May 2024 Adult Top 10 Picks

← Return to Archive Sign up for our mailing list
  1. This Summer Will Be Different
    by Carley Fortune Canada
    Viking
    May 07, 2024
    FICTION / Romance / General
    Paperback / softback
    This Summer Will Be Different
    by Carley Fortune Canada
    Viking
    May 07, 2024
    FICTION / Romance / General
    Paperback / softback
    THE INSTANT #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

    A glorious and tantalizing new escape from #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune.


    This summer they’ll keep their promise. This summer they won't give into temptation. This summer will be different.

    Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. The only problem: Lucy doesn’t know he’s her best friend’s younger brother. Lucy and Felix’s chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again.

    It’s easier said than done.

    Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI for a big breath of coastal air, fresh oysters and crisp vinho verde with her best friend, Bridget. Every visit begins with a long walk on the beach, beneath soaring red cliffs and a golden sun. And every visit, Lucy promises herself she won’t wind up in Felix’s bed. Again.

    If Lucy can’t help being drawn to Felix, at least she’s always kept her heart out of it.

    When Bridget suddenly flees Toronto a week before her wedding, Lucy drops everything to follow her to the island. Her mission is to help Bridget through her crisis and resist the one man she’s never been able to. But Felix’s sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy’s beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  2. Camino Ghosts
    by John Grisham
    Doubleday
    May 28, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Hardback
    Camino Ghosts
    by John Grisham
    Doubleday
    May 28, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Hardback
    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Escape to Camino Island, where bookseller Bruce Cable and novelist Mercer Mann always manage to find trouble in paradise.

    Don’t miss John Grisham’s upcoming Framed, his first work of nonfiction since The Innocent Man!

    Mercer Mann, a popular writer from Camino Island, is back on the beach, marrying her boyfriend, Thomas, in a seaside ceremony. Bruce Cable, infamous owner of Bay Books, performs the wedding. Afterward, Bruce tells Mercer that he has stumbled upon an incredible story. Mercer desperately needs an idea for her next novel, and Bruce now has one.

    The true story is about Dark Isle, a sliver of a barrier island not far off the North Florida coast. It was settled by freed slaves three hundred years ago, and their descendants lived there until 1955, when the last one was forced to leave. That last descendant is Lovely Jackson, elderly now, who loves her birthplace and its remarkable history. But now Tidal Breeze, a huge, ruthless corporate developer, wants to build a resort and casino on the island, which Lovely knows, deep down, is rightfully hers.

    Mercer befriends Lovely, and they plunge into an enormous fight over who owns Dark Isle, taking on Tidal Breeze Corporation, its lawyers, lobbyists, and powerful Florida politicians. But Lovely knows something about the island that could seriously cloud the dollar signs in the developer’s eyes: the island is cursed. It has remained uninhabited for nearly a century for some very real and very troubling reasons. The deep secrets of the past are about to collide with the enormous ambitions of the present, and the fate of Dark Isle—and Camino Island, too—hangs in the balance.

    Look for all of John Grisham’s rollicking Camino novels:
    Camino Island
    Camino Winds
    Camino Ghosts
    View this title on BNC CataList
  3. One Perfect Couple
    by Ruth Ware
    Simon & Schuster
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Women
    Paperback / softback
    One Perfect Couple
    by Ruth Ware
    Simon & Schuster
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Women
    Paperback / softback
    Ruth Ware, the powerhouse New York Times bestselling author with over six million books sold to date, returns with her ninth novel, which promises to be the summer’s most gripping beach read.

    Lyla is in a bit of a rut. Her post-doctorate research has fizzled out, she’s pretty sure her contract will not be extended, and things with her boyfriend, Nico, an aspiring actor, aren’t going great. When the opportunity arises for Nico to join the cast of a new reality TV show, The Perfect Couple, she decides to try out with him. This is the big break she needs! A whirlwind preproduction process later, Lyla finds herself whisked off to a tropical paradise with Nico, boating through the Indian Ocean towards Ever After Island, where the two of them will compete against four other couples—Bayer and Angel, Dan and Santana, Joe and Romi, and Connor and Zana—in order to win a cash prize.

    Alas, not long after they arrive on the deserted island, things start going wrong. After the first challenge leaves everyone rattled and angry, an overnight storm takes matters from bad to worse. Cut off from the mainland by miles of ocean, deprived of their phones, and unable to reach the boat and crew that brought them there, the group must band together for survival. Tensions run high and fresh water runs low. Then, one by one, contestants start to die. Lyla suddenly realizes she and Nico are trapped on the island with a murderer on the loose…and nowhere to hide.

    A fast-paced, spellbinding thriller rife with intrigue and characters that feel true to life, this novel proves yet again that Ruth Ware is the queen of psychological suspense.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  4. The 24th Hour
    by James Patterson
    Little, Brown and Company
    May 06, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Hardback
    The 24th Hour
    by James Patterson
    Little, Brown and Company
    May 06, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Suspense
    Hardback
    As enemies lurk in the shadows, “Tough-but-tender cop Lindsay Boxer” (People) leads the Women’s Murder Club in the high-profile murder investigation of a billionaire San Francisco couple—will Cindy, Claire, Yuki, and Lindsay still be standing when the clock strikes midnight?​

    SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano, and crime writer Cindy Thomas gather at one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants to celebrate exciting news: Cindy is getting married.

    Before they can raise their glasses, there’s a disturbance in the restaurant. A woman has been assaulted.

    Claire examines the victim. Lindsay makes an arrest. Yuki takes the case. Cindy covers it.

    The legal strategy is complicated by gaps in the plaintiff’s memory—and the shocking reason behind her ever-changing testimony.

    As Yuki leads the prosecution, Lindsay chases down a high-society killer whose target practice may leave the Women’s Murder Club short a bridesmaid … or two.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  5. Think Twice
    by Harlan Coben
    Grand Central Publishing
    May 14, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Domestic
    Hardback
    Think Twice
    by Harlan Coben
    Grand Central Publishing
    May 14, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Domestic
    Hardback
    A man presumed dead is suddenly wanted for murder in this thriller of secrets, lies, and dangerous conspiracies that threaten to cover up the truth.

    Three years ago, sports agent Myron Bolitar gave a eulogy at the funeral of his client, renowned basketball coach Greg Downing. Myron and Greg had history: initially as deeply personal rivals, and later as unexpected business associates. Myron made peace and moved on – until now, when two federal agents walked into his office, demanding to know where Greg Downing is.

    According to the agents, Greg is still alive—and has been placed at the scene of a double homicide, making him their main suspect. Shocked, Myron needs answers.

    Myron and Win, longtime friends and colleagues, set out to find the truth, but the more they discover about Greg, the more dangerous their world becomes. Secrets, lies, and a murderous conspiracy that stretches back into the past churn at the heart of Harlan Coben's blistering new novel.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  6. You Like It Darker
    by Stephen King
    Scribner
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Supernatural
    Hardback
    You Like It Darker
    by Stephen King
    Scribner
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Thrillers / Supernatural
    Hardback
    From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

    “You like it darker? Fine, so do I,” writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,” and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

    “Two Talented Bastids” explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,” a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,” a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,” a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man” asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

    King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  7. I Will Ruin You
    by Linwood Barclay Canada
    William Morrow
    May 07, 2024
    Hardback
    I Will Ruin You
    by Linwood Barclay Canada
    William Morrow
    May 07, 2024
    Hardback

    "Linwood Barclay's I Will Ruin You is a page-turner that also has important things to say. You'll get your money's worth out of this one." –Stephen King

    In the latest novel from New York Times bestselling author Linwood Barclay, a teacher’s act of heroism inadvertently makes him the target of a dangerous blackmailer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

    How would you react in a life-or-death situation?

    It’s a question everyone asks themselves, but few have to face in real life. English teacher Richard Boyle certainly never thought he would find himself talking down a former student intent on harming others, but when Mark LeDrew shows up at Richard’s school with a bomb strapped to his chest, Richard immediately jumps into action. Thanks to some quick thinking, he averts a major tragedy and is hailed as a hero, but not all the attention focused on him is positive.

    Richard’s brief moment in the spotlight puts him in the sights of a deranged blackmailer with a score to settle. The situation rapidly spirals out of control, drawing Richard into a fraught web of salacious accusations and deadly secrets. As he tries to uncover the truth he discovers that there’s something deeply wrong in the town—something that ties together Mark, the blackmailer, and a gang of ruthless drug dealers, and Richard has landed smack in the middle of it. He’s desperate to find a way out, but everyone in his life seems to be hiding something, and trusting the wrong person could cost him everything he loves.

    What price will he pay for one good deed?

    View this title on BNC CataList
  8. Lies and Weddings
    by Kevin Kwan
    Doubleday Canada
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander
    Hardback
    Lies and Weddings
    by Kevin Kwan
    Doubleday Canada
    May 21, 2024
    FICTION / Asian American & Pacific Islander
    Hardback
    From the iconic internationally bestselling author of the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy: A forbidden affair erupts volcanically amid a decadent tropical wedding in this outrageous comedy of manners from the iconic author of Crazy Rich Asians.

    Rufus Leung Gresham, future Duke of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.

    Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.

    Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?

    In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  9. The Paradise Problem
    by Christina Lauren
    Gallery Books
    May 14, 2024
    FICTION / Romance / Romantic Comedy
    Hardback
    The Paradise Problem
    by Christina Lauren
    Gallery Books
    May 14, 2024
    FICTION / Romance / Romantic Comedy
    Hardback
    Christina Lauren, the instant New York Times bestselling and “reigning romance queens” (PopSugar), returns with a delicious new romance between the buttoned-up heir of a grocery chain and his free-spirited artist ex as they fake their relationship in order to receive a massive inheritance.

    Anna Green thought she was marrying Liam “West” Weston for access to subsidized family housing while at UCLA. She also thought she’d signed divorce papers when the graduation caps were tossed, and they both went on their merry ways.

    Three years later, Anna is a starving artist living paycheck to paycheck while West is a Stanford professor. He may be one of four heirs to the Weston Foods conglomerate, but he has little interest in working for the heartless corporation his family built from the ground up. He is interested, however, in his one-hundred-million-dollar inheritance. There’s just one catch.

    Due to an antiquated clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam won’t see a penny until he’s been happily married for five years. Just when Liam thinks he’s in the home stretch, pressure mounts from his family to see this mysterious spouse, and he has no choice but to turn to the one person he’s afraid to introduce to his one-percenter parents—his unpolished, not-so-ex-wife.

    But in the presence of his family, Liam’s fears quickly shift from whether the feisty, foul-mouthed, paint-splattered Anna can play the part to whether the toxic world of wealth will corrupt someone as pure of heart as his surprisingly grounded and loyal wife. Liam will have to ask himself if the price tag on his flimsy cover story is worth losing true love that sprouted from a lie.
    View this title on BNC CataList
  10. Southern Man
    by Greg Iles
    William Morrow
    May 28, 2024
    Hardback
    Southern Man
    by Greg Iles
    William Morrow
    May 28, 2024
    Hardback

    An instant New York Times bestseller!

    “Greg Iles is one of America’s great storytellers." Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author

    "A first-rate political thriller."John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author

    The hugely anticipated new Penn Cage novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Natchez Burning trilogy and Cemetery Road, about a man—and a town—rocked by anarchy and tragedy, but unbowed in the fight to save those they love

    Fifteen years after the events of the Natchez Burning trilogy, Penn Cage is alone. Nearly all his loved ones are dead, his old allies gone, and he carries a mortal secret that separates him from the world. But Penn’s exile comes to an end when a brawl at a Mississippi rap festival triggers a bloody mass shooting—one that nearly takes the life of his daughter Annie.

    As the stunned cities of Natchez and Bienville reel, antebellum plantation homes continue to burn and the deadly attacks are claimed by a Black radical group as historic acts of justice. Panic sweeps through the tourist communities, driving them inexorably toward a race war.

    But what might have been only a regional sideshow of the 2024 Presidential election explodes into national prominence, thanks to the stunning ascent of Robert E. Lee White, a Southern war hero who seizes the public imagination as a third-party candidate. Dubbed “the Tik-Tok Man,” and funded by an eccentric Mississippi billionaire, Bobby White rides the glory of his Special Forces record to an unprecedented run at the White House—one unseen since the campaign of H. Ross Perot.

    To triumph over the national party machines, Bobby evolves a plan of unimaginable daring. One fateful autumn weekend, with White set to declare his candidacy in all fifty states, the forces polarizing America line up against one another: Black vs. white, states vs. the federal government, democracy vs. Fascism. Teaming with his fearless daughter (now a civil rights lawyer) and a former Black Panther who spent most of his life in Parchman Prison, Penn tears into Bobby White’s pursuit of the Presidency and ultimately risks a second Civil War to try to expose its motivation to the world, before the America of our Constitution slides into the abyss.

    In Southern Man, Greg Iles returns to the riveting style and historic depth that made the Natchez Burning trilogy a searing masterpiece and hurls the narrative fifteen years forward into our current moment—where America itself teeters on the brink of anarchy.

    View this title on BNC CataList

Sign up for our mailing list!

Sign up for the latest top 10 lists and other news about Loan Stars. You can unsubscribe at any time.


Sign up!