Summer brings with it good weather, barbecues, vacations, swimming, boating, cold iced tea and so much more — making many people yearn for the few months out of the year each time they disappear and give way to the cold and the promise of snow.

One of the best ways to pass the summer days is with a good book — a breezy read to take with you to the beach, the new vacation spot, the deck or the porch, or even just your favorite chair in front of a humming air conditioner.

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Here’s a look at three great reads to check out this summer.

“The Force” by Don Winslow. Literature’s best-kept secret seems to be Don Winslow. Critics don’t talk nearly enough about the writer, yet each of his books is better than the last, and he’s the rare writer with a unique voice no one has successfully imitated. Trying to mimic his swift yet extremely detailed style would be futile. It can’t be done. Don Winslow doesn’t rely on gimmicks. He simply tells great, original tales.

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“The Force” is his latest, and it’s won huge praise from readers and fellow writers such as Stephen King. “‘The Force’ is mesmerizing, a triumph. Think ‘The Godfather,’ only with cops. It’s that good,” the horror writer said in a blurb for the book.

The story follows Denny Malone, an NYPD detective on the front lines of the drug war and gang violence. He’s committed to his job and his men, but Malone’s life becomes a dangerous balancing act when he feels the pressure from the feds, who know that he and his crew have been dirty cops for years.

Winslow’s books are always well researched and topical, but never dense or self-indulgent. Carve out a few hours this summer for one of them — a Winslow novel is tough to put down once you start. (go to page 2 to continue reading) [lz_pagination]