| Social Creature by Tara Isabella BurtonStarring: wealthy, glamorous Lavinia, and penniless, forgettable Louise, who hit it off despite their differences, and are soon painting Manhattan red -- but how long will the party last?
Why you might like it: The glitz and glamour of the money-is-no-object lifestyle in New York is a draw in itself, but the real appeal is in the souring relationship between the two women. You know it won't end well from the early pages, but following along is undeniably enjoyable.
For fans of: Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley. |
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| Jar of Hearts by Jennifer HillierWhat it's about: Fourteen years ago, Angela Wong disappeared. Her best friend Geo has just given testimony against her own high-school boyfriend, now known as the Sweetbay Strangler -- and is facing jail time herself as an accessory.
Why you might like it: What happened that night? Flashbacks allow the story to unfold slowly, the tension always increasing. Meanwhile, women in the present are dying in eerily similar ways.
For fans of: the gruesome realism of the grisly Heartsick series by Chelsea Cain. |
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What you want to see : A Roxane Weary Novel
by Kristen Lepionka
"The thrilling follow up to The Last Place You Look, starring troubled and determined private investigator, Roxane Weary Marin Strasser has a secret. Her fiancé thinks her secret is that she's having an affair, and he hires P.I. Roxane Weary to prove it.Then, just days into the case, Marin is shot to death on a side street in an apparent mugging. But soon enough the police begin to focus on Roxane's client for Marin's death, so she starts to dig deeper into Marin's life--discovering that the elegant woman she's been following has a past and a half, including two previous marriages, an adult son fresh out of prison, and a criminal record of her own. The trail leads to a crew of con artists, an ugly real estate scam that defrauds unsuspecting elderly homeowners out of their property, and the suspicious accident of a wealthy older woman who lives just down the street from where Marin was killed. With Roxane's client facing a murder indictment, the scammers hit close to home to force Roxane to drop the case, and it becomes clear that the stakes are as high as the secrets run deep"
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| Star of the North by D.B. JohnStarring: newly recruited CIA agent Jenna Williams, whose sister disappeared from a South Korean beach 12 years ago; Mrs. Moon, an enterprising North Korean peasant; and ambitious North Korean diplomat Colonel Cho, whose murky family history spells danger if exposed.
What it's about: Jenna's dangerous search for her sister; the systemic oppression and suffering of North Korea's citizens.
Why you might like it: Extremely well-researched, this novel offers a nerve-wracking glimpse of the world's most secretive regime. |
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The Favorite Sister
by Jessica Knoll
When five hypersuccessful women agree to appear on a reality series set in New York City called Goal Diggers, the producers never expect the season will end in murder. Brett's the fan favorite. Tattooed and only 27, the meteoric success of her spin studio, and her engagement to her girlfriend, has made her the object of jealousy and vitriol from her castmates. Kelly, Brett's older sister and business partner, is the most recent recruit, dismissed as a hanger-on by veteran cast. The golden child growing up, she defers to Brett now, a role that requires her to protect their shocking secret. Stephanie, the first black cast member and the oldest, is a successful best-selling author of erotic novels. There have long been whispers about her hot, nonworking actor-husband and his wandering eye, but this season the focus is on the rift that has opened between her and Brett, former best friends, and resentment soon breeds contempt. Lauren, the start-up world's darling whose drinking has gotten out of control, is Goal Diggers' recovery narrative, everyone loves a comeback story. And Jen, made rich and famous through her cultishly popular vegan food line plays a holistic hippie for the cameras, but is perhaps the most ruthless of them all when the cameras are off.
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Fall of angels
by Barbara Cleverly
"Barbara Cleverly, bestselling author of the Joe Sandilands series, introduces an ingenious new sleuth who navigates 1920s Cambridge, a European intellectual capital on the cusp of dramatic change. Great Britain, 1923: Detective Inspector John Redfyre isa godsend to the Cambridge CID. A handsome young veteran bred among the city's educated elite, he is no stranger to the set running its esteemed colleges and universities--a society that previously seemed impenetrable to even those at the top of local law enforcement, especially with the force plagued by its own history of corruption. When Redfyre is invited to attend the annual St. Barnabas College Christmas concert in his Aunt Henrietta's stead, he is expecting a quiet evening, though perhaps a bit of matchmaking mischief on his aunt's part. But he arrives to witness a minor scandal: Juno Proudfoot, the trumpeter of the headlining musical duo, is a woman, and a young one at that--practically unheard of in conservative academic circles. When she suffersa near-fatal fall after the close of the show, Redfyre must consider whether someone was trying to kill her. Has her musical talent, her beauty, or perhaps most importantly, her gender, provoked a dangerous criminal to act? Redfyre must both seek advice from and keep an eye on old friends to catch his man before more innocents fall victim"
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| The Real Michael Swann by Bryan ReardonWhat happens: Problems on Amtrak's New Jersey routes cause a backup at Penn Station; when a bomb explodes there, the casualties are massive. Julia Swann believes her husband Michael has survived, and begins a desperate search to find him.
Why you might like it: As Julia is forced to confront difficult questions (why hasn't Michael called her? Is he somehow involved in the bombing?), this novel moves from family drama to page-turning (and terrifyingly plausible) suspense novel. |
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Our Little Secret
by Roz Nay
What it's about: Back in high school, Angela and HP dated; 15 years later, she's living with him and his wife, Saskia. Right now, though, she's being interrogated by the police, for Saskia is missing.
Why you might like it: With an unreliable narrator and enough tangled emotions to keep fans of Ruth Ware or Paula Hawkins happy, this debut features strong characterizations and enticing plot twists.
Reviewers say: "sneaky-smart [and] charismatic" (Booklist).
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| The Precipice by Paul DoironWhere it's set: In this 6th in the series starring game warden Mike Bowditch, he's headed to Maine's Hundred-Mile Wilderness, along the Appalachian Trail, where two women have disappeared.
What happens: While it's conceivable that coyotes are responsible, it's more likely that humans are the problem -- and the stakes increase when Mike's girlfriend, biologist Stacy Stevens, also disappears.
Why you might like it: The vividly depicted wilderness, multi-faceted characters, and increasing suspense set this "among the very best outdoors-based crime dramas" (Booklist). |
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| Silent Creed by Alex KavaWhere it's set: In the middle of a North Carolina mudslide -- literally.
What happens: In this sequel to Breaking Creed, K-9 trainer Ryder Creed and his dog Bolo are searching for victims of a landslide, but it seems at least one was killed purposefully.
Read it for: the intriguing relationship between Creed and Bolo and the possibility of a romantic one with Creed's FBI colleague, Maggie O'Dell, whom series fans will recognize.
For fans of: James Rollins' Tucker Wayne series, which also stars a working dog. |
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| The Seventh Plague by James RollinsWhere it's set: This is James Rollins' Sigma Force series, so we're talking all over the world, but the catalyst is the possibility that ancient plagues are returning in Egypt. The team's push to stop the spread takes them to Sudan and the Arctic.
Why you might like it: Bigger than life, this 12th in the series features "exotic locales, heroic quests, quixotic villains, action galore" (Publishers Weekly), as well as some nifty scientific and historical tidbits. |
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| Afterlife by Marcus SakeyWhere it's set: an alternate Chicago, populated only by those who died violently -- some of whom have learned that their power grows when they kill others.
What it's about: FBI agent Will Brody is hunting down a sniper when he's killed by a bomb; waking up in this other Chicago, he remains determined to stop the sniper, who seems to have connections to the deadly inhabitants of the afterlife.
Why you might like it: Smart writing, a powerful love story, plenty of action (and violence) and an intriguing, disturbing premise combine for a "noodle-bender of the first order" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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