LibraryAware November 2025

Recent Releases

The Cut
by Richard Armitage

What it is: Richard Armitage delivers a layered, atmospheric novel that shifts between a small-town murder in the 1990s and its haunting aftermath decades later.

How it starts: As disgraced architect Ben Knot struggles to keep his career afloat, a film crew arrives to recreate a crime rooted in his past -- forcing long-buried secrets to resurface with devastating consequences.

Crooks
by Lou Berney

What it's about: Spanning four decades, Crooks follows the unforgettable Mercurio family as they wrestle with crime, ambition, and loyalty. From Las Vegas hustles to Moscow’s dangers and Hollywood’s glitter, each sibling faces the pull of their outlaw roots. Lou Berney delivers a vivid, epic tale of inheritance, reinvention, and the inescapable weight of legacy.

For fabs of: Highly recommended for fans of Elmore Leonard.

A Murder in Paris
by Matthew Blake

What it is: In his follow-up to Anna O, Matthew Blake entwines memory, history, and danger.

Met our hero: Olivia Finn, a London specialist in memory disorders, is drawn to Paris when her grandmother confesses to a 1945 murder at the Hôtel Lutetia. As shocking links between past and present emerge, Olivia must unravel the truth before more lives are lost.

Photograph
by Brian Freeman

Meet the hero: Private investigator Shannon Wells must unravel a decades-old mystery when her former client, Faith Selby, is found dead.

And her adventures: With only a vintage photograph of a girl in a motel parking lot as a clue, Shannon traces the case from Florida to Michigan, confronting dangerous secrets that intertwine with her own troubled past.

King Sorrow
by Joe Hill

How it starts: Haunted by a reckless pact, a group of college students call forth King Sorrow, a dragon who demands blood in exchange for their survival.

Then what happens: What begins as a desperate attempt to escape blackmail turns into a lifelong curse, forcing them to face sacrifice, betrayal, and the weight of dark magic.

All That We See or Seem
by Ken Liu

Meet the hero: A former teenage hacker, Julia Z has retreated from the digital spotlight until a missing dream artist forces her back into a dangerous game.

And her adventures: Using her unique ability to interact with AI-driven virtual worlds, Julia must recover stolen dreams, outwit a ruthless criminal, and confront the fragile line between technology, perception, and reality.

The Vanishing Place
by Zoë Rankin

What it's about: After witnessing a shocking murder in the New Zealand bush, Effie is forced to return to the wilderness she once escaped, drawn by a bloodied girl who mirrors her younger self. In her debut thriller, Zoë Rankin delivers vivid, immersive prose that brings the wild bush to life while unraveling dark family secrets and past traumas.

For fans of: Recommended for fans of Jane Harper.

Slashed Beauties
by A. Rushby

How it starts: When antiques dealer Alys obtains the final wax figure from a notorious eighteenth-century set, she believes destroying it will break their curse once and for all.

Then what happens: But the figures, modeled on women wronged by men, carry a history of vengeance, and their power is far from finished with her.

Contact your librarian for more great books!