New for June - Today’s Hot Releases in Mystery/Thriller
When We Vanished by Alanna Peterson
Call of the Crow Quartet: Book 1
Description
When Andi Lin overhears details about a harmful research study at the food corporation Nutrexo, she’s instantly worried that her dad is involved. He left home to participate in one of the company’s clinical trials, and was in frequent contact at first—but her recent attempts to reach him have been met with silence.
Fearing he may be in danger, Andi sets out to investigate. She finds an unlikely ally in her neighbor Cyrus, whose mother once worked for Nutrexo and is hiding secrets of her own. Their search for answers leads them to the head scientist at Nutrexo’s confidential research facility, where they learn that the truth is more complicated—and more devastating—than they ever could have imagined.
This captivating debut is at once a page-turning thriller, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a thought-provoking look at the consequences of our desires for power, success, and control.
They Did Bad Things by Lauren A. Forry
A Thriller
Description
And Then There Were None meets The Last Time I Lied in this dark and twisty psychological thriller.
In 1995, six university students moved into the house at 215 Caldwell Street. Months later, one of them was found dead on the sofa the morning after their end-of-year party. His death was ruled an accident by the police. The remaining five all knew it wasn’t, and though they went on with their lives, the truth of what happened to their sixth housemate couldn’t stay buried forever.
Twenty years later, all five of them arrive—lured separately under various pretenses—at Wolfheather House, a crumbling, secluded mansion on the Scottish isle of Doon. Trapped inside with no way out and no signal to the outside world, the now forty-somethings fight each other—and the unknown mastermind behind their gathering—as they confront the role they played in their housemate’s death. They are given one choice: confess to their crimes or die.
They Did Bad Things is a deviously clever psychological thriller about the banality of evil and the human capacity for committing horror.
About Lauren A. Forry
Lauren A. Forry was brought up in the woods of Bucks County, Pennsylvania where her FBI agent father and book-loving mother raised her on a diet of The X-Files and RL Stine. After earning her BA in Cinema Studies from New York University, she spent some time in film production before moving to London where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Kingston University. There she was awarded the Faber and Faber Creative Writing MA Prize for her first horror novel, The Compulsion. Her short stories have since been published by Brick Moon Fiction, Lamplight Magazine, and in multiple sci-fi and horror anthologies. She currently resides in the woods but can, on occasion, be found in the quieter parts of London.
The Voter File by David Pepper
Description
"Pepper comes through again with this clever tale of how cyber sabotage of elections, coupled with highly concentrated ownership of traditional media operations, can undermine American democracy."--President Bill Clinton A twisty, one-step-ahead-of-the-headlines political thriller featuring a rogue reporter who investigates election meddling of epic proportions written by the ultimate insider.
Investigative reporter Jack Sharpe is down to his last chance. Fired from his high-profile gig with a national news channel, his only lead is a phone full of messages from a grad student named Tori Justice, who swears she's observed an impossible result in a local election. Sharpe is sure she's mistaken...but what if she isn't? Sharpe learns that the most important tool in any election is the voter file: the database that keeps track of all voters in a district, and shapes a campaign's game plan for victory. If one person were to gain control of an entire party's voter file, they could manipulate the outcome of virtually every election in America. Sharpe discovers this has happened--and that the person behind the hack is determined to turn American politics upside down. The more he digs, the more Sharpe is forced to question the values--and viability--of the country he loves and a president he admired. And soon it becomes clear that not just his career is in jeopardy...so is his life.
Advance Praise
“Pepper comes through again with this clever tale of how cyber sabotage of elections, coupled with highly concentrated ownership of traditional media operations, can undermine American democracy.” —President Bill Clinton
“Pepper has done it again. Read this book before November 2020 and you will understand what could happen to our democracy. Let’s hope the fiction in The Voter File doesn’t become reality.” —Senator Bill Bradley
"[A] highly plausible political thriller....Enjoyable, timely, and realistic." —Kirkus Reviews
"Believable, evocative, and shiver-inducing. As timely as tomorrow’s headline, written by a man who knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s also as unpredictable as a riptide, bringing what is a clear and present threat to modern democracy into pristine focus. Read, and be warned." —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“Drawing on his insider experience, David Pepper takes us into the dark underbelly of American elections— how campaigns use psychological warfare to target voters to the edge of the law, and beyond.” —Alex Berenson, New York Times bestselling author of The Faithful Spy
PRAISE FOR DAVID PEPPER
“[The] sleeper for political thriller of the year.” —Wall Street Journal
“The thriller that predicted the Russia scandal." —Politico Magazine
“Pepper expertly takes the country right to the edge of the precipice...in this political thriller par excellence.” —Providence Journal
"Much like author John Grisham did for law firms, Pepper pulls back the curtain on how local political races really work." —Cincinnati Enquirer
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
A Novel
Description
“I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie...The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
"Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics…Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” -- New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
Seven Years of Darkness by You-Jeong Jeong
A Novel
Description
"You-Jeong Jeong is a certified international phenomenon . . . Genuinely surprising and ultimately satisfying . . . Seven Years of Darkness [bolsters] the case for Jeong as one among the best at writing psychological suspense." —Los Angeles Times
NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF SUMMER 2020 BY CRIMEREADS, BUSTLE, and AARP.org
The truth always rises to the surface...
When a young girl is found dead in Seryong Lake, a reservoir in a remote South Korean village, the police immediately begin their investigation. At the same time, three men--Yongje, the girl's father, and two security guards at the nearby dam, each of whom has something to hide about the night of her death--find themselves in an elaborate game of cat and mouse as they race to uncover what happened to her, without revealing their own closely guarded secrets.
After a final showdown at the dam results in a mass tragedy, one of the guards is convicted of murder and sent to prison. For seven years, his son, Sowon, lives in the shadow of his father's shocking and inexplicable crime; everywhere he goes, a seemingly concerted effort to reveal his identity as the reviled mass murderer's son follows him. When he receives a package that promises to reveal at last what really happened at Seryong Lake, Sowon must confront a present danger he never knew existed.
Dark, disturbing, and full of twists and turns, Seven Years of Darkness is the riveting new novel from the internationally celebrated author of The Good Son.
Little Creeping Things by Chelsea Ichaso
Description
A compulsively readable debut with a narrator who can’t be trusted, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston. She never meant to hurt anyone…
When she was a child, Cassidy Pratt accidentally started a fire that killed her neighbor. At least, that’s what she’s been told. She can’t remember anything from that day. She’s pretty sure she didn’t mean to do it. She’s a victim too. But her town’s bullies, particularly the cruel and beautiful Melody Davenport, have never let her live it down. In Melody’s eyes, Cassidy is a murderer and always will be.
And then Melody goes missing, and Cassidy think she may have information about what happened. She knows she should go to the cops, but…she recently joked about how much she’d like to get rid of Melody. She even planned out the perfect way to do it. And then she gets a chilling text from an unknown number: I’m so glad we’re in this together.
Now it’s up to Cassidy to figure out what’s really going on, before the truth behind Melody’s disappearance sets the whole town ablaze.
Advance Praise
Praise for Little Creeping Things :
“Everyone's a suspect, and no one is safe, in this twisty debut from a compelling new voice in YA, Chelsea Ichaso. Don't miss it!”—Kit Frick, author of See All the Stars, All Eyes on Us, and I Killed Zoe Spanos
“Little Creeping Things is a stunning debut in every sense of the word. From the chilling opening pages to the jaw-dropping final reveal, the pacing is relentless, the twists dizzying. Cass is the best kind of unreliable narrator, delightfully acerbic and hopelessly sincere even when she isn't telling the truth. Chelsea Ichaso has without a doubt written the breakout thriller of the year.” —Dana Mele, author of People Like Us
Her Perfect Life by Rebecca Taylor
Description
Do we ever really know the ones we love? Reclusive Clare Collins crafts her novels like she crafts her life: perfectly. So the world is stunned when the famous author is found dead on a beach from a self-inflicted gunshot -- the morning after her latest book hits the shelves. Her sister, Eileen, is at a loss. Clare led a charmed life: success, mansions, money... Why would she throw it all away? But while reading through her sister’s latest -- and greatest -- novel, Eileen discovers a clue that unravels the fiction and reveals the painful truth. Suddenly, the life that Eileen had envied doesn’t seem so sparkling... Her Perfect Life is a page-turning debut that reminds us that no matter the success, everyone has secrets. And some are more devastating than others.
Advance Praise
“A compelling debut novel of two sisters and how their ties to each other irrevocably change the lives of those they love. I couldn’t put it down!” —SHELLEY NOBLE, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky’s Beach and Tell Me No Lies
“In this stunning debut, Rebecca Taylor rivets with a story that unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers that heralds a much more experienced author. I was captivated until the very end!" —COURTNEY COLE, New York Times bestselling author
“Debut author Rebecca Taylor spins a superb story of two sisters who, despite growing up together, might as well have been strangers. Secrets, lies, and tragic truths unspoken swirl together through the pages, creating a sophisticated page-turner. It felt like sneaking a read of someone’s fascinating private diary—and being completely powerless to put it down.” —A.G. HENLEY, USA Today bestselling author
“A beautifully written and intricate novel that delves into the complexities of sisterhood, relationships, love, and the ties that bind. Through her vivid characters, Taylor doesn't shy away from exploring challenging issues such as grief, shame, and infidelity with great honesty, insight, and sympathy. A very satisfying and emotional journey from an expert storyteller." —ANITA KUSHWAHA, IPPY award-winning author of Side by Side and Secret Lives of Mothers and Daughters “
Sisters. Secrets. Suspense. Taylor’s debut is a compelling dual-timeline story that centers around the secrets we keep from those we love, the secrets that are kept from us, and the secrets we keep from ourselves. A page-turner that keeps the reader wanting more until the very last page.” —ALISON HAMMER, author of You and Me and Us
“Compulsively readable from the first page. Taylor weaves an expertly layered story of family secrets and builds the suspense to an almost unbearable pace in this modern story of two sisters.” —KELLY SIMMONS, author of One More Day and Where She Went