Willnot

James Sallis

Bloomsbury USA

In his celebrated career, James Sallis has created some of the most finely drawn protagonists in crime fiction, all of them thoughtful observers of the human condition: Lew Griffin, the black New Orleans private investigator; retired detective John Turner; the unnamed wheelman in Drive. Dr. Lamar Hale will now join the ranks of Sallis's finest characters. In the woods outside the town of Willnot, the remains of several people have suddenly been discovered, unnerving the community and unsettling Hale, the town's all-purpose general practitioner, surgeon, and town conscience. At the same time, Bobby Lowndes--his military records disappeared, being followed by the FBI--mysteriously reappears in his hometown, at Hale's door. Over the ensuing months, the daily dramas Hale faces as he tends to his town and to his partner, Richard, collide with the inexplicable vagaries of life in Willnot. And when a gunshot aimed at Lowndes critically wounds Richard, Hale's world is truly upended.

Fatal Pursuit

Martin Walker

Knopf Publishing Group

A pair of murders, a romance and rivals in pursuit of a long-lost vintage car of unfathomable value Bruno, chief of police, is busy in another mystery set in the beautiful Dordogne. At the annual "fete" in St. Denis, Bruno's biggest worry is surviving as a last-minute replacement navigator in a car rally race. The contest and a classic-car parade are new to the festivities and draw a spate of outsiders with deep pockets, big-city egos and, in the case of a young Englishman, an intriguing story. It's the tale of a Bugatti Type 57C, lost somewhere in France during World War II. Among the most beautiful cars ever made, one of only four of its kind Ralph Lauren owns one it is worth millions and drives its pursuers mad with greed. In the midst of the festivities, a local scholar turns up dead and Bruno suspects unnatural causes. After a second death, there is mounting evidence that the events in St. Denis are linked to international crime. To make matters even more complicated, a family squabble over land brings to St. Denis a comely Parisienne who turns Bruno's head. As usual, Bruno's life offers its challenges but there is always time for a good bottle and a home-cooked meal.

By the Numbers

Jen Lancaster

New American Library

Actuary Penny Sinclair has a head for business, and she always makes rational decisions. Knowing that 60% of spouses cheat and 50% of marriages end in divorce, she wasn t too surprised when her husband had an affair. (That he did so with a woman their daughter's age? Well, that part did sting a bit.) She just made sure she got everything in the divorce, including their lovely old Victorian house. And as soon as her younger daughter has her hipster-fabulous wedding in the backyard, she's trading it in for a condo in downtown Chicago... Well within the average market time in her area, Penny gets an offer on the house. But then life happens. Her children, her parents and her ex come flying back to the nest, all in need of Penny's emotional and financial support. Spread thin, Penny becomes the poster child for the sandwich generation, when all she really wanted to do was make managing director, buy a white couch, and maybe go on a Match.com date.

Language Arts

Stephanie Kallos

Mariner Books

Charles Marlow teaches his high school English students that language will expand their worlds. But linguistic precision cannot help him connect with his autistic son, his ex-wife, or his college-bound daughter, who has just flown the nest. He's at the end of a road he's traveled on autopilot for years when a series of events forces him to think back on the lifetime of decisions and indecisions that have brought him to this point. With the help of an ambitious art student, an Italian-speaking nun, and the memory of a boy in a white suit who inscribed his childhood with both solace and sorrow, Charles may finally be able to rewrite the script of his life.

The World Without Us

Mireille Juchau

Bloomsbury USA

Thirteen-year-old Tess Muller stopped speaking six months ago. Her silence is baffling to her parents, her teachers, and her younger sister, Meg, but the more urgent mystery for both girls is where their mother Evangeline goes each day, pushing an empty pram and returning home wet, muddy, and disheveled. Their father, Stefan, struggling with his own losses, tends to his apiary and tries to understand why his bees are disappearing. But after he discovers a car wreck and human remains on their farm, old secrets emerge to threaten the fragile family. One day Tess's teacher Jim encounters Evangeline by the wild Repentance River. Jim is in flight from his own troubles in in Sydney, and Evangeline, raised in a mountain commune and bearing the scars of the fire that destroyed it, is a puzzle he longs to solve. As the forest trees are felled and the lakes fill with run-off from the expanding mines, Tess watches the landscape of her family undergo shifts of its own. A storm is coming--and the Mullers are in its path.

Vinegar Girl

Anne Tyler

Hogarth

Anne Tyler's retelling of The Taming of the Shrew asks whether a thoroughly modern, independent woman like Kate would ever sacrifice herself for a man. Its answer is as individual, offbeat, and funny as Kate herself. Kate Battista feels stuck. How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and her uppity, pretty younger sister, Bunny? Plus, she's always in trouble at work her preschool charges adore her, but their parents don t always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner. Dr. Battista has his own problems. After years in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough. His research could help millions. There's only one problem: his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported. And without Pyotr, Dr. Battista's work may not ever be realized. When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying as usual on Kate to help him. Kate is furious: this time he's really asking too much. Will she be able to resist the two men's touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?