Editor’s Choice
American Rust, by Philipp Meyer, $24.95. Part earnest Dreiserian tragedy, part Cormac McCarthy novel transplanted to the Steel Belt, Meyer’s debut in the end takes a gothic turn to blockbuster-movie bloodbath. Despite some contrived plot developments, it’s a grimly powerful hybrid: provocative literary fiction crossed with a propulsive thriller. Kirkus
FICTION
Lethal Legacy, by Linda Fairstein, $26. Could the pursuit of a rare book or map be motivation to lie, steal or commit murder? Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper and colleagues Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace are drawn to the scene of a home invasion and possible assault of a young library conservator. Library Journal
Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, $24. Book clubs in search of the next Kite Runner need look no further than this astonishing, flawless novel about what happens when ordinary, mundane Western lives are thrown into stark contrast against the terrifying realities of war-torn Africa. Library Journal
NONFICTION
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier’s Education, by Craig M. Mullaney, $28.95. Young Capt. Mullaney’s admirable, literate autobiography, that of a veteran of combat in Afghanistan, adds much to knowledge of the modern Army and makes a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate over what a “warrior” is these days. Booklist
In the Shadow of the Oval Office: Profiles of the National Security Advisers and the Presidents They Served — From JFK to George W. Bush, by Ivo H. Daalder and I.M. Destler, $27. Unlike Cabinet secretaries, the national security adviser maintains an office in the White House and operates free of the politics and bureaucratic demands of running federal departments. Each, as the authors astutely show, has brought unique talents and prejudices to the assignment. Publishers Weekly
Uranium, by Tom Zoellner, $26.95. In this fine piece of journalism, Zoellner does for uranium what he did for diamonds in The Heartless Stone — he delves into the complex science, politics and history of this radioactive mineral, which presents “the best and worst of mankind. . . .”Publishers Weekly
PAPERBACKS
The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation, by Philip Shenon, $15.99. Though the 9/11 Commission might not seem like the stuff of high drama, Shenon expertly quarries numerous documents and interviews to produce a mesmerizing account. He offers vivid portraits of everyone from Henry Kissinger to Samuel R. Berger, from George Tenet to Condoleezza Rice. Few reputations emerge unscathed. The New York Times
American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld, $15. Sittenfeld installs herself deep within the (fictional) psyche of the tight-lipped wife of the president and emerges with an evenhanded, compassionate look at her mind and heart. . . . powerfully intimate. Washington Post
Dakota, by Martha Grimes, $16. Best-seller Grimes’ compelling second novel to feature the enigmatic young woman who calls herself Andi Oliver (“Biting the Moon”) begins with Andi, who’s still unaware of her real name or her past, adrift in the Dakota badlands. After rescuing an abandoned donkey, Andi makes a temporary home for herself in the small town of Kingdom, where she soon creates a stir by standing up to some local bullies. Publishers Weekly
COMING UP
The Winner Stands Alone, by Paulo Coelho, $25.99. The author of “The Alchemist” returns with a story of the destructive power of jealousy and greed. Set at the Cannes Film Festival, it tells of a Russian entrepreneur who’ll stop at nothing to reclaim a lost love. (April)
