May 2017 list by Trish Hull
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| Long Black Veil 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 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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| 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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| Change Agent 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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A Simple Favor
by Darcey Bell
A single mother's life is turned upside down when her best friend vanishes, an inexplicable event that prompts her to reach out to her blog readers and the missing woman's handsome husband before nightmarish realities come to light.
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The Outsider
by Anthony J. Franze
Intervening in a violent mugging and catching the eye of the chief justice of the U. S., a young law clerk becomes caught in the crosshairs of a serial killer in a fast-paced thriller set in the high-pressure world of the Supreme Court.
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Bad Seeds
by Jassy Mackenzie
"Relentless South African private investigator Jade de Jong tracks a saboteur in a race to prevent a nuclear disaster in Jassy Mackenzie's new, pulse-pounding thriller. Despite her checkered history with law enforcement, Johannesburg private investigator Jade de Jong is attempting to operate on the right side of the law, confining herself to low-profile cases. But her remarkably attractive new employer, Ryan Gillespie, has tasked her with finding a missing security official after a break-in at his nuclear energy plant. The target of her search is Carlos Botha, a skilled operative and a threat to national security. Jade traces Botha to a run-down suburb, but discovers she's not the only one looking for him. Someone has put a hit out on Botha, and Jade forms an unlikely alliance with her mark in order to learn more. But how long can she keep up the of friendship before he realizes she's been hired to track him?"
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Dancing With Death: A Nell Drury Mystery
by Amy Myers
1925. The fashionable Bright Young Things from London have descended on Wychbourne Court, the Kentish stately home of Lord and Lady Ansley, for an extravagant fancy dress ball followed by a midnight Ghost Hunt -- and chef Nell Drury knows she's in for a busy weekend. What she doesn't expect to encounter is sudden violent death. When a body is discovered, Nell finds herself caught up in the police investigation which follows. As the darker side of the Roaring Twenties emerges, it becomes increasingly clear that at least one person present that night has a sinister secret to hide.
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Brimstone
by Cherie Priest
Haunted by the atrocities he perpetrated during the war, veteran and widower Tomas Cordero finds redemption in a talented clairvoyant who believes she can bring peace to him and his late wife’s restless spirit, but an enemy whose hatred transcends death itself soon rises from the ashes. By the award-winning author of Maplecroft and Boneshaker.
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Sonora
by Hannah Lillith Assadi
Growing up in arid Phoenix suburbia, the daughter of a Palestinian refugee and Israeli wife forges dreams under the nighttime sky before meeting a tempestuous new friend who leads her into experimentations with drugs and sex before the pair witnesses the mysterious deaths of classmates.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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