New books not to miss: ‘The Red Daughter,’ ‘Shergill Sisters,’ ‘Story of 9/11’

In search of something good to read? These are among the hottest new book releases.

‘The Red Daughter’ by John Burnham Schwartz

Random House, $26

What it’s about: Josef Stalin’s only daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, flees her father’s brutal legacy, defecting from the Soviet Union for the United States in the 1960s. It’s the beginning of a strange and lonely search for self in a compelling historical tale that blends fact and fiction.

The buzz: Kirkus Reviews calls the book “an insightful and compelling saga of a woman desperately trying to escape her infamous past.”

‘Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11’ by Mitchell Zuckoff

HarperCollins, $29.99

What it’s about: As an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mitchell Zuckoff led a team that told the stories of the victims and their families. Based on those years of reporting, “Rise and Fall” is a detailed, graphic, heartbreaking and definitive portrait of that fateful day.

The buzz: “The horror and heroism of 9/11 are brought to life in this panoramic history,” Publishers Weekly says.

‘The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters’ by Balli Kaur Jaswal

William Morrow, $26.99

What it’s about: Jaswal’s witty followup to “Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows” follows three Punjabi sisters who travel to India on a Sikh pilgrimage to scatter their mother’s ashes. They’ve never been close, but the journey starts to strengthen their bonds of sisterhood.

The buzz: “Teen and adult fans of women’s fiction will find much to appreciate here,” says Publishers Weekly.

‘A Good Enough Mother’ by Bev Thomas

Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, $26

What it’s about: Psychotherapist Ruth Hartland is a professional, but grief wins out when she meets a new patient who looks like her own troubled son, who disappeared a year-and-a-half earlier. Boundaries are crossed and hearts broken in this psychological thriller.

The buzz: Author Bev “Thomas melds astute psychological insight with powerful storytelling in this moving thriller,” Publishers Weekly says.

‘Mama’s Boy’ by Dustin Lance Black

Knopf, $27.95

What it’s about: The LGBTQ advocate and Academy Award-winning screenwriter of “Milk” pays tribute to his religious and politically conservative mother Anne in a memoir of an enduring mother-son bond that transcends the deepest ideological divides.

The buzz:  Kirkus Reviews calls the book “a terrifically moving memoir of the myriad complexities of family dynamics.”