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Reviews

Reviews

by Katy Hays - Fiction, Literary, Suspense, Thriller

When Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, she expects to spend her summer working as a curatorial associate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she finds herself assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its medieval art collection and its group of enigmatic researchers studying the history of divination. But what begins as academic curiosity quickly turns into obsession when Ann discovers a hidden 15th-century deck of tarot cards that might hold the key to predicting the future. When the dangerous game of power, seduction and ambition at The Cloisters turns deadly, Ann becomes locked in a race for answers as the line between the arcane and the modern blurs.

by Catherine Steadman - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Harriet Reed, a novelist on the brink of literary stardom, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. And even though Edward has long tried to sever ties with them, news of the couple’s marital bliss has the Holbecks inching back into their lives. As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming. So when Edward’s father, Robert, hands Harriet a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen. But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t just a novel. It’s a confession. A confession to a grisly crime. A murder. And, suddenly, the game is in motion. Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty. Or something far darker.

by Nelson DeMille - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Nelson DeMille introduced readers to NYPD Homicide Detective John Corey in PLUM ISLAND, who we first meet sitting on the back porch of his uncle’s waterfront estate on Long Island, recovering from wounds incurred in the line of duty. Six novels later, THE MAZE opens with Corey on the same porch, having survived new law enforcement roles and romantic relationships --- wiser and more sarcastic than ever. Corey is restless and looking for action, so when his former lover, Detective Beth Penrose, appears with a job offer, Corey once again has to make some decisions about his career --- and about reuniting with Beth.

by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins - Fiction, Hard-boiled Mystery, Mystery

Mike Hammer is on the case, this time hunting the murderer of his old friend and bootlegger-turned-legit-businessman, Packy Paragon. Already torn up by the disappearance of Velda, his beloved secretary, Hammer carves a brutal path for vengeance. Drinking heavily, his relationships fraying and his behavior self-destructive, he has to track down Paragon's secret ledger, with the names of every corrupt official in town. With deception everywhere, and a whole host of reasons to want the ledger, Hammer has to pull himself together and solve the case before all hell breaks loose.

by Richard Osman - Fiction, Mystery

It is an ordinary Thursday, and things finally should be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club is concerned. A decade-old cold case --- their favorite kind --- leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot. While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again?

by Paul Theroux - Fiction, Humor

Cal has always lived in the shadow of his manipulative and domineering brother, Frank, who was doted upon by their mother and beloved by the girls in their small New England hometown --- including Cal’s own girlfriends. In an attempt to escape Frank’s intrusive presence, Cal pursues a different kind of freedom in the world’s wild spaces, prospecting for gold and precious minerals. Soon he is dripping in wealth, his pockets full of gold nuggets and emeralds, but the money means far less to him than his independence. As Cal’s success grows, so too does Frank’s power and his influence in Cal’s affairs, the devastating threat he creates at the center of his little brother’s life. When Frank decides to commit the ultimate betrayal, Cal is left with only one, final solution.

by Sadie Jones - Fiction

Amy Connell and Lan Honey are having the best childhood ever. They live on a 78-acre farm in the South West of England, with sisters and brothers, other kids, chickens, goats, three dogs and even a calf, called Gabriella Christmas. “Honeys in the Farmhouse, Connells in the Cowhouse, Hodges in the Carthouse…” The three sets of parents are best friends who came to Frith from the city, and are learning, year after year, how to farm the land. Free and unsupervised, Amy and Lan play with axes and climb on haystacks, but there is grownup danger at Frith they don't see. It's Gail, Lan's mother, and Adam, Amy's father, who should be more careful. They should learn what kids know: never to play with fire.

by Larry Beinhart - Fiction, Mystery, Noir, Suspense, Thriller

Ex-private eye Tony Cassella lives in the Catskill mountains, a lonely old tough guy whose body can no longer do what it once did. But a chance encounter with a rich young woman on a train changes everything. He is hired to take care of her superrich, sexual predator husband. That job leads to others, and he joins a small start-up whose mission is to save women from abusive marriages. Provided their spouses are in the top 0.01%. It's a luxury service destined to make great profits. But an old, angry associate is determined to get his cut of Tony’s earnings, murky government agents start to tail him, and when he is sent to the Austrian alps to kill a Russian oligarch and rescue his American wife, all hell breaks loose.

by Daniel Silva - Adventure, Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past. But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems.

by Denise Mina - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Anna McDonald has forced her blended family to vacation together. The weather is bad, her daughters are bored, and her ex-husband is still insufferable. So when news of a shocking kidnapping breaks, Anna and Fin Cohen take off to solve the case. Lisa Lee, a young YouTube star, has vanished after answering the door to what she thought was a pizza delivery. Police suspect her dad or the delivery guy, but in Lisa’s last known video she ventured into an abandoned chateau in France, where she uncovered a priceless artifact. Anna knows they must find this young woman before it’s too late. To do so, they need to track down that treasure, a casket that could hold answers to the greatest questions ever asked. But Anna and Fin might have misunderstood the stakes of the game.