The Inheritance of Orquìdea Divina, Zoraida Cordova, Atria Books – Zoraida Córdova’s tropes are as magical as her fantasy novel, “The Inheritance of Orquìdea Divina,” where bargains are made with the unknown and kept secret until ill-fortune spreads like vines, ultimately choking the family tree to death.
Choose Me, Gerritsen & Braver, Thomas & Mercer – Authors Tess Gerritsen and Gary Braver team up to produce a thriller with a Greek mythological twist. Their prose is alluring, and the plot is intriguing.
The Show Girl, Nicola Harrison, St. Martin’s Press – Nicola Harrison’s, “The Show Girl,” is a no-frills but elegant novel in which the author traces Olive McCormick’s life as an entertainer determined to become one of the Ziegfeld Follies, against dramatic odds.
The Receptionist, Kate Myles, Thomas & Mercer – There are no heroes in Kate Myles’ novel, “The Receptionist.” Instead, her main characters are despicable, greedy and inhumane people whose sole aim is “monetizing the population” by illegally collecting medical data to sell products.
The North Face of the Heart, Dolores Redondo, – Spanish author Dolores Redondo’s wildly popular protagonist, Investigator Amaia Salazar, is back for another adventure in Redondo’s just-translated thriller, “The North Face of the Heart.” This time, Salazar assists the FBI to track down a serial killer.
What Could Be Saved, Liese O’Halloran Schwarz, Atria Books – The lingering quietness of Liese O’Halloran Schwarz’s mystery novel, “What Could Be Saved,” is also its driving energy. The narrative, bouncing between past and present, evolves around the disappearance of a child, and then, his re-appearance a half-century later.
At the End of the Matinee, Kelichiro Hirano, Amazon Crossing – “At the End of the Matinee,” Japanese author Keiichiro Hirano’s new novel, depicts a torturous and suspenseful journey of two people in love whose lives bisect at the exact moment they are prepared to unite. It’s like two trains passing, each going in opposite directions.
Always A Song, Ellen Harper with Sam Barry, Chronicle Prism – Folk Singer Ellen Harper’s stirring memoir, “Always a Song,” begins with her birth, part of a musical family enjoying “fascist-free” post-World War II life in New Hampshire.
The Paris Apartment, Kelly Bowen, Hachette – Kelly Bowen’s historical romance, “The Paris Apartment” interweaves the lives of two women during WWII with the efforts of a granddaughter and a grandnephew to uncover the women’s war role.
Tears of Amber. Sofia Segovia, Amazon Crossing – You may have vowed not to read yet another war novel on human suffering, but Mexican author Sofia Segovia’s new book will change your mind. Segovia’s compelling “Tears of Amber,” focuses on females — mothers, left alone with their children to navigate war horrors.
