"Tuesday morning started out damn near perfect. Right up until Demarco Jones told James Beck, 'Manny wants to kill somebody.'" ~ from John Clarkson's Among Thieves |
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| The Good Goodbye by Carla BuckleySuspense Fiction. The Good Goodbye starts with a fire in a dorm room; the roommates (best friends and look-alike cousins) sustain major burns; a boyfriend is killed. The girls are unconscious, so when the cops start talking about arson, it's their parents who must try to piece together what exactly happened -- and as in Herman Koch's bestselling The Dinner, old secrets and disturbing truths are revealed. This is the sort of book that is often referred to as "domestic suspense," in part because the events within could all too easily happen to any of us... |
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| Once a Crooked Man by David McCallumSuspense Fiction. Actor Harry Murphy has just left an audition when he happens to overhear three guys planning a murder. That's bad enough, but when he flies to England to prevent it, he's mistaken for a mob enforcer and nearly killed himself. With plenty of humor, a plot that threatens to careen out of control, and a large cast, this quirky thriller will appeal to those willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of a fun read. This is actor David McCallum's fiction debut; clearly he was paying attention during the filming of NCIS and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.! |
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| Beside Myself by Ann MorganPsychological Suspense. In a bid to get attention, identical twin sisters Helen and Ellie decide to swap identities. Helen's always been the golden child, while Ellie's the difficult one, so when Ellie pretends to be Helen, she finally gets the positive attention she craves. She refuses to switch back, and eventually grows into a successful young woman. The original Helen, however, fulfills her mother's expectations of Ellie, and exists on the margins of society. Told in two timelines from Helen's point of view, this is a fascinating exploration of nature, nurture, identity, and mental illness. |
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| The House of Wolfe: A Border Noir by James Carlos BlakeCrime Fiction. This final act in the trilogy starring the Wolfe family of outlaws, which operates on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border, features a Mexico City wedding ruined by the kidnapping of the wedding party (and you thought bad music and worse food was the worst that could happen). They're being held for ransom, five million dollars that must be paid with 24 hours. One of those kidnapped is Jessie Wolfe, niece of the head of the Wolfe's gun-running operation. He launches a rescue, she attempts an escape, and the stage is set for violence, bloodshed, and tragedy. |
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| Badlands by C.J. BoxSuspense Fiction. Thanks to a massive oil discovery, once-dying Grimstad, North Dakota, has been transformed into a sprawling boom town full of newcomers and new construction -- as well as drugs, gangs, and violence. Early one morning, 12-year-old paperboy Kyle Westergaard witnesses a vehicle force another car off the road -- with fatal consequences. But the police say it's a single-car accident, and Kyle has complicated things with the theft of a bag from the crashed car -- a bag that lots of people want. Narrated by both Kyle and deputy sheriff Cassie Dewell (readers of The Highway will remember her), this atmospheric novel brims with suspense and action. |
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| Among Thieves by John ClarksonCrime Fiction. With the help of a cushy settlement upon his release from prison, James Beck has set up a Brooklyn-based operation to help other ex-cons. One of his buddies gets him in touch with his cousin, who's been assaulted, threatened, fired, and blackballed after trying to correct a rogue trader at her brokerage firm. Turns out, her firm is managing the investments of a Russian arms dealer, who doesn't appreciate Beck poking around. Vivid prose, plenty of violence, and a hard-as-nails (if not particularly likable) hero characterize this gritty novel. |
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| Palace of Treason by Jason MatthewsSpy Fiction. In this "extraordinarily commanding, acidly relevant, and unrelentingly suspenseful" (Booklist) follow-up to the Edgar Award-winning Red Sparrow, Russian intelligence double agent Dominika Egorova edges ever closer to danger. She's got President Putin in her cross-hairs, but a rival operative has her in his. Add to that a treasonous American who knows enough to expose her, and a tricky Russian uranium deal with Iran, and Dominika and her CIA lover/case officer are in trouble. Complexly plotted and extremely detailed in characterization and tradecraft alike, Palace of Treason is a must-read for spy fiction fans. |
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| What Doesn't Kill Her by Carla NortonSuspense Fiction. In The Edge of Normal, former kidnapping victim Reeve LeClaire helped another girl escape a predator. Now, in What Doesn't Kill Her, her own kidnapper has escaped from the psychiatric hospital he's serving his sentence in -- and Reeve can guess at his plans. To help prevent what happened to her from happening to others, she puts herself at risk, traveling back to Seattle to do what she can. "The pages fly by," says Library Journal. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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