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.

Apostle's Cove by William Kent Krueger

October 2025

William Kent Krueger always delivers with his Cork O’Connor series. While I am a huge fan of his stellar stand-alone novels, I am in awe of how he consistently cranks out interesting stories in his series books. He also is brilliant at weaving in enough backstory on characters and prior events to ensure that even a newcomer can stay on top of what’s going on. Things like references to Cork’s first wife are incorporated here (she was active on the case being discussed in this latest installment as she was the attorney on it), but readers also will learn about her death, which happened in an earlier book. The storytelling feels seamless for readers, but you know it takes a deft hand from an author to reveal what you need to know and when you need to know it.

In APOSTLE’S COVE, Cork receives word from his son, Stephen, who is a law student, that decades ago a man most likely was wrongly convicted of a crime. It was a case from early in Cork’s career, and the situation was not black and white to him from the start. Indeed, he had many questions. But when a confession was delivered in earnest by Axel Boshey, a Native American, there was no choice but to accept it. It was troubling, though. So fast forward to now, and Cork is taking a new view on what happened all those years ago.

Days You Were Mine by Clare Leslie Hall

October 2025

There is something lovely about enjoying an author’s latest book and then going back to read his or her previous work. Earlier this year, I read BROKEN COUNTRY by Clare Leslie Hall. I, like many other readers, loved it. I enjoyed the plotting, the storytelling and the characters. There were reveals, questions about what was right --- and wrong --- and great pacing. It’s one of the most talked-about books of the year, and I venture that it will appear on many “Best of 2025” lists.

So it was lovely to see that Clare’s publisher repackaged and released for the first time in the US two of her backlist titles: DAYS YOU WERE MINE (published in late August) and PICTURES OF HIM (published in late September). These books originally released in the UK under the pseudonym Clare Empson, and one can see the emotional writing chops that are at the core of BROKEN COUNTRY. Here I am going to look at DAYS YOU WERE MINE.

All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan

September 2025

Many of you have been to author events and have loved the opportunity to meet with writers and hear them discuss their work --- and, yes, sign books. So what really happens on a book tour? Hank Phillippi Ryan uses this as the foundation for her latest thriller, ALL THIS COULD BE YOURS.

Tessa Calloway is a debut author whose novel, All This Could Be Yours, has garnered lots of attention. She already had a following on social media when she ditched her job a few years ago to take back her “one life.” People understood this, so when her book appeared, readers were ready to buy it and come out to meet her. In the novel, Annabelle Brown, like Tessa, does not take her boss’s offer to have it all. Instead, she grabs life with two hands.

But readers do not know that Annabelle is based on someone from Tessa’s past. As she is on the road, it feels like her past may be catching up with her. Is she just sleep-deprived from her rigorous tour, or is more going on here?

The Lost Baker of Vienna by Sharon Kurtzman

September 2025

I, like many of you, have read my fair share of fiction about World War II. What my historical education lacks is what happened after the war. I am not naïve. I did not think that people left the concentration camps, bought new clothes, and had a few good meals to celebrate their liberation. But I also was not sure how their stories would unfold. THE LOST BAKER OF VIENNA gave me the chance to see how one fictional family navigated the weeks and months after their release.

The book has its history rooted in stories that Sharon Kurtzman’s mother shared with her of how her family survived after the fighting ended. They lived in Vienna, a city that was controlled by four different countries (I did not know this) and where violence still sprang up, food was scarce, and the black market was in full operation.

She Didn't See It Coming by Shari Lapena

August 2025

Bookreporter readers are well aware of how much I love Shari Lapena’s books. She knows how to keep me turning the pages. In fact, I had just a few chapters of SHE DIDN’T SEE IT COMING left to read one morning, so I downloaded the audiobook and finished with a listen on the way to the health club. She is that good; I just did not want to wait to see how the book wrapped up.

Let’s look at the setup. Bryden is working at home in her luxury apartment. She fails to pick up her daughter at daycare, which is most unlike her. Her husband, Sam, arrives home to find her laptop on, her car keys still there, her vehicle still in the underground garage, and her cell phone still in the apartment. It’s as if she vanished.

This Happened to Me: A Reckoning by Kate Price

August 2025

At the beginning of the year, I decided that I wanted to spotlight some titles that I would call “issue books” --- nonfiction that looked at topics that I think are worth exploring. THIS HAPPENED TO ME by Kate Price is one of those books.

At a young age, Kate, who grew up in Appalachia, spent lots of time reading books and finding refuge in the children’s department of her local library. There she could “visit” various places and find adventure and warm family stories, which were very different from what she saw at home. Her father was violent, her mother lived in fear of him, and she frequently was pitted against her older sister in abusive ways.

When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén

August 2025

I am always skeptical when books arrive with tissues and a note that I am going to need them. I wonder when I will have to use them --- the beginning, the middle or the end. Or not at all.

I grabbed WHEN THE CRANES FLY SOUTH by Lisa Ridzén last Sunday and took my usual spot to stand at the side of the pool and read. I know, it’s not your typical way to read a book, but it’s how I’ve been reading these past couple of summers.

Bo is a man who has seen a lot of good years. He’s now living at home with caregivers stopping in around the clock to see to his needs. They write notes about what he has been eating, his mood, and what else they observe as they visit. Bo’s world has become pretty small. His wife is suffering from dementia and is living in a care home. His best friend (being realistic here, the last friend his age who’s alive) lives too far to visit often, though they commiserate on the phone. Bo conjures up memories of their very different worlds, but also the closeness of their lives. When you read it, you will see what I mean.

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger

July 2025

CULPABILITY by Bruce Holsinger is a brilliant look at a family that is involved in an accident in their autonomously driven minivan. The collision kills an elderly couple and sends their car down a cliff. It seems that it’s not just the vehicle that behaved badly here, as each person in the family has his or her own reason for feeling guilty about what happened. Charlie was behind the wheel, and his father, Noah, was writing an email beside him. In the back seat were Noah’s wife, Lorelei, who was working on a project, and their two daughters, Alice and Izzy, who were on their phones.

To recover from the accident, both emotionally and physically, the family rents a home for a week on the Chesapeake Bay. It is right across the bay from a compound-size property (with its own heliport) that is owned by tech pioneer Daniel Monet, who is very passionate about AI. Charlie meets Daniel’s daughter, Eurydice, and they go off on adventures on the water, including one that will put them in jeopardy.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

July 2025

I love how Lisa Scottoline changes things up, especially with her last few books. We went with her to Italy for ETERNAL, the story of three childhood friends who come of age during World War II. LOYALTY brought us through the beginning days of the Mafia. While she kept us stateside with WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS and THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS, she continued to examine justice and family.

Now, in THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA, Julia’s husband tragically dies at the hands of an unknown assailant in Philadelphia while protecting her. She lost her adoptive parents at a young age, and it feels like she is not destined to be forever happy. After her husband’s death, Julia is barely going through the motions of her life when she receives a letter that she has inherited an Italian villa and a vineyard. Cautious but also ready to try something new, she heads to the Italian countryside to learn more about this piece of property. A surprise awaits her there.

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb

June 2025

Wow is the first word that I use to describe this powerful and moving work from Wally Lamb. I finished THE RIVER IS WAITING last Saturday morning and went through most of the rest of the weekend ruminating about it.

I will say that this is not a happy book. In fact, there is a lot of sadness woven between its pages. There are moments when you will want to knock characters’ heads together. There are other times when you will have so much sympathy and know that this novel will have you seeing incarceration up close in a raw way.

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