Best Seller Read-Alikes for the Week of September 23rd

Can’t wait to get your hands on the latest best-seller, but the hold list is too long? To tide you over, every week we’ll offer similar titles and authors to the week’s fiction and nonfiction best sellers.

Fiction

At #1 on the best seller's list for fiction is A Wanted Man by Lee Child. The 17th installment in the Jack Reacher series find ex-MP Reacher hitching a ride with three strangers to Virginia. Unknown to him, the two men and one woman who are riding with him have just left the scene of a brutal murder, with the woman as their hostage. Or at least that's what they appear to be. Reacher quickly finds himself drawn into a massive conspiracy, as he finds himself both hunted and the hunter.

Authors similar to Lee Child include:

Barry Eisler - The Japanese-American hero of Barry Eisler's plot-driven and atmospheric novels, John Rain, is a paid assassin and military veteran who follows his own moral compass, despite the danger to himself. The first book in this fast-paced and richly-detailed series, Rain Fall, finds Rain protecting the daughter of a Tokyo politician.

James Lee Burke - Burke's first-person mystery novels are not always as fast-paced as Child's novels, but his hardboiled heroes, like P.I. Dave Robicheaux, are no strangers to action. In the first book of the series, The Neon Rain, someone in New Orleans wants Robicheaux dead, and there are no shortage of suspects.

Ace Atkins - Atkins' Quinn Colson suspense series follows the retired Army Ranger as he attempt to bring law and order to his violently corrupt Mississippi hometown. In the first novel in the series, The Ranger, Colson returns home from Afghanistan and investigate his uncle's alleged suicide, revealing shocking personal secrets. Atkins' fast-paced writing style adds to the suspense, creating a dark, atmospheric tone, with some dry humor sprinkled in.

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Nonfiction
At #1 on the nonfiction best seller's list again this week is No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL by Mark Owen and Kevin Mauer. At #2 is Bob Woodward's latest book, The Price of Politics. Woodward recounts his findings over the course of 18 months of reporting on the U.S. economic crisis and the effects on and actions of the federal government during the recession. Woodward critiques the actions of both the Democratic and the Republican leadership, as well as the White House, using memos, email and in-depth interviews.

Books similar to The Price of Politics include:

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis (330.973 LEW) - In his latest examination of the U.S. economy, Lewis shares insights into the recent economic crisis, citing such factors as expanded home ownership and risky derivative elections in the face of increasing shareholder demands, and profiles responsible parties in government, financial, and private sectors.

Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin (330.973 SOR) - New York Times financial reporter Sorkin presents a moment-by-moment account of the recent financial collapse that documents state efforts to prevent an economic disaster, offering insight into the pivotal consequences of decisions made throughout the past decade. The book was also the basis for the HBO movie by the same name, starring James Woods, William Hurt and Cynthia Nixon.

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If you'd like more recommendations, stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!