The Ravine, by Paul Quarrington (Random House, March 11)
In a nutshell: Disgraced, booze fuelled and Twilight Zone obsessed, TV producer Phil McQuigge writes an autobiographical novel, hoping to unravel a traumatic mystery that’s plagued him since childhood. In Quarrington’s words, a comedic version of Mystic River.
Toronto shout out: East-end peeler bar Jilly’s gets name-checked; the novel’s inciting incident takes place in a ravine in Don Mills.
The verdict: “Insider” take on TV industry is predictably jaundiced and the protagonist is not half as funny as his creator thinks.

Girls Fall Down, by Maggie Helwig (Coach House Books, April 19)
In a nutshell: Residents of a jittery post–9/11–SARS–avian flu–Iraq Toronto are collapsing in the street. Panic (and hazmat teams) spread like a pandemic. Meanwhile, a diabetic medical photographer, who’s rapidly growing blind, reconnects with an old flame trying to rescue her schizophrenic brother.
Toronto shout out: Homegrown locations—from Sneaky Dee’s to the Financial District’s Cloud Garden—figure prominently.
The verdict: Periodically melodramatic dialogue aside, it’s smart, suspenseful and compassionate.

Barnacle Love, by Anthony De Sa (Doubleday Canada, March 18)
In a nutshell: A series of linked short stories that follow a 1950s Portuguese immigrant—and later, his inquisitive, artistic son—from St. John’s to the back alleys of Toronto’s Little Portugal. This year’s Bloodletting & Other Miraculous Cures.
Toronto shout out: Morbidly curious about the murder of a boy his age, the 12-year-old narrator rides his bike across the city to the Eaton Centre, the scene of the crime.
The verdict: Well-crafted tales marred by new immigrant fiction clichés. Look for it to do well at awards time.