"Promised Land"

New from Atlantic Crime: Promised Land by Henry Wise.

About the book, from the publisher:

Word is bond—until the past threatens to break it

From the Edgar Award-winning author comes a decisive sequel to Holy City in which a missing person case forces deputy sheriff Will Seems to confront the way history anchors, corrupts, and defines the present

Deep within southside Virginia lies the Snakefoot—a wild swampland that holds secrets, hides truths, and harbors the dead in murky waters that refuse to shine yet somehow glow.

One morning, a pickup truck is found jammed into the mud, the driver’s door open amidst scattered bullets and bloodstains on the seat. The driver, Rainbo Boon, is nowhere to be found, but his tracks lead Deputy Sheriff Will Seems and his partner, Tania Jameson, into the swamp.

During their investigation, Buck Tomlin, the grandson of the missing Rainbo, proves cooperative, at least at first. But when the boy’s whereabouts from the night of the accident don’t check out, Will and Tania must confront the troubling reality that the Snakefoot might hold more than just a runaway victim.

When haunting layers of history—both local and personal—rise to the surface of the Snakefoot, the people who have found refuge in its murky waters are exposed. Who really is Rainbo Boon? Where was Buck on the night of the accident? And how does this all connect to the recent efforts to redevelop the land?

As Will and Tania search for answers, so does Buck, and the sum of their investigations illuminates the hard fact that there is a price for progress, and a cost to living by a code. Sometimes all a person has is his word, and that word is his bond.

Powerful and complex, Promised Land is about the gravity of the past, the momentum of sin, and the impossibility of salvation.

Visit Henry Wise's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Fatherhood, Race, and the American State"

New from the University of Pennsylvania Press: Fatherhood, Race, and the American State: The Politics of Patriarchal Anxieties by H. Howell Williams.

About the book, from the publisher:

An argument that the major reason for White patriarchy’s endurance lies in the political regulation of fatherhood

White men continue to wield disproportionate political power in the United States, even as women enter politics in higher numbers and as the nation becomes increasingly racially diverse. White patriarchy remains an enduring model of political authority, one that its adherents defend fiercely in court cases and policy battles. H. Howell Williams argues that a major reason for White patriarchy’s endurance lies in the political regulation of fatherhood.

At key moments in American political history, and in response to efforts to expand the political community to include women and people of color, political actors fretted over how the government treated fathers, worrying that some non-White fathers were not performing their patriarchal duties sufficiently while the government was unfairly harsh on other fathers, usually White fathers of reasonable means. Their concerns, or “patriarchal anxieties,” inspired these actors and sympathetic constituencies to advocate for state intervention via one of three policy solutions: to uplift and help struggling fathers, to punish deficient fathers, or to leave fathers alone to govern their families. Through an exploration of these policy approaches, Williams demonstrates how patriarchal anxieties shaped the state’s response to perceived crises in fatherhood. While these policy approaches were ostensibly race- and gender-neutral, Williams reveals that political advocates’ efforts to regulate fatherhood were really attempts to bolster White American patriarchy and protect its dominance.

By examining men’s policy goals, White women’s support for White patriarchal policies, and political actors’ strategic investment in White patriarchy, Fatherhood, Race, and the American State argues for a new understanding of the family as a political institution, one that centers the significant role the state plays in defending, shaping, and entrenching a narrow vision of the American family.

Visit H. Howell Williams's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Exorcism of Faeries"

Coming soon from S&S/Saga Press: The Exorcism of Faeries (Morbid Realities) by J. L. Vampa.

About the novel, from the publisher:

The first in a haunting dark academia romance series about a graduate student studying botany in Dublin who falls for her professor of morbid anatomy, as they are drawn into a deadly plague threatening their world—perfect for fans of Ninth House and An Academy for Liars.

A strange affliction is haunting the good people of Dublin. It roots beneath the skin—blooming, entangling—before claiming its victims. No one knows how it started. No one can find a cure.

Atta Morrow has spent years pursuing the truth behind the plague. A graduate student at Trinity College, her covert research has grown into a quiet obsession that could cost her more than her academic future. When Atta’s latest risk catches the attention of Sonder Murdoch, Trinity’s infamous but brilliant morbid anatomy professor, she gains an unexpected ally—and a dangerous temptation.

Together, they dig deeper into the mysteries plaguing Dublin. But as their research blurs with folklore, Atta and Sonder must confront secrets older than science before the city, and they, are consumed.

Visit J. L. Vampa's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Believable Impossibilities"

New from the University of Chicago Press: Believable Impossibilities: Race, Testimony, and the Horror Film by Christopher Bracken.

About the book, from the publisher:

A gripping exploration of belief in the impossible through horror film, informed by philosophy, history, and anthropology.

What if aliens crash-landed at an old mine? What if you discovered your spouse is protecting you from witchcraft? What if you received messages from the dead? You wouldn’t believe it, of course―but you might investigate. As Christopher Bracken shows through this gripping exploration of the horror film, this is the first step toward believing the impossible.

In Believable Impossibilities, Bracken examines the genre in which we are most frequently called on to believe something seemingly impossible has unsettled our ordinary lives―the horror story. Whether on the page or on screen, horror draws us into narratives in which a community of nonbelievers are suddenly confronted with the challenge of believing in events and experiences that radically break with expectation. As Bracken argues, questions of belief often intersect with issues of race and Indigeneity because, historically, belief in the impossible has been racially coded as a trait of “primitive” thought. Drawing on philosophy, anthropology, and psychoanalysis, Bracken explores the fictional spaces in which the paranormal and supernatural challenge and defy our social bonds.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Fall into Place"

Coming soon from St. Martin's Griffin: Fall into Place: A Novel by Kristyn J. Miller.

About the novel, from the publisher:

Leaving was easy. Coming back changes everything.

Lenore’s life is falling apart. Propelled home from Manhattan to rural Vermont to spend one final autumn at her family’s historic apple orchard before it’s sold, Lenore struggles to say goodbye. Not only to French Hill Farm, but to everything that once inspired her art. Soon enough, entries in her late grandmother’s journal reignite memories of Lenore’s childhood―and the crush on the groundskeeper's son she's since tried to forget.

Callan’s path has been laid out for him for as long as he can remember: live, work, and die in Whitbury, Vermont. He’s taken over for his father as the groundskeeper at French Hill Farm, but now that it’s soon to be sold, his future has turned abruptly uncertain. The last thing he needs is a distraction―like Lenore French showing up out of the blue, looking even better than he remembered. As his best friend’s little sister, she’s always been off limits, and the last time they saw each other, he blew his chance anyway.

Lenore has long believed that her dreams are too big for the small town she grew up in―the same town Callan believes he can never outrun. But one last autumn together could paint their hometown―and each other―in a brand new light.

Visit Kristyn J. Miller's website.

--Marshal Zeringue

"On Statesmanship"

New from Yale University Press: On Statesmanship by Steven B. Smith.

About the book, from the publisher:

What true statecraft consists of, and how to know a statesman when we see one

In the modern world we yearn for great leaders but resist them when they come along. In this much-needed essay, Steven B. Smith tells us that a statesman is something far different from a demagogue or a technocrat; he or she incorporates many qualities of leadership―persuasiveness, courage, foresight, judgment―to take people where they need to go while hardly seeming to lead them at all. A true statesman is focused not on amassing power but on finding the best way to use power toward responsible ends. Above all else, Smith argues, the statesman is an educator who, through language and argument, helps shape a people’s civic understanding. This book is a timely reminder of a set of qualities we desperately need in our political leaders but have forgotten how to talk about.

The Page 99 Test: Reclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes.

--Marshal Zeringue

"City of Widows"

New from William Morrow: City of Widows: A Novel – A Gripping Epic Saga of Afghan Women at a Crossroads of History Under the Taliban by Nadia Hashimi.

About the book, from the publisher:

From bestselling novelist Nadia Hashimi—a gripping, occasionally terrifying, yet ultimately hopeful novel focusing on the women of Afghanistan in the years since the Taliban regained power.

In February 2020 the US began to withdraw troops from Afghanistan after nearly twenty years of occupation. A whole generation of Afghan women had been born during that time—women who had grown up in relative peace, gone to school, entered the professions, even served in the army and Parliament. The women of Afghanistan watched as the Taliban filled the streets again. They knew everything was about to change.

In the bustling, cosmopolitan city of Kabul, women are TV newscasters, shop owners, doctors, teachers, lawyers, even soldiers. They include Marjan, who fought with the Afghan army, and will risk everything to keep her daughter Hawa safe. In her earlier days Marjan was called Rahima and had lived the life of a bacha posh—a girl raised as a boy until she came of age. Forced into an early marriage, Rahima took the name Marjan when she fled her warlord husband. She’s created a whole new life for herself, one she will not give up easily.

So has Soraya, who defiantly wore red lipstick as she led the army’s all-female combat force over the objections of her upper-class family. Soraya’s now a wanted woman whose brother may choose not to shelter her from the Taliban. What will become of her? Or Mina, a journalist and broadcaster whose beautiful face is known to everyone in Kabul—including the new regime?

Fight or flight? Or find a third way? One thing is for certain: none of these women will meekly accept her fate.

An epic saga of fear, resistance, change, and reinvention, City of Widows gives voices to the unforgettable Afghan women at a crossroads of history.

Visit Nadia Hashimi's website.

The Page 69 Test: When the Moon Is Low.

Writers Read: Nadia Hashimi (August 2015).

--Marshal Zeringue

"Reckoning with Race in New Worlds"

New from the University of Virginia Press: Reckoning with Race in New Worlds by Ruth Hill.

About the book, from the publisher:

How Spanish and Portuguese colonialism shaped our conception of whiteness

A landmark treatment of a pivotal historical question, Reckoning with Race in New Worlds reveals how the empires of Spain and Portugal debated and came to determine who was white and who was not during their colonial era. How did free people with partial Native American, Asian, or African lineage either become or cease to be blancos or brancos―white people? Ruth Hill explains how, in unexpected ways, science and religion joined forces in the early modern era to shape the concepts of purity, mixture, and degeneration that would decide these questions. Fixing the thresholds of whiteness―degrees of blood, generations spent in a foreign environment―instigated centuries-long controversies with enormous consequences. By putting into dialogue archival sources as well as extensive engagement with secondary literature, paintings, and maps, Reckoning with Race in New Worlds crafts a history of human diversity in the colonial era, with profound implications for our understandings of the natural and social sciences and of our racial present.

--Marshal Zeringue

"Among the Ruins"

Coming December 8 from Harper Perennial: Among the Ruins: A Novel by Claire Coughlan.

About the book, from the publisher:

The acclaimed author of Where They Lie delivers a beautifully written, atmospheric mystery about one woman’s relentless drive to uncover the truth, whatever the cost.

It is the summer of 1970, and Nicoletta Sarto carefully juggles the challenges of being the women’s editor at Dublin’s Irish Sentinel with the demands of motherhood, raising twin baby girls at home. But that uneasy balance is upended when she’s approached by a barrister named Louise Leonard, whose aunt has just died. Intrigued, Nicoletta finds herself drawn into a story that could have unexpected—and very perilous—consequences for her career, her family, and her life.

Was Helen Leonard murdered, as her niece believes? Why did Helen leave everything to her nurse, a mysterious woman who has now vanished? As the persistent Nicoletta dives deeper into the investigation, she finds herself fighting the traditional attitudes of Irish society and own her family, both which disapprove of her choice to be a working mother, pursuing a career that takes her away from her daughters.

Focused on unwinding the mystery of Helen Leonard’s death, Nicoletta is unaware that danger lurks around every corner...

Follow Claire Coughlan on Instagram.

The Page 69 Test: Where They Lie.

Q&A with Claire Coughlan.

My Book, The Movie: Where They Lie.

--Marshal Zeringue

"The Psychology of Hunger and Starvation"

New from Cambridge University Press: The Psychology of Hunger and Starvation by Richard J. Stevenson.

About the book, from the publisher:

Hunger and starvation have significantly shaped the human condition. The imprints of past famines continue to cast lasting shadows on our evolutionary relationship with food, highlighting starvation as a powerful cognitive force. This book explores the nature of human hunger primarily from a psychological perspective, covering its basis in the brain, its critical dependence on learning and memory, and the dramatic effect of starvation on morality and behaviour. It connects the biology and psychology of hunger with historical and social examples including hunger strikers, hunger artists, disordered eating, and hunger as a weapon. Human experimental studies of deep starvation are also analysed, alongside case studies of the 'super hungers' in Prader-Willi syndrome, binge eating, and dementia. Delivering a comprehensive and interdisciplinary picture of human hunger and starvation, this book is an ideal resource for students and researchers interested in ingestive behaviour from a multidisciplinary perspective.

--Marshal Zeringue