Booksology 
History Lesson with Zoe B. Walbrook of Zoho Crime
For amateur professor detectives and fans of campus murder mysteries!
Professor Daphne Huberture focuses on French colonialism lectures, academic papers, and dating, but the latter doesn’t work. When a colleague is murdered, Daphne’s lack of love for her professor does not stop her from investigating his murder. Because his killer is thinking about what Daphne is after. A former detective bookseller might be able to help her solve the case… —Jamie Kanabeth
Note: This is the only book on this list to be released in 2025.
Chicano Frankenstein by Daniel A. Olivas, Forest Avenue Press
March kicks off with an exciting modern version of Mary Shelley’s classic horror novel Frankenstein. An unknown paralegal is brought back to life as the US politicizes the resuscitation process. All memory of his life before his resurrection is gone, and as he searches for answers to the life he has left, he falls in love with a lawyer named Faustina Godinez and comes to terms with a world that would rather he never existed. —Emily Martin
“Valley of Ghosts of Revenge” by Kim Fu, Tin House/Zand
I fell in love with Hu’s writing through the short stories in The Little-Known Monsters of the 21st Century, so I was delighted to learn that a new novel by this award-winning author would be published. I love novels in the uncanny valley, and this story about a woman who, shaken by the death of her controlling mother, buys with her inheritance a house built on a foundation that has always been submissive and unshaded, hits right up my alley. little known monster Who taught me to be a writer who tells immersive stories based on worldly issues and haunted by ghosts. —S. Zainab Williams
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Backstitch by Marian Mitchell Donahue, Galiot Press
Sisters Violet and Marigold, who are artists like their mother, get together again to see their mother’s art exhibition. Each piece takes them back in time and revisits the dysfunction that plagued their childhood.
Siege of Owls by Uchenna Awake, Catapult (May 12)
This epic fable story set in West Africa follows Ekwe as he grows up in a drought-stricken Igbo village. From an early age, Ekwe is haunted by an owl and an irresistibly large spirit, which is seen as both myth and prophecy. When he touches the forbidden leaf, he is sent on a journey through the deserts, savannas, and conflict zones of Nigeria. As he begins his life as a Fulani herdsman, he struggles with the violence that haunts him, while his 12-year-old sister is forced to marry a wealthy man much older than her.
For even more indie-related suggestions, be sure to read 10 of the best indie publishers to follow.
