There are some new thrillers on the shelves for you to enjoy inside in the air conditioning. New titles by popular authors include Dead Fall by Brad Thor, which is the next installment of the Scot Harvath series; Number 22 in Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brenna series, The Bone Hacker; Out of Nowhere by Sandra Brown; and After Death by Dean Koontz. This book has all of the elements of many of Koontz’s previous books: high-level government intrigue, paranormal activity, and a rapid pace right up to the end. Peter Heller, one of my favorite writers, sets a murder against the gorgeous backdrop of Yellowstone National Park in The Last Ranger. Heller’s description of the park is so vivid that the reader will feel like they are in the park with the characters.
Additional thriller and suspense titles include Small Town Sins by Ken Jaworowski, a debut novel that shows the grit and grime of living in a small town. Samantha Downing does what she does best in her newest novel, A Twisted Love Story; she blends a bizarre romantic relationship with crime into a very entertaining read. Colleen Hoover’s latest, Too Late, contains all of her elements of her previous books – man/woman relationships between characters in their 20s who repeatedly make bad decisions – but the she takes the action up a notch, which makes for an exciting story.
We have several new titles that show that secrets are not usually good: Sally Hepworth’s new title, The Younger Wife, has family drama and secrets, dealing with dementia, and a little suspense all packaged together in a page-turning read. Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen is about some very damaging secrets that a mother keeps from her daughter. Regrets Only by Kieran Scott is a crime novel set in a suburban elementary school where the leaders of the parent-school association have quite a few criminal secrets to hide. Block Party by debut author Jamie Day exposes the secrets of the residents of an exclusive cul-de-sac that lead up to the solving of a murder that happens during a block party a year earlier.
In women’s fiction there are some delightful novels. Mrs. Plansky’s Revenge by Spencer Quinn is fun – so much so that I finished it in one day! It’s a family/relationship story with some crime solving and romance tinged with just the right amount of dry wit. Talking at Night by Claire Daverty is about all the loves we have over a lifetime against a backdrop of a romance that brings two people together over and over again. Save What’s Left by Elizabeth Castellano is an uplifting story of a love that ends but opens the possibility of new opportunities, friendships, and self-realization. The Little Village of Book Lovers by Nina George is magical. It has a beautiful setting, endearing characters, a sweet story line and just the right amount of magic. Read it only if you love a book that leaves you feeling better about life after reading it.