Category Archives: Mysteries & Thrillers

Political and International Thrillers

 

THE KILLER COLLECTIVE
By Barry Eisler
“In this crackling-good thriller from bestseller Eisler, Seattle PD sex crimes detective Livia Lone, assassin John Rain, and former Marine sniper Dox form a testy alliance to combat a vile conspiracy involving corrupt and toxic government agencies.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE KREMLIN CONSPIRACY
By Joel Rosenberg
“The nonstop action will keep readers turning the pages. Rosenberg is known for basing his novels on tomorrow’s news, and readers will likely recognize some fictionalized characters inspired by public figures.” ~LJ

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

KEEP YOU CLOSE
By Karen Cleveland
“This fast-paced tale makes a great recommendation for fans of high-stakes poltical thrillers. Cleveland is a former CIA analyst whose debut novel, Need to Know (2018), was a New York Times best-seller, with rights sold to Universal Pictures for Charlize Theron.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THEIR LITTLE SECRET
By Mark Billingham
“This is a fantastic thriller, combining a gripping plot and lead characters of remarkable depth. Billingham is a multiple-award winner, and his books have sold more than six million copies. Readers who grab this one but aren’t familiar with its predecessors will be seeking them out. A series to savor.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

FINDING KATARINA M.
By Elisabeth Elo
“Fascinating historical details encompass uranium mining, the gulags, and cultural life in the Soviet era. Natalie’s tense and illuminating journey will enthrall readers.” ~PW

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

Psychological Thrillers and the Adult Summer Reading Code!

The Adult Summer Reading Code is: Penny
For more information about our Summer Reading Programs for all ages, please click here.

MY LOVELY WIFE
By Samantha Downing
“Happily married to the love of your life but, yeah, after 15 years getting a little bored? Here’s a solution from the couple at the heart of Downing’s debut: getting away with murder.” ~Library Journal
A Staff Favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

GONE TOO LONG
By Lori Roy
“Seven years after ten-year-old Beth vanishes from her Georgia home, Imogene Coulter is burying the Klan leader father she has tried to deny. On the day of the funeral, she finds a child locked in the basement of his hideout, a discovery that links her to the long-gone Beth.” ~Library Journal
Another Staff Favorite!

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM
By Peter Swanson
“Her bipolar disorder under control, illustrator Henrietta and her husband enjoy a new house outside Boston with a nice little studio for her out back. But she’s a bit obsessed with unsolved crimes, and she can’t help but notice that a sports trophy perched on a shelf at the neighbors’ house looks just like one that vanished from the home of a young man killed two years earlier…” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

IF SHE WAKES
By Michael Koryta
“Slowly emerging from the coma she’s been in since a black cargo van rammed the car she was using to transport a visiting professor, killing him, Maine college senior Tara Beckley is targeted by a ruthless young hit man.” ~Kirkus

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient
by Alex Michaelides
Artist Alicia Berenson is accused of brutally shooting her husband, however, she will not speak, not even to defend herself. Her only voice is through her last painting which holds the key to this mystery and reveals a deep psychological connection to the murder. ~SR

For more information, or to place a hold on this book, please click here.

This is also an excellent audiobook choice. If you would like more information about the audio version of this title, please click here.

Spotlight on Author Louise Penny

Louise Penny’s series, featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is a perennial favorite among library staff and patrons. Set in the fictional village of Three Pines in the province of Quebec, this series will entertain and enthrall readers with a quirky cast of characters, as well as transport them to a quaint Canadian village with no shortage of secrets and murder. The titles in this series are listed below, in order, for your convenience. Happy reading!

STILL LIFE
“This is a real gem of a book that slowly draws the reader into a beautifully told, lyrically written story of love, life, friendship, and tragedy. And it’s a pretty darn good mystery too.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

A FATAL GRACE
“Penny is a careful writer, taking time to establish character and scene, playing around with a large cast, distracting us so we won’t see the final twists coming until they’re upon us. This is a fine mystery in the classic Agatha Christie style, and it is sure to leave mainstream fans wanting more.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE CRUELEST MONTH
“Penny is an award-winning writer whose cozies go beyond traditional boundaries, providing entertaining characters, a picturesque locale, and thought-provoking plots. Highly recommended.” ~Library Journal

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A RULE AGAINST MURDER
“Murder interrupts Chief Insp. Armand Gamache and his wife’s annual summer holiday at Quebec’s isolated, lake-front Manoir Bellechasse in Agatha-winner Penny’s intriguing, well-crafted fourth mystery.” ~Publisher’s Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE BRUTAL TELLING
“Having won numerous mystery prizes, including the prestigious Arthur Ellis and Anthony awards for her debut, Still Life, Canadian author Penny has only gotten better with each succeeding novel. Her fifth in the series is the finest of all.” ~Library Journal

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BURY YOUR DEAD
“Penny’s first five crime novels in her Armand Gamache series have all been outstanding, but her latest is the best yet, a true tour de force of storytelling.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

A TRICK OF THE LIGHT
“Readers who love literary mystery writers such as Donna Leon will enjoy Penny’s latest excellent series entry.” ~Library Journal

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY
“This heart-rending tale is a marvelous addition to Penny’s acclaimed series. Fans won’t be disappointed.” ~Library Journal

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HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN
“Another bravura performance from an author who has reinvented the village mystery as profoundly as Dashiell Hammett transformed the detective novel.” ~Booklist

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THE LONG WAY HOME
“Another gem from the endlessly astonishing Penny.” ~Booklist

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THE NATURE OF THE BEAST
” A strong sense of place, a multilayered plot, and well-crafted (and for Penny’s fans, familiar) characters combine for a thoughtful, intriguing tale.” ~Library Journal

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A GREAT RECKONING
“This riveting read, with characters of incredible depth who only add to the strength of the plot, will keep readers guessing until the last page.” Library Journal

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GLASS HOUSES
“The familiar, sometimes eccentric, denizens of Three Pines and Gamache’s loyal investigative team help propel the plot to an exciting, high-stakes climax.” ~Publisher’s Weekly

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KINGDOM OF THE BLIND                                                                                                               “Insightful, well-plotted… Penny offers intriguing commentary on the willful blindness that can keep people from acknowledging the secrets and lies in their own lives. Penny wraps up some continuing story lines and sends recurring characters in surprising directions.” ~Publishers Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

 

Spotlight on Author Paul Doiron

If you haven’t read the Mike Bowditch series by author Paul Doiron, you’re missing out on some great thrillers. This series is a favorite among staff and patrons alike. If you would like to take a look, we’ve provided a list of the titles in the series, in order, below. Happy reading!

THE POACHER’S SON
“Doiron’s strong debut features Mike Bowditch, a newbie game warden, who hears that his estranged father, a hard-living poacher, has been accused of murdering two men and has escaped into a wilderness area. Ignoring the orders of both his superior and the police, Bowditch sets out to find his father and prove his innocence.” ~ Publisher’s Weekly

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

TRESPASSER
“Doiron serves up a tense thriller that stars a memorable main character and brings the rugged Maine landscape vividly to life.” ~Library Journal

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BAD LITTLE FALLS
“Doiron’s third Bowditch entry is riveting and honest, with full-depth characters and a landscape that isn’t cutting any slack. Readers of Nevada Barr and C. J. Box will enjoy this similar tale, with the added surprise of a refreshing hero whose youth and inexperience Doiron skillfully twists into an asset.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

MASSACRE POND
“This series follows Bowditch from the start of his warden career, and his evolution creates a constantly fresh perspective, nicely paired with solid procedural details and an outdoors education. Massacre Pond, arguably the best yet, boasts fair-minded exploration of Maine’s conflicting environmental and economic interests and marks a turning point for Bowditch, who questions his fit with a career that constantly requires suppressing his instincts.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

THE BONE ORCHARD
“Thoughtful plotting and strong characters raise this above the crime novel pack.”         ~Publisher’s Weekly

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THE PRECIPICE
“This is one of the finest entries in a uniformly strong series that has quietly taken its place among the very best outdoors-based crime dramas.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

WIDOWMAKER
“The seventh Mike Bowditch novel (after The Precipice) continues to deliver vivid descriptions of rural Maine, a satisfying mystery (this one with tantalizing loose ends), and a conflicted main character.” ~Library Journal

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KNIFE CREEK
“This solid eighth entry in the Mike Bowditch series, following Widowmaker (2016), is full of strong characters, great dialogue, and Doiron’s signature command of the rugged and natural Maine setting.” ~Booklist

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STAY HIDDEN
“The extraordinary sense of place makes this Doiron’s strongest novel yet. This is not Jessica Fletcher’s Maine. It is a much darker place, more like C. J. Box’s Wyoming. With foghorns.” ~Booklist

For more information, or to place a hold, please click here.

The Naturalist

Title: The Naturalist
Author: Andrew Mayne
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer; October 2017

Summary/Review:  Dr. Theo Cray is a professor of Bioinformatics. He describes himself as a “biologist who stares at a computer screen and sometimes goes out into the real world.” When a former student, Juniper, is found dead, Theo is an immediate suspect. As the investigation and interrogation by Detective Glenn proceed, it is determined that Juniper was killed by a bear, not a man, and Theo is free to go. But he isn’t really free. Not free from the guilt he feels at having failed Juniper, having not prepared her for dangers that lurk out in the field. Not free from his surety that the police have everything wrong. As Theo investigates on his own he ticks off local authorities but also makes a few friends. As his computer generated hunting pattern yields more and more bodies, and Theo gets closer to finding the truth about the killings, it becomes clear it will be a brain vs. brawn showdown.

This was such an engrossing thriller, I read it in one day. Great writing and short chapters always keep my reading momentum going. Mayne’s writing is humorous and thrilling at the same time. A truly fantastic read and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

Who will like this book: For readers who like a fast paced, un-put-downable thriller.

Recommended by: Sue B., Circulation

If you would like to check our catalog or place a hold on this book, please click here.

The Force

Title: The Force
Author: Don Winslow
Publisher: William Morrow, June 2017

Summary/Review:   Wow! Now I know that all the great reviews for this book are correct . Don Winslow spent years researching the New York City police department, particularly the elite drug crimes units of detectives, to write this searing novel loaded with intrigue, corruption, illicit deal making, violence, racism, drug dealing, testosterone-fueled action and some soul-searching.

Denny Malone is the latest in his family to become either a policeman or fireman and he carries on all those traditions. He really means well and wants to do the right thing, but he is subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as anyone faced with the horrible conditions he encounters every day. When he comes to grips with the fact that he has spent years crossing the line from straight, protect-the-citizenry police work to thief, murderer and drug dealer, it is too late. He is embroiled in so many plots and intrigues that even as a virtually untouchable NYC Detective sergeant, it is too late. In order to save himself and his family he becomes the worst possible person: an informant.

Along the way we are given a look at what happens behind the scenes when patrolling the mean streets of Harlem, trying to keep drug dealers and violence from further destroying the citizens’ neighborhoods. Much of the action and events certainly sound like things we read about and see on the news just about every day. It’s no surprise that the police are seduced by the money and “favors” offered to them every day to look the other way.

Don Winslow does a marvelous job of portraying a way of life that most of us will never encounter. Whether you love or hate the characters, you will not want to turn out the lights until you read just one more chapter.

Who will like this book: For those who like fast-paced thrillers and suspense.

If you would like more information, or would like to place a hold, please click here.

Recommended by: Mark Z., Guest Reviewer

Pretty Girls

[Cover]

Title: Pretty Girls

Author: Karin Slaughter

Publisher: William Morrow, September 2015

*This book contains graphic descriptions of violence, particularly sexual violence against women, so be warned.*

Summary/Review: I found this novel a somewhat interesting read because it describes good, bad, and even horrible relationships, from a woman’s perspective.

Two decades ago the older sister of the two women involved in this mystery was abducted. Her body was never found. This destroys her parents’ marriage and emotionally cripples, to some extent, the remaining two girls’ development. One sister self-medicates with alcohol, drugs and sex. The other buries her misery and eventually marries a successful architect. Together they create a fairy-tale perfect, suburban marriage.

The story takes a terrible twist when the “good daughter” discovers (or does she?) horrible secrets about her architect husband after he is murdered in a mugging gone terribly wrong.

But what are we to believe? Are all his awful secrets actually true? Can he really be involved in a series of abductions and tortures of young women over the years? Is their perfect lifestyle financed by online snuff porn videos? If so, how did this behavior start and how could he have kept this twisted side of his life a secret for so long?

The sisters become almost action heroes as they uncover more and more, and worse and worse facts about their family, the dead husband and the fate of many young women over the years.

There are several dramatic plot twists which will probably blind-side the reader. You don’t want to know what they are in advance. This is a somewhat trashy page-turner so it won’t take long to read if you want to know all the details.

Who will like this book? Someone who’s a fan of criminal procedurals who won’t shy away from graphic violence.

If you like this, try this: Karin Slaughter has a huge repertoire of works, so if you like her writing you’ll have plenty to choose from.  If you’re looking for other crime procedurals written by women, try Lisa Gardner or Kathy Reichs.
Recommended by: Mark Z, Guest Reviewer

If this looks like something you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold!

Murder House

[Cover]

Title:   THE MURDER HOUSE

Author: James Patterson

Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 2015

Summary/Review: I know what you’re thinking: not another James Patterson book, he writes one every other month! I felt the same way until I read Murder House – it draws you in from the first page. Usually you find out right in the beginning who the killer is… boring, right? Not this time. There are several different characters. Even the Murder House – 7 Ocean Drive – is a character

There is a beautiful beachfront estate in the Hamptons which was the scene for some gruesome killings that have never been solved. Detective Jenna Murphy, who is from the Hamptons but hasn’t been back since she was a girl, returns after being forced to quit the NYPD. She is given a job by her uncle, the Chief of the South Hampton Police Department.

When a double murder occurs at 7 Ocean Drive and local resident Noah Walker is charged, Jenna takes an interest in the case. She starts to snoop around and that’s when it gets really interesting. There are a lot of questions and more suspects – even her partner Isaac Marks. Then her uncle is killed and another body is found, and there seems to be a pattern with this killer. He likes to cause pain with a sharp object into vital organs.

Jenna requests the help of a rookie, Ricketts, to find out about the owners of 7 Ocean Drive. Without giving too much away this opens up a whole new investigation that will keep you guessing right till the end. The twists and turns are perhaps the best made by James Patterson in a long time. Enjoy the ride. The ending was terrific too.

Who would like this book: A James Patterson lover like me, or anyone who enjoys a thrill ride right to the end!

If you like this, try this: Obviously James Patterson has a number of books out – you’re sure to like at least some of them!

Recommended by: Virginia, Circulation

Is this something you think you’d like?  Visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold!

My Sunshine Away

[Cover]

Title: My Sunshine Away

Author: M.O Walsh

Publisher: Penguin, 2015

Summary/Review: I really enjoyed this book for a lot of reasons, I have to say the first is because it starts off with the act which is the foundation for the book. There is a rape of a young beautiful girl named Lindy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There are 4 suspects, all who live in the same neighborhood just a few houses apart. Bo Kern – a troubled boy, Jason – the adopted son of  psychiatrist, Jacques Landry – who is also a suspect, and the narrator of the book – who is my favorite character, and you never find out his name.

The story spans over 20 years, from the late 80’s until 2007. The author does a great job of sharing with us how each of the characters evolved over those years – the choices they made, some good and some bad. For some who read this it will feel like a walk down memory lane, from middle school all the way through college, and settling down and starting a family of their own.

There is a lot of sadness in this book, but the twist at the end really ties it all together. If you like coming of age stories, with good times and bad you will enjoy this book. There are some chapters that are hard to get through, but you must endure them to get the real feel for these kids and what they went through in their very young lives, and how it changed them forever.

Who will like this book?:  Someone who is interested in a mystery which focuses more on character development than clues and who-dunnit. Someone who won’t shy away from a disturbing topic which has a sweeping effect on an entire community.

If you like this, try this: If you’re looking for mysteries heavy on character development, try Paula Hawkin’s “Girl on the Train” or Garth Stein’s “A Sudden Light”.  If the location of Baton Rouge draws you in, try the mystery series by James Lee Burke.  This is M.O. Walsh’s debut novel, but keep an eye out for more in the works!

Recommended by: Virginia, Circulation

If this looks like something you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or to place a hold.