Editor’sChoice
Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead, $24.95. Another surprise from an author who never writes the same novel twice. Though Whitehead has earned considerable critical acclaim for his earlier work — in particular his debut (“The Intuitionist”) and its successor (“John Henry Days”) — he’ll likely reach a wider readership with his warmest novel to date. Kirkus FICTION
The Family Man, by Elinor Lipman, $25. Lipman (“My Latest Grievance”) returns with the story of a retired, gay New York lawyer who finds himself happily embroiled with his ex-wife’s now adult daughter. Another romantic comedy from the always clever Lipman. Kirkus
Wicked Prey, by John Sandford, $27.95. The 2008 Republican convention serves as the backdrop for bestseller Sandford’s amped-up, ultra-violent 19th thriller to feature Lucas Davenport. An assassination plot aimed at John McCain turns out to be just a sidebar to another criminal operation. Publishers Weekly
NONFICTION
Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda, by Gretchen Peters, $25.95. Citing firsthand testimony, classified intelligence reports and specialized studies, journalist Peters builds a solid case for her contention that the “union of narco-traffickers, terrorist groups, and the international criminal underworld is the new axis of evil.” Publishers Weekly
Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy, by David O. Stewart, $27. One of our more controversial political figures, Andrew Johnson came closer than any other U.S. president to being removed from office through impeachment. This study by Stewart … examines Johnson’s rocky relationship with the post-Civil War radical Republicans. He breaks with those historians who have suggested that Johnson followed what would have been Lincoln’s path to reconstruct the South. Library Journal
Bozo Sapiens: Why to Err Is Human, by Ellen Kaplan and Michael Kaplan, $26. The mother-son co-authors turn their considerable authorial skills and wit to human behavior, from our isolated cave-dwelling ancestors to today’s globalized, interconnected world. Gourmet reading — rich in ideas, global references and amusing and provocative examples, served with great style. Kirkus
PAPERBACKS
America America, by Ethan Canin, $15. A dynasty shattered, a presidential campaign in ruins; a newspaper publisher revisits his youth to better understand an old scandal. This novel of character, Canin’s first since “Carry Me Across The Water,” is powerful and haunting, a major work. Kirkus
Nantucket Nights, by Elin Hilderbrand, $13.95. Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket Nights (after “The Beach Club”) digs into the private lives of three middle-aged women, Kayla, Val and Antoinette. For 20 years, they have made annual midnight excursions to the beach to drink champagne, skinny-dip and swap confidences, until one night Antoi nette disappears into the surf and doesn’t return. Publishers Weekly
The Night of the Gun: A Reporter Investigates the Darkest Story of His Life, His Own, by David Carr, $15. Journalist Carr exhumes a past life that involved numerous criminal offenses, general mayhem and lots of cocaine. However, unlike most addiction memoirs, he doesn’t start with a “this is how I remember it” disclaimer; rather, the book is based on years of exhaustive research via medical and legal documents and interviews with his former acquaintances, creating a tone of objective reportage. Library Journal
COMING UP
Rain Gods, by James Lee Burke, $25.95. Here comes another mystery from the creator of the Dave Robicheaux novels. This one features a new character, Sheriff Hackberry Holland, the cousin of another of Burke’s favored characters, Billy Bob Holland. (July)
