Kellyanne Conway's 'Here's the Deal' tops memoirs, Nora Roberts claims No. 1 on best sellers list

Kellyanne Conway's controversial "Here's the Deal" (Threshold Editions, 512 pp.) debuts as the top memoir at No. 13 on this week's USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list.

In her memoir, the former political advisor to former President Donald Trump toes the line between honest criticism and loyalism to Trump. "Here's the Deal" is billed by the publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life, including her husband and prominent Trump detractor, George Conway.

She describes the former president and her husband as the "two men in her life," always at odds. More often than not, she found the president defending her more frequently than her husband, she said.

Conway also questions the effectiveness of the former administration's pandemic policies, particularly Trump's own lax mask use, and criticizes members of the administration for power-grabbing, blaming it in part for Trump's loss in 2020 and what came after.

In particular, she takes pointed aim at Jared Kushner, husband of the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump. She also places blame for most of Trump's blunders on everyone but the former president himself.

In May of 2021, Simon & Schuster employees expressed unhappiness with the publisher over reports of Conway's book deal. At a company town hall meeting last May, Simon & Schuster CEO Jonathan Karp said it was important to present a range of perspectives, but he did cite some limits. Karp said he opposed releasing a memoir by Trump because he couldn't trust him to provide an honest narrative.

5 books not to miss: Colton Haynes' 'Miss Memory Lane,' Channing Tatum's 'Sparkella'

Nora Roberts returns at No. 1

Author Nora Roberts is no stranger to the best sellers list. This week, her latest book "Nightwork" (St. Martin's Press, 448 pp.) debuts at No. 1. It's her 42nd time at the top of the list. Most recently, Roberts hit No.1 this time last year with "Legacy," which remained on the list for eight weeks.

And those are just Roberts' No. 1 books. The prolific writer, who also writes under the name J.D. Robb, has had more than 200 books make USA TODAY's list. "Nightwork" is Roberts' third book on the list in 2022.

Over the course of her career, Roberts has written more than 225 novels in various genres, including mystery, romance and fantasy. In recent years, she's added young adult novels to her resume with multiple fantasy series including the "Chronicles of The One" trilogy and "The Dragon Heart Legacy."

In "Nightwork," Roberts introduces readers to master thief Harry Booth, who lives by a strict code of conduct. He is an expert at not attracting attention or getting attached to others – that is, until he meets Miranda Emerson.

A review from Publishers Weekly calls "Nightwork" a "master class in the slow burn" and says, "This is a treat."

Contributing: Merdie Nzanga, Ella Lee, USA TODAY; AP 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kellyanne Conway, Nora Roberts debut new best sellers this week