USA TODAY International Edition
New and noteworthy
USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.
1 The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn ( Simon & Schuster, non- fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: An account of the infamous Jonestown massacre of more than 900 people in Guyana in 1978 and the madman behind the Peoples Temple, Jim Jones. “Vivid, fascinating,” THE BUZZ: says Kirkus Reviews.
2 Letterman: The Last Giant of Late Night by Jason Zinoman ( Harper, non- fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The comedy critic for The New York Times takes on David Letterman, who left late- night in 2015 and who in retirement has grown a formidable beard. THE BUZZ: “The Letterman biography fans have been waiting for,” says Booklist.
3 My Cubs: A Love Story by Scott Simon ( Blue Rider Press, non- fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S NPR’s ABOUT: Simon, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, looks back on the magical season that brought the team a 2016 world championship. THE BUZZ: The world wonders if the Cubs can do it again.
4 One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline ( St. Martin’s Press, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In this thriller, a high- school baseball coach who is hiding his real identity poses a threat to the community. Scottoline THE BUZZ: has had 26 USA TODAY best sellers including Damaged, which hit No. 9 last August.
5 The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova ( Ballantine, fiction, on sale Tuesday) WHAT IT’S ABOUT: An American woman in Bulgaria helps a couple into a taxi and realizes she has one of their bags — which contains an urn filled with human ashes. THE BUZZ: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers. “One of the most engrossing novels that I’ve read in a while,” says Dianne Patrick of Snowbound Books in Marquette, Mich.