In ‘Fencing with the King,’ a search for family truths puts a woman at odds with her powerful uncle
Diana Abu-Jaber's writing is propulsive — but silkily so, wending on limber paragraphs that allow her to move with ease across a wide-ranging story about conflicted identities.
In ‘Mecca,’ Susan Straight unearths the real Southern California
Susan Straight's "Mecca" shows a Southern California that's far from the glitz of Hollywood.
Stephen King, Janelle Monáe and more: Let’s talk about speculative fiction to read this year
2022 is turning out to be a great year if you love science fiction, fantasy and horror books
Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ has an ending that’s impossible to shake
"Verity," Colleen Hoover's best-selling thriller, is prompting heated debate about what exactly the ending means.
Lee Cole’s ‘Groundskeeping’ is an empathetic portrait of people across the political spectrum
Lee Cole’s first novel is not only the story of a young man finding his vocation as a writer but also a wrenching examination of class differences
‘The Love of My Life’ is a masterful domestic thriller with a doozy of a plot
In Rosie Walsh’s new novel, husband and wife think they know each other, but do they?
In Cold War fiction, Russian villains haunted our imagination. Now they look almost quaint.
With the invasion of Ukraine, we have clearly entered a new, dangerous and wildly unpredictable era of East/West relations, the old norms and rules of the game just so much dust.
‘Booth’ imagines the dysfunctional family that created John Wilkes Booth
The ending of Karen Joy Fowler's historical novel is never in doubt. The story is still riveting.
4 great new mysteries and thrillers — and one to skip
Jane Pek’s ‘The Verfiers’ and Peter Swanson’s ‘Nine Lives’ are two of our picks this month
In ‘Glory,’ talking animals bear a striking resemblance to real-life tyrants
NoViolet Bulawayo's allegory reconsiders the aftermath of Zimbabwe's 2017 coup.
Netflix’s ‘Pieces of Her’ doesn’t blindly follow the book. Author Karin Slaughter couldn’t be happier.
Netflix’s "Pieces of Her," starring Toni Colette and Bella Heathcote, departs regularly from the source material, but the spirit of the novel remains intact.
New to Jack Reacher? These are the best books to get you started.
Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels turn outlandishness into an art form.
How do you choose a book? Book lists by other writers are a great place to start
Critic Michael Dirda explores book compilations and how they can steer readers to great books.
For Women’s History Month: 5 new novels that celebrate female accomplishments
‘The Paris Bookseller’ by Kerri Maher and ‘The Diamond Eye’ by Kate Quinn are among several great new works of historical fiction.
In Stewart O’Nan’s ‘Ocean State,’ mean girls turn deadly
Stewart O'Nan's “Ocean State” opens with a shocking line, but the novel feels allergic to its own suspense.
February books: The best-reviewed titles of the last month
Of the many February books we reviewed, these are the titles our critics liked best.
In Roddy Doyle’s ‘Life Without Children,’ the pandemic sets plots in motion
"Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" author Roddy Doyle found inspiration in pandemic lockdowns.
‘Mercy Street’ may be the last novel about abortion before Roe v. Wade is dismantled
Jennifer Haigh's "Mercy Street" is a clear-eyed novel about abortion rights in America.
In Joel Agee’s wondrous ‘The Stone World’ a boy tries to make sense of life
The range and caliber of Joel Agee's work proves he's much more than the son of the late, Pulitzer-winning James Agee.
If you love ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘The X-Files,’ these books are for you
Let’s talk about paranoid fiction, starting with the works of Philip K. Dick.