44 PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ■ NOVEMBER 4, 2019
Review_FICTION
doesn’t match
the photo he
was sent, but he
accepts her
explanation
that she didn’t
want him to be
interested in
her solely for
her looks. The
two wed, and
gradually it
becomes clear that Julia has withheld
more significant secrets, which end up
leading to murder. The significance of
Billy, a “character that does not appear in
the story” (mentioned in an opening list
of characters), becomes chillingly clear
by the end. This haunting downer is an
excellent addition to the American
Mystery Classics series. (Jan.)Dark Truths
A.J. Cross. Severn, $28.99 (240p) ISBN 978-0-
7278-8906-5
Set in Birmingham, England, this
convoluted series launch from Cross (the
Kate Hanson mysteries) introduces
obsessive criminologist Will Traynor,
who has never come to terms with his
wife’s unsolved murder. Taking center
stage is methodical Det. Insp. Bernard
Watts, who was once the head of the
Unsolved Crimes Unit that collaborated
with forensic psychologist Kate Hanson
and has been disbanded. Watts is now
the senior investigative officer on the
gruesome case of a decapitated jogger,
whose head can’t be found. Evidence of
related crimes leads Watts to ask for
additional assistance, which includes
Traynor, who sees connections between
the newly discovered deaths and that of
his wife, an opinion not shared by the rest
of the team. Traynor’s erratic behavior is
often more of a hindrance than a help.
Despite the book’s billing as a Will Traynor
mystery, readers may prefer to see more of
the plodding Watts than the unstable
Traynor in the sequel. Agent: Camilla Wray,
Darley Anderson Literary (U.K.). (Jan.)Ascending Power
Malcolm Gibson. Storehouse Media Group,
$17.51 trade paper (350p) ISBN 978-1-63337-
290-0
The success of Billy Strikeleather, thehero of Gibson’s gripping thriller, as a
professional football player put his
hometown of Chinati Flats, Tex., on the
map. Then an injury ended his NFL
career, and Billy’s life has since consisted
of alcohol abuse and a fruitless search for
work. His 80-year-old uncle, Sam Longbird,
offers the possibility of a change for the
better. Sam has discovered a hot spring
near the town with an unusual mineral
content toxic to plants, but before he can
say who else he’s
discussed the
find with, he’s
shot and ends
up in a coma.
After tasting a
water sample
from the hot
spring, Billy
suspects that it
contains a rare
earth element,
dysprosium, capable of boosting gas
mileage. When he consults his college
geology professor, Clive Larsen, with
whom he once researched the element, he
learns that oil companies felt sufficiently
threatened by Clive’s work on dysprosium
to arrange for Clive’s wife to be sexually
assaulted and ruin the academic’s career.
The tension rises as Billy searches for
justice for Sam and Clive. Gibson com-
bines a sympathetic, flawed lead with a
suspenseful plot. (Self-published.)SF/Fantasy/Horror
Bonds of Brass
Emily Skrutskie. Del Rey, $27 (320p)
ISBN 978-0-593-12889-3
Skrutskie (Hullmetal Girls) draws from
classic adventure tales to create an action-
packed space opera, the first in the
Bloodright trilogy. When the Umber
Empire conquers the Archon Empire, 10
year old Archonian Ettian is left a disen-
franchised orphan. Seven years later, Ettian
is a student pilot in the Umber Imperial
Academy and nursing a crush on his
roommate, Gal. The boys are inseparable,
dancing on the edge of something more
than friendship even after shocking truths
about Gal’s past come to light: he is heir to
the Umber throne. When Gal is targeted
by their fellow classmates for his royalUmber blood, Ettian and Gal flee together.
As the friends strike out on their own,
Ettian must contend with conflicting
loyalties, torn between Gal, his heritage,
and a strange young woman named Wen
who joins the adventure. Despite an out-
of-the-blue twist at the end, Skrutskie’s
sympathetic characters, perfectly-tuned
pop-culture references, and harsh glimpses
into the realities of empire and war keep
the pages turning. This inspired tale will
please fantasy fans and has cross-over YA
appeal. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra
Literary. (Apr.)★ The Lost Future of Pepperharrow
Natasha Pulley. Bloomsbury, $27 (512p)
ISBN 978-1-63557-330-5
The phenomenal sequel to Pulley’s The
Watchmaker of Filigree Street moves the series
from Victorian-era London to a haunted,
steampunk version of 19th-century Tokyo.
Thaniel Steepleton is offered a translator
position at the British legation in Tokyo
on the same night his lover, clairvoyant
Japanese clock maker Keita Mori, returns
to their London home after months abroad.
The pair travel together to Japan along
with Thaniel’s adopted, autistic daughter.
There, Thaniel meet’s Takiko Pepperhow,
Mori’s wife, a woman Thaniel hadn’t known
existed. As Thaniel questions his relation-
ship with Mori,
Mori uses his
clairvoyance to
manipulate the
affairs of the
people around
him. After Mori
goes missing,
it’s up to Thaniel
to find him as a
massive elec-
trical storm
strikes Tokyo and ghosts wander the streets.
Pulley’s intricate plot, vibrant setting,
entrancing magic, and dynamic ensemble
of characters make for an un-put-downable
historical fantasy. New readers will be
pulled in and series fans will be delighted
by this tour de force. Agent: Jenny Savill,
Andrew Nurnberg Assoc. (Feb.)Highfire
Eoin Colfer. Harper Perennial, $19.99 (384p)
ISBN 978-0-06-293855-8
Colfer (the Artemis Fowl YA series)