5 books not to miss: Christopher Bollen’s ‘A Beautiful Crime, Kate Weinberg’s ‘The Truants’
Corrections & clarifications: The release date for “A Good Neighborhood,” by Therese Anne Fowler, was pushed back to March 10.
In search of something good to read? USA TODAY's Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases.
1. “A Beautiful Crime,” by Christopher Bollen (Harper, fiction, on sale Jan. 28)
What it’s about: An American couple in Venice get in deeper than they bargained for when they try to con a millionaire out of his cash with counterfeit antiques in this twisty literary thriller.
The buzz: “Fans of crime fiction will delight in this marriage of knowing aestheticism and old-fashioned mayhem,” says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.
2. “The Truants,” by Kate Weinberg (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, fiction, on sale Jan. 28)
What it’s about: A group of friends are connected at a British college by Dr. Lorna Clay, a charismatic scholar of Agatha Christie. But their dynamic darkens, and the friends are torn apart by secrets and deceptions.
The buzz: “Weinberg is a crackling good writer,” says a ★★★ (out of four) review for USA TODAY.
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3. “Early: An Intimate History of Premature Birth and What It Teaches Us About Being Human,” by Sarah DiGregorio (Harper, nonfiction, Jan. 28)
What it’s about: After her own harrowing experience of giving birth at 28 weeks, DiGregorio wanted to better understand preterm birth. Her empathetic exploration of neonatology combines memoir with serious reporting.
The buzz: “Clear reporting that wisely urges careful decision-making by clinicians and parents alike,” says Publishers Weekly.
4. “The Art of Resistance: My Four Years in the French Underground,” by Justus Rosenberg (William Morrow, nonfiction, on sale Jan. 28)
What it’s about: This WWII memoir set in Nazi-occupied France thrillingly tells the story of an Eastern European Jew’s flight from the Holocaust and the years he spent fighting in the French underground.
The buzz: “Rosenberg’s memoir has all the suspense of a tense spy thriller,” says Publishers Weekly.
5. “Run Me to Earth,” by Paul Yoon (Simon & Schuster, fiction, on sale Jan. 28)
What it’s about: This story that spans decades starts with three orphaned children struggling to survive war-torn Laos in the 1960s. They team up with a doctor and serve as bicycle couriers, navigating the wreckage to find and help the wounded.
The buzz: “Another masterpiece in miniature about the unpredictable directions a life can take,” says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New books: Paul Yoon novel, Kate Weinberg's 'The Truants'
