In the restless American search for the vagabond freedom of "the West," from the beginning, we encountered obstacles--the Appalachians, the Mississippi, the Rockies and, finally, the Pacific coast--until, refusing to let something like an ocean stop us, we proceeded to gather up Alaska and Hawaii. What is the next western frontier? P. F. Kluge, novelist (Gone Tomorrow) and travel journalist, knows just the place: the island of Saipan in the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.

A tiny island occupied in succession by the Spanish, Germans, Japanese and Americans, Saipan is the perfect setting for Kluge's microcosmic tale of greed, power, provincial politics, immigration and arrogance--all running roughshod over paradise. His story opens with the arrival of four outsiders on the midnight flight from Guam, each searching for that mystical fresh Manifest Destiny start to their lives. Academic Stephanie Warner accepts an appointment at Saipan's small college to put some distance from her faltering marriage. Travel writer George Griffin is desperate for a story beyond resort fluff. Kahn is a Bangladeshi hungry for a decent job. Max Brodie is a developer with a nose for money.

Kluge's novel follows an increasingly entangled plot as it alternates among the quartet's voices, with interruptions by diatribes from an anonymous local blogger, The Master Blaster,  self-appointed guardian of the island's soul. From the often amusing clutter of all these voices, Kluge not only crafts a first-rate mystery, but also demystifies the ways our personal histories and ambitions seem inevitably to debunk even the noblest of our myths. --Bruce Jacobs, founding partner, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.

In The Lion Is In, Delia Ephron's first novel for adults since Hanging Up, three women seeking escape find themselves with the help of each other, a failing bar and a retired circus lion named Marcel.

Lana has looked out for her best friend Tracee since childhood, but the two young women never expected to find themselves on the run from the law. After they pick up Rita, a middle-aged stranger Lana hopes will provide camouflage from police on the lookout for two women, a car wreck strands all three at The Lion, a rundown bar whose only attraction is an elderly caged lion. Broke and desperate, the trio accepts waitstaff jobs from The Lion's slovenly, depressed owner and try to plan their next move. Instead, luck and love bloom in the most unlikely places as Rita slowly wins the trust of Marcel the lion, Lana tries to face her addiction and Tracee falls for the local driving instructor. Despite the new lives they carve for themselves, though, all three women will have to face their pasts sooner than they think.

Readers seeking a heartfelt, offbeat adventure will adore Ephron's fragile but feisty heroines, each of whom struggles with her own demon: Tracee's kleptomania, Lana's alcoholism and Rita's sense of inferiority. Rita's intuitive ability to reach out to Marcel particularly shines in a series of private bonding moments between woman and lion. The perfect getaway for readers who long to reconnect with their inner selves, this quirky comedy's sense of wonder will delight and inspire. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger, Infinite Reads

As anyone engaged in creative writing will tell you, the Internet has been a boon to the procrastination that seems inherent in the process. The urge to look up the etymology of "élan" can lead into a rabbit hole of page links. Ted Heller's Pocket Kingsconcerns one writer, Frank Dixon--and yes, much hay is made of the similarity of this name to Franklin Dixon of Hardy Boys fame--who, after a pair of moderately well-received novels, finds himself struggling to land a publisher for his latest work and turns to online gambling on a whim. Dixon's income increases immediately and dramatically, and he begins spending more time online, forging relationships and riding a winning streak, all the while telling himself he's just positioning himself to write that third novel.

Heller captures the vagaries of online friendships and flirting very well, with an eye for the increasingly shortened style of communication that comes from familiarity. He also writes with a breezy style that is both a strength and a weakness; it gives the impression that he's making it all up as he goes, which (given the result) suggests an improvisational talent--but also results in some of the humor becoming repetitive. The "embittered writer" shtick occasionally lurches into overkill but, as a whole, Pocket Kings delivers its laughs with an acerbic humor that struggling scribes will appreciate. --Matthew Tiffany, counselor, writer for Condalmo

Drawing inspiration from the Salem witch trials, a crazed killer stalks the streets of late 19th-century Portland, Maine, in Kieran Shields's impressive debut novel, The Truth of All Things. When a dead prostitute is found speared through the neck with a pitchfork, her body arranged in the shape of a pentagram, Deputy Marshall Archie Lean knows he is looking at something much more sinister than a simple crime of passion. Lean engages the unofficial assistance of brilliant Pinkerton detective Perceval Grey, a man almost as controversial for his Abenaki Indian heritage as he is for his newfangled methods of detection. With further help from historian Helen Prescott, Lean and Grey follow 200-year-old clues in a race against time to track the killer down.

Shields skillfully balances the intricate plot with just enough character and detail to immerse the reader in Lean and Grey's world. His evident knowledge of Portland and its history serves him well, as the surroundings come to life through the eyes of his characters. The influence of Arthur Conan Doyle is apparent; Perceval Grey is enjoyably Holmesian in his methods and manners, making use of the latest detective techniques and clever disguises. As a representative of local law enforcement, Archie Lean exhibits the eager determination of Doyle's Inspector Lestrade, though he strays from his original, thankfully, to incorporate some of the more agreeable personality traits typical of Dr. Watson. Together, this compelling duo is sure to leave readers hoping for a sequel. --Sarah Borders, librarian at Houston Public Library

When retired New York City detective Tony Mauricio arrives in the small coastal town of Silver Bay, Ore., it is with the intention of settling down and indulging his long neglected hobby of woodworking. Unfortunately, his plans are sidetracked when brilliant local artist Stef Markov dies under questionable circumstances. On the brink of a nasty divorce, Stef has taken a fatal tumble down the stairs, leaving her potentially priceless collection of artwork in the hands of her unscrupulous husband. Although there is no evidence to support their theories, Stef's mother and daughter are convinced that she was pushed, and it's up to Tony to find the truth and protect the artist's legacy.

Kate Wilhelm (Heaven Is High) is never one to skimp on details, and she doesn't disappoint here. Death of an Artist is an intricate and engrossing mystery but, more importantly, it is an elaborate exploration of character. While Tony Mauricio attempts to discover what happened in the moments leading up to Stef's death, his investigation also reveals who and what she was in life--a deeply talented, volatile woman constantly searching for a perfection that even she believed was unattainable. Wilhelm's supporting characters are equally well drawn, and they populate a story that is both suspenseful and bitterly poignant. --Judie Evans, librarian

When Tracy Crow joined the U.S. Marine Corps right out of high school, she had no idea what she was getting into. Running from a childhood that included an abusive father and a drinking problem, she longed for rules, boundaries and the chance to prove herself. The Marines provided all that--though, as she would learn, at great personal cost.

Eyes Right, a memoir that incorporates two Pushcart Prize-nominated essays, examines the life of a woman Marine in the 1980s and '90s, during a relatively quiet era in American military history--except, as she notes wryly, for the Noriega coup, the Iran-Contra affair and constant Cold War threats. As a public affairs officer, Crow learned to be everywhere: writing stories, conducting interviews, snapping photos, pushing her way in. And as a woman, she learned to keep quiet about harassment, loneliness and the toll her career took on her marriage and family, including two miscarriages and eventual divorce.

Eyes Right provides fascinating details about Marine life, from training exercises in the high desert to the intricacies of relationships with superiors, subordinates and officers. Though the book repeatedly hints at an affair with a general that ended her career, Crow stops short of revealing details, still protecting the man for whom she gave up everything. Although that reticence makes the ending feel a little unsatisfying, her memoir still provides a clear-eyed insider's perspective on military life and a thoughtful examination of what it truly means to pledge oneself to God, Corps and Country. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Since women first began taking regular positions as stenographers and secretaries in the 1860s, the popular American conception of the "office" has been of a place charged with sexual tensions and possibilities. In Sex and the Office, Julie Berebitsky traces the development of both the myths and realities of office sexual politics from the late 19th century into the present day.

Although it's arranged more or less chronologically, Sex and the Office is not so much a descriptive history as an analytical one. At each step, Berebitsky explores popular ideas about what went on sexually in offices through her analysis of popular novels, newspaper and magazine articles, cartoons, plays and other pop culture ephemera. Intertwined with these imagined scenarios is a discussion of the actual experiences of both male and female office workers at the time, drawn from interviews, personal letters and other primary sources. Berebitsky also takes the opportunity to look at how sex and gender expectations in the office affected both men and women. Though women, particularly those at the bottom of the pay scale, often bore the brunt of sexual expectations and escapades, men also suffered under restrictive gender norms and paid the price for indiscretions.

Berebitsky's scholarly tone makes Sex and the Office an unlikely candidate for light reading, but the thorough analysis of its subject over a 150-year period, drawing on primary and pop-culture sources, make it both an interesting read and a valuable resource. --Dani Alexis Ryskamp, blogger at The Literary Cricket

In The Story of English in 100 Words, prolific linguist David Crystal (Txtng: The Gr8 Db8) uses contextualized definitions to create an erudite but accessible view of how the English language has developed over 16 centuries. Crystal, an honorary professor at the University of Wales in Bangor and a recipient of an Order of the British Empire for services to the English language, treats each word to a linguistic miniprofile, noting its native source, its transformation through usage and its historical and cultural context.

Aimed at the lay language enthusiast, The Story of English in 100 Words starts with an introductory chapter that surveys the early occupants and invaders of Great Britain and summarizes the ascending forms of English. Crystal attributes English's "diversity and individuality" to its speakers' penchant for borrowing, bending and inventing words (with a nod to master word-bender Shakespeare).

Crystal begins his "wordbook" begins with "roe" (illustrated by a photograph of the runic word scratched onto a fifth-century deer bone), then proceeds to alight on two to three words per century. He mixes the enduring ("loaf," ninth century) with the evanescent ("bodgery," 16th century) and the boomeranging ("dinkum," 19th century to Australia and back) before winding up with the 21st-century terms "chillax" and "Twittersphere." The discrete word entries, each two to three pages long, provide interesting etymologies, but they also offer a working introduction to linguistic terminology and a smattering of British history. Crystal's eclectic selection of humble, pragmatic, exotic and even naughty words conveys a lifelong affection for the English language that is likely to rub off on readers. --Holloway McCandless, blogger at Litagogo: A Guide to Free Literary Podcasts

Ofir Drori was named for an ancient African land mentioned in the Bible, and his love affair with the continent began early. "Nearly from the time I could talk," he writes, "I'd planned to travel to Africa, a place as different as I wanted to think I was." The Last Great Ape, Drori's account of many years' travels through East Africa, takes readers on safaris in Kenya--where he sees his first Thomson gazelles, zebras and elephants--and to meetings with the Maasai and other "bush" people. Crossing the land on foot, Drori details his suffering from lack of food and water and an accident on a public bus that almost costs him his life. He brings readers into African war zones, including graphic descriptions of amputations in Sierra Leone where people, "slashed to pieces in the war," struggle to exist, as well as accounts of murders performed by children in Liberia.

Despite these dangerous adventures, Drori forsakes his native Israel, and the love of an Israeli woman, when he realizes he can't sit idly as endangered animals are slaughtered for bush meat. Drori launches an organization, the Last Great Ape, to help enforce anti-poaching laws that exist but are rarely implemented. The nerve-wracking rescues of chimps and gorillas are followed by months of red-tape and court appearances, but eventually LAGA brings an end to a fraction of the corruption rampant in East Africa. Drori's memoir juxtaposes an accurate account of Africa's natural beauty and the inhumane ways it is often treated with the story of one man determined to change things for the better. --Lee E. Cart, freelance writer and book reviewer

The Carmel River is barely a stream at its source, less than 40 miles long, and likely known only to the residents of its immediate surroundings. But it has a rich and telling history--from early Spanish explorers to its eventual place on the nonprofit environmental organization American Rivers' top 10 list of Most Endangered Rivers in 1999. But the Carmel is especially important to journalist Ray March because he grew up nearby; with River in Ruin, he makes an excellent case for its story being an archetype of endangered rivers everywhere.

The paradise that is California's Monterey Peninsula has attracted settlers since 1602, when Sebastian Vizcaino first discovered the Carmel River. Later, railroad magnates adopted the area as a site for profitable tourism, quickly followed by real estate speculators and the development of several small towns. The original Spanish mission and agriculture, followed by the later hotels, golf courses and townships all relied upon the Carmel for water, requiring the construction of dams and reservoirs and the flooding of idyllic valleys. Ecological implications abound: forest fires were exacerbated by a no-burn policy; the local steelhead population is nearly extinct. March details these and more consequences of local development while showing how the growth of the environmental movement nationwide has paralleled local awareness of the plight of the Carmel River and Monterey Peninsula. March's treatment of the history, the politics and the personalities involved is heartfelt and personal; several times he consults diaries and includes individual stories (including his own), making the Carmel's story resonate with his readers.  --Julia Jenkins, librarian and blogger at pages of julia

In this thrilling conclusion to the Curse Workers series, 17-year-old Cassel Sharpe discovers who he is and where he fits into his family and society.

If you have not yet read White Cat, the first in Holly Black's trilogy, stop right here and read that first. Here goes the spoiler: Cassel Sharpe thought he was the only curse worker in his family who was not born with a curse, or talent. Instead, he discovers that he has the most dangerous (or most sought after, depending on what side you're on) curse of all. In the followup, Red Glove, the Feds recruit Cassel to help him find his brother's killer. But his instinct is to keep protecting Lila Zacharov, the love of his life and the white cat of the first title, even after she's ordered her first murder for the Zacharov family.

Cassel has never been able to discern who's telling him the truth--starting with his own family, who has not only lied to him but also used him in the past. Now both his mother and brother Barron need him. "Love changes us, but we change how we love too." Cassel is referring to Lila, but he could easily be talking about his family, too. Holly Black portrays a teen on the brink of adulthood who must decide for himself whom he can trust and what path he will take. Must he choose between Lila, his family and the Feds? Or is there another way? Black stretches the tension to a breaking point, and readers will be mesmerized. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness

This first book in the Ascendance Trilogy begins at a breakneck pace--nearly literally for orphan Sage--and never lets up until the finish.

In the first scene, we meet a thief who has stolen a roast and winds up part of a plot to steal the crown of the long-missing prince, Jaron Artolius Eckbert III of Carthya. Sage has two weeks to prove he's the best candidate of four orphans purchased by Bevin Conner, one of the king's regents. Conner plans to have one of the orphans impersonate the prince, thought to have gone down with a ship attacked by pirates (though his body was never found), and to install the new leader in an attempt to keep the peace in the region--and gain a measure of power for himself, of course.

Sage, nearly 15, narrates with keen perception and a biting sarcasm, and quickly suspects the man's nefarious plot. Nielsen lays out the dynamics from the boys' first meeting and builds their characters as the plot thickens. Conner educates the boys, and feeds and dresses them well. But they also remain imprisoned in a shared room. Sage, however, discovers a maze of hidden passageways that gives him a clear advantage.

Sage displays no end of talents to ensure his survival, but also a large measure of integrity. This gains him allies, but also rabid enemies. Nielsen ratchets up the suspense to a satisfying climax while still leaving plenty to explore in the next two installments. Readers will be eager to see what's in store. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness

In this standout post-apocalyptic adventure, 15-year-old Willo learns to find hope in a hard, barren world.

Now that the polar ice caps have melted, "the sea stop working [and the snow] fall and fall and fall and don't stop," life is hard for Willo and his family. But they are better off than most. They are "stragglers" living in the mountains, hunting and trapping, and making their way with as little outside help as possible. It's better than being "stealers," who take what they desire. Willo's family steers clear of the city, where the government and the gangs vie for control. But when government trucks take away Willo's family, he is left to fend for himself. He knows he can make it on his own, but shouldn't he search for his family? Avenge their betrayal? When he finds a girl called Mary, starving and abandoned, all his instincts say to run. Still, Willo tries to help her, and they are both picked up and trucked into the city. Separated from Mary, Willo feels helpless and unprepared. None of his skills seems to be of any use here.

Willo's first-person narrative reflects both his lack of formal education and also his keen survival skills, and his lyrical voice pulls readers into his world. He hears a dog spirit that guides him, and along the way, he learns some important secrets about his father and his own place in the world. S.D. Crockett's debut novel marks her as a writer to watch. --Lynn Becker, host of Book Talk, the monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI