There are few things more relaxing than stretching out in the sand on a hot summer day, the sound of waves lapping in the background, as you read about a gruesome murder or international spy caper. Summertime is the perfect time to catch up on the latest fast-paced page-turners. Some might call them “guilty” pleasures, but there’s no guilt in our game — just pure enjoyment. Keep reading for the biggest blockbusters of the summer (and don’t forget the SPF!).
LAW AND DISORDER
“Testimony” by Scott Turow
(Grand Central Publishing, out now)
Former prosecutor Bill ten Boom has quit his job, left his wife and even moved out of the country. But just when he thinks he’s out, they pull him back him, as he’s handed a case he can’t refuse by the International Criminal Court — the mysterious disappearance of an entire refugee camp. When a witness comes forward claiming a massacre, Bill must sort through the myriad players to find the truth.
“Tom Clancy’s Point of Contact” (A Jack Ryan Jr. Novel) by Mike Maden
(G.P. Putnam’s Sons, out now)
Defense contractor and former US Sen. Weston Rhodes has an accounting problem and turns to a highly regarded forensic accounting firm — and spy front — to investigate. Jack Ryan Jr. and Paul Brown are sent to help. They soon find themselves embroiled in a conflagration that could not only get them killed — but could also lead to global catastrophe.
“House of Spies” (A Gabriel Allon Novel) by Daniel Silva
(Harper, out July 11)
A round of brutal terror attacks leaves the US and Britain devastated, and Gabriel Allon is off to find the evil perpetrators on a mission that will take him from Saint-Tropez to Casablanca. His unlikely allies include former fashion model Olivia Watson and her glamorous paramour and secret drug lord, Jean-Luc Martel. Together, this unlikely team will face horrors that continue until the gripping final page.
CRIME TIME
“The Force” by Don Winslow
(William Morrow, out now)
Denny Malone is one of the most highly acclaimed officers in the NYPD, but he also carries a secret in the form of millions of dollars pilfered from the biggest drug bust in New York City history. Squeezed by the feds, he finds himself in an impossible position, having to balance his obligations to the city, the force and his family and loved ones as the city threatens to crumble around him.
“Camino Island” by John Grisham
(Doubleday, out now)
The Princeton University library suffers a $25 million theft, while an aspiring novelist is paid handsomely to infiltrate the life of a rare-books dealer who secretly traffics in stolen fare. Their lives and the theft will connect in ways that place them all in grave danger.
“Magpie Murders” by Anthony Horowitz
(Harper, out now)
Book editor Susan Ryeland puts up with the shenanigans of bestselling crime writer Alan Conway because, well, his books are bestsellers. But his latest might be something else entirely, as the more she reads, the more Susan is convinced the book might be the key to a real-life murder.
THRILLS AND CHILLS
“The Store” by James Patterson
(Little, Brown, out Aug. 14)
Jacob and Megan get jobs in a store. It’s a very prominent, successful store, and it holds many secrets. Secrets that Jacob and Megan want to expose; secrets that, with the all-powerful store always watching, could get them killed.
“Come Sundown” by Nora Roberts
(St. Martin’s, out now)
Ranch owner Bodine Longbow and new staff hand Callen Skinner find a battered bartender in the snow, a sign that trouble has come to town. Police suspect Cal, and other bodies turn up. But when Bodine’s long lost aunt Alice, whom the family assumed was long dead, reappears, it turns out that dead bodies are just one small part of larger troubles to come for Bodine.
“Dangerous Minds: A Knight and Moon Novel” by Janet Evanovich
(Bantam, out now)
Buddhist monk Wayan Bagus has a significant problem — his island has vanished. A mountain, beaches, rain forest and even a volcano, all gone. Emerson Knight and his two-person team love a good mystery, and it rarely gets more mysterious than this, especially when they trace the disappearance to a disturbing secret held by the National Park Service.
“Stillhouse Lake” by Rachel Caine
(Thomas & Mercer, out now)
Gina Royal is a typical Midwestern housewife living a perfectly average and contented life — until she learns her husband is a serial killer. She changes her identity and relocates herself and her children, her husband now in prison. But when more dead bodies show up and she starts to receive threatening letters indicating that her family members’ lives are at risk, Royal must rise to the occasion to save all she holds dear.