Staff Picks by Tag

Winter Counts: A Novel By David Heska Wanbli Weiden Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062968951
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Ecco - July 6th, 2021

Weiden's debut is a fast-paced page turner about complex modern justice and drug trafficking, with a big, beating heart that flushes its pages with compassion. Don't miss out on this one! For fans of S.A. Cosby, Lee Child, Marcy Rendon, and Don Winslow.


Review by Christina

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None of This Is True: A Novel By Lisa Jewell Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781982179007
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Atria Books - August 8th, 2023

Josie and Alix meet while celebrating their 45th birthdays - they’re birthday twins. Discovering that Alix has a podcast, Josie seeks her out to share her story, as a kind of new beginning. Josie dated her mom’s boyfriend when he was 42 and married, and she was just 15. Married soon after and with daughters of her own, Josie wants what Alix seemingly has. But Alix’s life isn’t perfect, with a busy family, a husband with a severe alcohol problem and a desire to tell Josie’s story that may be riskier than it’s worth. Told with a mix of chronological narrative, podcast transcripts, interviews and more, this thriller will convince you and then lead you astray.


Review by Laura

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Sharp Objects: A Novel By Gillian Flynn Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780307341556
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Crown - July 31st, 2007

When journalist Camille Preaker returns to her tiny hometown to report on a local murder, deep-rooted family issues and an overwhelming sense of claustrophobia quickly take hold. I love a good mystery, and Flynn’s character-driven, deeply atmospheric writing immediately drew me in. Suspenseful, original, and subtlety sinister, this kept me guessing until the very end.

 


Review by Jade

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The Prone Gunman (City Lights Noir) By Jean-Patrick Manchette, James Brook (Translator) Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9780872864023
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: City Lights Books - June 1st, 2002

A fast-paced, action-packed, 1970s crime thriller from France. From the clothing to the cars to the architecture, it’s every bit as cool as you want it to be.

 


Review by Connor

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Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide By Rupert Holmes Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781451648218
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - February 21st, 2023

Cliff attempts to murder his loathsome boss by pushing him into the path of a train. He's picked up by two plain clothes cops, who aren’t actually cops. Cliff is taken to The McMasters Conservatory of the Applied Arts, a school in an unknown location on a vast and beautiful acreage. He can choose to stay… or be eliminated. Cliff’s been given a full scholarship from an unknown benefactor to learn all the arts of “deletion” and to complete his “thesis” back in the real world. Two of his classmates also plan to murder their employers, following McMaster’s strict rules and ethics. Very arch, with snappy wordplay. Laugh out loud. 


Review by Laura

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Sometimes People Die By Simon Stephenson Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781335429254
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Hanover Square Press - September 20th, 2022

A medical mystery is a rare and fun sub-genre and this one also brings suspense! Our protag is a very average Scottish student doctor and also a recovering addict on probation, newly hired at a chaotic – and inferior – London hospital. When there is a death that doesn't make sense and the police are called in, our protag feels like he's under suspicion and unnerved by it. He’s sort of fallen into all of this, including friendships and relationships, and his reluctance and low expectations fight with the fear he’ll end up accused, disgraced, maybe imprisoned, or something worse. Tiny, gruesome -- and true -- stories of real medical murderers throughout history are interspersed – an unexpected extra!


Review by Laura

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A Forgery of Roses By Jessica S. Olson Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9781335429193
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Inkyard Press - April 11th, 2023

A moody and atmospheric murder mystery with a unique setting and magic system. This book does a great job representing anxiety and chronic illness without making them hurdles for the characters to overcome.


Review by Sarah B.

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1979 By Val McDermid Cover Image
$27.00
Unavailable at this time.
ISBN: 9780802159021
Published: Atlantic Monthly Press - October 5th, 2021

Allie Burns is a junior reporter at a Glasgow tabloid, investigating leads with her new pal Danny Sullivan and typing out copy at deadline. Well-paced and detailed, this journalistic mystery develops a great cast of characters and captures the era.


Review by Laura

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Notes on an Execution: An Edgar Award Winner By Danya Kukafka Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780063052741
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - January 24th, 2023

This is a deeply humanistic character study of a serial killer AND the people affected by his crimes. Readers know who the murderer is on page one and the other typical driving questions of who/what/when/where/why are all secondary in this book. Instead, Kukafka creates a fascinating portrait of several women who have to survive the aftermath of one man's actions. This is a wonderfully profound and empathetic thriller. 


Review by Kalani

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Three Hours in Paris (A Kate Rees WWII Novel #1) By Cara Black Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781641292580
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Soho Crime - March 30th, 2021

Cara Black has entertained us for over twenty years with her series featuring Aimee Ledue, a young, stylish PI who knows 1990's Paris inside and out. Who better to write a World War II thriller set in Paris starring young American widow Kate Rees who has been selected by the British and trained as a sniper with one goal: to assassinate Hitler on his brief, 3 hour stop in Paris.

If you love mysteries but also enjoy The Nightingale or The Alice Network, Cara Black has written a book for you! 


Review by Deborah

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