Six new books to check out in April
A 'pirate king,' a Hollywood fixer, and the new Erik Larson
You’re in for a real treat, because this month brings the latest from not one, but two titans of historical literary nonfiction: Erik Larson and Hampton Sides, whose forthcoming books have, predictably, climbed up the Amazon charts before even hitting shelves—or landing on doorsteps, to make the idiom work in a Bezosian sense. (Larson’s THE DEMON OF UNREST was hanging out in the top one hundred at the time of this writing, four weeks before showtime.) Also on tap for April: pirates, jewel heists, anti-Nazi spycraft, and a notorious private detective’s surveillance of Marilyn Monroe.
THE PIRATE KING: The Strange Adventures of Henry Avery and the Birth of the Golden Age of Piracy, by Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan (Pegasus Books, April 2)
From the publisher: “The incredible story of the ‘Robin Hood of the Seas,’ who absconded with millions during the Golden Age of Piracy and who harbored an even greater secret.” Kirkus Reviews says: “The authors untangle a web of conspiracy and subterfuge to create an engaging story of the golden age of piracy, following the adventures of two enormously enterprising men. An intriguing unraveling of a mystery that 'beggars belief.’”
THE WIDE WIDE SEA: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook, by Hampton Sides (Doubleday, April 9)
From the publisher: “An epic account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.” Elizabeth Kolbert writes in The New Yorker: “The Wide Wide Sea focusses almost exclusively on Cook’s third—and for him fatal—voyage. Sides portrays Cook’s decision to undertake it as an act of hubris. … Although it’s no hagiography, the book is also not likely to rattle teacups at the Captain Cook Society.”
THE KING OF DIAMONDS: The Search for the Elusive Texas Jewel Thief, by Rena Pederson (Pegasus Crime, April 9)
From the publisher: “The thrilling story of a brazen, uncatchable jewel thief who roamed the homes of Dallas high society—and a window into the dark secrets lurking beneath the surface of the Swinging Sixties.” Skip Hollandsworth calls it: “A simply riveting whodunit. … The veteran journalist Rena Pederson takes us on a wild ride through that now almost forgotten era. … Pederson has produced a true crime tour de force.”
THE FIXER: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn, by Josh Young and Manfred Westphal (Grand Central, April 16)
From the publisher: “A riveting tell-all biography that delves into the extraordinary life of Hollywood’s most infamous private detective and ‘fixer’ to the stars, revealing newly discovered shocking revelations from his never-before-seen investigative files.” Publishers Weekly says: “The authors recount such tantalizing exploits as the detective’s surveillance of Marilyn Monroe and her lovers. … Those eager for a peek into classic Hollywood scandals will be well satisfied.”
THE DEMON OF UNREST: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, by Erik Larson (Crown, April 30)
From the publisher: “The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life … a simmering crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two.” The New York Times says: “Larson … trawls a variety of archives to explore the historically momentous months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Battle of Fort Sumter — the end of which, in 1861, began the Civil War.”
CRACKING THE NAZI CODE: The Untold Story of Agent A12 and the Solving of the Holocaust Code, by Jason Bell (Pegasus Books, April 30)
From the publisher: “The thrilling true story of Agent A12, the earliest enemy of the Nazis, and the first spy to crack Hitler’s deadliest secret code: the framework of the Final Solution.” Library Journal’s starred review says: “The book vividly documents the spy’s efforts to alert the British of Nazi plans. … The author writes a gripping account of the spy, who also was an academic at Harvard and McGill.”
'The Fixer' sounds a little trashy – but strangely irresistible…