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Where the Crawdads Sing

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Where the Crawdads Sing  by Delia Owens
Format:  Book, Audio, Ebook
Who it’s for:  Adults

 

This is Delia Owens’s debut novel.  It is the story of a young woman abandoned at age ten to survive alone in the coastal marsh of Barkley Cove, North Carolina.  Kya Clark is known as the “Marsh Girl” to residents of Barkley Cove.  Kya lives barefoot and wild.  She is friends with the gulls and very astute to nature and the environment in which she lives.  She has the skills to survive in the wild, but she is not prepared for the relationships of polite society.

In 1969, handsome Chase Andrews is found dead.  Local residents immediately suspect the Marsh Girl.  Rumor has it that Kya has been seen with Chase Andrews.  But could this wild girl be in a relationship with the wealthy Chase Andrews?  After all, Chase is a married man.

As the story unfolds, we learn about Kya’s childhood, her ability to survive on her own, her kindness and caring for nature, and her first encounters with friendship and love.  Could this wildly beautiful girl, who only ever attended one day of school be capable of violence?

Owens has written a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a mysterious tale of possible murder.  You will be mesmerized until the end.

Find it in the catalog.

All By Myself, Alone

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All By Myself, Alone by Mary Higgins Clark
Format: Digital Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults

I often do a fair amount of travelling to see family and my favorite thing to do while on a long drive is play a good mystery audiobook. I enjoy the pace of Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels and this book was able to satisfy my need for a pleasant mystery! We follow married couple Alvirah and Willy Meehan who are recently wealthy lottery winners on a luxury cruise. The Meehan’s investigate the mysterious death of a fellow passenger in possession of an emerald necklace that once belonged to Cleopatra. Clark tells the story with a fun ensemble of colorful characters including a Gemologist, Celia Kilbride, and Shakespeare Professor, Ted Cavanaugh. With the death of a passenger, a missing necklace, and a man overboard, this luxury liner turns out to be more excitement than the passengers were expecting!

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The Witch of Willow Hall

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The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with reading Gothic romance.  I devoured every Victoria Holt (Jean Plaidy and Philippa Carr were her other pen names), Phyllis Whitney, and Mary Stewart book I could get my hands on.  I also read Anne Rice.  And Dracula by Bram Stoker was my favorite classic that I read at the time.  As an adult I read Susanna Kearsley and any other Gothic romance I can get my hands on.  Up until now, none of them have come close to being as mysterious, creepy, haunting and romantic as those I read as a teenager.  Hester Fox’s debut book, The Witch of Willow Hall is everything I love about Gothic romances.

The year is 1821.  Lydia Montrose and her family have recently moved to New Oldbury from Boston after a scandal caused by her older sister, Catherine.  Their house, Willow Hall, is large and imposing at it sits on the hill.  Lydia has a hard time sleeping in the house.  Who is the woman in the garden she sees out the window late one night?   Emeline, the youngest sister, is captivated with the pond and the young boy she meets there.  And Catherine is on the hunt for a husband so that she can avoid more scandal.  Her situation will soon no longer be a secret.   Mr. Barret, their father’s business partner, has become an interest to both Lydia and Catherine.

What was the scandal that caused them to move to New Oldbury?  Why does Lydia feel uncomfortable in the house?  Will Catherine find a husband?

There is mystery, tragedy and romance.  A great read for a stormy, cold afternoon by the fire (maybe not so much late at night).

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Ten dead comedians

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Ten dead comedians by Fred Van Lente
Format: Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

Fred Van Lente’s brilliant debut is both an homage to the Golden Age of Mystery and a contemporary show-business satire. It is a darkly clever take on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None (aka Ten Little Indians) and other classics of the genre. As the story opens, nine comedians of various acclaim are summoned to the island retreat of legendary Hollywood funnyman Dustin Walker.  These fictional comedians all will remind you of real life comedians in many ways. All nine arrive via boat to find that every building on the island is completely deserted. Marooned without cell phone service or wifi signals, they soon find themselves being murdered one by one. But who is doing the killing, and why?

I picked this up because of the publisher – Quirk books. They have many fun, different books for all ages.
If you have read or seen the movies based on And Then There Were None, you know it’s a locked room mystery with a crazy, unbelievable, twisty ending.  I love Agatha Christie mysteries but I always tell people she cheats. The murder is always rather complicated. The murderer is a very fast MacGyver with the best luck.  The timing is always just right. The murderer always figures out some hack to accomplish their goals. And the murderer is lucky that nobody sees them, except 1 person. Of course, that one person is eventually murdered. That is a Christie style mystery. I enjoy them but they cheat.  This parody is no exception. The murders are elaborate and take MacGyver type skills to pull off.  The murderer times things VERY well as they move from room to room. The ending is so fantastical you know nobody in real life could pull it off. But the story is an enjoyable mystery.  The fact it is funny and satirizes showbiz is an added bonus.

I would recommend this book to mystery lovers, parody enthusiasts, folks in need of a laugh and those interested in the life of a comedian.

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The Woman In Cabin 10

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The Woman In Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

In this tightly wound, enthralling story, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime, a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins.  The sky is clear, the waters calm and the veneered, select guest jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Arora, begins her voyage in the North Sea.  At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant, the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guest are elegant.  But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall and Lo witnessees what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare, a woman being thrown overboard.  The problem, all passengers remain accounted for, so the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite her attempts to convey that something terrible has happened.

With surprising twist, turns and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautify, Ruth Ware offers up another intense read.

Find it in the catalog.

A Gathering of Secrets

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A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo
Format:  Audiobook
Who it’s for:  Adults

Another plot twister by Linda Castillo!  In this latest audio book you’ll hear another story about the dark side of Amish life.

The main character, Chief of Police, Kate Burkholder investigates a fire that completely destroys a barn on an Amish farm in the community of Painter’s Mill.  When the body of an 18 year old Amish boy is discovered in the ruins, it is ruled a homicide and Kate has to unravel the secrets.  As the truth comes to light, the twists and turns of the story will keep you in suspense until the very end!

I enjoy all of this author’s books and recommend them to readers who love a good mystery/thriller.  Since the author has the same characters in her books, I recommend reading from the beginning of the Kate Burkholder series.  You’ll discover that Kate was Amish but left the faith after a life changing event in her young life.  She is appointed the Chief of Police in the small town because of her past relationship with the Amish.

The reader, Kathleen McInerney does an excellent job!  And of course, you can always read this bestseller in book form too. Find it in the catalog.