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By Mark Billingham (William Morrow, $16.95)

Mark Billingham's well-earned reputation for edgy, all-encompassing dark novels about London's underbelly is raised another notch with his fourth novel.

"The Burning Girl's" breathless plot is balanced by moral complexities that ooze into every crevice, including the police investigation. Billingham's intelligent approach delivers not just a solid police procedural, but also an insightful look at people and who they might become when pushed.

Detective Inspector Tom Thorne is pulled into a turf war between two rival gangs in London's North Side while trying to help a colleague solve a copycat killing of a 25-year-old murder. As the lines of the two cases converge, Thorne's investigative skills and his sense of right and wrong are put to the test.

While the appealing, often brooding Thorne is a well-drawn character, the author also portrays the other members of the police unit as unique individuals. This is especially true of pathologist Phil Hendricks, a favorite character in this series. Phil, an intelligent medical examiner who mourns the breakup with each boyfriend with a new piercing, is now staying with Thorne. This "Odd Couple"-ish pairing — the messy Phil, the meticulous Thorne — adds an absurd levity that fits perfectly with "The Burning Girl."

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

By Jennifer Joyce (DK Publishing, $20)

"Small Bites" is a compendium of tapas, sushi, mezze, antipasti and miscellaneous finger foods.

Some recipes are global — from pork satay on lemongrass and garbanzo and pomegranate dip with pita chips; others are as down-home as fried chicken, including sticky chicken wings and chocolate cupcakes with buttercream frosting.

Joyce has included hot, cold, fried, wrapped and skewered goodies in "Small Bites," knowing that readers' preferences encompass all climates, cultures and proclivities.

She has themed party suggestions, such as a Latin fiesta, complete with classic margaritas made with 100 percent agave tequila, soft-shell steak tacos with smoky tomatillo salsa and chocolate crinkle cookies with walnuts. She gives home cooks a party preparation timeline, a menu and home decorating tips.

The tips and suggestions don't stop there. There are also pages of quick-cooking suggestions for assembling last-minute appetizers, salads and vegetables.

Knight Ridder Newspapers

101 diseases you don't want to get

By Michael Powell and Dr. Oliver Fischer (Thunder Mouth's Press, $14.95)

Warning: Don't open this book if you're eating, feeling sick or thinking happy thoughts. "101 Diseases You Don't Want to Get" will destroy any attempts you're making toward wellness.

A slim volume, this is a curiosity along the lines of leeches re-emerging as medical tools.

If you really want to know what leprosy looks like, in living color, or view the tongue of a person infected with scarlet fever, this book is your ticket.

It lists more than 100 of "the most virulent and deadly diseases on the planet," according to the introduction by the authors.

Powell, who lives in England, has written 25 books for children and adults. Rest assured, this is not one recommended for the kiddies.

Along with the scourges of humanity, it also includes more common and less frightening diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome and periodontal disease, but even those aren't likely to help this nonfiction document make it to the top of The New York Times' best-seller list.

Cox News Service

By Gene Wolfe (Tor, $25.95)

The cover art on Gene Wolfe's "Starwater Strains" looked promising: A gorgeous blond dog sits wearing what appear to be night-vision goggles. As further enticement, the attached press release billed the compilation as "mostly science fiction with a bit of fantasy and horror mixed in."

But its 25 short stories, including the 2005 Locus Award-winning best novella, "Golden City Far," offer little of interest to hard-core sci-fi readers. Since most of the stories are fewer than seven pages long, the volume is satisfying as a collection of snippets for light reading before bedtime.

Wolfe, the author of dozens of novels and hundreds of short stories, has received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, the Nebula Award, the British Fantasy Award and France's Prix Apollo for science-fiction novels.

Some gems can be found here. In "Viewpoint," the first and longest of the stories, reality TV has gone mad. In this tale that feels like a nod to master sci-fi story writer Philip K. Dick, Big Brother controls all money in a society that forces people to perform desperate acts of survival in exchange for hard cash while millions of viewers watch.

Pleasantly, the book ends with "Golden City Far," the story of a young man coming of age. In it, a high-school sophomore gradually becomes valiant, strong, wise and undeterred in pursuit of his dreams. It's a toss-up as to whether he's schizophrenic or enlightened. Still, the young man slays monsters and saves his girls, making him one of the most endearing characters in this book.

San Antonio Express-News