Suspense
Melmoth : a novel
Sarah Perry
FICTION Perry Sarah
Suspense, Thriller, Horror
"It has been years since Helen Franklin left England. In Prague, working as a translator, she has found a home of sorts--or, at least, refuge. That changes when her friend Karel discovers a mysterious letter in the library, a strange confession and a curious warning that speaks of Melmoth the Witness, a dark legend found in obscure fairy tales and antique village lore. As such superstition has it, Melmoth travels through the ages, dooming those she persuades to join her to a damnation of timeless, itinerant solitude. To Helen it all seems the stuff of unenlightened fantasy. But, unaware, as she wanders the cobblestone streets Helen is being watched. And then Karel disappears. . ."--
The truants
Kate Weinberg
FICTION Weinberg Kate
Suspense, Mystery
People disappear when they most want to be seen. Jess Walker has come to a concrete campus under the flat grey skies of East Anglia for one reason: To be taught by the mesmerizing and rebellious Dr Lorna Clay, whose seminars soon transform Jess's thinking on life, love, and Agatha Christie. Swept up in Lorna's thrall, Jess falls in with a tightly-knit group of rule-breakers--Alec, a courageous South African journalist with a nihilistic streak; Georgie, a seductive, pill-popping aristocrat; and Nick, a handsome geologist with layers of his own. But when tragedy strikes the group, Jess turns to Lorna. Together, the two seek refuge on a remote Italian island, where Jess tastes the life she's long dreamed of--and uncovers a shocking secret that will challenge everything she's learned.
Looking for a back to school college mystery? How about a modern mystery inspired by Agatha Christie? "The Truants" would fit the bill! Jess chose her college to study under Dr. Lorna Clay and is amazed and honored that the professor takes a shine to her. She also feels like she has found a place at school with a new group of friends. But of course, there are secrets. And things get complicated. And then someone goes missing...Great read for a fall night. -Anne M
Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia
eAUDIO
Read Woke, Historical Fiction, Horror, Suspense
"The acclaimed author of Gods of Jade and Shadow returns with a darkly enchanting reimagining of Gothic fantasy, in which a spirited young woman discovers the haunting secrets of a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico"--
Lovecraft, Machado, Hitchcock, Burroughs, Shelley, and Poe fans will delight in this slow-burn horror. Leave the lights on afterward, they may help with the lingering ghosts. -Casey
A burning
Megha Majumdar
FICTION Majumdar Megha
Literary Fiction, Fiction, Suspense
"After a fiery attack on a train leaves 104 people dead, the fates of three people become inextricably entangled. Jivan, a bright, striving woman from the slums looking for a way out of poverty, is wrongly accused of planning the attack because of a careless comment on Facebook. PT Sir, a slippery gym teacher from Jivan's former high school, has hitched his aspirations to a rising right wing party, and his own ascent becomes increasingly linked to Jivan's fall. Lovely, a spirited, impoverished, relentlessly optimistic hjira, who harbors dreams of becoming a Bollywood star, can provide the alibi that would set Jivan free--but her appearance in court will have unexpected consequences that will change the course of all of their lives. A novel about fate, power, opportunity, and class; about innocence and guilt, betrayal and love, and the corrosive media cycle that manufactures falsehoods masquerading as truths--A Burning is a debut novel of exceptional power and urgency, haunting and beautiful, brutal, vibrant, impossible to forget"--
Megha Majumdar's terrifying novel shows us that those we know don't always come through when we need them, especially if there is something to gain if they throw us over. This book serves as an allegory about society without sacrificing well-developed, carefully crafted, individual characters. -Anne M
Fins
Randy Wayne White
jFICTION/White Randy
Suspense
The world's shark population is in trouble for a sad, simple reason: shark fin soup. And although it's illegal, poachers have been targeting Florida's biannual migration of blacktip sharks. Marine biologist Doc Ford needs some assistance protecting the sharks and enlists the help of three kids, Luke, Marta, and Sabina. Together they form Sharks, Inc. and are given an important assignment: to set out each day on their small fishing boat in hopes of tagging sharks for Doc's research. The trio certainly isn't looking for trouble, but when they come face to face with danger, survival requires them to rely on each of their own unique gifts, and especially on one another.
Added by Anne W
The animals at Lockwood Manor
Jane Healey
FICTION Healey Jane
Historical Fiction, Suspense
"A debut novel for fans of Sarah Perry and Kate Morton: when a young woman is tasked with safeguarding a natural history collection as it is spirited out of London during World War II, she discovers her new manor home is a place of secrets and terror instead of protection"--
Set during World War II, Hetty Cartwright works for a natural history museum in London and is tasked to oversee the move and storage of the mammal collection (and some birds) to a country manor house. The house is as those houses were during the middle of the 20th century. It is in disrepair and has a limited number of servants trying to keep up the property as best they can. There is the lord of the manor, Major Lockwood, who is a little mean and scary and used to getting his way. Although he signs up to house the collection, he isn't happy having his space invaded and overseen by a woman. There is also Major Lockwood's daughter, who is beautiful and kind. She captivates Hetty's imagination. The house has secrets. At least something isn't right. Hetty tries to ignore it until it starts affecting her work--and herself. If you liked "Jane Eyre" or "The Little Stranger" or "Rebecca," this would be a good summer read for you. -Anne M
Jaws
Peter Benchley
FICTION Benchley, Peter
Horror, Suspense
It's out there in the water--waiting. Nature's most fearsome predator. It fears nothing. It attacks anything. It devours everything. And the seaside community of Amity is at its mercy.
As much as I love the movie, Jaws, the book has it's own appeal. With several plot lines that don't appear in the movie and additional character development, any fan of the Spielberg film must follow up by reading the Benchley book! The best way to enjoy it is by reading outside on a hot Summer day, of course! -Shawna
One of us is next
Karen M. McManus
eAUDIO
Young Adult, Mystery, Suspense
"A year after the Bayview four were cleared of Simon Kelleher's death, a new mystery has cropped up--a game with dangerous consequences that's targeting students at Bayview again. And if the creator isn't found soon, dangerous could prove deadly"--
"Everyone's learned by now how to win this game. Always take the dare." I dare you to put this fun and fast-paced follow up to "One of us is Lying" down. -Casey
The silent patient
Alex Michaelides
Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber becomes dangerously obsessed with uncovering the truth about what prompted his client, an artist who refuses to speak, to violently murder her husband in a way that triggers mass public speculation.
I haven’t read a good thriller in awhile, and this one did the trick. A painter with a seemingly perfect life is charged with the violent murder of her husband, but won’t speak to defend herself. A therapist who is obsessed with the case accepts a job at the care facility with the goal of helping her speak. Through diary entries and therapy sessions the truth is revealed...and it’s a pretty good twist! -Mari
The night gardener
Jonathan Auxier
jFICTION Auxier, Jonathan
Kids, Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Horror
Irish orphans Molly, fourteen, and Kip, ten, travel to England to work as servants in a crumbling manor house where nothing is quite what it seems to be, and soon the siblings are confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.
Added by Anne W
Helen Franklin, a British translator living in Prague is told the legend of Melmoth, a lonely, dark figure that wanders the earth, witnessing our crimes and our sins, a personification of our guilt. The story shakes Franklin and she becomes desperate to know more. As she reads through a professor's research on people who believed they saw Melmoth, the collected knowledge takes its toll and she beings to feel she is being followed. Is it Melmoth? This is a fantastic book. It is truly frightening. It is also rich in narrative and description. I craved the cafes, the music hall, and the food on the pages. I loved the nod to 19th century Gothic novelists. Perry is a talented writer. -Anne M