by Liz Nugent
Scout Press/S&S
This is a disturbing book dealing with kidnapping and rape and the long-term effects of both. Not an easy book to read but the characters, especially Sally, are very well drawn, as is the sense of a small town attempting to deal with, and in some cases, help a damaged member of their community.
If you would like to know more about or purchase this book, please try your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org .
by Tim Johnston
Hachette Book Group
There is a crime, in fact several, but this is primarily a story of friendship and love - familial and romantic. It is filled with honesty, hard work and ripples of horror from years of a small town's bereavement.
Johnston's earlier novels - Descent and The Current - are also very compelling reads - suspense with a large dose of family love. Worth your time.
If you would like to read or own any of these books please check with your local independent bookstore or this great place - bookshop.org .
by Mike McCormack
Soho Press
Jan. 2024
The reader is immediately pulled into Nealon's world - a hazy place of loss, secrets and suspense. There is a man who claims to know things that Nealon needs to know, which he will trade for things that Nealon does (maybe) know. Paranoia grows to the climax of a meeting in a hotel lobby where the world waits anxiously to learn what threat has the security forces on high alert.
Presented in poetic and concise language, this is not your typical noir. But it should not be missed. If you haven't tried Solar Bones, that is another wonderful and strange novel by McCormack.
If you would like to know more about these books, please check your local independent bookstore or this great place: bookshop.org .
by William Landay
Bantam Books
This is on one level a great suspense story told with many twists, and on another a wonderfully understated family story. The love between two of the children, Jeff and Miranda, is never overdone but manages to be the glue that keeps the emotional heart of the novel together.
All of the characters are very well and quietly presented, even Dan who you constantly wish you could smack and his son, Alex, who has unfortunately inherited much of his Dad's personality. This is an interesting look at how families can splinter and the destruction that can occur.
If you would like to know more about this book or own it please contact your local independent bookstore or bookshop.org.
