Jimenez’s debut novel, ‘ Ruthy Ramirez,’ is our must- read new book of the week

In search of something good to read? USA TODAY’s Barbara VanDenburgh scopes out the shelves for this week’s hottest new book releases. All titles are on sale Tuesday.

‘ What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez’ By Claire Jiménez ( Grand Central, fiction)

When 13- year- old Ruthy disappeared after track practice, it left the Ramirez family scarred. But 12 years later, when oldest sister Jessica sees a woman in a raunchy reality show she thinks might be Ruthy, the Ramirez women go on a road trip to investigate.

“Jiménez brings bravery to the page, and it’s her strong storytelling and humor that make this an outstanding debut,” says a starred Kirkus review, while a rave review from Publishers Weekly calls it a “knockout.”

“Ruthy Ramirez” is Jiménez’s first novel. Her 2019 short story collection “Staten Island Stories” was a finalist for the International Latino Book Awards.

Other must- read new books coming out this week

● “Birnam Wood,” by Eleanor Catton ( FSG, fiction): The Booker Prize– winning author of “The Luminaries” returns with a gripping thriller, pitting an activist gardening collective against an enigmatic billionaire who offers the group access to his land – but to what end?

● “A Most Intriguing Lady,” by Sarah Ferguson ( Avon, fiction): The Duchess of York pens a new historical romance about a duke’s daughter who also is secretly an amateur sleuth in Victorian London.

● “Pineapple Street,” by Jenny Jackson ( Pamela Dorman Books, fiction): Three women in a wealthy Brooklyn family navigate the absurd life of the 1%: Darley, the eldest daughter, who chose motherhood over her career; Sasha, an outsider who married in; and Georgiana, the youngest, who finds herself in a doomed romantic entanglement.

● “The Moth Keeper,” by K. O’Neill ( Random House Graphic, fiction): This beautifully illustrated fantastical graphic novel tells the story of Anya the Moth Keeper, whose village needs her to protect its precious lunar moths. It’s an important job, but can she resist the tug pulling her away?