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Category Archives: murder and investigation

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

12 Monday Aug 2024

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

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college sorority members, crimes against, serial murders, Ted Bundy, thrillers, Victims of violent crimes

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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Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera

01 Wednesday May 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, murder and investigation, United States

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best friends, death, detective and mystery stories, murder and investigation, podcasts, small cities, Texas

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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House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng 

21 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder and investigation

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British rule in Malaya1867-1942, Ethel Proudlock, friendship, historical fiction, Malaya history, married people, Pinang Island, Pulau Pinang (Malaysia : State)|, secrets, trials and litigation, triangles (Interpersonal relations)|, William Somerset Maugham

Tan Twan Eng has been one of my top historical fiction writers forever. His new book is exquisitely written based on historical events in 1921 and the Havelin couple are living in the Cassowary House in the Straits Settlement of Penang.  Old friend, Somerset Maugham comes to stay with them for an extended visit looking for new material for his next book – I was immersed in the setting, the times, and the book’s upheaval of events for several blissful days.

“Exquisite . . . Tan takes on a behemoth task here: combining sensational fact and intimate fiction in a British colonial Asian setting complicated by white privilege, politics, social hypocrisy, gender inequity, racism, homophobia, and more . . . [He] succeeds in delivering another intricate literary gift.” ―Booklist, Starred Review

“The House of Doors is brilliantly observed and full of memorable characters. It is so well-written, everything so effortlessly dramatized, the narrative so well structured and paced, that this is a book that will mesmerize readers far into the future.” ―Colm Tóibín, author of THE MAGICIAN

“In this bold historical fiction, he courageously exposes his motherland’s flaws, exploring thorny issues of race, racism, gender and gender preference, bigotry, infidelity, and colonial power in richly mannered, atmospheric, and expressive prose, which is simply beautiful . . . no one can argue with the ambition, ardency, and achievement of Eng’s complex latest. “- Air Mail

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Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

14 Wednesday Feb 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery

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Chinese American women, Chinese Americans, cozy mystery, detective and murder mystery, murder and investigation, older women, San Francisco (Calif.)|, tearooms

Vera Wong’s quiet life running a tea shop in San Francisco is abruptly changed when she discovers a dead body in her store. As the victim’s friends and family try to solve his murder, Vera grows close to each one of them. This is a charming mystery led by Vera, a bossy, funny, and lovable character.

“Vera Wong is my new favorite sleuth! This book is comfort food for the soul. Every chapter is bursting with wisdom and heart.”—Elle Cosimano, USA Today bestselling author of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

“Following the success of Dial A for Aunties, Sutanto is back with another charmer, this time following the exploits of orthopedic-sneaker-wearing Vera Wong Zhuzhu, who finds a dead body in her Chinatown tea shop. When the police investigation isn’t thorough enough for her liking, she concocts a plan to find the murderer, aided by a locked flash drive she found on the body and stashed away for safekeeping. Sutanto excels at skewering with affection, and an earnest hilarity shines through in this entertaining whodunit.”—The Washington Post

“A mystery with warmth, humor, and many descriptions of delicious teas and foods. Recommended for fans of Sutanto and of character-driven cozy mysteries.”—Library Journal, starred review

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The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

06 Wednesday Sep 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in action, adventure, History, murder, murder and investigation, Non-fiction, Travel

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1700's, Great Britain, murder and investigation, mutiny, Patagonia (Argentina and Chile), shipwreck victims, shipwrecks, Wager (Ship)

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound. (Amazon)

“The most gripping sea-yarn I’ve read in years….A tour de force of narrative nonfiction. Mr. Grann’s account show how storytelling, whether to judges or readers, can shape individual and national fortunes – as well as our collective memories.”—Wall Street Journal 

“The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail…He fixes his spyglass on the ravages of empire, of racism, of bureaucratic indifference and raw greed…one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read.” — The Guardian (UK)

“His dogged search through ships’ logs and other contemporaneous accounts of the disaster and its mutinous aftermath has turned up the kind of sterling details that make his writing sing; he is also interested in the way these events were recorded and then recounted, with many different people trying to shape the memory of what happened. Grann simultaneously reconstructs history while telling a tale that is as propulsive and adventure-filled as any potboiler.”— The Atlantic

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The Midcoast by Adam White 

24 Monday Jul 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in action, adventure, Drama, Fiction, murder and investigation, United States

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drug traffic, English teachers, lobster fishing, Maine, theft

A propulsive drama that cares as deeply about its characters as it does about the crimes they commit, The Midcoast explores the machinations of privilege, the dark recesses of the American dream, and the lies we tell as we try, at all costs, to protect the ones we love. (Amazon)

“Looking for an addictive summer read? This crime drama embedded in a moving portrait of two Maine families marks the debut of a genius storyteller.”—People (Book of the Week)

“The Midcoast is a suspenseful, funny, and chilling uncovering of small-town secrets within a propulsive family drama. . . . A perfect summer read about a perfect vacation haven.”—Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek

“In deft, knowing, and crystalline prose, Adam White writes, in essence, the novel about the Maine coast, a winsome, perplexing, and ultimately shadowy place that doesn’t give up its big secrets easily.”—Richard Ford

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Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

28 Friday Apr 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery

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Australia, detective and murder mystery, dusfunctional families, family reunions, family secrets, murder and investigation, murderer, ski resorts

Quirky and silly – at times a little convoluted – but still great fun! Felt like an Australian “Knives Out”.

“I absolutely LOVED it. It’s so engaging, entertaining and charming. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like it. It was SUCH a fun read.”  — Marian Keyes

“Exceptionally clever and amusing. … Stevenson carries off this tour de force with all the aplomb of a master magician who conducts his tricks in plain view.”? — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Exceedingly clever… Read it once for fun and then again to see how it was done.” — CriminalElement.com

“I absolutely loved it. Utterly original, hugely entertaining, and a must-read for every fan of the mystery genre. What an exceptionally fresh, smart, funny book—I’ve never read anything like this before.” — Jane Harper

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The Late Show by Michael Connelly

01 Wednesday Mar 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in action, crimes against, detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense, United States

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California, crimes against women, detective and mystery, Hollywood, Los Angeles, murder and investigation, policewomen, prostitutes, sexual harrassment in law enforcement, suspense, women detectives

This was my first time reading the prolific Michael Connelly, and I loved this mystery that introduces us to Renee Ballard, a detective in LA working the overnight shift. Ballard is a great character and the cases she tries to solve in this first story are compelling.

The Late Show introduces a terrific female character: Detective Renee Ballard…The pacing of Ballard’s debut story is breathless…Ballard is complicated and driven enough to sustain the series Connelly doubtless has in mind for her.– “New York Times”

A hard-hitting police procedural that captures the imagination from page one.– “RT Book Reviews (4 stars)”

The most intriguing mystery in The Late Show, though, is Ballard herself. Connelly is too skillful to hand us her resume in one document dump; instead, he fills out her portrait with a subtle hand over the course of the novel, a little background here, a glimpse of her temperament there, the revelation of her unusual living conditions sketched in between.– “Tampa Bay Times”

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Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson

04 Wednesday Jan 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, England, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense, thriller, Uncategorized

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death, London (England), medical fiction, murder, opioid abuse, patients, physicians, serial murderers, thriller

Returning to practice after a suspension for stealing opioids, a young doctor takes the only job he can find: a post as a physician at the struggling St. Luke’s Hospital in east London…. Drawing on his experiences as a physician, Simon Stephenson takes readers into the dark heart of life as a hospitalist to ask the question: Who are the people we gift the power of life and death, and what does it do to them? (Amazon)

“This timely novel has it all: it’s a chilling literary thriller, an emotional dive into the joys and stresses of our health care workers, and a genre-bending story with a perfect dose of gallows humor. I loved this book.. and never want to visit a hospital again!”—Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

 “Enjoyable…the novel’s tone shifts from dread to suspense as the narrator turns amateur sleuth when the facts don’t seem to add up.”—Publishers Weekly 

“The witty writing, quirky protagonist, and anecdotal descriptions of real-life medical villains combine to make Sometimes People Die a delightful read. I loved it.”—Kathy Reichs 

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The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

21 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, Uncategorized

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Boston (Mass), Boston Public Library, friendship, libraries, murder and investigation, women authors

This is a fun mystery full of twists, following a writer who is caught up in a series of murders while working on her latest book. The story takes place in Boston and features lots of local places. The book is told as a story within a story, and I’m not sure I completely understood all of it, but I enjoyed the journey! 

“[The Woman in the Library] is a mystery-within-a-mystery, with the clues in Freddie’s story becoming more intriguing as Leo’s advice becomes more sinister. The two story lines work together beautifully, amping up the suspense before reaching a surprising conclusion.” ― Booklist

“With each new chapter, Gentill opens the door to new histories. More murders…more clues…The Woman in the Library is a page-turner from beginning to end. As Gentill’s characters grow, the desire to know more about each ensnares us, and the only way out is to read to the end.” ― New York Journal of Books

“The Woman in the Library is a sophisticated mystery with more layers than an onion, created by a master hand. Clever plot twists in Gentill’s signature refined style will make you feel smarter just by reading. Sulari Gentill has done it again.” ― Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author

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