Librarians' Choice 2023
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Written by: | Jo Spain |
Review by: | Jane Sibley |
Genre: | Suspense |
Erin Kennedy arrived in New York five years ago after a family tragedy. She was only going to stay for a year, but fell in love with handsome police detective Danny. Now happily married and living the perfect life on Long Island, Erin has no idea of what is about to hit her.
In one moment, her life as she knows it will be destroyed, following that fateful act one normal morning, and she will question everything she thought she knew about the man she loved.
Written by: | Tim Weaver |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
David Raker is our favourite missing person's investigator. He has two cases to solve, not to mention a friend to 'save' who he has been covering for.
Rebekah Murphy asks Raker to help her solve the mystery around her mother, Fiona, who vanished 40 years ago, yet she has received a letter supposedly from her (and has done so over the years).
In the present, a father and son mysteriously vanish during a ride at a theme park.
Written by: | Adele Parks |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Kylie Gilligham is a bigamist, but she's also missing presumed dead.
Left behind is husband one, Mark and two step children. Husband two, Daan, lives in the Netherlands and has everything money can buy.
DC Clements in investigating the disappearance and all the evidence points to Daan, but also in the mix is Kylie's best friend Fiona - who somehow has also been involved with Daan, and now finds herself replacing Kylie in Mark's home.
Written by: | Lucy Clarke |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
A story about four friends - Maggie, Liz, Helena & Joni.
They lace up their hiking boots for the adventure of a lifetime over four days on a hike in the Norwegian wilderness – a far cry from their usual getaway involves lounging around a pool.
It’s the perfect place to forget about everything – their past and their secrets.
Written by: | Harlan Coben |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
David Burroughs is in jail for murdering his infant son. But he claims his innocence. He hasn't wanted visitors and noone has come to see him, well that is until now, when he receives a surprise visit from his ex-wife's sister, Rachel.
Rachel has a photo and in the background is an image of a small child - a child that looks too much like the son he's meant to have killed. He even has the same birthmark.
Written by: | Jeffrey Deaver |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | Lincoln Rhyme |
Despite having numerous books by Jeffrey Deaver in the library this is the first novel that I've chosen to read. I was drawn to the sinister nature of the title which reminds me of my favourite books by Chris Carter.
I was not disappointed and thankfully have found another author while I await the next Chris Carter or indeed Linda Castillo novel (they can only write so many)!
Written by: | Amber Garza |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
How can there be two Kelly Medina’s in the one town?
It’s a cruel mistake, but the Kelly who’s son is no longer around, receives a call from the doctors to confirm her 'well-baby' appointment.
While the receptionist is apologetic, Kelly can’t help wondering about the new mother and starts to look out for her.
Written by: | Nikki Crutchley |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Jac has been away from her father and sister for several years now, but she's back from Australia in order to find her sister Charlie who has been missing for a few days. The texts came from her father, who is sadly also the town drunk.
Not a day passes after her arrival and her father is found drowned in the creek.
Written by: | Lucy Clarke |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
It's the hen's weekend they've been looking forward to - a weekend in Greece, what could possibly go wrong? Trouble is we know from the outset that someone is not going to make it home.
The question is who?
Written by: | Rebecca Reid |
Genre: | Suspense |
Perfect liars is a somewhat tragic story about the friendship between Nancy, Georgia and Lila. They have been friends since school and one particular event has shaped their friendship and their futures since.
Now 16 years later and with the revelation of secrets more likely than ever to come out Georgia invites both Lila and Nancy (who has been living abroad) to a dinner party along with husbands and boyfriends.
Written by: | Ashok Banker |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
The story starts with Hannah. She is on a mission to make the man responsible for her father's death pay for what he has done.
She has befriended his youngest playboy son in the hope of getting close enough to him to kill him. She has used all her inginuity to create her fake persona, and is eventually successful in her task.
Then we meet Kiara, who also has a fake persona, and it's her task to befriend the man's other son and do the same to him.
Written by: | CL Taylor |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Lou continues to run from relationship to relationship. But it's not her fault, when she was 14 she was groomed by an older man, Mike who was her teacher.
He whisked her away to France and left her in pieces. Eighteen years, on, and he has spent time in jail, but she spies him involved with another teenager.
Written by: | JP Pomare |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Eshana is the 'other woman' but is she the 'wrong woman' in this thriller by Kiwi crime author JP Pomare?
Reid, a former policeman who left the force under delicate circumstances, is investigating the accident which killed Eshana's husband Oliver and has left her in a coma. He's investigating it for insurance purposes. The police were quick to label the accident as just that, an accident due to driver error, but there isn't a lot of evidence that points to that.
Written by: | Michael Robotham |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
This is my first Michael Robotham novel and I can see why his books are hardly ever on the library shelves!
Forensic pathologist Cyris lives at home with his lodger Evie who has a troubled past. She has a thing for Cyris, but it is never going to be.
Cyris life has been complicated from the beginning when as a child his elder brother murdered the rest of his family.
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | John Milton |
I was captivated by Mark Dawson's novel, Saint Death. It was my first novel by Mr Dawson. And the inclusion of the first few chapters of his next book, ie this one, really made me want to continue on and read it.
John Milton has a chequered past which he is on the run from. MI6 is trying to find him, but he is an expert at staying hidden as long as he stays out of trouble.
Written by: | Linda Castillo |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | Kate Burkholder |
The Diener from a nearby county come to visit Kate. They know her past and they know that she knows the man accused of a murder from a lifetime ago.
Kate’s first love when she was a teen, Jonas, is accused of murder after a body is discovered years after he disappeared (the deceased Ananias Stoltzfus is the Bishop no less). The incriminating factor is Jonas’ gun at the scene.
Written by: | Harlan Coben |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Wilde (The Boy from the Woods) returns for Harlan Coben's latest novel.
While Wilde has previously not shown an interest in learning about his birth parents, he does so in this latest edition. Wilde has submitted his details to a DNA website and comes upon a match, but when he tries to follow up the match (months later) he finds that the account has been deleted.
Written by: | JP Pomare |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Get ready for an edge of your seat thriller! New Zealand author JP Pomare has done it again, with his latest fast paced suspense novel.
Lina and Cain have been married for a few years, but there's something not quite right. And it's not all to do with Cain's experience in Afghanistan. Lina's signed up to a dating app, and while it doesn't appear that her heart is really into it, she spends the night with the man. Little does she realise that the liaison has been filmed and that she has lost her wedding ring.
Written by: | Paul Cleave |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
I was at a writing course recently which mentioned Paul Cleave's book, The Cleaner, and while I was sure at the time I had read it, it actually turned out that I hadn't!
Well I've amended that, it's now right up there with my favourite Paul Cleave books.
Joe is our cleaner. He's working at the police station, with everyone falling for the pretence that he has created that he has an intellectual disability. This is course isn't the case. The police say the Christchurch Carver has murdered seven women. But Joe knows he's only killed six.
Written by: | Linda Castillo |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | Kate Burkholder |
I couldn't wait until the next book in the Kate Burkholder series and I was not disappointed!
Rachel Schwarz left the fold as a teenager, but has returned to Painters Mill. She has checked into a hotel room anxiously awaiting a visitor she's been looking forward to seeing. No sooner has she closed the door having let the visitor in, does she feel the first blow. While she tries to defend herself, it is to no avail.
Written by: | Louise Penny |
Review by: | Christine Lewis |
Genre: | Suspense |
Hillary Rodham Clinton has written other books mostly Non-fiction.
Louise Penny writes a detective series set in Quebec in a small village called Three Pines. I don’t normally read thrillers certainly not political thrillers, however as I read Louise Penny I was interested to see how it would turn out as a cowritten title which was a departure from her normal genre.
Written by: | Mark Greaney |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Action, Suspense |
Series: | Gray Man |
Courtland Gentry is the Gray Man. Essentially he's an assassin, but for an assassin he has his heart in the right place.
He starts out on assignment to take out a wanted war criminal - which he does - but in the process he discovers what appears to be a human trafficking operation. While he attempts to rescue the women, all bar one refuse to leave.
Written by: | Tim Weaver |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Emily's family has disappeared in the strangest of circumstances. Dinner is still cooking, there's a spilt bottle of milk on the floor. Nothing has been taken except the family.
The police drew a blank after not too many days so Emily enlists the help of a former acquaintance and missing person's specialist David Raker.
Written by: | Lesley Pearse |
Review by: | Anneke Elsing |
Genre: | Suspense |
A murder mystery set in a contemporary UK setting. It’s not a gruesome or violent novel, it’s about the back stories of the characters, the neighbours of Willow Close.
When Nina and Conrad move into their new home in Willow Close, they thought they'd found their dream neighbourhood, but when a body is discovered it's possible they have moved into a nightmare.
Written by: | Paul Cleave |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Detective Noah Harper is on the case of a missing girl with his partner Drew. He’s handling it the old fashioned way, and while the information he receives results in her being found, his methods are not appreciated by his lawyer wife or the current Sheriff, whose son he has beaten to get the information. He is run out of town and is happily working in a bar which he owns with a business partner.
Twelve years on and the same girl has again gone missing.
Written by: | Tim Weaver |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Rebekah is on an island and in bad shape. She is also unable to find her brother.
The island is now closed for the Winter and there are few supplies. The men who are responsible for her predicament believe she is dead and that they only need to worry about her when the season reopens.
Written by: | Paul Cleave |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Detectives Logan and Kirk are investigating a murder which takes them to a building office. In the space of a few pages, the suspect kills Detective Logan and the suspect dies as well.
Detective Logan's son Joshua believes he is cursed. He has lost both biological parents, his sight and now his father. But there is news for Joshua. Thanks to ground breaking surgery, Joshua is to receive his father's eyes.
Written by: | Anders Roslund |
Review by: | Library Patron |
Genre: | Suspense |
This Swedish thriller grabs you on page one and just doesn't let up.
Working from a police station in Stockholm, a likeable detective is haunted by a cold case he attended 17 years before. When several current murders appear to link up to the cold case, DS Grens enlists some of his colleagues to help him solve the case.
Written by: | Mark Billingham |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Three couples from the UK are on holiday in Florida, Angie and Barry, Sue and Ed and Marina and Dave. All the couples are quite different, but in a holiday setting where life's a beach or a pool and there are a few beers and wines to be had they all get along well.
They are a little curious about a mother and her daughter, who has learning difficulties. But then the daughter goes missing (later found dead) the day before they are all scheduled to leave.
Written by: | Jane Casey |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | Maeve Kerrigan |
Kate lives in a suburban street with her 18 year old daughter Chloe. She has always maintained that Chloe has learning difficulties. She runs a business from home and receives maintenance from her ex-husband, who Chloe goes to visit regularly. Chloe is best friends with Bethany who lives across the street, but who is a few years younger. Her family are heaving involved in the Church.
One day Chloe returns unexpectedly early from a visit to her father's. Bethany's father sees her at the train station and brings her home, for them both to find Kate missing and the house full of blood.
Written by: | Paul Cleave |
Review by: | Library Patron |
Genre: | Suspense |
Paul Cleave is one of NZ's top thriller writers - he has won the Ngaio Marsh award three times. His is his latest and he doesn't disappoint.
The son of a husband and wife crime-writing duo goes missing. Has he run away or has he been kidnapped? And if so, who is responsible?
Written by: | Harlan Coben |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
This is the story of Win. Most of Harlan Coben's books focus on ex-basketballer Myron, with Win (Windsor Lockwood The Third) in the background as the rich confidante.
There is a lot we know about Win from Coben's previous books and going through the book you are reminded of previous connections: his father, his cousin Patricia, the Abeona Shelter and his daughter Ema. These all have a role to play in this book.
Written by: | Nicola Moriarty |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Georgia is in her mid 30s and a nurse. She’s never had much luck with the men in her life. She has been through a lot and finally feels safe in her relationship to Luke, who is a sales rep. To start with they meet by chance, though Georgia has a sneaking feeling she has seen him before.
They hit i off, start dating and fairly soon Georgia decides Luke is ‘the one’. The only issue is the ex – ex-girlfriend – Cadence, who Luke is still living with until the lease is up.
Written by: | Terry Goodkind |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Kate's brother is murdered not long after her Uncle has also been murdered. And why does it appear that he has been murdered by someone who appeared to be chained up in his basement.
Detective AJ Janek is on the case and reveals that she already knew Kate's brother. She also has a connection with the author of a book called A Brief History of Evil.
Written by: | Michael Connelly |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Journalist Jack McEvoy is back.
It's been a few years now since The Poet and a couple of best sellers and he's now working for online company Fair Warning who investigate consumer protection issues.
He soon becomes embroilled in a murder investigation after police find out about his one night fling with a murdered woman.
Written by: | Rachael Blok |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
It’s Christmas time, but all is not well in the town of St Albans in outer London. The body of a young year old girl is discovered under an ice covered lake.
Jenny, our main character, seems to have had visions that might be related to the murder, but can the visions of an exhausted mother be trusted? And does this in some way relate to the death of her mother?
Written by: | Lisa Scottoline |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
The scene is set very much from the get go. There used to be four friends, now there were three and they are all dealing with the consequences 20 years on.
They have kept the secret, not had contact with one another and not spoken about what happened.
Written by: | Phillip Margolin |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Robin Lockwood is a former MMA fighter and now lawyer.
Two women come to see her. The woman’s daughter has been raped and apparently the perpetrator is in custody. They’re looking to sue. The accused is the football star of rich parents and due a trust fund. He denies it but the police have DNA evidence.
Written by: | Belinda Bauer |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Jack and his two sisters are sitting in a stifling hot car even though the windows are down. Their mother has told them to wait there until she returns. She tells them that Jack, 11, is in charge and she won’t be long. His sisters are 9 and 2.
Ten minutes turns into 10 hours, and Jack makes the decision to leave the car with his sisters in tow to look for their mother.
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Series: | Millenium |
This story is a continuation of the Millenium series. This is number 6 in the series.
Lisbeth Salander is the girl with the dragon tattoo. She has disappeared and she’s told no one where she is. She's sold her apartment in Stockholm but she’s still keeping an eye on it from afar.
She’s trying to stay one step ahead, and still has the feeling that she is being watched despite covering her tracks. And she wants to strike before the enemy strikes first.
Written by: | CJ Cooper |
Review by: | Dee Atkinson |
Genre: | Suspense |
Don’t be swayed by the title, this is a psychological thriller.
Set in London a new resident, Alice, moves into number 1 in the street. Lucy is our main character and becomes instantly paranoid after their first meeting. Perhaps she had an inkling of what was to come.