Editor’s Choice
The Blasphemer, by Nigel Farndale, $25.99. In British author Farndale’s elegant meditation on morality (among many other topics), Daniel Kennedy, a biologist specializing in worms, is convinced that the universe is godless — until the plane carrying him and his partner, Nancy, to the Galapagos Islands crashes in the ocean. Publishers Weekly
FICTION
Pretty Little Things, by Jilliane Hoffman, $25.95. Some twists and turns in Hoffman’s stand-alone thriller may leave readers scratching their heads, but the suspense ratchets up to such a high pitch that most will keep flipping pages till the end. Hoffman (“Plea of Insanity”) paints a scary picture of sexual predators, vulnerable teens and the shared hunting ground/playground that the Internet provides. Publishers Weekly
Bad Boy, by Peter Robinson, $25.99. Robinson tries something different in his excellent 19th novel to feature Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks by keeping the Yorkshire policeman offstage for the first half of the book. Banks’ daughter, Tracy, knows that her friend, Erin Doyle, is dating a bad boy. But she doesn’t know how bad Jaff McCready is until the recovery of a gun at Erin’s parents’ home results in a fatal accident. Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
Hot Time in the Old Town: The Great Heat Wave of 1896 and the Making of Theodore Roosevelt, by Edward P. Kohn, $27.95. For 10 hellishly hot days in August 1896, the poorly ventilated tenement blocks of immigrant New York were transformed into massive ovens: Horses dropped dead in the streets and nearly 1,300 people perished. Kohn succeeds in bringing this little-known tragedy to light. Publishers Weekly
Angelina: An Unauthorized Biography, by Andrew Morton, $26.99. If there is a celebrity today who merits the spadework of an unauthorized Morton biography, it’s Angelina Jolie. After Jolie and Brad Pitt come together, the book seems to move into hyperdrive, with endless rounds of globe-trotting, location shooting, child-acquiring and philanthropic efforts. The faster it seems to move, the harder it is to put down. Los Angeles Times
One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan, by Pen Farthing, $24.99. Farthing, a British Royal Marine, describes his struggles to save stray dogs languishing and dying in the streets of war-torn Afghanistan. Farthing’s remarkable story will inspire, shock and move readers, introducing them, perhaps for the first time, to war’s most voiceless and unintentional victims. Publishers Weekly
PAPERBACKS
The Husband Habit, by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, $14.99. Talented chef with a lousy romantic history finds herself drawn to an Iraq war veteran with a troubled past. For such a sensual and attractive woman, Vanessa Chavez has a real knack for attracting Mr. Wrong. Valdes-Rodriguez’s latest benefits from deeper character development than some earlier works. Publishers Weekly
New Stories From the South, edited by Amy Hempel, $14.95. The 25 stories in this 25th annual anthology lean more toward “menace” than outright attack, and though it’s true that some stories lack a certain bite, this year’s outing is a solid addition to a worthy institution. Publishers Weekly
The American (previously published as A Very Private Gentleman), by Martin Booth, $14. A thoughtful armorer to the world’s finest assassins ponders the possibilities of Italian retirement. His rather specialized occupation has made it necessary for “Mr. Butterfly” (the name given him by the locals) to move about often, but perhaps it’s time to hang up the tools. Kirkus
COMING UP
All Clear, by Connie Willis, $26. Here is a follow-up to Willis’ Nebula- and Hugo-award winner “Blackout,” with time travel back to the time of the London blitz. (October)
