If you’re the kind of person who gets a little antsy at the sight of blood, then Roger Smith’s gritty Mixed Blood (320 pages, Henry Holt, $25) isn’t for you. Smith sets his tale in South Africa, and the pages are haunted by the violence and hatred of the country’s history. Jack Burn runs with his family to Cape Town after being reluctantly involved in a bank robbery gone bad. Jack escaped with millions and took his wife and son with him to South Africa. But Jack soon finds that his family is anything but safe. When two junkies break into their home, Jack’s swift action draws attention from the local police inspector, Rudi Barnard. Soon, Jack is battling for his life, as well as that of his family, as a cast of characters seek to destroy everything he loves.

THRILLERS Look out, Hannibal Lecter—there’s a new psycho in town. And she’s a total babe. Chelsea Cain’s Sweetheart (328 pages, St. Martin’s Minotaur, $24.95) is the follow-up to her 2007 thriller that introduced psychopath Gretchen Lowell. But in some ways, paying a visit to an old friend is nicer than the initial introduction.