Bethanne Patrick

Ed Tarkington's debut, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, mixes mystery and coming-of-age in a lush Southern Gothic setting. Critic Bethanne Patrick says despite some missteps, it's beautifully written.

Two academics from Germany, writing as Sara Moliner, have recreated a sepia-toned 1950s Barcelona in this new mystery novel. Critic Bethanne Patrick says City's strength is in its variety of women.

Javier Sierra's new The Master of the Prado follows a graduate student — also named Javier — who gets caught up in a web of arcane theories about the paintings in the famous Madrid museum.

Mary Kubica's new thriller follows a woman who takes in a runaway and her baby daughter. Reviewer Bethanne Patrick says it's a perfect setup — but the twists you expect aren't the ones that arrive.

Stephen King wields many pens; in Finders Keepers he's examining the role of authors and the masks they wear for the public. Critic Bethanne Patrick says the action zooms after a sluggish start.