End-of-Year Mailbag. Plus, ‘Industry’ S4 and ‘The Odyssey’ Trailers.

Seasoned British secret agent Methuen seeks a relaxing fishing trip but is drawn into investigating the murder of a fellow spy in the remote Serbian mountains. He encounters communist forces, royalist White Eagles insurgents, and navigates treacherous terrain and political intrigue in early Cold War Yugoslavia. The novel vividly describes the scenery, fishing, weather, and politics, blending adventure with historical tensions around Tito's regime.

The Maltese Falcon, written by Dashiell Hammett, is a 1930 detective novel that follows the story of Sam Spade, a private detective in San Francisco. The plot begins when a mysterious woman, Miss Wonderly (later revealed as Brigid O'Shaughnessy), hires Spade and his partner Miles Archer to tail a man named Floyd Thursby. After Archer's murder, Spade becomes entangled in a web of deceit and violence involving a valuable 16th-century statuette known as the Maltese Falcon. Other key characters include Joel Cairo, an effeminate Levantine, and Casper Gutman, a fat and jovial but sinister figure, all of whom are searching for the falcon. The novel is known for its vivid characters, sustained tension, and influential style in the hard-boiled genre.

Caught Stealing follows Henry 'Hank' Thompson, a former high school baseball prodigy whose life took a turn after a career-ending injury. Now a bartender in New York City, Hank's life is disrupted when he agrees to care for a cat named Bud, leading him into a chaotic world of crime and violence. The novel is known for its breakneck pace and visceral action.

Set in Harlem in 2008, 'Lazarus Man' follows the aftermath of a five-story tenement collapse that kills several people. The story centers around Anthony Carter, a 42-year-old unemployed biracial schoolteacher and recovering cocaine addict, who is miraculously pulled from the rubble 36 hours after the collapse. Carter's survival sets off a media frenzy and transforms him into an unlikely motivational speaker. The novel weaves together the lives of several characters, including police detective Mary Roe, young freelance photographer Felix Pearl, and others, as they navigate the community's response to the tragedy and Carter's newfound role as a symbol of hope.