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Thank You, and Happy 26th Anniversary
to Bookreporter!
First of all, thanks to the dozens and dozens of you who wrote last week about my mom’s passing. I am reading each note and responding. I took a break from answering to write this newsletter. And to those who donated to First Book in her name, thank you; notes will be coming to you as well. (In the last newsletter, I failed to share that her name is Sylvia Cicetti for those who wanted to recognize her with a donation.)
Last week, at my mom’s wake and funeral, I quickly learned how she had spread the word about Bookreporter and this newsletter far and wide. So many people mentioned that they were newsletter subscribers, and they talked about how she had introduced them to it. Mom was so active for her age. I met her knitting and bridge friends, as well as her book group compadres. For the record, the next book that the library book group is reading is THE MAGNIFICENT LIVES OF MARJORIE POST by Allison Pataki. You know I had to ask! I also chatted with her Lunch Bunch friends, a group of women who go out for lunch once a month; she enjoyed their company right up until the month before she passed away. And I caught up with the couple who introduced my parents 70(!) years ago.
While her passing brought with it such sadness, I was overwhelmed by the stories that were shared from people telling me how my mom had been there for them. It was the most common refrain, right behind her strong sense of style. There is no more admirable thing to hear about a person. What a life!
Our Contest Coordinator, Lisa Hickman, reported back about another book event. As she shared, “Around 170 people gathered at the Rehoboth Beach Country Club, sponsored by Browseabout Books, to hear bestselling author Sandra Brown discuss her latest novel, OVERKILL (written during COVID, it is an instant New York Times bestseller). Attendees enjoyed a buffet luncheon while listening to Sandra’s journey to publishing. She sold her first two books in 23 days after being fired from her TV position at Dallas-Fort Worth. Her husband encouraged her to write, and now she has published over 80 novels. Sandra stayed after her talk to greet each attendee, sign books and take photos. She sincerely thanked her readers for the beautiful life she lives and the many places she’s been able to travel. She said she has the best job in the world.” Above you can see Sandra with Lisa and her friend, Virginia, and how the tables were set up for the luncheon.
I enjoy Sandra enormously and wish I could have been at this event. Years ago, Greg had been talking about writing a book set on a cruise ship. He wondered how to build the story. She pointed to him and said with her Texas drawl, “They need to stop in lots of ports. The action happens in the ports.” I loved seeing how she saw the plot evolving, even in a book she was not writing!
Announcing Our Next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group Event
I am thrilled to announce that Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray will be our next “Bookaccino Live” Book Group guests. The event will be held on Thursday, September 29th at 8pm ET, and you can sign up for it here. We will be talking about their novel, THE PERSONAL LIBRARIAN, an instant New York Times bestseller, a “Good Morning America” Book Club pick and a Bookreporter.com Bets On selection. The hardcover released last year, and the paperback came out in June.
There will be a two-part Q&A session after I talk to Marie and Victoria. For the first part, those who are asking a question “on camera” will be featured. This includes spending time with Marie and Victoria backstage in our virtual green room before the show starts. If you would like to ask your question “live on screen” this way, please email it to me using the subject line “Personal Librarian.” For those who are camera shy, there will be a traditional Q&A segment as well. I interviewed Marie and Victoria last July, so I am looking forward to catching up with them and having much more conversation about the book.
FOX CREEK, the 19th installment in William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor mystery series, is the latest title we’re featuring in our New Release Spotlight. The ancient Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux has had a vision of his death. As he walks the Northwoods in solitude, he tries to prepare himself peacefully for the end of his long life. But peace is destined to elude him as hunters fill the woods seeking a woman named Dolores Morriseau, a stranger who had come to the healer for shelter and the gift of his wisdom. Meloux guides this stranger and his great niece, Cork O’Connor’s wife, to safety deep into the Boundary Waters, his home for more than a century. Meanwhile, in Aurora, Cork works feverishly to identify the hunters and the reason for their relentless pursuit, but he has little to go on.
Our reviewer Ray Palen calls it “the most suspenseful and intense book in the series that I have read thus far” and goes on to say, “FOX CREEK is both a mystery novel and a mysterious novel wherein the native Ojibwe lore permeates the story, and readers can almost feel the mysticism dripping off the page. This is a welcome and memorable departure for Cork O’Connor and his little world.”
Word of Mouth Reminder
FOX CREEK continues to be one of our Word of Mouth prizes, along with BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs by Jamie Fiore Higgins, which releases on Tuesday and will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick. Submit your comments about the books you’ve read by Friday, September 9th at noon ET, and you’ll have a chance to win both these titles. We will feature our review of BULLY MARKET in the next newsletter.
Fall Preview Update
We launched our Fall Preview contests this week by giving away FOX CREEK. Our next prize book will be Alice Feeney’s new locked-room mystery, DAISY DARKER, which releases on Tuesday. The contest will go live that day starting at noon ET. I am reading DAISY DARKER now and enjoying it so much!
Ashley Flowers, the host of the #1 true-crime podcast “Crime Junkie,” has penned her first novel, ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE, and it is an instant #1 New York Times bestseller. In it, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor --- and the disappearance of another girl 20 years later.
Rebecca Munro has this to say in her review: “ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE is an urgent and necessary book for thriller lovers, true-crime junkies and anyone who has gossiped about their neighbors (or done something gossip-worthy themselves). In a genre overrun by gratuitous violence against female characters, Flowers has applied everything she has learned from her own investigations to create a thriller that doesn’t shy away from the truth about violent crimes, but doesn’t celebrate or forgive them either.”
ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE surprised a lot of people with its star power this week. In a business where everyone seems to know everything, it’s interesting when a book comes along that has people asking, “Had you heard about this one?”
Karin Slaughter, who has written more than 20 instant New York Times bestselling novels, is back with her latest thriller, GIRL, FORGOTTEN. It marks the return of Andrea Oliver, who readers met in 2018’s PIECES OF HER, which is now a hit Netflix series. This time, the newly minted US Marshal investigates a cold case with links to her father’s past.
Pamela Kramer has our review and says, “While knowledge of the events in PIECES OF HER will help readers understand the backstory and shed light on Andy's somewhat strained relationship with her mother, this well-written, gripping thriller definitely stands alone…. The whole story is a masterpiece of mystery, and Slaughter's skill as a writer has never shone as brightly as it has in this novel. I am crossing my fingers that there will be more of Andy to come.”
HAVEN is a new historical novel from Emma Donoghue, who many of you know as the New York Times bestselling author of ROOM. In seventh-century Ireland, three men vow to leave the world behind them as they set out in a small boat for an island that their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them.
According to our reviewer Norah Piehl, “HAVEN is ostensibly a novel about a religious community, but as the plot unfolds, a more humanistic and less deistic worldview emerges. Artt may be a world-renowned scholar, but his motives are far from pure. Any wisdom and compassion he possesses is dwarfed by the two people he has chosen, for better or for worse, as his disciples.”
Other books we’re reviewing this week include:
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WHAT SHE FOUND: Solving a decades-old disappearance sets Tracy Crosswhite on a dangerous collision course with the past in this latest installment of Robert Dugoni’s series featuring the Seattle homicide detective.
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MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS: Anthony Marra’s second novel, following A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA, is this month’s Barnes & Noble Book Club pick. A brilliant woman must reinvent herself to survive, moving from Mussolini’s Italy to 1940s Los Angeles.
A reminder that on Thursday, September 8th at 7pm ET, Marra will be at Barnes & Noble – Union Square in New York City to discuss the book. Click here to register if you’d like to attend this in-person book club event. If you’d prefer to join virtually, you can purchase tickets here to the livestream.
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BABYSITTER: Joyce Carol Oates’ new novel is about love and deceit, and lust and redemption, set against a backdrop of shocking murders in the affluent suburbs of Detroit.
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RAISING LAZARUS: Beth Macy follows up her New York Times bestsellers DOPESICK and FACTORY MAN with this deeply reported account of everyday heroes fighting on the front lines of the overdose crisis.
I’m Betting You’ll Love…
My latest Bets On pick is FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark. Set across the arc of the 20th century, the novel revolves around a lifelong friendship between two very different women with shared histories and buried secrets, tested in the twilight of their lives. Click here to see why I’m betting you’ll love this book.
Remember to Vote in Our Poll
Our poll continues to ask how long you have been a Bookreporter reader. Click here to let us know. I love seeing these results!
News & Pop Culture
“House of the Dragon” on HBO: Yes, we watched this prequel to “Game of Thrones” other night. Well, at least I was in the room when it was on. Tom was glued to the television. Once again I was lost, and we were only on episode one. I answered a lot of email. Well, he was not alone in being caught up in the dragon drama. The premiere broke all kinds of records. And season two already has been announced!
Honoring my mom took me away from much other watching. I also have been furiously trying to catch up on reading. Reading a chapter a night is just not making the cut! Seriously, I am going crazy reading in bits and bites like this.
We are celebrating the 26th anniversary of Bookreporter tomorrow. It would have been today, but as Bookreporter lore has it, the folks at AOL forgot to throw the switch to turn on the site, which was then known as The Book Report, so we didn't go live until the 27th! I did some quick math, and I think this is something like our 1,274th newsletter. Seriously! As we celebrate, I wanted to share this link that details the history of the web. Yes, there is a lot of “tech talk” on this timeline, but I love that we are older than Google, which did not come on the scene until September 1998!
Next week, we are taking our annual pre-Labor Day break, which gives our amazing Editorial Director, Tom Donadio, and me a chance to not be chasing editorial deadlines. Instead I plan to clock some serious reading time in the Cleopatra tent in the backyard. And to spend time with my dad. I will have a report on what I read when we are back.
To all of you, whether this is the first newsletter that you are reading or your 1,274th, thank you for being one of our readers. We appreciate your being a part of our world, which allows us to do what we enjoy best --- discovering and sharing books and authors!
Read on, and have a great two weeks.
Carol Fitzgerald (Carol@bookreporter.com)
P.S. For those of you who are doing online shopping, if you use the store links below, Bookreporter.com gets a small affiliate fee on your purchases. We would appreciate your considering this!
New Release Spotlight:
FOX CREEK by William Kent Krueger
FOX CREEK by William Kent Krueger (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by David Chandler
The ancient Ojibwe healer Henry Meloux has had a vision of his death. As he walks the Northwoods in solitude, he tries to prepare himself peacefully for the end of his long life. But peace is destined to elude him as hunters fill the woods seeking a woman named Dolores Morriseau, a stranger who had come to the healer for shelter and the gift of his wisdom.
Meloux guides this stranger and his great niece, Cork O’Connor’s wife, to safety deep into the Boundary Waters, his home for more than a century. On the last journey he may ever take into this beloved land, Meloux must do his best to outwit the deadly mercenaries who follow.
Meanwhile, in Aurora, Cork works feverishly to identify the hunters and the reason for their relentless pursuit, but he has little to go on. Desperate, Cork begins tracking the killers, but his own skills as a hunter are severely tested by nightfall and a late season snowstorm. He knows only too well that with each passing hour time is running out. But his fiercest enemy in this deadly game of cat and mouse may well be his own deep self-doubt about his ability to save those he loves.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here to read William Kent Krueger's bio.
- Click here to visit William Kent Krueger's website.
- Connect with William Kent Krueger on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click here to read our review.
Click here to read more in our New Release Spotlight.
Featured Review: ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE
by Ashley Flowers
ALL GOOD PEOPLE HERE by Ashley Flowers (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Pressley and Karissa Vacker
Two decades ago, six-year-old January Jacobs was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Her killer was never brought to justice. Margot Davies, her next-door neighbor, is now a big-city journalist, but she’s always been haunted by the feeling that she could've suffered the same fate as January. When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he's diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and solve January’s murder once and for all. But the police, Natalie’s family and the townspeople all seem to be hiding something. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: GIRL, FORGOTTEN by Karin Slaughter
GIRL, FORGOTTEN by Karin Slaughter (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kathleen Early
Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night should be the highlight of her high school career. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced forever. Forty years later, Emily’s murder remains a mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks; her respected, wealthy family retreated inwards; and the small town moved on from her grisly attack. But that's all about to change. US Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives in Longbill Beach on her first assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. But, in reality, Andrea is there to find justice for Emily. The killer is still out there --- and Andrea must discover the truth before she gets silenced, too. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: HAVEN by Emma Donoghue
HAVEN by Emma Donoghue (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Aidan Kelly
In seventh-century Ireland, a scholar and priest called Artt has a dream telling him to leave the sinful world behind. Taking two monks --- young Trian and old Cormac --- he rows down the river Shannon in search of an isolated spot on which to found a monastery. Drifting out into the Atlantic, the three men find an impossibly steep, bare island inhabited by tens of thousands of birds and claim it for God. In such a place, what will survival mean? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review: WHAT SHE FOUND by Robert Dugoni
WHAT SHE FOUND by Robert Dugoni (Mystery/Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Emily Sutton-Smith
Detective Tracy Crosswhite has agreed to look into the disappearance of investigative reporter Lisa Childress. Solving the cold case is an obsession for Lisa’s daughter, Anita. So is clearing the name of her father, a prime suspect who became a pariah. After 25 years, all Anita wants is the truth --- no matter where it leads. For Tracy, that means reopening the potentially explosive investigations Lisa was following on the dark night she vanished. As all the pieces come together, it becomes clear that Tracy is in the midst of a case that will push her loyalties and her resilience to the limit. What she uncovers will come with a greater price than anyone feared. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
- Click here to read more about the book.
Click here to read our review.
Featured Review:
MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra
August’s Barnes & Noble Book Club Pick
MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS by Anthony Marra (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Carlotta Brentan
Born in Rome, Maria Lagana immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across LA, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past threatens Maria’s carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father’s fate --- and her own. Reviewed by Jane T. Krebs.
» On Thursday, September 8th at 7pm ET, Anthony Marra will be at Barnes & Noble – Union Square in New York City to discuss the book. Click here to sign up to attend in person or here to register for the livestream.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read our review.
Bookreporter.com Bets On:
FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark
FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark (Fiction)
I typically am a very quick reader, but I found myself really slowing down to read FELLOWSHIP POINT by Alice Elliott Dark. Why? The beauty of her writing is as special as the story. And, ah, the story.
We have two very different women. Agnes Lee is an author, now in her 80s, who is best known for her children’s book series about a young girl named Nan. But unbeknownst to anyone, she also is the author of the bestselling Franklin Square novels, and she has one more story there that she would like to tell. Her childhood friend is Polly Wister, a well-off married woman with children. Polly’s life has been devoted to the happiness of her husband, who is demanding of her time and rather egotistical. And her children challenge her world, where she just wants peace and harmony.
- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
Click here to read more of Carol's commentary.
Bookreporter.com's 12th Annual
Fall Preview Contests and Feature
Fall is known as the biggest season of the year for books. The titles that release during this latter part of the year often become holiday gifts, and many are blockbusters. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we are spotlighting a number of outstanding books that we know people will be talking about in the days and weeks to come.
We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days between now and early October, so you will have to check the site each day to see the featured prize book and enter to win. We also are sending a special newsletter to announce the day's title, which you can sign up for here.
Our next prize book will be announced on Tuesday, August 30th at noon ET.
This year's featured titles include:
* Please note that more books will be added to the feature soon.
Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.
What’s New This Month on ReadingGroupGuides.com
BABYSITTER by Joyce Carol Oates (Domestic Thriller)
Audiobook available; read by Cassandra Campbell, Kirby Heyborne and Max Meyers
In the waning days of the turbulent 1970s, in the wake of unsolved child killings that have shocked Detroit, the lives of several residents are drawn together with tragic consequences. There is Hannah, wife of a prominent local businessman, who has begun an affair with a darkly charismatic stranger whose identity remains elusive; Mikey, a canny street hustler who finds himself on a chilling mission to rectify injustice; and the serial killer known as Babysitter, an enigmatic and terrifying figure at the periphery of elite Detroit. As Babysitter continues his rampage of abductions and killings, these individuals intersect with one another in startling and unexpected ways. Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman.
RAISING LAZARUS: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America's Overdose Crisis by Beth Macy (Business & Economics/Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology)
Audiobook available, read by Beth Macy
Nearly a decade into the second wave of America's overdose crisis, pharmaceutical companies have yet to answer for the harms they created. As pending court battles against opioid makers, distributors and retailers drag on, addiction rates have soared to record-breaking levels during the COVID pandemic. Meanwhile, there is scant consensus between law enforcement and medical leaders, nor an understanding of how to truly scale the programs that are out there, working at the ragged edge of capacity and actually saving lives. In RAISING LAZARUS, Beth Macy takes us into the country’s hardest hit places to witness the devastating personal costs that one-third of America's families are now being forced to shoulder. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.
LOVE ON THE BRAIN by Ali Hazelwood (Romantic Comedy)
Audiobook available, read by Brooke Bloomingdale
Bee Königswasser lives by a simple code: What would Marie Curie do? If NASA offered her the lead on a neuroengineering project, Marie would accept without hesitation. But the mother of modern physics never had to co-lead with Levi Ward. Levi made his feelings toward Bee very clear in grad school --- archenemies work best employed in their own galaxies far, far away. Now, her equipment is missing, the staff is ignoring her, and Bee finds her floundering career in somewhat of a pickle. But she could swear she can see Levi softening into an ally and devouring her with those eyes. When it comes time to actually make a move and put her heart on the line, there’s only one question that matters: What will Bee Königswasser do? Reviewed by Norah Piehl.
A PLACE IN THE WORLD: Finding the Meaning of Home by Frances Mayes (Memoir)
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Though Frances Mayes is known for her travels, she has always sought a sense of home wherever she goes. In this poetic testament to the power of place in our lives, Mayes reflects on the idea of home, from the earliest imprint of four walls to the startling discoveries of feeling the strange ease of homes abroad, friends’ homes, and even momentary homes that spark desires for other lives. Her musings are all the more poignant after so many have spent their long pandemic months at home. From her travels across Italy --- Tuscany, of course, but also Venice and Capri --- to the American South, France and Mexico, Mayes examines the connective tissue among them through the homes she’s inhabited. Reviewed by Pauline Finch.
THE DEVIL TAKES YOU HOME by Gabino Iglesias (Noir Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Jean-Marc Berne
Buried in debt due to his young daughter’s illness and his marriage on the brink, Mario reluctantly takes a job as a hitman, surprising himself with his proclivity for violence. After tragedy destroys the life he knew, he agrees to one final job: hijack a cartel’s cash shipment before it reaches Mexico. Along with an old friend and a cartel-insider named Juanca, Mario sets off on the near-suicidal mission, which will leave him with either a cool $200,000 or a bullet in the skull. But the path to reward or ruin is never as straight as it seems. As the three complicated men travel through the endless landscape of Texas, across the border and back, their hidden motivations are laid bare alongside nightmarish encounters that defy explanation. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.
SAVING FREUD: The Rescuers Who Brought Him to Freedom by Andrew Nagorski (Biography)
Audiobook available, read by Michael David Axtell
In March 1938, German soldiers crossed the border into Austria, and Hitler absorbed the country into the Third Reich. Anticipating these events, many Jews had fled Austria, but the most famous Austrian Jew remained in Vienna, where he had lived since early childhood. Sigmund Freud was 81 years old, ill with cancer, and still unconvinced that his life was in danger. But several prominent people close to Freud thought otherwise, and they began a coordinated effort to persuade Freud to leave his beloved Vienna and emigrate to England. The group included a Welsh physician, Napoleon’s great-grandniece, an American ambassador, Freud’s devoted youngest daughter, Anna, and his personal doctor. Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott.
DARK MUSIC written by David Lagercrantz, translated by Ian Giles (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Ian Giles and Simon Vance
Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques, capable of dizzying feats of logic and observation. But he also has a fragile psyche that falls apart under pressure. Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer, the daughter of Chilean political refugees, who grew up in the projects on the outskirts of Stockholm and has two brothers on the wrong side of the law. She is tenacious and uncompromising, and desperate to prove herself to her fellow cops. Micaela needs Hans’ unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum seeker from Afghanistan. Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself. Together, they need to find the killer before they’re both silenced for good. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
TRAITOR'S DANCE: A Sam Capra Novel by Jeff Abbott (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Kevin T. Collins
Sam Capra is working for America's most secret espionage agency, known as Section K, when he is informed that Markus Bolt is missing. Bolt is the last American traitor, who had turned over allied agent names and military secrets to the Russians. He fled to Moscow when he was discovered, but now a trusted source inside Russia tells Section K that Markus Bolt has vanished from Moscow --- and the Americans need to find him before the Russians do. Sam is charged with making contact with Bolt's abandoned American daughter, Amanda, and determining if she's had any contact with her father. He must discover the reason behind Bolt's unexpected run and protect Amanda from the killers hunting her father. Reviewed by Ray Palen.
AMY & LAN by Sadie Jones (Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Jaye Jacobs and Joe Jameson
Amy Connell and Lan Honey are having the best childhood ever. They live on a 78-acre farm in the South West of England, with sisters and brothers, other kids, chickens, goats, three dogs and even a calf, called Gabriella Christmas. “Honeys in the Farmhouse, Connells in the Cowhouse, Hodges in the Carthouse…” The three sets of parents are best friends who came to Frith from the city, and are learning, year after year, how to farm the land. Free and unsupervised, Amy and Lan play with axes and climb on haystacks, but there is grownup danger at Frith they don't see. It's Gail, Lan's mother, and Adam, Amy's father, who should be more careful. They should learn what kids know: never to play with fire. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.
Noteworthy Books Releasing on
August 30th and September 6th
Below are some notable titles releasing on August 30th and September 6th that we would like to make you aware of. We will have more on many of these books in the weeks to come. For a list of additional hardcovers and paperbacks available the weeks of August 29th and September 5th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.
August 30th
BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs by Jamie Fiore Higgins (Business & Economics/Memoir)
BULLY MARKET is a rare, riveting insider’s account on Wall Street --- an updated LIAR'S POKER --- where greed coupled with misogyny and discrimination enforces a culture of exclusion in the upper echelons of Goldman Sachs.
CARRIE SOTO IS BACK by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Fiction)
In this powerful novel about the cost of greatness from the New York Times bestselling author of MALIBU RISING, a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime.
DAISY DARKER by Alice Feeney (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
The New York Times bestselling author of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller.
THE INK BLACK HEART: A Cormoran Strike Novel by Robert Galbraith (Mystery)
The latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.
THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK by Ellen Marie Wiseman (Historical Fiction)
Girl, Interrupted meets "American Horror Story" in 1970s Staten Island, as New York Times bestselling author Ellen Marie Wiseman blends fact, fiction and urban legend for a haunting story about a young woman mistakenly imprisoned at Willowbrook State School, the real-life institution later shuttered for its heartbreaking abuses.
OTHER BIRDS by Sarah Addison Allen (Fiction/Magical Realism)
From the acclaimed author of GARDEN SPELLS comes an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home.
September 6th
BACK TO THE GARDEN by Laurie R. King (Mystery)
A 50-year-old cold case involving California royalty comes back to life --- with potentially fatal consequences --- in this gripping stand-alone novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series.
THE BAD ANGEL BROTHERS by Paul Theroux (Fiction/Dark Humor)
From the legendary American master Paul Theroux comes a brilliant new novel of chilling psychological depth, the tale of a younger brother whose lifelong rivalry with his older brother --- a powerful lawyer with a pattern of gleefully vicious betrayals --- culminates in the ultimate plan: murder.
CAPTIVE: An Eve Duncan Novel by Iris Johansen (Thriller)
Eve Duncan’s daughter, Jane MacGuire, seems to have found a perfect life with Seth Caleb --- until a ruthless madman threatens to destroy it all in this gripping suspense novel from #1 bestselling author Iris Johansen.
CLIVE CUSSLER'S HELLBURNER: A Novel of the Oregon Files by Mike Maden (Thriller/Adventure)
Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon must track down a nuclear torpedo before it unleashes World War III in this electrifying new installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series.
THE DECEPTIONS by Jill Bialosky (Fiction)
THE DECEPTIONS is a page-turning and seductively told exploration of female sexuality and ambition, as well as a human drama that dares to test the stories we tell ourselves. It is also a brilliant investigation of a life caught between the dueling magnetic poles of privacy and its appropriation in art and literature.
DESPERATION IN DEATH by J. D. Robb (Mystery/Thriller)
#1 New York Times bestselling author J. D. Robb presents a gripping new thriller that pits homicide detective Eve Dallas against a conspiracy of exploitation and evil.
FAIRY TALE by Stephen King (Supernatural Thriller/Dark Fantasy)
Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a 17-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher --- for that world or ours.
THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA by Karen Robards (Historical Fiction)
Inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece Guernica, New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards returns with a riveting story of intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war.
HAS ANYONE SEEN MY TOES? by Christopher Buckley (Fiction/Humor)
From the bestselling author of THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and MAKE RUSSIA GREAT AGAIN comes a comic tour de force, the story of one man’s spiraling journey through lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
HELL AND BACK: A Longmire Mystery by Craig Johnson (Mystery)
In HELL AND BACK, the 18th installment of the Longmire series, author Craig Johnson takes the beloved sheriff to the very limits of his sanity to do battle with the most dangerous advisory he’s ever faced --- himself.
KILLERS OF A CERTAIN AGE by Deanna Raybourn (Thriller)
They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're 60 years old, four female friends can’t just retire. It’s kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.
THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT by Maggie O'Farrell (Historical Fiction)
The author of HAMNET brings the world of Renaissance Italy to jewel-bright life in this unforgettable portrait of the captivating young duchess Lucrezia de' Medici as she makes her way in a troubled court.
ON THE ROOFTOP by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (Historical Fiction)
Set against the backdrop of gentrifying 1950s San Francisco, this stunning novel is about a mother whose dream of musical stardom for her three daughters collides with the daughters’ ambitions for their own lives.
ONE HUNDRED SATURDAYS: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World by Michael Frank, with artwork by Maira Kalman (Biography)
This is the remarkable story of 99-year-old Stella Levi, whose conversations with the writer Michael Frank over the course of six years bring to life the vibrant world of Jewish Rhodes, the deportation to Auschwitz that extinguished 90 percent of her community, and the resilience and wisdom of the woman who lived to tell the tale.
THE RED WIDOW: The Scandal that Shook Paris and the Woman Behind It All by Sarah Horowitz (True Crime/History)
An unforgettable true account of sex, scandal and murder, THE RED WIDOW is the story of a woman determined to rise --- at any cost.
ROBERT B. PARKER'S FALLOUT: A Jesse Stone Novel by Mike Lupica (Mystery)
When two seemingly unconnected mysterious deaths occur on his watch, police chief Jesse Stone must pull out all the stops to unravel the truth and stop a killer from striking again.
A SONG OF COMFORTABLE CHAIRS: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (23) by Alexander McCall Smith (Mystery)
In this latest installment in the beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Grace Makutsi encounters a pair of quandaries that will require all of her and Mma Ramotswe’s cleverness and generosity to resolve.
THE WAYS WE HIDE by Kristina McMorris (Historical Fiction)
From the New York Times bestselling author of SOLD ON A MONDAY comes a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.
Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.
From left to right: Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristina McMorris, Scott Shepherd
Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events
As many book and author events are still happening online these days, we are highlighting a number of them that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links below for more info and to register.
Saturday, August 27th at 12:30pm ET: Warwick's: Warwick's, in partnership with Rakestraw Books, will host Frances Mayes as she discusses her new book, A PLACE IN THE WORLD: Finding the Meaning of Home, with Kim Sunée.
Monday, August 29th at 7pm ET: Murder By The Book: Karin Slaughter will talk about her new novel, GIRL, FORGOTTEN, with Mystery & Thriller Maven’s Sara DiVello. Newly minted US Marshal Andrea Oliver investigates a cold case with links to her father’s past.
Monday, August 29th at 8pm ET: Random House Studio Sessions: Random House Studio Sessions is Random House's new event series featuring live conversations with the biggest names on your bookshelf, filmed in their studio and broadcast virtually to wherever you are. The series launches with Taylor Jenkins Reid, who will talk about her latest novel, CARRIE SOTO IS BACK. Moderating the conversation will be Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of THE OTHER BLACK GIRL.
Wednesday, August 31st at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors --- Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Patti Callahan Henry --- will talk to Team W (Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White), along with Miriam Parker, whose second novel, ROOM AND BOARD, is now in stores.
Thursday, September 1st at 9pm ET: Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore: Mysterious Galaxy will present a virtual event featuring Scott Shepherd and Brian Freeman. They will talk about their latest thrillers: Shepherd's SHOULD I FALL and Freeman's ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE SACRIFICE.
Tuesday, September 6th at 7pm ET: Sourcebooks: The Sourcebooks Booklight Events series presents Kristina McMorris (THE WAYS WE HIDE), Jennifer Coburn (CRADLES OF THE REICH) and Eden Robins (WHEN FRANNY STANDS UP) as they talk about their newest releases with Mary O’Malley, a bookseller at Skylark Bookshop.
Wednesday, September 7th at 7pm ET: "Friends and Fiction": The "Friends and Fiction" authors will talk to Kristina McMorris about her latest historical novel, THE WAYS WE HIDE, a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.
Wednesday, September 7th at 7pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Mike Lupica will discuss his new mystery, ROBERT B. PARKER'S FALLOUT, in which police chief Jesse Stone must pull out all the stops to unravel the truth about two seemingly unconnected mysterious deaths and stop a killer from striking again.
Thursday, September 8th at 7pm ET: Barnes & Noble Book Club: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome Anthony Marra for a live book club event to discuss MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS, August's B&N Book Club pick. He will be in conversation with Shannon DeVito, the Director of Category Management at B&N, and Miwa Messer, B&N’s Editorial Director.
Thursday, September 8th at 8pm ET: Prairie Lights: Join Prairie Lights for a reading and conversation with Belinda Huijuan Tang in celebration of the release of her debut novel, A MAP FOR THE MISSING. She will be joined in conversation by Sanjena Sathian, author of the critically acclaimed novel, GOLD DIGGERS.
"Bookreporter Talks To" Videos & Podcasts
“Bookreporter Talks To” is a video and podcast series that delivers a long-form, in-depth author interview every week. For years, Carol has moderated book festivals and author events around the country. But we know that readers often do not live where they can attend an author event. Our goal is to bring these author interviews to readers, wherever they may be. Watch on video, or listen as a podcast. (The podcasts include audio excerpts.)
Here are our latest interviews:
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Bonnie Garmus (LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY) Video | Podcast
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Casey Sherman (HELLTOWN: The Untold Story of a Serial Killer on Cape Cod)
Video | Podcast
Other authors we've interviewed include:
Upcoming interviews include:
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Scott Shepherd (SHOULD I FALL)
Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.
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Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!
Tell us about the books you’ve finished reading with your comments and a rating of 1 to 5 stars. During the contest period from August 19th to September 9th at noon ET, three lucky readers each will be randomly chosen to win a copy of BULLY MARKET: My Story of Money and Misogyny at Goldman Sachs by Jamie Fiore Higgins and FOX CREEK by William Kent Krueger.
To make sure other readers will be able to find the books you write about, please include the full title and correct author names (your entry must include these to be eligible to win). For rules and guidelines, click here.
- To see reader comments from previous contest periods, click here.
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