The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher

 

Title: The Wrong Family 

Author: Tarryn Fisher 

Published: 2020 

Call #: FIC Fisher 

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=fisher&title=wrong + family

Do you ever wonder if someone is as perfect as they seem? Winnie Crouch is your typical Type A personality, always wants things a particular way and doesn’t like to be told no. She puts on a great façade to the outside world – hardworking, very put together, largely humanitarian in her goals. For a while, even Winnie believed herself to be the girl with all her cards in a row. Until the incident, that is.  

 

Winnie and her husband, Nigel, have a housemate named Juno. Being a former therapist, Juno has a hard time ignoring difficult family situations. She witnesses the stress between Winnie and Nigel and between the couple their teenage son, Sam. Juno gets a crippling diagnosis which will perpetually get worse the rest of her days. She vows to herself not to get involved, or further, get too involved like she has in the past.  

 

Until one day, Juno hears Nigel and Winnie arguing about something she simply cannot ignore. While, Juno thinks she knows what’s right, who is to say she isn’t just repeating her past, digging where she doesn’t belong. Because, as it turns out, Juno has many secrets of her own.  

 

Tarryn Fisher keeps the reader wondering if anyone is as they seem in this twisting domestic thriller. With beautifully built layers, Fisher keeps you guessing until the incredible climactic ending.  

Erin I.

Popular Materials Librarian

One by One by Ruth Ware

Title: One by One

Author: Ruth Ware 

Published: 2020 

Call #: FIC WARE 

 

When members of the streaming app Snoop head to a swanky ski chalet, they quickly find the least exciting part of their trip will be the skiing. The retreat is sprung forth by founders of the company, Topher and Ava, who are aware they are in a bind. The company has received a buyout offer, but they are on opposite sides of the issue and the other shareholders quickly take alliances, leaving Liz in the middle. When compared with former model Ava, Liz has always felt awkward and drab. Liz both feels she owes the company and resents the founders for pushing her out years before.  

 

The ski chalet is run by caretaker, Erin, and the chef, Danny. They see the friction among Snoop members but are sure it’s typical corporate politics at play. However, when the group returns from their first skiing rendezvous with only 8 of the 9 who went out, Erin realizes she must try to get help. However, the inclement weather which sent the group back early only continues, causing an avalanche which traps them. When a second member of the group is later found poisoned and a third is strangled, Snoop members sees they are dropping one by one… If no one can come or go, who is to blame?  

 

Ruth Ware utilizes the familiar trope we admire of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. This closed circle mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The story is told using alternating first-person accounts from Erin and Liz. The Kirkus Review sums it up with perfection, “The solution is maddeningly simple but the construction, simply masterful.”  

Erin I.

Popular Materials Senior Services Librarian

The Diabolical Bones by Bella Ellis

 

Title: The Diabolical Bones: A Bronte Sisters Mystery, Book 2

Author: Bella Ellis

Published: 2021

Call #:  Fic/Ellis

 

In this delightful sequel to last year’s ”The Vanished Bride,”  the Bronte sisters are back on the case!  It is winter, 1846 and bitter cold has set in upon Yorkshire.  The Bronte Sisters are beginning to contemplate writing novels and expanding their detective business when a child’s body is discovered buried in the chimney at Top Withens Hall, and the home’s owner refuses to answer any questions.  Emily, Charlotte and Ann decide to take matters into their own hands.  What they discover sends fear shivering down their spines.  It seems as if an ancient magic, long thought dead, is coming back to haunt Haworth village and its citizenry.   Ancient magic and misguided prejudice threaten all who would interfere.  Will they be able to discover who, or what, is threatening the most innocent amongst them? 

Ellis’s strong atmospheric writing makes it easy for the reader to fall in love with the characters.   My own opinion of them, forged mostly through reading their books, has changed after reading the two books in this series.  The characters feel authentically real and full of life.  Emily, Anne and Charlotte all have their own unique personalities, making the reader feel as if they know them well.  To me, this is the strength of the novel.  This is a well written historical mystery, full of Gothic atmosphere and suspense.  Fans of historical fiction, cozy mysteries, gothic stories and general fiction readers will all enjoy this story.

Jill B.

Popular Materials Manager

Keep Calm and Read On: The Mitford Murder Series by Jessica Fellowes

 

Title: The Mitford Murder Series

Author: Jessica Fellowes

Published 2018 - 2021

Still missing Downton Abbey? Look no further than the Mitford Murders Series by Jessica Fellowes.  She is the niece of Julian Fellowes, the creator of Downton Abbey. Jessica wrote the companion books to Downton Abbey. The Mitford Murder Mysteries are Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie. There is lots of period detail including fashions, jewelry, politics, and the hierarchical nature of society The stories are based on true unsolved murders during the 1920s, as well as the real-life Mitford family.

The first book, The Mitford Murders (2018) is set in 1920 when a nurse, who is the goddaughter of Florence Nightingale, is murdered on a train in broad daylight. The Mitfords and Louisa are on the same train.  In the first book Louisa Cannon becomes the nursemaid to the Mitford family living in Ashtall Manor in Oxfordshire England. Louisa has lived in poverty with an abusive uncle who bullies her into crime. Louisa looks for a way out of her miserable situation and finds her way to Ashtall Manor. Louisa Cannon starts as a nursemaid and moves up steadily until in the 4th book she is a lady’s maid. Louisa is also very observant and curious finding herself looking for clues to solve the murder mystery.

The second book, Bright Young Dead (2019), is set during Pamela Mitford’s 18th birthday party where they have a treasure hunt. These treasure hunts are all the rage with the young at the time and one of the young aristocratic guests is killed. This is a real locked-room murder.

Third book, The Mitford Scandal (2020), is set during 1928 and involves the death of a maid during an engagement party for Diana Mitford and Bryan Guinness. Bryan Guinness is the son of the Guinness beer manufacturing family.

The fourth book, The Mitford Trial (2021), takes place on an ocean crossing where another man who is a member of high society is killed and is filled with intrigue, affairs and betrayal.

Michaelle S.

Popular Materials Asst. 

Keep Calm and Read On: Royal Spyness Series by Rhys Bowen

 Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen                                                                           FIC Bowen                                                                                                       First Published: 2007

In this special series, our librarians are introducing you to more series and authors that keep them reading long into the night. In this post, one of our librarians talks about one of her favorite series: Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen.

    This series is my go-to when I'm in the mood for something light, amusing, and with just a touch of intrigue.  The main character is Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, cousin to King George V of England, and affectionately known to all as "Georgie."  When the reader meets Georgie, we learn that she is penniless and struggling to survive on her own as an "average" person in London in 1932.  Throughout the next 14 novels, we follow Georgie's adventures, meet her friends, watch her trying to stay financially afloat, and dreaming of love and marriage.  Georgie valiantly carries on, despite bodies showing up with disturbing regularity and threats of royal scandals constantly brewing. 

Michaelle S.                                                                                           Popular Materials Asst. 

Her Royal Spyness (Book 1)

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Atholt and Rannoch, is 34th in line to the throne. She grew up in Scotland at the Castle of Rannoch which is very isolated, cold, and boring. When her brother cuts off her allowance and Georgiana’s relationship with her sister-in-law becomes impossible, she leaves for London. In London the need to earn some income leads her to work behind a cosmetics counter—and she is sacked after five hours. She starts to fall for a quite unsuitable minor royal, makes some money cleaning other people’s houses (incognito, of course) and then is summoned by the Queen to spy on her playboy son. All this before an arrogant Frenchman, who wants her family’s 800-year-old estate for himself, winds up dead in her bathtub. Now her most important job is to clear her very long family name.

A Royal Pain (Book 2)

The Queen has asked Georgie to entertain Bavarian Princess Hanni, while at the same time conveniently placing the princess in the playboy Prince’s path, in the hopes that he might finally marry. But The Queen doesn’t realize that this will take money and Georgie has very little, which is why she moonlights as a maid. She must draw up plans: clean house to make it look like a palace; have Granddad and her neighbor pretend to be the domestic staff; un-teach Princess Hanni the English she’s learned from American gangster movies; cure said Princess of her embarrassing shoplifting habit; and keep an eye on her at parties. Then there’s the worrying matter of the body in the bookshop and Hanni’s unwitting involvement with the Communist Party.

Royal Flush (Book 3)

To avoid scandal, Lady Georgiana is shipped home to Castle Rannoch where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorcée houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission--namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her extremely unpleasant sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky.

Hidden by Laura Griffin

Title: Hidden

Author: Laura Griffin 

Published: 2020 

Call #: Available on Hoopla 
(https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/13545754)        

 

Dana is out for a morning run by the lake before heading in to spend time with her little buddy Jillian at her nanny gig. What could go wrong? It is the same run and routine she has followed for months on the Austin hike-and-bike trail. Only this time, someone is watching her, waiting for her. Once she realizes she is being followed she darts in to the woods and has time to make one phone call before she becomes a victim to a seemingly senseless act of murder.  

 

To Detective Jacob Merritt, running lead on the case, it is unlike anything he’s ever seen during his years working in Austin. Also invested in the case is a rather stubborn Daily Herald reporter, Bailey Rhoads. Once Merritt finally finds the victim’s identity and apartment, he senses the victim must be hiding something. The victim, Dana Smith, isn’t anywhere on social media and her apartment looks like a hotel room, void of any personal items. Who was after Dana, and what did she have to hide? While detectives rarely enjoy the attention of the press, Merritt is running out of leads and time. He needs Rhoads to help. Together, they search for the truth about the victim, assailant, and the shared history which lead to her premature death.  

 

This is the first in Laura Griffin’s Texas Murder Files series, and it definitely keeps you guessing! Read Hidden for facts about Dana’s case, Bailey and Jacob’s history and how all these pieces fit together in this page-turning thriller! 

Erin I.

Popular Materials Librarian

Those People by Louise Candlish

Title: Those People

Author: Louise Candlish 

Published: 2019 

Call #: FIC CANDLISH 

 

In the lovely neighborhood of Lowland Way there is no room for disturbances. There is even a whole day set aside where cars aren’t allowed and children’s laughter fills their streets.  The residents definitely pay a premium to be a part of it, with property values ranging in the millions. But, it’s worth it because everything is just as it should, and everyone gets along. That is, until Darren and Jodie inherit the first house on the corner.  

Darren Booth is a lowlife in the eyes of the residents of Lowland Way. He and his girlfriend love getting drunk and listening to loud rock music at all hours of the night. He is a car mechanic, and begins using his front garden to store the rusted, broken down vehicles for his future projects. Darren and Jodie immediately begin breaking down walls, literally, on their new home and to the prestigious way of life their neighbors cherish.   

When an unexpected death occurs on Booth’s property, the neighbors immediately begin pointing fingers at the newcomers. Yet, the detectives on the case are, seemingly, pointing it right back at them. The question begins circling - Can you hate your neighbor enough to want to kill him? 

Erin I.

Popular Materials Librarian

The Daughter-In-Law by Nina Manning

Title: The Daughter-in- Law 
By: Nina Manning 
Published: 2019 
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12441494 

When Annie’s son surprises her by bringing his newly wed--and pregnant--wife home, Annie feels overcome by jealousy and betrayal. After years of raising her son in the utmost reclusivity attempting to nurture and love him as best she could alone, the prospect of a daughter-in-law in Annie’s eyes is akin to a stab in the heart. The tension is palpable between the two women, but when Ben takes a job across the country and his wife is forced to stay with Annie, will the two be able to co-exist? Both hide dark secrets that the other would do anything to expose, the fear of their own unveiling keeping the slightest line of respect between them. Wonderfully addictive and captivatingly cryptic, “The Daughter-in-Law” proves a thrilling mystery experience quite capable of keeping the reader up for hours, leaving him or her begging to know how the story will end. 

Blanca S.
Popular Materials Assistant

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Title: Big Lies in a Small Town

By: Diane Chamberlain

Published: 2020

Call #: FIC Chamberlain

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=chamberlain&title=Big+lies

With one little meeting, Morgan Christopher’s life is about to change. She is granted a chance to get out of jail if she agrees to restore a mural by a specific deadline. While she is an artist, she doesn’t have any experience restoring murals, but someone believes in her and she’s up for the challenge if it means freedom. As she begins working on the mural, she discovers that there was something unbalanced about the original artist, Anna Dale, and seeks to find out what happened to her and why the mural was never finished. Interspersed with Morgan’s story is that of Anna Dale, the hopeful artist commissioned to paint a mural for the small town of Edenton, North Carolina in the 1940s. Anna is not from there and initially faces opposition as the local artist was denied the chance to paint the mural. However, Anna overcomes her uncertainties and uses this as an opportunity to help some local art students. Soon secrets and prejudices begin to interfere with her work and threaten her safety and sanity. When the truth about Anna and the mural is revealed, it will have lasting effects on Morgan decades later.

This is an engaging mystery made more interesting with the story going back and forth between the two women. Morgan’s story is key to piquing the reader’s interest in what happened to Anna while Anna’s story is a low burn to the surprising truth. Both women face overwhelming challenges and are easily sympathetic as they battle personal demons. This is a captivating novel filled with intriguing revelations throughout that will hold the reader’s attention til the end.

Mary-Megan K.
Popular Materials Asst.

The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis

Title: The Vanished Bride 
Author: Bella Ellis 
Call number: Fic Ellis
Published: 2019
.http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=Ellis&title=vanished=bride


The first book in the  Brontë Sisters Mystery Series by Bella Ellis, a pseudonym inspired by the ' use   Brontës' of the Bell Brothers, with Charlotte using Ellis Bell as her pseudonym.  The book begins with the  Brontë sisters learning of the disappearance and presumed death of a young woman near their home.  Not yet published authors, the women decide to use their natural abilities, including their well-honed imagination, to become "lady detectors" and decide to solve the mystery.
 The Brontës', of course, live in a world that believes women should remain at home involving themselves only in domestic matters. The true story of how the three sisters’ lives are bound by this reality is both biographical to the Brontës specifically and to the characters of the “lady detectors.”  This idea is also central to the mystery of the vanished bride. 

 I debated with myself whether to read a book based on the real Brontës' investigating a murder. The premise sounded a bit ridiculous. Now I’m glad I read it. Ellis does a wonderful job developing her characters, so much so that by the end of the book you feel as if you know the Brontes' very well.  If you enjoy the Brontës' novels and poetry, you will enjoy this book. Strictly as a murder mystery, it is engaging. I am looking forward to another installment of the series.

Michaelle S.
Popular Materials Asst.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Title: The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

By: Stuart Turton

Published: 2018

Call #: FIC Turton

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=hardcastle&title=7 1/2+deaths

Welcome to Blackheath where Evelyn Hardcastle is going to die and the only way you can leave is to figure out who killed her in eight days. The narrator of the novel is informed of this fact, but it’s not so easy given the fact that he relives the same day eight times, each time from a different person’s point of view. Aiden Bishop, the narrator, must cobble together the facts he learns from each day to not only solve the murder, but rescue another guest at Blackheath whom he finds  himself connected to. Nothing is what it seems, though, and with time running out, Aiden doesn’t know who he can trust or what it all means.

This novel feels a bit like Groundhog Day meets Agatha Christie. At times the story can be a bit confusing, but that’s to be expected given the changing days and characters. A lot is done, though, to make sense of everything. It is filled with twists and turns to keep you on your toes. The truth is not what you’d expect and worth it to the very end.

Mary-Megan K.

Popular Materials Asst.

Knife by Jo Nesbo

Title: Knife 

Author: Jo Nesbo 

Published: 2019 

Call #: FIC NESBO 

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=nesbo&title=knife

Fans of the Harry Hole series were asking at the end of the last book The Thirst ‘Is Harry Hole going to be happy now?’ An almost unacceptable idea, given the characters constant struggles with drugs and alcohol, while remaining the best Detective to have ever been a part of the Oslo Police. In Knife, Nesbo takes us back to the previous character line as Hole has been thrown out by Rakel and is again miserable. Though early on, the reader is not given a specific explanation why, we can only assume Harry has been up to his usual antics and Rakel has finally had enough. But she knew what she was signing up for, so the reader is left wondering what finally caused this permanent split.   

Harry has been brought back to the Oslo Police, where Katrine Bratt is now in charge replacing Gunner Hagen, but only to work on Cold Cases.  Harry really wants to work on a string of recent murders that appear to be the same MO of a recently released murderer that Harry put away more than a decade ago. Harry was also responsible for killing this man’s son and it appears there is motive for this man to take revenge.  

This is a twisty-murdery story filled with a number of red herrings to keep the reader engaged. This is the twelfth book in the Harry Hole series, but almost reads as a standalone. There are a number of sub-plots introduced during the course of the story, but also solved within the novel.   

Nicole H.

Popular Materials Asst.

Conviction by Denise Mina

Title: Conviction

Author: Denise Mina

Published: 2019

Call #: FIC Mina
http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=mina&title-conviction

Anna’s day takes an abrupt departure from its usual mundane routine when her husband announces he wants a divorce, so Anna retreats into her escape – true crime podcasts. It’s better to listen about others problems than deal with your own, except this time she knows one of the victims. With nothing better to occupy her time, Anna picks up the trail and is forced to deal with a past she has worked so hard to leave behind. In fact, it may cost her life.

This plot is very twisty-turney and somewhat comedic with a main character the reader probably won’t love. However, a fun sidekick character in Fin eases the tension. This is an interesting commentary on the power of social media and the kind of mob mentality pervasive in society today.

If you like The Woman in the Window, The Girl on the Train or Gone Girl you’re sure to enjoy this book.

Nicole Hill
Popular Materials Asst. 

Smoke and Ashes by Abir Mukherjee

Title:  Smoke and Ashes, a novel 

Author: Abir Mukherjee 

Published: 2019 

Call No.: FIC EL-Motar 

Sam Wyndham is a World War I veteran and a former Scotland Yard detective who is stationed in Calcutta, India in the 1920s during the time of the British Raj.  Wyndham became an opium addict to cope with the death of his wife and his experiences during the Great War.  A trip to an opium den in Tanga leads to a discovery of a murdered body of a drug lord which soon disappears before a drug raid.  The crime went unreported when Wyndham realized his career was in jeopardy if his addiction was discovered.  When a second death occurs with similar damage to the body, Wyndham is assigned to the investigation. 

The writing provides historical details on India’s culture, the political turmoil between the British and Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts to gain Independence for India.  Sam Wyndham is a likable character who is presented with a dilemma to solve the case and overcome his opium addiction.  With the help of his friend, “Surrender-Not” Bonerjee, this will be a suspenseful read for mystery lovers.  The title will appeal to readers who are interested in reading about other cultures. This is Book 3 in the Captain Sam Wyndham series.  The first two titles are A Rising Man (Book 1) and A Necessary Evil (Book 2).  

Janice B. 

Popular Materials Asst.