The Best Debut Novels of the Month: May 2026

The Best Debut Novels of the Month: May 2026

Featuring titles from Sara van Os, Vincent Yu, Leslie Baird, Mary Berman, and Bindu Bansinath

By Molly Odintz | May 22, 2026

6 Mysteries Featuring Miniatures, Effigies, and Tiny Scenes

6 Mysteries Featuring Miniatures, Effigies, and Tiny Scenes

Diane Josefowicz recommends Margaret Grace, Elise Hooper, and more

By Diane Josefowicz | May 22, 2026

Leslie Baird on Surveillance in Society and Fiction

Leslie Baird on Surveillance in Society and Fiction

How George Orwell, Laila Lalami, and others capture the tension of being watched by governments, peers, and more

By Leslie Baird | May 22, 2026

5 Literary Suspense Novels Set in Italy

5 Literary Suspense Novels Set in Italy

Natalie Lemle recommends Umberto Eco, Muriel Spark, and more

By Natalie Lemle | May 21, 2026

The Best International Fiction of May 2026

The Best International Fiction of May 2026

Ecuadorian festivals, Ukrainian detectives, Icelandic thrills, Chinese slackers, and more delights for the armchair traveler

By Molly Odintz | May 21, 2026

Howard A. Rodman on Melville, Empire, and the Audacity of Resurrecting Literary Giants

Howard A. Rodman on Melville, Empire, and the Audacity of Resurrecting Literary Giants

Herman Melville never quite finished with Captain Ahab. Neither, it turns out, did Howard A. Rodman.

By Hassan Tarek | May 21, 2026

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

  • Annie Proulx Stories: New and Selected
  • The Intangibles: Friendship, Fatherhood, and the Love of the Game
  • The Telephone: A New History
  • No Such Thing as Monday
  • O Now!
  • Don't Stop Snowing
  • The Key Biscayne Affair
  • Vocal Break: On Women, Music, and Power
  • Aristocracy, American Style: Class Privilege and the Persistence of Elite Power
  • Ten Lives: How What We Have Shapes Who We Are

How 'At Close Range' Set the Tone for Rural Crime Storytelling

By Keith Roysdon | May 21, 2026

What to Watch Now, International Edition: Z (1969)

By Radha Vatsal | May 21, 2026

Five Novels About Haunted Girls

By Camilla Bruce | May 20, 2026

Five Great Mysteries Set in Australia and New Zealand

Five Great Mysteries Set in Australia and New Zealand

Karina Kilmore recommends Jane Harper, Tom Baragwanath, and more

By Karina Kilmore | May 20, 2026

"This Town Is the Monster": 6 Horror Novels Where the Setting Itself Is Evil

Mary Berman recommends Chuck Wendig, Kate Maruyama, Helen Phillips, and more

By Mary Berman | May 19, 2026

8 Transporting Thrillers to Help You Escape the Office This Summer

8 Transporting Thrillers to Help You Escape the Office This Summer

Rachel Moore recommends far-flung tales by Jenna Voris, Ruth Ware, and more

By Rachel Moore | May 19, 2026

Appalachian Jump Scare

Appalachian Jump Scare

Michael Amos Cody on crime, terror, and the Appalachian sublime.

By Michael Amos Cody | May 19, 2026

Tori Eldridge on Capturing the Culture of Hawaii's Cowboys in Her New Novel

Tori Eldridge on Capturing the Culture of Hawaii's Cowboys in Her New Novel

The author of Hawai‘i Rage explores the Pacific islands' history of paniolo

By Tori Eldridge | May 19, 2026

Crime and the City: Cologne, Germany

Crime and the City: Cologne, Germany

Our international series tours a German city of medieval architecture and classic mysteries.

By Paul French | May 18, 2026

Joanne Rock on Suspense and the Allure of Masked Characters

Joanne Rock on Suspense and the Allure of Masked Characters

Unveiling the varied literary techniques that disguises allow in mysteries

By Joanne Rock | May 18, 2026

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