1. Transmission, by Hari Kunzru (Dutton, $24.95).The guy who got a nearly $2 million advance for his debut novel The Impressionist is back with this tale of Silicon Valley techie Arjun Mehta and a certain virus.
2. The Irish Game, by Matthew Hart (Walker, $24). Using some big-time art thefts as his starting point, Hart allows himself to expand intriguingly on subthemes: art, theft, artists, and thieves. And stately homes.
3. The Dogs of Riga, by Henning Mankell (Vintage Crime, $13). Fans of Swedish cop Kurt Wallander will savor this gritty adventure which puts him in harm’s way in Latvia, where of all things he falls in love.
4. The Whale Book, edited by Florike Egmond and Peter Mason (Reaktion, $35). The annotated writings and drawings of 16th-century Dutch fisherman’s son Adriaen Coenen blend fact and fantasy in this nautical jewel.
5. Amber Room, by Catherine Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy (Walker, $26). Where did it disappear to after the Nazis seized it, Catherine the Great’s multipaneled palatial amber chamber? Track the treasure hunt here.
