Best Seller Read-Alikes for the Week of November 4th

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 this week in fiction is John Grisham's The Racketeer. Grisham's latest legal thriller centers around the murder of a federal judge and his attractive assistant. When the investigation stalls, imprisoned lawyer Malcolm Bannister (who is serving a 10 year sentence for  money laundering) tells the feds that he knows both the killer and the motive, but will only divulge the information in exchange for his freedom. In class Grisham style, the legal twists are numerous and effective. A fast-paced read for fans of Grisham and the genre.

Books and authors similar to Grisham include:

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly - Washed-up former hero cop Harry Bosch works to prove that the apparent overdose of a fellow Vietnam vet was actually a murder. Connelly is a crime reporter in Los Angeles and brings a strong authenticity to this procedural series. His writing is gritty and atmospheric with occasional forays into the gruesomely violent.

Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein - Fairstein’s series of fast-paced legal thrillers featuring Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper are gritty and suspenseful.  Fairstein takes inspiration from real crimes, and often has Alex juggle multiple cases. The first book is Final Jeopardy, when a woman on her way to Alex’s beach house is murdered, Alex’s life as Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit becomes even more complex.

Dead Irish by John T. Lescroart - When the boss of ex-cop and current barkeep Dimas Hardy begins an investigation into the alleged suicide of his brother-in-law, also a friend of Hardy, Hardy steps in to help the troubled bar owner and becomes privy to lives of the victim's family in his attempt to find the killer. Dead Irish is the first in an ongoing series of Lescroart's popular legal thrillers that echo Grishman's swift pacing and legal twists.

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Nonfiction

At #1 in non-fiction is Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, Bill O'Reilly & Michael Dugard's follow-up to their bestseller detailing President Lincoln's assassination (Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever). O'Reilly and Dugard take the same route here, retelling the events leading up to the assassination of President Kennedy and how the event affected the nation and the world.

Books similar to Killing Kennedy include:

Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi (973.922092 BUG) - Best known as the prosecutor of the Manson murders, Bugliosi presents a thorough analysis of the assassination of JFK and its surrounding conspiracy theories draws on forensic evidence, key witness testimonies, and other sources to explain what really happened and why conspiracy theories have become so popularized.

Jack Kennedy: An Elusive Hero by Christopher Matthews (Biog. Kennedy) - Based on interviews with some of his closest associates, Matthew creates a portrait of the thirty-fifth president, discussing his privileged childhood, military service, struggles with a life-threatening disease, and career in politics. More thoughtful that shocking, this biography delves deeper into the personal life of JFK.

The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard (973.84 MIL) - A narrative account of James Garfield's political career offers insight into his background as a scholar and Civil War hero, his battles against the corrupt establishment, and Alexander Graham Bell's failed attempt to save him from an assassin's bullet.

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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!