“Child 44” by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing): A search for a serial killer in

“Child 44” by Tom Rob Smith (Grand Central Publishing): A search for a serial killer in Stalinist Russia is one of the most remarkable debuts, at once gritty, chilling, depressing, hopeful and fascinating.

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson (Knopf): A disgraced Swedish magazine journalist and a tattooed computer hacker investigate a prominent family.

“A Cure for Night” by Justin Peacock (Doubleday): Legal ethics bump up against racism and a drug culture that thrives on middle-class users and astute dealers.

“City of the Sun” by David Levien (Doubleday): A Midwestern teenager’s disappearance becomes a mission for a grieving detective.