When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham, recommended by Vicki
Philomena McCarthy is a fighter. The estranged daughter of a reputed mobster, she beat the odds and serves as an officer with the Metropolitan Police in London. After she and her partner answer a domestic violence call, her hard-won career is endangered when it turns out the abuser is a highly decorated detective on the force. To compound his rage and vindictiveness, his mistress befriends Phil and weaves herself into Phil’s life leaving a trail of questions and coincidences that don’t add up. As she fights for her career, Phil questions if the detective or his mistress is her greater advisory.
Robotham is a former investigative journalist and crafts tightly written, fast paced psychological thrillers including his successful series featuring psychologist Joe O’Loughlin. Highly recommended.
Under Lock & Skeleton Key: A Secret Staircase Mystery by Gigi Pandian, recommended by Dennis
A fun “who did it” and “how did they do it” mystery. After a near fatal accident, stage magician Tempest Raj returns home to get her life back together. While helping her father with his business, Secret Staircase Construction, a body is found, behind a wall, in a hidden a secret room, in a house they are renovating. It is the body of her former stage assistant and body double. The same person who caused her near fatal accident. Who killed her, why was she killed, and how did her body get behind an old wall? A fun story with stage magician’s, a family curse, secrets rooms and staircases. I enjoyed it.
The Honey Companion by Suzy Scherr, recommended by Megan C. and Leah
This book is buzzing with tasty, natural recipes and remedies! If you’re a honey-lover in need of inspiration, this is the book for you. From lotion to cough syrup, fig and honey flatbread to furniture polish, this book proves that honey is much more than a sweetener. “The Honey Companion” even offers a history on honey, and suggestions for planting a bee-friendly garden. As seen on our library cooking show Biblio Bites too! Put it on hold today – you won’t BEE disappointed!
Bewilderment by Richard Powers, recommended by Karen
Unique story of an astrobiologist father and his special needs son learning to navigate the world together following the loss of their wife and mother. A modern/futuristic retelling of Flowers for Algernon.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, recommended by Tracie
It takes six centuries for the characters Konstance , Anna, Zeno, Seymour, and Omeir to tell their magical stories. They all find solace in the written word, reading and libraries. Librarians, teachers and even Sybil, an AI system, offer sanctuary and support for these troubled teens as they learn to grapple with their world, their actions and the consequences of their actions.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, recommended by Megan C.
If you want *more* from a fiction, “Such a Fun Age” discusses deep and timely themes of race, class, and privilege, coupled with a striking storyline of empathy and identity. Alix, a young white mother, hires 25-year-old Emira as her babysitter. One night, Emira (a young black woman) is unjustly accused of kidnapping Alix’s white child at a high-end supermarket, and a flurry of complications arise. The story compares and contrasts two very different women – one struggling to find herself as a young adult and one questioning her beliefs and who she’s always been. Although this book is rather deep, it makes these tough topics accessible and provides fresh perspective. Great for those wanting to understand more about the activism and privilege struggles going on today, “Such a Fun Age” takes on tensions of social justice, transactional relationships, stereotypes, and self-serving agendas. Fans of “The Help” will enjoy this debut novel.