- Emily Stoll
- Tuesday, April 16, 2019
It's that time of year where spring cleaning is in full effect. In addition to tidying your house (🎵) and workplace, why not refresh your list of books to read?
Your holds list is about to be buzzing with some fresh picks.
Check out these springtime reads that are inspiring our staff. They also just happen to be featured in the March/April edition of Columbia Living Magazine.
She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge
Recommended by: Chantal Wilson, Richland Library Research and Readers’ Advisory Department
In the summer of 1983 a group of seven teenagers head into an English forest for a night of partying and camping, but in the morning, only six walk out. 14-year-old Aurora Jackson goes missing during the night, but the other teens swear that she was safe when they last saw her. 30 years later, Aurora’s body is discovered just yards from where the teens had camped and in a hideaway that only the six friends knew about. So, who’s telling the truth? Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens, a young police constable at the time of Aurora’s disappearance, and a schoolmate of both the victim and suspects is determined to discover the truth about Aurora’s death. Lodge’s debut thriller is told in alternating chapters between the present day and the night of Aurora’s disappearance, and it’s an intricately plotted police procedural that will appeal to fans of “Tana French.”
The Suspect by Fiona Barton
Recommended by: Lisa Gieskes, Richland Library Film and Sound Department
New York Times bestselling author Fiona Barton has your next mystery, just in time for spring. This British novelist's latest work, The Suspect, is about the tragic deaths of children while traveling abroad. The story, told from the couples whose children have died, moves back and forth through time. The main character is a journalist based out of London, not unlike the Barton, who was formerly a reporter before her launch into fiction. This keen eye for sleuthing leads the reader into questionable territory. You will be wondering about the suspect until the very end. You can get this book in audiobook or print format.
The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth
Recommended by: Sara Shiver McBride, Richland Library Research and Readers’ Advisory Department
Lucy and her mother-in-law, Diane, have always had a frosty relationship, but Lucy is still surprised when police knock on the door to tell the family that Diane has killed herself in response to rapidly advancing cancer. Not as surprised as she is when the autopsy shows that Diane never had cancer, though. And certainly not as surprised as she is when evidence begins to mount that Diane was murdered.
This Australian family drama switches between Lucy and Diane’s viewpoints to tell a twisty, tense story about motherhood, family and secrets.
Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi
Recommended by: Megan Mathis, Richland Library Research and Readers’ Advisory Department
Helen Oyeyemi’s works are mystical and strange, often retelling or riffing on myths or fairy tales in innovative ways. Her latest, “Gingerbread,” is a genre-defying fable that explores a family legacy carried on through a gingerbread recipe. After a precocious British schoolgirl recreates her family’s legendary recipe with additional – and dangerous – ingredients, her mother must reveal the family’s secret history.