Books

A dual-timeline mystery moving between a 1936 archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings and the glamour of the 1978 Met Gala. Charlotte Cross, now a Metropolitan Museum curator, is pulled back toward the tragedy and buried secrets she fled decades earlier when a priceless Egyptian artifact vanishes — and a long-dormant curse seems to stir.

Why it’s here: One of its two leads, Charlotte, is a woman in her sixties reckoning with a long-buried past and quietly mentoring a much younger colleague — an older-woman protagonist at the heart of a glossy historical mystery.

Vivienne Underwood disguises herself as a man to fight alongside Henry V and returns from Agincourt a seasoned warrior. Joan of Arc charges her to use her powers for women, not crown or country, sending the vampire swordswoman through centuries of war, witch burnings, and progress for women. A queer historical vampire novel for readers who believe women grow more powerful with age.

Four short stories slip into the gaps of the Menopausal Superheroes series, revealing what came before, after, and alongside the novels. Fuerte confesses his transition, the Lizard Woman hunts a vanished friend, and Flygirl faces a wedding and a daring rescue. Heroism, it turns out, comes at any age or stage of life.