| The River by Peter HellerThe premise: Best friends and outdoor enthusiasts Jack and Wynn are on summer break from Dartmouth College and decide to go on a short canoeing trip in the beautiful but rugged woods of northern Ontario.
The problem: Their summer gear is insufficient for a sudden, rapidly advancing cold front and from the other direction, a forest fire is gaining ground. As they try to escape, they will have to withstand the threats of both Mother Nature and human nature if they want to make it out alive.
Author alert: Peter Heller is best known for the suspenseful pandemic novel The Dog Stars. |
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| What We Did by Christobel KentStarring: Bridget Webster, a suburban boutique owner and survivor of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of an esteemed music teacher.
The more things change... Bridget is stunned when the teacher enters her shop accompanied by one of his current students, a girl who reminds Bridget of her younger self. Provoked by his continued impunity, Bridget decides it's time to take action.
Reviewers say: "Readers will root for the unwitting killer in this tense, well-crafted vigilante thriller" (Booklist). |
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The killer collective
by Barry Eisler
When a joint FBI-Seattle Police investigation into an international child pornography ring gets too close to powerful enemies, sex-crimes detective Livia Lone becomes the target of a hit that barely goes awry, and suspects that the FBI itself was behind it
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| Forget You Know Me by Jessica StrawserWhat it's about: estranged friends Liza and Molly are reconnecting over a video call, but when Molly steps away for a second a masked figure shuts off her computer. Molly calls back but behaves as if nothing happened, leaving Liza puzzled and afraid.
Don't miss: the author's careful handling of Molly's chronic pain, which her husband doesn't believe is real.
You might also like: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris; Cross Her Heart by Sarah Pinborough. |
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| Blood Orange by Harriet TyceFeaturing: Alison Wood, a deeply flawed defense attorney who appears to have it all, with a thriving career and a loving family.
What happens: Under the surface, Alison's law firm is as messy as a soap opera and her marriage has turned toxic, but when she's assigned a new client who is accused of murder, Alison begins to see things differently and wants to find a way to turn her life around.
Reviewers say: "a page-turner that drives to a shocking and satisfying ending" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| A Soldier's Revenge by Matthew DunnThe setup: Former CIA agent Will Cochrane wakes up in a fancy hotel room to find a dead woman he's never seen before in the bathtub and no recollection of how either of them got there.
Best served cold: Soon he's on the lam and on the hunt for the truth, which will lead him to someone from his past -- someone willing to do anything for vengeance.
Series alert: A Soldier's Revenge is the 7th entry in Matthew Dunn's action-packed, richly detailed Spycatcher series. |
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| Cave Dwellers by Richard GrantPicture it: Berlin, 1937: It's early enough in the Nazi regime for pockets of resistance to still exist, especially in artistic circles and the military.
An accidental spy: Oskar Langweil is a young Wehrmacht officer whose focus on his career has kept him mostly uninvolved with politics. But when he meets someone with ties to his past, Oskar is drafted by the nascent resistance to help them with a high-stakes mission.
Read it for: the colorful supporting cast, including a gay SS officer and a directionless young socialist; the lovingly rendered Germany countryside; the mix of pulse-pounding action and occasional farce. |
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Red sparrow
by Jason Matthews
Drafted against her will to serve Vladimir Putin's regime as an intelligence seductress, Dominika Egorova engages in a charged effort of deception and tradecraft with CIA officer Nathaniel Nash before forbidden attraction threatens their careers
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| Who is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie KnechtThe premise: It's the early 1960s, and Vera Kelly spends her time working at a radio station and, when she can work up the nerve, visiting underground lesbian bars in Greenwich Village. At least until her skill with electronics gets her noticed and eventually recruited by the CIA.
The problem: Sent to Argentina to infiltrate a leftist student group, Vera is making progress until a military coup leaves her stranded in Buenos Aires with no way to contact her handlers.
Read it for: Vera herself, who is as flawed as she is compelling; the poignant parallels between Vera's personal and professional lives, both of which are clandestine. |
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The hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy
Both the Americans and the Soviets commence an intense naval search when a trusted and skilled Soviet naval officer defects--using the USSR's most valuable nuclear submarine as his escape vehicle
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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