January 2021 - Week 1 New Reads
Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise
Description
For three women with so much to hide, there’s no such thing as a little white lie…
All three women who live at 1054 Mockingbird Lane have secrets…and with a body at the bottom of their apartment building’s staircase, those secrets need to stay buried.
Sylvia Webb has a plan. And a potential Mr. Right. He’s sweet, simple, and dependably clueless about what she’s up to. The only thing unpredictable about him is his needy ex-girlfriend, who is this close to shattering Sylvia’s dreams. But Sylvia’s not going to let that happen.
Riki McFarlan has a good career and an amazing boyfriend who wants to settle down. If only she didn’t have feelings for her neighbor—who happens to be her close friend’s husband. With everything going so right, why is Riki flirting with something so wrong, so…dangerous?
Embry Taylor is as devoted to her children as she is to her husband, who’s a bartender by night, an aspiring actor by day. She is his biggest fan. But with his career not taking off and tensions high, even sweet Embry has something she’s desperate to keep hidden.
Lies, secrets, and revenge. For three neighbors with stakes so high, someone is headed for a downfall.
Advance Praise
“Wise masterfully captures the tension between appearances and reality, spinning a fast-paced and darkly funny tale of three young women each with her own secrets, each reaching for her dreams. I loved it!” —Kaira Rouda, international and USA Today bestselling author
“Stacy Wise writes characters who get under your skin; whose secrets and lies set off land mines beneath seemingly ordinary lives; and who will stay with you long after you finish the last page of this clever, satisfying, and ultimately hopeful book.” —Carol Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Lake of Dead Languages and The Sea of Lost Girls
“Lie, Lie Again starts with a bang—a body at the bottom of the staircase! And it’s a wild ride—filled with wild lies—until the very last page. Stacy Wise writes with intensity, emotion, and just the right amount of humor as she tells the story of three women whose lives intersect at an apartment complex on Mockingbird Lane. Their secrets bubbling below the surface, threatening to be revealed…unless they lie. Lie, Lie Again is a must-read!” —Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of How to Save a Life
“On Mockingbird Lane everyone has a compelling reason to lie. For three young women, all neighbors in a cozy apartment complex, secret yearnings and dark desires become the ties that bind them tightly together. Mistrust and misunderstandings thicken the plot—with fatal consequences. Readers who enjoy claustrophobic tension with a sexy sizzle will find themselves racing to finish Lie, Lie Again.” —Linda Keir, author of Drowning with Others
Not My Boy by Kelly Simmons
Description
Who will you cross to protect your own?
When Hannah packs up her past and moves to the cottage next-door to her sister, she hopes the luxe neighborhood and close family ties will be the perfect escape for her son and the shadows that trail them. But when a young girl goes missing days after they unload their final boxes and her son is quickly thrown under suspicion, Hannah must do whatever it takes to protect her child.
Even if that means pointing the blame her sister's way instead.
With investigators swarming and neighborhood scrutiny closing in, the divide between two sisters grows. As one fiercely defends her husband, the other shields her boy from the crime, keeping quiet the secrets that might unravel it all.
And all the while, one young girl has vanished, and someone is to blame.
The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins
Description
“Compulsively readable...a gothic thriller laced with arsenic.” ––EW
One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: CNN • Newsweek • Vulture • PopSugar • TimeOut • Woman's Day • Goodreads • She Reads • Good Housekeeping • CrimeReads • Frolic • Hello! • Mystery and Suspense
January 2021 Indie Next Pick and #1 LibraryReads Pick
A delicious twist on a Gothic classic, The Wife Upstairs pairs Southern charm with atmospheric domestic suspense, perfect for fans of B.A. Paris and Megan Miranda.
Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name.
But her luck changes when she meets Eddie Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for.
Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly successful southern lifestyle brand. How can she, plain Jane, ever measure up? And can she win Eddie’s heart before her past––or his––catches up to her?
With delicious suspense, incisive wit, and a fresh, feminist sensibility, The Wife Upstairs flips the script on a timeless tale of forbidden romance, ill-advised attraction, and a wife who just won’t stay buried. In this vivid reimagining of one of literature’s most twisted love triangles, which Mrs. Rochester will get her happy ending?
The Betrayal by Terry Lynn Thomas
Description
‘OMG! It literally blew me away. It gripped me from the very first page and I could not stop reading until I finished.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
From the USA Today bestselling author comes a gripping thriller about a divorce attorney who’s about to discover her own marriage is based on lies when she’s arrested for murder.
Attorney Olivia Sinclair is shocked when she receives an anonymous video showing her husband Richard sleeping with someone else. After years of handling other people’s divorces, she thought she could recognise a marriage in trouble.
She angrily throws Richard out of the home they share. But days later she’s arrested—for the murder of his mistress.
Olivia knows she’s innocent but, with all the evidence pointing at her and an obvious motive, she must find the real killer to clear her name.
She may be used to dealing with messy divorces, but this one will be her most difficult case yet. Olivia’s husband has already betrayed her—but would he set her up for murder?
A gripping and unputdownable thriller for fans of Gillian McAllister, Alafair Burke and A Killer’s Wife.
Readers LOVE The Betrayal!
‘I absolutely loved this book. If you love thrillers you will not be disappointed. FANTASTIC!!!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘An outstanding psychological thriller… Read it. Love it. This is a masterpiece.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow. I really loved this book… Fast-paced and kept me guessing.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘An excellent thriller!… Kept me guessing until the very end. Highly recommended!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Amazing. Pulls you in right from the start and keeps you guessing… Excellent.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Grabs you from the start and keeps you engaged till the very end.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow, I definitely pulled the "just one more chapter" line with this one. I couldn't put it down.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Left me consumed and reading faster than I could keep up… Will keep you guessing.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars