Beach Reads

Stories to keep you on the edge of your beach chair: Mystery and Suspense

Blood Memory Greg Iles

Experiencing panic attacks and blackouts at murder scenes, forensics expert Cat Ferry is suspended from her task force and returns to her Mississippi hometown, where she discovers disturbing information about her father's murder. (Novelist)

Beautiful Lies Lisa Unger

In this sexy, fast-paced literary thriller, Unger takes readers on a breathtaking ride in which a young New York writer's good deed has terrible consequences and leaves her running for her life. (overbooked.com)

City of Tiny Lights Patrick Neate

From an award-winning novelist comes a literary mystery that introduces a new kind of British detective, Ugandan-Indian Tommy Akhtar, and a side of London that the mystery world has never seen. (overbooked.com)

Cut and Run Ridley Pearson

When the mob steals the master witness protection list from the Justice Department, agent Roland Larson finds himself torn between protecting Hope Stevens, the witness he loves, and recovering the list before thousands are put in jeopardy. (Novelist)

Dirty Blonde Lisa Scottoline

Federal judge Cate Fante finds her own double life coming to light when the defendant in a high-profile lawsuit ends up dead, revelations that threaten her future on the bench as well as her life when the killer comes after her. (Novelist)

The Faithful Spy Alex Berenson

A New York Times reporter has drawn upon his experience covering the occupation in Iraq to write the most gripping and chillingly plausible thriller of the post-9/11 era. Alex Berenson's debut novel of suspense, The Faithful Spy, is a sharp, explosive story that takes readers inside the war on terror as fiction has never done before. (overbooked.com)

Ladies Courting Trouble Dolores Stewart Riccio

When a hemlock-laced brownie at the church hospitality hour spells the end for an elderly townswoman, Cass Shipton and her circle of friends use their very special brand of detective skills--magic, clairvoyance, and good old-fashioned common sense--to ferret out the culprit. (overbooked.com)

The Night Gardener George Pelecanos

When the body of a local teenager turns up in a community garden, veteran homicide detective Gus Ramone teams up with T. C. Cook, a legendary, now retired detective, and Dan "Doc" Holiday, his former partner who left the force under a cloud of suspicion. (Novelist)

Pegasus Descending: a Dave Robicheaux novel James Lee Burke

A troubled young woman breezes into New Iberia, Louisiana. She happens to be the daughter of Robicheaux's onetime best friend--a friend he witnessed gunned down in a bank robbery. The twists begin when the daughter starts passing marked hundred-dollar bills in local casinos. Is she a good kid gone bad? A victim's child seeking revenge? A promiscuous beauty seducing everyone good within her grasp? And how does her behavior relate to the apparent suicide of another "good" girl, an ace student named Yvonne Darbonne, who apparently participated in a college frat orgy before her death? (Novelist)

Storm Front Jim Butcher

In Book One of the Dresden Files, a modern-day mage and consultant to the police finds his stale life suddenly enlivened by the presence of a rival in the black arts. (Novelist)

The Woman in White Wilkie Collins

A mouldering mansion, doppelgangers, a psychopathic family member with a passion for small singing birds-anyone with a yen for the Gothic can expect to lose serious sleep to this one. And the atmosphere of shady decay could prove a welcome tonic for the summer heat. (slate.com)

As if the beach isn't hot enough: Romance and Chick Lit

Bad Boys of Summer Lori Foster

This anthology of short stories by today's hottest contemporary romance authors will have you diving in the ocean to cool off.

The Blue Bistro Elin Hilderbrand

Having worked for six years in the hotels of exotic resort towns, Adrienne Dealey relocates to Nantucket in the hopes of recouping her finances and gets a crash course in restaurant management at a popular locale that is preparing to close, an endeavor that is compromised by her budding relationship with her boss. (Readers' Digest)

Can You Keep a Secret? Sophie Kinsella

Imagine confiding intimate details of your life to a handsome stranger sitting next to you on a plane, thinking you'll never see him again. Imagine learning that he is, in fact, your new boss. This flirty, funny, fast-paced romance will have your beach chair neighbors wondering what you keep laughing about while your nose is stuck in this addictive book. Fabulous fluff, the quintessential escapist summer read. (Readers' Digest)

Crazy for You Jennifer Crusie

A bored high school art teacher dumps her football-coach boyfriend and embarks on a mayhem-filled search for happiness that lands her in trouble with the law and sends her into the arms of the one man in her small Ohio town she should probably avoid. (Novelist)

Good in Bed Jennifer Weiner

This first novel from super-popular Jennifer Weiner is perhaps the funniest and most poignant of them all. When Candace Shapiro learns that her ex-boyfriend writes an advice column called "Good in Bed" for a new women's magazine, she is mortified. Cannie's trials and tribulations -- weight troubles, men troubles, job troubles -- will ring all too true. Don't miss this talented author's debut novel -- it'll have you laughing out loud between reaching for your hankie. (Readers' Digest)

Mouth to Mouth Erin McCarthy

Police detective Russ Evans gets more than he had expected when he is assigned to watch coffee shop owner Laurel Wilkins, the latest target of con man Trevor Dean, in a novel of mistaken identity and romance. (Novelist)

Northern Lights Nora Roberts

Roberts has written dozens of novels, but this is one of her all-time best. Set in the Alaskan wilderness, this unforgettable tale features murder, mystery, quirky characters, and of course, romance and a surprise ending. A spot-on portrayal of small-town life and the powerful bonds of community make this an extraordinary summer read. (Readers' Digest)

Second Sight Amanda Quick

The "New York Times" bestselling author of Lie by Moonlight and The Paid Companion takes readers into the simmering passions and paranormal secrets of the Victorian age. (overbooked.com)

The Summer I Dared Barbara Delinsky

The only survivors of a devastating boating accident off the coast of Maine, Julia, Noah, and Kim struggle with their brush with death, their feelings of guilt, and their changed perspectives on their lives. (Readers' Digest)

Inspirational Fiction

Admission Travis Thrasher

Jake Rivers tries to put his college days and memories--including the suicide of a friend--behind him. But a phone call leads him to find answers to questions that were never resolved in a story of haunting secrets and personal redemption. (overbooked.com)

Madman Tracy Groot

From the author of The Brother's Keeper comes a tale of mystery, horror, and hope in the midst of unimaginable darkness, the story behind the Geresene demoniac of the gospels of Mark and Luke. (overbooked.com)

Rekindled Tamera Alexander

When her husband disappears, Kathryn Jennings is flung into the world of ranching, banking, and business. Most disconcerting of all is the uncanny familiarity she feels toward the badly scarred ranch hand who works in the dark shadows of the horse stables. (overbooked.com)

River Rising Athol Dickson

In 1927 Louisiana, Rev. Hale Poser arrives in the bayous of Pilotville, looking for his roots. In the swamp beyond the cypress lies a lingering evil. For years it slept in dreadful isolation. Now comes Hale Poser, and it will sleep no more. (overbooked.com)

Uncharted: Expect the Unexpected Angela Elwell Hunt

Six college friends meet up at their friend's funeral, and out of loyalty to him, they grant his last request when they embark on a journey at sea -- a journey that takes them farther than they'd ever want to go as they land on an uncharted island where all is not as it first appears. (overbooked.com)

General Fiction

All He Ever Wanted Anita Shreve

A haunting tale about an adoring husband betrayed by his young wife. A page-turner, like all of Shreve's books, the story is told, or confessed, by the tormented husband himself, Nicholas Van Tassel, who acts passionately, even monstrously, when his love is unrequited. Still, my allegiance never shifted from increasingly evil Nicholas, and even as the novel drew to a close I held out hope for his success. (slate.com)

At the Mountains of Madness H.P. Lovecraft

Lovecraft's greatest work, his trademark horror elevated to a sublime adventure. The story of an Antarctic expedition gone very wrong. Scientists exploring Antarctica's Mountains of Madness go missing, and a left-behind journal hints at ancient and terrible things they've uncovered. (slate.com)

A Dirty Job: a novel Christopher Moore

The author of the national bestsellers Fluke and The Stupidest Angel returns with this absurdly outrageous, howlingly funny, scathingly satiric novel about a neurotic, just-widowed father of a newborn whose life takes a really weird detour. (overbooked.com)

The Doctor's Daughter Hilma Wolitzer

Alice Brill struggles to come to terms with the hidden truths of her life--her unrealized aspirations as a writer, her lackadaisical marriage, her troubled younger son, and her father, who is slipping into senility in a nursing home. (Novelist)

The Golden Compass Phillip Pullman

Book 1 of His Dark Materials trilogy (and a soon-to-be-released movie). It is supposedly for "young adults," but it's hair-raising and also quite serious. You get to visit hell. (Slate.com)

The Grandmothers Doris Lessing

Guys won't kick sand in your face if they see you reading a book by Doris Lessing, especially if they get a look at the title, which is The Grandmothers. They'll think you're some kind of arch-feminist beach-crank, but you'll be enjoying a truly salacious tale. The Grandmothers is all about two friends who go on a beach vacation with their teenage sons. Each, unbeknownst to the other, begins an affair with her friend's son. Soon all are in the know and just fine about it. The affairs continue through the years, long after everyone involved is old enough to know better. Doris! you'll be shouting. In your dreams! (slate.com)

The Historian Elizabeth Kostova

For a change of pace, try this long, debut historical novel that's receiving rave reviews. In 1972 an American teen living in Amsterdam discovers a mysterious book belonging to her diplomat father that has only the word "Drakula" on the cover, and is filled with strange letters. What could it mean? The young girl gradually pieces together a terrifying and mysterious tale about you-know-who. Don't forget to keep your strand of garlic handy. (Readers' Digest)

The House of Mirth Edith Wharton

A tragedy of manners, morals, and unconsummated love, The House of Mirth never fails to leave me sobbing. This smart, brutal novel about the fate of feminine glamour and beauty in a world run by men and money is all too relevant, and pretty much impossible to put down. (slate.com)

Mosaic Soheir Khashoggi

Dina Ahmed has been blessed with success, beauty, and, most important, a happy family. But one fateful day she returns home to discover that her six-year-old twins have vanished and suddenly her once comfortable life is turned upside down. This is a gripping, moving novel about family and loyalty by the sister of Adnan Khashoggi. (Readers' Digest)

Rattled Debra Galant

Carl Hiassen meets Desperate Housewives in this hilarious debut about a face-off between the new suburban chic, some old-time residents, a real estate mogul--and a rattlesnake. (overbooked.com)

The Secret History Donna Tartt

Richard Papen, a relatively impoverished student at a New England college, falls in with an exclusive clique of rich, worldly Greek scholars and soon learns the dreadful secret that keeps them together. (Novelist)

The Stolen Child Keith Donohue

When Henry Day is seven years old, he is kidnapped by ageless beings called changelings, who leave another child in Henry's place, a boy who will be his duplicate. Haunted by memories, both boys are driven to search for the keys to who they once were before they switched places. (overbooked.com)

Theft: A Love Story Peter Carey

A two-time Booker Prize-winner takes on the topic of what people will do for art, for love, and for money. Ranging from the rural wilds of Australia to Manhattan via Tokyo--and exploring themes of art, fraud, responsibility and redemption--this novel will make readers laugh out loud. (overbooked.com)

The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger

Passionately in love, Clare and Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel. (Readers' Digest)

The Voyage of the Narwhal Andrea Barrett

A scholar-naturalist embarks on a perilous expedition to the North Pole in the 19th century. (Novelist)

Not all good beach reads are made up: Some great nonfiction

A Death in Belmont Sebastian Junger
364.1523 J95d

In the spring of 1963, the quiet suburb of Belmont, Massachusetts, is rocked by a shocking sex murder that exactly fits the pattern of the Boston Strangler. This spare, powerful narrative chronicles three lives that collide--and ultimately are destroyed--in the vortex of one of the first and most controversial serial murder cases in America. (overbooked.com)

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia Elizabeth Gilbert
910.4 G46e

A celebrated writer pens an irresistible, candid, and eloquent account of her pursuit of worldly pleasure, spiritual devotion, and what she really wanted out of life. (overbooked.com)

Getting Stoned With Savages J. Maarten Troost
919.595 T85g

A rip-roaringly funny account of life in the farthest corners of the world, Getting Stoned with Savages again reveals the wry appreciation of the absurd and infectious joy of discovery that make Troost one of the most engaging and original travel writers around. (overbooked.com)

Gutted Lawrence LaRose
643.7 L33g

When the author and his new wife decide to buy and renovate a "handyman special" near the exclusive Hamptons, it doesn't take long for their fledgling marriage to begin crumbling. Things only get worse when the author loses his white-collar job and becomes the world's most clueless carpenter. But love prevails in this touching, honest, and often hilarious true story of one couple's struggle to build their dream home and dream life together. (Readers' Digest)

The Ice Museum: In Search of the Lost Land of Thule Joanna Kavenna
910.9113 K21i

The author set out on a harrowing and exhilarating voyage of discovery from Shetland, Iceland, Norway, Estonia, Greenland, and Svalbard in search of this most haunting of northern places, the mysterious lost world of Thule. (overbooked.com)

Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster Jon Krakauer
796.522 K89i

Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is another transfixing beach read full of freezing imagery as the Everest expedition turns deadly. The only sweat you break is from the unbearable tension of his narrative. (slate.com)

Let Me Finish Roger Angell
B A5833

Intimate, funny, and moving portraits form this book's centerpiece as Angell remembers his eccentric relatives, his childhood love of baseball in the time of Ruth and Gehrig and DiMaggio, and his vivid colleagues during his long career as a "New Yorker" writer and editor. (overbooked.com)

Manhunt: the twelve day chase for Lincoln's killer James L. Swanson
364.1524 S97m

A highly detailed, moment-by-moment account of the investigation of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. (slate.com)

A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler Jason Roberts
B H747R

In an era when the blind were routinely warehoused in asylums, James Holman was studying medicine, fighting the slave trade in Africa, hunting rogue elephants, surviving a frozen captivity in Siberia, and circumnavigating the world alone in the 19th century. (overbooked.com)