Preview: 28 of Summer’s Top Books

July   

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn: Quinn (The Diamond Eye, The Rose Code), sets her new novel in 1950s Washington, D.C. The story begins at a women’s boardinghouse on Thanksgiving, where police are investigating a possible murder in one of the apartments with the residents and guests of the holiday celebration awaiting questioning. They worry that the secrets they’ve shared with each other at Briarwood House gatherings, hosted by widow Grace March, will be uncovered. Quinn then unspools the happenings, centered around Grace, that led up to this dramatic scene. Publishers Weekly dubs it “a stellar historical mystery,” where “Quinn elegantly explores issues of race, class, and gender, and brings the paranoid atmosphere of McCarthy-era Washington to vivid life.” (July 9) 

Madoff: The Final Word by Richard Behar: Bernie Madoff was the mastermind behind the most notorious Ponzi scheme, resulting in investors losing some $20 billion. Behar interviewed Madoff over the years following his conviction (Madoff died in prison in 2021), access that allowed the author to paint a nuanced portrait of this charismatic, compulsive criminal who, Behar makes clear, had plenty of accomplices who helped keep the elaborate scam afloat. (July 9) 

Grown Women by Sarai Johnson: Johnson’s debut novel tells the intricate story of a Black family through multiple decades, beginning with Evelyn, a widowed young mother in the 1970s, unable to hide her resentment at having to care for her daughter, Charlotte, while trying to establish an academic career. Years later, Charlotte gets pregnant at age 18, and Evelyn is furious. A dispiriting cycle of dysfunctional parenting continues, with Charlotte’s daughter, Corinna, eventually struggling with young motherhood like generations before her. But Corinna’s daughter, Camille, may be able to break the cycle and forge a life free from her family’s weighty past — with Evelyn’s support. (July 9)

The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman: The latest from Grossman, 54, known for the Magicians trilogy, has been hotly anticipated by epic fantasy fans. It’s the story of young Collum, who sets off for Camelot aiming to serve King Arthur as a knight of the Round Table, but soon discovers that the king has died in battle, and Excalibur is gone. He and the other knights now need to find an adequate heir to the throne, and an elaborate quest begins. Booklist, among the many early reviewers giving it high praise, describes the story as “packed with magic, quirky beloved characters, punishing twists and exciting bold action scenes.” (July 16)

Also of note

Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner: The author of the bestselling Fleishman Is in Trouble focused her new decades-spanning, humor-infused novel on a Long Island family traumatized 40 years after the patriarch is kidnapped, beat up and returned soon after, the worse for wear. (July 9)

The Heart in Winter by Kevin Barry: Barry sets his latest tale in 1890s Montana, where Irish immigrant Tom Rourke runs off with a married woman. They head west with a gun-toting search party on their tail. (July 9)

Tell It to Me Singing by Tita Ramirez: A Cuban-American family is stunned after their matriarch reveals some shocking secrets before undergoing heart surgery. (July 9)  

Tiger, Tiger: His Life, as It’s Never Been Told Before by James Patterson: This biography details the rise, fall and rise again of the golf legend Tiger Woods, billed by the publisher as “a hole-in-one thriller.” (July 15)

The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards: A Memoir by Jessica Waite: While grieving the death of her beloved husband, Sean, Waite discovered some dark secrets (affairs, drug use and more) that upended everything she thought she knew about her marriage. (July 30)

August  

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: Moreno-Garcia (Silver Nitrate, Mexican Gothic) sets her colorful tale in scandal-steeped 1950s Hollywood and its mix of glamour and seediness, where a young, unknown Mexican actress, Vera Larios, is chosen to play the coveted lead role in the big-budget film The Seventh Veil of Salome. Actress Nancy Hartley, who’d hoped to star as the legendary princess, is furious, and Vera’s relationship with a man Nancy once dated makes her even more livid. The novel also dips into the colorful story of Salome in ancient Egypt. (August 6)  

Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King: Bill Gates and His Quest to Shape Our World by Anupreeta Das: The story of the Microsoft founder, 68, has been told: the college dropout who started a tech company and became the richest man on Earth, followed by a new incarnation as a wildly ambitious billionaire philanthropist. But Das, The New York Times finance editor, adds thoughtful contemplations on how society’s view of Gates — boy genius, robber baron, humanitarian — has shifted with changing cultural mores and the repercussions of one man wielding such outsized financial power. Coincidentally (or not?), Gates has just announced that he’ll be coming out with his first memoir, Source Code: My Beginnings, in February 2025. (August 13)  

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult: Bestselling Picoult (Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here), 58, focuses her new novel on two writers separated by centuries — one in the 16th century, the other in the 1950s — but each facing the particular sexism of their era. They are Emilia Bassano, a character based on the real-life woman rumored to be the true author of many of Shakespeare’s works (here she is the author), and modern-day Melina Green, a playwright in New York City who’s written a play based on Bassano, her ancestor, but struggles to find acceptance in the theater world. (August 20)  

Also of note

Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris: This debut novel, which has received glowing reviews and multiple book prize nominations (it was released earlier in Britain), is set in 1992 Sarajevo, where 55-year-old Zora finds herself in the midst of the siege. During the struggle, which her husband has fled, she finds hope and community among the others who’ve remained behind. (August 20)

Earth to Moon: A Memoir by Moon Unit Zappa: The late musician Frank Zappa’s daughter, 56, writes about growing up in her unique family in 1970s Los Angeles, how she later grappled with the loss of her parents and more, with an appealing sense of humor. (August 20) 

The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable: This lush historical novel, a debut, is set in 18th-century Venice and inspired by the real-life violinist Anna Maria Della Pietà, an orphan girl with a musical gift who’s plucked from obscurity to study violin with Antonio Vivaldi. (August 20)  

Also watch for new installments in popular series, including:

Angel of Vengeance by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: This conclusion to the Leng Quartet series (following The Cabinet of Curiosities, Bloodless and The Cabinet of Dr. Leng) wraps up the story of FBI special agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast and Constance Greene, still on the trail of serial killer Enoch Leng. (August 13)  

This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter: In Slaughter’s 12th novel featuring Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent (made flesh on ABC’s series Will Trent), Trent and his new wife, medical examiner Sara Linton, experience some drama while on their honeymoon at a remote retreat. (August 20)

The Dark Wives by Ann Cleeves: Vera Stanhope investigates the murder of a staff member at a home for troubled teens, whose body is found just as a 14-year-old resident goes missing. (AARP members can read or listen to another Cleeves novel, The Raging Storm, for free on AARP’s site.)