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Thrillers and Suspense December 2025 |
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The House Guests
by Amber And Danielle Brown
NO ONE'S AROUND FOR MILES... One year ago, Iris's world turned upside down. Haunted by nightmares of her mother's traumatic death, Iris has become a sleep-deprived, jittery version of herself who she hardly recognizes anymore. So when she's given the opportunity to get away from the crushing grind of reality for a relaxing week with her partner and his close-knit group of friends, she jumps at the chance. But after she arrives early to the remote lake house in the Catskills, things take a dark turn. Alone in the cabin in the middle of the night, Iris sees a blood-covered man burying something--or someone--in the mud behind the deck before entering the house. But the daylight reveals nothing, the dirt unturned and the house pristine. As strange and increasingly disturbing discoveries begin to stack up, her fellow house guests refuse to take anything Iris has to say seriously, and she begins to suspect that someone might be gaslighting her. If the stress hasn't finally gotten to her, that is. Determined to uncover the truth, Iris finds herself drawn into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Is it all in her head, or is there really a killer among them? Can she trust anyone...even herself?
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Wreck Your Heart: A Mystery
by Lori Rader-Day
From award-winning author Lori Rader-Day, Wreck Your Heart is an engaging, wisecracking and wonderful crime novel with a big heart, about a country and midwestern singer out to catch her big break before family--or murder--wrecks everything. Dahlia Doll Devine had the kind of hardscrabble beginning that could launch a thousand broken-hearted country songs, but now she's the star of her own stage at McPhee's Tavern. As part of Chicago's--yes, Chicago's--country music scene, Dahlia is an up-and-coming singer in spangles and boots of classic country tunes. Up and coming, that is, until her boyfriend Joey up and went, taking the rent money with him. So Dahlia is back to square one, relying on Alex McPhee--again. Alex helped her out of a bad situation when she was a kid living rough with her mother. Now he's part landlord, part band booster, all-around rescuer. It's just that Dahlia wishes she didn't keep giving him reasons to have to do it. Just as Dahlia suspects she's scraped rock bottom, the mother she hasn't spoken to in twenty years shows up with something to say. The next morning, a distraught young woman arrives at the bar, asking after her missing mother--Dahlia's mother, too, even if the missing suburban PTA mom the girl describes sounds pretty different from the one who let Dahlia down all those years ago. Though no one is using the word sister any time soon, Dahlia lets herself be drawn into reuniting the family that might have been hers. But when a body is discovered outside McPhee's Tavern, the crime threatens not just the place Dahlia has made into a home, but everything she's believed about her past, her dreams for the future, and the people she was just, maybe, beginning to let into her heart.
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| Her One Regret by Donna FreitasWhen real estate agent Lucy Mendoza disappears from a Rhode Island supermarket, leaving her infant daughter behind, questions spiral: was she kidnapped -- or did she choose to escape the life of motherhood she secretly resented? Donna Freitas weaves multiple perspectives into a tense story exploring societal pressures on women, maternal ambivalence, and the bonds between friends. |
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| The Perfect Hosts by Heather GudenkaufA gender reveal party at the Drakes’ sprawling ranch takes a tragic turn when an accident leaves one of the 200 guests dead. As ATF Agent Jamie Saldano investigates, hidden rivalries, family secrets, and mysterious visitors surface, revealing that beneath the celebration’s glitter lies a dangerous web of deceit and a killer among the guests. |
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The Shop on Hidden Lane
by Jayne Ann Krentz
New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz dives into an enthralling new romantic suspense novel filled with deeply entrenched grudges, psychic dangers, and a conspiracy that threatens not only two families but also the entire paranormal community. The Harper and the Wells families have regarded each other with deep suspicion for four generations. The Harpers have been known to offer their psychic talents for less-than-legal purposes, and the powerful Wells clan has a reputation for playing both sides of the street. But for all the years of history and distrust between them, there is a mysterious pact binding the two. They share the responsibility for protecting a long-buried and very dangerous secret. Sophy Harper and Luke Wells are shocked to learn that her aunt and his uncle have been sleeping together--and now they are both missing. Not only that, but the last traces of them are at the scene of a murder soaked in negative paranormal energy. Clearly, someone is willing to kill to obtain the secret their families have been charged with protecting. Despite their mutual distrust, which, as far as Sophy is concerned extends to Luke's hellhound of a dog, they both know that the terms of the pact must be honored. Their investigation uncovers a psychic trail leading to a bizarre desert art colony where nothing is as it seems. But Luke and Sophy are concealing a few secrets, too. By a strange twist of fate, a Harper and a Wells have no choice but to trust each other and the fierce attraction that is binding them as surely as the pact between the families.
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| With Friends Like These by Alissa LeeA deadly game from their Harvard days resurfaces when five alumni gather for the annual “Circus,” a playful elimination contest turned high-stakes gamble. With a fortune on the line, old rivalries and hidden betrayals come to light, forcing the friends to confront decades of secrets, ambition, and the shadow of a lost sixth roommate. |
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| The Burning Library by Gilly MacmillanIn remote St. Andrews, Scotland, a sudden death ignites a perilous struggle between two clandestine female organizations seeking a centuries-old manuscript. Scholar Anya Brown becomes entangled while deciphering cryptic documents, and Detective Clio Spicer uncovers a trail of intrigue and deadly rivalries that could consume anyone who gets too close. For fans of: Kate Morton and Elizabeth Kostova. |
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| The Intruder by Freida McfaddenWhen a bloodied girl appears on Casey’s doorstep during a violent storm, her quiet cabin in the New Hampshire woods becomes a trap. The girl’s mysterious past and deadly secrets soon put Casey in mortal danger. Alternating perspectives heighten the suspense as survival, trust, and hidden truths collide in this tense, pulse-pounding thriller. |
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| Vicious Cycle by Jaime Parker StickleCorey Tracey-Lieberman, a new mom and ex-reporter, is shaken when two teens are found dead under suspicious circumstances near her home. Unconvinced by the official accounts, she balances childcare and personal struggles while digging into the case, gradually exposing hidden threats, troubling secrets, and the broader dangers women face in her community. |
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The Last Room on the Left
by Leah Konen
The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life--and sanity--in this twisty, addictive thriller. Kerry's life is in shambles: Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal--the one that was supposed to change everything--is looming, she can't write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It's the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh. But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ . . .
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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