A perfect example of what makes a good thriller - the pace is perfect (speeding train), the characters are believable (flawed and human) and it makes you question every new bit of information at the same time the protagonists are (like a good Agatha Christie book). As a child Alice was a victim of a brief kidnapping that ended with her being found quickly, making her one of the lucky ones. She is now obsessed with an online group that looks for clues and hopefully finds missing people in addition to her job at her dad's construction firm. One day she sees a face that looks way too familiar and the story snowballs from there. Lori Rader-Day knows her stuff so prepare yourself to fall down the rabbit hole with Alice and get nothing else accomplished until the last page.
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A family vacation in the Carribean leads to disaster, changing the family forever. Since that vacation when Claire was seven and her older sister was murdered, Claire has been a bit lost. Years pass and after changing her name and trying to cut loose from the shy alter-ego she heads to NYC where she runs into one of the main suspects in her sister's case. Suddenly, it brings it all back to the surface and she has to find out what happened. This is a story of loss, emotional sabotage and a look at how we remember the lost ones in a reverent way even if the facts say otherwise. This debut pulls no punches and doesn't sugarcoat the victims or the potential criminals.
Csorwe is about to be sacrificed as she has known she would be from birth but then is saved from that fate by a wizard who takes her away and trains her, and some others to become assassins and thieves.
The world created in this debut is well constructed and very colorful. The characters feel real and fantastic at the same time and while the violence and action never stop, there are very poignant moments of love, jealousy, and longing. It has all the elements of the great fantasy classics with a modern approach to non-gender biased relationships. There is plenty to think about until the next installment of the series arrives which I hope we will not have to wait too long to read. Fans of GIDEON THE NINTH, THE OATHBRINGER and GAME OF THRONES should love this. A slim novel that packs a punch. Librarian Lizzie sees a very diverse group of people and corresponds with an even more diverse group in her side job of answering email. She is dealing with her marriage, her young son, mom and most of all, her addicted brother doesn't leave Lizzie with a lot of free time to figure out what she wants. A treasure trove of little survival skills and amazing answers to unanswerable questions, this book will have your mind working overtime.
A school for young women to encourage free thinking is begun by Caroline's father, a philosopher, in the late 1800s. He has her teaching English and she is the only female teacher. Soon the girls begin to show a disturbing illness that borders on hysteria and Caroline also begins to show symptoms she works hard to conceal from the others. A doctor is brought in to take care of the girls but his methods are anything but medical. This story puts together some interesting paradoxes including encouraging modern thinking and education for young women but their teaching is still male dominant and they are all starting to understand their bodies and freedom but then they are betrayed by this strange disease which again gives the male doctor and Caroline's father complete power over them. Caroline's mother died when she was very young making her father the only parent and without a good female role model. There would be much to discuss for book clubs.
I knew nothing about this fascinating woman, Desiree Clary, who was seduced and then dumped by Napoleon. The story should have ended there but Desiree was kept close to the Bonepartes when her sister married Napoleon's brother and later when Desiree married one of his trusted army friends. Allison Pataki paints a clear picture of the violence and uncertainty during the French Revolution and the stormy aftermath under the egomaniac Napoleon and his scheming wife, Josephine. Desiree ended up surprisingly on top as she was able to marry for love and she and her husband went on to become the rulers of Sweden where their descendants are still on the throne. For fans of historical fiction that paints a vivid picture of the lives of the well known and not so well known characters.
Miranda runs drugs in and out of the bayou, deals with wicked preachers and a corrupt sheriff in the only way she knows because since her father died she has only herself to depend on. She also takes care of a special boy who lives hidden away with a witch deep in the swamp. Soon another will need to be rescued and it will take every magic trick and survival skill Miranda knows to control this strange world and take care of those who are defenseless. The book feels very mysterious like a horror story mixed with Eastern European fairy tales. It is a look at innocence, special abilities and the darkness that dwells in some people's souls. It looks at religion and people in power and pits them against children that are treated like sacrificial lambs. Violence on every page but the author excels in painting a picture of this strange world that is so vivid you can almost feel the damp heavy earth and hear the song of the cicadas.
Sassy Sister Evelyn and a handful of other nuns run an unorthodox home in Brooklyn where they serve the abused, lost and very worthy women of the area. Sister Evelyn is a force to be reconded with and has quietly been avoiding sharing her methods with the mother church. Suddenly, a priest from her past with all the authority she doesn't have comes to investigate and Mercy House is on the chopping block. It will take everything the sisters have in their arsenal to survive. Thank God there are nuns like Sister Evelyn out there. Her spunk, kindness and hound-dog tenacity will have you shouting Hallelujah! Devout Catholics may find fault with her methods and with the storyline but this is a story that is a long time coming.
After all the time commuters spend with each other you would think we would know all about them but Nadia is still guessing who left her a note in the newspaper section called "Missed Connections".
David sent the message and still can't quite get his act together and talk to her. Their missed connections are fun, flirty and the way love should be found. This clever book will be the delight of rom-com lovers everywhere and restore your faith in true love. The pace is quick and the language and situation feel right on target without being cheesy or overdone. For any reader who needs a sweet story to escape reality on your commute - this one is perfect. A clever mix of good old fashioned wild west librarians who pack more in their saddlebags than good books and a dystopian look at how we go back to simpler "male-dominated" morally upright times when the world goes bust. Esther is on the run from having to marry a man she doesn't love to losing the one woman she did love. Joining the Librarians will offer her a life she never even knew existed. Fun, kick-butt librarians who never back away from a fight - just don't call them sweetheart. Readers will love running away with Esther to join this take charge group. This will appeal to lovers of westerns, dystopic adventures, and modern love stories.
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