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Week of June 5, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of June 5th include FAIRY TALE by Stephen King, a spellbinding thriller 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; CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, a powerful novel about the cost of greatness from Taylor Jenkins Reid, in which a legendary athlete attempts a comeback when the world considers her past her prime; Michael Connelly's DESERT STAR, a gripping mystery that finds LAPD detective Renée Ballard and Harry Bosch teaming up to hunt the brutal killer who is Bosch’s “white whale” --- a man responsible for the murder of an entire family; THE FAMILY REMAINS, a stand-alone sequel to Lisa Jewell's THE FAMILY UPSTAIRS that revolves around twisted marriages, fractured families and deadly obsessions; and SOLITO, a moving, page-turning memoir from poet Javier Zamora, who tells the unforgettable story of his harrowing migration from El Salvador to the United States at the age of nine.

June 6, 2023

In this newsletter, you will find books releasing the weeks of June 5th and June 12th that we think will be of interest to Bookreporter.com readers, along with Bonus News, where we call out a contest, feature or review that we want to let you know about so you have it on your radar.

This week, we are calling attention to our Favorite Monthly Lists & Picks feature for June, which includes Indie Next, LibraryReads, the Barnes & Noble Book Club, Reese's Book Club, the "Read with Jenna" Today Show Book Club, the "Good Morning America" Book Club, and more.

June 6, 2023

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Wednesday, June 7th at noon ET for a chance to win one of five copies of THE GIRLS OF SUMMER by Katie Bishop, which is now available. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

June 5, 2023

This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Tuesday, June 6th at noon ET for a chance to win one of five copies of FAMOUS IN A SMALL TOWN by Viola Shipman, which releases on June 13th. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!

Megan Abbott, author of Beware the Woman

Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash. The moment they arrive at the cottage, snug within the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Dr. Ash. But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, vacation activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy’s condition. Suddenly, whispers about Jed’s long-dead mother seem to eerily impinge upon the present, and Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage. But are her fears founded? Or is it paranoia, or cabin fever, or --- as is suggested to her --- a stubborn refusal to take necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but are the greater ones inside?

T.J. Newman, author of Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421

Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes into the Pacific Ocean. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors --- but it’s too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with 12 passengers trapped inside. More than 200 feet below the surface, engineer Will Kent and his 11-year-old daughter, Shannon, are waist-deep in water and fighting for their lives. Their only chance at survival is an elite rescue team on the surface led by professional diver Chris Kent --- Shannon’s mother and Will’s soon-to-be ex-wife --- who must work together with Will to find a way to save their daughter and rescue the passengers from the sealed airplane, which is now teetering on the edge of an undersea cliff. There’s not much time. There’s even less air.

James Comey, author of Central Park West

When a years-long case against a powerful mobster finally cracks and an unimpeachable witness takes the stand, federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is looking forward to putting the defendant away for good. The mobster, though, has other plans. As the witness’s testimony concludes, a note is passed to the prosecution offering up information into the assassination of a disgraced former New York governor, murdered in his penthouse apartment just days before. It’s enough to blow the case wide open, and to send Nora into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption and danger.

Jo Nesbø, author of Killing Moon: A Harry Hole Novel

Two young women are missing, their only connection a party they both attended, hosted by a notorious real-estate magnate. When one of the women is found murdered, the police discover an unusual signature left by the killer, giving them reason to suspect he will strike again. They’re facing a killer unlike any other. And exposing him calls for a detective like no other. But the legendary Harry Hole is gone --- fired from the force, drinking himself to oblivion in Los Angeles. It seems that nothing can entice him back to Oslo. Until the woman who saved Harry's life is put in grave danger, and he has no choice but to return to the city that haunts him and track down the murderer. However, as the evidence mounts, it becomes clear that there is more to this case than meets the eye.

Editorial Content for The Poisoner's Ring: A Rip Through Time Novel

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Pamela Kramer

In THE POISONER’S RING, the second entry in Kelley Armstrong's Rip Through Time series, Mallory Atkinson is still adjusting to life in 1869. This modern-day homicide detective from Vancouver somehow went back in time while visiting her ailing grandmother in Edinburgh. Luckily, she ended up in the body of a maid named Catriona Mitchell, who works for an unusual family. Dr. Duncan Gray runs a funeral business and is interested in crimes. His sister, Isla, is a chemist with whom Mallory has become friends. Read More

Teaser

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell --- even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body --- and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows, the latest of whom is Gray’s oldest sister. Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

Promo

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell --- even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body --- and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows, the latest of whom is Gray’s oldest sister. Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

About the Book

A modern-day homicide detective is working as an undertaker's assistant in Victorian Scotland when a serial poisoner attacks the men of Edinburgh and leaves their widows under suspicion.

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell --- even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body --- and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows, the latest of whom is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong is known for her exquisite world building, and this latest series is no exception. THE POISONER'S RING brings the intricacies of Victorian Scotland alive as Mallory again searches for a 19th-century killer as well as a way home.

Audiobook available, read by Kate Handford

Editorial Content for The Summer of 1876: Outlaws, Lawmen, and Legends in the Season That Defined the American West

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

Journalist Chris Wimmer assembles a remarkable cast of characters in this tribute to the turbulent foundations of what most Americans regard as a celebrated piece of their history: the “wild west.” Read More

Teaser

The summer of 1876 was a key time period in the development of the mythology of the Old West. Many individuals who are considered legends by modern readers were involved in events that began their notoriety or turned out to be the most famous --- or infamous --- moments of their lives. Those individuals were Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok and Jesse James. THE SUMMER OF 1876 weaves together the timelines of the events that made these men legends to demonstrate the overlapping context of their stories and to illustrate the historical importance of that summer, all layered with highlights of significant milestones in 1876.

Promo

The summer of 1876 was a key time period in the development of the mythology of the Old West. Many individuals who are considered legends by modern readers were involved in events that began their notoriety or turned out to be the most famous --- or infamous --- moments of their lives. Those individuals were Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok and Jesse James. THE SUMMER OF 1876 weaves together the timelines of the events that made these men legends to demonstrate the overlapping context of their stories and to illustrate the historical importance of that summer, all layered with highlights of significant milestones in 1876.

About the Book

From the creator of the "Legends of the Old West" podcast, a book exploring the overlapping narratives of the biggest legends in frontier mythology.

The summer of 1876 was a key time period in the development of the mythology of the Old West. Many individuals who are considered legends by modern readers were involved in events that began their notoriety or turned out to be the most famous --- or infamous --- moments of their lives. Those individuals were Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Wild Bill Hickok and Jesse James.

THE SUMMER OF 1876 weaves together the timelines of the events that made these men legends to demonstrate the overlapping context of their stories and to illustrate the historical importance of that summer, all layered with highlights of significant milestones in 1876: the inaugural baseball season of the National League; the final year of President Ulysses S. Grant’s embattled administration; the debut of an invention called the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell; the release of Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”; and many more.

Contextualizing these events against the backdrop of the massive 100th anniversary party thrown to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence, THE SUMMER OF 1876 is the ultimate exploration and celebration of the summer that defined the West.

Audiobook available, read by Johnny Heller