July 21, 2023

July 21, 2023

Summertime: Time for Floating and Reading

This is the time of year when the flowers in the yard are really spectacular. The giant hibiscus flowers in the first picture above are among my favorites. For a really long time, the second garden was peonies and irises. Both bloom by late spring, and after that this garden always looked terrible. For a few years, we had lots of rudbeckia, but so many of those plants died off. So we --- okay, let’s get real, it was my husband, not me --- pulled out all the iris bulbs and then planted all the perennials that I brought home around the few remaining rudbeckia and a peony plant that we got from his mom. The original peonies are off to the left in the second picture above. Just looking at it makes me happy!

Featured Review:
CROOK MANIFESTO by Colson Whitehead

CROOK MANIFESTO by Colson Whitehead (Historical Fiction)
Audiobook available, read by Dion Graham
1971. Ray Carney’s days moving stolen goods are over. It’s strictly the straight-and-narrow for him --- until he needs Jackson 5 tickets for his daughter and decides to hit up his old police contact Munson. But Munson has his own favors to ask of Carney. 1973. Pepper is Carney’s endearingly violent partner in crime who takes on a side gig doing security on a Blaxploitation shoot in Harlem. He finds himself in a freaky world of Hollywood stars, up-and-coming comedians, celebrity drug dealers, hustlers, mobsters and hit men. 1976. Carney's wife, Elizabeth, is campaigning for her childhood friend, the former assistant D.A. and rising politician Alexander Oakes. When a fire severely injures one of Carney’s tenants, he enlists Pepper to look into who may be behind it. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here for the discussion guide.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE COLLECTOR by Daniel Silva

THE COLLECTOR by Daniel Silva (Thriller/Adventure)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
Legendary art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon joins forces with a brilliant and beautiful master-thief to track down the world’s most valuable missing painting. But soon he finds himself in a desperate race to prevent an unthinkable conflict between Russia and the West. Reviewed by Kate Ayers.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day
An Upcoming Bookreporter.com Bets On Title

THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day (Domestic Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson
The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other. On the night of the annual summer block party, there has been a murder. But who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold --- discovering that the real danger lies within their own block. Nothing, and no one, is ever as it seems. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

- 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.

THE BLOCK PARTY will be a Bookreporter.com Bets On pick.
Don't miss Carol's commentary in the coming weeks.

Bookreporter.com Bets On:
LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur,
THE BETTER HALF by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans,
and HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler

LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur (Fiction)
I heard Adrienne Brodeur talk about LITTLE MONSTERS at a pre-publication event, and I knew from her presentation that I wanted to read it. It’s set in the summer of 2016 on Cape Cod, an area that she knows and loves. This place is as much a character in the book as the Gardner family whom we meet. The setting alone makes it work as a summer read.

Adam Gardner is reluctantly retiring at the age of 70, even though he still wants to make one more discovery with the whales he loves. His son, Ken, is angling his chances to run for a congressional seat. He has enlisted his wife, Jenny, in this quest. She is the perfect spouse of a candidate, but is this who she wants to be? And oh, she has a wee bit of a drinking problem. Ken’s sister, Abby, is an artist who is very much coming into her own. Her brother has more control over her life than she would like. She’s also best friends with Jenny, which means they know a lot about each other’s lives before and after Jenny married Ken --- and there is a lot to stay buried there, too.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here to read an excerpt.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to watch Carol's "Bookreporter Talks To" interview with Adrienne Brodeur.
- Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on LITTLE MONSTERS.

THE BETTER HALF by Alli Frank and Asha Youmans (Romantic Comedy)
Once again, Alli Frank and Asha Youmans hit it out of the park with their third novel together, THE BETTER HALF, which has both heart and soul. At 43, Nina Morgan Clarke has arrived. She is the first Black headmaster of the very tony Royal-Hawkins School, which is mostly populated by students of wealthy white parents. She has a tolerable relationship with her ex-husband, and her daughter is on the east coast at a private school. Before she embarks on this new role, she goes on vacation with her best and longtime friend, Marisol. On that trip, she meets a man to whom she has an instant attraction and comes home with a challenge that will complicate her life.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on THE BETTER HALF.
 

HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler (Psychological/Legal Thriller)
In HER, TOO, just as she did in THE CAGE, Bonnie Kistler puts the action right up front. Kelly McCann is a fighter. She defends men who are accused of sex crimes, and she has a winning record. While it feels like she is a traitor to women, this role has made her very successful. She commands a large salary. She has a lot at home to protect, so she needs the money. But then, on the night of one of her biggest victories, she is sexually assaulted. From there, the tables are turned. The way that she was so proactive about her defense is how she is when she joins with other victims to get revenge.

- Click here to read more about the book.
- Click here to read our review.
- Click here for the discussion guide.
- Click here to visit Bonnie Kistler's website.

Click here to read more of Carol's commentary on HER, TOO.

Featured Review: CUTTING TEETH by Chandler Baker

CUTTING TEETH by Chandler Baker (Domestic Thriller/Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by January LaVoy
Darby, Mary Beth and Rhea are on personal quests to reclaim aspects of their identities subsumed by motherhood --- their careers, their sex lives, their bodies. Their children, though, disrupt their plans when an unsettling medical condition begins to go around the Little Academy preschool: the kids are craving blood. Then a young teacher is found dead, and the only potential witnesses are 10 adorable four-year-olds. Soon it becomes clear that the children are not just witnesses, but also suspects...and so are their mothers. As the police begin to look more closely, the children’s ability to bleed their parents dry becomes deadly serious. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

- 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.

Featured Review: AFTER DEATH by Dean Koontz

AFTER DEATH by Dean Koontz (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Edoardo Ballerini
Michael Mace, head of security at a top-secret research facility, opens his eyes in a makeshift morgue 24 hours following an event in which everyone perished --- including him and his best friend, Shelby Shrewsberry. Having awakened with an extraordinary ability unlike anything he --- or anyone else --- has ever imagined, Michael is capable of being as elusive as a ghost. He sets out to honor his late friend by helping Nina Dozier and her son, John, whom Shelby greatly admired. Although what Michael does for Nina is life-changing, his actions also evoke the wrath of John’s father, a member of one of the most violent street gangs in Los Angeles. But an even greater threat is descending: the Internal Security Agency’s most vicious assassin, Durand Calaphas. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- Click here to read more about the book.

Click here to read our review.

Featured Review: A TWISTED LOVE STORY
by Samantha Downing

A TWISTED LOVE STORY by Samantha Downing (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Karissa Vacker
Wes and Ivy are madly in love. It's the type of romance people write stories about. But what kind of story? When it's good, it's great. Flowers. Grand gestures. Deep meaningful conversations where the whole world disappears. When it's bad, it's really bad. Vengeful fights. Damaged property. Arrest warrants. But their vicious cycle of catastrophic breakups and head-over-heels reconciliations needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy --- and she's a detective. There's something Wes and Ivy never talk about. The night of their worst breakup, when one of them took things too far, and someone ended up dead. If they can stick together, they can survive anything --- even the tightening net of a police investigation. Because one more breakup just might be their last. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

- 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's 19th Annual
Summer Reading Contests and Feature

Summer is here! At Bookreporter.com, this means it's time for us to share some great summer book picks with our Summer Reading Contests and Feature. We are hosting a series of 24-hour contests for these titles on select days throughout the summer, 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 final prize book will be announced on Tuesday, July 25th at noon ET.

This year’s featured titles are:

• BANYAN MOON by Thao Thai
• THE BLOCK PARTY by Jamie Day
• CUTTING TEETH by Chandler Baker
• FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN by Viola Shipman
• THE FAVOR by Adele Griffin
• THE GIRLS OF SUMMER by Katie Bishop
• HER, TOO by Bonnie Kistler
• HOMECOMING by Kate Morton
• THE HOMEWRECKERS by Mary Kay Andrews
• THE HOUSE ON PRYTANIA: A Royal Street Novel by Karen White
• LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN by Lisa See
• THE LIE MAKER by Linwood Barclay
• MUSTIQUE ISLAND by Sarah McCoy
• PIECES OF BLUE by Holly Goldberg Sloan
• PROM MOM by Laura Lippman
• THE QUANTUM SOLUTION: An Evan Ryder Novel by Eric Van Lustbader
• WHAT REMAINS by Wendy Walker
• WINDFALL by Wendy Corsi Staub

Click here to read all the contest details
and learn more about our featured titles.

More Reviews This Week

FLOP DEAD GORGEOUS: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt (Mystery)
Audiobook available, read by Grover Gardner
Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter remembers every dog that’s come through the Tara Foundation’s doors, but the most well-known alum of the dog rescue organization that Andy founded in Paterson, New Jersey, may be Mamie. Adopted by famous actress Jenny Nichols, Andy’s high school girlfriend, the miniature French poodle is now practically a starlet in her own right. Andy doesn’t hold it against his friend. In fact, he and his wife, Laurie, have dinner with Jenny while she’s in town filming her next big hit. But after an eventful meal, there’s a plot twist the next morning that none of them see coming: Jenny’s costar is found dead. It’s not long before Jenny is arrested for the murder and finds herself in need of Andy’s legal services. Reviewed by Jack Kramer.

ALL-NIGHT PHARMACY by Ruth Madievsky (Fiction)
On the night of her high school graduation, a young woman follows her older sister, Debbie, to a bar. After the two share a bag of unidentified pills, the evening turns into a haze of sensual and risky interactions. Our unnamed narrator has always been under Debbie’s spell. Despite her own hesitations, she has always said yes to nights like these. That is, until Debbie disappears. Falling deeper into the life she cultivated with her sister, our narrator gets a job as an emergency room secretary where she steals pills to sell on the side. Cue Sasha, a Jewish refugee from the former Soviet Union who claims to be a psychic tasked with acting as the narrator’s spiritual guide. The nature of this relationship evolves and blurs, a kaleidoscope of friendship, sex, mysticism and ambiguous power dynamics. Reviewed by Norah Piehl.

AFTER THE FUNERAL AND OTHER STORIES by Tessa Hadley (Fiction/Short Stories)
In each of these 12 stories, small events have huge consequences. Heloise’s father died in a car crash when she was a little girl; at a dinner party in her 40s, she meets someone connected to that long-ago tragedy. Two estranged sisters cross paths at a posh hotel and pretend not to recognize each other. Janie’s bohemian mother plans to marry a man close to Janie’s own age, but everything changes when an accident interrupts the wedding party. A daughter caring for her elderly mother during the pandemic becomes obsessed with the woman next door; in the wake of his best friend’s death, a man must reassess his affair with the friend’s wife. Cecilia, a teenager, wakes one morning in Florence on vacation with her parents and sees them for the first time through disenchanted eyes. Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg.

THE ST. AMBROSE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS by Jessica Ward (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gail Shalan
When Sarah Taylor arrives at the exclusive St. Ambrose School, she’s carrying more baggage than just what fits in her suitcase. St. Ambrose’s queen bee, Greta Stanhope, picks Sarah as a target from day one. Thankfully, Sarah makes an ally out of her roommate, Ellen “Strots” Strotsberry, a cigarette-huffing, devil-may-care athlete. Also down the hall is Nick Hollis, the devastatingly handsome RA, and the object of more than one St. Ambrose student’s fantasies. Between Strots and Nick, Sarah hopes she can make it through the semester, dealing with not only her schoolwork and a recent bipolar diagnosis, but Greta’s increasingly malicious pranks. But when scandal unfolds, and someone ends up dead, her world threatens to unravel in ways she never could have imagined. Reviewed by Rebecca Munro.

CIRCLE OF DEATH: The Shadow Thriller by James Patterson and Brian Sitts (Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Nate Washburn and Maya Tuttle
Doomsday is coming as an evil mastermind plots to destroy all of humankind. Not even The Shadow knows the enemy’s true identity. But the clock is ticking with people all over the world dropping dead each and every day. As The Shadow gathers a small band of allies, he knows this is one fight he cannot lose. Because anything else means the end of all life. Reviewed by Ray Palen.

THE STOLEN COAST by Dwyer Murphy (Noir Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Robert Petkoff
Jack might be a polished, Harvard-educated lawyer on paper, but everyone in the down-at-the-heels, if picturesque, village of Onset, Massachusetts, knows his real job: moving people on the run from powerful enemies. The family business --- co-managed with his father, a retired spy --- is smooth sailing, as they fill up Onset’s holiday homes during the town’s long, drowsy off-season and help clients shed their identities in preparation for fresh starts. But when Elena, Jack’s former flame --- a dedicated hustler who's no stranger to the fugitive life --- makes an unexpected return to town, her arrival upends Jack’s routine existence. It isn’t long before Jack finds himself enmeshed in her latest project: intercepting millions of dollars’ worth of raw diamonds before they’re shipped overseas. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

THE TAO OF THE BACKUP CATCHER: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game by Tim Brown, with Erik Kratz (Sports)
Audiobook available, read by Justin Price
In baseball, there are superstars, stars and everyday players...and then there are the rest. Within the rest are role players, specialists and journeymen...and then there are the backup catchers. THE TAO OF THE BACKUP CATCHER is about them, the backup catchers, who exist near the bottom of the roster, the end of the bench, and between the numbers in a sport --- and a society --- increasingly driven by cold, hard analytics. It is a story of grown men who once dreamed of stardom and generational wealth. Instead, they were handed a broom and a deeper understanding of who wins and why, who stands tall and who folds, and who will invest their own lives in catching bullpens and the back ends of doubleheaders. Reviewed by Ron Kaplan (www.RonKaplansBaseballBookshelf.com).

THE MILITIA HOUSE by John Milas (Gothic Horror)
Audiobook available, read by Davis Brooks
It’s 2010, and the recently promoted Corporal Loyette and his unit are finishing up their deployment at a new base in Kajaki, Afghanistan. Their duties here are straightforward --- loading and unloading cargo into and out of helicopters --- and their days are a mix of boredom and dread. The Brits they’re replacing delight in telling them the history of the old barracks just off base, a Soviet-era militia house they claim is haunted, and Loyette and his men don’t need much convincing to make a clandestine trip outside the wire to explore it. It’s a short, middle-of-the-day adventure, but the men experience a mounting agitation after their visit to the militia house. In the days that follow, they try to forget about the strange, unsettling sights and sounds from the house, but things are increasingly…not right. Reviewed by Megan Elliott.

THICKER THAN WATER by Megan Collins (Psychological Thriller)
Audiobook available, read by Gail Shalan and Emily Tremaine
Julia and Sienna Larkin are sisters-in-law, connected by Julia’s husband and Sienna’s brother, Jason. More than that, the two are devoted best friends and business partners. Recently, Jason has been putting in long hours to secure a promotion at work, so when his boss is found brutally murdered --- his lips sewn shut --- the Larkins are shocked and unsettled, especially as local gossip swirls. A few days later, Julia and Sienna’s lives are upended when Jason gets into a car accident and is placed in a medically induced coma. Worse, the police arrive with news that he’s the prime suspect in the murder investigation. With Jason unable to respond --- and with Julia and Sienna working to clear his name --- the two women find their friendship threatened for the first time. Reviewed by Pamela Kramer.

Next Week's Notables:
Noteworthy Books Releasing on July 25th

Below are some notable titles releasing on July 25th 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 week of July 24th, see our “On Sale This Week” newsletter here.

ALL IS NOT FORGIVEN by Joe Kenda (Mystery)
When murder is your business, solving the case is personal. The Homicide Hunter’s riveting debut novel proves that fiction really can be stranger than truth.

THE BOOKBINDER by Pip Williams (Historical Fiction)
A young British woman working in a book bindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life.

DEAD FALL by Brad Thor (Political Thriller)
Lethal operative Scot Harvath is dispatched to avenge the killing of American citizens abroad in Brad Thor’s new pulse-pounding thriller.

EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena (Domestic Thriller)
Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families. EVERYONE HERE IS LYING is another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR.

AN HONEST MAN by Michael Koryta (Thriller)
"Michael Koryta's best book" (Stephen King) opens with a yacht full of bodies, a woman hiding from killers on a nearby island, and a man trying to prove his innocence and save his life.

PINK LEMONADE CAKE MURDER: A Hannah Swensen Mystery with Recipes! by Joanne Fluke (Mystery)
Fans of deliciously charming, page-turning whodunits, rejoice! Beloved New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Culinary Mystery Joanne Fluke delivers her 28th mouthwatering Hannah Swensen mystery.

PROM MOM by Laura Lippman (Psychological Thriller)
Amber Glass is desperately trying to get away from her tabloid past but is compulsively drawn back to the city of her youth and the prom date who destroyed everything she was reaching for.

ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE BOURNE DEFIANCE by Brian Freeman (Thriller/Adventure)
Someone is killing Treadstone agents, and Jason Bourne may be next on the list in this latest electrifying entry in Robert Ludlum’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.

SOMEBODY'S FOOL by Richard Russo (Fiction)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of EMPIRE FALLS returns to North Bath, in upstate New York, and to the characters who captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of readers in his beloved bestsellers NOBODY'S FOOL and EVERYBODY'S FOOL.

THE SPIDER: A Killer Instinct Novel written by Lars Kepler, translated by Alice Menzies (Psychological Thriller/Mystery)
A serial killer is spinning a sinister web, and Detectives Joona Linna and Saga Bauer are caught dead center.

Click here to see the latest "On Sale This Week" newsletter.

From left to right: Ruth Madievsky, Brad Thor, Joanne Fluke

Upcoming Virtual Book and Author Events

Here are six upcoming virtual book and author events that you may be interested in attending. Click on the links for more info and to register.

Tuesday, July 25th at 1pm ET: Simon & Schuster's Book Club Favorites: Mai Nguyen will join members of the Simon & Schuster team to discuss her debut novel, SUNSHINE NAILS, which is July's pick for S&S's Book Club Favorites.

Tuesday, July 25th at 9pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Brad Thor will talk about his new pulse-pounding thriller, DEAD FALL, in which lethal operative Scot Harvath is dispatched to avenge the killing of American citizens abroad.

Wednesday, July 26th 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 Elin Hilderbrand about her latest novel, THE FIVE-STAR WEEKEND. After tragedy strikes, food blogger Hollis Shaw gathers four friends from different stages in her life to spend an unforgettable weekend on Nantucket.

Wednesday, July 26th at 8pm ET: Loyalty Bookstores: Loyalty is thrilled to welcome Ruth Madievsky and Nicole Chung for a virtual event celebrating the release of Madievsky's debut novel, ALL-NIGHT PHARMACY, which is about a young woman who commits a drunken act of violence just before her sister vanishes without a trace.

Thursday, July 27th at 3pm ET: Barnes & Noble: Join Barnes & Noble as they welcome New York Times bestselling author and Queen of the Culinary Mystery Joanne Fluke for a live virtual discussion of PINK LEMONADE CAKE MURDER as part of the B&N Midday Mystery Virtual Event series. Joanne will be in conversation with Tami Chase from Team Hannah Swensen.

Thursday, July 27th at 8pm ET: The Poisoned Pen Bookstore: Sandra Brown will talk about her new book, OUT OF NOWHERE, a fast-paced, emotional thriller in which the lives of a young mother and a high-rolling consultant collide under devastating circumstances --- culminating in a desperate manhunt that will change their futures forever.

 "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 is our latest interview:

• Carolyn Mackler (THE WIFE APP) Video | Podcast

Other authors we've interviewed include:

• Linwood Barclay (THE LIE MAKER) Video | Podcast
• Rachel Beanland (THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE) Video | Podcast
• Adrienne Brodeur (LITTLE MONSTERS) Video | Podcast
• Alice Elliott Dark (FELLOWSHIP POINT) Video | Podcast
• J.T. Ellison (IT'S ONE OF US) Video | Podcast
• Nancy Horan (THE HOUSE OF LINCOLN) Video | Podcast
• Sadeqa Johnson (THE HOUSE OF EVE) Video | Podcast
• William Kent Krueger (THE LEVEE) Video | Podcast
• William Landay (ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME) Video | Podcast
• Kate Morton (HOMECOMING) Video | Podcast
• Susan Patterson and Susan DiLallo (THINGS I WISH I TOLD MY MOTHER)
  Video | Podcast
• Shelley Read (GO AS A RIVER) Video | Podcast
• Hank Phillippi Ryan (THE HOUSE GUEST) Video | Podcast
• Lisa Scottoline (LOYALTY) Video | Podcast
• Lisa See (LADY TAN'S CIRCLE OF WOMEN) Video | Podcast

Click here for a complete list of our
"Bookreporter Talks To" videos and podcasts.

Our Latest Poll: July Fiction Releases to Anticipate

Click here to vote in the poll by Friday, July 28th at noon ET.

Word of Mouth Contest: Tell Us What
You're Reading --- and You Can Win Two Books!

Click here to enter the contest.

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