5 books not to miss this week, including James Patterson's 'Fifty Fifty'
Paste BN’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1. Fifty Fifty by James Patterson and Candice Fox (Little, Brown, fiction, on sale Feb. 19)
What it’s about: In the second book in a series, Australian Detective Harriet Blue is banished to a small town (pop. 75), where she finds a diary outlining a killer's plan to wipe out the whole place.
The buzz: Patterson and Fox’s first Harriet Blue thriller, 2017’s Never Never, made its debut at No. 1 on Paste BN’s Best-Selling Books list.
2. The Watergate: Inside America’s Most Infamous Address by Joseph Rodota (William Morrow, non-fiction, on sale Feb. 20)
What it’s about: The Watergate complex, synonymous with the downfall of President Richard Nixon, gets its own investigation.
The buzz: “Entertaining, gossip-filled,” says Kirkus Reviews.
3. Agent in Place by Mark Greaney (Berkley, fiction, on sale Feb. 20)
What it’s about: Former covert CIA asset Court Gentry, now known as the Gray Man, is working with a group of Syrian ex-pats to bring down the regime.
The buzz: The latest in a series by Greaney, who also has written a number of best-selling, posthumous “Tom Clancy” thrillers.
4. The Woman in the Water by Charles Finch (Minotaur, fiction, on sale Feb. 20)
What it’s about: In this prequel to the Charles Lenox mystery series, it’s 1850 London, and the young would-be detective hopes to prove himself by solving a murder case billed as the “perfect crime.”
The buzz: Finch, a frequent reviewer for Paste BN and other outlets, is the latest recipient of the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing from the National Book Critics Circle.
5. Educated by Tara Westover (Random House, non-fiction, on sale Feb. 20)
What it’s about: Memoir by a Cambridge Ph.D. who was raised by Idaho survivalists and did not enter a classroom until she was 17.
The buzz: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers. “A testament to Tara’s brilliance and tenacity,” says Emilie Sommer of East City Bookshop in Washington, D.C.
