Kick off your summer holiday celebrations with some adventureful reading! This week’s Three to Read is for all the suspense-lovers and thrill-seekers out there. From beach going to boating to road-tripping, whatever you have in store, trust that these heart-pounding page-turners will make the perfect companions to all your summer thrills, expeditions, and adventures.
Hot Pick
Speak of the Devil
by Rose Wilding
SYNOPSIS:
Circa 1999, Jamie Spellman is found headless in a hotel room on New Year’s Eve. Seven women — each with a strong motive for his murder — gather at midnight, but each swears they’re innocent. Now, in order to protect one another, they must get to the truth behind Jamie’s death. Between the ex, the wife, the widow, the teenager, the mother figure, the friend, and the journalist who brought them all together, secrets abound that unravel their interconnected lives.
WHY:
This mesmerizing debut thriller takes unreliable narrators to the next level, with seven complex female leads expertly knotted together for one compelling revenge tale. Wilder’s multiple POV storytelling set against the ticking clock of a police investigation makes for unflinching suspense. However, do make sure to check the trigger warnings before picking up this whodunit, as crime fiction goes to some dark places!
Beach Read
Zero Days
by Ruth Ware
SYNOPSIS:
Jack and her husband, Gabe, are some of the best penetration specialists in the business, renowned for breaking into buildings and hacking security systems. However, when a routine job goes tragically awry, and Gabe is murdered, Jack becomes the prime suspect. Now, under the eye of the police and left with dwindling options, she becomes a fugitive relentlessly pursuing the true killer.
WHY:
The queen of psychological thrillers returns with a high-adrenaline mystery novel. Zero Days dives headfirst into a cat-and-mouse game where one resilient heroine holds her own against multiple encroaching threats. If you want to stay up binge-reading this summer, Ware’s unputdownable narrative and propulsive prose will have your eyes glued to the pages until the very end.
Dark Horse
The First Bright Thing
by J.R. Dawson
SYNOPSIS:
Ringmaster (or Rin to her friends) is the leader of the Circus of Fantasticals: a haven for magical misfits and outcasts. Set between WWI and WWII, Rin, her wife Odette, and the rest of her troupe, travel through the Midwest. Though, looming threats draw near, including an impending war with another, more sinister circus. A rival ringmaster seeks to possess something of value in Rin’s circus and will stop at nothing to claim it.
WHY:
The First Bright Thing is an LGBTQ+ found family story enmeshed in mesmerizing historical fantasy. Not only is it wholly unique and imaginative, but its propulsive plot brilliantly examines the complexities of power and identity alongside the search for love, acceptance, and authenticity. In all, if you need a little magic with your adventure reads, this debut novel is just the thing!
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