| The Tenant by Katrine EngbergStarring: retired professor and aspiring crime novelist Esther de Laurenti, who ends up on the list of suspects when one of her tenants is found dead -- which sounds a lot like the plot of Esther's novel.
Read it for: the quirky cast of characters, like the mismatched pair of detectives investigating Esther; the complex twists and turns that the plot takes as it unfolds at a rapid clip.
For fans of: Ruth Ware, Erin Kelly, and other authors of character-driven thrillers. |
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| How Quickly She Disappears by Raymond FleischmannWhat it's about: This historical thriller follows 1940's housewife Elizabeth Pfautz, who is lured into an intricate web of secrets after a stranger tells her he knows what happened to her twin sister Jacqueline, who disappeared when they were children.
Read it for: the stark and well-rendered Alaska setting, the isolation of which only underlines the lack of choices Elizabeth finds herself forced to confront. |
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| The Better Liar by Tanen JonesWhat it is: a fast-paced and compelling psychological thriller of fraud and family dysfunction, told from multiple (unreliable) perspectives.
The setup: Leslie hasn't seen her estranged sister Robin in a decade, but she needs to find Robin in order to claim her much-needed share of an inheritance. Luckily, she's tracked Robin down. Unluckily, Robin appears to have died of an overdose.
The doppelganger: On her way out of town, a grief-stricken Leslie meets a waitress named Mary who looks enough like Robin that she just might be able to get the job done... |
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| The Rabbit Hunter by Lars KeplerSeries alert: This is the 6th entry in the D.I. Joona Linna series of Nordic crime thrillers, which finds the titular detective sprung from prison to investigate the death of a government minister with possible terrorist ties.
His mission: prevent two follow-up terrorist attacks by infiltrating the networks of a notorious drug, lord and later, an elite secret society.
Who it's for: readers who don't mind a little gore; fans of compelling crime fiction with a menacing tone. |
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| Watch Me Disappear by Janelle BrownWhat it is: the moody and intricately plotted story of Billie Flanagan, a Berkeley wife and mother who is much more than she seems -- something her family finds out after she vanishes on a solo hike.
What happens: As the first anniversary of her disappearance approaches, Billie's husband Jonathan is still deep in mourning. Then one day their daughter Olive begins to see "visions," which convince her she can communicate telepathically with her mother.
Reviewers say: "brilliantly layered" and "tender and biting" (Booklist). |
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| Providence by Caroline KepnesThe premise: New Hampshire teen Jon is something of a loner, although he does have a friend named Chloe, whom he is beginning to realize he has feelings for.
The problem: Jon is kidnapped, only to turn up four years later with only an H.P. Lovecraft book and no memories of where he's been. When the people around him start to die suddenly, Jon has to keep Chloe far away from him while he figures out what's going on -- and do it before the police label him a murderer. |
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| The Shimmer by Carsten StroudStarring: mob-connected serial killer Selena D'Arcy, who travels through time while on the run; Florida Highway Patrolman Jack Redding, who manages to follow her only to find himself faced with the temptation of altering his painful past.
For fans of: the Harry Bosch mystery series; Stephen King's 11/22/63.
Reviewers say: it's "a riveting, edge-of-your-seat read" (Library Journal). |
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| Mangrove Lightning by Randy Wayne WhiteWhat happens: Marine biologist Marion "Doc" Ford and his hippie sidekick Tomlinson head deep into the Everglades to help a local fishing guide who is convinced his family is cursed for something that happened there during Prohibition.
Series alert: Mangrove Lightning is part of the long-running series of thrillers starring the Doc, whose previous career with the NSA and natural curiosity make it tough to stay away when things get weird -- and in Florida, things always get weird.
Why you might like it: the endearing cast of quirky characters, and the equally colorful setting that is almost a character itself. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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