12 New Paperback Books to Check Out This Fall

In Bad City, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Paul Pringle delivers a riveting work of investigative journalism as he investigates corruption and cover-ups at the University of Southern California. The acclaimed narrative begins in the L.A. Times newsroom in 2016. Pringle, a reporter at the Times, receives a tip about a drug overdose at a ritzy hotel involving Dr. Carmen Puliafito, the head of USC’s prestigious medical school. The lead seems straightforward enough; Pringle figures it will take a few weeks to sort out. It isn’t long, however, before his investigation exposes a tangled knot of corruption that stretches across Los Angeles — and reaches dangerously close to his own doorstep. Pringle invites readers along for the ride in Bad City, chronicling every twist of the investigation to present an “earth-shattering tale of appalling institutional corruption ― and the inspiring reporters who overcame shocking obstacles to bring the truth to light” (Robert Kolker, bestselling author of Lost Girls). 

Publication date: October 3, 2023

Whether you’re an omnivorous nonfiction reader or a true crime obsessive, you likely know the name Paul Holes: He’s the forensic detective who tracked down the Golden State Killer. In fact, Holes has spent his life solving some of America’s toughest cold cases, from the disappearance of Jaycee Dugard to the murder of Laci Peterson. In Unmasked, he looks back on his exemplary career as a cold case investigator — and opens up about the impact his work has had on his personal life. Holes treats the topic of true crime with the care it deserves, putting justice for the victims and survivors first, and stressing the importance of compassion in his grim line of work. He’s also remarkably candid about the struggles he’s faced and the sacrifices he’s been forced to make, both as an investigator and as a husband and father. The result is a “wildly engaging and painfully honest read that will appeal to anyone curious about the lives of those who pursue justice for voiceless victims” (San Francisco Chronicle). 

Publication date: October 3, 2023

In the Pulitzer Prize–winning Stay True, Hua Hsu blends memoir with a coming-of-age story as he reckons with the violent death of his close friend. Hua and Ken seemed in many ways like opposites: Hua was a defiant outsider, while Ken was a preppie. Hua’s parents were immigrants from Taiwan, while Ken’s Japanese American family had been in the U.S. for generations. And yet, the contrasting pair quickly bonded over their college experiences and feelings of being out of place within American culture. When Ken is killed just three years after their friendship begins, Hua must find his way through grief, growing up, and the search for belonging in an often hostile world. 

Publication date: September 12, 2023

Looking to keep the sultry summer vibes going through autumn? Crack open Kingdoms of Savannah, George Dawes Green’s beguiling Southern mystery set in beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Morgana Musgrove, a fixture of Savannah’s high society, must solve the mysterious murder of a local man and the disappearance of his companion. She’s a true force of nature but will need some help for this particular case. So, she pulls her four grown children into her investigation — each of whom is wary of their mother’s domineering ways. Together, they scour Savannah and unravel scary truths about the fabled city that threaten to throw it into chaos. Darkly atmospheric and splendidly written, Green’s acclaimed mystery will cast a spell on you this fall.

Publication date: October 17, 2023

From Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Road, comes The Passenger, the first book in a two-volume narrative (the second part, Stella Maris, is being released in paperback on the same day) about a salvage diver sent to explore a crashed charter jet in the Gulf of Mexico. The Passenger sprawls out from this seemingly simple starting point, leaping back and forth through time to explore the ramifications of the Kennedy assassination, the atomic bomb, and our planet’s perilous future. Readers are sure to happily get lost in McCarthy’s complex final novel, which was released in hardcover less than a year before his passing.

Publication date: September 26, 2023

If you missed this instant New York Times bestseller in hardcover, now’s the time to pick it up! One of the most talked-about books of 2022, Celeste Ng’s Our Missing Hearts is a timely and thought-provoking novel about family, justice, and the power of knowledge. The speculative fiction tale is set in a near-future dystopia defined by fear and distrust. When Bird Gardener was nine, his mother, a Chinese American poet whose books have since been banned, disappeared without a trace. At twelve, he gets a cryptic letter that takes him on a journey to the truth through the underground world of librarians fighting against censorship.  

Publication date: August 22, 2023

An ideal supernatural horror book for the darker days of autumn, this buzzy novel revolves around a father and his son and the death of their matriarch, who has left more than just grief in her wake. Indeed, it isn’t long before Gaspar, the son, learns that he’s destined to join the Order: an otherworldly clan of killers from his mother’s side that commits horrific acts to attain immortality. You won’t be able to put down Our Share of Night as it leaps through time and reveals more about the Order while Gaspar’s father races to save his child. 

Publication date: September 12, 2023

Hilarious and unsettling, Ling Ma’s Bliss Montage, the author’s short story collection follow-up to her prophetic 2018 pandemic novel Severance, explores everyday modern experiences with a surrealistic flair. In one tale, a woman in Los Angeles lives in the same house as 100 of her exes. Another story follows a professor who one day finds a portal to a different dimension in her university office. If you’re looking to escape the mundane this autumn, be sure to pick up Ma’s brilliantly strange collection!

Publication date: September 12, 2023

If you haven’t read the first two books in Backman’s Beartown Trilogy, his hockey town saga, check those out first! If you have, you’ll definitely want to grab The Winners, Backman’s final book in the series that deals with the unfolding aftermath of the horrible events from two years ago. As the community tries to move forward, residents wrestle with healing, forgiveness, family, and sacrifice. Travelers return home, loved ones fight, and someone attempts revenge. 

Publication date: September 12, 2023

This brooding suspense-filled psychological thriller draws its inspiration from iconic figures and notorious gatherings of the past, including Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the fabled dark and stormy night when Percy and Mary Shelley shared a castle with Lord Byron and she dreamed up Frankenstein. Weaving together tropes of the gothic genre, Hawkins tells the story of Emily and Chess in The Villa, best friends who take a much-needed vacation to an enchanting holiday home in Italy. At first, the setting is idyllic. But things take a dark turn when Emily starts investigating the property’s blood-soaked history, leading to growing tensions — and perhaps something far more sinister — with Chess.  

Publication date: November 7, 2023

Things We Lost in the Fire is our second recommendation for a dark short story collection and the second book on our list by celebrated author Mariana Enriquez. Each story in this wonderful collection explores the troubled history and complex contemporary dimensions of Argentina. You’ll find stories of black magic and the supernatural, as well as lighter tales centered on friendship, love, and laughter. Pick up this collection and Our Share of the Night to understand why Enriquez is a world-renowned literary voice.

Publication date: November 14, 2023

We end our list with Ana Reyes’ The House in the Pines, a Reese’s Book Club thriller that you won’t be able to put down. Maya is haunted by a traumatic episode from her past: Seven years ago, when she was a high school senior, she watched her friend Aubrey die under baffling circumstances. She’s tried her best to move on from the painful episode — until another woman dies under eerily similar circumstances. Confronting missing memories and hazy recollections, Maya must return home to the creepy house in the woods where it all took place. She’s determined to get to the bottom of what happened — and to expose the dark truth about the mysterious man at the center of it all.

Publication date: December 5, 2023