.

Thrillers and Suspense
April 2021

Recent and Recommended Titles
Girls with Bright Futures
by Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman

What it's about: One place at Stanford. Three qualified applicants from the same prep school. And three mothers determined to see their daughter win admission.

Meet the mean girls: stay-at-home mom Kelly, a Stanford alum; tech CEO Alicia, whose donations might make up for her daughter's lackluster grades; and single mom Maren, whose daughter is valedictorian. 


Reviewers say: Girls with Bright Futures is a "
bracingly vicious portrait of entitlement" (Kirkus Reviews).
Lola on Fire
by Rio Youers

What it is: an action-packed crime thriller about desperate decisions, blackmail, and settling old scores.

The setup: In desperate need of cash, Brody Ellis robs a convenience store. The only witness who can tie him to the scene of the crime agrees not to go to the police, but only if Brody will commit another crime on her behalf. 


Read it for: the well-developed characters; the intricately unfolding revenge plot involving Brody's estranged mother and a bitter mob boss.

 
You will pay
by Lisa Jackson

Investigating remains found at a summer camp where a prank gone wrong led to the disappearances of two teens decades earlier, senior detective Lucas Dalton struggles with his father's ties to the case while meeting with five former counselors, including an erstwhile crush, to piece together what happened.
The marriage pact : a novel
by Michelle Richmond

Picture-perfect newlyweds Alice and Jake are unexpectedly initiated into a mysterious organization designed to keep marriages happy and intact through seemingly sensible rules that become increasingly exacting and subject to brutal enforcement
Revelation : a thriller
by Carter Wilson

When Harden Campbell wakes cold and beaten in a dirt-floor cell, he finds only three other things in the room with him: the mutilated body of his good friend, an ancient typewriter, and a stack of blank paper, the top sheet of which has a single, typed sentence. He knows the message is from Coyote, his brilliant, megalomaniacal roommate whose lust for power and reverence has recently revealed him for the true sociopath he is. Now, as the founder of a new religion with disturbing roots-- Revelation-- Coyote's most evil side has emerged. From the moment Harden sees that stack of paper, he knows his one chance of escape is through his own words, and only his ability to successfully recount the dark story of what happened over the past year at Wyland University will determine whether he lives to see the woman he loves once again-- or is silenced forever. This will be the most difficult story Harden has ever written, and each word must be chosen with the utmost care. Because Coyote will be reading each and every one of them
Stillhouse Lake
by Rachel Caine

Gina Royal is the definition of average--a shy Midwestern housewife with a happy marriage and two adorable children. But when a car accident reveals her husband's secret life as a serial killer, she must remake herself as Gwen Proctor--the ultimate warrior mom. With her ex now in prison, Gwen has finally found refuge in a new home on remote Stillhouse Lake. Though still the target of stalkers and Internet trolls who think she had something to do with her husband's crimes, Gwen dares to think her kids canfinally grow up in peace. But just when she's starting to feel at ease in her new identity, a body turns up in the lake--and threatening letters start arriving from an all-too-familiar address. Gwen Proctor must keep friends close and enemies at bay to avoid being exposed--or watch her kids fall victim to a killer who takes pleasure in tormenting her. One thing is certain: she's learned how to fight evil. And she'll never stop
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
by Olga Tokarczuk

What it's about: Translated from the original Polish, this stylistically complex blend of literary fiction and suspenseful detective story follows quirky, reclusive Janina Duszejko as she involves herself in the investigation of a neighbor's murder. 

Read it for: the offbeat tone, compelling writing, and Janina's insightful reflections on life in a small Polish village.


Try this next: Death in Her Hands, which also features an acclaimed author of literary fiction (in this case, Otessa Moshfegh) dipping her toe into the genre.
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