All of you who liked “The Dante Club” should look for Matthew Pearl’s new historical fiction, “The Poe Shadow,” which centers on the death of the famous author. In nonfiction, author Nick Bryant, in “The Bystander,” focuses his look at John F. Kennedy and the civil rights movement on Kennedy’s days in Congress. Tim Farrington takes a look at the effects of the Vietnam War on a man who fought in it and his wife who struggles to keep things going at home in “Lizzie’s War,” just out in paperback. In July, look for the horror/thriller tale “The Ruins,” from Scott Smith, his first novel since 1993’s “A Simple Plan.”
FICTION
The Poe Shadow, by Matthew Pearl, Random House, 384 pages, $24.95|The author of the acclaimed “The Dante Club” returns with a new historical novel set around events leading to the death of Edgar Allan Poe.
Slipstream, by Leslie Larson, Shaye Areheart, 320 pages, $23.95|Drawing on fears of mayhem at airports, Larson’s thriller focuses on five people whose lives intersect at Los Angeles International Airport.
The Secret River, by Kate Grenville, Canongate, 334 pages, $24|Grenville’s historical novel tells the story of her ancestors settling in New South Wales.
NONFICTION
The Bystander: John F. Kennedy and the Struggle for Black Equality, by Nick Bryant, Basic Books, 576 pages, $29.95|Bryant assesses John Kennedy’s handling of the civil rights movement by concentrating on his time in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Charlemagne, by Derek Wilson, Doublday, 256 pages, $26|The author attempts to demystify the story of the man who led the Holy Roman Empire and served as a bridge between ancient and modern Europe.
Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization, by W. Hodding Carter, Atria, Simon & Schuster, 256 pages, $24|The author uses wit to tell the history of how water is brought into the home and waste products taken out.
PAPERBACKS
Lizzie’s War, by Tim Farrington, Harper San Francisco, 369 pages, $14.95|Farrington (“The Monk Downstairs”) centers on the lives of two people – Mike and Liz O’Reilly – whose lives are changed when Mike is sent to Vietnam.
Heirs of the Fisherman: Behind the Scenes of Papal Death and Succession, by John-Peter Pham, Oxford, 382 pages, $17.95|A former Vatican insider, Pham details the inner workings of the church, revealing the changes to succession instituted by John Paul II.
The Lake, the River & the Other Lake, by Steve Amick, Anchor, 365 pages, $14|In this small town, all the characters have a problem to solve or an axe to grind, all during the summer of 2001.
COMING UP
The Ruins, by Scott Smith, Knopf, 336 pages, $24.95, July|The author of the highly successful “A Simple Plan” offers up his second novel, a thriller/horror story of nature gone bad in the Mexican wild.
Postcards From Ed: Dispatches and Salvos From an American Iconoclast, edited by David Petersen , Milkweed Editions, 304 pages, $24.95, Sept.|Here is a collection of letters and postcards from Edward Abbey, who was known for his savage wit and wisdom.
The Prisoner of Guantanamo, by Dan Fesperman, Knopf, 336 pages, $24, July|The author of “The Warlord’s Son” is back with the story of a shady investigation into the death of a U.S. soldier at the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo, Cuba.
