Jocelyn McClurg

USA TODAY

USA TODAY’s Jocelyn McClurg scopes out the hottest books on sale each week.

1. The Pharos Gate: Griffin & Sabine’s Lost Correspondence by Nick Bantock (Chronicle Books, fiction, on sale March 22)

What it’s about: Continues the love story of Griffin and Sabine, inventively told through illustrated postcards and removable letters.

The buzz: This sequel precedes a 25th anniversary edition of the beloved illustrated best seller Griffin & Sabine, due from Chronicle on April 5.

2. The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson (Random House, fiction, on sale March 22)

What it’s about: In the English countryside in 1914, a young female school teacher tries to find her place as war looms; by the author of Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.

The buzz: “Simonson has an observant eye and a comic touch,” says Kirkus Reviews.

3. Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben (Dutton, fiction, on sale March 22)

What it’s about: A former special-ops pilot whose husband is murdered sets up a nanny cam, only to see her supposedly dead husband playing with her daughter.

The buzz: Coben’s last thriller, The Stranger, landed at No. 1 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list in April 2015.

4. The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon (Simon & Schuster, non-fiction, on sale March 22)

What it’s about: A cultural history of the superhero who started out life in the comic book pages.

The buzz: Timed to latest film incarnation of the Caped Crusader, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring Ben Affleck as Batman, aka Bruce Wayne.

5. The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney (Ecco, fiction, on sale March 22)

What it’s about: Adult siblings face a crisis when their inherited trust fund is endangered by their older brother, who is in an accident while driving drunk.

The buzz: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers and a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers selection.