Articles tagged "Esa Khattak & Rachel Getty series"
2017 Bram Stoker Award Nominees (& Winners!)
We have 4 nominees (AND 2 WINNERS!!!) for the 2017 Bram Stoker Awards!
Superior Achievement in a Novel Award
ARARAT by Christopher Golden – WINNER!
Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
MAPPING THE INTERIOR by Stephen Graham Jones – WINNER!
AGENTS OF DREAMLAND by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Superior Achievement in an Anthology Award
NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD: An Anthology by Jonathan Maberry and George A. Romero
The winners will be announced on March 3, 2018 during StokerCon™.
Now for a super-sized bunch of #ThrillerThursday reads:
FORCE OF NATURE by Jane Harper
A February 2018 LibraryReads & Indie Next pick and one of Elle‘s “Best Books to Read This Winter!” When a whistleblower goes missing on a corporate team-building hike, Agent Aaron Falk must uncover secrets and betrayals among friends to find out what happened in this new thriller from the New York Times bestselling and LibraryReads author of THE DRY. “…[Harper] manages to match her debut’s intensity with another riveting, tension-driven thriller. Perfect for fans of Tana French and readers who enjoy literary page-turners.” — Booklist, starred review
THE LEGACY by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Two starred reviews! “This complex, character-driven procedural, the first in a new series from Sigurdardóttir, whose recent efforts have been supernatural-tinged thrillers, is powerfully rooted in buried secrets of childhood trauma. Recommended for fans of Tana French and Camilla Läckberg.” — Booklist, starred review
A DANGEROUS CROSSING by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Two starred reviews! “This fourth in the series is a complex global thriller lifted to bar-raising heights by Khan’s thoughtful (and timely) exploration of the tragedies and dangers that refugees face.” — Booklist, starred review
THIS FALLEN PREY by Kelley Armstrong
In the third installment of bestselling author Armstrong’s Rockton thriller series (CITY OF THE LOST was a May 2016 LibraryReads pick), Casey Duncan must discover who inside the off-the-grid town is acting as a dangerous criminal’s accomplice. “The third Rockton novel is perhaps the best yet. A crisply written thriller that keeps readers guessing….” — Booklist
GIRL UNKNOWN by Karen Perry
When a young woman appears in David Connolly’s university office and says, “I think you might be my father,” the Connollys may have a chance to expand their family and how much they can love—or they may be making themselves vulnerable to menace. “Writing duo Karen Gillece and Paul Perry’s second novel (after THE INNOCENT SLEEP, 2014), is must-read literary suspense, with dueling character perspectives and sly twists forming a gut-wrenching exploration of trust, manipulation, and obsession.” — Booklist, starred review
THE PLEA by Steve Cavanagh
Two starred reviews! In this sequel to THE DEFENSE, con-artist-turned-lawyer Eddie Flynn has an innocent client, a guilty wife, and only a few days to save them both. “This is perfect for anyone who likes a locked-room mystery wrapped inside a legal thriller on steroids.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review readmoreremove
January 2018 All-Stars
These forthcoming books are raking in the starred reviews—make sure to add them to your library’s shelves ASAP!
THE PARKING LOT ATTENDANT by Nafkote Tamirat
“Tamirat’s razor-sharp prose fashions a magnificently dimensional and emotionally resonant narrator, herself a storyteller who frames her own tale with beguiling skill. This debut is remarkable in every way.” — Booklist, starred review
“Tamirat’s wonderful debut novel weaves growing pains, immigrant troubles, and moments of biting humor. The unsettling conclusion serves as a perfect ending for this riveting coming-of-age story full of murky motives, deep emotion, and memorable characters.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
GODS OF HOWL MOUNTAIN by Taylor Brown
“Brown immerses the reader in the mountain landscape… [his] dialogue, too, is magical, capturing the local idioms and cadences and rendering them musical. Brown has quickly established himself in the top echelon of Southern writers, and his latest will please readers of Wiley Cash and Ron Rash.” — Booklist, starred review
“Not to be missed, this bold, dark, gritty novel is another coup for Brown, whose lyrical descriptions of the landscape only add to the captivating story of indomitable but isolated folks bound by folklore, tradition, and a hardscrabble life.” — Library Journal, starred review
MEMENTO PARK by Mark Sarvas
“Sarvas couples a suspenseful mystery with nuanced meditations on father-son bonds, the intricacies of identity, the aftershocks of history’s horrors, and the ways people and artworks can—perhaps even must—be endlessly reinterpreted. ” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Because of its scope and deft handling of aspects of identity in matters of love, family, religion, and loss, this literary work is highly recommended to the broadest audience.” — Library Journal, starred review
WHISKEY by Bruce Holbert
“[An] impressive novel… Like Cormac McCarthy, another bard of the modern West’s brutality, Holbert finds beauty and cruelty in the land, in the tease and punch of eloquently elliptical dialogue, and in the way humans struggle for love, self-knowledge, and a grip on life. A gut-punch of a bleak family saga that satisfies on many levels.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“Holbert returns with a violent, gruesome, and beautiful tale that, despite its despondency, is perversely winning. The violence in this rangy, brilliant narrative is often grotesque, but this excess is tempered by dry humor, wonderful dialogue, and dark wisdom.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review readmoreremove
Our #LibFaves17 Picks
We enjoyed seeing so many of you participate in #LibFaves17 (thanks for making Jane Harper’s THE DRY an official 2017 Top Ten pick!).
Now here are OUR #LibFaves17 picks (aka our 2017 “Recommended Reads” from the newsletter):
Talia
THE MAP THAT LEADS TO YOU by J.P. Monninger
Also available in audio
Finally, a book version of that romantic trilogy of films that Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy collaborated on… And most especially reminiscent of BEFORE SUNRISE. I’m also fondly reminded of the first boy that I ever fell in love with, his name was Lenny Grant, we were both sixteen and attending a summer writing program in Boston. It may as well have been Europe…
THE STANDARD GRAND by Jay Baron Nicorvo
THE STANDARD GRAND is reminiscent of Frank Bill’s CRIMES IN SOUTHERN INDIANA in terms of its grittiness and the ragtag group of misfit anti-heroes trying to survive in the wilderness. And I’ve always loved reading novels that were written in a sort of rushed exuberance—as if the author just had to share his or her story…
KNIFE CREEK by Paul Doiron
Also available in audio
Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch (my favorite bad-ass—does everything on his own terms—Maine game warden) is back for more! In KNIFE CREEK, Mike and his girlfriend Stacy (a bit of a rogue operator herself) are hunting wild rampaging boars that are destroying their beautiful town and surrounding environs. During the hunt, the couple discovers a dead infant in a shallow grave. Mike is a game warden but he’s got the instincts of a seasoned detective and must find out who committed such a gruesome deed. He just can’t help himself. And I love him for that. A home explosion that nearly kills him, an encounter with two very strange “sisters” wearing matching red wigs—one of whom may or may not be a long-dead co-ed (or was she kidnapped?), and a small town that’s full of suspects… Mike’s clearly on to something here, but what?
FRESH COMPLAINT by Jeffrey Eugenides
Also available in audio
I’ve always loved short story collections (see Shobha Rao’s AN UNRESTORED WOMAN, Tom Perrotta’s NINE INCHES, David Bezmozgis’ NATASHA, Helen Ellis’ AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE, Lauren Holmes’ BARBARA THE SLUT, James Franco’s PALO ALTO). The intensity of dipping into a life, briefly, and popping right out of it again… Of meeting someone at a particularly vulnerable and strangely fascinating moment in their lives… Of sharing that moment with them but never fully knowing when it began or where it ends is particularly exciting to me. And in Jeffrey Eugenides’ new short story collection FRESH COMPLAINT, meditations abound on life at every stage and at its most banally bizarre moments. Readers are thrown into a period of post-college idealism (and dysentery), mid-life pregnancies (and an ensuing tragicomedy), rebuilding after failure, sex studies in the jungle (and leaving one’s inhibitions behind), the worshiping of a musical instrument, a green card marriage and finally death. And we are treated to it all with a healthy dose of slightly off-beat characters.
THE WIFE BETWEEN US by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Also available in audio
There’s a marketing specialist at Macmillan whose taste in books I trust completely. I will not name names, because she is my secret “book Santa” and I refuse to share her. Since 2004, she has very occasionally sent me manuscripts to read. She has always chosen a book that I end up loving, hating deeply, or at the very least ends up inciting an incredibly visceral reaction. I won’t list the favorites she’s sent, because her identity will most certainly be revealed. And now let’s talk about her latest manuscript, THE WIFE BETWEEN US. There is no train. There is no girl. There is drinking (all good stories need alcohol, right?). There is an unreliable narrator (but those are the most intriguing, aren’t they?). There is a handsome husband (marriages are always fascinating to dissect, good or bad!). There is “another” woman (a thriller always needs a mysterious “other,” right?). And that’s all I can tell you. Read it. And let’s talk about that ending.
INDECENT by Corinne Sullivan
An insecure shy teacher’s apprentice barely out of college at an all boys boarding school is tempted by the popular boy… He’s brash, he’s arrogant, he’s the leader of the pack… But, will she do what’s right? I can’t help but think of the only younger man that I ever dated. During the summer before I went off to college I dated a rising senior. He wore Polo cologne, had long hair and we spent most of that summer in hidden corners and behind closed doors. But it’s not the same, is it? readmoreremove
Thriller Thursday (2/16/17 Edition)
Spies and detectives and murderers, oh my!
A DIVIDED SPY by Charles Cumming
Two starred reviews! A former MI6 officer, Thomas Kell devoted his life to the Service, but it has left him with nothing but grief and a simmering anger against the Kremlin. Then Kell is offered an unexpected chance at revenge. Taking the law into his own hands, he embarks on a mission to recruit a top Russian spy and finds himself in a high stakes game of cat and mouse in which it becomes increasingly difficult to know who is playing whom. “Bestseller Cumming’s nuanced, suspenseful third Thomas Kell novel… unfold[s] in a perfectly constructed plot that proves once again that Cumming is among today’s top spy thriller writers. ” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
AMONG THE RUINS by Ausma Zehanat Khan
In Khan’s third powerful mystery, Detective Esa Khattak is on leave in Iran when he’s asked to investigate the murder of Canadian-Iranian filmmaker Zahra Sobhani at Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Khattak quickly finds himself embroiled in Iran’s tumultuous politics and under surveillance by the regime, but when the trail leads to Zahra’s family in Canada, Khattak calls on his partner, Detective Rachel Getty, for help. “Deeply political without becoming pedantic, Khan’s crime novel offers a fictionalized yet very real look at a region that is steeped in both beauty and misery.” — Library Journal, starred review readmoreremove
For Your Consideration: February 2017 LibraryReads Titles
Download, read, and nominate your favorite titles for the February 2017* LibraryReads list!
*Nominations are due December 20! Click here for the full list of 2017 deadlines.
A DARKNESS ABSOLUTE by Kelley Armstrong
In the follow-up to Armstrong’s May 2016 LibraryReads pick, CITY OF THE LOST, Rockton town detective Casey Duncan and sheriff’s deputy Will Anders take shelter in a cave during a blizzard and discover a former resident who’s been held captive for over a year. When the bodies of two other women turn up, Casey and her colleagues must find out if it’s an outsider behind the killings or one of Rockton’s own. “Fans are already lining up in droves.” — Library Journal, pre-pub alert
Available on NetGalley. To be pre-approved for an e-galley, please email library@macmillanusa.com with the subject “Darkness Absolute.”*
THE MOTHER’S PROMISE by Sally Hepworth
Hepworth’s THE THINGS WE KEEP was a January 2016 LibraryReads pick and in her new novel, a single mother reaches out to her oncology nurse and social worker to help find a stable situation for her daughter, who suffers from a crippling social anxiety. “Readers should get ready for a good, ugly cry after reading Hepworth’s latest. Part tearjerker, part celebration of mothers, this story tugs at the heartstrings, guaranteeing that readers will smile through the tears.” — Booklist, starred review
Available on NetGalley. To be pre-approved for an e-galley, please email library@macmillanusa.com with the subject “Mother’s Promise.”*
THE CLAIRVOYANTS by Karen Brown
Two starred reviews for this gothic-inflected psychological suspense novel that unmasks the secret desires of a young woman with a mystical gift. “[An] arresting, unsettling, and beautiful tale. Brown enchants and haunts by making the reader question every voice, every truth.” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Download the e-galley from Edelweiss
UNIVERSAL HARVESTER by John Darnielle
Life in a small Iowa town takes a dark turn when mysterious footage begins appearing on VHS cassettes at the local Video Hut. “Darnielle’s masterfully disturbing follow-up to the National Book Award–nominated WOLF IN WHITE VAN reads like several Twilight Zone scripts cut together by a poet.” — Booklist, starred review
To request an e-galley, please email library@macmillanusa.com with the subject “Universal Harvester.”* readmoreremove
Thriller Thursday (2/4/16 Edition)
Detectives and amateur sleuths abound in today’s #ThrillerThursday lineup:
SOUTH OF NOWHERE by Minerva Koenig
“This sophomore outing clearly demonstrates that Koenig’s acclaimed debut, NINE DAYS, was no fluke. Julie [Kalas] is an original heroine with a gutsy attitude and take-charge approach to life. Fans of Sue Grafton will welcome this hard-boiled protagonist.” — Library Journal, starred review
“The bodies keep piling up in this complicated tale, which offers enough mayhem, double-crossing, and general weirdness on the Tex-Mex border to last a lifetime.”
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
THE LANGUAGE OF SECRETS by Ausma Zehanat Khan
Khan returns with another haunting mystery following detectives Esa Khattak and Rachel Getty as they investigate the murder of a federal agent who was deep undercover in a terrorist ring. “A heartfelt novel for lovers of crime fiction and anyone interested in the complexities of living as a Muslim in the West today.”
— Library Journal, starred review readmoreremove
For Your Consideration: February 2016 LibraryReads Titles
Download, read, and nominate your favorite titles for the February 2016* LibraryReads list!
*Nominations are due December 20! Click here for the full list of 2016 deadlines.
THE HEART by Maylis De Kerangal
Two starred reviews for this audacious novel about the twenty-four hours surrounding a heart transplant told in multiple perspectives. “…the writing is uncommonly beautiful and never lacking humanity. This poetic interrogation of our contemporary medical reality affords a view only literature can provide.”
— Publishers Weekly, boxed & starred review
Download a copy from Edelweiss
THE YID by Paul Goldberg
Two starred reviews! “In this fantastical (and fantastic) debut novel by reporter and writer Goldberg, who immigrated to the United States from the USSR in 1973, a troupe of unlikely Soviet characters assembles with a single objective…to do in Stalin before his henchmen unleash the pogrom. Highly recommended for readers with a grasp of history who enjoy imaginative deviations from what we think we know as historical truth.” — Library Journal, starred review
Download a copy from Edelweiss
EVERY ANXIOUS WAVE by Mo Daviau
In this highly original debut that interweaves science and music, kind-hearted bartender Karl sells time travel trips back to famous rock shows and falls in love with Lena, prickly, overweight astrophysics grad student he hires to bring his friend back from 980 Mannahatta. Fun fact: author Mo Daviau used to be a librarian and archivist and she thinks you’re all superheroes.
Download a copy from Edelweiss readmoreremove
