Tag Archives: Thriller

Spotlight on Author Stuart Neville

If you like Irish crime fiction, or you just want to find a new author, you should give Stuart Neville a try. Neville is a staff favorite (especially for one particular staff member), and has a great backlist to choose from. His newest, THE HOUSE OF ASHES, is last on this list, but certainly not least. Here are a few titles you can find at the Fairfield Public Library.

THE GHOSTS OF BELFAST

“Stuart Neville’s tightly wound, emotionally resonant account of an ex-IRA hit man’s struggle to conquer his past, displays an acute understanding of the true state of Northern Ireland, still under the thumb of decades of violence and terrorism.”  ~Los Angeles Times

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

COLLUSION

“Neville’s deft style builds mounting tension, and his characters, all tragic figures, are skillfully developed. The collusion he describes sounds all too plausible; it’s devious and endemic enough to impress even descendants of the infamous Borgias. The violence, administered up close and personal—and the rage of those who commit it—is almost operatic. A feast for thriller fans.” ~Booklist

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

STOLEN SOULS

“Neville slowly ratchets up the tension—and the violence—until each page practically twangs with suspense.” ~Publishers Weekly

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

RATLINES

“Thrilling…. Readers will hope to see more of Ryan, a formidable yet damaged hero.”
~Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

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

THE HOUSE OF ASHES     Published September 7, 2021

“[A] gut-wrenching novel of psychological suspense with ghostly undertones . . . This unforgettable tale of servitude and subservience, domestic abuse, and toxic masculinity builds to a resolution offering redemption and heartfelt solace. Neville has outdone himself.”
~Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Spellbinding . . . Neville hooks his reader with the opening sequences of his story, mystery, and horror emerging prominently. The multi-narrative structure that plays out is effective and gripping. Impressive just begins to describe Neville’s latest offering.”
~Seattle Book Review

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.

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!

Poppet

[Cover]

Title: Poppet

Author: Mo Hayder

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press, May 2013

Summary/Review: A thriller set in and around a psychiatric hospital? Creepy cover? Sign me up!

Mo Hayder has outdone herself with her newest Jack Caffery thriller, Poppet. Psychiatric nurse AJ LeGrande believes that something, or someone, is causing some of the hospital’s least popular patients to cause themselves harm. When one of the survivors talks about “The Maude”, a dwarf-like creature rumored to be roaming the halls of Beechway High Secure Unit, AJ must get to the bottom of the strange goings-on before anyone else falls victim to the superstition. Detective Jack Caffery is called in to investigate and what he discovers will shock everyone.

If you’re looking for a great thriller that will keep you reading ‘til all hours of the night, you should definitely try Poppet. With twists and turns throughout, you won’t want to put it down until you finally find out what was really going on at Beechway.

Who would like this book?: Someone who’s not afraid of being afraid or creeped out.  Someone looking for a fast-paced book they won’t be able to put down.

 If you like this, try this: Mo Hayder writes a number of other books, some of which include Caffery.  If you were interested in the content, try Victor LaValle’s “Devil in Silver” or, for something less creepy, Dennis Lehane’s “Shutter Island”.

Recommended by: Sue B, Circulation Coordinator

Does this look like a book you’d like to read?  Visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or place a hold!