Editor’s Choice
Careless in Red, Elizabeth George, $27.95. This is the book Inspector Lynley fans have been waiting for ever since George dropped the bombshell of Helen Lynley’s murder at the end of “With No One as Witness.” In keeping with George’s standards, the inspectors and their many suspects alike are complex, fascinating folks. Library Journal
FICTION
The Blue Religion, edited by Michael Connelly, 24.99. Mystery Writers of America presents a high-quality anthology of 19 original stories that explore a wide range of police experiences, from newcomer Polly Nelson’s superb tale set in 1864 Kansas, “Burying Mr. Henry,” to editor Connelly’s powerful and grim Harry Bosch investigation. Publishers Weekly
The Girl of His Dreams, Donna Leon, $24. Political reality prevails over justice and a child’s death goes unpunished despite the best efforts of Commissario Guido Brunetti in Leon’s 17th Venetian mystery. Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
Clinton in Exile: A President Out of the White House, by Carol Felsenthal, $25.95. The post-presidential Bill Clinton is quite like the Oval Office Clinton, argues Felsenthal (“Princess Alice: The Life and Times of Alice Roosevelt Longworth,” 2003, etc.): He has considerable gifts but is laid low by his equally large faults. Kirkus
Golda, by Elinor Burkett, $27.95. The rise of the Russian-born, Milwaukee-bred Golda Mabovitz Meir (Israel’s prime minister from 1969 to 1974) was the result of her enormous popularity in the U.S. as a fundraiser for a struggling Jewish settlement in pre statehood Palestine. This is a solidly researched, highly readable portrait of a mesmerizing but, according to Burkett, ultimately lonely woman. Publishers Weekly
Kafka Comes to America: Fighting for Justice in the War on Terror, by Steven T. Wax, $25. Federal public defender Wax masterfully delivers a harrowing story of the erosion of civil liberties after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in a powerful testimony that reads like a thriller. Wax follows the stories of two men he represented, both victims of post- 9/11 counterterrorism measures. Publishers Weekly
PAPERBACKS
Sister Mine, by Tawni O’Dell, $14.95. O’Dell, whose debut, “Back Roads” (2000), was an Oprah pick, returns with a terrific third novel set in a Pennsylvania coal country of broken families, altercations and small-town coping. Publishers Weekly
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein, $19. In this excellent biography, Wall Street Journal reporter Lowenstein details the billionaire stock market wizard’s strategy of betting on the long-term growth of a handful of successful companies such as American Express and Berkshire Hathaway. Publishers Weekly
Mr. Darwin’s Shooter: A Novel, by Roger McDonald, $14. Charles Darwin dramatically changed the course of human history, but the drama of his life story pales next to this vividly imagined rendering of big-hearted Syms Covington, the colorful sailor, hunter, taxidermist and manservant who spent seven years at Darwin’s side. Publishers Weekly
COMING UP
My Sister, My Love, by Joyce Carol Oates, $25.95. The prolific author returns with a satirical novel about a murder seen through the eyes of the 19-year-old “survivor” of a family torn by intense media scrutiny. (June)
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (And What It Says About Us), by Tom Vanderbilt, $24.95. The author looks at the factors that shape how we react while in our cars, the unintended consequences of engineering for safety. It’s more about human nature than what it’s like to be behind the wheel. (August)
