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| Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-GoffStarring: battle-ready Orpen, raised on a small island in post-apocalyptic Ireland, who must venture to the mainland after tragedy strikes.
What's she fighting? a menacing horde of zombies (aka skrakes); her own fears of life beyond the safety of home.
Why you might like it: With a charming, capable heroine at its center and atmospheric world-building, this action-packed novel will appeal to fans of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and zombie flick 28 Days Later. |
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The Whisper Man
by Alex North
What it's about: Mourning the death of his wife, a father moves with his young son to Featherbank for a fresh start but finds their new town has a dark past involving a serial killer named “The Whisper Man.”
Author note: Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. The Whisper Man was inspired by North's own little boy, who mentioned one day that he was playing with "the boy in the floor." Alex North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name.
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| The Possession by Michael RutgerBack at it: Licking his wounds after a terrifying encounter with an ancient evil (and perhaps an even more terrifying dearth of sales from the book based on his experiences), rogue archaeologist Nolan Moore is ready to investigate a new case for his YouTube series.
Read it for: an intensifying pace centered on witchcraft and possession, a darkly humorous tone, and flawed yet relatable characters.
Series alert: The Possession is the 2nd in the Anomaly Files series, following 2018's The Anomaly. |
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Drive Your Plow over the Bones of the Dead
by Olga Tokarczuk
What it's about: When her neighbor turns up dead, and then other bodies turn up under strange circumstances, Janine, a recluse in a remote Polish village who prefers the company of animals over humans, inserts herself into the investigation, certain she knows whodunit.
Book buzz: "Tokarczuk's novel succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don't come along very often."-- Publishers Weekly
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| The Last Astronaut by David WellingtonThen: In 2034, the Orion 6 mission to Mars ended in tragedy, shuttering the space program and Commander Sally Jansen's career along with it.
Now: Twenty years later, Sally is called out of retirement to make contact with a mysterious alien object hurtling toward Earth. The stakes have never been higher -- for both the future of mankind and Sally's own redemption.
Reviewers say: "Readers will be riveted -- and will want to keep all the lights on" (Publishers Weekly). |
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| The Bus on Thursday by Shirley BarrettWelcome to... the seemingly idyllic yet isolated town of Talbingo, where hard-drinking 30-something breast cancer survivor Eleanor hopes to make a fresh start as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse.
What happens: Beset by strange circumstances (a fellow teacher's disappearance, a cabin with too many locks on the door) and even stranger townsfolk (a demonic love interest, an exorcism-obsessed pastor), Eleanor suspects she may be in danger.
Read it for: a wickedly funny storyline that unfolds via blog posts. |
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| The Dead Path by Stephen M. IrwinWhat it's about: Returning to his hometown in Tallong, second sight-afflicted Nicholas investigates the murder of his childhood best friend, whose ghost is among those he sees reenacting their deaths. Will his sleuthing put him in the path of a menacing woodland presence? (Yes.)
Why you might like it: This creepy modern fairy tale features vivid imagery and evocative descriptions of Nicholas' escalating unease.
Want a taste? "Clouds, heavy as slate and swollen like the underbellies of diseased beasts, were rolling across the sky." |
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| The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte WoodWhat it is: a surreal and disturbing tale of captivity and survival, centered on a group of women imprisoned in the Australian Outback for their perceived sexual misdeeds involving rich and powerful men.
Is it for you? This award-winning and thought-provoking allegorical novel confronts real-life monstrosity, exploring the horrors of sexual politics and misogyny.
For fans of: The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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