Starred Review Round-Up (4/5/23)

Stars all around! These titles all received multiple starred reviews:

THE EDEN TEST by Adam Sternbergh
9781250855664 | 4/25/23

“This brilliantly paced thriller stars two absorbing and consistently self-absorbed lead characters and a mind-boggling supporting cast with a theatrical air that is perfect for dark drama. In a new direction for Sternbergh there is no post-apocalyptic terror here…just riveting suspense in the classic Hitchcockian style.”–Booklist, starred review

“The premise of the so-called Eden Test program…couldn’t be simpler, though Craig and Daisy’s experience veers off-script almost immediately… Toss in menacing locals…firearms, a game-changer third-act curveball, and Gone Girl–level deception, and the result is one masterfully manipulative chiller just waiting for its close-up. Sternbergh has outdone himself.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE BODY BY THE SEA: A Brittany Mystery by Jean-Luc Bannalec
9781250840974 | 4/25/23

“In this eighth installment, the spotlight hits Commissaire Dupin’s regular beat… Luckily for the reader, [his] police procedure involves interrogating people in their picturesque seaside homes or in eateries with scrumptious menus… This results in an abundance of Breton scenery, food, and culture, along with an ingenious mystery.”–Booklist, starred review

“Bennalec smoothly blends the beauty and charm of the region into the whodunit plot. Readers will be ready to pack their bags and head to Brittany by the end of this one.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

GONE TO THE WOLVES by John Wray
9780374603335 | 5/2/23

“Wray’s…edgy prose—people are ‘sardine-canned’ into a dance club—is as crisp as ever, resulting in a melodious exploration of the succor that music and fan groups can provide, especially to rudderless teens desperate to find anchor anywhere.”–Booklist, starred review

“Wray writes about music with the enthusiasm of a fan and the precision of a critic, packing the pages with spot-on details and cannily capturing the allure of extreme music. The pages of this anthem are as uncompromising as the music they depict.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

THE RESCUE by T. Jefferson Parker
9781250793560 | 4/25/23

“As [the] fates [of the main characters] play out and the expertly managed tension mounts, one can almost hear a subterranean hum. Another fine effort from the talented Parker.”–Booklist, starred review

“Readers see the story unfold from the perspective of Joe as well as Bettina’s, Teddy’s, and Dan’s viewpoints. Readers will love Joe; he’s a great character. The story ends in violence, but good things happen too. For lovers of quality crime fiction; Parker…never disappoints.”–Library Journal, starred review

FURIOUS HEAVEN by Kate Elliott
9781250867001 | 4/18/23

“Between action-packed military engagements, shootouts, reconnaissance missions, fancy parties, and political scheming, Elliott takes time to consider questions of power, destiny, family, and legacy. Readers are along for a wild ride as Sun sprints through the universe as the mastermind of a brilliant campaign that takes both enemies and allies by surprise.”–Booklist, starred review

“The multiple points of view between Sun, Companion Persephone, and Phrene Lieutenant Apama At Sabao highlight the gray areas of empiric expansion and those conquered… The second ‘Sun Chronicles’ book (after UNCONQUERABLE SUN) continues the complex action and intrigue from the first volume. Expansive space opera at its finest.”–Library Journal, starred review

LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: Britain and the American Dream by Peter Moore
9780374600594 | 6/27/23

“Moore…highlights the contributions of politician John Wilkes, historian Catharine Macaulay, writer Samuel Johnson, and activist Thomas Paine, detailing the influence of their writings about life, liberty, and happiness to political discourse in Britain and the young U.S. The vivid descriptions of people, modes of communication, and social life are fascinating and give this well-researched history the readability of fiction.”–Booklist, starred review

“The portrait of Franklin and Strahan’s relationship is especially well done, and Moore’s fluid prose is infused with the ‘boisterous’ excitement of the era, when ‘people knew they were living at a loaded moment in history.’ This is a pleasure.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review

SAY ANARCHA: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health by J.C. Hallman
9781250868466 | 6/6/23

“[Hallman’s] righteous passion and galvanizing prose are commanding and affecting; the realities he reveals are harrowing, tragic, and grimly relevant.”–Booklist, starred review

“Through rigorous and innovative research, Hallman successfully transforms Anarcha from historical object to subject, and shines a light on the contentious rise of medical ethics in the 19th century. It’s a must-read.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review