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Thrillers and Suspense November 2022 |
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| A Tidy Ending by Joanna CannonWhat it's about: British housewife Linda Hammett lives a quiet (if unfulfilling) life with her husband Terry in a house she keeps spotless. Things start to get messy when she receives a fancy catalog addressed to the home's previous owner, her husband starts working odd hours, and local women start to disappear.
For fans of: unreliable narrators, suburban malaise, and sardonic humor.
Reviewers say: A Tidy Ending is "sublimely structured and darkly witty" (Publishers Weekly) and "chock-a-block with punch-in-the gut twists, wry humor, tragedy, and heartbreak" (Booklist). |
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| Run Time by Catherine Ryan HowardStarring: Adele Rafferty, a former soap star looking to revitalize her career with a part in a psychological horror film called Final Draft, replacing the original actress who abruptly quit.
What goes wrong: Adele's first day on the remote movie set begins with an anonymous text message warning her that things aren't safe, and production continues she starts to notice eerie similarities between her past and scenes in the script, to the point where she starts to question her own sanity.
Who it's for: longtime fans of suspense and horror who will appreciate both the author's understanding of common genre tropes and ability to subvert expectations. |
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| Three Assassins by Kōtarō IsakaWhat it is: a fast-paced and compelling story of revenge served very, very cold.
The premise: Former math teacher Suzuki takes a job at a front company for the organized crime syndicate he holds responsible for killing his wife two years ago, where he gets pulled into Tokyo's criminal underworld and meets two assassins whose personalities are as surprising as their professional skills are deadly.
About the author: Award-winning Japanese writer Kōtarō Isaka is best known in the English speaking world for Bullet Train, which was adapted into a film of the same name starring Brad Pitt. |
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| You're Invited by Amanda JayatissaThe premise: Amaya is a young Sri Lankan woman who lives a lonely, self-destructive life in Los Angeles. Surprised to receive an invitation to her former friend Kaavi's lavish wedding, Amaya decides to fly home for the celebration.
The problem: Part of the reason Kaavi is a former friend is that the groom is Amaya's ex-boyfriend. Determined to stop the wedding at any cost, Amaya gets more than she bargained for when Kaavi goes missing and she becomes a suspect in the disappearance.
For fans of: Only Ever Her by Marybeth Whalen; Social Creature by Tara Isabella Burton. Available on Libby |
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| Please Join Us by Catherine McKenzieWhat it is: a compelling and intricately plotted story of ambition, manipulation, and the cost of seeking favors in high places.
The setup: Corporate attorney Nicole Mueller's career has slowed to a halt when she receives an invitation to join an elite women's networking group, putting her in contact with high-ranking politicians and executives. Nicole knows she will be expected to pay their help forward someday, but will she be able to live with the cost?
Reviewers say: "Readers will cheer the quick-witted Nicole all the way to the satisfying conclusion" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Firestorm by Taylor MooreSeries alert: Firestorm is the sequel to Down Range, which introduced readers to Texan DEA agent Garrett Kohl.
This time: Garrett returns to the ranch his family has owned for generations to face off with a corrupt, powerful energy consortium that's destroying the local community in pursuit of profits at any cost.
For fans of: the series of Quinn Colson novels by Ace Atkins and the Joe Pickett series by C.J. Box. Also available on Libby |
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| A Simple Choice by David PepperStarring: former Supreme Court clerk Amity Jones, who is caring for a cancer-stricken mother in her last days; Palmer Knight, a national news correspondent who has friends in high places.
What brings them together: classified government research, the alleged suicide of a well-respected senator, and rumors of a possible cure for cancer.
For fans of: Wicked Leaks by Matt Bendoris; Angel in the Shadows by Walter Lucius. |
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| The Rule of Three by E.G. ScottWhere it's set: Kingsland, a Long Island gated community where the only way to move in is to be invited.
The setup: Vicky Barnes returns home from her regular book club to find that her disgraced politician husband has been shot dead, and the same is true for the husbands of the two other women she spent the evening with.
Is it for you? Though compelling, the characters are not exactly easy to like and their narration is definitely unreliable. |
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The Patient's Secret
by Loreth Anne White
What it's about: Loosely based on a true story, this psychological thriller centers on three women in British Columbia whose pasts, presents, and futures overlap in ways that could have devastating, deadly consequences for all involved.
Starring: successful psychotherapist Lily Bradley; free-spirited drifter Arwen Harper; police detective Rue Duval, who is tasked with uncovering the truth after a dead body is discovered on the beach.
Reviewers say: Author Loreth Anne White keeps "the reader guessing as she peels back the layers of a seemingly perfect family to reveal the shocking truth" (Publishers Weekly).
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The Wild One
by Colleen McKeegan
What it is: an engaging coming-of-age thriller about what happens when past and present are put on an unstoppable, calamitous collision course.
Starring: Manhattan grad student Amanda, whose seemingly perfect life with her boyfriend is propped up on a rickety foundation of troubling relationship dynamics, unaddressed trauma, and the events of a dark summer night in her childhood that she's managed to keep hidden until now.
Reviewers say: The Wild One "has hints of Tana French and Tara Isabella Burton" and "touches on tough topics without becoming voyeuristic" (Kirkus Reviews).
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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