DEFIANT ACTS
by James Stewart III
Stewart, an educator and organizer who lives in Edgewater, debuts with a novel about a working-class interracial couple living in Chicago in the early ’90s. Moving between the past and present and among multiple perspectives, the book is a beautifully constructed mosaic of a family’s story as well as an examination of the complexities of identity. May 17

FAN FAVORITE
by Adrienne Gunn
A Chicago copywriter in the thankless throes of Tinder and Hinge decides to DM her way onto a dating reality show after she learns her high school sweetheart has been cast as the lead. Pop-culture-obsessed Gunn (a Chicago contributor) crafts a witty LOL rom-com that explores the risks we take to get our happily ever after. June 24

A SMALL DISTURBANCE ON THE FAR HORIZON
by Richard Babcock
With precise, descriptive prose, Chicago’s former longtime editor in chief unwinds the aftermath of a murder in the Nevada desert in the 1950s. As two adulterous lovers and a troubled teenage boy wrestle with the implications of their actions, they seek redemption under the ominous shadow of nuclear bomb tests. July 15

THE EL
by Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
On a hot August day in 1979, a book-smart, street-smart Indigenous teenager named Teddy leads a crew of fellow gang members on an epic journey across Chicago. The author, a former gang member himself who grew up in Rogers Park, follows Teddy as he navigates the city via the L: the hostile territories, the secret routes, the hidden alleys. August 12

THE GOSSIP COLUMNIST’S DAUGHTER
by Peter Orner
Days after JFK’s assassination, Cookie Kupcinet — daughter of Chicago newspaper legend Irv Kupcinet — was found dead in her Hollywood apartment. Originally from Highland Park, Orner tells this infamous true story through the voice of a fictional narrator, who becomes fixated on the murder as his life in Chicago unravels. August 12

LOVE IS AN OPEN BOOK
by Chandra Blumberg
To help with her writer’s block, a romance novelist’s best guy friend suggests they go on a series of dates to test out old love tropes, but neither is prepared for the spark that inevitably ignites. Blumberg, who moved to Chicago from Michigan after college, revives the classic will-they-or-won’t-they. August 12

LEVERAGE
by Amran Gowani
When hedge fund manager Ali Jafar loses $300 million in a single afternoon, he’s given an ultimatum: Recover the money in three months, or take the fall for an insider-trading investigation into his firm. With equal parts nuance and absurdity, Gowani brings his insight as a former Wall Street analyst to bear in this thriller. August 19