Book Reviews

Laura Anne Gilman creates an authentically spooky Old West in her novel, where it seems perfectly reasonable that the Devil might wear a sharp suit, run a saloon, and always stay true to his bargains.

David Jaher's account of Harry Houdini attempt to debunk Boston society psychic Mina Crandon mixes history with high-wire theatricality — even though most readers will know who came out on top.

Jeanette Winterson's retelling of The Winter's Tale includes hedge fund managers and a New Orleans setting. But critic Annalisa Quinn says the book doesn't quite stand on its own.

Geraldine Brooks' retelling of the biblical epic of King David casts him as larger than life — jester, predator, conqueror and poet. Critic Jean Zimmerman says Brooks "gives the whole king his due."

Three novellas by some of Italy's best crime writers make up Judges. Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli and Giancarlo De Cataldo weave tales of idealistic judges fighting crime and corruption.

Many of the pieces in Heather O'Neill's new collection involve characters telling stories, fables and fairy tales that wander far beyond the boundaries of their original genres to forge a new reality.

The first installment in Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes' new graphic novel series uses goofy art — and four-eyed robotic birds — to get kids excited about learning to code.

Kenzaburo Oe's new novel is a literary mystery in no rush for a solution. It follows an aging novelist, a stand-in for Oe himself, who returns home in search of clues to his father's drowning.