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

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

 

Title: Leave the World Behind                                                     Author: Rumaan Alam                                                                            Published: 2020

Call #: FIC ALAM 

 

When Clay and Amanda go on a rustic vacation in Long Island with their teenage son and daughter, they hardly expect a knock on the door in the middle of the night. Amanda tells her husband to answer the door, as she has the phone in her hand ready to dial 9-1-1. When they answer the door, it’s two elderly people named Ruth and G.H. Washington, who explains they are the ones who own the home which the family has rented. The Washington’s tell them there has been a blackout in New York City, where they are from as well, and the city was turning into very chaotic scene. While, they realize they are intruding on an agreement, Ruth and G.H. prod on to see if they can stay in the vacation home also.  

 

Amanda is sure they are conning them. They are in the middle of nowhere, with no cell signal or WIFI, and suddenly a couple comes up and tries to stay the night in the same house as her and her children. Motherly instinct and city smarts tell her not to believe it. That is, until they try to turn on the TV and all they see is the blue screen with white lettering stating “Emergency Broadcast System” on every channel – no test there. They resolve to all stay in the large home nestled in the forest, and see what they can figure out in the morning. Only, the next couple days feel like weeks and everything gets weirder by the hour.  

 

Author Rumaan Alam brilliantly explores how much differences of class and race matter when intermixed with the necessity of surviving the unknown. Strangers suddenly become family when they are all you have. He illuminates how different people react in truly difficult circumstances, and what it really means to be human.  

Erin I.

Popular Materials Senior Services Librarian

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Title: The Silent Patient 

By: Alex Michaelides 

Published: 2019 

Call #: FIC Michaelides 

http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=michaelides&title=silent

 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a mystery-thriller novel set in a private London psychiatric facility called The Grove. The plot revolves around a successful artist, Alicia Berenson, who murders her fashion photographer husband, seemingly out of the blue. She then refuses to speak another word…to anyone! Several years later, with Alicia still not talking, a psychotherapist named Theo Faber begins treating her. Theo is himself a flawed individual who plotted his hiring at The Grove specifically in order to be able to see and treat Alicia, and get to the bottom of the mystery of what she had done and why she wasn’t speaking. 

For those who like psychological thrillers this may be a good fit however, it seemed to me that the storyline moved somewhat slowly and overall was perhaps a bit unrealistic. On the other hand, there were some interesting twists and turns in this book, something suspense novel fans will definitely appreciate! 

 

Blanca  

Popular Materials Assistant 

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

Wherever She Goes by Kelley Armstrong

Title: Wherever She Goes 
By: Kelley Armstrong
Published: 2019 
Call #: FIC Armstrong 
http://pclib.polarislibrary.com/view.aspx?author=Armstrong &title=wherever+she



 Aubrey, is a former stay at home mother of her three year old daughter Charlotte, who recently separated from her husband and doesn’t have primary custody of the child. She has a part time job at the public library and exercises regularly during her lunch hour at the same playground that she takes Charlotte to play. One day, as she’s stretching and exercising she notices one of her daughter's playmates start to wander away from the playground. As she looks around for the child’s mother she realizes that no one is looking for the boy. She starts following the child as he walks towards the parking lot but is unable to make it on time to prevent what is about to happen. The last thing she’s able to hear is a male’s voice coming from an SUV telling the boy to get in as the boy screams for his mother. Aubrey calls 911 to report what she just saw. Frustration sets in when she realizes the police do not seem to believe her story since there hasn’t been a missing child report and she seems, in their mind, to only be seeking attention. This engaging emotional thriller continues as Aubrey decides she’s willing to fight this battle in order to save the missing boy. 

Blanca S.
 Popular Materials Asst.

The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver

Title: The Sleeping Doll

By: Jeffery Deaver

Published: 2007

Call #: FIC Deaver

The first book in Jeffery Deaver’s Kathryn Dance series introduces an intriguing lead character and a suspenseful story that doesn’t let up. Dance is an expert in kinesics or interpreting body language and uses this still to help with interrogations. After interviewing Daniel Pell, a cult leader who is guilty of killing a family of four, Dance realizes something was off and is minutes too late to prevent Pell from escaping prison. Now Pell is on the loose, but he hasn’t left town and he definitely has someone helping him. While Dance uses her skills to lead the investigation with the help of a cult expert, they always seem to be one step behind Pell. Will they be able to catch Pell in time?

Deaver does an excellent job of drawing out the suspense in the novel. He writes from both Pell and Dance’s point of view, so the reader knows what both are up to, yet Deaver manages the switch at just the right moment to leave you thinking they finally caught him and then revealing it was something else all along. Pell is also a very smart and manipulative villain. Just as Dance is an expert in body language, Pell is equally good at reading people and saying the right thing to get them on his side. This was a great roller coaster ride of a book filled with twists and turns right up to the 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. 

Tailspin by Sandra Brown

Title: Tailspin

Author: Sandra Brown

Published: 2018

Call #: FIC BROWN

Rye Mallett is a ‘freight dog’ pilot who is more comfortable in the air than on the ground, constantly on the move keeping ahead of an incident in his past. So when he accepts a job to deliver a mysterious black box in to a Dr. Lambert in a fogbound northern Georgia town, Rye doesn’t ask questions. He manages to land safely, despite the sabotage attempt on his plane. Once on the ground Rye is met not by Dr. Lambert, but by one Dr. Brynn O’Neal,who claims she is there in Dr. Lambert’s place. Rye doesn't trust Brynn and so he decides to stay and make sure the mysterious box is delivered to the right person, after all, it is his reputation on the line. 

Brynn is an enigma to Rye,which ignites a curiosity within him that he can't ignore.  Rye decides to stay amd satisfy his curiosity about both Brynn and the mysterious box. What follows is a 48-hour race against time to deliver the box before time runs out. 

Full of the snappy dialogue and standard romantic suspense that Brown is known for, Tailspin, is a slow-moving story that packs a punch when the final twists are revealed. Fans of Sandra Brown will not be disappointed.

Nicole Hill
Popular Materials Asst. 

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson

Title: Never Have I Ever
Author: Joshilyn Jackson
Published: 2019
Call #: FIC Jackson


     Do you remember playing "Never Have I Ever"  in high school?  College?  What about as an adult?  In this new novel by Joshilyn Jackson, Amy Whey is about to play the game of her life.   Amy is proud of her ordinary life--teaching diving lessons, baking cookies for new neighbors, helping her best friend, Charlotte, run their local book club and enjoying the closeness her family provides. Amy's carefully crafted, uncomplicated life beings to unfurl when a mysterious new neighbor crashes the latest book club meeting. 
      Angelica Roux is an enigma wrapped up in a mystery.  She's beguiling and sinister at the same time.   After Roux convinces the ladies to join in a very different game of "Never Have I Ever," and asks the group--what's the worst thing you've ever done.  Somehow Amy knows that Angelica is aware of Amy's dark and painful past and that the game is really directed at her.  
     Amy decides to take on Roux and protect all she holds dear.  She's not going to pay, literally or figuratively, for her past any longer.   Amy and Roux engage in an escalating war of hidden pasts and unearthed secrets that ultimately ends with a shockingly dark twist. 

Jill B.
Popular Materials Manager

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley

Title: Before the Fall
Author: Noah Hawley
Published: 2016
Call #: FIC HAWLEY




 Before the Fall, Noah Hawley's  2017 Edgar Award Winner for Best Novel,  the reader finds the same twists and turns in the plot as they might have seen in the Fargo TV series, of which Hawley is a co-creator.  Eleven people board a private plane from Martha’s Vineyard and crash 18 minutes after take-off. Surprisingly two of the passengers survive- a down on his luck painter and a 9-year-old boy. The heroic acts and Scott’s incredible feat of swimming for 8 hours bring them to the shore of Montauk, but maybe not to safety. Was the crash an act of terrorism? Was one of the wealthy passengers a target? Or is the ‘why’ really that important when so many have died? An excellent character study wrapped in a bit of mystery you are sure to enjoy.

Nicole H.
Popular Materials Asst.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Title: An Unwanted Guest           

Author: Shari Lapena     

Published: 2018

Call #: Fic Lapena

A night which begins with drinks and laughter among ten guests who barely make it to remote Mitchell’s Inn in a perilous snow storm wakes to a startling scream and guest Dana Hart lifeless at the bottom of the grand staircase. Did she fall down the stairs where she lies lifeless, or was she pushed? Lawyer David Paley thinks the later and instructs guests to leave her until the police arrive. Unfortunately, finding Dana wasn’t the only surprise they woke to. The hotel also has no electricity, thus no contact with the outside world. What was a snow storm has turned to treacherous ice, leaving guests stuck in this secluded hotel.

Though David is a criminal defense lawyer, most of the guests have a hard time imagining it was murder, or perhaps it was easier to convince themselves otherwise. That is, until they find writer Candace White strangled in her room later that day. It was inevitable then, paranoia and fear embeds in each of their thoughts. Did they book a vacation with a serial killer? Did they share stories and cheers with the killer the night before? Or was there someone else slinking about they don’t know about? Was there a connection they were missing between the two victims or was it just for sport?

Ten guests, the owner and his son begin the stay. Two victims are down so far. Read Shari Lapena’s An Unwanted Guest to find out how many make it out alive, if any, and how a delightful getaway turns into an anxiety stricken night of terror.

The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding

Title: The Bad Daughter

Author: Joy Fielding

Call #: FIC Fielding

Published: 2018

Therapist Robin Davis panics after her older sister Melanie calls bearing tragic news from their home town Red Bluff, California. Their father, Greg, his second wife, Tara, and Tara’s twelve year old daughter, Cassidy, have been shot and all are unconscious in the hospital. At first, signs point to a home invasion, but then it’s obvious the Davis’s opened the door for whoever did this horrendous crime. Robin has estranged herself from her family and Red Bluff due to animosity for her sister and father. Unfortunately, this isn’t news she can ignore.

The Davis sisters, feeling only mistrust and resentment for one another, must learn to be connected in a way they never really were while they grudgingly unfold this mystery of who shot their father and his new family. Fingers get pointed at nearly every person in the vicinity of the mansion crime scene, even at immediate family.

Joy Fielding keeps readers wondering until the very end who shot the Davis family. She masterfully builds the circumstances of the crisis and carefully unfolds each layer to the reader beside Robin, who’s not convinced, but suspecting something completely different until the final clues unravel. Readers will likely echo Robin in asking, “What am I missing?” until the very end.

Erin I. 

Popular Materials Librarian

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

Title: The Woman in the Window 

Author: A J Finn 

Published: 2018 

Call #: FIC FINN 

Is it paranoia if it really happened? Anna is suffering agoraphobia and has not been outside in 10 months. So she keeps the boredom at bay by utilizing her psychologist skills and helping fellow sufferers online at a blog fittingly called Agora; playing hours of chess; and learning French. Anna also keeps tabs on her neighbors, which can only lead to trouble. Especially when she witnesses a murder in the house across the park. The murder of a woman she had just met. When she reports the crime, nobody believes her because of her current state of mind and reported bizarre behavior. Anna starts to question herself. Is she finally falling apart? 

This is a quick read that keeps the reader engaged. You’ll never guess the twist ending, though you’ll probably feel there is something not quite right you just can’t put your finger on. For fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train you won’t be disappointed.    

Nicole 

Popular Materials Asst.