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Thrillers and Suspense May 2021
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| The Outside Man by Don BentleySeries alert: The Outside Man is the sequel to Without Sanction, which first introduced readers to traumatized intelligence operative Matt Drake.
What it's about: Former Army Ranger Drake is trying to move on from the dark events of his past, but when he is attacked in broad daylight, he gets pulled back into a world of old enemies and unsettled scores that he just can't resist.
Who it's for: readers who like their thrillers full of pulse-pounding action and adventure. |
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| The Fourth Child by Jessica WinterWhat it's about: Troubled empty-nester Jane Brennan adopts a toddler traumatized by the notorious Romanian orphanage system, an action that will have drastic consequences for her biological children and initially reluctant husband.
Is it for you? Jane is compellingly complex, although her membership in a radical anti-abortion group may alienate some readers.
Reviewers say: author Jessica Winter "deftly depicts all-too-human inconsistency" (Booklist). |
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Crimson phoenix
by John Gilstrap
What it's about: Refusing to abandon her children when she receives word that America is on the verge of nuclear war, a West Virginia congresswoman becomes an advocate for millions of survivors of a devastating attack that renders most of the nation uninhabitable.
You may also like: One Second After by William R. Forstchen.
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People Like Her
by Ellery Lloyd
What it is: a compelling psychological suspense novel about the dark side of social media stardom, told from the alternating perspectives of two unreliable narrators.
#Mama: Instagram-famous Londoner Emmy Jackson seems to have the perfect life as a wife and mother, something she assiduously documents (and curates) for her more than a million followers.
The problem: Emmy's husband Dan isn't exactly comfortable with their increasingly public life, especially once an obsessed fan turns on them and begins to undermine both their personal brand and their actual lives.
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Leave no trace
by Sara Driscoll
What it's about: Investigating an outbreak of fatal hunting accidents in the southern community of Blue Ridge, Meg and Brian, aided by search-and-rescue dog Hawk, connect the killings to a 200-year-old mystery. By the authors of the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries.
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| The Kill Club by Wendy HeardThis is a free downloadable eBook found on CMRLS.Freading.com.
The premise: Jasmine "Jazz" Benavides is on her own after surviving the foster care system, but her 13-year-old brother Joaquin was eventually adopted by their controlling foster mother, Carol Coleman.
The problem: As Carol's behavior towards Joaquin becomes increasingly abusive, Jazz finds a potential (and permanent) solution to her Carol problem, but the price is a bargain reminiscent of Strangers on a Train.
About the author: Wendy Heard co-hosts the thriller podcast Unlikeable Female Characters and previously published the psychological thriller Hunting Annabelle. |
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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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| Sister Dear by Hannah Mary McKinnonThis is a free downloadable eBook found on CMRLS.Freading.com.
What it's about: While mourning the man she thought was her father, Eleanor Hardwicke discovers she’s the daughter of wealthy Stan Gallinger, who warns her to stay away from his family. But Stan has underestimated her, and driven by a deep need to connect, Eleanor decides to find another way into their lives...
Read it for: the shocking contrast between the Gallinger family's picture-perfect image and the way they really live, and Eleanor's journey of self-discovery as she gets pulled deeper into their web.
You might also like: The Half Sister by Sandie Jones, another suspenseful look into the fallout of discovering secret half-siblings after a parent's death. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Central Mississippi Regional Library System
100 Tamberline Street
Brandon, Mississippi 39042
601-825-0100
http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us
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