The latest new fiction …  

One Mile Under

By Andrew Gross
William Morrow. $26.99

In this new thriller with a very topical subject, Andrew Gross delves into the fracking industry and the desperate measures drillers will take to get the oil out of the ground. Most people realize that the fracking process needs large amounts of water and without access to cheap water it isn’t financially feasible to sink a well.

When whitewater guide Dani Haller discovers the body of a close friend, Trey Washburn, in the rapids outside of Aspen, the assumption is that the experienced rafter made a tragic mistake and paid for it. Dani doesn’t buy the “accidental death” verdict but the local police chief won’t consider investigating further.

Doing a little digging on her own, Dani finds someone who might have witnessed her friend’s death but then that individual, a hot-air balloon operator, also dies in a mysterious accident.

Now, at the request of Dani’s father, it’s time for private investigator Ty Hauck to lend a hand. It doesn’t take long before Dani and Ty find themselves involved in a deadly confrontation between farmers in a drought-stricken Colorado town and a big oil company that wants something as valuable as liquid gold — fresh water!

The impact of the current drought that has made water a precious resource in many western states and the current controversy about fracking makes this latest novel by Gross one that will easily engage the reader. The author frames this tale as another epic western battle between the big and little guys. This time, though, it is not cattlemen against homesteaders but energy vs. agriculture.

The Great Zoo of China

By Matthew Reilly
Gallery Books. $26

In this fast paced, action novel chaos descends in a secret animal park in China when the attraction’s unusual inhabitants go on a rampage. Having discovered the eggs far beneath the Earth’s surface of a creature no one really believed ever really existed, the government creates a state-of-the-art park to showcase their discovery. Now, for the first time ever, modern man will actually see the dragons that have been mentioned in so many works of ancient literature.

They come in all sizes from nine feet tall to supersized, which means they dwarf a small building. And, naturally, most of them are carnivorous and their favorite meal seems to be a mouthful of tasty human.

In the tradition of “Jurassic Park”, the dragons in this compound are smarter than their keepers realize and they decide to not only take it over but also break out and vastly broaden their horizons (and food supply).

The carnage is unbelievable and the attempt to contain this threat to mankind by a handful of resourceful Americans led by a female crocodile expert defies description (and the imagination), but it makes for a fast read.

Vastly more descriptive passages than dialogue will make some readers think they are reading a preliminary treatment for a movie. Frankly, that’s, no doubt, what the author has in mind, so you might as well read the “original” story before the film version hits the theatres a year or two from now.

Given the success of the “Jurassic Park” films and the miracles the special effects folks can create, this story will probably be a box office sensation!

The Bookseller

By Cynthia Swanson
Harper. $25.99

Cynthia Swanson builds the premise of this intriguing novel around the “what if?” question that we sometimes ask ourselves. In other words, what would our lives have been like if we made a different choice when we came to a crossroad in our lives?

Denver bookstore owner Kitty Miller is single, in her thirties, and seems to be relatively happy with her present existence. Then the strange dreams begin. In her dream world Kitty becomes Katharyn and is married to a devoted husband and has what appears to be an ideal life with beautiful children and a posh home.

As the dreams continue, Kitty finds she rather enjoys this nocturnal existence, but she is also puzzled and even slightly troubled by it. As she plumbs her past life for an explanation, Kitty realizes that her dream husband is patterned on a man she once had a get acquainted coffee date with but he backed out at the last minute. Would this have happened if they had actually met and developed a relationship?

As the story switches back and forth between “ what is and what might have been”, the reader, like Kitty, will be drawn to musing about the options and unexpected twists and turns life provides.

Robert Frost touched upon this subject in his poem “The Road Not Taken” and “The Bookseller” will also make us raise this line of questioning.

In Wilderness

By Diane Thomas
Bantam. $26

In her thirties, Katherine is suffering from a medical issue her doctors can’t quite figure out, but she’s been told what she has is fatal. With the knowledge, the young woman decides to head into Georgia’s Appalachian Mountains where she will spend her final days alone.

Danny, a Vietnam vet, has also sought refuge in the mountains to get away from the demons that haunt him. Able to seemingly blend into the environment, Danny has discovered the visitor in his midst and has taken to stealthily watching her.

It doesn’t take long for Danny’s casual observation to turn into a fixation. And, for Katherine, she quickly realizes that someone is out there watching her.

When these two lost souls finally confront one, the unexpected happens. They become engaged in a passionate relationship that holds some unexpected surprises and dangers.

This story unfolds on many levels and its obsessive characters are detailed in such a vivid, visceral manner that it will be hard to get them out of your head once this book is finished.

The Hidden Light of Objects

By Mai Al-Hakib
Bloombury. $25

The ten short stories in this collection offer a stunning look at life in the Middle East. Kuwaiti writer Mai Al-Nakib goes beyond the headlines that announce the latest act of terror and looks beyond the religious turmoil and violence to investigate young love, martial problems, and the types of situations ordinary people in any part of the world might deal with.

Offsetting these mundane occurrences are the unique ones that are certainly more Middle Eastern in nature. For example, you’ll meet a mother trying to adjust to being reunited with her family after a decade as a POW of the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and a Palestinian teen drawn into a botched suicide bombing by two classmates.

A powerful new voice whose stories have already been recognized by critics far from the Gulf States, Mai Al-Nakib is a multifaceted writer whose debut promises even more compelling fiction in the future.