5 books not to miss: Danny Trejo memoir, T.J. Newman's page-turning thriller 'Falling'
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 books are on sale Tuesday.
1. "Falling," by T.J. Newman (Avid Reader Press, fiction)
What it's about: A pilot’s family is taken hostage and he’s given an impossible choice: Crash the plane and kill the 143 other passengers on board or his family dies. The kicker? The first-time author is a former flight attendant who landed a seven-figure book deal.
The buzz: "'Falling' is expertly paced – if you were to begin reading this book at LAX, you’d finish it right as you began your descent into JFK, which is surely no accident," says a ★★★½ (out of four) review for USA TODAY.
2. "Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood," by Danny Trejo and Donal Logue (Atria, nonfiction)
What it's about: The ex-con turned film and TV icon charts his inspirational personal journey through some really tough spots, overcoming an abusive home, heroin addiction and prison stints to become a beloved Hollywood tough guy.
The buzz: "This page-turner will thrill the legend’s huge fan base," says a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
3. "Dear Miss Metropolitan," by Carolyn Ferrell (Henry Holt & Co., fiction)
What it's about: A longtime newspaperwoman, advice columnist Miss Metropolitan is shocked when she discovers that a neighbor had kidnapped teen girls and held them for years in his dilapidated house in Queens. How could she have missed this story?
The buzz: "It’s blistering from page one," says a starred review from Publishers Weekly, calling it "innovative and harrowing."
4. "Build Your House Around My Body," by Violet Kupersmith (Random House, fiction)
What it's about: In a debut novel drawing on a haunted Vietnam’s history and folklore, two linked young Vietnamese women go missing decades apart: One the teenage daughter of a wealthy family in the ’80s while fleeing her angry father, the other an unhappy Vietnamese American woman in the 2010s who disappears without a trace.
The buzz: "Drawing from genres as diverse as horror, humor, and historical fiction, Kupersmith creates a rich and dazzling spectacle," says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
5. "Wayward," by Dana Spiotta (Knopf, fiction)
What it's about: Samantha Raymond’s life begins to come apart in middle age after the 2016 election when she flees her suburban life to buy a decrepit house in a hardscrabble Syracuse neighborhood.
The buzz: "An engrossing, interior mother-daughter story that expands into a sharp social commentary," says a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 5 books not to miss: Danny Trejo memoir, T.J. Newman's 'Falling'
