“Your voice is a weapon. Never forget that.” – TJThe House in the Cerulean Sea
The Abyss by Jeyamohan; translated by Suchitra Ramachandran
fiction.
Pothivelu Pandaram is known as a successful, God-fearing man about town: he has a loyal wife, three daughters, and money to pay for their dowries. However, it’s an open secret that his success is fueled by a trade that is as profitable as it is cruel: he owns—and breeds—a group of physically deformed beggars and places them outside temples to collect money.
There is Mangandi Samy, with just one arm, no legs, and “a little head on top,” who only speaks in divine songs he himself invents; Ahmedkutty, an intellectual whose testicles hang to the floor “like two great pumpkins”; Muthammai, mother to eighteen children. To Pandaram, they are only “items,” to be bought and sold like cattle. But when he makes an impulsive trade, his luck turns.
Written with an unflinching eye and suffused with a deep existential longing, The Abyss is an extraordinary novel—for its terrain, its fundamental questions about humanity, and its depiction of human suffering and liberation.
“[An] astonishing work… I have read nothing like it in years.” – Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
“…eminently readable… This is a masterpiece.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] book that simply makes you look and doesn’t let you look away… [it] will no doubt leave readers shaken and troubled. It is a powerful political work that speaks from its heart in empathy.” – Bharathy Singaravel, The News Minute
A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz
fiction / mystery.
Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne is dead.
Or, rather, the actor playing him in the film adaptation of The Word is Murder is. Rising star David Caine has been stabbed, and it seems that everyone on the set had a motive.
Caine had just fired his PA. He had fallen out with his director, slept with the screenwriter, humiliated his co-star and dropped his agent days before he was about to sign a multi-million-dollar deal to appear in the next Spider-Man movie.
But what if Caine’s murderer had made a mistake? What if it was the real Hawthorne who was the intended victim? For it turns out that the brilliant detective may have got it wrong ten years earlier. An innocent man has died in jail. And perhaps someone has decided that Hawthorne must pay the price.
From the film set on the south coast of England, the story moves to Reeth, in Yorkshire, the village where Hawthorne grew up. A burned-down school, a car accident that isn’t what it seems, blackmail and murder in an Elizabethan country house… somehow they combine to unlock the secret of what has happened in Hastings.
For once, the local police are helpful. DS Sarah Milnes gives Hawthorne carte blanche to investigate and there may even be a hint of romance in the air. Which leaves his hapless sidekick, Horowitz, on his own, stumbling his way to the truth.
A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, A Deadly Episode is an intriguing page-turner that once again demonstrates why Anthony Horowitz is the reigning king of the modern whodunit.
“[A] cracking good, crackling narrative… diabolically clever… Fans will be pleased to come one step closer to finding out about Hawthorne’s mysterious past and may hope to see the books adapted for the screen in real life, but for now the pleasure of reading will suffice.” – Jane Murphy, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] first-rate murder mystery… Horowitz is one of the modern masters of the art… a wonderful read, the sort of thing that should be winning awards for Best Mystery Novel Of The Year.” – In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
“As always, the author combines delicious dry humor with a rigorous fair-play whodunit, but this installment’s Scream-like Hollywood satire takes it to another level. This series is in peak form.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About: A Memoir by Isabel Klee
nonfiction / memoir.
A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate and moving into a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first post-grad job was becoming an assistant to a dog photographer, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream.
Isabel quickly found a passion for rehabilitating rescue dogs and helping them get adopted. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender, and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging.
Isabel’s first true love, though, was Simon, a fluffy puppy who’d been saved from the meat trade. As the highs and lows of her twenties hit Isabel in wave after wave, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created a community of dog-lovers and a tight-knit group of friends pursuing their dreams.
In this honest and moving memoir, Isabel weaves together the stories of her foster dogs—and the challenges she helped them overcome—with tales of complicated relationships, hard decisions, and great loves in New York City, all leading to a happy ending not only for the rescue pups, but for Isabel herself.
“…Klee proves an endearing, unfussy guide to growing up. Readers will be charmed.” – Publishers Weekly
“Isabel Klee’s Dogs, Boys, and Other Things I’ve Cried About is a memoir sure to warm your heart… From careers to dating to self-identity, Klee covers it all in a way that’s totally raw and uncut.” – Sherdell Baker, Women.com
“Isabel Klee’s memoir is a tender look back on the people (and other creatures) she’s opened her heart to… Klee navigates love, friendships, and the road to emotional maturity with the grounding presence of the animals in her life—many of them with special needs—always putting it all beautifully into perspective. The same earnest, forthright personality that shines through in Klee’s videos makes listening to her memoir a genuinely heartwarming experience.” – Apple Books Review
Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta ★
fiction / historical fiction.
Jimmy Perrini lives in 1970s suburban New Jersey, a few miles from Manhattan, but a world apart. At the end of eighth grade, after tragedy strikes, Jimmy finds himself lost in a fog of grief that alienates him from friends and family, drifting instead into troubling friendships with two older teenagers: one a notorious local burnout with a fast car, an endless supply of weed, and a shaky grasp of reality; the other a smart, eccentric girl, whom Jimmy finds himself drawn to as they become entranced by her Ouija board, which may just offer the only salve to their grief.
As a fateful public drama unfolds, Jimmy is torn between the occult beyond and the cold realities of the place he has called home. Narrated by a much older Jimmy, a literary-turned-commercial novelist, Ghost Town reveals how the past haunts the present—the way our ghosts are always with us, even when we think we’ve left them behind.
“[A] powerful story about grief, prejudice, and adolescence.” – Daniel Goldin, The Indie Next List
“Perrotta elevates what could be a standard coming-of-age adventure with sly twists, leading to an ambiguous conclusion that will be alluring fodder for book groups.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…stellar… Perrotta is a confident storyteller, and he packs a great deal of heart into this tale of moving forward amid crushing grief, in which a writer finally gets a chance to exorcise ‘the demons you think you’ve outrun.’ This is sure to resonate with Perrotta’s longtime fans and win him new ones.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Hotel Guest by Rosemary Hennigan
fiction / mystery / suspense.
“Their fate was her fate, their future, her future…”
Kit’s summer position at the Abbaye de Saint Maurice, an upscale hotel in the French Alps, was meant to be a new start. But after she became entangled with a mysterious group of guests, the estate came to hold her darkest secret, which left her with no choice but to flee.
After a decade spent laying low, Kit receives an invitation to return to the hotel. But who is calling her back? And why, when they all promised to stay away? Kit can’t resist the pull of the Abbaye and the chance to finally find closure. But upon arrival, she learns that a former flame is writing a book that could expose the group’s shared secret.
The others need her help to stop him, but will Kit be able to betray the man she once loved for the good of the rest? And how far are her old friends willing to go to protect themselves? When new details surface about that long ago summer, Kit is forced to question the story she’s been telling herself, about its disturbing ending, and what it all says about the person she really is.
“…readers don’t have to be philosophy scholars to enjoy this suspense full of scheming figures.” – Joyce Sparrow, Library Journal
“In Hennigan’s tense, tautly plotted thriller, Kit tells her story in chapters that alternate between the past and the present, allowing readers to piece together a complicated puzzle of ego, betrayal, and murder.” – Jane Harper, Booklist
“The stunning imagery of the lakeside French retreat is wonderfully depicted and is in dark contrast to the jealousy and selfishness that permeates the novel. Highlighting themes of toxic relationships, class and entitlement, The Hotel Guest is an atmospheric tale of obsession, greed, privilege and desire.” – Swirl and Thread
A House of Vipers by Emma Jackson
fiction / young adult / suspense / mystery.
It’s been a year and a half since Sutter Heyward’s brother, Lawson, disappeared from the secluded campus of Meddlehart Academy. Everyone has given up on finding him except for Sutter, who can’t shake the feeling that he’s out there somewhere and desperately needs help to make it home.
That is, until he and his friends uncover clues that Lawson was searching for their school’s rumored buried treasure the night he went missing… and there is a secret society on campus still trying to find it. They are the Order of the Vipers. Sutter and his friends don’t hesitate to join the hunt, but they quickly realize that becoming a Viper involves dangerous initiation rituals where the risk is often greater than the reward.
With every clue and secret they uncover, Sutter knows they are one step closer to solving the mystery of his brother’s disappearance. But as he digs closer to the deadly truth, he will discover that some things were meant to stay buried.
“[A] pulse-pounding mystery… expertly rendered character dynamics, a believably suspenseful love triangle, and a focus on the bracing impact of trust and friendship sets this YA debut apart.” – Publishers Weekly
“…perfect for fans of Wednesday and Pretty Little Liars. It’s packed with backstabbing, puzzles, and a secret order that leaves you wondering what they could be doing in the darkness… you will not want to sleep on [this], especially if you love the puzzles and mysteries that come with other YA thrillers.” – Alexandria Ingham, Parade
“…the angst of unrequited teenage love pairs quite well with the life-or-death hunt for buried treasure, and the explosive conclusion satisfyingly wraps things up.” – Jessica Durham, Booklist
How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin
fiction / mystery / historical fiction.
1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington–a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.
Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.
Annie is no stranger to murder–after all, she’s solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She’s read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way.
As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she’s next. With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?
“Ingenious plotting and a menacing atmosphere make this irresistible.” – Publishers Weekly
“Blending the character-focused storytelling of Jane Austen and the clever sleuthing skills of Agatha Christie, the Castle Knoll series is perfect for fans of Julia Seales, Alan Bradley, and Robert Thorogood.” – Stacey Hayman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Island Club by Nicola Harrison
fiction / historical fiction.
1956: On idyllic Balboa Island, just off the California coast, life seems peaceful and welcoming. But when the lives of three women begin to unravel in shockingly different ways, an unlikely friendship―and the game of tennis―may be the only thing that can save them.
Milly Kinkaid’s plan to fix her crumbling marriage seems to be falling apart before it even begins. She believed that moving her young family from Hollywood to Balboa Island might entice her increasingly distant husband to come home earlier after work. Instead, he’s barely coming home at all.
Society matriarch Sylvia Johnson and her husband have been pillars of their community for decades, and have just recently begun a new business venture: The Island Club, a place for members to swim, play tennis and dine in style. But when she learns that he has been risking their financial security and putting their family’s future in grave danger, she’s not only poised to lose the club, but the entire community she holds dear.
Meanwhile, standoffish loner Adele Lambert’s entire world is on the brink of being destroyed if the dark secrets of her past and her hidden identity is revealed. Twenty years ago, she ran from a shameful scandal and left behind the only thing she ever loved. Now, terrified that the anonymity she’s spent decades guarding will be exposed, but desperate to stay afloat, she risks everything to return to the game that brought her to her knees all those years before.
Set against the sun-drenched beaches of Balboa Island, with its prim and proper 1950s facade, The Island Club is a story of love, loneliness and the lies we tell ourselves―and what can be gained when the truth is finally revealed.
“Harrison excels at creating compelling characters. These women struggle with loneliness and sexism, but Harrison focuses on their resilience and strength and the powerful bonds of female friendship.” – Emily Borsa, Booklist
Molka by Monika Kim ★
fiction / horror / suspense / mystery.
Molka: an abbreviation of molrae-kamera, a “sneaky camera” hidden to capture covert images and videos for voyeurs.
In an unassuming Seoul workplace, IT technician Junyoung’s network reaches throughout the entire building. He sees every entrance. Every lobby. Every bathroom. The women in this building may be cold and dismissive, but he can always pull up his favorite images of them and remember who holds the real power. Until one, Dahye, sets herself apart from the rest.
Dahye, ever the romantic, yearns to be cherished after years of living in the shadow of her perfect older sister, who tragically drowned years ago. Only her boyfriend seems to appreciate Dahye. He’s rich, handsome, and generous—and she’d do anything to hold on to the happiness he brings her.
But when a hidden camera scandal rocks the city’s elites, Dahye’s dreams of a fairy-tale romance twist into a grotesque nightmare. Her boyfriend abandons her. Her parents reject her. Her grip on reality begins to shatter as visions of her dead sister suddenly appear. And as Junyoung’s interest in Dahye turns to obsession, and the truths of their troubled lives are revealed, Dahye must go to extreme lengths to bring the truth to light…
“…truly harrowing… catharsis of the most raw and primal kind… A bloody, rageful, vindictive beast of a novel… a nasty but delightful surprise.” – George Dunn, FanFiAddict
“Molka is evidence of a confident sophomore author, unafraid of tackling big themes and unpretentious enough to lean enjoyably into genre staples and pop culture references… The haunted Dahye is far more than the stereotypical victim though, blooming into a flower of carnage as she seeks vengeance on all who wronged her, delivered through satisfyingly lurid and bloody Grand Guignol scenes.” – Alan Bett, The List
“The thing that impresses me most about Monika’s writing is how deftly she tackles dark subject matter in a way that never veers into trauma porn and always gives women their due. Molka fictionalizes the very real issue of hidden spy cameras in Korea, and as her protagonists’ rage bubbles to the surface, the reader’s will too.” – Kirsten King, Book Riot
“This isn’t just a stylish revenge fantasy: it also interrogates the very real social problem of illegal spycams in a way that’s bold, dark, and incisive.” – Book of the Month
Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto
fiction.
Retirement should mean long-awaited trips to the sapphire waters of Santorini or careening down a sand dune in Dubai. For sixty-three-year-old Mebel, retirement means her husband of more than forty years announcing that he’s leaving her for their private chef. Mebel isn’t sure who’s the bigger loss.
Not to worry, Mebel has the perfect plan: she’s going to win back her husband. No one knows what he needs better than her—after all, she’s been anticipating his needs their whole marriage. And if he wants a wife who can cook (why else would he leave her for a chef?), she will simply go to cooking school. And where better to learn to cook for your husband than France, the most romantic country in the world?
However, Mebel quickly learns that she has mistakenly enrolled in a culinary school not in glamorous Paris but rather in England—and in some small village outside of Oxford no less. Despite the less-than-warm welcome from her much younger classmates, Mebel manages to befriend Gemma, the breakout star of the program. And this unlikely friendship starts to show Mebel that maybe there’s more to her than being the perfect trophy wife…
“[A] must for those who need a story about a woman starting again in her 60s, and in a genuine and hilarious way.” – Alexandria Ingham, Parade
“Sutanto delights with this tale of second chances… Sutanto keeps the pages turning with tight plotting and thoroughly enjoyable characters. Readers are in for a treat.” – Publishers Weekly
“Sutanto, who is behind the beloved Vera Wong mystery series, has created another unsinkable and unstintingly funny 60-something female character, and readers should derive much pleasure witnessing Mebel’s transformation from castoff wife into Chinese Indonesian Golden Girl. Soufflé lightness, deliciously flavored with feminism.” – Kirkus Reviews
We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune ★
fiction / science fiction.
The road stretched out before them. No other cars, just the headlights on the blacktop. Above, the cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky…
Husbands Don and Rodney have lived a good long life. Together they’ve experienced the highest highs of love and family, and lows so low that they felt like the end of the world.
Now, the world is ending for real. A rogue black hole is coming for Earth and in a month everything and everyone they’ve ever known will be gone.
Suddenly, after 40 years together, Don and Rodney are out of time. They’re in a race against the clock to make it from Maine to Washington State to take care of some unfinished business before it’s all over.
On the road they meet those who refuse to believe death is coming and those who rush to meet it. But there are also people living their final days as best they know how―impromptu weddings, bright burning bonfires, shared meals, and new friends.
And as the black hole draws near, among ball lightning and under a cracked moon in a kaleidoscope sky, Don and Rodney will look back on their lives and ask if their best was good enough.
Is it enough to burn bright if nothing comes from the ashes?
“…beautiful and bittersweet.” – Publishers Weekly
“It would be no exaggeration to call this bold and unflinching book the ultimate road trip… Terrible and beautiful, haunting and humane: a masterpiece in miniature.” – Jamie Buxton, The Daily Mail
“Klune’s heart-wrenching plot and emotional prose are on full display in this wonderful queer apocalyptic story.” – Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Klune’s story feels tangible, distressingly realistic and achingly beautiful.” – Kelsie Berger, The Indie Next List
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