Bookreporter.com Bets On...

With thousands of books published each year and much attention paid to the works of bestselling and well-known authors, it is inevitable that some titles worthy of praise and discussion may not get the attention we think they deserve. Thus throughout the year, we will continue this feature that we started in 2009, to spotlight books that immediately struck a chord with us and made us say “just read this.” We will alert our readers about these titles as soon as they’re released so you can discover them for yourselves and recommend them to your family and friends.

Below are all of our selections thus far. For future "Bets On" titles that we will announce shortly after their release dates, please visit this page.

Going There by Katie Couric

December 2021

Years ago, I thought being a host of a morning show would be a great career for me. Then I realized that I would be heading to work around 3:45am to do that job, and since I am not a morning person, I decided that never was going to happen. That said, I have been intrigued by network television, both for what goes into making a broadcast behind the scenes and how it has changed since its early days.

Everything We Didn't Say by Nicole Baart

November 2021

In EVERYTHING WE DIDN’T SAY, Nicole Baart has penned a slow-burn thriller set in a small Iowa town.

Juniper Baker is back. Ostensibly she’s there to help a friend who has taken ill and to work with her at the local library. But coming back for Juniper means she needs to confront just a few things. First, there’s the teenage daughter she left behind --- the one who's been raised by her mother and stepmother. Then there are the neighbors nearby who were brutally murdered around the time she took off. Her younger brother was the lead suspect.

Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty

October 2021

Liane Moriarty returns with APPLES NEVER FALL, which is a family tale. Bring on the Delaneys, who are well-known and loved in their Sydney suburb. For years, Joy and Stan ran a tennis academy that turned out champions, including their own four children. Now they have sold this family business and are trying to kick their lives back a notch, but this is proving to be pretty challenging. They seem to miss the sound of the ball smacking its way onto the court just a bit too much. They miss the energy of competition.

The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell

October 2021

Lisa Jewell has told me that her books always start with some little idea that she expands upon. For THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED, I guessed that it was a sign that read “Dig Here,” but alas I was wrong. She said that the impetus was thinking about a posh boarding school and the people who went there. What would happen to them as they moved together on this campus? And how about layering in a student who does not come from money? What happens then?

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

October 2021

I am a huge fan of Alice Feeney’s writing. She is an author who knows how to write a killer twist, but more importantly, she never makes you feel like you’ve been tricked. Instead, she shows you how you just might have missed what happened with her ever so sleight of hand.

In ROCK PAPER SCISSORS, we have Mr. and Mrs. Wright, which are just perfect wry names for the lead characters. With names like these, truly what could go wrong? They are headed to Scotland, but what is billed as an idyllic getaway immediately feels like anything but. Maybe it’s the fog outside or the storm brewing between them. You see, Adam and Amelia have not been in a good place in their relationship for a while, but they are not admitting that to each other. Sure, they are talking about therapy, but they are more “talking at it” to each other. They are treating this adventure that they have won like a wonderful escape to “bring them closer together.” It’s just what they need! You can hear their enthusiasm, as false as it is.

Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

September 2021

William Kent Krueger’s ORDINARY GRACE and THIS TENDER LAND are such favorite books of mine. They have details that are memorable, which is the sign of a gifted writer. So when I heard that Kent was writing a prequel to his Cork O’Connor series, which is set in Tamarack County, Minnesota, I was intrigued. LIGHTNING STRIKE takes readers back to the youth of a beloved character with a backstory that is pitch perfect. Readers will connect with the Cork they have come to know and love, and embrace the story of his youth.

A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins

September 2021

I tiptoed my way into Paula Hawkins’ new novel, A SLOW FIRE BURNING. I enjoyed THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN but was disappointed in her second book, INTO THE WATER. However, a few chapters in, I felt that Paula once again had hit her stride. The more I read, the more I saw how she had ratcheted up her game.

In Every Mirror She's Black by Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström

September 2021

Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s debut novel, IN EVERY MIRROR SHE'S BLACK, is told through the perspectives of three women. Kemi Adeyemi is a marketing executive living in the United States. She is hired by a major Swedish marketing company to help them with their diversity efforts with respect to branding; they are recovering from a brutal faux pas. Brittany-Rae Johnson is a former model now working as a flight attendant. She is charmed by the owner of the marketing company, Jonny von Lundin, who sweeps her off her feet. The third woman, Muna Saheed, is a refugee who is seeking residency in Sweden. She is working at a cleaning company, and one of their clients is the marketing company.

The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer

August 2021

THE LAST MONA LISA is Jonathan Santlofer’s first novel with a historical setting. It explores the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, giving readers a backstage look at what happened with the painting and the thief behind it all. With forgeries popping up in its wake, the ensuing years became a mystery for the art world. Where is the real painting? And what if the Mona Lisa that ended up in the Louvre has been a replica all along? Luke Perrone, a descendant of the thief, tries to sort out what happened and ends up deep in the underworld of art forgery.

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson

August 2021

DAMNATION SPRING by Ash Davidson is set in 1977 in northern California in a logging town where Rich Gundersen’s family has chopped redwoods for generations. I confess to knowing very little about logging, and the early pages were a bit of an immersive tutorial for me. Yes, we have had trees taken down here at the house, and I know that tree climbing for logging is an art, and dangerous, but here I found myself learning a whole number of new terms while reading more carefully than usual.

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