Librarian's Picks of the Month

Not sure what to read next? Come check out this month's Librarian's Picks display (on the main floor across from the video room) featuring some gems you may have missed (or want to read again!) including:

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich: (Mystery)

Go back to the beginning of this witty series and enjoy again how Stephanie Plum turns to bounty hunting for quick cash and finds herself tracking her first quarry, an ex-cop accused of murder, who turns out to be her first lover, with whom she still shares a powerful chemistry.

The Husband by Dean Koontz: (Suspence/Psychological Fiction)

When landscaper Mitchell Rafferty receives a phone call that his wife has been kidnapped and there is a two million dollar ransom, his extraordinary commitment to his wife will take him on a harrowing, seventy-two-hour journey of adventure, sacrifice, and redemption. 

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks: (Love Story)

Katie, a newcomer to the small town of Southport, North Carolina, resists forming any personal ties until she is drawn into relationships with Alex, a young widower, and Jo, her plainspoken single neighbor, who help her overcome her fearful past.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett: (Historical Fiction)

In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another.

If You Like Alex Cross, You May Also Like...

Serial murder; bank robbery; kidnapping -- all of these crimes and more are investigated by Washington, D.C. police detective/psychologist Alex Cross in James Patterson's Alex Cross Mysteries. Told from the points of view of both Cross and the killer, these roller-coaster cases have plenty of twists and grisly details. No wonder this series of 21 books (and counting) make the bestseller lists time after time.

If you enjoyed reading the Alex Cross Mysteries, you may also like these series (according to NoveList):

The Lincoln Rhyme Mysteries by Jeffery Deaver

Reason:  The Alex Cross Mysteries and the Lincoln Rhyme Mysteries are fast-paced, hard-edged suspense stories in which a mystery is being solved. Both series also provide details about crime solving and criminal psychology. (NoveList)

Start with The Bone Collector.

Alex Delaware novels by Jonathan Kellerman

Reason:  The protagonists of the Alex Cross Mysteries and the Alex Delaware Novels share more than merely a first name; they are both criminal psychologists. These intelligent protagonists solve gritty and disturbing crimes committed by psychopathic criminals. (NoveList)

Start with When the Bough Breaks

The Prey Series by John Sandford

Reason:  These hard-edged, action-packed mystery suspense stories combine police work, psychological insight, and criminal elements. Both series feature coarse language and graphic violence, and a bleak atmosphere is pervasive. (NoveList)

Start with Rules of Prey

Alan Gregory novels  by Stephen White

Reason:  These fast-paced, intricately plotted, and suspenseful mystery series both feature detectives trained in clinical psychology who encounter a wide range of disturbed criminals and unbalanced patients. (NoveList)

Start with Privileged Information

Det. Patrik Hedstrom is Back!

Worldwide bestseller Camilla Läckberg's latest The Hidden Child, (the 5th installment in her Patrik Hedstrom Mysteries) is a psychological thriller about the chilling struggle of a young woman facing the darkest chapter of Europe’s past -- and her own.

Crime writer Erica Falck is shocked to discover a Nazi medal among her late mother’s possessions. Haunted by a childhood of neglect, she resolves to dig deep into her family’s past and finally uncover the reasons why. Her inquiries lead her to an old family friend but her questions are met with bizarre and evasive answers. Two days later he meets a violent death. Detective Patrik Hedström, Erica’s husband, is on paternity leave but soon becomes embroiled in the murder investigation. Who would kill so ruthlessly to bury secrets so old? Reluctantly Erica must read her mother’s wartime diaries. But within the pages is a painful revelation about Erica’s past. Could what little knowledge she has be enough to endanger her husband and newborn baby? The dark past is coming to light, and no one will escape the truth of how they came to be . . .

"The Hidden Child will keep fans of Swedish crime guessing until the final pages." -Booklist Reviews

Want to read about Erica and Patrick from the beginning? Here are the Patrik Hedstrom Mysteries listed in reading order:

1. The Ice Princess

2. The Preacher

3. The Stonecutter

4. The Stranger

100 Mysteries & Thrillers to Read in a Lifetime - Cast Your Vote Today!

Are you into mystery and thriller books? Itching for a good read with plenty of murder, espionage, and intrigue? New to the genre and want to start by reading the the best books? The editors at Amazon have complied a list of 100 Mysteries and Thrillers to read in a lifetime, and are asking readers to hop over to Goodreads and vote for the books that you would put at the top of your bucket list of books to read. Cast your vote today! 

In the meantime, while we wait for the winners to be announced, here are several new mysteries that you can find at the Community Library!


Book Summaries (from left to right): 

I've Got You Under My Skin by Mary Higgins Clark: TV producer and single mother, Laurie Moran, starts filming a new series in which four women involved in an unsolved murder reunite to recreate the scene. Unbeknownst to them another person involved shows up, the real killer. 

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline: After a horrific car accident, Jake Whitmore makes a quick decision that saves his son from criminal punishment, but spirals them both into a world of lies ans deception.

Overwatch by Marc Guggenheim: Young attorney, Alex Garnett becomes targeted in a series of dangerous events after his father helps him get a job at the CIA. Alex enlists a hacker to help him unearth a conspiracy that has been covered up for ages.