New York Review Books
Like Swimmers HC (Release Date: 08/25/2026)
A murder mystery set in pandemic-era Virginia, where a young web designer attempts to uncover who shot and killed her brother—and why the murderer decided to use a silver bullet, from the author of Blurry and Discipline.Like Swimmers opens during the Covid summer of 2020, when Richmond-based web designer Mackenzie wakes up to find her younger brother Howie dead in their apartment. An autopsy reveals a startling cause: Howie was killed by a silver bullet. With no help from a police force overwhelmed by protest and plague, Mackenzie turns sleuth and goes on the hunt for an answer to what she believes is a simple question: who murdered Howie?But what seems straightforward to her isn’t to anyone else. Howie’s deadbeat friends aren’t even sure Howie was murdered: what if he just killed himself? Undeterred, Mackenzie suspects the cryptic Isa, who Howie was running errands for before his death. Was she Howie’s lover? Or just the focus of Howie’s unrelenting obsession? Mackenzie will follow all the threads—from Howie’s time as a courier during the worst of Covid to the sleazy machinations of Isa’s professor husband—all the way to a startling and brutal conclusion. Dash Shaw, fresh off the acclaimed Blurry, delivers a fast-paced mystery in lush painted color that delves into loss, calamity, and whether we ever really know the people we love.
UPC/ISBN: 9798896231059
SKU: PRH-9798896231059
FOC Date: 07/20/2026
Release Date: 08/25/2026
Product Information
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This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- CBCS Comic Grading Scale
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If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
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A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
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For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.
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