Martha Grimes’ favorite hero, Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury, is back with another mystery, his 22nd, with “Dust.” In nonfiction, look for “American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion,” in which Paul M. Barrett tells what its like to be one of the 6 million American Muslims in a post-9/11 world. “Man Gone Down,” by Michael Thomas, the story of a black man in a biracial marriage trying to make ends meet, is out in paperback. Looking ahead, Benjamin Franklin biographer Walter Isaacson is back with a look at one of the world’s premier scientists in “Einstein: His Life and Universe,” out in April.
FICTION
Dust, by Martha Grimes, Penguin, 352 pages, $25.95|This, the 22nd mystery featuring Scotland Yard Superintendent. Richard Jury, is the sequel to “The Old Wine Shades” and finds Jury up against master criminal Harry Johnson.
Once in a Promised Land, by Laila Halaby, Beacon, 352 pages, $24.95|The author of “West of the Jordan” is back with the story of a Jordanian couple who move to Arizona and while working through personal troubles find themselves in the midst of fallout from 9/11.
The Killing Moon, by Chuck Hogan, Scribner, Simon & Schuster, 368 pages, $25 |Hogan follows his successful “Prince of Thieves” with the story of a small Massachusetts town that is dying on the vine.
NONFICTION
American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion, by Paul M. Barrett, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 320 pages, $25|Barrett goes into some of the homes of the 6 million Muslims in America to document their ideologies and their culture.
Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran, by Jason Elliot, St. Martin’s, 416 pages, $26.95|Eliot spent four years traveling through Iran and reveals the many sides of the people and their art, architecture and literature.
Thomas Hardy, by Claire Tomalin, Penguin, 512 pages, $35|A readable biography of the architect/author who created such famous works as “Far From the Madding Crowd,” “Tess of the d’Ubervilles” and “Jude the Obscure.”
PAPERBACKS
Man Gone Down, by Michael Thomas, Grove/Atlantic, 432 pages, $14|This highly praised first novel is about a young black father of three in a biracial marriage who is trying to grab his piece of the American pie.
The Kingdom and the Power: Behind the Scenes at The New York Times: The Institution That Influenced the World, by Gay Talese, Random House, 555 pages, $16.95|The former Times correspondent and author goes behind the scenes at the Gray Lady to lay bare the infighting and the stories behind the personalities.
Betrayed: The Assassination of Dina Ochoa, by Linda Diebel, Carroll & Graf, 514 pages, $17.95|Journalist Diebel looks at the death of Mexican human rights lawyer Digna Ochoa, which was ruled a suicide by authorities. Diebel makes a case for murder.
COMING UP
Einstein: His Life and Universe, by Walter Isaacson, Simon & Schuster, 720 pages, $35, April|The author of the bestselling “Benjamin Franklin” returns with a look at the scientist’s achievements, politics and complex personal life.
High Profile, by Robert B. Parker, Penguin, 304 pages, $24.95, February|Paradise, Mass., Police Chief Jesse Stone finds himself hip-deep in trouble when the body of a controversial radio host is found on the outskirts of town.
Friends in High Places, by Marne Davis Kellogg, St. Martin’s, 336 pages, $24.95, March|Local author Kellogg reutrns with a story of Kick Keswick, who is bored with retirement and finds herself embroiled in a controversy surrounding the auction house where she once worked.
