Rosecrans Baldwin

Marlon James' A Brief History Of Seven Killings is a novel based on a real-life assassination attempt on Bob Marley. Its hefty cast and sprawling plot make for a demanding yet rewarding read.

Andrea Camilleri's Angelica's Smile is the 17th book in the Inspector Montalbano mystery series. It's not as tightly plotted as the others, but Camilleri's trademark charm is still in place.

The office has long been seen as a symbol of boredom: It's a killer of spirits, a destroyer of spontaneity. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says a new book brings out its entertaining side.

In her new book, novelist and philosopher, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, drops Plato into modern situations and imagines what he'd think of this century's existential dilemmas.

No, Raymond Chandler isn't churning out new material from the grave. This Philip Marlowe story is written by someone else, yet it retains many of the crime writer's best qualities.

Not much happens in An Unnecessary Woman, Lebanese-American author Rabih Alameddine's novel about an elderly recluse who spends her time reading and translating. But what does happen shows a life in all its mundane, unconventional brilliance.

Scandinavian crime novels have become so popular that some publishers even have a name for the genre — "Scandi-crime." Many of these books keep readers right on the edge of their seats. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says Before I Burn by Gaute Heivoll takes a more subtle approach.

Each of the young women in Laura van den Berg's The Isle of Youth is searching for significance in her life, troubled by the choices she's made. Their tales make up a collection of short stories written with cool aloofness. Critic Rosecrans Baldwin says that this book won't be for everyone — but for fans of detached prose, it's spectacular.

Novelist Robert Stone may not have the name recognition of some of his buzzed-about contemporaries, but his works have won top honors in the writing world. Critic Rosecrans Baldwin thinks Stone's latest, Death of the Black-Haired Girl — full of characters whose evil-doings are "a pleasure to watch" — might give him a shot at mainstream acclaim.

In Identical, Scott Turow opens a cold case involving a set of twins and a murder long thought solved. Whatever the premise may lead you to believe, though, this novel is neither funny nor especially thrilling. Reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin explains that the book is at its best in the courtroom, but elsewhere, it plods.