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Thrillers and Suspense June 2018
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The Favorite Sister
by Jessica Knoll
When five hyper-successful 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 twenty-seven, the meteoric success of her spin studio—and her recent 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 which requires her to protect their shocking secret.
The Favorite Sister explores the invisible barriers that prevent women from rising up the ranks in today’s America—and offers a scathing take on the oft-lionized bonds of sisterhood, and the relentless pressure to stay young, relevant, and salable.
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| Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta HallFeaturing: Mike, who changed everything about himself to make his girlfriend Verity happy, and Verity herself, who's marrying someone else.
What it's about: Convinced that Verity's wedding is just part of a twisted game they used to play called The Crave, Mike knows he must stop the wedding at all costs.
Why you might like it: A tangled, twisted tale, this disturbing psychological suspense novel is as much about sexual politics as it is about obsession and manipulation. |
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Bring Me Back
by B. A. Paris
Finn and Layla are young, in love, and on vacation. They’re driving along the highway when Finn decides to stop at a service station to use the restroom. He hops out of the car, locks the doors behind him, and goes inside. When he returns Layla is gone―never to be seen again. That is the story Finn told to the police. But it is not the whole story.
Ten years later Finn is engaged to Layla’s sister, Ellen. Their shared grief over what happened to Layla drew them close and now they intend to remain together. Still, there’s something about Ellen that Finn has never fully understood. His heart wants to believe that she is the one for him...even though a sixth sense tells him not to trust her.
Then, not long before he and Ellen are to be married, Finn gets a phone call. Someone from his past has seen Layla―hiding in plain sight. There are other odd occurrences: Long-lost items from Layla’s past that keep turning up around Finn and Ellen’s house. Emails from strangers who seem to know too much. Secret messages, clues, warnings. If Layla is alive―and on Finn’s trail―what does she want? And how much does she know?
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| The Perfect Mother by Aimee MolloyWhat happens: Exhausted single mom Winnie leaves her son in the care of another family's nanny while she and the rest of a new-mothers support group hits a trendy Brooklyn bar -- never expecting that her son will disappear.
Read it for: flawed and realistic characters dealing with new parenthood; a nail-biting investigation by the mothers themselves; plenty of devious twists.
Book buzz: The Perfect Mother is already being adapted for the screen by actress Kerry Washington. |
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Focus on: Killer First Lines
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| The Prisoner by Alex BerensonKiller first line: "The horses knew." From there, the tension builds inexorably -- the Turkish geldings are being prepped to make a dangerous border crossing into Syria, where they'll be used to smuggle out an Islamic State bureaucrat important to the CIA.
Why you might like it: This 11th entry in a fast-paced yet well-researched spy series has stalwart John Wells trying to unearth a CIA mole -- from inside a Bulgarian prison, where he's disguised as an al-Qaida jihadi. |
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| Little Black Lies by Sharon BoltonKiller first line: "I've been wondering if I have what it takes to kill." Two sentences later, you'll be chilled by where this line of questioning goes.
What it's about: In the Falkland Islands, children have been going missing, and suspicion has fallen on Catrin Quinn, whose two young sons were killed in an accident not long ago.
Why you might like it: With a compelling story line, complex characters, and an unusual, desolate setting, this tale is "mesmerizing" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Orphan X by Gregg HurwitzKiller first line: "After picking up a set of pistol suppressors from a nine-fingered armorer in Las Vegas, Evan Smoak headed for home in his Ford pickup, doing his best not to let the knife wound distract him."
Why you might like it: Doses of humor and plenty of authentic details round out this fast-paced and adrenaline-pumping series debut (followed by The Nowhere Man and Hellbent), which stars a man trained since childhood as an elite assassin (now working pro bono for those in need) -- who has now become the target of someone with similar skills. |
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| I See You by Clare MackintoshKiller first line: "The man behind me is standing close enough to moisten the skin on my neck with his breath." If that doesn't make you feel creeped out and claustrophobic, we don't know what will.
What it's about: Told from three viewpoints, this disturbing novel relates the story of a suburban mom who discovers that her face is being used to advertise for a dating website -- and that the previous "models" have been the victims of violent crimes.
Be warned: You'll never look at your familiar routines the same way again. |
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| Ring of Fire by Brad TaylorKiller first line: "Dexter Worthington didn't set out to murder anyone."
What it's about: In this 11th thriller starring Pike Logan and the covert counter-terrorism taskforce he works with, they're racing against time to stop multiple catastrophic events across the U.S.
Why you might like it: With its ripped-from-the-headlines plot centering on modern terrorism, this fast-paced tale fairly pulses with authenticity -- author Brad Taylor spent more than 20 years in the military. |
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