5 new books you won't want to miss this week, including J.P. Delaney and 'Star Wars'

Jocelyn McClurg | USA TODAY

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

1. "Believe Me" by J.P. Delaney (Ballantine, fiction, on sale July 24)

What it’s about: Claire, a struggling actress hired by divorce lawyers to entrap straying husbands, gets in deep when a woman is murdered and the police want her to lure the victim’s husband into confessing.

The buzz: Delaney is also author of the best-selling psychological thriller “The Girl Before”; “Believe Me” “redefines the concept of an unreliable narrator,” says Booklist in a starred review.

2. "Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances" by Timothy Zahn (Del Rey, fiction, on sale July 24)

What it’s about: In the follow-up to last year’s "Star Wars: Thrawn," Grand Admiral Thrawn and Darth Vader battle a threat to the Empire.

The buzz: "Star Wars: Thrawn" hit No. 9 on USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list.

3. "You're on an Airplane: A Self-Mythologizing Memoir" by Parker Posey (Blue Rider Press, nonfiction, on sale July 24)

What it’s about: In this memoir, the actress (now starring on "Lost in Space" on Netflix) reflects on her life and career.

The buzz: “The ‘Queen of Indie Film’ writes hilariously and thoughtfully about her life,” says Kirkus Reviews.

4. "The Briefing" by Sean Spicer (Regnery, nonfiction, on sale July 24)

What it’s about: The former press secretary to President Donald Trump looks back at his eventful, short-lived tenure at the White House.

The buzz: Sadly, Spicer’s departure has meant no more Melissa McCarthy as wild-eyed “Spicey” on “Saturday Night Live.”

5. "A Noise Downstairs" by Linwood Barclay (William Morrow, fiction, on sale July 24)

What it’s about: A college professor who encounters a colleague disposing of bodies on a deserted road one night finds his life going off the rails in the aftermath.

The buzz: It’s an Indie Next pick of independent booksellers. “The ending will blow your socks clean off,” says Marya Johnston of Out West Books in Grand Junction, Colorado.