Tags
African Americans, investigation, legal thriller, missing persons, murder trials, mystery, race relations, rich people
The Holdout by Graham Moore
03 Monday Aug 2020
Posted in 20th century, Fiction, murder, suspense
Category Archives: suspense
The New Husband by D.J. Palmer
13 Saturday Jun 2020
“What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?
-He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
-Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
-He anticipates her every need.
-He would never betray her like her first husband.
The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes. The question is, why?” (Amazon)
“Mother doesn’t always know best in this thrill ride of a novel…gripping and twisted.” ―Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of The Good Daughter
“Plenty of twists…will keep you turning the pages as you guess…and guess again.” ―Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of After Anna
“An acute, sensitive portrayal of family love under extreme stress…[with] a touch of Hitchcock.” ―William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob
Malice (Detective Galileo Series Book 3) by Keigo Higashino
11 Wednesday Mar 2020
Posted in Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense
Tags
January book club choice for the Mystery Book Club in Weston.
“Keigo Higashino again proves his mastery of the diabolical puzzle mystery with Malice, a story with more turns, twists, switchbacks and sudden stops than a Tokyo highway during Golden Week.” ―The New York Times Book Review
“This smart and original mystery is a true page-turner… will baffle, surprise, and draw out suspicion until the final few pages. With each book, Higashino continues to elevate the modern mystery as an intense and inventive literary form.” ―Library Journal (starred review)
“Fiendishly clever… Higashino offers one twist after another… Readers will marvel at the artful way the plot builds to the solution.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“The creator of Detective Galileo (Salvation of a Saint, 2012, etc.) returns with another fiendishly clever Chinese–make that Japanese–box of a whydunit… If you still miss the days of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, you can’t do better than this fleet, inventive retro puzzler.” ―Kirkus Reviews
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
02 Monday Mar 2020
Tags
Chelsea, cold cases, England, family secrets, inheritance and succession, murder investigations, orphans, pyschological fiction, suspense, thriller
Fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn will be glad to follow Lisa Jewell. Written from 3 points of view, a warped family history unravels revealing the players and events that led up to a crime investigation of 3 dead adults dressed in black, a 10 month lively baby in her crib upstairs, and missing family members once having all lived in a mansion in Chelsea. You’ll still be guessing right up to the last page.
“No one can write a creepy domestic suspense thriller quite like Lisa Jewell.” —Goodreads
“Mesmerizing. . . Another dark winner from Jewell, who expertly teases out her tricky tale with stunning moments and richly drawn characters.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Un-put-downable . . . distinct, well-developed characters, shifting points of view, and a disturbing narrative that pulses with life create an enthralling tale full of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The Secrets We Kept by Lara Prescott
03 Friday Jan 2020
Posted in Fiction, Historical Fiction, suspense
Tags
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak 1890-1960.|, Cold War, Dr. Zhivago, Russia, secretaries, spy story, suspense, Washington D.C
A new writer to follow. I looked forward to every reading moment with this book. Two gripping narratives unfold – Boris Pasternak’s (Dr. Zhivago) mistress (Olga in life, the inspiration for Lara, the literary heroine for the ages) suffers years in the Gulag rather than betray her married lover. Second story: 1950’s in D.C and the story of two intrepid women CIA spies (masquerading as typing pool secretaries) who risk their lives to smuggle this manuscript out of Russia believing that one book could change the course of history.
“Through lucid images and vibrant storytelling, Prescott creates an edgy postfeminist vision of the Cold War, encompassing Sputnik to glasnost, typing pool to gulag, for a smart, lively page-turner. This debut shines as spy story, publication thriller, and historical romance with a twist.”—Publishers Weekly (starredreview)
“A whirlwind of storytelling. In Prescott’s supremely talented hands, the result is no less than endlessly fascinating, often deliciously fun as well as heartbreaking.
The Secrets We Kept is a dazzling, beguiling debut.”—BookPage (starred review)
“Delightful… An intriguing and little-known chapter of literary history is brought to life with brio.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
26 Friday Apr 2019
Posted in Fiction, murder and investigation, suspense, thriller
A family from Korea moves to a small town in Virginia, where they open and operate a small medical treatment facility. When an explosion at the facility kills two people, many of the community’s residents become involved in the subsequent trial. The book is part mystery, part legal drama, while also exploring the lives and motivations of its central characters. This was a well written page-turner that reminded me of Ann Patchett’s books.
A Barnes and Noble Bestseller
An IndieNext Pick
An April 2019 LibraryReads Selection
An April 2019 Book of the Month Club Selection
An Amazon Editors’ Pick
A Best New Book at People Magazine
A Most Anticipated Book of 2019: BuzzFeed, AppleBooks, Refinery29, CrimeReads, Electric Literature, Nylon, The Millions, BookRiot and more; named one of 10 Best Books to Read in Spring 2019 in The Saturday Evening Post; one of Southern Living‘s Best Books of Spring 2019
“Kim effectively uses her background as a trial lawyer, skillfully crafting her narrative by interweaving the stories of her characters, each of whom speak for themselves as the story progresses toward a surprise ending. With touches of mystery, legal thriller, and character-driven storytelling, where nothing is ever quite as it seems, Kim’s promising debut will certainly have readers looking forward to her next offering.” ―Library Journal (starred review)
“A deeply moving story about parents and the lengths they will go for their children . . . readers will be riveted by the book’s genre-bending structure and superb pace. Miracle Creek is a stunning debut about parents, children and the unwavering hope of a better life, even when all hope seems lost.” ―Jung Yun, The Washington Post
The Kortelisy Escape by Leonard Rosen
05 Friday Apr 2019
Rush to grab this moving, unlikely story narrated in alternating chapters by Grace, abandoned in foster homes her whole young life, and Nate Larson, her grandfather recently released from prison. Magic tricks, magic patter, and magic shows advance the mounting tension and enrich the larger questions concerning loyalty, love, and wonder. This is storytelling at its best and it takes place in our New England!
“A tender tale of loyalty, gratitude, and the healing power of magical wonder; Rosen’s gifted storytelling will appeal to readers beyond genre boundaries.” –Booklist
“Nate Larson has been in federal prison in what the feds admit is a miscarriage of justice….The feds release him to take custody of his granddaughter, who, as an orphan, has gone into foster care. The hitch is that he must testify against his brother, Dima, who is suspected of child sex trafficking….Fourteen-year-old Grace Larson is stuck in “foster care hell” in Massachusetts, being shunted from one “rental parent” to another, some of whom sexually abuse her. So when a court order sends her to live with Nate, whom she doesn’t know, she is deeply suspicious. Nate shows her magic tricks he’s perfected during his confinement, leaving her slack-jawed with wonder…So whom to betray, his brother or granddaughter? Nate and Grace are both smart and deeply sympathetic people who have felt great pain in their lives. .. The story twists, turns, and—presto! A brilliant solution” – Kirkus Reviews
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