Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami (Get this book)
Murakami turns in a trademark story that blends the commonplace with the nightmarish in a Japan full of hollow men. Poor achromatic Tsukuru. For some inexplicable reason, his four best friends, two males, two females, have cut him off without a word. Perhaps, he reckons between thoughts of suicide, it's because they can pair off more easily without a fifth wheel; perhaps it's because his name means "builder," while all theirs have to do with colors: red pine, blue sea, white root, black field. Murakami writes with the same murky sense of time that characterized 1Q84, but this book, short and haunting, is really of a piece with older work such as Norwegian Wood and, yes, Kafka on the Shore. The reader will enjoy watching Murakami play with color symbolism down to the very last line of the story, even as Tsukuru sinks deeper into a dangerous enigma.Another tour de force from Japan's greatest living novelist.--Kirkus

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

David A. Shafer (Get this book)
A droll, all-too-plausible contemporary thriller pulls a mismatched trio of stressed-out 30-somethings into underground guerilla warfare against a sinister conspiracy to own the information superhighway.On one side of the world, you have Leila Majnoun, an increasingly jaded operative for a global nonprofit agency struggling to do good deeds despite the brutal, stonewalling autocrats who run Myanmar (Burma). On another side is Mark Deveraux, a self-loathing self-improvement guru living a glamorous and debt-ridden lifestyle in the promised land of Brooklyn. Somewhere in the middle (Portland, Oregon, to be precise) is Mark's old school chum Leo Crane, a misanthropic poor-little-rich-kid grown into a trouble-prone, substance-abusing and seedily paranoid adult. An edgy, darkly comedic debut novel whose characters and premise are as up-to-the-minute as an online news feed but as classic as the counterculture rebellions once evoked by Edward Abbey and Ken Kesey.--Kirkus

The Lost Island: A Gideon Crew Novel

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Get this book)
In Preston and Child's sparkling third Gideon Crew novel, Eli Glinn of Effective Engineering Solutions orders Crew to steal the Book of Kells, "the finest illuminated book in existence, " from New York's Morgan Library, where it's on loan from the Irish government and protected by a highly sophisticated security system. When the success of this nearly impossible mission reveals a treasure map with links to ancient Greek history, Glinn sends Gideon and Amy, another operative in his employ, on a jaunt to the Caribbean. There Gideon and Amy, who briefly poses as his wife, face dangers from treasure hunters, nature, and an erosion of trust in each other. Gideon refreshingly doesn't fit the superhero mold, and the enigmatic Amy is more than his equal in daring and intelligence.--Publisher's Weekly

No Safe House

Linwood Barclay (Get this book)
Seven years after barely surviving the terrors of "No Time for Goodbye "2007), the Archer family of Milford, Conn., once again tempts fate in this darkly comic if decidedly creepy thriller from Arthur Ellis Award winner Barclay. History seems to be repeating itself as mom Cynthia fights to set limits on 14-year-old Grace, who defies her much as the rebellious 14-year-old Cynthia herself did the night she got drunk with local hood Vince Fleming and her parents and brother disappeared. The twisty, craftily-plotted action accelerates along with the body count, providing plenty of suspense and a surprising number of laughs for readers willing to tolerate very bad things befalling some pretty good people.--Publisher's Weekly

Hounded

David Rosenfelt (Get this book)
In Edgar finalist Rosenfelt's heartwarming 12th Andy Carpenter mystery, the DA and his partner, Laurie Collins, agree to foster eight-year-old Ricky Diaz, a murder victim's son, and his dog, Sebastian. Then Andy's friend and respected Paterson, N.J., police captain Pete Stanton is arrested for killing Ricky's father, Danny, an ex-con turned police informant. Danny had reported Pete for dealing drugs, and the case solidifies when investigators find $100,000 worth of heroin in Pete's home. Pete believes that several apparently natural deaths are really contract murders, and Andy, certain that Pete is being framed, plans his friend's legal defense while searching for the killer. Meanwhile, Laurie asks Andy to consider adopting Ricky and Sebastian, who have adjusted to life with them and their dog, Tara. Despite a few plot holes, this is an entertaining, feel-good read, populated with Jersey gangsters, ruthless criminals, and likable protagonists. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be charmed by wise-cracking, canine-loving Andy. --Publisher's Weekly

Dear Daughter

Elizabeth Little (Get this book)
Janie Jenkins was a rich pain in the neck who lived in L.A. and had it all--until the night when she was arrested and then sentenced to prison for ten years for killing her mother. Now she is out on a technicality with people still calling for her blood. Especially a blogger known as Trace, who writes passionate screeds about why Janie should be put back in prison. Once out, Janie is determined to track down who really killed her mother as she is convinced she is innocent. Her journey takes her to a small South Dakota town where she meets quite the cast of characters in the local residents. Little makes a thrilling debut with this gripping read.--Library Journal

Big Little Lies

Liane Moriarty (Get this book)
After last year's best-selling The Husband's Secret, Australian Moriarty brings the edginess of her less-known The Hypnotist's Love Story (2012) to bear in this darkly comic mystery surrounding a disastrous parents' night at an elementary school fundraiser. Thanks to strong cocktails and a lack of appetizers, Pirriwee Public's Trivia Night turns ugly when sloshed parents in Audrey Hepburn and Elvis costumes start fights at the main entrance. To make matters worse, out on the balcony where a smaller group of parents have gathered, someone falls over the railing and dies. Was it an accident or murder? Who is the victim? And who, if anyone, is the murderer? Deservedly popular Moriarty invigorates the tired social-issue formula of women's fiction through wit, good humor, sharp insight into human nature and addictive storytelling. --Kirkus

Sight Unseen

Iris Johansen (Get this book)
Based solely on the fleeting images seen on a restaurant's TV screen, Kendra Michaels knew that the multicar pileup on San Diego's Cabrillo Bridge was no accident. The staged tableau was designed to get her attention by re-creating grisly elements from a number of serial murders Michaels had helped solve. Now a copycat killer has Michaels in his sights, with plans to both honor and discredit her as he draws an ever-tightening noose around Michaels, her FBI cohorts, and the people she loves most. The Johansens do a page-turning job of tying up all the loose ends in this complex cat-and-mouse game, but they always manage to leave one thread dangling: just the kind of ploy designed to keep loyal series fans eagerly anticipating the next installment.--Booklist

The Forsaken

Ace Atkins (Get this book)
Cases both hot and cold force a Mississippi sheriff to confront issues from the past. For now at least, former Army Ranger Quinn Colson is the sheriff of Tibbehah County. Hidden behind the county's down-home atmosphere is a seething mass of corruption, drug dealing and violent crime. Quinn and his sharpshooting deputy, Lillie Virgil, are under investigation for shooting a crooked sheriff and stealing money. Former sheriff Johnny Stagg remains Tibbehah's political power. Atkins is at the top of his game in Quinn's fourth appearance, filled with nonstop action and moral ambiguities. The sheriff's many flaws only enhance his human appeal.--Kirkus