Though it's a fairly conventional plot -- after their mother's death, a wealthy doctor with a trophy wife and a difficult step-daughter invites his somewhat estranged sister (and her family) along on a vacation in order to strengthen family bonds -- in the hands of a talented writer like Mark Haddon, the result can be magical. Told through eight quickly rotating and quite convincing viewpoints, the novel covers seven days of bitterly comic family dynamics, as adult siblings compete, teen step-cousins flirt, the eight-year-old plays Batman, secrets are exposed, and allegiances are made and broken in the twinkling of an eye. "Perfect (or not) for that holiday with the in-laws," says People magazine.

Known for having a wicked wit and for focusing on class divisions and other challenging topics, British author John Lanchester here takes on contemporary British life by focusing on the diverse residents of the recently (and profitably) gentrified London street of Pepys Road, where an upwardly mobile banker counting on a million-pound bonus rubs elbows with a Senegalese soccer player. It's 2007, and when the road's residents start receiving odd, anonymous postcards demanding "We Want What You Have" -- and the financial collapse picks up steam -- their lives collide in sometimes painful ways. "Effortlessly brilliant," says The Observer; fans of Sebastian Faulks' A Week in December will likely also enjoy the similarly set Capital.

Sydney hypnotherapist Ellen O'Farrell has a new boyfriend, Patrick, whom she really likes. She even recognizes that his ex-girlfriend, Saskia, who has been stalking him ever since they broke up, is an annoyance rather than a threat. Until, that is, she realizes who Saskia is -- and how much she knows about Ellen's relationship with Patrick. This could be a scary story of an obsessive ex, but author Liane Moriarty manages to make all the characters easy to identify with, including Saskia. She also writes in an imaginative, humorous manner that might remind readers of Sophie Kinsella or Marian Keyes.

Like Khaled Hosseini's bestselling The Kite Runner, Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya's The Watch uses the war in Afghanistan as a backdrop for an emotional, character-driven story written in moving prose. In this case, it also happens to be a retelling of the Greek myth of Antigone. After a brutal attack on a remote U.S. outpost in Kandahar, a solitary Afghan woman approaches and demands the return of her brother's body for burial. This is against U.S. policy (and the woman may be the enemy, the commander reasons), so she is refused. But her determination to give her brother a proper burial provokes a two-day standoff that makes this war story "difficult to put down, powerful, eloquent, and even haunting" (Booklist).

Though not strictly historical fiction, for half the book takes place in present-day L.A., this romantic, enjoyable novel will delight those yearning for the good old days of Hollywood glamor. It follows a young Italian who, in 1962, hosts a beautiful, "ill" American starlet in his mediocre, obscure hotel. Pasquale is immediately smitten by Dee Moray, who's in hiding from the set of the movie Cleopatra; her costar Richard Burton also appears, while an oily publicist takes pains to keep Dee hidden from view. Zipping between past and present, author Jess Walter offers both a twisty narrative and writing that is "funny, brash, [and] witty" (Kirkus Reviews).

This single-volume collection of three dozen short works by Louise Erdrich includes mostly previously published pieces, but also includes six original stories. Both chronologically and thematically organized, this anthology offers insight and joy for careful readers, for characters from her novels appear throughout. However, even those creations who are unique to this anthology are fully fledged, displaying both humor and pathos; many, but not all, are American Indians. Fans will also want to keep an eye out for Erdrich's newest book, The Round House, which will be available in October.

This series of interlinked stories tells the tale of the wintry Massachusetts town of Blackwell through the experiences of its citizens, including founder Hallie Brady in 1750, a wounded Civil War solider saved by a passionate neighbor, a man so ugly he fears his own reflection, and the ghost of a drowned child. Readers familiar with author Alice Hoffman will recognize her touches of magic -- from the titular garden in which all plants (no matter how green) turn red to Johnny Appleseed's Tree of Life and the dog who remains loyal past death -- while those new to her will no doubt embrace her spellbinding tales of love and despair set against a magical New England backdrop.

Itinerant lawmen Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch don't talk much, but they're pretty effective at cleaning up towns infested with corruption. In this 4th adventure, they've returned to the Western frontier town of Appaloosa, where the problem is the new police chief, Amos Callico, who has his eye on the governorship and feels the fastest way there is by shaking down local businesses for protection money. Trouble's brewing, and it's not helped by the appearance of an old friend and his escaped-convict brother. Add a Pinkerton agent, some renegade Apaches, and a politician's dead son, and you've got problems. "Lean, fast, and full of snappy dialogue" (Publishers Weekly), this is also, sadly, the last in the series. Newcomers can start with Appaloosa.

In the wake of the death of journalist Robert Lewis, her Pulitzer Prize-winning hero, battle-weary war correspondent Marika Vecera decides to take time off to write his biography. But when she receives a letter that leads her to believe that Robert is still alive and well in the wilds of Papua New Guinea, she ventures into the wilderness in search of him. Echoes of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness are inevitable, as are comparisons to first-time novelist Kira Salak's own life; she too is an award-winning journalist who has traveled alone to some very remote and dangerous places, and her own experiences help bring Marika's to life.