More NYT best sellers I recommend: Circe, Woman in the Window, The Fallen

What view does this window yield? The room is from the Thorne collection of miniatures at the Art Institute of Chicago. 

In June, I reviewed four best-selling books from the New York Times hardcover fiction list. See them here.

I'm been working my way (slowly) through the list, and today I present four more titles. All are new authors to me. (Note: I'm referencing the NYT list for April 22 to 28. Some of these are no longer in the Top 15.)

The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. This is a really good psychological thriller about an agoraphobic who does (or doesn't) witness a murder outside her house. She's constantly drinking merlot and taking medications. She watches film noir movies on her VCR. Her husband and daughter are no longer in the house, so she's alone all day. Is she capable of distinguishing what is real and what is fiction? And when is her family coming home? I liked this one.

Circe, by Maddeline Miller. Zeus banishes Circe, daughter of Helios (god of the sun) to an island  where she practices casting spells. She can turn men into pigs if she wishes! Circe can also be a very good and loving hostess to visiting gods and mortals. She raises her son by herself, and then agonizes over his departure, which means his certain death at the hand of another goddess. The book brings Greek mythology to life in a new way. Be sure to read this one.

The Fallen, by David Baldacci. The opoid crisis hits small town America and federal agent Amos Decker solves the case. This character reminds me of Jack Reacher, minus the physical intimidation and mayhem. Baldacci writes a good story that reveals layer after layer of crimes and intertwined relationships. Who can you trust? I recommend The Fallen, and I would read this author again.

Twisted Prey by John Sanford. A U.S. senator is run off a mountain road as he returns to Washington after a weekend with his mistress. The mistress dies in the accident; but was it really an accident or an assassination attempt? I stopped reading after 100 pages. This formula just wasn't doing it for me. I think Baldacci, C.J. Box and Lee Childs are better practitioners of this genre.