What it's about: Ex-FBI agent Titus Crown is the first Black sheriff of Virginia's Charon County. That's tough enough, but then there's a school shooting of a teacher by a former student, which quickly turns into a hunt for a serial killer who's been targeting children for years.

 

Reviewers say: "superb" (Publishers Weekly); "fresh and exhilarating" (New York Times); an "unforgettable, flawed hero" (Library Journal).

 

Read this next: If you want more gritty, atmospheric crime fiction, try Eli Cranor's novels, which take place in Arkansas, or Attica Locke's Texas-set Highway 59 novels.

 

Missing: When an indentured Indian servant disappears from a sugar plantation, a vocal missionary demands action. Tasked with solving the case and quieting bad press, Singh deals with colonialism and the caste system.

 

For fans of: atmospheric historical mysteries, such as Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry novels or Abir Mukerjee's Sam Wyndham books.

All grown up? Charlotte Illes, a 25-year-old semi-famous former child detective, is at loose ends, living with her mom in New Jersey while looking for work and love. So when her old blue landline phone rings, she (reluctantly) takes the case...but she never dealt with murder as a kid.

 

Did you know? Prior to starring in this "rollicking debut" (New York Times), Charlotte was a character on author/actor Katie Siegel's TikTok.

 

For fans of: Lisa Lutz's The Spellman Files novels or Mia P. Manansala's Tita Rosie's Kitchen mysteries.

What it is: a richly detailed collective biography of the Shakur family, whose activism and influence shaped the Black liberation movement.

 

Featuring: Black Panther Party member Afeni Shakur; her son, rapper Tupac Shakur; activist Assata Shakur, currently living in Cuban exile.

 

Reviewers say: "essential reading" (Booklist); "a vital chapter in the history of the struggle for racial justice" (Publishers Weekly).

What it's about: how the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 impacted multiple generations of author Fae Myenne Ng's immigrant family.

 

Why you should read it: Ng's sweeping and sobering "book of living memory" offers an unvarnished look at the immigrant experience.

 

Further reading: Mott Street: A Chinese American Family's Story of Exclusion and Homecoming by Ava Chin.

What it is: the intimate debut memoir from Academy Award-nominated actor and trans activist Elliot Page.

 

Is it for you? Though he offers plenty of gossip and behind-the-scenes career anecdotes, Page also candidly addresses the transphobia and harassment he has endured in Hollywood and beyond.

 

Book buzz: Pageboy was named a Most Anticipated Book by Salon, Elle, Bustle, and more.

What it is: a millennia-spanning history of how family dynasties throughout the globe have shaped humankind.

 

What's inside: a fast-paced and dramatic narrative rife with court intrigue, alliances and betrayals, sex scandals, blood-soaked battles, murder, and more.

 

Book buzz: "Succession meets Game of Thrones" (The Spectator) in this New York Times bestseller from the author of The Romanovs.

What it's about: In the summer of 1938, pioneering botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter conducted a survey of the Colorado River during a treacherous 43-day, 600-mile rowboat journey.

 

Read it for: an evocative and richly detailed tribute to Clover and Jotter, who braved both the elements and the rampant misogyny of the scientific community to become the first to catalog flora in the Grand Canyon.

 

Featuring: the pair's journals and letters from the trip.

What it is: the tender coming-of-age story of Sadie Dixon, a Black queer teen whose anxiety -- triggered by an act of police violence -- has kept her indoors all summer.

 

How it's told: powerful, lyrical verse chronicles her attempts to overcome fear through activism and brings to life her budding romance with neighbor Jackson.

 

Author alert: Fans of author Mariama Lockington's middle grade books In the Key of Us and For Black Girls Like Me will appreciate her poignant YA debut.

What it's about: Faced with bullies at school, new student Rumi hides alone under a willow tree, drawing pictures in the dirt. But when one friendly classmate joins him, things begin to change.

 

What's inside: mixed-media illustrations highlighting the sincere emotions in this tale of compassion and belonging.

 

Try this next: Marie-Louise Gay's Mustafa and Matthew Burgess' Bird Boy.

What it's about: While grieving the loss of his parents, Cape Cod kid Hercules "Herc" Beal gets a life-changing homework assignment to connect his own experiences with the twelve labors of the mythological Hercules.

 

How it's told: through Herc's particular perspective and style, complete with lots of run-on sentences.

 

Who it's for: readers who like humor and heartbreak intertwined, as well as fans of author Gary D. Schmidt's other books (look for cameos from familiar characters!).