‘Oysterville’ and other pearls

Five new books you shouldn’t miss.

1. “The Bitterroots” by C. J. Box (Minotaur Books, fiction, on sale Aug. 13)

What it’s about: Box launches a new series starring private eye Cassie Dewell. When a lawyer friend calls in a favor to get Cassie’s help exonerating a man from an influential ranching family accused of rape, she reluctantly agrees. But her attempts to untangle the truth pit her against the family, and she isn’t one to back down from a fight.

The buzz: “An appealing new heroine, a fast-moving plot, and a memorably nightmarish family make this one of Box’s best,” says a starred review in Kirkus Reviews.

2. “The Oysterville Sewing Circle” by Susan Wiggs (William Morrow, fiction, on sale Aug. 13)

What it’s about: Aspiring fashion designer Caroline Shelby leaves New York in a haze of scandal and tragedy for Oysterville, Washington, the tiny hometown she thought she’d left forever. There, she just might find redemption raising her best friend’s two young children and heal her heart in the local sewing circle.

The buzz: “A lovely read – entertaining, poignant, and meaningful,” says Kirkus Reviews.

3. “Inland” by Téa Obreht (Random House, fiction, on sale Aug. 13)

What it’s about: Obreht follows up her 2011 best-seller “The Tiger’s Wife” with a haunted and mythical tale set in the drought-stricken Arizona Territory, where two very different lives unfold. Bold homesteader Nora awaits the return of her husband, who’s disappeared in search of water, while outlaw Lurie evades the law on the back of a camel.

The buzz: Booklist says, “Obreht inventively and scathingly dramatizes the delirium of the West – its myths, hardships, greed, racism, sexism, and violence – in a tornadic novel of stoicism, anguish, and wonder.”

4. “River of Fire” by Helen Prejean (Random House, nonfiction, on sale Aug. 13)

What it’s about: The famous anti-death penalty nun behind “Dead Man Walking” pens a riveting memoir of faith in action, charting her spiritual transformation from entering a convent at 18 to her work as a political activist.

The buzz: “Informing and entertaining, Prejean’s exceptional memoir will be of special interest to Catholics and social justice advocates,” says a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

5. “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi (One World, nonfiction, on sale Aug. 13)

What it’s about: The founding director of American University’s Antiracist Research and Policy Center methodically examines racism and challenges readers to think about what an antiracist would look like and how they can play a role in creating one.

The buzz: A starred review in Kirkus Reviews says, “Not an easy read but an essential one.”