Conflict and controversy fill this week’s selections in the Newsmax Rising Bestsellers. In the first, an investigative reporter gives details and context to a murder case that drew worldwide attention. There are also the musings of a firebrand and of the most controversial conservative members of Congress, in her own words. Another describes the battles that changed the course of World War II within a single month. And finally, a New York Times bestselling historical author will describe a momentous presidential appointment that broke racial barriers at the beginning of the 20th century. And for fiction enthusiasts, there is the latest offering from one of America’s most read and prolific novelists.
“Alex Cross Must Die,” by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company)
The master of the suspense-thriller genre is art it again with the 32nd installment of his Alex Cross series, described as “one of the greatest fictional detectives of all time” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This one features a serial killer named the “Dead Hours Killer,” who targets airline pilots, and begins when a commercial plane filled with passengers is shot down, killing all on board. That sends Cross and his partner John Sampson to the crash scene to sniff out clues and find the killer. “The author has delivered time and time again with this series, it really does not get boring as a long running series sometimes can,” wrote Vicky for GoodReads. “The author manages to keep the action and the tension throughout each and every story. Another first class read and a great addition to the series.” [Fiction]
“Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty,” by Mandy Matney (William Morrow)
Investigative journalist and “Murdaugh Murders Podcast” producer Mandy Matney describes the collapse of the once-influential South Carolina legal dynasty. Years before the Murdaugh name was broadcast on the nightly news, Matney and her investigative partner Liz Farrell thought something was not quite right about the string of murders involving family members and employees, and they set their sights on the family patriarch, Alex Murdaugh. “Great book!” said Carrie Hutchinson, reviewing for GoodReads, who said she also followed the author’s podcast series on the family. “Mandy offers a view to her life before and during her reporting on the many twists and turns she uncovered while investigating the Murdaugh family. This book is a must read, if you want to know the REAL story of how the details of this unbelievable saga broke.” [Nonfiction]
“MTG,” by Marjorie Taylor Greene (Winning Team Publishing)
From the moment this relatively young, conservative, small business owner from Georgia entered Washington politics as a MAGA congresswoman, she’s been ridiculed and misquoted by the left-leaning reporters and colleagues — especially those seated on the other side of the aisle. This book — her first — is her attempt to set the record straight. “This is a very refreshing book to use as a resource for those who are unaware of the reality of the Democratic Party and workings of our government,” wrote Gail, reviewing for Amazon. “MTG shows courage as she tells her story. It's a shame that anyone should be subjected to the lies and harassment. But she has also shown how truth and integrity always shine a light to give us hope.” But perhaps the best reason to read “MTG” is that every left-leaning reviewer from every left-leaning publication hated, scorned, and ridiculed it. [Nonfiction]
“November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II,” by Peter Englund (Knopf)
Through eyewitness accounts of 39 people who were in theater, Peter Englund describes the events in November 1942 that changed the tide of World War II: the second battle of El Alamein, Guadalcanal, the French North Africa landings, the Japanese retreat in New Guinea and the Soviet encirclement of the German 6th Army at Stalingrad. On Nov. 1 of that year the Axis powers were firmly in control. Thirty days later the Allies held the upper hand. “This engrossing book drops us — in medias res —into a brief period crowded with terrible events, [the] narrative woven from first-hand accounts of 39 individuals,” wrote Karin Altenberg, for The Wall Street Journal. “Mr. Englund’s approach echoes Homer’s 'Iliad,' which tries to understand at once the mayhem of war, the forces that drive it and the feelings its violence leaves behind...A wide-ranging and nimbly moving narrative, offering a personal and panoptic view of one convulsive month.... Mr. Englund’s tour de force casts a long shadow into our present — and its raw voices haunt me still.” [Nonfiction]
“Teddy and Booker T.: How Two American Icons Blazed a Path for Racial Equality,” by Brian Kilmeade (Sentinel)
When Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to enter the White House in the 20th century, he shocked the nation when he appointed the country’s most visible black man, author, educator, and civil rights leader Booker T. Washington, as one of his advisors. This came fast upon the establishment of Jim Crow laws throughout the South, which legalized racial discrimination. “I’ve read several of Brian Kilmeade’s books. I enjoy his take on history; he makes it interesting, entertaining, and informative. Teddy and Booker T, in my opinion, is his best yet, and I highly recommend it,” wrote Bill Powers for GoodReads. The story “drives home the point that history is an unending journey that requires time, patience, and wisdom. Regardless of race, we desperately need more men like Teddy and Booker T. today.” [Nonfiction]
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