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Thrillers and Suspense February 2021
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| Do Not Disturb by Claire DouglasWhat it's about: Following a series of traumatic events and mental health setbacks, Kristy Whitehouse leaves London for her small Welsh hometown with her troubled husband Adrian and their two daughters, where they plan to convert an old rectory into a charming guest house.
What goes wrong: The financially taxing renovations threaten to end their new business before it begins. Once the guesthouse does finally open, estranged members of Kristy's extended family start to arrive, creating a volatile atmosphere laden with secrets and resentments that threaten to destroy them all. |
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The Ninja's Blade by Tori EldridgeWhat it's about: Female ninja Lily Wong's latest case takes her into the horrifying world of juvenile sex trafficking as she also deals with being the target of a street gang. Critic's say: Publishers Weekly calls it "riveting" and says readers "will eagerly await Lily’s next outing." "Lily and the secondary characters are rich and complicated" according to Library Journal.
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| Little Cruelties by Liz NugentWhat it's about: the toxic sibling rivalry between three deeply flawed Irish brothers and the tragic consequences of childhood trauma, which has resulted in decades of simmering resentment.
Starring: Eldest brother William, an arrogant film producer; youngest brother Luke, a washed-up pop star; stoic middle child Brian, who works as Luke's manager; and Melissa, a narcissistic former singer who made them each the men they are today.
Is it for you? Little Cruelties is a bleak story, and the details of the brothers' upbringing can be disturbing at times. |
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Matthew Henson and the Ice Temple of Harlem by Gary PhillipsWhat happens: Adventurer Matthew Henson uses all the survival skills he learned while being the first black man to reach the North Pole in an effort to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of a controversial spiritual leader. Blast from the past: Historical figures Dutch Shultz, Bessie Coleman, and Nikola Tesla all make an appearance. Critics say: "Henson is a terrific character, larger-than-life in a movie-serial way, and the story's pacing is exquisite...this is a rousing adventure in the grand pulp tradition, a wildly entertaining extravaganza".(Booklist)
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| The Lady Upstairs by Halley SuttonWhat it is: a gritty and moody noir debut about the shadow side of Hollywood and one woman's quest to get even with the power brokers who keep the corrupt system going.
Starring: Vigilante blackmailer Jo, an unapologetic woman whose job at a staffing agency is just a front for her true mission: the entrapment and extortion of some of the most powerful and most deplorable men in the entertainment industry.
What goes wrong: Jo's latest scheme goes horribly awry, leaving her on the hook for a murder charge and owing thousands of dollars to a mysterious and dangerous figure. |
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| The Lies You Told by Harriet TyceStarring: attorney Sadie Roper, who reluctantly returns to her childhood home in London after the sudden end of her marriage; Robin, Sadie's ten-year-old daughter and the newest student at the elite Asham Girls School.
The problem: Asham alum Sadie hated her own time there, but the stipulations of her controlling mother's will tie possession of the house with enrollment in the school. The environment at Asham has gotten even more toxic over the years, but the mean-girl students have nothing on their catty and competitive parents. |
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Beneath the Darkest Sky by Jason OverstreetWhat It's about: When ex-Bureau agent Prescott Sweet has the opportunity to live in Moscow and work at the U.S. Embassy, he and his family seize the chance to at last put down roots in what they believe is a fair society; but when they are reduced to bare survival in Stalin's Russia and Prescott's son becomes gravely ill, the former spy must draw on all his skills to free his family.
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| A Necessary End by Holly BrownThe setup: Desperate to become a mother, Bay Area teacher Adrienne, nearing 40, is thrilled when she's contacted by Leah, a pregnant 19-year-old who agrees to let Adrienne and her less-excited husband Gabe adopt the baby.
The catch: After Leah comes to California, she makes the adoption contingent on staying with Gabe and Adrienne for the duration of her pregnancy and for a year after the baby is born. Soon an unsettling bond forms between Leah and Gabe, and both the adoption and Adrienne's marriage are at risk. |
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| The Fixer by Joseph FinderWhat it is: a fast-paced, intricately plotted financial thriller about how a simple home renovation ends up undermining the foundation of one man's already crumbling life.
Starring: Rick Hoffman, who returns to his childhood home after losing his job as a journalist, the apartment he can no longer afford, and the girlfriend who prized them both more than she did Rick.
What goes wrong: While fixing the house up, Rick finds a large stash of money hidden in the wall. When he decides to move the money, he ends up uncovering a tale of political corruption that many people would rather stay buried. |
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| Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn JacksonWhat it's about: Despite her difficult past, devoted wife and mother Amy Whey is living an idyllic life in suburban Pensacola. But when her new neighbor Angelica Roux shows up at Amy's book club, it's soon obvious that Angelica knows something about her past that could ruin it all.
Read it for: Amy's compelling but unreliable narration; the atmospheric Southern Gothic tone.
Reviewers say: "Readers will devour the twisty, consuming story" (Library Journal). |
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| The Half Sister by Sandie JonesTwo's company: Stay-at-home-mom Lauren and her gossip columnist sister Kate have very different lifestyles, but they always make time to come together for a Sunday lunch where those differences fade away.
Three's a crowd: Their normal Sunday afternoon is interrupted by a strange young woman named Jess who claims to be their half-sister; her presence begins to undermine the idealized image Kate and Lauren have of their deceased father and the foundations of the life each sister has worked so carefully to build. |
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