What's new: 'Twilight Zone' meets Broadway in 'Mary & Ethel ... and Mikey Who?'

MARY & ETHEL … AND MIKEY WHO? by Stephen Cole. Mix one part "Twilight Zone," a jigger of "Forrest Gump" and several generous shots of the Great White Way and you've got the formula for Cole's intoxicating novel. Theater nerd Mikey Minkus time travels from the 1980s back to 1939 where he lands in Sophie Tucker's dressing room at the Imperial Theatre. From there, Mikey's path of self-discovery crosses at pivotal moments in the careers of Broadway divas — and Cole's real-life friends — Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, including their first meeting and the 1960 Tony Awards, when Martin won for best actress in "The Sound of Music" over Merman in "Gypsy." (Moreclacke, $34)

BE A SCRIBE! WORKING FOR A BETTER LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT by Michael Hoffen, Christian Casey and Jen Thum. Hoffen, a 16-year-old who divides his time between New York City and the Hamptons, created this fascinating, beautifully illustrated book during the COVID lockdown with Egyptologists Casey and Thum. Cleverly written to educate and entertain both kids and adults, "Be a Scribe!" follows a father and son as they sail the Nile and learn about daily life in ancient Egypt. Along the way, they — and the reader — learn Egyptian, find out about the jobs people had, discover the true meanings behind ancient proverbs and much more. (Callaway, $24.99)

THE HUNTER by Tana French. The rural Irish village of French's "The Searcher" is also the setting for her latest thriller about a retired Chicago police officer, the troubled teenage girl he befriends, her deadbeat father, a get-rich-quick scheme that turns out to be anything but, and, of course, murder. As you'd expect from the reigning queen of Irish crime fiction, she's equally adept at painting deep character portraits as she is at creating plenty of plot twists and turns. (Viking, $32)