The controversial takedown of a South Carolina legal dynast and two different
national security concerns — the first centered at the heavens, and the second more down to Earth – highlight this week’s Newsmax Rising Bestsellers. The final nonfiction pick is a biography of one of today’s most controversial NFL quarterbacks. There is also a fiction offering — the latest from one of America’s most-read crime-thriller authors.
“The Waiting: A Ballard and Bosch Novel,” by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company)
Michael Connelly weaves his long-running Harry Bosch series into this sixth installment of his L.A.P.D. Detective Renée Ballard series of novels by introducing Bosch’s daughter Maddie. In this one, patrol officer Maddie Bosch offers to serve on the L.A.P.D. Open-Unsolved Unit to help track down the two-decade-old cold case of a serial rapist and murderer. After getting a genetic clue into the criminal’s identity, the case becomes more complex, prompting Ballard to enlist the help of Harry Bosch himself. “Michael Connelly shows once again why he is a master of the crime novel. ‘The Waiting’ has been my most anticipated book for 2024, as his books are every year,” wrote Mandy White in her GoodReads review. “As I have said before, you just have to read this book and this series. It just keeps getting better every year. Connelly never lets this long-time fan down, and I doubt that he ever will.” [Fiction]
“The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty,”
by Valerie Bauerlein (Ballantine Books)
This instant New York Times bestseller is a deep dive into the Murdaugh murders, committed by a local legal dynasty patriarch and president of the South Carolina trial lawyers’ association, that both horrified and captivated the nation. Alex Murdaugh seemed to have it all — money, power, and success — yet threw it all away by murdering both his wife and adult son. And he very nearly got away with it. This is “the definitive account,” according to Pulitzer Prize winner John Carreyrou. “Loved this book and could not put it down!” wrote R.D. Grubbs in his Amazon review. “I started my legal career in South Carolina and dealt with the Murdaughs. Reading the book, I came across old colleagues, law school classmates, and my former partner. The book is well researched, well written, and worth the read!” [Nonfiction]
“Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs,” by Luis Elizondo (William Morrow)
Are we alone? Or are there advanced civilizations from other worlds visiting us? This instant No. 1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller is the inside account of the Pentagon’s former director of its investigation into unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), more popularly called unidentified flying objects (UFOs). For the first time, Luis “Lue” Elizondo reveals secrets that have long been hidden from the public — history’s greatest mystery and cover-up that implicate both national security and our fundamental understanding of the cosmos. “A procession of books in recent years have explored the UFO phenomenon but few perhaps with the authority Luis Elizondo brings as a Defense Department insider, laboring for decades to learn who the visitors are, where they are from and what they want,” wrote Jeff Rowe for The Associated Press. [Nonfiction]
“Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer,” by Brian Reisinger (Skyhorse)
Possibly without realizing it, politicians are turning the family farm — once the rock of American society — into a thing of the past. Onerous regulations and especially estate and inheritance tax laws are steadily replacing the family farm with corporate farming. And this isn’t necessarily a good trend. As a result, food prices often outpace inflation while domestic food supply wanes, making America more dependent on foreign sources — a hit to the security of the nation. “With newly analyzed data, sharp historical analysis, honest debate, and personal storytelling, Reisinger reveals the roots of a problem with stakes as high as they come,” wrote Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg. “A vulnerable food supply, soaring prices for American families, environmental and ecological decay, farmer suicides, addictions, a deepening urban-rural divide, and more worries than ever about what’s for dinner. These are all becoming the hallmarks of a food system that has long stood as a modern miracle. ‘Land Rich, Cash Poor’ offers the honest truth about these issues, and a candid look at what we can do about them—before it’s too late.” [Nonfiction]
“Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” by Ian O'Connor (Mariner Books)
In this instant New York Times bestseller, sports biographer Ian O’Connor pulls back the curtain on one of the NFL’s most talented quarterbacks — Aaron Rodgers — who also happens to be the most mysterious and polarizing figure on the gridiron. Rodgers has always been a subject of attention, from his refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine to his relationships with race car driver Danica Patrick and actresses Olivia Munn and Shailene Woodley. To top it off, in his first game for the New York Jets, after being traded from the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers suffered a devastating Achilles tendon injury. “Add it all up and it makes ‘Out of Darkness’ an extremely interesting read,” concluded Zach Koenig in his GoodReads review. “But O’Connor lays out the facts — from his own interviews/research and from the source himself — in a way that is extremely thought-provoking.” [Nonfiction]