This Week in Calendar

Reed Johnson reviews “First Stop in the New World: Mexico City, the Capital of the 21st Century” by David Lida.

Jabari Asim reviews “Palace Council,” a novel by Stephen L. Carter.

Tim Rutten reviews “The Legal Limit,” a novel by Martin Clark.

Steve Ryfle reviews “In Search of the Black Fantastic: Politics and Popular Culture in the Post-Civil Rights Era” by Richard Iton.

Samantha Dunn reviews “Quick, Before the Music Stops: How Ballroom Dancing Saved My Life” by Janet Carlson.

Nicholas Basbanes reviews “Swan Peak: A Dave Robicheaux Novel” by James Lee Burke.

On the Web

Is the serial novel making a comeback? It’s too soon to tell, says Sarah Weinman in Dark Passages, though such writers as Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin and Denis Johnson have embraced the format. So has Benjamin Black (John Banville), whose “The Lemur” is a gripping story demonstrating the author’s ease and “familiarity with genre tropes.”

Lists and readings: Look for expanded bestsellers and our calendar of literary events.

Also, please visit Jacket Copy, our books blog, at latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy.