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The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives
by Elizabeth Arnott
Beverley, Elsie, and Margot are not your average housewives. They are all wives of convicted killers. During the sun-drenched summer of 1966, the three women form an unlikely friendship after the discoveries of their husbands' brutal crimes. With their exes--some of California's most infamous murderers--dead or behind bars, they are attempting to forge a new future for themselves. Headstrong Beverley tries compulsively to maintain control of everything around her, all while raising two children. Bookish Elsie fights to make a name for herself in the newsroom, working among men who sneer at her career goals. Glamorous Margot prefers partying to homemaking and devotes all her energy to upholding the appearance that everything is fine--anything to quell the shame from her husband's deceit. They know people look at them and think only one thing: How could they not have known what their husbands were doing? How much are they to blame? And yet when a string of local killings hits the news, the three women--underestimated, overlooked, shrewd--decide to get to work. After all, who better to catch a killer than those who have shared their lives and homes with one?
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Vanished in the Crowd
by Rhys Bowen
New York is busier than ever as two million visitors come to the city to witness the Hudson-Fulton celebration in 1909, marking the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the Hudson River. Parades, exhibitions, carnivals, and a marvelous display of the wonders of the latest invention--electricity--across the city make for two straight weeks of celebrations, which Molly and her family, along with their friends Sid and Gus, are excited to enjoy. But Molly is secretly dealing with financial troubles. She is too proud to ask her friends for a loan, but when they want to hire her as a detective she jumps at the chance. Sid and Gus are hosting fellow Vassar graduates to take part in one of the parades but one of the women, a brilliant scientist, never shows up. It seems nobody knows where she is, including her husband. Is she trying to run away from her life or is it something more sinister? Why have the Vassar women really come to New York City? When Daniel asks Molly to spy on her friends and find out just what they are planning she finds her loyalties horribly divided. Then the parade turns deadly and only Molly has the tools to find out the truth.
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You'll Be Sorry
by Lisa Gardner
For Raquel and Theo Collins, it appeared to be love at first sight. Raquel, a renowned interior designer, and Theo, a brash financial wizard met and married in a matter of months, only to confront a terrible tragedy. Now, unbearably aware of the distance between them, they've come to a remote town in New Hampshire to begin anew. Perched on a ledge with stunning views, the Dixon's family lodge was once a crown jewel of the mountains. Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for thirty years. Now, its latest occupants, the Collinses, are arriving, and the former grand lodge is once more stirring to life. For Amanda Grady, following in her father's footsteps as the recently appointed Shereford police chief, it's good to see a fresh start for the derelict Dixon place. However, not everyone is happy about a new family in the old home and its hidden past may have returned with a vengeance. When a stray dog leads to the discovery of a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive. Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. The local residents, the new neighbors, and the fledgling police chief must work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or... You'll be sorry.
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| The Silent Appeal by Janice HallettFollowing The Appeal and The Christmas Appeal, the Fairway Players of Lower Lockwood are back! Tensions are high as they prepare to put on an Agatha Christie play, and that's before they find themselves embroiled in murder. Again. Later, intrepid young lawyers Femi and Charlotte dig into emails, text messages, and more to figure out what really happened and who's really guilty in this fun, intricately plotted epistolary whodunit. For fans of: Robert Thorogood's Marlow Murder Club novels. |
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Strangers in the Villa
by Robyn Harding
Sydney Lowe's life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage. High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travelers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes' bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive.
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| Crescendo by Robert J. HarrisIn 1950s Hollywood, Alfred Hitchcock hires mystery writer Bobby Burgoyne to rework a script based on an old dime novel about a missing heiress who eventually returns home with amnesia. But with violent acts of sabotage on set, Bobby soon teams up with his ex, reporter Tess Donovan, to investigate what's really going on. Try this next: Sarah James' Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen; Nicola Upson's Shot with Crimson. |
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| Savvy Summers and the Po'boy Perils by Sandra Jackson-OpokuCafé owner Savvy Summers caters a lunch for a friend's business on Chicago's South Side, putting a soul food spin on Creole classics. But when someone poisons a po'boy, leading to a body in the conference room, Savvy and her trusty sous chef, Penny Lopés, investigate to find the killer and save the café's reputation. This fun 2nd in a cozy series includes recipes. For fans of: Abby Collette, Mia P. Manansala. |
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| How to Kill a Crime Writer by Sarah LotzAfter the unexpected death of her bestselling crime novelist mother, insecure Niamh moves into her mom's English country cottage. But things get weird when her mom's super-competent fictional heroine appears in the kitchen claiming her creator was murdered. Though no one else can see the woman, Niamh teams up with her to find the killer in this fair-play mystery that also explores grief. Try this next: Cherie Priest's Grave Reservations. |
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The Star from Calcutta
by Sujata Massey
Perveen Mistry, the only woman lawyer in 1922 Bombay, agrees to help famous actress Rochana in a contract dispute after she leaves her old studio for one owned by her new husband. But at an advance screening party, murder enters the picture and Rochana disappears from the scene. Read-alikes: Kate Khavari's Saffron Everleigh mysteries; Harini Nagendra's Bangalore Detectives Club books.
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Three Reasons for Revenge
by Dervla McTiernan
Alexis Turner walks into the police station to report an assault. By the end of the day, she is nowhere to be found.Soon after she disappears, three identical packages arrive at three very different doors: a respected psychologist's home, a socialite's mansion, and a struggling single father's run-down apartment. Inside, each gift is perfectly tailored to its recipient -- and each will tear apart the life of its intended victim.Detective Sergeant Judith Lee is smart and experienced, but this is no ordinary case. Someone with intimate knowledge of their targets is orchestrating these attacks. Someone who knows exactly how to hurt each victim where they're most vulnerable.As she races to uncover the connection between three unrelated people, Judith discovers she's no longer just investigating the game--she's being forced to play.
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Murder at an Irish Session
by Carlene O'Connor
Siobhán loves to see the joy playing trad music brings to her brother Ciaran, but his concern that he'll never find a mate pulls at her heartstrings. So she proposes that Kilbane host a music and matchmaking festival to draw single trad musicians. While renowned matchmaker Liam Noone plays Cupid with his Lucky Book, music--and hopefully love--will fill the pubs and the autumn air. Turning over his precious Lucky Book to Siobhán for safekeeping, Liam takes the stage to introduce matched musician couples who will kick off the festival in the town square. Suddenly all goes black. When the lights come back on, the matchmaker has met his maker, impaled through the heart with an arrow made from the sharpened bow of a bass. Was it the fiddle player, the flute player, the drummer, the piper, the squeeze box player, or the bass player who struck a sour note? Garda Siobhán and her husband Macdara must pick up the tempo to make whoever committed this crime of passion face the music.
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The Parisian Heist
by Jo Piazza
Emma, a struggling American artist in Paris, thought she had left her dreams behind when she took a job cleaning for the city's wealthy elite. Then she meets Stella Swanson, the widow of one of the most notorious art dealers in the business. The Swansons move in a world where billionaires, oligarchs, and heads of state pay fortunes for masterpieces. Drawn in by their dazzling wealth and the pull of a dangerously charming grandson, Emma becomes both a player and a pawn in a family battle to protect their empire and conceal its crimes. In the late 1800s, the young widow Jo van Gogh inherits hundreds of paintings from her brother-in-law Vincent that the art world deems worthless. Determined to prove their genius, and to secure a future for herself and her young son, she becomes consumed by Vincent's legacy. As her devotion deepens, a vanished painting and a thwarted love affair leave her unsure who she can trust and how much of herself she's willing to lose in the process. From glittering auction houses to the idyllic canals of Amsterdam and the grand museums of Paris, the lives of these two women converge as Emma uncovers the Swanson family's darkest secrets and agrees to mastermind a daring heist inside the Mus e d'Orsay. The stakes have never been higher, and these women refuse to be written out of history, no matter the cost.
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Valley of the Moms
by Hannah Selinger
It's not that Anna Plummer doesn't like Hamilton, but she never thought she'd be married with two young kids, comfortable, complacent...and growing more bored by the minute. So, when she realizes her second grader won't be able to attend the Ziti with Your Sweetie school dance because she didn't pay for a Premium membership, she snaps. She sends an email to the terrifying president of the PTO--and all hell breaks loose. One year later, Anna is found dead in the frozen Ipswich River. Left to pick up the pieces, her husband, Denny, is shaken to his core. He's no expert, but he's seen enough Dateline to know that the police think he's the main suspect. If they aren't going to get justice for Anna, he will. Told through the alternating perspectives of Anna and Denny exactly one year apart, and with a shocking concluding twist, Valley of the Moms is a gripping look at the underpinnings of grief, the social structures of wealth, and the secrets people keep--even among friends and loved ones.
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| City of Promises by Victoria Thompson with Ellen ThompsonFrank and Sarah Malloy's besotted daughter plans to marry a dubious man she just met. Convinced he's a fraudster, they visit lawyer Gideon Bates, only to discover no legal recourse. But Gideon's wife, Elizabeth, who was raised by a confidence artist, develops a plan to con the con man. This "delightfully amusing" (Kirkus Reviews) 8th Counterfeit Lady novel also stars characters from the author's Gaslight mysteries. Author Victoria Thompson sadly died in 2024; this novel was completed by her daughter Ellen. |
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| The Oxford Guide to Scandal and Lies by Kate WestburyIn 1951 Oxford, England, Gin Bishop is a clever student with no plans to marry the well-to-do man her aristocratic father has selected, while Sidney Braithwaite, a veteran and former spy, studies Latin and Greek. At first, Gin and Sidney annoy each other, but when a kindly librarian is murdered, and they learn he had been tracking a Soviet agent, they team up to investigate in this "cracking good debut" (Kirkus Reviews). For fans of: Susan Elia MacNeal; Jess Armstrong's Ruby Vaughn mysteries. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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