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When Rachel and Patty were kids, their dad was the detective hot on the trail of the Sunset Strangler, a serial killer who preyed on young women in their neighborhood. Thirty years later, Rachel is still searching to capture the killer. This is a can’t-put-down whodunit and a story that explores deep family bonds in a coming of age tale. Check out After Her by Joyce Maynard.

An enthralling novel that travels from WWI France to present day London, The Girl You Left Behind will captivate you. In 1916, Sophie is living in a French town controlled by German soldiers; her most prized position is a portrait painted by her husband. In 2006, widow Liv must fight to keep her beloved honeymoon gift after the painting becomes the center of a restitution battle.

The latest from Jojo Moyes (after Me Before You) is a quick read that I couldn’t put down. If you enjoyed Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay or The Art Forger by Barbara Shapiro, I think you’ll love this book

This scary psychological novel will stay with you long after you turn the last page. In Sharp Objects, a young reporter from Chicago travels back to her hometown in Missouri to try to find answers concerning two recent murders of young girls. It’s very hard to put down between chapters, and of course, comes complete with a surprise ending. Creepy!

Check out all of Gillian Flynn’s novels at the library.

I am not usually a fan of medieval historical fiction, but this compelling book held my interest. Set in twelfth century England and Wales, Adelia Aguilar, a doctor and forensic expert, is asked by King Henry II to investigate claims that two skeletons found near the burned Glastonbury Abbey belong to King Arthur and Guinevere. Because of the times, Adelia has to pretend to be assisting Mansur, her servant, when solving crimes. A subplot deals with Adelia’s travelling companion Emma, widow of Lord Wolvercote, who is attempting to win back his lands and castle.

The characters are well developed, and there is a nice balance between historical details and suspense. Grave Goods is the third book in Ariana Franklin’s Adelia Aguilar (Mistress of the Art of Death) series, but you don’t have to read the first two to enjoy this one.

 

A thriller without a trail of blood and gore and an author with expertise in the art world, B.A. Shapiro takes us underground to the history and methods of art forgery. When a struggling artist commits to do a reproduction of a famous painting by Degas, the action begins. The plot twists and turns between the past and the present, but I was never confused; rather, I was fascinated by Shapiro’s knowledge in the art world. The Art Forger races to an ending that left me hoping this author will write another book.

Fans of The Goon will go into Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker not knowing what to expect. But the first page says it all: "this ain't funny."

The Goon is an Eisner Award-winning comic series about a zombie-killing gangster and his stab-happy partner in a 1930s/1940s pastiche of a town overrun by monsters, and known for its black (and at times, quite slapstick) humor. But Chinatown is a marked departure, instead focusing on the titular character Goon's mysterious past and the reasons for his scarred face and heart. Writer and artist Eric Powell pulls it off beautifully, the almost purely black-and-white art evoking the clear noir influences that have always been present in the darker stories in The Goon.
After the publication of Chinatown, the regular series took a more dramatic shift, while still maintaining its black comedy elements. For this reason, it's both essential for fans of the series and a good jumping off point for new readers.

 

This is at once a modern family saga of the Brands, who have produced generations of thieves, con men, and crooks, but it also story of two brothers. One brother, wild Collie, is in prison, waiting to die for the brutal, senseless, massacre of eight people; the other brother, Terry, a man with regrets, left the family for five years but has returned because Collie needs him to solve a mystery. Now there is twist. Collie claims one of the victims was killed by serial killer, who is flying under the radar and will continue to kill more women.

And so the reader enters the world of the dark side. Is there honor among thieves? Is loyalty to the family their strange salvation? Will Terry find his own core? Wasn't the "good thief" the first to enter heaven?

This book is more than crime fiction; it explores the psychological effects of one man against his environment who dares to find peace. The author is the winner of the International Thrillers Writers Award and rightly so. Check out The Last Kind Words today.

Winnie, a mom and ex-wife to a famous game show host and daughter of a movie star, is kidnapped and she doesn't really understand the motive behind it. As the novel goes on, clues are revealed. The book is told from numerous points of view and the characters are very well developed for as short as the book is.

According to a Booklist review, "The novel is a darkly humorous and occasionally violent exercise in suspense, and a dramatic exposition of the Stockholm syndrome. Wagman does a nice job of lending her characters psychological depth and creating a fast-paced, readable plot."

Check out The Care and Feeding of Exotic Pets by Diane Wagman.

Cathy Bailey’s new boyfriend seems almost too perfect to be true. Their “perfect” relationship quickly becomes a nightmare. A portrayal of obsession and recovery make this a can’t-put-down thriller to the last page.

Check out Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Hansen today.

An evil man just released from prison and obsessed with getting revenge on his ex-wife. A misguided young woman who thinks she has finally met the man of her dreams. A woman and her young son living in fear in Ohio. Blend these all together and you’ll have a suspenseful thriller that is guaranteed to keep you up late into the night. A well-written story. I was sorry to see it come to an end.

Check out Mad River Road by Joy Fielding today.

I just finished Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn...it was the best book I have read in a LONG time. This captivating story unfolds in alternating chapters. A woman disappears from her home on the morning of her 5th wedding anniversary and her husband is the prime suspect. The truth is revealed in a tale with twist and turns up until the very end. This book kept me turning pages long into the night! I highly recommend it!

An unforgettable page-turner with surprising plot twists and well-developed, complex characters. Anyone who enjoys reading mysteries or legal thrillers will want to read this book. It takes you on a suspenseful and emotional roller coaster ride that touches on many family and social issues, and gives you a lot to think about. This would be a great choice for book clubs as well!

Check out Defending Jacob by William Landay.
 

Jamie Wagner is an underachieving lawyer without much ambition until he takes on the pro bono case of a lifetime. As he meets the plaintiff he is drawn to her and thus to her problem, which is a pip. She is in prison for killing her husband in cold blood, her daughter will die without a heart transplant, and she wishes to donate her heart to her daughter by committing suicide.

The plus side of this book is the interweaving of an old story that completely changes the facts as we know them. Wry humor and real human beings give this read a special voice. Enjoyed it immensely.

Read David's Rosenfelt's Heart of a Killer today!

The Worst Thing by Aaron Elkins (2011)
The Worst Thing is a strong suspense novel with a few surprises. Bryan Bennett’s worst thing is panic attacks. But he has learned to deal with them, at least he thinks so. However, when his boss suggests that he make a trip to Iceland to teach a seminar on hostage negotiation his composure begins to slip.

Bryan agrees to go to Iceland to please his very patient and understanding wife and ironically becomes the hostage! The author’s interesting insights and an equally interesting setting make this a good reading experience.

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (2011)
Absorbing and well crafted, S.J. Watson's debut novel, Before I Go to Sleep, is definitely a thriller. It pieces together a story inspired by true amnesiacs and makes you realize how much our identity depends on our memories.

It is the story of Christine Lucas, a woman suffering from severe impairment to her episodic and long term memory. Christine is able to remember things for a number of hours…but when she goes to sleep, she loses all of the memories that she has built up over the course of the day. This book is a psychological thriller and one with a great plot line.

We know that something isn’t quite right from the beginning, but as we are no more clued in than Christine (whose story we continue to follow through her diary entries). We only know what she knows. A great suspense novel!