Sara Blaedel was voted the most popular novelist in Denmark in 2010 and 2011. Call Me Princess marks her American debut. When the victim of a brutal crime commits suicide, a woman who met her rapist on a dating website, Detective Inspector Louise Rick immerses herself in the online dating world to find a serial rapist and killer.C.J. Box' standalone is Back of Beyond. Cody Hoyt, a cop, and a recovering alcoholic, takes a closer look at the death of his AA sponsor. That's when he discovers that the outfitter guiding his son on a horseback trip could be a killer.
The Burning brings us the U.S. debut of another author, Jane Casey. Maeve Kerrigan is an ambitious detective constable, determined to catch a killer no one has seen. The media call him The Burning Man, a brutal murderer who sets the bodies of his victims on fire in London's parks.
Ready Player One is Ernest Cline's first novel. Set in 2044 in a grim, poverty-stricken world, it tells the story of Wade Watts, just one more person who prefers an online utopia, and dreams of finding the ultimate lottery ticket that lies within the virtual reality. When he stumbles upon a puzzle, he finds himself pitted against thousands of others in a desperate race to claim the ultimate prize.
Then there's Ronald De Feo's debut, Calling Mr. King. Mr. King is an American-born contract killer who botches a job in Europe, and is sent to New York. While there, he grows interested in art and culture. So, what happens when he's called back to the job, and doesn't want to go?
Vanessa Diffenbaugh's debut novel is The Language of Flowers. The publisher calls it "A story of love, family, and second chances." But, it's the story of Victoria Jones, who spent a childhood in foster-care. At eighteen, she has no place to sleep except a public park, where she plants a small garden that is discovered by a local florist. Victoria discovers she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses, but eventually has to make a choice about her future.
After a thirteen year absence, Australian author Garry Disher brings back his cool thief Wyatt Wareen in Wyatt. Wyatt was always popular in Australia. This heist novel introduces the likeable antihero to the American audience.Irene Daggett Weiss is a struggling movie-maker in the early 20th century. In Irene Fleming's The Brink of Fame, she's left stranded and destitute. A film tycoon comes to her rescue with a job offer directing a film in Hollywood, provided she can track down and bring back his missing movie star.
Nancy Gotter Gates' Life Studies is the story of a woman trying to maintain a relationship despite tragedies and mysteries.
In Jane Haddam's latest mystery, Flowering Judas, former FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is brought in to consult on a case in upstate New York, where the body of a man who disappeared twelve years earlier is found.
The popular series for kids, The 39 Clues, launched in 2008 with Book 1: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan. Now, three years later, a brand new story arc of the series launches with The 39 Clues: Cahils vs. Vespers: Book 1: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman. It's planned as a six book series, with the final one by David Baldacci. Dan Cahill and his older sister, Amy, thought they won the hunt for 39 Clues. But, now Cahills are being kidnapped by a group called the Vespers, and Amy and Dan have to fulfill a bizarre ransom request to save their friends.
No Rest for the Wicked by Elizabeth C. Main brings back Jane Serrano, founder of the Murder of the Month Book Club. After bringing a killer to justice, she'd just like life to return to normal. but, when a book club member is accused of killing her ex-husband, a skilled con artist, the book club members band together to try to find the real murderer.Jess McConkey's Love Lies Bleeding is "A haunting story about the lengths to which people will go to keep their pasts buried." A random act of violence left Samantha Moore in a coma for two months. But she's a totally different person when she awakens, and her family sends her to a small town to recover. However, Samantha might have reasons for her fears, and the people in this town may not be what they appear to be.
If I only had the chance to read one book in August, it would be Louise Penny's new Chief Inspector Gamache novel, A Trick of the Light. Clara finally has her art show, but, the next day, a body is found in her garden in Three Pines. Of course, Gamache is called to investigate. He finds the art world gathered, and nothing is as it seems.David Reid's novel, Suffer in Silence, is the story of men training to become Navy SEALS who are pushed to their physical and mental limits. What happens when those thresholds are crossed?
Hunting guide Alison Coil returns in Buried By The Roan, Mark Stevens' second mystery set in Colorado. The fate of the Roan Plateau, and the controversy over energy development are at the heart of this mystery in which one of Allison's clients dies. The ranch owner was in the middle of a bitter feud with a neighbor, an environmental zealot. A battle over drilling could have led to murder.
Carrie Vaughn's popular Kitty Norville series started as a short story. Now, Kitty's Greatest Hits collects a number of previously written stories about Kitty, the werewolf and radio personality, as well as a new story, and a new novella.
Kate White's latest thriller, The Sixes, is set in a college town, "Where a student's death sends one woman on a search for the truth and into the clutches of a frightening secret society."
August looks exciting. And, there are a number of opportunities to discover new authors. Did you see a title or two you would like to read? If not, wait until you see tomorrow's hot titles list!
