Forthcoming in 2007

The London Times has a list of a dozen novels due out this year. I'll not miss the new books by Ian McEwan, Philip Roth, and Ian Rankin.

Or Beryl Bainbridge:

The Girl in the Polka Dot Dress

What’s the story?
Several witnesses to the Robert Kennedy assassination recalled seeing a girl in a polka-dot dress at the Ambassador Hotel. Who was she, and how did she get there?
The background:
The prolific Dame Beryl, 72 last November, has slowed down somewhat — it has been six years since her last novel, According to Queeney.
Little, Brown says:
“A bittersweet masterpiece of the type with which she made her reputation.”
We say:
Shortlisted for the Booker five times, will the Queen of English Letters finally take the prize?

And Mailer's new novel looks intriguing, too:

The Castle in the Forest

What’s the story?
The adventures of young Hitler, told by an assistant to the Devil.
The background:
Ten years ago, in his last novel The Gospel According to the Son, Mailer got to grips with Jesus, so Hitler was the obvious next step . . .
Little, Brown says:
“A bold and darkly funny novel.”
We say:
You have to admire Mailer’s pluck — this is an undertaking that even Milton would have thought twice about.

Read about all twelve novels.

--Marshal Zeringue