“The Wild Hunt,” by Emma Seckel (Tin House, 2022)

Each year, for the bleak month of October, crows inundate a small Scottish island. Called the “sluage,” they may well be the souls of the dead who have left this liminal place, either by enlisting in the war, or by emigration. But now, in 1949, Gaelic rituals and iron charms no longer suffice for protection; menace has morphed into danger, with frequent attacks on anyone unwise enough to venture out alone.

Leigh Welles has returned from the mainland to bury her father; Iain MacTavish came back after the War for the same reason. Together they endeavor to move beyond their separate traumas to help the tiny community reclaim the peace of their village. In her debut novel, Emma Steckel creates a sense of lurking unease. The pacing is a slow build, and although there are few twists, I found the story captivating. Despite haphazard editing (too many parentheses. And sentence fragments.), this novel is worth reading, if just for the sense of place and the delicious frissons of magical realism. — 2 stars (out of 4); Neva Gronert, Parker

“The Hidden Globe: How Wealth Hacks the World,” by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian (Riverhead, 2024)

An eye-opening account of all kinds of “free zones” around the world, places that operate outside the normal laws or regulations.Some examples: the Geneva free port (where art, jewels and other non-liquid assets can be stored, traded or sold, all without tax liability); export processing zones (where consumer goods are created, again tax-free); special economic zones (where workers toil with no labor protections, low pay, no benefits, no retirement funds); charter cities (sort of states within states, such as Vatican City or Elon Musk’s planned Star City in Texas); off-shore prisons; and embassies (whose residents enjoy extra-legal status). This book is well researched, with a wealth of detail, but a tad too much of the author’s personal experiences, which jarringly detract from the strong, historical facts. (A New York Times Notable Book of 2024.) — 2 1/2 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver

“Beyond Anxiety: Curiosity, Creativity, and Finding Your Life’s Purpose,” by Dr. Martha Beck (The Open Field, 2025)

We are a nation of anxious people. About one-third of us will suffer from anxiety in our lifetimes. It can rob you of direction, purpose, hope, energy and sleep. The author has suffered herself, but she’s developed a way to handle it. Beck, who holds some serious credentials, leads us step by step through the approach with a combination of neuroscience, sociology and coaching experience. The basis is her theory about “anxiety spiral,” an automatic feedback system that can increase anxiety indefinitely. To recover, we must train different parts of our nervous system rooted in creativity. Her “creativity spiral” turns off anxiety, and converts an individual’s responses to innovative problem-solving, a sense of purpose and connection with others. Although Beck’s approach borders on belief in a panacea, for those of us familiar with anxiety, Beck’s treatise can feel like a life raft thrown to a drowning person. — 3 stars (out of 4); Bonnie McCune (bonniemccune.com)

“The Life Impossible,” by Matt Haig (Penguin Random House, 2024)

Grace Winters, a 72-year-old retired math teacher in England, is full of loneliness and regrets. She lives a quiet, frugal life watching TV, visiting her husband’s grave and ruminating about her many failures, especially the events leading to the death of her young son decades ago. An unexpected inheritance takes her to the Spanish island of Ibiza, where she meets new friends who introduce her to a magical power that thrives in the sea grass beneath the waves. As she seeks to discover what happened to her benefactor, she is offered a glimpse into the meaning of this existence — and possibly the next — and is surprised to find the joie de vivre she lost many years earlier. When a developer tries to take over a sacred part of the island to build a giant, sprawling resort hotel, Grace is forced to look outside of the boundaries she has created for herself, and unify the town to fight for the survival of the island’s delicate ecosystem. — 3 stars (out of 4); Karen Goldie Hartman, Westminster

“The Arizona Triangle: A Jo Bailen Detective Novel,” by Sydney Graves (Harper, 2024)

An all-female detective agency, a missing former friend, an ex-boyfriend complication, a new love interest … what’s not to like in this mystery set in and around Tucson? An entertaining read; who doesn’t need a little escape now and then? — 3 stars (out of 4); Kathleen Lance, Denver