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Thrillers and Suspense May 2018 "On May 24, 1994, a warm, clear Tuesday, in which the Ohio River Valley was finally shaking off the gray doldrums of a cold and damp spring, the most popular man in the history of Mingo Junction, Ohio, dropped off the face of the earth." ~from Robin Yocum's A Perfect Shot
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The Sandman
by Lars Kepler
What it's about: A terrifying, manipulative serial killer imprisoned in a high-security psychiatric ward may hold the key to saving the life of a young woman believed dead for 13 years.
Is it for you? Blood-soaked and fast-paced, this 4th in the series starring Det. Insp. Joona Linna highlights his intuition and strategic sense -- and his willingness to dangle his colleagues as bait.
For fans of: Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter.
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Traitor: A Thriller
by Jonathan De Shalit
Years after a materially minded Israeli rises to the upper echelons of Israel's government by betraying state secrets to a CIA agent who is actually a Russian mole, a top-secret investigative team is forced to consider an act of brutal treachery to outmaneuver one of history's most ruthless double agents.
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A Perfect Shot
by Robin Yocum
"A local basketball star in a small Ohio town tries to remake his life in middle age, but instead must confront a murderer and the prospect of leaving his hometown and giving up everything that once gave his life meaning. Nicholas "Duke" Ducheski is themost important man in the eastern Ohio steel town of Mingo Junction. Nearly two decades after he made the winning shot in the state championship basketball game, he remains much adored and the focal point of community pride. Hardly a day passes when someone doesn't want to talk about "the game." Now approaching forty, Duke no longer wants to be defined solely by something he did when he was eighteen. So he decides to parlay his local popularity into a successful restaurant--"Duke's Place."But no sooner does he get his restaurant up and running than disaster strikes. One day, "Little Tony" DeMarco, his brother-in-law and a known mob enforcer, comes into the restaurant and murders Duke's oldest friend. Now Duke faces the hardest decision of his life. DeMarco thinks he's untouchable, but Duke discovers a way to take him down, along with his mob superiors.To do so, however, means leaving Mingo Junction and sacrificing his treasured identity as the town legend. And if he follows through, what will remain of his life?"
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Shallow Grave
by Karen Harper
Volunteering with a support group for children affected by domestic violence, forensic psychologist Claire Britten, aided by partner Nick Markwood, investigates a suspicious death at a wildlife sanctuary, only to be confronted by an attack that is too close to home.
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The Saint of Wolves and Butchers
by Alex Grecian
An enigmatic hunter and his highly skilled dog track a Nazi concentration-camp administrator who has been hiding in the United States, a case that is complicated by the man's secret ongoing work and his band of fanatical followers, who reveal a violent willingness to go to any length to protect him.
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| You Were Never Really Here by Jonathan AmesIntroducing: former FBI agent Joe, who, traumatized by his past and by his work rescuing the victims of human trafficking, is now looking for the missing 13-year-old daughter of a New York State senator.
Is it for you? Only 100 pages long, this is a dark and violent book; rumor has it that it's the 1st in a new series.
Book buzz: Does the guy on the cover look familiar? That's right, it's Joaquin Phoenix, who stars in the award-winning film released in the U.S. in April. |
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| Tangerine by Christine ManganStarring: two former college friends, Alice and Lucy, who are reunited in 1956 Morocco a year after their friendship imploded.
Why you might like it: In addition to a vividly depicted setting, this tale of love, obsession, friendship, and betrayal offers plenty of intrigue and slow-simmering tension.
For fans of: Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. |
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| Warning Light by David RicciardiWhat it's about: Weapons analyst Zac Miller literally falls into a job as a spy when his plane crash lands in Iran, right near a secret nuclear facility. Beat up and tortured by Iranian security for taking photos, he eventually decides to escape, launching a thrilling and dangerous journey to safety.
Series alert: This rip-roaring debut is said to be the 1st of many starring the quick-thinking Zac. Fans of espionage novels will likely hope to see more of him. |
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| All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel by Peter SwansonWhat it's about: Harry's father Bill has seemingly died by suicide, but when Harry returns home, he becomes convinced that his father was murdered.
Prime suspects: Harry's femme-fatale stepmother, Alice, whose attentions to Harry border on inappropriate; the mysterious woman whom Alice claims Bill was seeing.
What reviewers say: All the Beautiful Lies is "a gripping exploration of delusion and deceit" (Booklist). |
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| Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-LeachStarring: irresponsible Zelda Antipova, who appears to have died in a barn fire, and her distant twin sister Ava, who doesn't really believe it.
What happens: After the fire, Ava starts receiving cryptic messages from Zelda; her scavenger-hunt-like quest to figure out what actually happened is hampered by her alcoholic mother, her estranged father, and her hyper-critical grandmother.
Is it for you? If you like twisted, manipulative games full of red herrings, you'll devour this literary debut. |
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| Stolen by Daniel PalmerWhat it's about: In order to pay for his wife's cancer treatment, John Bodine steals a customer's identity; when the customer finds out, he demands that John play a life-or-death game in which John must commit increasingly criminal acts -- or risk the lives of his loved ones.
Why you might like it: Suspenseful and fast-paced (if at times quite brutal), this unsettling cat-and-mouse game is a good bet for fans of Harlan Coben.
Try this next: Tom Hunt's Killer Choice, which likewise forces a desperate man to make terrible choices to save his wife. |
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| The Lying Game by Ruth WareWhat it's about: Four boarding-school friends, expelled 17 years ago, are brought back together after the discovery of a human bone stirs up the past -- and threatens to unearth their secrets.
Why you might like it: Well-developed characters, an atmospheric British setting, and slow-building tension keep the pages turning.
Where does the game come in? So glad you asked -- these four girls developed an elaborate score-keeping system, all based on how many schoolmates and teachers they could get to believe their outlandish lies. |
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| Black Chalk by Christopher J. YatesFeaturing: six Oxford students who bring a twisted idea for a game to the Oxford Game Society; the elaborate, humiliating challenges that result have tragic consequences.
Why you might like it: Alternating perspectives portray the unfolding of the game itself as well as an unreliable first-person point of view years after the game's beginning.
For fans of: Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Tana French's The Likeness, and other college-set novels of psychological suspense. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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