Newsmax Rising Bestsellers – Week of July 31, 2023

A memorable phrase from the 1930’s radio serial “The Shadow”: “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” applies to four of this week’s selection in Newsmax’s Rising Bestsellers. In one, a 40-year-old robbery-murder still haunts some of the people on the Emerald Isle. In another, a pharmaceutical company’s release of a “wonder drug” before it was adequately tested led to horrifying results. There is also the evil of “a new world order” that international organizations have planned for us, and the fiction selection of the week is centered on the evil obsession of a killer. For others there is a contemporary tale of a bright rising star in the world of America’s favorite pastime.

“62: Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees, and the Pursuit of Greatness,” by Bryan Hoch (Atria Books)

The Aaron Judge story is the ultimate “small town boy makes it in the Big Apple” tale. After he was drafted as an outfielder by the New York Yankees, he repaid the favor by being unanimously named as the  American League “Rookie of the Year” for 2017 and finishing second for its “Most Valuable Player” for the same year. In 2022 he hit 62 home runs, setting a league season record. “As a lifelong Yankees fan, I could talk about Judge and his home run record forever,” said Ray Palen, reviewing for Book Reporter. “But I believe that readers would benefit more by picking up this engaging book. It does not leave you wanting anything, providing a front-row seat to one of the greatest single-season achievements and years in the history of Major League Baseball.” (Nonfiction)

“Obsessed: A Psychological Thriller,” by James Patterson and James O. Born (Little, Brown and Company)

As the title suggests, this 15th installment of Michael Bennett thrillers is a tale of obsession. A killer is obsessed with Detective Bennett’s daughter; Bennett is just as obsessed with keeping his family safe. “Keeps you guessing all the way through. Gripping reading as always and keeps you on the edge of your seat. A fair bit of humor as well,” said Judi Stroud for GoodReads. “Read most of James Patterson and looking forward to September for the next Women's Murder Club 23rd Midnight.” (Fiction)

“A Thread of Violence: A Story of Truth, Invention, and Murder,” by Mark O'Connell (Doubleday)

This is a case that rocked all of Ireland 40 years ago when debonair heir and socialite Malcolm Macarthur found himself in a desperate situation of his own making — he’d run through nearly all of his inheritance. Rather than reduce expenses and seek employment, he hatched a scheme to rob a bank — and the plan went horribly wrong. He shot and killed two innocent people in the process, setting in motion an intense manhunt. “A remarkable meditation on the murder case that rocked 1980s Ireland,” wrote The Guardian. “O’Connell’s literary persona is warm and winning: curious and tenacious, yes, but also modest, hesitant, self-querying. Nonetheless, this book is an outstanding achievement, and a worthy addition to literary attempts to understand the human propensity for evil.” (Nonfiction)

“Wonder Drug: The Secret History of Thalidomide in America and Its Hidden Victims,” by Jennifer Vanderbes (Random House)

This is the riveting story of pharmaceutical malpractice, when an Ohio-based drug firm began touting thalidomide as a sedative having no risks. But what was sold as a miracle drug soon became a subject suitable for a horror film. So-called thalidomide babies were soon born of mothers who took the drug during pregnancy — babies with severe birth defects including missing limbs. “Wonder Drug” is especially timely coming during the growing controversy of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. “The author weaves the various strands of her riveting tale together with aplomb, and she clearly explains even the most puzzling aspects of it,” wrote Kirkus Reviews. “A significant work about a horrifying example of widespread pharmaceutical negligence.” (Nonfiction)

“You Will Own Nothing: Your War with a New Financial World Order and How to Fight Back,” by Carol Roth (Broadside Books)

Klaus Schwab, the founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, made eight dystopian predictions in 2020 for the next 10 years. The first was: “You’ll own nothing” — And “you’ll be happy about it.” When Chicago-based free market cheerleader and business commentator Carol Roth first heard that prediction for 2030, she dismissed it as fantasy. Then she did some digging, and this book is the result. “In ‘You Will Own Nothing¸’ Roth reveals how the agendas of Wall Street, world governments, international organizations, socialist activists, and multinational corporations like Blackrock all work together to reduce the power of the dollar and prevent millions of Americans from taking control of their wealth,” said Jon Gabriel, “the King of Stuff.” (Nonfiction)