Only 6 of this week’s new books make the list, but what an exciting 6 they are! We have the latest from bestsellers Daniel Silva, Debbie Macomber, and Iris & Roy Johansen, plus Megan Abbott’s new thriller, a creepy tale about a young sociopath by Zoje Stage, and esteemed author Michiko Kakutani’s thoughts on “the death of truth.”
MYSTERY & SUSPENSE
The Other Woman by Daniel Silva
She was his best-kept secret …
In an isolated village in the mountains of Andalusia, a mysterious Frenchwoman begins work on a dangerous memoir. It is the story of a man she once loved in the Beirut of old, and a child taken from her in treason’s name. The woman is the keeper of the Kremlin’s most closely guarded secret. Long ago, the KGB inserted a mole into the heart of the West—a mole who stands on the doorstep of ultimate power.
Only one man can unravel the conspiracy: Gabriel Allon, the legendary art restorer and assassin who serves as the chief of Israel’s vaunted secret intelligence service. Gabriel has battled the dark forces of the new Russia before, at great personal cost. Now he and the Russians will engage in a final epic showdown, with the fate of the postwar global order hanging in the balance.
Gabriel is lured into the hunt for the traitor after his most important asset inside Russian intelligence is brutally assassinated while trying to defect in Vienna. His quest for the truth will lead him backward in time, to the twentieth century’s greatest act of treason, and, finally, to a spellbinding climax along the banks of the Potomac River outside Washington that will leave readers breathless.
Fast as a bullet, hauntingly beautiful, and filled with stunning double-crosses and twists of plot, The Other Woman is a tour de force that proves once again that “of all those writing spy novels today, Daniel Silva is quite simply the best” Kansas City Star).
Description from Goodreads.
“Another jewel in the bedazzling crown of a spy-fiction master….There is an even more elaborately detailed backstory than usual, and it is every bit as compelling as the tension-drenched drama slowly unspooling in the present and leading to a socko finale.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Perhaps his most enthralling novel to date. Twists, turns, and nonstop action fill every page…. An instant classic from Daniel Silva, whose latest masterpiece puts him firmly alongside le Carré and Forsyth as one of the greatest spy novelists of all time.” – The Real Book Spy
“Excellent….Readers will be enthralled by both the history and the up-to-the-minute plot that Silva spins with such finesse.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
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Give Me Your Hand by Megan Abbott
Kit Owens harbored only modest ambitions for herself when the mysterious Diane Fleming appeared in her high school chemistry class. But Diane’s academic brilliance lit a fire in Kit, and the two developed an unlikely friendship. Until Diane shared a secret that changed everything between them.
More than a decade later, Kit thinks she’s put Diane behind her forever and she’s begun to fulfill the scientific dreams Diane awakened in her. But the past comes roaring back when she discovers that Diane is her competition for a position both women covet, taking part in groundbreaking new research led by their idol. Soon enough, the two former friends find themselves locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse that threatens to destroy them both.
Description from Goodreads.
“Trust the nimble Abbott to elevate this smart page-turner beyond catfight into a tense battle between morality and ambition.” – People
“[Give Me Your Hand] should cement [Abbott’s] position as one of the most intelligent and daring novelists working in the crime genre today.” – Ruth Ware, New York Times Book Review
“In Abbott’s deft hands, friendship is fused to rivalry, and ambition to fear, with an unsettling level of believability. It will take more than a cold shower to still the blood thumping in your ears when you finish this.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Available Formats:
Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage
Sweetness can be deceptive.
Meet Hanna.
She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.
Meet Suzette.
She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.
Description from Goodreads.
“Unnerving and unputdownable, Baby Teeth will get under your skin and keep you trapped in its chilling grip until the shocking conclusion.” – Lisa Scottoline
“We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Gone Girl meets The Omen. Baby Teeth is a twisty, delirious read that will constantly question your sympathies for the two characters as their bond continues to crumble.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Deliciously creepy…the author keeps the suspense taut…offering a terrifying glimpse into the inner thoughts of a budding sociopath.” – Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Tightly plotted, expertly choreographed…. Stage palpably conveys Suzette’s fear, anger, frustration, and desperation while exploring the deleterious effects that motherhood can have on one’s marriage and self-worth. …Stage fuses horror with domestic suspense to paint an unflinching portrait of childhood psychopathy and maternal regret.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Available Formats:
Double Blind by Iris Johansen & Roy Johansen
Kendra Michaels is reluctant to help the FBI with the most recent case they’ve brought to her…until she hears the details: The body was found just blocks away from Kendra’s condo. The man was carrying an envelope with Kendra’s name on it, and inside was an SD card with what appears to be an innocuous video of a wedding reception. And just one week before the attempted delivery of this mysterious video, the groom in the video was murdered.
As the body count rises, Kendra joins forces with private investigator Jessie Mercado and agent-for-hire Adam Lynch as they discover that each victim played a part in convicting a serial killer years before. Someone has clearly taken up his mantle to exact a sadistic form of vengeance. But who is it? A family member? An old partner? Or is it possible that the wrong man was convicted and the serial killer himself has returned to continue his sick spree?
In Double Blind, Iris and Roy Johansen deliver an emotional, gripping new entry in the bestselling Kendra Michaels series.
Description from Goodreads.
“When it comes to delivering amazing tales of edge-of-your-seat suspense, team Johansen and Johansen have proven they are unbeatable! Kendra Michaels is an exceptionally compelling protagonist…Get the snacks ready and keep the lights on, for this book will keep you hanging on until the last word!” – RT Book Reviews
“Magnetic characters and a twisty, suspenseful plot ensure that readers will eagerly anticipate the next installment.” – Publishers Weekly
Available Formats:
Print Book | Audiobook | eBook
ROMANCE
Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber
Annie Marlow has been through the worst. Rocked by tragedy, she heads to the one place that makes her happy: Oceanside in the Pacific Northwest, the destination of many family vacations when Annie was a teenager.
Once there, Annie begins to restore her broken spirit, thanks in part to the folks she meets: a local painter, Keaton, whose large frame is equal to his big heart–and who helps Annie fix up her rental cottage by the sea; Mellie, the reclusive, prickly landlord Annie is determined to befriend; and Britt, a teenager with a terrible secret. But it is Keaton to whom Annie feels most drawn. His quiet, peaceful nature offers her both comfort and reprieve from her grief, and the two begin to grow closer.
Then events threaten to undo the idyll Annie has come to enjoy. And when the opportunity of a lifetime lands in her lap, she is torn between the excitement of a new journey toward success and the safe and secure arms of the haven–and the man–she’s come to call home.
In this heartwarming tale, Annie finds that the surest way to fix what is damaged within is to help others rise above their pain and find a way to heal.
Description from Goodreads.
“Romantic, warm, and a breeze to read—one of Macomber’s best.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Macomber’s story of tragedy and triumph is emotionally engaging from the outset and ends with a satisfying conclusion. Readers will be most taken by the characters, particularly Annie, a heartwarming lead who bolsters the novel.” – Publishers Weekly
“Every time I read a new book by Debbie Macomber I think I fall in love with her a little more. She has never written a bad novel. And her latest is just great.” – Red Carpet Crash
Available Formats:
Print Book | Audiobook | eBook
NONFICTION
The Death of Truth: Notes on Falsehood in the Age of Trump by Michiko Kakutani
A stirring and incisive manifesto on America’s slide away from truth and reason.
Over the last three decades, Michiko Kakutani has been thinking and writing about the demise of objective truth in popular culture, academia, and contemporary politics. In The Death of Truth, she connects the dots to reveal the slow march of untruth up to our present moment, when Red State and Blue State America have little common ground, proven science is once more up for debate, and all opinions are held to be equally valid. (And, more often than not, rudely declared online.) The wisdom of the crowd has diminished the power of research and expertise, and we are each left clinging to the “facts” that best confirm our biases.
With wit, erudition, and remarkable insight, Kakutani offers a provocative diagnosis of our current condition and presents a path forward for our truth-challenged times.
Description from Goodreads.
“An intellectually dazzling read.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Firmly assertive and seriously argued … she sees—and ably describes—with a depressing clarity the dangers of our brave new world. …A stark sermon to the choir that urges each member to sing—loudly and ceaselessly.” – Kirkus Reviews
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