Page-Turners: April Book Reviews

**** NOBODY MOVE by Denis Johnson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Who doesn't like a heist? Jimmy Luntz loves to gamble. The problem? He's a real loser—and if he doesn't pay his bookie soon, someone will bust his kneecaps. Then he meets Anita Desilvera, a hot one-night stand and bitter divorcée (score!) who knows where to find the $2.3 million that her ex stole. Can Jimmy, who thinks he's won a babes-and-bucks jackpot, provide the muscle necessary to retrieve it? National Book Award winner Denis Johnson's darkly comic novel examines the appeal of get-rich-quick schemes—a welcome idea as our 401(k)s tank. -Jihan Thompson

*** THE FAMILY MAN by Elinor Lipman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) On the surface, Elinor Lipman's 10th novel might seem like a too-wacky tale of the relationship between lonely, gay Henry Archer and his 29-year-old ex-stepdaughter, a wannabe actress. See, Thalia hasn't seen Henry in 24 years, but suddenly he's back, looking to become a hands-on dad--even if that means helping her pretend to be engaged to a celebrity in her pursuit of stardom. But what makes this book's seemingly tawdry plot work is that, at its heart, it's about a broken family trying to reconnect. And what beats a comeback story? -Eileen Conlan

* the best of the airport newsstand

** clear space on the nightstand

*** read it before Reese Witherspoon options it

**** worth the rush shipping fees