Five hyped books that lived up to the early praise

Jeff Somers is the author of Lifers, the Avery Cates series from Orbit Books, Chum from Tyrus Books, and We Are Not Good People from Pocket/Gallery. He has published over thirty short stories as well.

At B & N Reads Somers tagged "five novels that came wrapped in copious amounts of hype—which was totally warranted," including:

The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins

When Gone Girl exploded onto the scene, the search for the “next Gone Girl” began in earnest. A few months ago, the drumbeat for The Girl on the Train being that next great thriller with an unreliable narrator and awesome, insane twists began. And you know what? It nails it. The Girl on the Train is a worthy successor to Gone Girl’s crown. The story of three women linked in unexpected ways—one of whom is a literally unreliable alcoholic narrator—keeps the twists coming while it ratchets the tension up in expert increments, touching on some of the same themes as Gone Girl—love, marriage, and loyalty—but in different ways.

Read about another book on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue