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Thrillers and Suspense May 2021
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Her dark lies
by J. T. Ellison
Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends... and a host of dark secrets. From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire's otherwise blissful relationship--the strange mystery surrounding Jack's first wife. Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out--and the real terror begins.
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The push : a novel
by Ashley Audrain
A tense, page-turning psychological drama about the making and breaking of a family, about a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for--and everything she feared. Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the warm, comforting, supportive mother to her new baby Violet that she herself never had. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early days, Blythe becomes convinced that something is wrong with her daughter--Violet rejects her mother, screams uncontrollably, and becomes a disturbing, disruptive presence at her preschool. Or is it all in Blythe's head? Her husband, Fox, says she's imagining things. What he sees is an overwhelmed wife who can't cope with the day-to-day grind. The more Fox dismisses her fears, the more Blythe begins to question her own sanity, and the more we begin to question what Blythe is telling us about her life as well. Then their son Sam is born--and with him, Blythe has the natural, blissful connection she'd always imagined with her child.Even Violet seems to love her little brother. But when life as they know it is changed in an instant, the devastating fall-out forces Blythe to face the truth. Here, we see the making and breaking of a family in crystalline detail, and what it feels like when women are not believed.
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Gathering dark
by Candice Fox
A convicted killer. A gifted thief. A vicious ganglord. A disillusioned cop. Together they're a missing girl's only hope. Dr. Blair Harbour, once a wealthy, respected pediatric surgeon, is now an ex-con down on her luck. She's determined to keep her nose clean and win back custody of her son. But when her former cellmate begs for help to find her missing daughter, Blair is compelled to put her new-found freedom on the line. Detective Jessica Sanchez has always had a difficult relationship with the LAPD. And her inheritance of a multi-million dollar mansion as a reward for catching a killer has just made her police enemy number one. It's been ten years since Jessica arrested Blair for cold-blooded murder. So when Jessica opens the door to the disgraced doctor late one night she expects abuse, maybe even violence. What comes next is a plea for help.
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No way out
by Fern Michaels
Ellie Bowman barely remembers the incident that put her into a coma. When she awoke, filled with unease, all she knew for certain was that her boyfriend, Rick, was missing. She knew she needed to get away from her old life and recover in safety. With the proceeds of a video game she helped develop, Ellie starts over in rural Missouri, working from her cottage and trusting no one except her friend and business partner. Yet even in this quiet small town, it's impossible to completely isolate herself. Especially when a curious eight-year-old boy, smitten with Ellie's pup, stops by every day to talk to him over the fence. Little by little, Ellie is being drawn back into the world through the neighbors and community around her, realizing that everyone has their own fears and obstacles to contend with. But when Ellie hears that Rick has resurfaced, her nightmares return, and with them, small snippets of memory. No one has heard from Rick since before the incident, so why is he back now? Ellie wants to move forward with her life, but first she must find the courage to look into her past, no matter what she finds there...
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Do no harm
by Christina McDonald
"Emma loves her life. She's the mother of a precocious kindergartener, married to her soulmate--a loyal and loving police detective--and has a rewarding career as a doctor at the local hospital. But everything comes crashing down when her son, Josh, is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Determined to save him, Emma makes the risky decision to sell opioids to fund the life-saving treatment he needs. But when somebody ends up dead, a lethal game of cat and mouse ensues, her own husband leading the chase. With her son's life hanging in the balance, Emma is dragged into the dark world of drugs, lies, and murder. Will the truth catch up to her before she can save Josh? A timely and moving exploration of a town gripped by the opioid epidemic, and featuring Christina McDonald's signature "complex, emotionally intense" (Publishers Weekly) prose, Do No Harm examines whether the ends ever justify the means...even for a desperate mother"
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We begin at the end
by Chris Whitaker
Thirty years ago, a teenage Vincent King was sent to prison. But now, he's served his sentence and is returning to his hometown. The hometown where his childhood best friend, Walk, is now the chief of police. The town where his childhood sweetheart, Star Radley, still lives. The same Star Radley whose sister he killed. Duchess, Star's daughter, is a self-proclaimed outlaw. She needs to be. Who else is going to take care of her and her five-year-old brother? Star is still dazzling, still beautiful, but she hasn't shined as bright since Vincent was sent away. Too often it's Duchess and Walk who are the ones taking care of her. But when Duchess exacts her own vigilante revenge, she will set into motion a series of events that threatens not only her own family, but everyone she grows close to.
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| The Secretary by Renee KnightWhat it is: a menacing and intricately plotted psychological thriller about ruthless ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of codependent self-sacrifice.
Starring: prominent businesswoman Mina Appleton, who will do anything to expand the supermarket chain started by her father; Christine Butcher, Mina's indispensable personal assistant for almost 20 years whose need to be needed drives her but also ruins her life.
You might also like: Sarah Pinborough's Behind Her Eyes, in which unhealthy dynamics develop between an assistant and her employer's family after the lines between her personal and professional lives start to blur. |
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| 29 Seconds by T.M. LoganThe premise: Adjunct professor Sarah Hayward is disgusted when her slimy department head Alan, a well-connected serial sexual predator, suggests that she could finally get a tenure by sleeping with him.
No good deed: Stumbling upon what appears to be an attempted kidnapping, Sarah's instincts take over and she saves the victim, the young daughter of shady businessman James Grosvenor. In gratitude, Grosvenor lets Sarah know that he has ways of making anyone disappear without a trace, if she's interested.
Why you might like it: The narrative's rip-roaring plot and action-packed scenes mix interestingly with Sarah's inner turmoil. |
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| The Furies by Katie LoweThe setup: Sixteen-year-old Violet Taylor is worried about fitting in at Elm Hollow Academy, an elite English boarding school, but it's not long before she falls in with a close-knit trio of girls who share an obsession -- the mysterious 17th-century witch trials that took place nearby.
What happens next: After Violet suffers a traumatic assault, the four girls band together to exact revenge on her attacker through unusual channels and their actions have unexpected consequences for everyone involved.
For fans of: iconic teen movies that mix vintage glamour with darkness, like The Craft, Heathers, and Jawbreaker. |
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The perfect girlfriend
by Karen Hamilton
Juliette loves Nate. She will follow him anywhere. She's even become a flight attendant for his airline, so she can keep a closer eye on him. They are meant to be. The fact that Nate broke up with her six months ago means nothing. Because Juliette has a plan to win him back. She is the perfect girlfriend. And she'll make sure no one stops her from getting exactly what she wants. True love hurts, but Juliette knows it's worth all the pain.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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