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Thrillers and Suspense January 2021
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| Take it Back by Kia AbdullahStarring: Londoner Zara Kaleel, who left behind her high-powered legal career to work as a rape counselor; disabled teen Jodie, who is referred to Zara after accusing a group of Muslim boys of assaulting her.
Read it for: the well-developed characters; Zara's compelling efforts to navigate her fraught position -- as a Muslim herself, she faces censure from all sides of the case as she tries to advocate for her client. |
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| Double Agent by Tom BradbyWhat it is: the intricately plotted sequel to Secret Service, which continues the story of MI6 agent Kate Henderson.
Her mission: to investigate allegations that the Prime Minister might be a Russian agent, a case which could end her career for good.
Is it for you? Part of Agent Henderson's case involves child abuse, which some readers might want to know about going in. |
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| Fool Me Twice by Jeff LindsaySeries alert: Fool Me Twice is the 2nd entry in the series of thrillers starring likeable rogue Riley Wolfe, an ambitious master thief always up for a challenge.
The prize: This time, Riley is strong-armed into stealing a priceless Raphael painting from deep in the Vatican by "an arms dealer who scares the crap out of other arms dealers."
The problem: It's not just any Renaissance painting -- Riley's target is a fresco, meaning he has to find a way to steal an actual wall. |
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| You Will Never Know by S.A. PrentissStarring: Jessica Thorton, a bank teller who has built a good life for herself despite a difficult past; Jessica's second husband, Ted Donovan; her daughter, Emma; and Craig, Ted's son from his first marriage.
What goes wrong: The murder of one of Emma and Craig's classmates on a night when neither teen has an alibi reveals the fault lines in the Thorton-Donovan family and threatens to destroy everything Jessica has worked so hard to build.
Try this next: The First Mistake by Sandie Jones, which also features an intensifying pace and flawed characters trying to keep their families from collapsing under the weight of suspicion and shifting loyalties. |
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| Open House by Katie SiseWhat it is: Told from multiple perspectives, this atmospheric and intricately plotted story follows the effects of a young woman's suspicious death on the residents of a picturesque small town.
Who it's for: readers who enjoy character-focused thrillers about communities with secrets to hide, such as those by Jessica Knoll and Liane Moriarty.
Reviewers say: "Sise’s talent is her ability to keep readers guessing about which character might be covering for whom, and she keeps the surprises coming" (Publishers Weekly).
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| Blackout by Marc ElsbergWhat it is: a fast-paced and compelling German novel that is part eco-thriller and part techno-thriller and which throws into stark relief the fragility of modern civilization.
What goes down: thanks to a group of hackers, the entire European electrical grid. As the blackouts spread and the stalled nuclear plants start leaking radiation, characters across the continent must fight for survival as society begins to collapse around them. |
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| Seven Years of Darkness by Chŏng, Yu-jŏngWhat it's about: childhood trauma, murder, and not-so-buried secrets in a remote village in South Korea.
About the author: You-Jeong Jeong is a bestselling author of several novels in her native South Korea, but so far only Seven Years of Darkness and The Good Son have been translated into English.
For fans of: the creepy atmosphere and well-developed characters of Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurðardóttir. |
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| Fever Dream by Samanta SchweblinWhat it is: the haunting, character-driven story of a young mother reflecting on her life and her fate as she dies slowly in a hospital bed.
Why you might like it: The unreliable narrator's tale is as compelling as it is disturbing, and features spare writing that serves to heighten its already menacing tone.
About the author: Fever Dream is the first novel by Man Booker Prize-nominated Argentine-Spanish author Samanta Schweblin, who has also published three collections of short stories. |
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| The Neighborhood by Mario Vargas LlosaWhat it's about: Set in Peru during the Fujimori dictatorship of the 1990s, this gritty and suspenseful novel follows the downfall of a wealthy engineer after a scandal involving blackmail and the murder of a tabloid journalist.
Read it for: the portrayal of corruption and high-stakes political maneuvering against a noir-inspired backdrop.
About the author: Peruvian Nobel Prize-winner Mario Vargas Llosa has worked in journalism and politics and is the author of fiction and nonfiction works across many genres. |
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| The Friend by Joakim ZanderWhat it is: the intricately plotted and thought-provoking story of two flawed people living a continent apart and how their lives are upended after learning the people they love might be involved in dangerous international espionage and even terrorism.
About the author: Before The Friend, Swedish author Joakim Zander published The Swimmer and The Brother, which similarly explored the effects of spy work on people's personal lives. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Rochester Hills Public Library 500 Olde Towne Rd Rochester, Michigan 48307 (248) 656-2900 rhpl.org |
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