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Thrillers to Suspense October 2022 |
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| Kismet by Amina AkhtarWhat it is: one part character-driven thriller, one part biting send-up of New Age culture and its affluent devotees.
Where it's set: the glamorous Kismet retreat center, which draws clients in with scenic Sedona vistas and an endless array of wellness services.
Who it stars: new arrival Ronnie Khan, who jumped at the chance to leave her controlling family behind in New York; Ronnie's friend Marley Dewhurst, a volatile wannabe wellness guru; a large, mysterious flock of ravens that always seem to be lurking around town. |
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| Out of Her Depth by Lizzy BarberHow it starts: Sebastian Hale has just been granted the chance to appeal the murder conviction that landed him behind bars, news which greatly concerns an unnamed English teacher who was with him on the hot summer day that changed both of their lives forever.
Three decades earlier: Before she was due to enroll at Cambridge, working class Rachel Bailey accepted a summer housekeeping job at a Tuscan villa where she befriended rich girl Diana Turner, who encouraged Rachel to pursue Sebastian -- then a well-heeled Oxford student -- with dire consequences for all three of them. |
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| The Last Paladin by P.T. DeutermannSeries alert: The Last Paladin is the 9th of P.T. Deutermann's historical thrillers set in the Pacific theater of World War II.
This time: USS Holland commander Mariano deTomasi and his crew set off on a tense search and destroy mission following a group of Japanese submarines on its way to devastate the main body of the U.S. Pacific fleet.
Reviewers say: "Deutermann ably conveys naval battle tactics, day-to-day life aboard a vessel, and the pandemonium of warfare" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Couple at Number 9 by Claire DouglasThe setup: Expectant mom Saffron Cutler has just moved into her grandmother's former home when construction workers stumble across human remains on the building site.
The twist: The police want to question grandma Rose, who lives in a nearby nursing home. Though Rose has Alzheimer's disease and can only provide limited details, Saffron can tell that her grandmother remembers something that she can't -- or won't -- talk about.
For fans of: Carolina Moonset by Matt Goldman; The Fixer by Joseph Finder. |
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| The Disinvited Guest by Carol GoodmanWhat it is: a creepy and menacing gothic quarantine story about unprocessed trauma and the lessons we fail to learn from history.
How it begins: Ten years after the initial COVID pandemic, Lucy Harper, her husband Reed, and a small group of their friends and family travel to Maine to isolate themselves from a new, even deadlier virus, only to discover they're not safe from each other either.
Reviewers say: The Disinvited Guest is a "smooth cocktail of refreshingly chilly suspense" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell HallThe setup: Shortly after TV writer Yara Gibson reluctantly travels home for her parents' 20th anniversary party, she begins to receive increasingly urgent messages from a family friend who dies in a suspicious "accident" before the two can meet up.
Read it for: the well-developed characters, strong sense of place, and well-crafted small town dialogue.
You might also like: All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers; All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda. |
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| The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino IglesiasThe premise: Down-on-his-luck hitman Mario agrees to "one last job" to help make ends meet. His assignment? Rob a Mexican drug cartel.
What happens next: En route to Mexico, Mario grapples with disturbing and unexplained phenomena that make him question his aptitude for the job -- and his chances of coming home alive.
Is it for you? Rising author Gabino Iglesias' nail-biting latest offers an unflinching blend of paranormal thriller and barrio noir that doesn't shy away from the violence and brutality its characters face. |
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| The Lost Kings by Tyrell JohnsonWhat it is: a compelling and intricately plotted story about a flawed, traumatized young woman looking to learn more about her past and her estranged family's many secrets.
Starring: Jeanie King, who is fighting to keep her self-destructive impulses at bay long enough to discover the disturbing truth about why her family fell apart years ago.
For fans of: unreliable narrators, dysfunctional family dynamics, and stories of survival. |
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| Complicit by Winnie M. LiWho it's about: Sarah Lai, a college lecturer and Hollywood has-been who is offered the chance to air the dirty laundry of the rich and powerful after a journalist comes asking questions about a magnate who ruined her career ambitions.
Read it for: its thought-provoking tone and intricate plotting.
Is it for you? Inspired by the survivors of Harvey Weinstein's abuse, Complicit deals with triggering topics like emotional manipulation and sexual assault. |
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| The Swell by Allie ReynoldsFeaturing: former surfer Kenna, who swore off the waves after her boyfriend's drowning death years earlier; her best friend Mikki, who introduces Kenna to her alluring new group of surfing-obsessed friends.
One last ride: Worried about the company Mikki has been keeping, Kenna agrees to return to the waves temporarily to serve as a counterbalance. But the more Kenna learns about the group the less she trusts them, especially after finding out about their ties to a tourist who recently disappeared under very mysterious circumstances.
Reviewers say: The Swell is an "exhilarating, adrenaline-filled tale" (Kirkus Reviews) full of "twists and turns keep readers guessing until the end" (Booklist). |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Atlantic County Library System | 40 Farragut Avenue, Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Phone: (609) 625-2776 | www.atlanticlibrary.org
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|  | Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson
Atlantic County Board of Commissioners, Maureen Kern, Chairwoman |
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