Paperbacks new and noteworthy

Force of Nature, by Jane Harper. (Flatiron, $16.99.) In this thriller from the hugely popular Australian crime novelist, five colleagues set out for a hike in the bush, but only four return. Aaron Falk, a federal agent, investigates the missing hiker — a woman who was widely disliked and secretly looking into her firm’s dodgy finances. He turns up a web of betrayals and secrets, and acts as the book’s moral compass.

Feel Free: Essays, by Zadie Smith. (Penguin, $18.)

A joyful current guides these selections, which touch on everything from a philosophical consideration of Justin Bieber’s appeal to the thrill of public parks in Italy. As Times reviewer Amanda Fortini put it,“It is exquisitely pleasurable to observe Smith thinking on the page, not least because we have no idea where she’s headed.”

Anatomy of a Miracle, by Jonathan Miles. (Hogarth, $16.) When an Army veteran who has been paralyzed from the waist down suddenly can walk again, his recovery raises a number of questions: Was it divine intervention? A medical breakthrough? And, above all, why him? Miles’ novel mimics a New Journalism narrative style, and Times reviewer Christopher R. Beha called the book“a highly entertaining literary performance.” Daughters of the Winter

Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of

Scots, by Nancy Goldstone. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $18.99.) Goldstone is known for her histories of royals, and this one charts the stormy life of Elizabeth Stuart. The daughter of Charles I and known as“the most charming princess of Europe,”she schemed for her children in 17th-century England. The book doubles as a useful introduction to a time when Britain’s relations with Europe were strained.

The Essex Serpent, by Sarah Perry. (Custom House/ William Morrow, $16.99.) In this romance-meets-ghoststory, it’s 1893, and Cora, recently widowed, heads to the coast of England with her son. There, she finds a town racked with worry that a fearsome monster has returned. As Cora investigates the phenomenon, she is drawn to a local pastor, and their dialogues about faith and science help create a richly satisfying relationship.

The Line Becomes a River, by Francisco Cantú. (Riverhead, $17.) To better understand immigration in the United States, Cantú joined the Border Patrol. He writes of his time with the agency, where he witnessed casual cruelty toward migrants. A later section, which tells the story of a friend who was deported, makes a meaningful contribution to literature of the border.