| Lightseekers by Femi KayodeOkrika, Nigeria: In this remote college town on the country's southern coast, many questions remain about the violent deaths of three university students, apparently at the hands of an angry mob.
Starring: investigative psychologist Dr. Philip Taiwo, brought to the area from Lagos by a powerful politician who wants to know the truth; observant streetwise Chika, a local hired to be Dr. Taiwo's driver only to get pulled into the investigation too.
Why you might like it: Dr. Taiwo is a reluctant amateur sleuth who nonetheless displays keen investigative instincts, which pair well with Chika's deep knowledge of the area and unique insights. |
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Murder in old Bombay
by Nev March
In 1892, Bombay is the center of British India. Nearby, Captain Jim Agnihotri lays in Poona military hospital recovering from a skirmish on the wild northern frontier, with little to read but newspapers. The case that catches Jim's attention is being called the crime of the century: Two women fell from the busy university's clock tower in broad daylight. Moved by the widower of one of the victims his certainty that his wife and sister did not commit suicide Jim approaches the Framjis and is hired by the Parsee family to investigate what happened that terrible afternoon. But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Jim's investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. Based on real events, and set against the vibrant backdrop of colonial India, Nev March's lyrical debut Murder in Old Bombay brings this tumultuous historical age to life.
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Murder at the Castle
by M. B. Shaw
Iris Grey arrives at Pitfeldy Castle in the Highlands, at the request of the Baron, Jock MacKinnon. Jock has commissioned Iris to paint a portrait of his fiance, an American socialite Kathy Miller, ahead of their New Year wedding. Kathy invites Iris into her confidence, she's received a series of threatening notes asking her to call off the wedding. Iris begins to investigate, and when remains are discovered in the grounds of the Castle, she fears for Kathy's safety. With the wedding fast approaching, Iris once again enters a world of family feuds, romantic intrigue, buried secrets and murder.
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City of windows
by Robert Pobi
During a horrible blizzard an FBI agent in a moving SUV in New York City is killed by a nearly impossible sniper shot. As the storm wipes out evidence, agent-in-charge Brett Kehoe turns to the one man who might be able to help them: former FBI agent Lucas Page. Now a university professor and bestselling author, Page left the FBI years ago after a tragic event robbed him of a leg, an arm, an eye, and the will to continue. The victim was his former partner and the murder is only the first in a series of all-but-impossible sniper shots. Page must discover what hidden past connects the victims, before he loses all that is dear to him.
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When she returned
by Lucinda Berry
"Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot eleven years ago, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she shows up at a Montana gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help, investigators believe she may have been abducted by a cult.Kate's return flips her family's world upside down--her husband is remarried, and her daughter barely remembers her. Kate herself doesn't look or act like she did before. While the family tries to help Kate reintegrate into society, they discover truthsthey've been hiding from each other about their own relationships. But they aren't the only ones with secrets. As the family unravels what happened to Kate, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate's return is more sinister than any of them couldhave imagined."--Provided by publisher
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One of our own
by Jane Haddam
"In Jane Haddam's One of Our Own, Gregor Demarkian, former FBI agent and police consultant, returns for his final case-a surprising murder and an attempted murder, which threaten the safety of his Philadelphia neighborhood. A mysterious black van is spotted by several people at various times in the area around Cavanaugh Street, Philadelphia's Armenian-American enclave. Presumed by some to be related to the increasing ICE raids around the area, the mystery deepens one night when a body falls out of the back of the van when speeding through the neighborhood. Marta Warkowski, a reclusive older woman, is found bound up in a garbage bag after it falls out of the van. In a coma, Warkowski is unable to tell police how she ended up as she did. When they go to search her apartment, the police find the dead body of her building's super, a man with whom she has a history of conflict. How did she end up in garbage bag in the back of a mysterious van? How did he end up dead in her locked apartment? What does all of this have to do with the real estate holdings of infamous local developer, Cary Alder?
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The best of friends
by Lucinda Berry
When a tragic accident befalls their teenage sons, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak, best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident and soon uncover secrets that threaten to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community, forcing these women to confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives
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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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| The Kill Club by Wendy HeardThe 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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| The Furies by Katie LoweThe setup: Sixteen-year-old Violet Taylor is worried about fitting in at Elm Hollow Academy, an elite English boarding school, but it's not long before she falls in with a close-knit trio of girls who share an obsession -- the mysterious 17th-century witch trials that took place nearby.
What happens next: After Violet suffers a traumatic assault, the four girls band together to exact revenge on her attacker through unusual channels and their actions have unexpected consequences for everyone involved.
For fans of: iconic teen movies that mix vintage glamour with darkness, like The Craft, Heathers, and Jawbreaker. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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