EDITOR’S CHOICE
Show No Fear, by Perri O’Shaughnessy, $25. In this prequel to the Nina Reilly mystery series (“Case of Lies”), young Nina tackles her first mystery as a single mom juggling law school and paralegal work. Nina’s balancing act and independent streak make her an admirable heroine in a solidly plotted book that gets the job done. Library Journal
FICTION
City of God, by Beverly Swerling, $27. The sparkling latest in Swerling’s historical series (after “City of Glory”) about the Turner and Devrey families and the growth of New York City takes place in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Publishers Weekly
Jack London in Paradise, by Paul Malmont, $25. The salad days of Hollywood intersect with Jack London’s final days in this spirited but loquacious imagining of the author’s volatile relationship with real-life actor and filmmaker Hobart Bosworth. Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
Panama Fever: The Epic Story of One of the Greatest Human Achievements of All Time — The Building of the Panama Canal, by Matthew Parker, $29.95. This history of the Panama Canal describes the scheming, the speculating, and the backbreaking labor — performed mostly by West Indians, who bore the brunt of the estimated 25,000 fatalities — that went into “the costliest project ever yet attempted.” The New Yorker
Nothing to Fear: FDR’s Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America, by Adam Cohen, $29.95. Cohen’s exhaustively researched and eloquently argued book provides a vital new level of insight into Roosevelt’s sweeping expansion of the federal government’s role in our national life. Publishers Weekly
A World of Trouble: The White House and the Middle East — from the Cold War to the War on Terror, by Patrick Tyler, $30. In this epic, remarkably readable history of U.S. involvement in the Middle East from Eisenhower to Bush II, Washington Post reporter Tyler uses an up-close, journalistic style to depict the power struggles and compromises that have defined the past half- century. Publishers Weekly
PAPERBACKS
Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction, by David Sheff, $14.95. Expanding on his New York Times Magazine article, Sheff chronicles his son’s downward spiral into addiction and the impact on him and his family. A bright, capable teenager, Nic began trying mind- and mood-altering substances when he was 17. In months, use became abuse, then abuse became addiction. Publishers Weekly
Split Estate, by Charlotte Bacon, $15. When Laura King jumps from the window of her Upper East Side Manhattan apartment, she leaves her husband, Arthur, and her teenage children, Cam and Celia, in emotional limbo. Seeking solace and a change of scene, Arthur takes the children cross-country to the home of his mother, Lucy, in Callendar, Wyo. Publishers Weekly
The Bloody Shirt: Terror After the Civil War, by Stephen Budiansky, $16. Budiansky has clearly done his research on this interesting and largely unknown history of the American South, detailing the origins of America’s largest homegrown terrorist sect, the Ku Klux Klan. While the tales are often disturbing and naturally disquieting, they are important stories of real men that have waited decades to be told. Publishers Weekly
COMING UP
Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood, by Donovan Campbell, $26. Campbell tells the story of the platoon he led as the Marines tried to pacify the Sunni-held town of Ramadi, Iraq. (March)
