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Emma in the Night
by Wendy Walker
One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.
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| Long Black Veil: A Novel by Jennifer Finney BoylanPsychological Suspense. In 1980, a group of college friends brought a wedding weekend to a close by exploring an abandoned prison, where they were unexpectedly locked inside. The bride disappeared, and when her remains are found more than 30 years later, her husband Casey is arrested. In the intervening time, the group has lost touch, burdened by grief and other issues. But someone knows something that could exonerate Casey -- though sharing it may very well ruin her own life. Looking too closely at reviews may spoil an intriguing set up, so let's speak in generalities: the story is told in several timelines, with multiple well-developed, sympathetic characters. Fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History will enjoy this complex tale. |
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The devil's muse : A Maureen Coughlin Novel
by Bill Loehfelm
Now that she’s back on the force and her work with the FBI is over, Maureen Coughlin should have a quieter life. Until Mardi Gras rolls around, that is. New Orleans’s biggest and most infamous party, Mardi Gras may be fun for the revelers but it’s hell for the NOPD, who try to keep the peace on streets jam-packed with drunken parade-goers and the thousands of tourists pouring into the city to join the action. With all that chaos, the city becomes a breeding ground for crimes of all shapes and sizes. Maureen’s Mardi Gras night starts with a bang when a man in pink zebra-print tights―and nothing else―runs past and throws himself onto the hood of a moving car. It only gets worse when she hears gunshots over the noise of the crowd. In the midst of the revelry, Maureen and her fellow cops must stabilize the shooting victims and hunt down the shooter, all while grappling with massive crowds, a camera crew intent on capturing the investigation for their YouTube channel, an incompetent on-duty detective, and race relations in a city more likely to mistrust cops than ever. It’s going to be one very long night for Maureen.
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My Sister's Bones : A Novel of Suspense
by Nuala Ellwood
Kate has spent fifteen years bringing global injustice home: as a decorated war reporter, she’s always in a place of conflict, writing about ordinary people in unimaginable situations. When her mother dies, Kate returns home from Syria for the funeral. But an incident with a young Syrian boy haunts her dreams, and when Kate sees a boy in the garden of the house next door—a house inhabited by an Iraqi refugee who claims her husband is away and she has no children—Kate becomes convinced that something is very wrong. As she struggles to separate her memories of Syria from the quiet town in which she grew up—and also to reconcile her memories of a traumatic childhood with her sister’s insistence that all was not as Kate remembers—she begins to wonder what is actually true…and what is just in her mind.
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The Boy Who Saw : A Solomon Creed Novel
by Simon Toyne
Solomon Creed, the enigmatic hero introduced in The Searcher, must stop a killer tied to a conspiracy stretching back over generations to the dying days of World War II. Solomon Creed has no recollection of who he is, or where he comes from. The only solid clue to his identity is a label stitched in his jacket that reads: "This suit was made to treasure for Mr. Solomon Creed." The jacket fits perfectly, and so does the name, but there is a second name on the label, the name of the tailor who made the suit and an address in southern France. Solomon heads to France in search of this man, hoping to discover more about who he is. But instead of answers he finds a bloody corpse, the Star of David carved into his chest and the words "Finishing what was begun" daubed in blood on the wall. When the police discover Solomon at the crime scene they suspect he is the murderer and lock him up. Solomon must escape to clear his name and solve the mystery of why the last remaining survivors of a notorious Nazi death camp are being hunted down and murdered. Only by saving these survivors from evil can Solomon hope to piece together the truth about a decades-old conspiracy as well as discover the key to his own identity.
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| The Widow's House by Carol GoodmanPsychological Suspense. In need of a cheap place to live while they work on their writing, Jess and Clare have accepted a job as caretakers of a decrepit Hudson River estate, owned by their old writing professor. The locals say it's haunted, and not long after they move in, Clare starts hearing a baby crying in the night -- which is just the beginning of her weird experiences. Narrated by the unhappy Clare (who might be losing her mind), this Gothic novel contains allusions to the work of Shirley Jackson and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and has been compared to Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. |
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The Quiet Child
by John Burley
From the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy, comes a gripping and darkly psychological novel about family, suspicion, and the price we are willing to pay to protect those we love the most. It's the summer of 1954 and the residents of Cottonwood, California are dying. At the center of it all is six-year-old Danny McCray, a strange and silent child the townspeople regard with fear and superstition, and who appears to bring ruin to those around him. Even his own mother is plagued by an illness that is slowly consuming her. Sheriff Jim Kent has watched the people of his town suffer, increasingly aware of the whispers and rumors surrounding the boy--and he worries someone might take drastic action to protect their loved ones. Then a stranger arrives and Danny and his ten-year-old brother Sean go missing. In the search that follows, everyone is a suspect, and the consequences of finding the two brothers may be worse than not finding them at all.
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Impossible Views of the World
by Lucy Ives
Stella Krakus, a curator at Manhattan's renowned Central Museum of Art, is having the roughest week in approximately ever. Her soon-to-be ex-husband (the perfectly awful Whit Ghiscolmbe) is stalking her, a workplace romance with "a fascinating, hyper-rational narcissist" is in freefall, and a beloved colleague, Paul, has gone missing. Strange things are afoot: CeMArt's current exhibit is sponsored by a Belgian multinational that wants to take over the world's water supply, she unwittingly stars in a viral video that's making the rounds, and her mother--the imperious, impossibly glamorous Caro--wants to have lunch. It's almost more than she can over-analyze. But the appearance of a mysterious map, depicting a 19th-century utopian settlement, sends Stella--a dogged expert in American graphics and fluidomanie (don't ask)--on an all-consuming research mission. As she teases out the links between a haunting poem, several unusual novels, a counterfeiting scheme, and one of the museum's colorful early benefactors, she discovers the unbearable secret that Paul's been keeping, and charts a course out of the chaos of her own life.
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| Find Me by J.S. MonroeSuspense Fiction. Five years ago, Jar Costello's girlfriend Rosa jumped to her death, though Jar has never believed that she died (her body was never recovered, and he swears he's since seen her in London). His suspicions are rewarded when he gets his hands on her highly encrypted diary, which relates the story of their relationship -- and her recruitment by a shadowy spy program. Aided by a journalist who'd investigated the program, Jar embarks on a desperate quest to find (and save?) Rosa. With a clever protagonist and realistic investigative details, this "debut" from a pseudonymous author is "smart, well written, and tangled in unpredictable twists" (Booklist). |
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The driver : a novel
by Hart Hanson
Michael Skellig is a limo driver waiting for his client in the alley behind an upscale hotel. He's spent the past twenty-eight hours ferrying around Bismarck Avila, a celebrity skateboard mogul who isn't going home any time soon. Suddenly the wind begins to speak to Skellig in the guttural accent of the Chechen torturer he shot through the eye in Yemen a decade ago: Trouble, trouble, trouble. Skellig has heard these warnings before--he's an Army Special Forces sergeant whose limo company is staffed by a ragtag band of wounded veterans, including his Afghan interpreter--and he knows to listen carefully. Skellig runs inside just in time to save Avila from two gunmen but too late for one of Avila's bodyguards--and wakes up hours later in the hospital, the only person of interest in custody for the murder. Complicating matters further is the appearance of Detective Delilah Groopman of the LAPD, gorgeous and brash, for whom Skellig has always held a candle. As for Avila? He's willing to help clear Skellig's name under one peculiar condition: that Skellig become Avila's personal chauffeur. A cushy gig for any driver, except for the fact that someone is clearly trying to kill Avila, and Skellig is literally the only person sitting between Avila and a bullet to the head.
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Every Day Above Ground
by Glen Erik Hamilton
It sounds like a thief’s dream to Van Shaw: A terminally ill ex-con tells him of an easy fortune in gold, abandoned and nearly forgotten after its original owner died in prison. For the dying man, the money is a legacy to ensure his preteen daughter’s future. For Van, the gold is cash he desperately needs to rebuild his destroyed family home. The grandson of a career criminal who taught him all the tricks of his trade, Van suspects that nothing is ever that easy. Sure enough, the safe holding the fortune is a trap—set by a mysterious player armed with tremendous resources and a lifetime of hatred. Now, Shaw’s partner is in the clutches of the hunters, and the former army ranger may be their next prey. But when the ex-con’s innocent daughter is threatened too, Van’s own hard childhood means he can’t let her come to harm. To discover who has them in the cross hairs, Shaw must seek out the hunters’ real prey. His quest leads him from an underground bare-knuckle fighting ring, which may be fronting a darker purpose, to a massive pop-culture convention, where Van and his allies, Hollis and Corcoran, play a dangerous game with foes on every side. It also introduces Van to a brash and beautiful aspiring journalist who poses a whole different kind of personal risk. For years, Van Shaw has tried to live every day above ground, on the right side of the law, even though crime is his gift . . . and in his blood. If he survives the coming storm, he’ll have to decide what he wants—and whether he can live as an outlaw without sacrificing his honor.
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| Change Agent: A Novel by Daniel SuarezTechno-Thriller. This futuristic thriller takes place in 2045, when agent Kenneth Durand of Interpol's Genetic Crime Division is abducted, drugged, and genetically transformed into brutal crime lord Marcus Wyckes, his own most-wanted suspect. Now on the run from his own men, as well as from the people who abducted him in the first place (they'd meant to kill him to fake Wyckes' death), Kenneth wants his life back -- which means a risky back-alley reverse gene edit. Entertaining and high-tech, this is a natural choice for science fiction fans (or those looking for a story that out-Crichtons Michael Crichton). |
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Dead on Arrival
by Matt Richtel
An airplane lands at a desolate airport in a remote Colorado ski town. On board, Dr. Lyle Martin, a world-class infectious disease specialist, is brusquely awakened to shocking news: everyone not on the plane appears to be dead. A lethal new kind of virus may have surfaced, threatening our survival, and now Martin—one of the most sought after virologists on the planet until his career took a precipitous slide—is at the center of the investigation. The symptoms are the most confounding the experienced doctor has ever seen. Is it the work of terrorists? A biological attack? A natural occurrence? As word of the deadly sickness spreads, panic leads to violence and chaos. Armed and terrified partisans and patriots, stoked by technology and social media, have dug in, unknowingly creating fertile ground for the deadly syndrome Dr. Martin has begun to identify. As the globe begins to unravel and paranoia and hatred take hold, Martin is forced to face a question as terrifying as this syndrome itself: is the world better left unsaved?
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Deep black : a Tom Locke novel
by Sean McFate
In this second military action thriller following Shadow War by former Army paratrooper Sean McFate, hero Tom Locke must track a missing Saudi prince deep inside ISIS territory.
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The Crime Writer
by Jill Dawson
From acclaimed novelist Jill Dawson comes this imaginative psychological thriller—a dark and compelling snapshot into the life of Patricia Highsmith that immerses readers into the intoxicating, nightmarish psyche of this brilliant, complex author. When novelist Patricia Highsmith moves into a small cottage in Suffolk, England, in the mid-1960s, she’s seeking seclusion and time to write. There’s another reason for seeking privacy too—Pat is involved in a secret romance with Sam, a married woman living in London. But even in this quaint village, Pat can’t escape the obligations of her success. A young reporter, Virginia “Ginny” Smythson-Balby, sets her sights on Pat for an article she’s writing. Ginny is both tenacious and oddly familiar, but Pat can’t quite place where she’s seen her before. Intent on unearthing details about Pat’s fascination with not just the subject of murder but the psychology of a murderer, Ginny constantly intrudes into the sanctuary Pat had hoped to create, much to her dismay. As Pat observes, love is a kind of madness. And when Sam comes for a visit, tension between Pat and Sam’s husband escalates with deadly results. For so long she’s wondered what it would feel like to commit the ultimate transgression. Now she’s not just a chronicler of murder and violence, but a participant as she becomes a character from her own thrilling, disturbing novels. But just like her books, she discovers crime has consequences…dark, surprising, and inescapable.
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If You Like: Dennis Lehane
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| Brighton: A Novel by Michael HarveyCrime Fiction. Before he became a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Kevin Pearce grew up in gritty Brighton, MA, where he committed a horrible act of violence -- one that he got away with. Nearly three decades on, having avoided Brighton ever since, he's returned to a neighborhood embroiled in a series of murders that could bring to light his own bloody past. Told from multiple points of view, this intense and descriptive novel is sure to appeal to fans of Dennis Lehane's Boston-based crime novels. |
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| Rise the Dark by Michael KorytaSuspense Fiction. The powerfully evoked setting, relatable characters, and fast-moving plot may draw Dennis Lehane's fans to this frightening multi-strand story, which mixes a revenge-driven road-trip with a plan to destroy Montana's electric grid. First, revenge: former private investigator Marcus Novak (first introduced in Last Words) is determined to hunt down the man who killed his wife. Cut to Montana: under the command of a cult leader, the same fanatical killer has kidnapped the wife of a high-voltage lineworker, step one in a fiendish plan. "First-rate entertainment," says The Washington Post. |
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| Pleasantville by Attica LockeLegal Thriller. Fifteen years have passed since the events in Black Water Rising (which was the first book selected for Dennis Lehane's new imprint with HarperCollins). Then, lawyer Jay Porter was anticipating the birth of his first child; now, he's grieving for his wife, caring for two kids while his law practice falls apart, and barely scraping by. Under pressure, he agrees to represent murder suspect Neal Hathorne, the nephew and campaign manager of a black mayoral candidate whose opponent just happens to be the DA whose office is prosecuting Neal. With nuanced characters, shifting and manipulative political allegiances, and a powerful black community, this is a sophisticated and satisfying legal thriller. |
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| Visitation Street by Ivy PochodaPsychological Suspense. On a hot summer night in Red Hook, Brooklyn, two bored 15-year-old girls take a pink inflatable raft into the bay for an adventure. But it's desolate and dark out, and only one of them makes it back. With June and the raft missing -- and Val's faulty memory no help -- the entire neighborhood is drawn into the mystery of what happened, from Fadi, an immigrant bodega owner, to wary Cree, an African American loner mourning his murdered father, to Jonathan, a music teacher who once attended Julliard but now spends most of his time at a bar. Racially and ethnically diverse Red Hook is as much a character as any of the people, making this a great choice for fans of similarly evocative yet gritty tales, like those by Dennis Lehane. |
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| Two Days Gone: A Novel by Randall SilvisMystery. Dennis Lehane fans will like this one for the language; there's also a "pervasive sadness" (Kirkus Reviews) to this literary novel that echoes Lehane's bleakness. It features Sgt. Ryan DeMarco, a Pennsylvania police officer who, still grieving the loss of his baby son years earlier, is now working a case that hits home hard: his friend, a successful novelist, appears to have slaughtered his own family and disappeared, and DeMarco cannot understand why. His investigation takes him to surprising places, all linked to the writer's half-finished manuscript. Narrated by both men, Two Days Gone is just the 1st in the Ryan DeMarco series. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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