Move over Oprah, here are Jason Starr’s summer reading picks for Summer, 2008.  These novels are guaranteed to entertain you, thrill you, and scare the hell out of you while you’re lying on the beach this summer.

ONCE WERE COPS by Ken Bruen

This novel won’t be out till the fall, but I read an advance copy and this will undoubtedly be Bruen’s big breakout thriller. An Irish cop joins the NYPD in an exchange program and hell ensues. If you love Bruen’s Jack Taylor  and Brant series (and, well, the books he co-writes with me–BUST, SLIDE, and the forthcoming THE MAX), you’ll love ONCE WERE COPS. This is the perfect novel to attract new readers to Bruen’s work.

 REVENGE TANGO by Jerry A. Rodriguez

Rodriguez’s first novel, THE DEVIL’S MAMBO, got a lot of acclaim last year, and his follow up REVENGE TANGO is even better. Ex-cop and Lotto winner Nicholas Esperanza returns to settle a score with a brutal femme fatale. Spot-on depictions of life in el barrio of Manhattan.

SIX SICK HIPSTERS by Rayo Casablanca

This is the novel the hipster generation has been wating for. Casablanca has a great ear for dialogue and capturing the lifestyle of twenty-somethings in New York City.

BONEYARD by Michelle Gagnon

This is Gagnon’s second novel featuring FBI investigator Kelly Jones, after last year’s superb THE TUNNELS. BONEYARD is set in the Berkshires where Jones is on the trail of a team of serial killers committing grisly murders. Jones is a wonderful protagonist and you won’t be able to put this book down during the last hundred pages. Fans of Jeffery Deaver, Thomas Harris and John Sandford will love BONEYARD.

CRIMINAL by Ed Brubaker

The latest installment of Brubaker’s Eisner-winning graphic novel series is now in stores. I loved Lawless and Coward and these are must reads for all crime/noir fans.

HEARTLESS by Alison Gaylin

The new thriller by the author Harlan Coben calls his “new must read.” A soap opera writer goes off with her boyfriend to San Esteben, Mexico and, well, some very strange things happern. Edgar nominee Gaylin (TRASHED, YOU KILL ME) delivers another great page turner.

THE MAX by Ken Bruen and Jason Starr

Am I above plugging my own books? No, I am not. THE MAX goes on sale at the end of August and has already received a starred review in Booklist. You can read more about it at www.hardcasecrime.com . You can read about new thriller THE FOLLOWER at www.jasonstarr.com

Jason Starr is the award-winning author of nine crime novels published in ten languages. His latest thriller THE FOLLOWER, is on-sale everywhere. Visit his website at www.jasonstarr.com