe it was partially the narrator?

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Lowe Job by Grace Alexander

 

I didn't love this because it seemed like it was neither fish nor fowl: it couldn't quite decide what genre, tone, or register it wanted to be. That said, I do think there would be a lot here for book groups to discuss.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Burning Library by Gilly MacMillan

 

Meh 

Based on a True Story by Sarah Vaughn

 

So dumb.

Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman

 

Fun.

Insane City by Dave Barry

 

Lots of fun.

Blackman's Coffin by Mark de Castrique

 Solid.

Social Animals by Camille Perri

 

Basically solid, and I appreciated a sort of unusual plot twist as well as an excellent twist at the very end. However, it seemed like it couldn't quite decide whether it was a farce (see: the gala) or more serious (see: issues faced by characters).

Review copy provided by publisher.

Obstetrix by Naomi Kritzer

Very solid. There was some dimension missing stopping it from being fantastic; it felt somewhat predictable. 

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Fine Art of Lying by Alexandra Andrews

 

I really liked this.