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What should you read this weekend? USA TODAY’s picks for book lovers include a new mystery featuring the dynamic duo of Obama-Biden and a look at how the Houston Astros won it all in 2017.

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer; Quirk Books, 304 pp.; fiction

Missing the good old days of Barack Obama and Joe Biden? The best buddies are back together again, on the case instead of in the White House, and solving mysteries.

The first novel in a new “Obama Biden Mystery” series, “Hope Never Dies” features the chill former POTUS and his fiery vice president playing amateur detectives in order to find some personal justice.

The audacity of “Hope” is that it goes all in on pulpy, far-fetched absurdity while also trying to find nuance in political characters who are figuring out their private lives after running the country for eight years.

“Amtrak Joe” spent decades traveling via train from Delaware to D.C. when he was in Congress, so when his favorite railroad conductor dies under shady circumstances, Biden takes it upon himself to find out the truth.

With an entrance straight out of a James Bond film, Barack shows up to give Joe some secret lowdown on the conductor’s mysterious death – ruled a suicide by authorities –that makes the ex-VP wonder if foul play might have been involved.

USA TODAY says ★★★ out of four. “A breezy partisan romp…fun.”

"Astroball: The New Way to Win It All" by Ben Reiter; Crown Archetype, 272 pp.; non-fiction

A Sports Illustrated writer looks at how the Houston Astros went from worst team in baseball to World Series champs by combining analytics with scouting data on players’ personalities.

USA TODAY says ★★★. “Colorful…explores how a team nicknamed the Disastros could turn things around so quickly.”

The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams; William Morrow, 367 pp.; fiction

A tale of stepsisters, passion and murder set in 1951 on swanky Winthrop Island, a fictional version of real-life Fishers Island off Long Island Sound.

USA TODAY says ★★★½. “Rich and romantic…will keep you on the edge of your cabana chair.”

"What We Were Promised" by Lucy Tan; Little, Brown, 336 pp.; fiction

Homecomings aren’t always sweet. And for Lina and her husband, Wei, they can be outright dangerous when a long-lost brother’s return threatens to pull their family apart.

USA TODAY says ★★★½. “Beautiful… fraught with star-crossed romance, familial anxiety and expat privilege.”

Why To Kill a Mockingbird Matters by Tom Santopietro; St. Martin’s Press, 238 pp.; nonfiction

Looks at Harper Lee’s masterpiece (and the movie version, in particular) from a pop-culture-driven angle.

USA TODAY says ★★★. “Absorbing and full of beguiling detail.”

Contributing reviewers: Brian Truitt, Matthew Wilson, Patty Rhule, Grace Z. Li, Charles Finch

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These new books will keep you busy through beach season. USA TODAY

 

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