IN THE LAND OF NO RIGHT ANGLES By Daphne Beal (Anchor)
We were skeptical of another story about a pretty college student abroad in Nepal—the whole enlightened-expat thing makes our eyes roll (all three of them). Yet Beal, wife of memoirist Sean Wilsey, won us over. When naive Alex makes a "karmic connection" with magnetic Maya, there's nothing pseudo about it. Years later, after Maya is trafficked as a sex slave in India, Alex treks across the globe to rescue her. Would you drop everything—your job, apartment—for a friend? Meditate on that. —Lauren Iannotti
IT'S A CRIME By Jacqueline Carey (Ballantine)
White-collar mischief doesn't typically inspire vigilante justice. But that's just what happens when Pat Foy's husband is imprisoned for accounting fraud—"How could anything that boring be illegal?" she asks. Soon Pat mounts her own reparations program, hunting down victims scammed out of their life savings. Meanwhile, her daughter targets the unscathed CFO for comeuppance. In this ripped-from-the-headlines satire, Carey skewers corporate culture and its insidious effects: Though Dad's in jail, you can't help but think it's his family doing the hard time. —Jihan Thompson
IODINE By Haven Kimmel (Free Press)
Brilliant college senior Trace Pennington grew up poor before fleeing an abusive home. In the ensuing years, she wove an existence built on lies, fantasy, and wishful thinking. When she falls for her professor, Trace is forced to come clean. But who is she really? Kimmel's fourth novel treads into psychological-thriller territory, which fans of her resonant memoirs may find jarring. But stick with it. There's real satisfaction in finally unwrapping the truth. —Eileen Conlan
