Maren Longbella

Fiction: Vanessa Lillie’s followup to “Blood Sisters” is compelling.

Fiction: “The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre” gets bogged down in the details.

Nonfiction: “She’s Under Here” is a memoir by a woman who took her kids and ran.

Fiction: It’s been touted by Ann Patchett and, now, the Star Tribune.

Nonfiction: “The Martians” is an entertaining look at how we view the red planet has changed over the years.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of "Mexican Gothic" and "Silver Nitrate," is stingy with the fear factor in overly complicated "The Bewitching."

Fiction: “The River Is Waiting” is a conventional white-dude-goes-to-prison book with the expected plot points.

Fiction: Unfortunately, the “Mr. Mercedes” investigator is not in peak form this time out.

Fiction: “I See You’ve Called in Dead” is a comic novel about tragic events.

The latest from "With Teeth" and "Mostly Dead Things" writer Kristen Arnett is novel "Stop Me If You've Heard This One," about a woman studying to be a clown.

The latest from "With Teeth" and "Mostly Dead Things" writer Kristen Arnett is novel "Stop Me If You've Heard This One," about a woman studying to be a clown.