Category Archives: Fiction

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

19 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by in adventure, detective, Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, United States

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A literary mystery set at a summer camp, where two siblings vanish years apart. Well written and haunting.

“A rare gem, an immersive and enthralling literary thriller: a novel about love in the aftermath of tragedy, and about families of the very best—and the worst—kind.”—Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

“Liz Moore’s extraordinary new literary suspense novelreminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History. . . . [T]he vital connection for me was a reading experience where I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air. . . . The precision of Moore’s writing never flags. . . . Unforgettable.”—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“Rich in background detail and secondary mysteries . . . this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint.”—Kirkus, STARRED review

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Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

12 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by in crimes against, Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, thriller, True crime, United States

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This novel is based on the real-life crimes of Ted Bundy, though he is deliberately never named. Instead, Bright Young Women focuses on the lives of the women he crosses paths with and forever changes. This is a powerful story about violence, anger, and how women navigate the world.

“An unsettling and thrilling page-turner… Knoll’s haunting, must-read account will captivate [readers] until the end.”—Library Journal (starred Review)

“Bright Young Women is a fearless and intoxicating ride into the aftershocks of a series of brutal murders. Knoll explores in vivid, pointillist prose the effects on the ‘bright young women’ of the title, both the victims snuffed out in their glorious prime, and those left behind in their wake. It’s a compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion.”
—Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling Author of Then She Was Gone

“Stunning… By focusing on the women affected by her Ted Bundy stand-in instead of the nuances of his criminal psychology, Knoll movingly reframes an American obsession without stripping it of its intrigue. The results are masterful.”—Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

“Blistering and powerful, Bright Young Women is an almost unbearably vivid story of sisterhood and survival. With razor-sharp skill, Jessica Knoll deconstructs the myth of a criminal mastermind, revealing the women he seeks to destroy as the truly brilliant ones.”
—Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and Under the Harrow

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The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett 

05 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by in Fiction, thriller

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I listened to the audio version and really enjoyed the British accents and slang. It becomes a bit complicated and confusing. I think listening provided a better reading experience than reading print for this one. 

“The Twyford Code is easily one of the cleverest and most original mystery novels in recent memory.”—BookPage (starred review)

“[I]ngenious… Filled with numerous clues, acrostics, and red herrings, this thrilling scavenger hunt for the truth is delightfully deceptive and thoroughly immersive.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hallett continues to pull the rug out from under the reader every time we think we understand what’s going on… It’s complicated, in the best way, and the reveals over the last section of the book are truly gaspworthy… Code lovers rejoice! This one’s for you.”—Kirkus Reviews

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The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo   

17 Wednesday Jul 2024

Posted by in fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, romance

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Set during the Spanish Inquisition, The Familiar follows a young servant Luzia, who is hiding her Jewish identity at a dangerous time. When her employer learns she can do magic, Luzia is drawn into a royal competition. This is an engaging mix of fantasy and historical fiction with great characters.

“Bardugo masterfully weaves magical realism with historical fiction and romance, which makes this book impossible to put down.”―Library Journal (starred review)

“The Familiar highlights all of the things that make Bardugo so well loved: a romance with maddening chemistry, an artfully built world, side characters with their own deep backstories, and a plot full of dark twists and spiderweb connections.”―Booklist (starred review)

“Reading Bardugo is an immersive, sensual experience… One can’t help sinking into Luzia and Santángel’s world and wishing never to leave.”―The New York Times

“The Familiar feels distinct from similar tales ― including Bardugo’s own ― because it explores a brutal and shameful real-life history… Bardugo brilliantly explores the wavy line between the supernatural and the divine: Magic is forbidden, but miracles come from God.”―The Washington Post

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The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

01 Monday Jul 2024

Posted by in Fiction, romance

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Clover has lived a mostly shuttered life in NYC with her grandfather.  She becomes a death doula (yes, a paying job) and spends so much time with the dying that she doesn’t have much to show for her own life until she meets a feisty woman.  This book takes the normally taboo subject of death and turns it into a reason to celebrate life.

“This weird, lovely and sweetly satisfying novel [is] engaging and accessible…Clover’s emergence from a shuttered life is moving enough to elicit tears, and Brammer’s take on death and grieving is profound enough to feel genuinely instructional.” ––The New York Times Book Review

“Brammer writes with grace and heart about the complicated and complex world of grief. The Collected Regrets of Clover explores anticipatory grief, denial, anger, loss, and––as the title suggests––regret. Despite the heavy subject, though, Brammer’s debut is never dark or hopeless…[and] is ultimately a beautiful story of belonging and connection and, cliché though it may sound, what it really means to live life to its fullest.” ––Shelf Awareness

“This is a beautiful tale of a vulnerable, compassionate woman who finds that, in order to care for others, she must also let herself be cared for. Even that cliché feels moving, rather than saccharine, in Brammer’s capable hands.” ––Kirkus (starred review)

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James: a Novel by Percival Everett  

17 Monday Jun 2024

Posted by in action, adventure, Fiction, Humor, United States

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James reimagines the classic Huckleberry Finn story from Jim’s perspective in a funny, thought-provoking page-turner.

“James is funny and horrifying, brilliant and riveting. In telling the story of Jim instead of Huckleberry Finn, Percival Everett delivers a powerful, necessary corrective to both literature and history. I found myself cheering both the writer and his hero. Who should read this book? Every single person in the country.”—Ann Patchett

“Ingenious … Jim’s wrenching odyssey concludes with remarkable revelations, violent showdowns, and insightful meditations on literature and philosophy. Everett has outdone himself.”
—Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

“[A] careful and thought-provoking auditing of Huckleberry Finn. . . [James is] a kind of commentary or midrash, broadening our understanding of an endangered classic by bringing out the tragedy behind the comic facade. And that is no small thing. I expect that James will be spoken of as a repudiation of Huckleberry Finn, but a book like this can only be written in a spirit of engaged devotion. More than a correction, it’s a rescue mission. And maybe this time it will work.” —The Wall Street Journal

“Percival Everett is a giant of American letters, and James is a canon-shatteringly great book. Unforgiving and compassionate, beautiful and brutal, a tragedy and a farce, this brilliant novel rewrites literary history to let us hear the voices it has long suppressed.”—Hernan Diaz, author of Trust

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The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

07 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Fiction, suspense, United States

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This was a hoot – great fun and I didn’t see a few (of the many) twists and turns coming.

“Featuring unreliable narrators and twists throughout, Hawkins’ latest continues her reign as the queen of slow-burn domestic thrillers. This is a page-turner that readers will find hard to put down and is perfect for fans of stories with ambiguous morals and dysfunctional families.” ―Booklist

“Hawkins does an excellent job keeping readers off-balance throughout. Nonstop twists and surprises make this a true thrill ride…a delicious tale of murder, greed, and the ties that bind.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Rachel Hawkins delivers another read-in-a-sitting knockout. The Heiress has it all―murder, secrets, Gothic vibes, and one of the most deliciously twisted families ever put to page. I loved it!” ―Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Only One Left

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The Demon of Unrest : a Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson

29 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in action, adventure, Fiction, History, Non-fiction, United States

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Remarkable, remarkable.  I could not put this book down. Written by the author of The Splendid and the Ville, Larson brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War focused on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s harbor.  Meet the leaders of the Secessionist and Union movements, the absence of reliable communications, and the overbearing pride and chivalry of the South’s culture. 

“Larson, one of today’s pre-eminent nonfiction storytellers, trawls a variety of archives to explore the historically momentous months between Abraham Lincoln’s election and the Battle of Fort Sumter.”—The New York Times

“Perhaps no other historian has ever rendered the struggle for Sumter in such authoritative detail as Larson does here. . . . Few historians, too, have done a better job of untangling the web of intrigues and counter-intrigues that helped provoke the eventual attack and surrender.”—The Washington Post

“Twisty and cinematic . . . A mesmerizing and disconcerting look at an era when consensus dissolved into deadly polarization.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Fascinating details, fresh perspectives, and lively writing make this a standout view of the antebellum and Civil War eras.”—Booklist (starred review)

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Crow Mary: A novel by Kathleen Grissom

20 Monday May 2024

Posted by in action, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, western

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I enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a courageous and strong Native American woman who married a white fur trader in the 1870’s and found herself caught between two cultures. 

“Crow Mary is a richly detailed story of a woman caught between two cultures. You’ll be captivated by Mary’s strength and determination as she struggles to save her family and her people from destruction. A compassionate and deeply satisfying novel.”  —Sandra Dallas, New York Times best-selling author of Where Coyotes How

“Grissom offers an ambitious account of bravery and initiative inspired by the true story of a Crow woman who married a white man in late-19th-century Montana…With a flashback-heavy narrative, Grissom effectively conveys how Mary’s Crow childhood stays with her over the course of her new life. This moving story of one woman’s grit, survival, and resilience will keep readers turning the pages.”—Publishers Weekly

“My favorite novels shine a light on women that history books have forgotten. Over twenty years ago, Kathleen Grissom heard about an incredible woman named Goes First, and Crow Mary isworth the wait. While reading Crow Mary, I couldn’t help but think of My Antonia by Willa Cather, and the debt we owe to the women who came before us.”  —Janet Skeslien Charles, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library

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Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

01 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by in detective, Fiction, murder and investigation, United States

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Lucy was there the night her best friend was murdered, but she can’t remember anything. She is also the main suspect. When a podcast host focuses on the crime years later, Lucy returns to find out what really happened. This mystery page-turner has great characters and lots of dark humor.

“Listen for the Lie is a page-turner from the first sentence to the very last. In addition to being a world-class whodunit, full of carefully doled-out twists, Lucy is a terrific character, feisty and funny and, it turns out, brave as hell. It’s great fun. Readers will rip through this one.”―Stephen King

“Every so often, a book comes along that takes you for a ride–now buckle up, because Amy Tintera has written it. Listen for the Lieexplores the cruelest kind of world through the eyes of a woman whose grit is only outmatched by her razor-sharp wit. This bitingly funny and subversive thriller is one of the freshest and fiercest you’ll read this year.”―Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie

“Original and deliciously dark with a wicked sense of humor. An addictive page-turner that will keep you guessing until the end.”―Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author

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