May is Mental Health Awareness month. To promote a supportive community and reduce stigma, we are featuring women’s fiction that depicts mental health struggles.
Women's Fiction Writers AssociationMay 27, 2026
James Chesterton’s Ashes of the Republic is a chilling political thriller that fuses technological dystopia with spiritual symbolism, exploring how power reshapes democracy, morality and personal identity in an age of corporate surveillance and authoritarian drift. Set against the beauty of Sedona’s red deserts, the novel follows characters trapped between…
BookTribMay 27, 2026
Some thrillers begin with a crime scene. Dawn Before Darkness begins with a woman trying to end a relationship without angering the man on the other end of the phone. That choice — careful, almost ordinary — tells readers exactly what kind of danger Liz Lazarus is interested in. Not…
BookTribMay 26, 2026
The appeal of fantasy for a woman in a male-dominated world is — in a word — obvious. That aside, my love affair with fantasy started as a small child because something deep and powerful in my core has always called out to the existence of dragons, fairies and magic.…
Meghan Le FayMay 26, 2026
Bromantasy, the delightful romantic fantasy novel by Máire Roche, drops May 26. The book’s description of “Two heroes. One brain cell.” grabbed the attention of our own Aunt Libra, and she insisted on having the boys drop in to discuss their adventure. We were fortunate to receive this transcript of…
Aunt LibraMay 22, 2026
Fast and Fastidious is an absolutely smashing and highly entertaining genre-defying first novel by R.M. Caldwell, a pseudonym for New Zealand theater director and escape room puzzle designer. The author has described it as a “mash-up of Pride and Prejudice and Fast and the Furious." Set in 1810 Regency England…
Linda HitchcockMay 22, 2026
Bestselling author Louise Penny joins forces with Mellissa Fung, a documentary producer and non-fiction writer, to pen The Last Mandarin, a political thriller centered on contemporary American and Chinese politics. Columbia University School of Journalism graduate and food blogger, Alice Li, and her world respected Chinese mother Vivien are meeting…
Jodé MillmanMay 20, 2026
Kudos to publisher SOHO Crime for their continued commitment to presenting international, multicultural mysteries and thrillers, providing readers with exciting, well-crafted plots and fresh viewpoints. London-based, multi-award-winning journalist and novelist Maha Khan Phillips was raised in Karachi, Pakistan, the setting for The Museum Detective, now available in paperback. This series…
Linda HitchcockMay 19, 2026
In this powerful memoir, Lyn Barrett recounts her journey through Dissociative Identity Disorder, revealing how a family crisis unearthed her long-buried childhood trauma. Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory is a story of resilience and transformation — the reclaiming of a life once fragmented by trauma.
Pejuola RansomeMay 19, 2026
Leonie Swann, a pseudonym for a stellar German crime writer, with translations from the adroit Amy Bojang, first introduced quirky, elderly sleuth Agnes Sharp in 2020. According to the author, Agnes Sharp and the Wedding to Die For concludes the series, and just as tears are often shed at weddings,…
Linda HitchcockMay 18, 2026
Joseph Goodson’s midcentury-set novel The Kiss opens with protagonist Joseph Gordon on his way to Rutgers, where he has transferred from Penn State for a practical romantic reason: Rutgers is closer to Smith College, where his long-term girlfriend, Celeste, is enrolled. On paper, Joseph has a future waiting for him.…
BookTribMay 18, 2026
As the temperatures rise and the days grow longer, many of us feel the pull to spend more time outside. Sometimes, all it takes is the right story to turn that feeling into action. Whether it’s a tale of adventure in the wilderness, a thoughtful look at climate and sustainability,…
BookTribMay 18, 2026
Ever since I was young, I’ve loved a good friendship story — the kind that feels like one long heart-to-heart with a kindred spirit. And when the friends have a shared goal that invites readers in on the fun? Even better. Books about friends helping each other through life’s ups…
Jessica StrawserMay 15, 2026
You know a narrator is lying. The story makes that clear. The details don’t line up. The tone shifts. Something feels off. And you keep believing them anyway. Not because you’re convinced, but because the story gives you just enough to stay. Readers don’t need a narrator to be truthful.…
Dan UseltonMay 15, 2026
In this powerful memoir, Lyn Barrett recounts her journey through Dissociative Identity Disorder, revealing how a family crisis unearthed her long-buried childhood trauma. Crazy: Reclaiming Life from the Shadow of Traumatic Memory is a story of resilience and transformation — the reclaiming of a life once fragmented by trauma.
BookTribMay 14, 2026
When a therapist appears on the pages of a novel, readers wonder who to trust. The unreliable patient with their history of trauma and instability? Or the healing therapist who holds the key to change and transformation? It is this question of reliability that drives many novels about mental health,…
Lucy AsheMay 13, 2026