Kent State Stark Library Book Club: July 2018

NEW YORK TIMES and #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER! "An acutely observed family drama with bone-chilling suspense." --People "Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace, leaving readers on the edge of their seats. Her multilayered characters are sheer perfection, and even the most astute thriller reader won't see where everything is going until the final threads are unknotted." --Booklist, starred review "Sharply written with twists and turns, Jewell's latest will please fans of Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, or Luckiest Girl Alive." --Library Journal Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was fifteen, the youngest of three. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenaged golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic post-exams summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone. Now, her mother Laurel Mack is trying to put her life back together. It's been ten years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a café, no one is more surprised than Laurel at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters--and his youngest, Poppy, takes Laurel's breath away. Because looking at Poppy is like looking at Ellie. And now, the unanswered questions she's tried so hard to put to rest begin to haunt Laurel anew. Where did Ellie go? Did she really run away from home, as the police have long suspected, or was there a more sinister reason for her disappearance? Who is Floyd, really? And why does his daughter remind Laurel so viscerally of her own missing girl?

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Lying Game comes Ruth Ware's highly anticipated fourth novel. On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person--but also that the cold-reading skills she's honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased...where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it. Full of spellbinding menace and told in Ruth Ware's signature suspenseful style, this is an unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.

The instantNew York TimesBestseller (January 2018)! "A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller" --New York Times Book Review "Buckle up, because you won't be able to put this one down." --Glamour "Jaw dropping. Unforgettable. Shocking." --Publishers Weekly(starred review) "The best domestic suspense novel sinceGone Girl." --In Touch Weekly When you read this book, you will make many assumptions. You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife. You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement - a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle. Assume nothing. Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen'sThe Wife Between Usexposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love. Read between the lies. A 2018 Indie Next Pick | One ofGlamour Magazine's Best Books of 2018 | One of Hello Giggles' 19 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2018 Praise forThe Wife Between Us: "Fiendishly clever...in the vein ofGone Girl andThe Girl on the Train.This one will keep you guessing." --Anita Shreve, New York Times bestselling author of The Stars are Fire "A clever thriller with masterful twists." - Karin Slaughter,New York Times bestselling author ofThe Kept Woman "The Wife Between Us delivers a whip smart, twisty plot in a taut, pacy narrative. It'sterrific and troubling. This is one scary love triangle where you won't know who to trust. I loved it." -Gilly Macmillan,New York Times bestselling author ofWhat She Knew "A twisty, mind-bending novel about marriage and betrayal. Agripping plot and fascinating characters; this bookwill keep you turning the pages and guessing until the very end. A must-read!" -Lauren Weisberger,New York Times bestselling author ofThe Devil Wears Prada "This amazing story gallops along at breakneck speed, withan ending that smacks you between the eyes and takes your breath away.These authors are destined to become trail blazers in the field of psychological suspense books that explode in your hands!" --Nancy Simpson-Brice,Book Vault "Like a house of mirrors,The Wife Between Us kept me guessing around every corner,delving into the complexities of marriage, friendship, and obsession." --Javier Ramirez,The Book Table

One of Glamour's Best Books of Summer * An Us Weekly Trending Title "A delicious beach read." -People "Relatable characters round out a fun, fast read." -Good Housekeeping "A compelling, suspenseful tale." -Kirkus Reviews "The perfect summer read." -Booklist How well do you ever really know the family next door? Bucolic Newport Cove, where spontaneous block parties occur on balmy nights and all of the streets are named for flowers, is proud of its distinction of being named one the top twenty safest neighborhoods in the US. It's also one of the most secret-filled. Kellie Scott has just returned to work after a decade of being a stay-at-home mom. She's adjusting to high heels, scrambling to cook dinner for her family after a day at the office--and soaking in the dangerous attention of a very handsome, very married male colleague. Kellie's neighbor Susan Barrett begins every day with fresh resolutions: she won't eat any carbs, she'll go to bed at a reasonable hour, and she'll stop stalking her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Gigi Kennedy seems to have it all together--except her teenage daughter has turned into a hostile stranger and her husband is running for Congress, which means her old skeletons are in danger of being brought into the light. Then a new family moves to this quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac. Tessa Campbell seems friendly enough to the other mothers, if a bit reserved. Then the neighbors notice that no one is ever invited to Tessa's house. And soon, it becomes clear that Tessa is hiding the biggest secret of all.

In this timely and provocative novel, internationally bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen takes us inside a family in crisis and a marriage on the brink after a tragic shooting. How far would you go to save your family? Every morning, as her husband Mike straps on his SIG Sauer and pulls on his heavy Magnum boots, Jamie Anderson tenses up. Then comes the call she has always dreaded: There's been a shooting at police headquarters. Mike isn't hurt, but his long-time partner is grievously injured. As weeks pass and her husband's insomnia and disconnectedness mount, Jamie realizes he is an invisible casualty of the attack. Then the phone rings again. Another shooting--but this time Mike has pulled the trigger. But the shooting does more than just alter Jamie's world. It's about to change everything for two other women. Christie Simmons, Mike's flamboyant ex, sees the tragedy as an opportunity for a second chance with Mike. And Jamie's younger sister, Lou, must face her own losses to help the big sister who raised her. As the press descends and public cries of police brutality swell, Jamie tries desperately to hold together her family, no matter what it takes. In her characteristic exploration of true-to-life relationships, Sarah Pekkanen has written a complex, compelling, and openhearted novel--her best yet.

Paradise isn't quite what it seems as four college friends meet for an island vacation in this captivating new novel from the acclaimed author of These Girls. An all-expense-paid week at a luxury villa in Jamaica--it's the invitation of a lifetime for a group of old college friends. All four women are desperate not just for a reunion, but for an escape: Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie is shattered by the news that a genetic illness runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband's infidelity. And, finally, there's Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her wealthy husband an unforgettable thirty-fifth birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks already splitting apart their new marriage. Languid hours on a private beach, gourmet dinners, and late nights of drinking kick off an idyllic week for the women and their husbands. But as a powerful hurricane bears down on the island, turmoil swirls inside the villa, forcing each of the women to reevaluate everything she knows about her friends--and herself.