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Thrillers and Suspense December 2021 |
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| Triple Cross by Tom BradbySeries alert: Triple Cross is the third entry in Tom Bradby's richly detailed spy series about former MI6 agent Kate Henderson.
Last time: In Double Agent, readers followed Kate as she investigated the suspicious activities of the prime minister, who she suspected of being a Russian agent.
This time: Kate takes up a high-risk high-reward mission that, if successful, could mean the chance to reunite with her Moscow-based children for the first time in years. |
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| Femlandia by Christina DalcherWhat it is: a suspenseful and dystopian tale set in the near future that raises provocative questions about feminism, family estrangement, and the secrets that can fester in small, insular communities.
Starring: Miranda Reynolds, who sets out for the titular woman-only utopian community (founded by her late mother) as a last refuge after financial calamity leaves her destitute; and Emma, Miranda's teenage daughter and traveling companion.
Did you know? Femlandia was inspired by the 1915 novel Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, who is best known for her landmark short story "The Yellow Wallpaper."
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| These Silent Woods by Kimi Cunningham GrantThe premise: Traumatized combat veteran Cooper and his eight-year-old daughter Finch live in somewhere in Appalachia in complete isolation, save an annual visit by Cooper's friend Jake who brings them winter supplies.
The problems: Jake hasn't arrived with this year's delivery, unwelcome visitors are popping up, Finch is growing increasingly curious about the outside world, all of which threaten to reveal the complex reasons Cooper wants to stay off the grid.
You might also like: Cheryl Grey Bostrom's Sugar Birds; Gabriel Tallent's My Absolute Darling. |
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| The Neighbor's Secret by L. Alison HellerWhat it is: dramatic and compelling psychological suspense about suburban malaise and dark secrets in a seemingly idyllic subdivision, where the formation of a book club leads to unanticipated destruction.
Starring: Annie Perley, a middle school counselor whose profession is no help with her own daughter; career-driven Jen Pagano, on sabbatical to deal with her 13-year-old son's violent outbursts; and Lena Meeker, the neighborhood grand dame who has lived in near seclusion since a traumatic accident years ago.
Reviewers say: The Neighbor's Secret is "perfect for Liane Moriarty fans -- as well as potential book club catnip" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| Dare to Know by James KennedyThe setup: An unnamed narrator works for a company whose algorithm is so advanced that it can predict the exact moment when someone will die.
What goes wrong: Overcome with curiosity the narrator looks himself up, discovering that he was supposed to die in a car crash 23 minutes ago.
Read it for: the intricate plotting, which comes together like a puzzle as the narrator grows increasingly tense over the mystery of his continued existence. |
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| Dark Things I Adore by Katie LattariThirty years ago: a group of aspiring artists gather at a Maine art collective, where one night a combination of ambition and insecurity left one person dead, and dark secrets buried deep in the forest.
The present day: One of those artists, Max Durant, is now a Boston college professor and thesis advisor to painting prodigy Audra Colfax, who invites him to visit her family home in Maine. Max can't help reflecting on his past, but little does he know that Audra's invitation has a devastating connection to that night in the woods three decades ago.
For fans of: unreliable narrators and revenge served cold. |
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| The Spires by Kate MorettiWhat it's about: Penelope Cox offers shelter to an old friend, Willa Blaine, who's fleeing her abusive husband. Willa quickly and thoroughly insinuates herself into Penelope's life, raising questions about her real motives and threatening to reveal the truth behind a shared trauma the two women experienced 20 years ago.
Is it for you? The novel's central characters are flawed in ways that might alienate readers who prefer likeable protagonists.
Reviewers say: The Spires is full of "reliable suburban creepiness" that "amps up the betrayals inch by inch until you're wondering if things can possibly get worse" (Kirkus Reviews). |
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| No One Will Miss Her by Kat RosenfieldWhat it's about: When town outcast Lizzie Oullette is found and no one can find her husband Dwayne or his shotgun, local police think they know what happened. But state police detective Ian Bird thinks there's more to the story, and soon he discovers unlikely ties to a big-city social media star and her disgraced billionaire husband.
Try this next: Those People by Louise Candish, another intricately plotted work of psychological suspense that examines class conflict and features a witty writing style. |
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| The Survivors by Alex SchulmanWhat it is: a compelling and character-driven coming-of age story about childhood trauma and a terrible accident that permanently altered the lives of three Swedish brothers.
What happens: Estranged for years, Nils, Benjamin, and Pierre have gathered at their family's summer cabin, the site of the accident, to scatter their mother's ashes. The tension is unspoken but undeniable, forcing the three men to reckon with the truth about what really happened all those summers ago.
Reviewers say: The Survivors is a "novel of family dysfunction that veers into startling and original territory." (Kirkus Reviews). |
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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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