In our New Title Radar for this week, we called George Pelecanos a “Usual Suspect,” since the release of a new title by him is a regular event, but we could have also characterized him as a “Media Darling.”

Reviews for his new book, The Cut, (Reagan Arthur/ Little, Brown; Audio, Hachette Audio and AudioGo) releasing today, appeared in a remarkable number of major newspapers in the last few days. All but one are enthusiastic about the beginning of this new series, featuring 29-year-old ex-Marine, Spero Lucas:

New York Times, by Janet Maslin (August 29, 2011); The Cut, “does a fine job of establishing Spero as a durable and highly appealing hero. And it sets up a back story and modus operandi that will work well for him in the future.”

Los Angeles Times, by Carolyn Kellogg (August 28, 2011); “For all the winningness of Spero Lucas — his modesty, postwar impatience, love for his family, devoted reading, easy banter, good taste in restaurants, gestures of kindness — it’s [the book’s] forward drive that makes him interesting, that makes him an excellent candidate for a mystery series.”

Washington Post, by Jonathan Yardley (August 28, 2011); “A book that entertains can also enrich, instruct and even enlighten. George Pelecanos’s books do all of that, which is plenty good enough for me.”

Portland Oregonian, by Steve Duin (August 27, 2011); the one reviewer who says Pelecanos is not at the top of his game with this one, still admits, “The Cut is not a total loss. Even when Pelecanos is misfiring, his writing has a fine rhythm, particularly when the novelist is taking readers on guided tours inside the Beltway.”

Financial Times, by Christopher Fowler (August 26); “This is gold-standard character-driven crime writing that few will ever match.”

Philadelphia Inquirer, by Dan DeLuca, 8/28; “George Pelecanos is rejuvenated in The Cut, the literary crime writer’s 17th novel and the first to feature Spero Lucas.”

USA Today, Interview by Carol Memmot, 8/28 (Pelecanos was also interviewed at the beginning of the month on NPR’s Morning Edition).

Pelecanos is a media darling in another context; he is a writer on two acclaimed HBO series, The Wire and Treme.

The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd (Morrow, Jan ’10) came out with high expectations last January, but only landed on the extended NYT Fiction Bestseller list for one week. If you still have copies around, here’s a chance to get more mileage out of them; as they say, it’s going to  become a major motion picture.

The story features a disillusioned FBI agent, working as a bricklayer, who is lured back in to the fold to help stop a criminal group that is blackmailing the bureau. Gerard Butler (300) has just signed to play the lead.

No news yet on when  production will begin.

The second book in the series, Agent X, came out in February.

The movie Parker, based on Flashfire, (recently reissued by the U. of Chicago Press) one of the later titles in the Parker series by Donald Westlake (writing under the name Richard Stark) has begun shooting in New Orleans and is scheduled for release on Oct. 12, 2012, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Directed by Taylor Hackford, it stars Jason Statham as the hardboiled thief Parker, Jennifer Lopez as a real estate agent who becomes his accomplice, and Nick Nolte as his mentor.

The series began in in 1961 with The Hunter (which was made into two movies, Point Blank, starring Lee Marvin in 1987 and The Payback in 1999, starring Mel Gibson) and continued through the ’70’s. Westlake brought the character back nearly 25 years later in the appropriately named Comeback in 1997. Flashfire, published in 2000, is part of the new series.

The prolific Westlake died in 2008. For an assessment of Parker’s appeal, read Sarah Weinman’s “The Violent and Work-Filled World of Parker.”

NPR’s Morning Edition jumps the gun by interviewing George Pelecanos a month in advance of the release of his next novel, The Cut.

The Cut (Spero Lucas) George Pelecanos Retail Price: $12.99 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books – (2011-08-29) ISBN / EAN: /

Hachette Audio; AudioGo

NYT reviewer Janet Maslin proved herself a fan of crime writer Colin Cotterill in 2007, when she praised his Dr. Siri Paiboun books set in Laos during the turbulent 1970’s for their “wry, seasoned, offhand style…the secret weapon of this unexpectedly blithe and charming series.”

She is also a fan of the first book in Cotterill’s new Killed at the Whim of a Hat (featured on our Watch List for this week; coming in Large Print from Thorndike in Nov; ISBN 9781410441270), the first in a new series and the author’s first book with Minotaur. Set in southern Thailand, where Cotterill lives, it features  “sardonic, self-important” female crime reporter, Jimm Juree.

Where does the title come from? A George Bush speech from 2004,

Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat.

Killed at the Whim of a Hat Colin Cotterill Retail Price: $24.99 Hardcover: 384 pages Publisher: Minotaur Books – (2011-07-19) ISBN / EAN: 0312564538 / 9780312564537

Highbridge Audio

Soho will publish the eighth and final book in the Dr. Siri series, Slash and Burn, (9781616951160) in December. The full backlist is available in pbk. from Soho and Blackstone Audio is in the process of bringing out all the titles. Ebooks of the backlist are shown as “coming soon” on OverDrive.

You know you’ve arrived when your new book is heralded by a publication day sit-down with Matt Lauer on the Today Show. This is now a regular event for Daniel Silva, whose new book, Portrait of a Spy arrived yesterday (it also happens that his wife works for the show, but the fact that each of his last four books has gone to #1 on the NYT Best Seller list probably trumps nepotism). This is the eleventh title in the Gabriel Allon series.

Universal Studios recently acquired the film rights to the series. This is the first of Silva’s books published by HarperCollins after his switch from Putnam.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sorry, folks, but the rumor has been confirmed. Tom Cruise will play Jack Reacher in the film, One Shot, based on Lee Child’s novel, according to Deadline.

Shooting will begin this fall.

As dozens of you have pointed out, the role will be a stretch for Cruise; Reacher is described in the novels as 6’5″ and 250 pounds. Child himself has endorsed Cruise, however, saying, “Reacher’s size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way.”

One Shot is the ninth novel in the  Reacher series. Coming this fall is #17, The Affair, (Delacorte, 9/27).

Next week brings various views of the post-9/11 world, including a book that examines ten years worth of evidence about the attacks (The Eleventh Day) and another that looks at upheavals in the Middle East after bin Laden’s death (Rock the Casbah). In fiction, publishers continue to fill the beach reading pipeline.

Watch List

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) follows 11-year-old Harri Opuku, a recent Ghanaian immigrant in London’s housing projects, as he investigates the apparent murder of one of his classmates. LJ says, “If your patrons liked Roddy Doyle’s Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and if they rooted for Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire, they will love Harri Opuku.”

Rising Star

Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill (Minotaur Books) launches a new mystery series featuring one of Thailand’s hottest crime reporters, who’s roped into running a down-at-the-heels resort purchased by her possibly senile mother and stumbles into murder. It has THREE starred reviews, from LJ, PW and Booklist, which says “Cotterill combines plenty of humor with fascinating and unusual characters, a solid mystery, and the relatively unfamiliar setting of southern Thailand to launch what may be the best new international mystery series since the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.” Librarians on GalleyChat agree that it’s a fun read.

Usual Suspects

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons (Grand Central) explores a disintegrating marriage and familial betrayal in rural North Carolina. Kirkus says, “Siddons is at her usual incisive best at skewering the mores of socially pretentious Southerners, and her prose is limpid and mesmerizing, but the Grand Guignol denouement beggars belief.”

Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel (Delacorte) follows a mother-daughter duo—one a Martha Stewart-style lifestyle guru, the other a shy, gifted chef—both facing turning points, and each about to find love when she least expects it.

Justice by Karen Robards (Gallery Press) is the latest adventure featuring criminal attorney Jessica Ford, as she defends the victim of a rape case involving a sentor’s son.

Split Second by Catherine Coulter (Putnam) continues the FBI Thriller series with agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, this time locking horns with a serial killer who has ties to Ted Bundy. Booklist says, “Told from several points of view, including the serial killer’s, the novel moves quickly, thanks to short chapters and numerous plot twists. One plot element, the appearance of a magic ring, requires significant suspension of disbelief and proves jarring in this otherwise realistic and, in the main, riveting story.”

Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva (Harper) is an espionage thriller whose protagonist is both an art enthusiast and secret agent.

Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Dominian by Eric Van Lustbader (Grand Central Publishing) continues Robert Ludlum’s story of Jason Bourne, a rogue secret agent who has lost his memory. Publishers Weekly says, “it’s a testament to Lustbader’s skills that he can keep everyone in place and blazing away without losing track of the ongoing plot. While one needn’t have read the earlier volumes, knowledge of the last two or three would help keep things straight.” This is the fourth in the Bourne series written by Lustbader. Of course, Ludlum’s Bourne titles have been made into successful movies, starring Matt Damon. The first of the series to be written by Lustbader, The Bourne Legacy, is currently in pre-production as a movie, but this time without Damon. The planned release date is Aug. 3, 2012.

Star Wars: Choices of One by Timothy Zahn (LucasBooks) is a new adventure for Luke Skywalker and friends set during the original trilogy.

Nonfiction

The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA by Joby Warrick (Doubleday) is a Pulitzer Prize–winning Washington Post intelligence reporter’s investigation of the intelligence failures that allowed a suicide bomber to kill seven CIA agents in Afghanistan. LJ says, “Warrick’s straight journalistic report, without editorializing, is highly recommended both to those who follow the U.S. war on terror and to all readers of spy and espionage thrillers.”

The Eleventh Day: The Full Story of 9/11 and Osama bin Laden by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan (Ballantine) uses a decade of new information to analyze the 9/11 attacks.

Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World by Robin Wright (Simon & Schuster) is look at the upheaval in the Middle East following Osama bin Laden’s death and the recent uprisings that delivers the stirring news that jihadism is fading, and Arab nations are finally entering the modern world. Kirkus ays that it is “more journalism than deep analysis, [and] paints a vivid portrait of dramatic changes in the Islamic world.”

Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life by Mike Leach (Diversion) is a look at the unorthodox career path and coaching techniques that helped Leach take the Texas Tech Red Raiders to numerous bowl games, achieving the #2 slot in national rankings and being voted 2008 Coach of the Year before being unceremoniously fired at the end of the 2009 season.

Libraries reported unexpectedly heavy holds on several titles during this week’s GalleyChat. The following list is in order by the largest holds ratios in the libraries we checked.

Once Upon a River, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Norton, 7/5; Holds over 10:1

The author’s collection of short stories, American Salvage, was a surprise finalist for the 2009 National Book Award. After the NBA put the book on the map, it appeared on most of the end-of-the year best books lists. With one exception, the consumer reviews for Campbell’s new book have been very strong, with Ron Charles in the Washington Post describing the book’s appeal most clearly. Curiously, neither the daily NYT nor the Sunday NYT Book Review have covered it.

Sister, Rosamund Lupton, Crown, 6/7; Holds 8:1 where buying is light

A debut novel that the NYT BR describes as a “taut, hold-your-breath-and-your-handkerchief thriller,” which was a big success in the UK last year.

 
The Watery Part of the World, Michael Parker, Algonquin, 4/26; Holds 8:1 where buying is light

Prepub reviews for this historical novel set on the Outer Banks of North Carolina were very strong, with Kirkus giving it a star (“A vividly imagined historical tale”). Nancy Pearl calls it “transporting” and included it in her “10 Terrific Summer Reads” on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Iron House, John Hart, St. Martins, 7/12; Holds 3:1
Audio, Macmillan audio; Large print, Thorndike

Three to one holds may not be impressive, but this is likely to be just the start for two-time Edgar winner John Hart. This is his fourth book since 2006, giving him name recognition and a growing fan base. More attention will arrive soon; it is the #1 title on the August Indie Next List. Hart  writes mysteries that are both plot- and character-driven, as he describes in the following interview:

It’s no wonder they took a pseudonym; the real names of the husband and wife team known as Lars Kepler are Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. Their book, The Hypnotist, (FSG, 6/21/11) is the most recent title to be hailed as the “next Stieg Larsson” (and, in fact, the authors chose the name “Lars” as a tribute to their predecessor).

The authors are profiled on NPR’s Morning Edition today. They say the real reason they chose a pen name for their first crime novel is that each is already a published writer in Sweden and they wanted to create a new identity. They are parents of three daughters, and much of the book’s violence is carried out by children and women. Why? Because, they say, books are scary if you “care for the people in the book…you don’t want anything bad to happen to them.”  In writing The Hypnotist, they thought of how frightening it would be if their daughters became evil.

The book landed on the 7/17 NYT Fiction best seller list at #15. Libraries are show growing holds.

Holds are equally heavy for the an earlier “next Stieg Larsson” title, The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (Knopf, 5/10/11). It debuted on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list at #10, stayed on for four weeks and is now#28 on the extended list.

Next week in fiction, two buzzy titles arrive: NBA finalist Dana Spiotta returns with her third novel and British author Glen Duncan delivers a literary werewolf thriller for adults. In nonfiction, Jaycee Dugard tells the story of her kidnapping and 18 years as a captive of her abductor and will appear on major evening and morning news shows, while journalist Ben Mezrich returns with a real-life NASA-related adventure.

Watch List

Stone Arabia by Dana Spiotta (Scribner) is the third novel by this National Book Award finalist, about a conflicted artist in Southern California and his sister, who is convinced he’s a genius. PW says its “clever structure, jaundiced affection for Los Angeles, and diamond-honed prose” make this “one of the most moving and original portraits of a sibling relationship in recent fiction.” It also gets an early review in New York magazine, which calls it “good, sly fun, but … also tender, rueful, and shrewd.”

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (Knopf)  is a literate page-turner about a 201-year-old werewolf who is the last of his kind. It’s getting a big push from the publisher, buzz from early readers, and has been mentioned at BEA’s Shout and Share as well as on our very own GalleyChat. This one’s a fun (and dirty!) read.

Rising Star

Iron House by John Hart (Thomas Dunne Books) is the story of two orphaned boys separated by violence. It’s the fourth literary thriller by this award-winning writer, whose last book (The Last Child) was a bestseller. This one has an announced 200,000-copy first printing and is the #1 Indie Next pick for August.

Usual Suspects

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin (Bantam) is the long awaited fifth installment of the epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire series. It already had a strong fan base that was expanded by HBO’s Game of Thrones, based on the first book. Its been in the Amazon Top Ten for a month. Recent news stories about  spoilers surfacing on fan sites on the Web are just adding to the excitement.

Quinn by Iris Johansen (St. Martin’s) is a follow-up to Eve that delves deep into the life and psyche of Eve Duncan’s lover and soul mate, Joe Quinn. As a ruthless killer closes in, long-held secrets are gradually revealed. LJ, PW and Booklist all say it’s a pulse-pounder.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner (Atria) is the story of four women whose lives intertwine in creating a child through reproductive technology. LJ says, “fans of Marian Keyes, Anna Maxted, and other authors of serious chick lit will thoroughly enjoy this title for its humor mixed with a sympathetic portrayal of real women’s lives and challenges.”

Blood Work: An Original Hollows Graphic Novel by Kim Harrison (Del Rey) brings the authors popular urban crime fantasy series to visual form.

Young Adult Fiction

Dragon’s Oath by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast (St. Martin’s Griffin) is the first in a new mini-series of novellas, and tells the story behind the fencing instructor in the bestselling House of Night series.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic) concludes the Wolves of Mercy Falls werewolf trilogy.

Nonfiction

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard (Simon & Schuster) is a memoir by a woman who was kidnapped in 1991 at age 11 and endured 18 years of living with her abductor and his wife, bearing and raising his child before she was discovered in 2009. This one has an impressive news lineup. It’s on the cover of the July 18 issue of People, with an excerpt and a brief Q&A with Diane Sawyer about her  two-hour interview with Dugard, to air on ABC’s PrimeTime July 10th. Sawyer says that her spirit “will astonish you” and that “everything she says makes you stop and examine yourself and your life.” She is also scheduled for Good Morning America on July 12th.

Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History by Ben Mezrich is the story of a fellow in a NASA program who schemed to steal rare moon rocks as a way to impress his new girlfriend. The author wrote Accidental Billionaires (the basis for the movie The Social Network). Our own view is that the details about the space program will be catnip for space junkies (and even those who are not – the James Bond stuff they have at the Johnson Space Center is amazing), but the central character doesn’t have the celebrity value of Mark Zuckerberg, so it may not draw a wider audience. It is currently being developed for a movie, by the same production team that created Social Network, but with Will Gluck (Easy A) directing, rather than David Fincher.

I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards (Houghton Mifflin) is the story of Google’s rise from the perspective of the company’s first director of marketing. PW says, ” The book’s real strength is its evenhandedness” and that it’s “more entertaining than it really has any right to be,” though Kirkus finds it less focused than it could be, given all the other books written about Google.

Of Thee I Zing: America’s Cultural Decline from Muffin Tops to Body Shots by Laura Ingraham and Raymond Arroyo (Threshold) criticizes the contemporary American culture of consumerism.

None of the much-anticipated “next Stieg Larsson’s” have come close to that author’s uber-best-selling popularity. The latest contender, The Snowman by Jo Nesbo, Knopf, landed on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list, where it is now at #13 after 4 weeks, slipping from a high of #9, making it unlikely to touch the Larsson record. Still, it’s quite an achievement for a book in translation.

For fans who want more, USA Today offers a list of “Scandie Lit” coming out this summer (all are international best sellers). Below are their picks, with our annotations:

The Inspector and Silence: An Inspector VanVeeteren Mystery by Swedish writer Hakan Nesser, Pantheon, 6/14 — the fifth title in the series to be translated into English; excellent prepub reviews.

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, FSG, July 5 — Expected to be a major success (it’s one of People‘s Picks for the summer, calling it “spellbinding”), this first novel by a Swedish husband-and-wife team, it’s been signed for a movie, to be directed by Lasse Hallstrom.

Bad Intentions: An Inspector Sejer Mystery by Karin Fossum, HMH, 8/9; Fossum has been called the “Norwegian queen of crime.”

Call Me Princess by Denmark’s Sara Blaedel, Pegasus,  8/17; the publisher compares this “Danish crime queen” to both Stieg Larsson and Camilla Lackberg. This is her American debut.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen. Dutton, 8/23; winner of several Danish crime fiction prizes, Adler-Olsen has dominated Danish best seller lists, but most of his books have not been translated into English. PW gives this one a starred review, “Stieg Larsson fans will be delighted.”

Not on the USA Today list

Until Thy Wrath Be Past, by Swedish crime writer Asa Larsson, SilverOak/Sterling 8/9; SilverOak is a new imprint that focuses on Scandinavian crime; they brought Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellstrom to the US. It was on the NYT Hardcover Fiction list for four weeks in January, rising to #8.

The announcement that Tom Cruise is working on a deal to play Jack Reacher in the film adaptation of One Shot (Delacorte, 2005), the ninth book in the series by Lee Child, has the movie blogs going nuts (Reacher is described in the books as 6’5″ and 250 lbs).

The movie site Deadline quotes Lee Child himself on the subject, “Reacher’s size in the books is a metaphor for an unstoppable force, which Cruise portrays in his own way.”

One Shot is the ninth novel in the  Reacher series. The next title, #17 in the series is The Affair, (Delacorte, 9/27).

Lilian Jackson Braun, who wrotes 29 “The Cat Who…” mysteries died on Saturday in South Carolina. She was 97. Her husband told the local newspaper that her one regret was that she was unable to finish her last novel, The Cat Who Smelled Smoke.

Just in time for BEA, Doubleday has announced that the next John Grisham legal thriller is The Litigators. On sale 10/25, It will also be available as an ebook for library lending. The cover below is just a placeholder; the final will be unveiled later.

THE LITIGATORS by John Grisham
Doubleday

On-Sale Date: 10/25/11
HC: 9780385535137
E-book: 9780385535250

There will be more Grisham this fall. He is co-producing a series for NBC, based on his first major success, The Firm. It was adapted as a movie, starring Tom Cruise, in 1993.