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Thriller

Micro

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Micro by Michael Crichton
Format:  Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

On the island of Oahu, a greedy and power-obsessed science mogul named Vin Drake has created a nanotechnology company.  A team of young science graduate students travels to Hawaii to work for Drake’s company.  Almost instantly when arriving on the island, the group gets absorbed in an elaborate scheme that contains cons, killing, and corporate greediness.  This results in Drake turning against the students.  They are shrunk to a size smaller than ants. In this reduced state, they must travel through the island jungle and face challenging obstacles, as the sociopathic Drake attempts to capture them and stamp them out.  I honestly could not set this book down.  This page-turning thriller has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Find it in the catalog!

 

Migrations

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Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Format:  Book
Who it’s for:  Adults

Picture a future where most animals have become extinct.  Scientists are studying how to keep those remaining from complete termination.  The answer may lie with the Arctic terns.  Franny Stone is convinced of this truth.  To prove it to herself, Franny has made her way to Greenland with the goal of talking a fishing crew into following the terns on their last migration.  If Franny can get the crew to follow the terns that she has been able to catch and tag, she is convinced that the fishermen will find the fish they desperately need to support their livelihood, and Franny will prove her theory.

Here the mystery begins.  As the crew attempts to follow the terns through frigidly calm seas and unrelenting storms, the reader learns about the dangers of daily life on a fishing vessel, and Franny’s past life. One becomes intent on trying to figure out just who Franny is and what she has left behind.  The author describes Franny in the perilous present and then shifts to the past to explore who Franny was as a child, teenager and adult.  Why are the terns so important to her?  What is Franny running from? Why was she in jail? Where are her parents? Where is her husband?  Will the crew survive their dangerous journey? Will the terns survive their migration?  Will it be their last? The listener hangs on to the author’s every word until all answers are revealed in the story’s thrilling conclusion.

Find it in the catalog.

 

Never Never

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Never Never by James Patterson and Candice Fox
Who it’s for: Adults
Format: eBook, digital audiobook

Detective Harriet Blue never would have imagined that her brother would be arrested for murder.  She never would have anticipated the media onslaught.  And she never would have pictured herself utilizing her survival skills in the middle of the desolate Australian Outback, the Never Never.

Harriet Blue, better known as “Harry,” was reassigned temporarily.  Pop, her police chief, wanted her away from the investigation of her brother Sam.  As much as she wanted to clear Sam, Harry knew that her involvement would taint the process.

Soon Harriet was traveling down a dusty road towards a mining camp in the Never Never.   Seated next to her was a complete stranger, her temporary partner, Edward Whittacker.  “Call me Edward,” he said.  “Okay, Whitt.” she replied.  Harriet and Witt soon found out that more than one employee were missing from the Bandya Mine.  It seemed more than coincidence.  Had they wandered into the desert?  Did the Bilbies, local prostitutes, know more than they were telling? Were Richie and his gang dealing more than drugs?  Had the nomadic eco protesters elevated their opposition to murder?

In spite of the coarse lifestyle of the miners, I found myself drawn to Harriet Blue.  Tough and private from an unstable upbringing with her brother in the foster care system, Harry had honed her self-defense and detecting skills.  She was rough around the edges yet intelligent and a bit vulnerable inside.  I want to read more about Harry and see how her brother’s story unfolds.  I am also intrigued by the Australian setting.  And this book is the first book in a series!

Find it on OverDrive/Libby!

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

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The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

An isolated mansion in the hills of Scotland. An app that controls every lock and camera. A mysterious noise in the attic. And a nanny sitting in prison, explaining how she did not kill a little girl.

The Turn of the Key is the perfect mix of a Gothic ghost story, as it is based on Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, and a cautionary tale of what happens when we let technology invade every aspect of our lives.

Rowan is a young woman moving to the Scottish Highlands to work as a nanny for three little girls. The pay is high, and the house is an amazing hybrid of Victorian architecture and modern style. The mansion is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows everything to be controlled through an app.

As Rowan tries to settle into her new role, she is disturbed by footsteps in the attic and whispers about ghosts scaring away the girls’ previous nannies.

Told through Rowan’s perspective as she recounts what happened after she arrived at the house, the novel’s twists and turns kept me guessing until the very last page.

I devoured this book in one day, because I just had to know what happened to land our protagonist in prison. This is easily my favorite Ruth Ware novel, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

Find it in the catalog!

The Shallows

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The Shallows
Format: DVD
Who its for: Adults and Teens

Summer’s almost here! So while you’re planning your big, beach vacay, let’s talk about sharks!

In the movie The Shallows, despite the danger of surfing alone, Nancy decides to hit the waves. When a great white shark suddenly attacks, Nancy is forced to swim to a giant rock for safety. Left injured and stranded 200 yards from shore, Nancy must fight for her life as the deadly predator circles her in its feeding ground.

The Shallows sets the bar for what a shark attack thriller can be. Marketed as horror film, the movie is largely grounded in survival drama but also fantastical in its action and suspense. One of the things I appreciated most about this movie is that it gave the shark a purpose, a reason for its aggression that is almost believable.  I preferred this to the more common idea that sharks are mindless, bloodthirsty monsters (that roar?  I’m looking at you, Jaws).  Not to mention, the cinematography used in this movie is just…pretty. While you’re sweating on the edge of your seat, holding tight to your limbs, be sure to enjoy the vibrant colors and slow motion effects that make the film both terrifying and aesthetically pleasing.  Other than the CGI shark, Blake Lively’s performance is easily the best in the movie (of course she is pretty much the only person in the movie so that isn’t saying much).  If you’re feeling brave, dip your toes in and check out The Shallows. Find it in the catalog.

 

My Sister, the Serial Killer

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Recommended Book
My Sister, the Serial Killer by  Oyinkan Braithwaite
Publication/Release Date: November 20, 2018
Format: Book or ebook
Who it’s for: Adults

Below is the publisher’s blurb. I’d suggest only reading this much of it. It gives away too much of the story, IMHO. I picked this book based solely on the cover, title, and the author’s name.

Satire meets slasher in this short, darkly funny hand grenade of a novel about a Nigerian woman whose younger sister has a very inconvenient habit of killing her boyfriends.

“Femi makes three, you know. Three and they label you a serial killer.”

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Korede’s practicality is the sisters’ saving grace. She knows the best solutions for cleaning. -Publisher’s blurb

I read an Advanced Review Copy ebook from NetGalley. We call them ARC’s. If you subscribe to different services or get on publishers’ lists, you can receive ARC’s of books to review before they are released. It’s pretty cool. (NetGalley is a site where book reviewers and other professional readers can read books before they are published, in e-galley or digital galley form. Members register for free and can request review copies or be invited to review by the publisher).

I am not sure how to comment on this without giving anything away. Basically, I really like it even though I don’t like any of the characters in the book. Although I can’t really tell they are in Africa, I was glad it was a novel written by an African woman.  I was disappointed about that part. This story reads like any other story of a place I have never been in the USA; except for a few words (that I hope will have definitions in the finished publication), the traffic police, and a mention of a chief. As I read, I thought they must be in Nigeria because that is where the author lives but I never could recall the name of the city. Since it’s a great character driven story, not much detail about the city/country where they live.

Korede is the older sister who enables Ayoola, her younger spoiled sister (as does the entire world cuz she is just that pretty). Right off the bat, I am not that sympathetic to either of the sisters. Korede cuz she complains bitterly about Ayoola but says nothing and keeps enabling.  Ayoola cuz she is a killer and a spoiled brat. Yet I really liked this book. It was quite thrilling in some parts and the other parts were equally fascinating.  I did read parts out of order. The chapters titled Father intrigued me. I had a theory about his death and wanted to see if I was correct. I also read ahead because I wanted to know if Ayoola killed Korede’s crush. It’s a short read so I had already read a third of the book by the time I skipped around. It was a great, fun read. I hope she writes more and that they get published/released in the USA as well.

Find this thriller here