|
Thrillers and Suspense October 2020
|
|
|
|
|
Confessions on the 7:45
by Lisa Unger
What happens: Selena Murphy is commuting home from her job in the city when the train stalls out on the tracks. She strikes up a conversation with a beautiful stranger in the next seat, and their connection is fast and easy. The woman introduces herself as Martha and confesses that she's been stuck in an affair with her boss. Selena, in turn, confesses that she suspects her husband is sleeping with the nanny. When the train arrives at Selena's station, the two women part ways, presumably never to meet again. But days later, Selena's nanny disappears and soon, Selena finds her once-perfect life upended.
Why you might like it: Expertly plotted and reminiscent of the timeless classic Strangers on a Train, Confessions on the 7:45 is a gripping thriller about the delicate facades we create around our lives.
|
|
| Florida Man by Thomas CooperWhat it is: an atmospheric and darkly humorous tale of middle-aged malaise and long-held secrets set on a seedy island off the coast of the U.S.'s most singular state.
For fans of: Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Randy Wayne White, and other authors who deftly combine suspense, crime, colorful characters, a strong sense of place, and lots of affectionate ribbing of their unique home state. |
|
| We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia HeaberlinWhat it's about: This intricately plotted and heartwrenching story centers on the disappearance of a young woman and her father, an unresolved case that still haunts the small West Texas town where they were last seen.
Starring: Wyatt Branson, the missing girl's brother who is ostracized after the court of public opinion decides he must have committed the crime; sheriff's deputy Odette Tucker, who visits Wyatt's farm after rumors spread that a teenage girl has been seen on the property; Angel, the traumatized teen whom Odette bonds with immediately. |
|
| The Vacation by T. M. LoganPicture it: A lavish villa in the south of France, where college friends Kate, Rowan, Izzy, and Jennifer have all gathered (families in tow) for a long overdue reunion.
The problem? Between the financial disparities between the gathered families to the constant bickering of their children, things quickly grow tense. Then Kate discovers evidence that there might be a romantic connection between her husband and one of her friends. |
|
| Little Disasters by Sarah VaughanWhat it's about: Emergency room doctor Liz Trenchard is on duty one night when her friend Jess arrives with her ten-month-old daughter. The baby's injuries are consistent with child abuse, but Liz cannot believe her friend is capable of that and resolves to look for the truth, only to discover more than either woman bargained for.
Reviewers say: "The brisk plot gracefully touches on postpartum depression, female friendships, and the difficulties of parenting" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
| Under Occupation by Alan FurstWhat it's about: French author Paul Ricard is known for his spy novels, but that doesn't mean he's working for the Resistance. At least he wasn't until a man running from the Gestapo slipped him an important stolen document shortly before being shot dead.
You might also like: Martin Cruz Smith's The Girl from Venice, which also features a protagonist living in Nazi-occupied territory who gets pulled into resistance activities after a chance encounter with a stranger. |
|
| The Saboteur by Andrew GrossWhat it's about: Based on real events, this story follows Norwegian engineer Kurt Nordstrum, a member of the resistance, and his dangerous mission to prevent the Nazis from developing nuclear weapons.
The mission: sneak into the impenetrable and secretive Norsk Hydro factory to destroy the means of producing "heavy water", a critical part of the bomb-making process.
You might also like: the 1965 Kirk Douglas film The Heroes of Telemark, which also tells this remarkable tale. |
|
| City of Secrets by Stewart O'NanWhat it is: the thought-provoking, compelling story of Yossi Brand, a Holocaust survivor who illegally immigrates to postwar Jerusalem and joins the Jewish underground movement against British occupation.
Read it for: the complex motives of the characters; the author's spare and elegant writing style.
Reviewers say: "imaginative and nimble" (Booklist); "a probing, keening thriller" (Kirkus Reviews). |
|
|
A Forgotten Place
by Charles Todd
What happens: Working in an amputee clinic in Wales, Bess Crawford advocates on behalf of disabled former soldiers who endure life-risking conditions in coal mines while trying to discern the whereabouts of a missing Army captain.
Why you might like it: The novel has a distinctly gothic feel to it: remote locale, harsh landscape, stormy weather, mysterious villagers—and the sense that something truly evil is hiding, perhaps in plain sight.
|
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|
|
|
|