Good Reads & Views

Don’t Go by Lisa Scottoline
Fiction

Lisa Scottoline delivers another suspenseful story about Dr. Michael Scanlon, who after returning to Afghanistan after a visit home learns that his wife has died in a freak household accident. He returns to plan her funeral and try to figure out how and why she died. His new baby girl is being taken care of by his wife’s sister and her husband. After the funeral he reenlists and is injured in an attack. He loses his arm and must figure out how to function in society while still mourning the death of his wife, getting to know his daughter and learning about his wife’s other life and the secrets she kept from everyone. Another good stand-alone title from the best-selling author. The audiobook is narrated by Jeremy Davidson.

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Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
Fiction

A private corporate jet crashes into the ocean shortly after take-off from Martha’s Vineyard. The only two survivors are J.J.,  the 4-year old son of a media millionaire, and Scott, an artist who was an acquaintance of the boy’s mom and a last-minute passenger. Scott manages to swim to shore with the boy and is at first hailed as a hero, but then some in the media start hounding him and he comes under federal suspicion as the crash is being investigated. Each passenger’s back story is told in flashbacks as the investigation proceeds. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it “a gritty tale of a man overwhelmed by unwelcome notoriety, with a stunning, thoroughly satisfying conclusion.”

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Redemption Road by John Hart
Fiction

Detective Elizabeth Black is facing possible suspension for use of excessive force during the rescue of a rape and kidnapping victim, but she is more concerned about the release of Adrian Wall, a former cop being released from prison for murder. Wall maintains his innocence, and Elizabeth believes him—she is also in love with him. Meanwhile, Gideon Strange, the 14-year-old son of the victim, whom Elizabeth has been mentoring since the death of his mother, waits for Wall with a gun. When a grisly murder occurs in an abandoned church, and all clues point to Adrian, Elizabeth must make a choice that risks both her career and her life. A nail-biting page-turner that races to an explosive end, followed by a touching epilogue.

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Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Fiction

Well it is 6 months before the Trivia night and the story builds around the three main characters: Madeline, Celeste and Jane; mothers whose children attend Pirriwee primary school.  These women are all at various crossroads in their lives and the plot leads to the climax that occurs at the Trivia night. The book touches on many different subjects – among them bullying, spousal abuse, problems with their marriages, dealing with traumas from the past and beauty. The enjoyable thing about the book is how you feel like you KNOW these people.

Lexicon by Max Barry
Fiction

Emily Ruff is recruited off the street into an elite school for those especially gifted in the art of persuasion, where she becomes a "poet" and learns the hidden power of language, enabling her to control others' actions. This darkly humorous novel quickly moves beyond Emily's individual story, however, to reveal a global power struggle that has the potential to wipe out humanity. Violent and compelling, this sci-fi thriller will leave the reader pondering the power of advertising and the media. Recommended for fans of Lev Grossman's The Magicians .

All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer
Fiction

Think: Gone Girl with spies. In this short, twisty espionage thriller, a man and a woman—once a couple—meet for dinner to discuss old times. They had begun their relationship when working together as spies overseas, and old habits die hard; the conversation quickly devolves into a game of deception, power plays, and covert alliances. As the narrative ricochets between his voice and hers, the reader learns each person’s secrets. But who to trust…?

Alex by Pierre LeMaitre
Fiction

In this US debut of French author LeMaitre, a young woman is kidnapped and forced into a cage whose origin dates from an 18^th century design that was meant to deliver maximum torture (there are rats involved). Diminutive Police Commandant Camille Verhoeven reluctantly takes on the case and races against time to find the kidnapping victim, and now hostage, before it is too late. Graphic, dark, and gory, this book has plenty of twists and turns and zigs when you think it will zag. A bestseller in Europe, it is actually the second in a trilogy (Irène being the first, Camille the third) but can be read as a stand-alone. In a starred review, Kirkus calls it “An eloquent thriller with a denouement that raises eyebrows as it speeds the pulse.” 

Swimming with Sharks by Nele Neuhaus
Fiction

German born investment banker Alex Sondheim has landed a big salary position at a major New York financial firm where she is extoled for her big deals. Alex revels in her success but wants to climb higher in social circles. When real estate mogul Serfio Vitali takes a romantic interest in her she becomes involved, in spite of warnings that she is getting in over her head. It may be too late by the time she comes to the realization that he is the head of the crime syndicate, and dozens of influentials are on his payroll including politicians, police officials, judges and even FBI agents. As Alex uncovers a plan to assassinate a colleague, she realizes the depth to which the graft and corruption run. She knows that even her relationship with Sergio will not be enough to spare her when he finds out what she knows. Filled with savage violence and financial shenanigans the plot is somewhat predictable but has enough action and suspense to hold interest.

Deep Black: Death Wave by Stephen Coonts and William H. Keith
Fiction

This action-filled techno-thriller, part of the “Deep Black” series, features agents—male and female—from a secret unit of the NSA. Their mission is to foil the plot of international villains intent on destroying the U.S. through terrorism disguised as an act of nature. The action takes place around the globe, but eventually converges on the Canary Islands, where the final showdown occurs. Despite state-of-the-art communications technology that allows headquarters to talk into the agents’ undetectable earpieces, when the agents fall out of contact, they must rely on their own wits and mental toughness to survive.

The Accident by Chris Pavone
Fiction

New York Literary Agent Isabel Reed receives an anonymously written manuscript that, if published, would destroy one of the world’s most powerful media giants. Charlie Wolfe, the media mogul, has political ambitions and a checkered past. While in college he killed a woman and with help from his powerful father the incident was covered up. Reed has reason to doubt the accuracy of the book’s content, but then her assistant, who first looked at the manuscript, is murdered. Meanwhile, a veteran CIA operative is determined that this story be buried, as Wolfe has frequently operated in Europe as a front for the organization. The author himself is hiding out, determined to atone for his part in past lies and betrayals. As more people who have seen the manuscript turn up dead, Isabel has to decide whether it’s worth the price to share the truth with the world. A gripping and fast paced story that all takes places within 24 hours.