It's been a little while since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post, but this week's topic intrigued me.  I always love to discover great new writers and 2016 appears to be a good year for them.  So many awesome-looking debut books release next year that I had a really hard time limiting myself to a list of just ten.  I did, though, and I'm excited to share them with you.  I'm anxious to see what you came up with as well.  So, please, leave me a comment on this post—I'll happily return the favor on your blog!

If you want to join in the TTT fun, be sure to click on over to The Broke and the Bookish.  Everything you need to know about this fabulous weekly meme is on their wonderful site.

Ready for my Top Ten 2016 Debut Novels I'm Looking Forward To list?  Hold on tight, 'cause here we go ... (can you tell I spent Thanksgiving weekend on rides at Disneyland/California Adventure?)

1.  The Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn N. Eves—I've loved Rosalyn ever since she told me she was "star-struck" by serving on a book awards judging panel with me :)  She writes excellent book reviews on her blog.  I'm sure her debut novel, a magical YA story set in an alternate Victorian England, will be amazing as well.  Coming Fall 2016 from Knopf.


2.  Paper Wishes by Lois Sepahban—I love me a well-written middle grade historical novel.  This one, about a Japanese-American girl whose family is relocated to an internment camp during WWII, sounds like a good one.  Coming January 5, 2016, from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.


3.  This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp—Considering how many school shootings have occurred lately, this YA novel examines a frightening and timely trend.  It sounds like an intense, thought-provoking read.  Coming January 5, 2016, from Sourcebooks.

Coincidentally enough, I got an email from Sourcebooks yesterday about a fun pre-order promotion its running to celebrate the book's release.  Check out the Rafflecopter widget below if you're interested:

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


4.  Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman—Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!  This is a much-anticipated YA novel about a young Blackbeard.  Looks like a great read for any Pirates of the Caribbean fan.  Coming February 9, 2016, from Simon Pulse.


5.  The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos—This YA tale centers around the daughter of a forensic scientist who has to use the knowledge she's gleaned from her father to track him down when he goes missing.  Sounds compelling.  Coming January 26, 2016, from Balzer & Bray.


6.  Where Futures End by Parker Peevyhouse—This time-crossing YA adventure novel sounds fascinating to me.  Coming February 9, 2016, from Kathy Dawson Books.


7.  Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace—You've probably heard the buzz about this debut, a YA novel concerning a teenage girl who wakes up in a shallow grave one year after her death.  Somehow, she's alive again, but her world has definitely changed ... Coming January 26, 2016, from Katherine Tegen Books.

8.  In Another Life by Julie Christine Johnson—This adult novel about a recent widow who returns to France to rebuild her life and becomes entangled in an ancient mystery sounds like a good one.  Coming February 2, 2016, from Sourcebooks Landmark.


9.  Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly—This WWII novel about three women whose lives intersect at a notorious female-only concentration camp looks fascinating.  Coming April 5, 2016, from Ballantine Books.


10.  The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock—Truth is, I would probably read this one based on the title alone!  Its premise also sounds interesting.  The story concerns three teenagers living in Alaska in 1970 and the ways in which they save each other.  Coming February 23, 2016, from Wendy Lamb Books.

So, there you go, ten debut novels of 2016 that I'm excited about reading.  What do you think of my list?  What's on yours?  Do we have any picks in common?  I can't wait to hop around the book blogosphere and see which titles you're stoked about.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

Felix Brewer, an extravagant show-off who makes his dough off several businesses (some legal, some not), is facing prison time when he vanishes into thin air.  His disappearance shocks his wife and two daughters, throwing their comfortable lives of luxury into a wild tailspin.  The three Brewers have no idea what has happened to their husband and father, but what about his 23-year-old mistress, Julie Saxony?  Does she know more about Felix's whereabouts than she's letting on?

Julie's disappearance—exactly a decade later—seems to indicate that she's finally flown off to meet up with her man.  Until her remains are discovered in Leakin Park almost 20 years after she went missing.  Maybe she knew where Felix was, maybe she didn't.  Whatever secrets Julie harbored, they went with her to the grave.

Intrigued by the very cold case, retired Baltimore police detective Sandy Sanchez decides to investigate Julie's murder.  As he digs into her colored past, he discovers an alarming web of lies, many of which center on one person: Felix Brewer.  What really happened to the enigmatic fugitive?  Did Julie Saxony die because of her connection to him?  Or was her death unrelated?  As Sandy untangles the threads of deceit that bind five women to Felix, he will discover some very shocking truths about one of Baltimore's greatest unsolved mysteries.

After I'm Gone, a mystery by Laura Lippman, was inspired by the real, unsolved case of Julius Salsbury, a Baltimore bookie who vanished instead of facing a possible 15-year sentence in federal prison.  As colorful as his true-life counterpart, Felix Brewer makes for an alluring central character.  The mystery of his disappearance is intriguing enough, but After I'm Gone focuses less on Felix's case, more on the characters and their relationships with one another.  All of Lippman's story people are complex, flawed and captivating in their own ways, making their individual tales just as interesting as Felix's.  The story's slow, steady build-up creates plenty of tension, forging a plot that's as exciting as it is compelling.  With enough twists to keep me reading, I found After I'm Gone quite riveting indeed.  Overall, I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade: