The April 2009 Indie Next List Preview

Here's a preview of the April Indie Next List, now on its way to ABA member stores in the IndieBound movement.

A Reliable Wife: A Novel by Robert Goolrick
(Algonquin, $24.95, 9781565125964 / 1565125967)
"Set in a land where long winters drive residents to unthinkable acts, this is the story of a wealthy Wisconsin foundry owner gets more than he bargains for when he orders a mail-order bride. Determined to quickly change from new bride to wealthy widow, his wife is as surprised as the reader to discover the sexual intensity of this quiet man. Many secrets. Many lies. Very sensual." --Beth Golay, Watermark Books, Wichita, KS

The Color of Lightning: A Novel by Paulette Jiles
(Morrow, $25.99, 9780061690440 / 0061690449)
"The savage struggle for land and dominion between Native American tribes and Western settlers is brought to life in this riveting novel set in North Texas after the Civil War. Rich in historical background and told in beautiful prose, this is a great novel for book groups." --Sheila Daley, Barrett Bookstore, Darien, CT

Through Black Spruce: A Novel by Joseph Boyden
(Viking, $26.95, 9780670020577 / 0670020575)
"Will Bird, a Cree bush pilot, lies in a coma, and his niece Annie has come home to Northern Canada to be at his side. Through Annie's narration, the reader begins to understand the meaning of family bonds, even as Will's voice relates his own powerful story. Filled with wonderful characters and the strength and depth of understanding that exists between them -- and written with grace and beauty -- I found I just didn't want this story to end." --Sue Richardson, Maine Coast Book Shop, Damariscotta, ME

The Long Fall by Walter Mosley
(Riverhead, $25.95, 9781594488580 / 1594488584)
"Walter Mosley introduces a new character, Leonid McGill, a private detective who is attempting to do penance. But the true star of Mosley's novel is New York City, as the author brings alive all the glitter, corruption, diversity, and substance that comprise our greatest city." --Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI

The Weight of Heaven: A Novel by Thrity Umrigar
(HarperCollins, $25.99, 9780061472541 / 0061472549)
"Frank and Ellie Benton move from Michigan to India in an effort to recover after the tragic death of their son. When Frank begins tutoring the son of their housekeeper, he sets in motion events that strain relationships and lead to a startling conclusion. This beautifully written book, set in Girbaug, India, is a contrast in cultures as well as a study in human grief and loss." --Gayle Wingerter, Inklings Bookshop, Yakima, WA

Darling Jim: A Novel by Christian Moerk
(Holt, $25, 9780805089479 / 0805089470)
"Will a diary found in the dead-letter bin solve the mystery behind three dead women discovered in a locked house? Set in a small Irish village, Darling Jim is a dark, erotic, and bloody tale. Shivers." --Becky Milner, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA

A Fortunate Age: A Novel by Joanna Smith Rakoff
(Scribner, $26, 9781416590774 / 1416590773)
"Joanna Smith Rakoff's first novel chronicles the sometimes ludicrous, maddeningly funny, and, often, moving adventures of a gifted group of twenty-something friends in New York City just after college graduation. Combining cockeyed details of development that ring true with empathy and insight, Rakoff tells the story of marriages, children, and the success (or failure) of these characters' art with a light and witty touch. A portrait of a generation, A Fortunate Age is a delight." --Jill Owens, Powell's Books, Portland, OR

Revenge of the Spellmans: A Novel by Lisa Lutz
(Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781416593386 / 1416593381)
"Izzy Spellman's parents want her to take over the family detective agency, but, after her last case, she has her doubts about rejoining the family business. When her boss cuts her bartending hours and insists she help his friend discover if his wife is cheating on him, Izzy figures she will try to solve a case before deciding whether to jump back into the game. Full of likable, quirky characters, this story is a real treat." --Deon Stonehouse, Sunriver Books, Sunriver, OR

All the Living: A Novel by C.E. Morgan
(FSG, $23, 9780374103620 / 0374103623)
"The quiet tension and powerful, exquisite writing transport the reader deeply into the lives of people struggling with love, loss, and life. The work reminds us of the value of literature and its meaning to our psyche." --Ed Conklin, Chaucer's Books, Santa Barbara, CA

The Little Sleep: A Novel by Paul Tremblay
(Holt, $14 paper, 9780805088496 / 0805088490)
"The Little Sleep is fast and fun, a noirish suspense novel featuring Mark Genevich, a hard-boiled, narcoleptic, quasi-detective in South Boston. This is the first of what promises to be an engaging series, and I eagerly await Mark Genevich's future exploits." --Tova Beiser, Brown University Bookstore, Providence, RI

Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton, with Erin Torneo
(St. Martin's, $25.95, 9780312376536 / 0312376537)
"A black man is accused of a terrible crime by a white woman and spends years in prison before being exonerated by DNA evidence. Then, the previously incarcerated man and the victim become friends, team up, and set out on a mission to rescue others falsely accused. No novel tells a story this important or heartrending. Read it!" --Deal Safrit, Literary Book Post, Salisbury, NC

Devil's Garden by Ace Atkins
(Putnam, $24.95, 9780399155369 / 0399155368)
"Ace Atkins writing in the voice of Sam 'Dashiell' Hammett is a match made in heaven. All the elements of great noir are here: the fogs of San Francisco, the cold-hearted blond, and the crooked cops. To make the feat even more impressive, Atkins tackles the notorious case of Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and offers a very believable answer to what happened and why." --Ann Carlson, Harborwalk Books, Georgetown, SC

Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World by Mary Pipher
(Riverhead, $25.95, 9781594488610 / 1594488614)
"This touching and engaging memoir includes details of Mary Pipher's early life, deft descriptions of her extended family, and the ways her life changed after she was overwhelmed by the success of her book Reviving Ophelia. With clarity and humor, she describes how Buddhism helped her come to terms with the problems and pressures of her life." --Carol Schneck, Schuler Books & Music, Okemos, MI

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child
(Doubleday, $24.95, 9780385515511 / 0385515510)
"When paleoecologist Evan Marshall accidentally discovers an enormous beast buried in the ice in Alaska's Federal Wildlife Zone, strange things start happening. Child has written a masterful crossing between the realms of fantasy and Inuit belief -- this is a can't-put-down book." --Daniel Thomas, Browsing Bison Books, Deer Lodge, MT

Happens Every Day: An All-Too-True Story by Isabel Gillies
(Scribner, $25, 9781439110072 / 1439110077)
"Isabel Gillies has written a compulsively readable memoir about the dissolution of her marriage. She does a admirable job of not only portraying her own mistakes but also of presenting her husband reasonably. Gillies has a wonderfully transparent voice, and I enjoyed reading her story." --Carla Cohen, Politics & Prose Books & Coffee, Washington, DC

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories by Kevin Wilson
(Harper Perennial, $13.99 paper, 9780061579028 / 0061579025)
"In this fantastic debut collection of stories, Kevin Wilson infuses the everyday, mundane world with a touch of magic, reexamining the familiar through a slightly warped lens. Each of Wilson's characters possesses a touch of melancholy, but each one manages to reconcile this sadness. Definitely a must-have for fans of the short story." --Christopher Chadwick, ASUN Bookstore, Reno, NV

First Execution by Domenico Starnone, Anthony Shugaar (trans.)
(Europa, $15 paper, 9781933372662 / 1933372664)
"What begins as a Mediterranean noir quickly shifts into a puzzle from Pirandello and Calvino country, as the author begins removing sequences from the story and rewriting others. A profound meditation on political beliefs and mortality, with plenty of surprises." --Nick DiMartino, University Book Store, Seattle, WA

The Sound of Building Coffins by Louis Maistros
(Toby Press, $24.95, 9781592642557 / 1592642551)
"One of the best New Orleans novels I've ever read, Louis Maistros' debut seems dictated in a fever dream of automatic writing. Beginning in 1891, the confrontation between nine-year-old Typhus Morningstar and an evil spirit who has taken possession of a baby will take readers into an underworld journey as a decades-old voodoo curse is unleashed." --Patrick Millikin, The Poisoned Pen, Scottsdale, AZ

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, Michael Hoffman (trans.)
(Melville House, $27, 9781933633633 / 1933633638)
"By turns horrifying and inspiring, Hans Fallada's story of an ordinary German couple defying the Nazi's inhumane brutality is authentic and informative -- an admirable addition to German literature." --Nancy Olson, Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, NC

Murder in the Latin Quarter by Cara Black
(Soho, $24, 9781569475416 / 1569475415)
"Cara Black's detective, Aimee Leduc, lives in a Paris brimming with characters from France's colonial past and diverse present. Her novels are filled with immigrants from Vietnam, Algeria, Eastern Europe, and -- in Murder in the Latin Quarter -- Haiti. Aimee's life is a lonely one since the death of her father; so, when a beautiful young Haitian woman announces that she is Aimee's sister, she cannot resist the search for the truth. It's wonderful to watch the growth and development of a fine mystery writer." --Wendy Foster-Leigh, The King's English, Salt Lake City, UT

Fiction

Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly (Twelve, $23.99, 9780446406147 / 0446406147)
Coventry by Helen Humphreys (Norton, $23.95, 9780393067200 / 0393067203)
Don't Cry: Stories by Mary Gaitskill (Pantheon, $23.95, 9780375424199 / 0375424199)
Figures in Silk by Vanora Bennett (Morrow, $25.99, 9780061689840 / 006168984X)
The Glister by John Burnside (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, $22.95, 9780385527644 / 0385527640)
The History of Now by Daniel Klein (Permanent Press, $28, 9781579621810 / 1579621813)
Honolulu by Alan Brennert (St. Martin's, $24.95, 9780312360405 / 0312360401)
No Survivors: An Accident Man Novel by Tom Cain (Viking, $25.95, 9780670020492 / 0670020494)
The Twin by Gerbrand Bakker, David Colmer (trans.)(Archipelago Books, $25, 9780980033021 / 0980033020)

Nonfiction

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg (Simon & Schuster, $25, 9781416551058 / 1416551050)
I'm Sorry You Feel That Way: The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man and Dog by Diana Joseph (Amy Einhorn Books / Putnam, $23.95, 9780399155284 / 0399155287)
Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America -- and Found Unexpected Peace by William Lobdell (Collins, $25.99, 9780061626814 / 0061626813)
A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story by Diana Butler Bass (HarperOne, $25.99, 9780061448706 / 0061448702)
Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown, M.D., Christopher Vaughan (Avery, $24.95, 9781583333334 / 1583333339)
The Thoreau You Don't Know: What the Prophet of Environmentalism Really Meant by Robert Sullivan (Collins, $25.99, 9780061710315 / 0061710318)

Mystery/Suspense

Flipping Out: A Lomax & Biggs Mystery by Marshall Karp (St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95, 9780312378219 / 0312378211)
Grave Goods: A Mistress of the Art of Death Novel by Arianna Franklin (Putnam, $25.95, 9780399155444 / 0399155449)
A Quiet Flame: A Bernie Gunther Novel by Phillip Kerr (Putnam, $26.95, 9780399155307 / 0399155309)
Shatter by Michael Robotham (Doubleday, $24.95, 9780385517911 / 0385517912)