I’ve never had a live-in tenant, as the thought of living with a stranger — regardless of their glowing references and background checks — seems straight out of an episode of Criminal Minds or Law and Order: SVU. And while I don’t usually fall for hype surrounding “buzzed about” authors, I made an exception for Freida McFadden, in the interest of literary experiment.
I devoured The Tenant, which centers on Blake Porter, a VP of marketing and newly engaged to girlfriend Krista. Blake loses his job, and in order to afford his New York brownstone, he agrees to take in a tenant. But not just any ordinary tenant: The young and beautiful Whitney moves in to help make ends meet for Blake and Krista. Hard-working, charming, smart, and nice, Whitney is the perfect tenant, right? Soon, nothing is right when Blakes discovers dead bodies, family secrets, fruit flies, infidelity, itchy laundry detergent, and plenty of bloodshed. McFadden writes a story dripping with intrigue, one that makes you question how much you can truly trust a stranger living in your home.
There is a reason McFadden’s books are often checked out in our branches. Here, she’s crafted a suspenseful page-turner with twists and turns right up until the epilogue. The Tenant will live rent-free in your thoughts long after the last page.
Carmen J. is a teen instructor at HCLS East Columbia Branch. Among her favorite things are great books, all things 80s, shamelessly watching The Bachelor, gardening, and drinking anything that tastes like coffee.
If you gravitate toward dark mysteries and enjoy problematic twists, this book was written for you! The characters and their respective lives are brimming with turmoil and ugly secrets. We get an intimate account of two (very) different women and the people and problems that orbit their lives. Be warned: There’s realistic trauma and difficult, uncomfortable themes. Yet, there is also a drive for justice threading through the harrowing tension. This book depicts a true crime podcast tinged with the vulnerable, gory details of all these characters’ lives blowing up after an arduous, intense burn. If you listen to the audiobook, be prepared for the enhanced uneasiness that comes through in the dialogue.
I mean, morbid curiosity is relatively normal. Most people scratch that itch by watching some FBI procedural show or reading a dark romance paperback, or even just leaning a little bit closer into a friend’s salacious gossip. That’s not enough for Alix Summer in None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. Alix knows that morbid curiosity is also very profitable, and this is the unexpected carrot which I believe leads to her ruin.
Everything begins with what appears to be a chance encounter between birthday twins. Josie Fair is celebrating her birthday by having dinner with her husband at a pub she’s only ever walked past. She finds herself out of place, contemplating the lackluster life she’s living and how desperate she is for change. As if the universe hears Josie’s silent prayer, Alix Summer appears. Alix is a breeze. She glides gracefully into the pub to celebrate her own birthday at a prominent decorated table seated with beautiful people. Popular and important, Alix is effortless. Effervescent. The picture of perfection. Everything Josie feels she is not. It’s at this very moment when Josie’s snap judgement and ill-informed comparison sets our story in motion. Little does Alix know that her life (and Josie’s) will be irrevocably changed.
None of This Is True is curious. It is frustrating, tense, upsetting, and strangely satisfying. Puzzle out the truth…if you can. And for the love of all things good, don’t ignore the small voice that clues you into what’s happening just so you can get what you want. I promise you it’s not worth it. But reading this book definitely is!
Once a year, whether I need it or not, I’ll look for something to read in October that gives me all the spine-tingly creepy feelings that go perfectly with a chilly (possibly ghostly) breeze, a lit candle (maybe the breeze will blow it out in a scary way), and a mug of hot tea (bonus points if the book is so good, the tea gets cold). Here are three of my favorite YA reads from past Octobers to keep you on the edge of your seat, and leave you feeling just a little haunted!
Alice Prosperpine has lived her life constantly on the run from bad luck—literally. She’s 17 years old and has moved dozens of times due to strange occurrences that seem to chase after Alice and her mother, Ella. They’ve lived in the shadow of Alice’s grandmother, the fabled storyteller Althea Prosperpine, whose crowning work was a book of fairy tales called the Hinterland. After Althea’s death, Alice’s mother is suddenly kidnapped by someone who claims the stories from the Hinterland are true—and that he’s from one of them. It’s up to Alice and her classmate, fairy tale fanatic Ellery Finch, to discover what the Hinterland really is, and save her mother—and Alice—before it’s too late.
With a haunted house that may just have a mind of its own, a family that claims you but whom you’ve never met, and a mysterious warning not to go out after dark, Gallant tells the tale of Olivia, a 16-year-old girl who was raised under strict tutelage at an all-girls orphanage after her mother disappeared. One day, when she is soon to reach adulthood and be free, she receives a letter from an uncle she’s never met, inviting her to come live with her family—whom she’s never heard of—at their estate. When she arrives, things are not exactly as promised, and Olivia will need all her cunning to save her family from a doom that began long before her birth.
Every year, Blue Sargent, her mother, and her aunts have a chance to see the spirits of those who will die in the next year. When Blue sees the spirit of a boy from the wealthy private school, whom she despises, she wants nothing to do with him—until he and his three friends show up at her family’s door, looking for magical ley lines that will help connect them with the grave of a long-dead king. Blue feels drawn into their quest, and reluctantly begins helping the boys sift through knowledge long left undisturbed in an effort to find the tomb. When they discover old bones in the haunted woods, things turn sinister as they realize they’re not the only ones in search of the king’s tomb…and time is running out before the fated death that set Blue on her own quest.
Julia is a Teen Instructor & Research Specialist at the Glenwood Branch + Makerspace. She loves reading YA books, playing the cello, practicing martial arts, trying new cookie recipes, and generally trying to squeeze as many hobbies into a day as possible.
Louise Candlish is known for her domestic suspense and intricately woven stories. With a keen eye for detail and a talent for exploring the complexities of human relationships, she immerses readers in suspenseful tales that often blur the lines between right and wrong. Her ability to create relatable characters facing moral dilemmas resonates deeply with audiences, drawing them into a world where secrets and betrayals lurk just beneath the surface. Candlish’s skillful storytelling and gift for plot twists have earned her a devoted following, making her a standout voice in contemporary fiction.
Our House, which won the 2019 Crime & Thriller of the Year award at the British Book Awards, blends psychological tension with a fresh narrative construction. Fiona Lawson returns home one day to find strangers moving into her South London house. The shock of discovering that her estranged husband, Bram, has sold their family home without her knowledge sets off a chain of events that spirals into a nightmare.
Candlish stands out in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere, making readers feel the protagonist’s growing sense of helplessness and desperation. The novel delves deep into themes of trust, betrayal, and the fragility of relationships. Fiona’s journey is not just about reclaiming her home but also about uncovering the layers of deceit within her marriage. Our House’s exploration of the concept of “bird’s nest custody,” where parents rotate living in the family home to provide stability for their children, is both innovative and thought-provoking. This arrangement, meant to protect the family, ironically becomes the catalyst for the unraveling of their lives.
While the novel is undeniably suspenseful, it also offers moments of introspection and empathy. Fiona’s character is complex and flawed, making her empathetic and human. Her journey from a seemingly perfect wife and mother to a woman fighting to reclaim her life is both heart-wrenching and empowering. The pacing is perfect, balancing moments of quiet reflection with heart-pounding revelations that leave you gasping. Just when you think you’ve pieced together the truth, the narrative flips, leaving you questioning your own assumptions. Candlish’s ability to weave in social commentary—particularly regarding the implications of social media and the concept of ‘home’—adds an extra layer of depth, prompting readers to consider how well they truly know the people closest to them.
Our House by Louise Candlish is available in print and e-audiobook.
Angie is an Instructor & Research Specialist at Central Branch and is a co-facilitator for Reads of Acceptance, HCLS’ first LGBTQ-focused book club. Her ideal day is reading in her cozy armchair, with her cat Henry next to her.
I’m pretty good at figuring out where a plot is headed before it ends. Whether it’s something I expected to happen or an unexpected twist, I keep it to myself. I’m not one of those people who spoils the journey through the storyline for other readers. When a book ends exactly the way I knew it would, I feel a satisfied smile spread across my face, and on the inside exclaim, “Ah ha! I knew it!”, then I move on from that author. But when my brain is spinning, my mouth drops in shock, and all I can think is “I did NOT see that coming,” I’m hooked and eagerly awaiting the author’s next book.
There is one author who keeps me guessing every time. After reading a few of her books, I still can’t figure out where she is going with the story, but I’m always glad to have read it to the end for the shocking twist. That author’s name is Freida McFadden and her books fly off the shelves at Howard County Library System.
The first McFadden book I read was The Housemaid. A young woman in desperate need of a job starts working for an affluent family. The perfect facade starts to crumble and fade the longer she is employed, ending in a shocking conclusion.
The second book I read was The Inmate. The heroine of the novel has a chilling past that haunts her on and off the job. While trying to piece together the puzzle of her past I found myself trying to guess the villain to no avail. The book had so many twists at the end that I had to go back and re-read the last few chapters to make sure I did not miss anything.
By the time I got my hands on One by One, I considered myself a solid McFadden fan who would be sure to guess the plot this time. It turns out I got too confident in my plot prediction skills and found myself wrapped up in so many twists and turns in this book that it’s my favorite one by her yet.
If you’re looking for something unpredictable, entertaining and hard to put down, a Freida McFadden book is the perfect choice. HCLS has several titles from the thrilling author, so no matter which one you choose, you’re in for a nail-biting time up until the very end.
Brittany is a Customer Service Specialist at the Miller Branch who loves writing, reading, and all things stationery. Her other hobbies include playing video games, listening to music, and spending quality time with her family.
Before I delve into the review of Hunted, I want to let everyone know that I am writing this review under protest. Why, you ask? I have nothing against the book. It was a great thriller, and I am even writing a review for it. My protest is against the author’s decision to leave us with a cliffhanger in his Wyndham and Banerjee series, the last book of which is TheShadows of Men. I was counting days…no, years, for the next one in the series to come out. I was stalking the author’s Instagram profile. Then I saw that he was publishing a stand-alone – Hunted. I will read anything that Abir Mukherjee writes, so of course I got on the holds queue right away and read the book in exactly two sittings. By the way, if you love historical mysteries, you can check out A Rising Man by Abir Mukherjee, the first book in the Wyndham and Banerjee Series.
Based in the fractured landscape of American politics, Hunted is a fast-paced thriller that had me glued to the pages, so much so that I forgot to look up to enjoy the beauty of the crashing waves in front of me. Yes, I read this book at the beach.
There has been an explosion in a mall in L.A, and the Sons of Caliphate has claimed responsibility for the carnage. While checking the grainy CCTV footage of mall security, FBI Special Agent Shreya Mistry spots the scared face of a young girl, Yasmin Malik, who had supposedly planted the bomb. Through intuition and clever deduction, she is just one step behind the culprits who have threatened to cause further mayhem as the country is gripped by election fervor. A right-wing candidate is in a tight race against the Democratic vice president, who is running for the presidency of the United States.
Is it really the work of some militant Islamic jihadist group who wants to tip the balance? From the first evidence, it certainly looks that way. Forces within the Bureau want Shreya to back off from this particular case, since Shreya endangers her life repeatedly in her pursuit of the perpetrators. But, is that the only reason that higher-ups want her off this case? Shreya Mistry, on the other hand, feels like she must work doubly hard to prove her worth in a male-dominated agency, being a woman as well as a person of South Asian origin.
A father in London finds out that his 18-year-old daughter has joined the Sons of Caliphate. A mother in the United States also fears that her son is part of this militant group. Neither of them can believe that their children are cunning or cruel enough to pull off this horrible crime. They feel their children are victims themselves, kidnapped by the group. These two parents come together, determined to find their children and take them home. Will they be too late?
The thriller is certainly a roller coaster ride and definitely a page turner. Like Mukherjee’s other mysteries in my beloved Sam Wyndham Series, social issues are as important to the plot as the mystery. We read about gender inequality, racism, Islamophobia, and other pertinent social issues that are present in our world. The one critique that I have is that the characters lack depth, unlike the characters in his other books. But then again, Mukherjee has set the bar high for his fans. The action and the suspense make up for the less than realistic characters, though. If you are looking for a fast-paced, crisp, suspenseful thriller, look no further.
I grudgingly admit this was an interesting stand-alone, but bring back Sam Wyndham and Sergeant Banerjee, sir. We are waiting!
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee is available in print format.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates Light But Not Fluffy and co-facilitates Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
Reading a Tana French novel is a bit like riding an old-fashioned roller coaster. First, you have the huge anticipation of slowly, so slowly, tracking up that first big hill, complete with some hitches and wiggles to keep things interesting. Then, the pause at the top before plummeting down headlong into the fast thrills of bumps and twists and loops.
French excels at that slow build of nerves and excitement, teasing you along the way with hints of danger and drama. Her latest, The Hunter, continues the story of American ex-cop Cal Hooper, retired to the west of Ireland, and local teenager Trey Reddy. It picks up two years after the events of The Searcher (Chapter Chats review), with the two still in close contact doing carpentry and other projects. The “townland” figures Cal as a decent foster parent for young Trey and approves of her having a path toward responsible adulthood. Lena Dunne provides the other part of this found family unit, along with the dogs.
All is well until Trey’s dad, Johnny Reddy, blows back into Ardnakelty talking treasure. Sure, and it’s an awful hot summer with no rain with everyone looking for a little distraction. Playing along with Johnny’s con seems like a grand opportunity – even if only for its entertainment value. But matters don’t stay there (because they never do), and the stakes are steeper than anyone realizes.
Still waters run deep, and Trey has never forgiven or forgotten how things ended two years ago. To her, the whole new situation seems, as most cons are, too good to pass up. She’s after the chance to get back a little of her own. The decisions that affect her relationships with the adults in her life – in her families of birth and choice – offer a rare and wonderful study of a traumatized young woman on the edge of adulthood. The Hunter, at its base, is Trey’s book, and it shines even without all the other shenanigans.
This book follows the first one fairly closely if you want to appreciate all the nuances, but you could read it on its own. Most of the characters from The Searcher return, in fine form and fettle. The language and dialogue evoke the rhythms of small town life, especially how there are no real secrets – and ones that remain could be worth their weight in gold, literally.
There’s a bit of a holds list, so you might want to borrow The Searcher first anyways – available in print, large print, e-book, e-audiobook, and audiobook on CD. (Sure, and it will be good fer ya.)
Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).
Almost-retired lady assassins taking on a shady secret organization with good intentions but a crooked bent – that’s all the introduction I needed to be intensely, rapturously interested in Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn.
The four main characters are set to celebrate their retirement from the Museum, an organization founded to assassinate Nazis who fled justice, and are reuniting on a cruise. It’s fun! Celebratory even! Until one of them notices a mid-level smug assassin who seems to be tailing them, and that can only mean one thing – someone has ordered a hit on them, and they’ve got to figure out who it is and why. After all, they’ve spent the last forty years killing only the bad guys – what could be so wrong about that?
One strength of this book is that the pacing is rapid and the plot moves along, yet we still discover so much personality, so much verve, and so much life in each of the characters. Each of the four main lady assassins – Billie, Natalie, Mary Alice, and Helen – are given backstories. Each fits into a trope: Billie as the stolid leader with a rebellious streak, Mary Alice as Billie’s counterbalance and de facto second in command, Natalie as flirtatious and almost ditzy but handy with a lock pick, and Helen, the one the others worry about, but well-bred, well-pedigreed, and almost certainly more capable than she seems.
Each character is so vivid, but at no point does the plot suffer for this focus on characterization. In fact, as many of my personal favorite books do, the characterization that is introduced instantly propels us forward into a new plot point. It’s brilliantly written when you learn something new about a character, and then immediately realize, “OH, that’s how they’re going to solve that seemingly-insurmountable obstacle! That’s why no one seemed concerned about that plot hole! I can’t believe they didn’t have to deus-ex-machina this, it’s not even plot contrivance, and it makes perfect sense in context!”
Suffice it to say that I was entertained. I had fun with this book. It’s not deep, but it’s definitely about murder. This is a fun mystery-suspense book along the lines of The Thursday Murder Club, and I liked it just as much or (dare I say it?) a bit more.
Sahana is an Instructor and Research Specialist at the Savage Branch. They enjoy adding books to their “want to read” list despite having a mountain of books waiting for them already.
Tana French’s The Searcher offers homage to the American Western, from its namesake The Searchers to John Wayne’s True Grit. In this slightly updated version, Cal Hooper retires from the Chicago PD to a small town in the west of Ireland. He’s an outsider, looking to start a new life after leaving his job and getting divorced. He’s focused on making the house he bought livable before winter arrives.
Cal’s cop senses come to high alert unexpectedly. He eventually figures out that a local teenager has been spying. Trey Reddy comes from a family generally unapproved of in Ardnakelty and is desperately looking for a missing big brother. The two form an uneasy relationship as Cal agrees to do a little sleuthing about Brendan’s disappearance and Trey helps with chores around the house, refinishing an old desk and painting the walls. At heart, Cal is a doer and fixer – hence the extensive retirement project. It’s easier to put his professional skills to use helping with Trey’s cause than to deal with the emotional fallout of the past and present. Cal even has a theory about how all most young men need is the equivalent of a horse, a gun, and a homestead.
A slow burn mystery then unspools around the whereabouts of Brendan Reddy, involving local lads, drug dealers from Dublin, and whatever is terrorizing the local sheep. Cal wrestles with taciturn country folk plus his continued confusion over how and why his marriage ended. The author does a marvelous job of winding the past and the present together as Cal tries to make sense of it all. As I attempted to put the pieces of the puzzle together, it resolved into the idea of a small town trying to keep on keeping on, without examining any preconceived notions too closely. And, perhaps, not being quite as friendly to newcomers as it originally seemed. The scene at the local pub involving shots of poteen that literally make Cal go a little cross-eyed might be one of my favorites. The gift of gab can disguise as much as it reveals. A little humor can serve to distract and deceive equally so. The Irish are masters at it.
Ireland itself serves almost as another character, with the townsfolk, the shops, the sheep, and the countryside itself. French’s descriptions of mists and bogs and biting winds are simply lyrical. They paint such vivid pictures that I could imagine the landscapes almost better than I could the characters. This book is just begging to be made into a movie with clear cut characters, a plot that wraps you up in its mysteries, and gorgeous scenery. I’d watch it (although I usually like the book better).
Horrifyingly creepy. Creepily horrifying. Either way, it’s gothic. The author tells you right there in the title. I’m not a big fan of horror – gothic or otherwise. You can keep your atmospheric creepies to yourself.
This book absorbed me. I literally could not put it down.
Noemi Taboada is my kind of girl: smart and sassy. She’s contemplating an advanced degree in anthropology, if only she can convince her father that there’s more to a well-off woman’s life than marriage and family. In Mexico in the 1950s, this is a harder sell than it should be. She’s also something of a party girl, who enjoys dancing and smoking with her active social circle.
Her cousin Catalina, though, is cut from more traditional cloth. She is married and has moved to her new husband’s remote estate, away from the family in Mexico City. When the family receives troubling letters from and about Catalina, Noemi agrees to her father’s plan to visit her cousin and investigate the situation.
Catalina has married Virgil Doyle, oldest son of a family that immigrated to Mexico generations ago but have maintained an English sensibility, including not speaking Spanish. They came for the silver mines and stayed for reasons that become clear later. The house (in all honestly, a sinister mansion) is dark – literally with drapes pulled and limited electricity – decorated with overwrought furnishings in a variety of mythological motifs and loaded with tarnished silver. Gothic oozes out of the story’s rotting wainscoting.
Noemi is not a particularly welcome visitor. She smokes. She asks questions. She’s not particularly interested in being obedient to the Doyles’ odd rules. She wants to see her cousin. She visits town. She roams the family’s cemetery where she befriends younger cousin Francis, who helps her understand that not all is right or well at High Place – and not just because the family’s fortunes are dwindling with the mines being closed.
Francis has a fascination with fungus. Mushrooms are his main interest, and I don’t want to spoil too much – but it’s relevant. He also seems to spend plenty of time outdoors to get away from his overbearing family: Virgil who reeks of ambition and charisma but codes as emotionally abusive, and Florence, the strict maiden aunt who is the enforcer for Howard, the ailing patriarch with a keen interest in eugenics. Honestly, I’d spend as much time outside as I could, too.
Noemi’s questions reveal that the Doyle family has all sorts of secrets and scandals, including murder and incest. Things start to fall into place just as Noemi begins to demonstrate the same sort of worrisome symptoms as her cousin Catalina. Noemi’s vivid dream sequences contribute to the sense of impending doom and overall wrongness. When Howard and Florence forcibly insist that Noemi marry Francis, it all comes apart at the seams and a nightmare of truly gothic proportions ensues. The author fully embraces Latin magical realism as she dives into the deep end of the horror genre.
You should read it, preferably on a dank, rainy day in a spider-infested garret. Personally, I am glad I read it on a hot, summer day next to a window while traveling on a train. Mexican Gothic is available in print, ebook, and eaudiobook.
Kristen B. is a devoted bookworm lucky enough to work as the graphic designer for HCLS. She likes to read, stitch, dance, and watch baseball (but not all at the same time).
CHAPTER CHATS 