‘The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt’ by Shawn Peters is a thoughtful fantasy middle grade novel

/ Pamela Kramer

In his second book in the Logan Foster series, “The Unforgettable Logan Foster and the Shadow of Doubt,” author Shawn Peters asks readers to consider the power of actual strength, as in super strength, versus the power of the mind. The main character, Logan Foster, starts his narrative by explaining that while he is “a twelve-year-old orphan living on the Westside of Lost Angeles,” he’s halfway through high school because he has an eidetic memory. He tells us, “I’ve retained every word, sound, and image that I’ve seen or heard since I was three.” He also makes it clear that he is writing this narrative for his younger brother, whom he is hoping to find and with whom he hopes to be reunited.

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‘The Soulmate’ by Sally Hepworth is a study in relationships and love

/ Pamela Kramer

The question of love—is it something that hits like lightning at first sight or is it something that grows slowly, over time—is one of the issues that Sally Hepworth explores in her newest novel, “The Soulmate.” The other main issue is about trust and how much we can ever trust another person. As in many of her novels, Hepworth plays with the information she provides. The narrative is told from the perspectives of Amanda and Pippa, the two female main characters, with Amanda’s narrative providing “before” and “after” indicators and Pippa’s narrative shared with “now” and “then” labels.

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‘Leeva at Last’ by Sara Pennypacker and illustrated by Matthew Cordell is destined to be a classic

/ Pamela Kramer

While “Leeva at Last,” written by Sara Pennypacker and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, is written with plenty of hyperbole and shows exaggerated cruelty worthy of Roald Dahl’s “Matilda,” at heart this is a beautiful, thoughtful story of standing up for truth and doing the right thing. It’s also a story about the importance of books and reading, and as celebrated children’s author Gary Paulsen shared about his childhood, how books and reading can literally save the life of an abused and neglected child, as it did for him.

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‘Code 6’ by James Grippando is a gripping thriller

/ Pamela Kramer

In “Code 6,” James Grippando provides a thriller with a dual plot line; both plot lines deal with information and how technology makes mining data about people so easy that even the most primitive technology identified those of Jewish descent for the Nazis. The main character is Kate Gamble, whose father is the CEO of a huge technology company that specializes in data integration. His company has ties with the CIA, the NSA, and other counterterrorism organizations. Kate is graduating from law school, but she really wants to be a playwright. She is writing a play about the beginning of data mining and its dangers, which she hides from her father because of his own business. He might not be pleased that the subject of her play is the dark side of data technology.

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‘The White Lady’ by Jacqueline Winspear is a brilliant historical fiction about war, politics and betrayal

/ Pamela Kramer

Jacqueline Winspear forces us to ponder the question of how we deal with evil in her latest historical fiction, “The White Lady.” Do people betray others because they are evil, or is it simply due to the base instincts of man? I say “man” because in this novel, and as we usually see in life, it’s often the males of our species who perpetrate the ultimate betrayals and the ultimate greedy grabs for gold and power. Those in the throes of such attempts to claw their way to positions of influence will usually step on anyone in their way, including women and children. And that’s what Winspear clearly demonstrates in this powerful, thrilling novel.

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‘The Chemistry of Love’ by Sariah Wilson is a traditional romance with a modern twist

/ Pamela Kramer

With her latest romance novel, “The Chemistry of Love,” author Sariah Wilson takes a much-used trope and makes it unique. She delivers her usual delightful dialogue and characters with intriguing professional positions. In this romcom, the main character, tall, gawky, unsophisticated Anna Ellis is a cosmetic chemist. It’s a career, a niche of science, that most of us never really think about — even those of us who layered on makeup pre-pandemic.

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‘Good Dog, Bad Cop’ by David Rosenfelt is the 4th book in the ‘K Team’ mysteries series

/ Pamela Kramer

The group of detectives named the K Team is named after Simon Garfunkel, the dog. As the “K” might indicate, Simon was a K-9 “officer” along with his handler, Corey Douglas. They are still partners, but both have retired from the Paterson police force and now work with the other two members of the K Team solving cold crimes for the Paterson police. In this mystery, they are solving a cold case that has special meaning for them because it involves the killing of two Paterson police officers. One had retired, and both were killed in what the K Team is speculating was a connected case.

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‘Murder at Haven’s Rock’ by Kelley Armstrong is the start of a new series

/ Pamela Kramer

Fans of Kelley Armstrong’s “Rockton” series will be delighted with the publication of “Murder at Haven’s Rock,” the first book in the sequel series, with many familiar characters. Those of us who read all seven books in that series were heartbroken when the final Rockton book came out last year with the news that the town, a haven for those fleeing society and threats to their safety, was shutting down. Throughout that series, we learned about the tension between those who managed the town, its inhabitants, and the town’s sheriff, Eric Dalton and his wife Casey Duncan.

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‘Sleep No More’ is the first in a new paranormal trilogy by Jayne Ann Krentz

/ Pamela Kramer

We know what we are going to get when we read a romance/mystery by Jayne Ann Krentz, and her newest novel in a new trilogy, “Sleep No More,” doesn’t disappoint. Krentz is the master at writing suspenseful mysteries that, at their core, are also very much about attraction and romance. We keep reading her novels because of the way she brings new characters, new situations, and new mystery into each new piece.

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‘The Woman with the Cure’ by Lynn Cullen is a fascinating look at the eradication of polio that celebrates the women who were instrumental in that success

/ Pamela Kramer

In “The Woman with the Cure,” Lynn Cullen’s masterful historical fiction, she focuses on Dr. Dorothy Horstmann, a little-known woman scientist, who made important contributions in the race to find a way to eradicate polio. Cullen also brings to life familiar figures in the race against polio such as Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin. We learn much about both men, and of course, they are the scientists who come to mind when we think of those who created polio vaccines that saved so many lives. Cullen brings to the forefront the women who also performed important work, work that enabled these two famous men to create their vaccines. But as with so many brilliant women in history, the real women we meet in this story, especially Dorothy Horstmann, have remained largely invisible until Cullen’s research demonstrates their dedication, their determination, and their desperate attempts to destroy this horrific disease.

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