- Post by Director of Suspense Molly Odintz
Summer never ends here in Austin, TX, so as the temperatures refuse to cool down, and tempers heat up, consider the following reads to purge yourself of all those summer irritations. We’ve reviewed a host of thrillers already this summer, so if you enjoy the following recommendations, check out our reviews for Meg Gardiner’s UNSUB and Jeff Abbott’s Blame for more poolside gems.
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
In the lead-up to the August 21st eclipse, eclipse-chasers can get their fix from He Said/She Said, set during a series of eclipses, with truths obscured, then slowly revealed, in perfect keeping with the setting. This tale of unreliable narrators will keep you guessing till the very end. Kelly has created complex characters, brought together by their mutual presence in the face of a horrific, yet too-common crime, and then pushed apart by their all-too-human reactions to what they have experienced. You can find copies of He Said/She Said on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
Those who’ve been waiting for a boarding school mystery as good as Tana French’s The Secret Place, wait no more! Ruth Ware’s third thriller is just as wicked and enjoyable as her first two. Four friends meet up at a gradually sinking beach-side estate, seemingly to reminisce about their school days and to play their favorite childhood game. A murdered sheep, a threatening letter, and a submerged skeleton are just the start in a dark exploration of the long-term consequences of dangerous childhood games. You can find copies of The Lying Game on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
The Walls by Hollie Overton
Death row prison guard Kristy never expected to follow in her father’s footsteps working in Texas prisons, but her son’s birth her junior year of high school puts a stop to her dreams and keeps her stuck in her hometown, caring for her child and ailing father. When she meets a handsome martial arts instructor, she finds herself ready to fling aside doubt and commit to a new relationship, and provide her son with the father figure she’s always believed he’s needed. When her marriage to her son’s mentor goes south, and she sees the dark side of her husband’s intensity, she turns to her friends on death row for advice… You can find copies of The Walls on our shelves starting August 8th, or pre-order now via bookpeople.com!
Final Girls by Riley Sagar
The final girl is the last girl standing at the end of a horror film, and the characters in Final Girls will need all of that cinematic strength to survive the events in this lean horror/mystery mashup. As The Final Girls begins, the lone survivor of a backwoods massacre, after finally achieving stability with public defender hunk of a boyfriend and a career running a popular baking blog, spirals out of control when her mentor, the final girl from a sorority house murder spree, turns up dead. A third final girl, returned from years off the grid after unbearable press scrutiny, comes to comfort her in their mutual time of need – but does she have her own agenda? You can find copies of Final Girls on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
See What I Have Done by Sarah Schmidt
Take this one outside to read – the flies buzzing around your ears will lend even more credence to this true-to-its-time-period re-imagining of Lizzie Borden’s murder case. A chorus of 19th century voices balance the tale and keep the reader guessing; perspectives include an Irish maid, a small-town doctor, a creepy uncle, a murderous backwoodsman, a put-upon older sister, and many more. Schmidt has captured the narrow minds, wide skirts and dark secrets of a town where status-hungry families refuse to acknowledge the map of suffering they have caused and must endure. You can find copies of See What I Have Done on our shelves and via bookpeople.com.
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