October finds lots of mystery, horror, and fantasy releases as we dip deeper into Fall.
10/7: All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles
Zeb Wyckham, family outcast, nonetheless travels to a relative’s Gothic mansion, where he finds himself unwillingly part of an inheritance scheme. Forming a dubious alliance with his former lover, Zeb digs into the mysteries underpinning Lackaday House in order to find an exit. (historical mystery)
10/7: If the Dead Belong Here by Carson Faust
An Indigenous family reels after 6-year-old Laurel Taylor goes missing. Nadine, Laurel’s sister, taps into folklore and family history in the belief that setting family ghosts to rest will lead her to her sister. (horror).
10/7: The Salvage by Anbara Salam
In 1962, while diving to a Victorian shipwreck off the coast of Scotland, marine archaeologist Marta Khoury sees a shady figure that becomes a haunting. Stranded on a tiny island, Marta and hotel proprietor Elsie confront secrets held in the icy deep. (horror)
10/7: Vaim by Jon Fosse, translated by Damion Searls
Returning home to his boat after a frustrated trip to the city, Eline – secret devotion of his youth – calls and asks to come aboard. The encounter fragments across three stories, told by three narrators. By the 2023 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. (general fiction)
10/7: Venetian Vespers by John Banville
In 1899 writer Evelyn Dolman is reeling from his lackluster career and his wealthy wife’s disinheritance. The two travel to Venice to ring in the new century, but unsettling happenings and Laura’s disappearance cause Evelyn to question his grasp on reality. (historical mystery)
10/7: The Women of Wild Hill by Kirsten Miller
Two generations of women in the Duncan family return to their ancestral home at the tip of Long Island where they discover their witchy legacy and their destiny to influence the path of humankind. (fantasy)
10/14: Boom Town by Nic Stone
Two women, dancers at an infamous gentlemen’s club in Atlanta, go missing – and their colleague, headliner Lyriq, won’t stop until she finds them. (thriller)
10/14: A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
In near-future Kolkata, India riven by famine and climate disaster, two families fight to ensure their children’s future: Ma, with visas ready to travel to Michigan; and a thief who steals the documents. (general fiction)
10/14: Little F by Michelle Tea
Queer and bullied at his suburban Arizona school, Spencer decides a better future can’t wait and hits the road, hitching on a cross-country road trip in search of community. (general fiction)
10/14: Lost in the Forest of Mechanical Birds by Christian Moody
Surreal stories find the strange and the sinister in the human experience, from a friend who stays hidden for years during a game of hide-and-seek, to a father who creates mechanical birds in the woods, and beyond. (general fiction)
10/14: Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor
Over a summer of self-discovery, painter Wyeth examines what it means to be a Black artist, as he delves into the history of a forgotten Black artist, and debates religion and art with a new friend. (general fiction)
10/14: Red City by Marie Lu
Two alchemists, childhood friends, join rival syndicates. As the conflict for control of the city and its trade escalates, their decisions reverberate through an alternate Los Angeles on the brink. The adult debut by the author of the Legend series. (fantasy)
10/14: The Wayfinder by Adam Johnson
An epic tale of the history of the far-flung islands of Tonga: the people, wars of conquest, ecological collapse, dazzling sea voyages, all tied together by their myths and legends. (general fiction)
10/14: We Had a Hunch by Tom Ryan
In the early 2000s, a pair of sisters and a computer whiz investigated local crimes in Edgar Mills, MA, until the town was rocked by a series of murders that hit close to home. 25 years later, a spate of similar crimes bring the trio back to town. (mystery)
10/21: Bad Bad Girl by Gish Jen
Jen traces a fictional version of her own mother-daughter relationship, imagining the life of her mother from childhood in a wealthy but stifling Shanghai family, to pursuit of higher education, the American dream, and a family of her own. (general fiction).
10/21: The Third Love by Hiromi Kawakami, translated by Ted Goossen
Once happily married, Riko now feels trapped until she meets up with an old friend who teaches her how to live inside her dreams – from a 17th century courtesan, to a serving lady to a Middle Ages princess – even as she searches for the third love of her life. (general fiction)
10/21: The Widow by John Grisham
Opportunity knocks for lawyer Simon Latch when he draws up a will for a new, elderly client and is able to skim a little off the top. But when she dies, Simon’s on the hook for murder, and will have to discover the real killer.
10/28: The Devil Is a Southpaw by Brandon Hobson
In the late 1980s, Milton and Matthew were imprisoned together at a juvenile detention center. Years later Milton writes a surreal novel – included as a novel-within-a-novel here – of their time together. (general fiction)
10/28: The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
Una Everlasting was a legend, the hero knight who fought and sacrificed for country. Owen Mallory, scholar, falls into her story in the archives … and then falls into the past, where he must ensure Una follows her path, even as falls for her. (fantasy)
And of course, don’t forget to check out October’s new slate of Peak Picks!
~ posted by Andrea G.