book clubs
by julie hale
H The Night Tiger Yangsze Choo’s second novel, The Night Tiger (Flatiron, $17.99, 9781250175465), is a suspenseful work of fiction set in 1930s Malaysia. Ren, a young servant, attempts to fulfill the extraordinary final desire of his late master, Dr. MacFarlane, whose finger was amputated following an accident. MacFarlane asks Ren to track down the finger and ensure that it’s put in his grave. If the finger isn’t buried before 49 days have passed, the doctor’s spirit will never rest. The tale of Ren’s quest intersects with the story of Ji Lin, a seamstress and dance-hall worker who comes into possession of a remarkably well-maintained amputated finger. The plot thickens when the corpse of a young woman who appears to have been attacked by a tiger is found. Mixing in elements of Malay folklore, Choo spins a wonderfully compelling historical thriller that’s enriched by themes of class and imperialism. Reading groups will savor this acclaimed, multilayered mystery.
BOOK CLUB READS SPRING FOR WINTER THE PLAYGROUND by Jane Shemilt
“Beautifully written and suffused with dread. The final outcome is profoundly shocking and terrifying.” —GILLY MACMILLAN,
New York Times bestselling author
THE WICKED REDHEAD by Beatriz Williams
A mesmerizing Jazz Age tale of rumrunners, double crosses, and true love, spanning the Eastern seaboard from Florida to Long Island.
THE BLACK ASCOT by Charles Todd Frederick Douglass by David W. Blight Simon & Schuster, $22, 9781416590323 The first substantial biography of Douglass in almost 25 years, Blight’s important book rightfully won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in History.
Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert St. Martin’s Griffin, $16.99, 9781250137678 This companion novel to Brennert’s popular Moloka'i follows the story of Ruth, whose sense of identity is transformed when she gets a letter from her mother, Rachel, who was confined to a leprosy colony in Hawaii.
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston Amistad, $16.99, 9780062748218 In 1927, Hurston interviewed 86-year-old Cudjo Lewis, one of the few remaining survivors of the transatlantic slave trade. Providing a deeply personal look at a dark chapter in history, Hurston’s book is revelatory.
The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay Grove, $17, 9780802147967 When her mother dies, Shalini travels to a village in the Himalayas in search of a salesman who visited her family when she was a child, convinced that he is a link to her mother. Vijay writes with poise and polish in this electrifying story of one woman’s attempt to come to terms with her past and her homeland.
A BookPage reviewer since 2003, Julie Hale selects the best new paperback releases for book clubs every month.
“This novel is an absolute winner! The Black Ascot delivers evocative period detail; spot-on portraits of the characters who inhabit the tale, and nonstop plotting.” — Bestselling author JEFFERY DEAVER
A TRACE OF DECEIT
by Karen Odden
“A darkly thrilling story filled with suspense and secrets, a courageous heroine, an edgy climax, and an atmospheric setting that perfectly captures the underbelly of London’s art world in the Victorian era.” —STEFANIE PINTOFF, Edgar Award-winning author
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