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Thrillers

Review

The Amateur

by Henrietta Thornton

There but for the grace of God go the rest of us feral ‘70s kids. Mira Winston stands out at her swanky suburban New York golf club as a teenager who can beat older women at the game and who seeks out men to play against so she can have some competition. If she’s not the most sociable, she doesn’t care; it’s all about golf, which also provides an escape from her parent’s drinking and indifference. She’s off to Yale this fall, until during practice she hits a ball through the net and kills a caddy, a less-well-off boy her age whom she knew in passing at school. Everyone assures her it was a freak accident. Even her lawyer-father is sure the net manufacturer or the Talmadge club will be held liable, if anyone. But Mira’s earlier bratty behavior and her attraction to much older men doesn’t help her in the town’s eyes, nor does an equipment problem that comes to light, and soon fingers are pointing. Bohjalian is as always a master of the inner voice, and in this faux-memoir by Mira, he drops readers into her turmoil as talent and languid privilege meet the real world. Readers will remember the did-she-or-didn’t-she tension in Bohjalian’s Midwives, which is reflected here, but fans of all his books will eat this up; it’s also great for readers of Anita Shreve and Jodi Picoult.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Members Only

by Brian Kenney

If you have the taste for crime writing—either the real stuff or the imaginative—then you are destined to love Emma Rosenblum’s latest satirical thriller. The book is set at the super-exclusive Harrington Connecticut country club. On a day when one of the younger members will be having an evening wedding, the morning kicks off with a bang that echoes throughout the campus. Suicide? Car exhaust? Pistol? Whatever it might be, it’s now the force that catapults the story ahead, from the bride-to-be (please don’t marry me) to the club’s president (I’m almost broke) to the politics of pickleball and, lest we forget, the totally cute chef. Far more honest than most profiles about privilege, this is a story few readers will forget.—Brian Kenney

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Review

Tear the City Down

by Henrietta Thornton

Coltrane Davis made a deal with his childhood friend. “We don’t snitch. We don’t leave. We keep our word and ride ‘til the wheels fall off.” But now he wants out. His teenage daughter is turning pro in tennis, he’s met a good woman, and life is just too short for a Black man in underworld San Diego. Of course, it’s not easy to leave, and he’s forced into a last job, finding all copies of a photo of a famous football player in a compromising situation with another man. Leaning on philosophers—not to mention the other Coltrane and Miles Davis—for nourishment and fortitude, he works the footballer job while avenging the disappearance of his daughter’s best friend by trying to rescue another teenager who’s fallen prey to gangsters. Coltrane is a deep, loving, flawed character whom readers will be in lockstep with as he faces a mid-life crisis for the ages. If you love Colson Whitehead’s Ray Carney, introduce yourself to Coltrane. You won’t be sorry.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Tell Me Something True

by Willy Williams

Book of the Week June 18, 2026

This emotionally resonant standalone by a two-time Gold Dagger winner is Robotham’s most personal book yet. Although this is his 20th novel, the author, as he notes in his acknowledgements, first wrote it in his twenties and then filed it away until he accumulated a lifetime of writing experience to return to the manuscript. After 12 years in prison, Arlo Hackett has returned to see his mother in the small Australian town of Yulara on the Great Southern Road between Sydney and Melbourne. But the self-righteous, small-minded community is not ready to forgive Arlo for his role as an accessory after the fact in the rape and murder of 17-year-old Saxon Winacot, apparently committed by his neurodivergent younger brother, Luke, who later killed himself. Despite the town’s seething hostility, Arlo is determined to stay and fix up his mother’s house for sale after a stroke puts her in a nursing home. When he uncovers evidence that the cops might have brutally beaten Luke to extract a confession, Arlo searches his memories and questions locals to uncover the truth that will exonerate his brother. Alternating between past and present timelines, this is more than an atmospheric crime novel populated with well-drawn characters: It’s a haunting coming-of-age story; a sorrowful tale of lost love, missed chances, and promising lives cut short; and a moving narrative of redemption. Fans of Peter Temple’s The Broken Shore will find much to appreciate in Robotham’s trenchant depiction of small-town Aussie life.—Willy Williams

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Review

Speechless

by Henrietta Thornton

Facilitated communication is a controversial practice that involves a facilitator supporting the hand of a person who’s disabled and can’t speak, so that they can type instead. Leah Andrews knows it has its detractors, but she believes in it fully and is ready with success stories, including tales of clients she’s helped. It’s no different when she takes on the case of Eliot Martine, a man who’s been uncommunicative since he fell down the stairs at home. His wife Stephanie is hoping to get her husband back in some form, not to mention to get the password to his crypto account. Eliot’s daughters are less excited; they seem to hate Stephanie and doubt that Leah can help at all. But soon Eliot begins to type messages to the family that seem real and include things that only he would know. When he’s alone with Leah, however, he tells her that he desperately needs protection from an abuser. These chapters alternate with the tale of a lonely, naive young woman who’s been swept off her feet by a new love whom readers will see from the outset is sketchy. While the controversy around facilitated communication is a major driver of this plot, the young women characters steal the show, with their inner lives, doubts, and hopes taking center stage. Twists and deception top off the suspense, and you’ll finish this in no time, the pages flying by as a psychological game plays out.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

Among the Ruins

by Henrietta Thornton

Ireland in 1970 is teetering on the edge of being a good place for women, but it’s not moving quickly enough for Nicoletta Sarto, who’s on maternity leave from her journalism job at Dublin’s Sentinel. As the book opens, she’s due back at work in a week, but stuck between two forces: her boss wants her back early, and everyone else, from her useless partner, Barney, to her coworkers and family, thinks she should stay home with her new twin girls. Nicoletta does whatever she wants (hooray!), and she’s soon back at work, patching together daycare from various reluctant family members while pursuing a crime story. (Never mind that she’s supposedly working on the newspaper’s “womens’ pages.”) The story of murder and stolen art, interspersed with looks at women’s rights (not many), class differences (too many), and organized crime (ditto), takes an unexpected turn and is followed by a surprising and lovely coda showing Nicoletta post-chaos. A fast-moving and interesting look at the recent past, with a gritty character to cheer on–get this on your TBR. In the meantime, try the first in the series, Where They Lie, which features Nicoletta in the ‘60s.—Henrietta Thornton

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Review

The Death Row Club

by Dodie Ownes

Book of the Week June 4, 2026

Nicola’s father has been arrested for a series of murders of women in her small town 20 years ago, including the killing of Nicola’s best friend. Nicola was even part of implicating her father, by participating in the To Catch a Killer podcast that uncovered his identity as the murderer. Now, Nic has lost her job teaching art, the house she grew up in is being foreclosed on, and the press is full of vultures. But a late night text inviting her to The Death Row Club retreat—members must be children of serial killers—brings the promise of support, community, and maybe even friends. The podcast host, Greer, herself the child of a serial killer, will also be at the retreat, with six other members. What Nic thinks will be a cozy support group weekend ends up with one of the group dead after a stranger to them, with valid credentials, appears. Given its alternating points of view and fractured timeline, readers will have to stay on their toes to keep up with this tense, tightly wound, and layered thriller in which each character seemingly has the motivation to kill. While Vasquez weaves in social commentary on the death penalty, the public’s fascination with serial killers, and the grief of the victims’ families, it hovers just below the surface of this unique and intricately crafted debut.—Dodie Ownes

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Article

Monster in the Mirror

by Chris Kahn

Being part of the only interracial family in a seasonal beach town, Jiah Rai and her pregnant sister, Lila, have enough to think about, and it sure doesn’t help that their uncle, now dead, was a convicted serial killer. Jiah was even accused of pushing her girlfriend Georgia off a local cliff. Her guilt was never proven but it’s still assumed, and Georgia’s creepy brother continues to harass her. The town of Dumont, including its law enforcement. hasn’t forgotten about any of this and takes every opportunity to throw it back in the sisters’ faces, When Jiah’s friend Estrella is found murdered, Jiah realizes she must protect herself, her sister, and her new love interest, Kennedy, at all costs. The intrigue and thrilling sleight of hand create palpable tension as the story races to its conclusion and it becomes clear that no one can be trusted. Readers will delight in puzzling out this mystery and its moody seaside setting full of small-town secrets.—Dodie Ownes

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Review

The Whitechapel Full Moon Society

by Willy Williams

On September 11, 1888, a few days after Jack the Ripper’s second victim was found brutally murdered, a desperate Caroline Foster arrives in London with only a battered steamer trunk and five shillings in her purse. Forced to sell her deceased father’s estate to settle his debts, Caroline is now homeless. Her only hope is to find her estranged brother, Charlie, whose last known address is 212 Montague Street in London’s notorious Whitechapel district. What she finds is a disreputable gentlemen’s boarding house, the Whitechapel Full Moon Society, but no Charlie, who vanished in June. With nowhere else to go, Caroline applies for the open maid’s position. Mrs. Easton, the landlady, gives her three rules: ask no personal questions of the guests, never enter the iron-barred room on the second floor, and, most importantly, remain locked in her room during the night of the full moon. As Caroline adjusts to her daily tasks, she begins to suspect that this strange house and its odd residents might be connected to her brother’s disappearance and the serial killings terrorizing London. Writing with verve and flair, DeLozier, in her sophomore outing (after Eleanore of Avignon), offers a fresh take on the Jack the Ripper mythos and adds a paranormal twist. Following Caroline’s transformation from a sickly, timid young woman into a strong, confident protagonist who discovers her true identity and takes charge of her life is a compelling and delightful journey. Fans of historical fantasy mysteries with a touch of dark romance will adore this one.—Willy Williams

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Review

Little Red Death

by Dodie Ownes

Book of the Week May 28, 2026

Lyla’s best friend, Allison, disappeared more than 20 years ago, likely inspiring Lyla to become a Detective Inspector. While she’s solved other crimes, this case lingers on—the only clue left behind, a poisoned apple, hinting at the tale of Snow White. Now another woman is gone, and Lyla and her constable cannot ignore the Cinderella theme seemingly in place. And then there is another death, with a Hansel and Gretel twist, earning the case the name The Grimm Ripper Murders. The fairy-tale motifs create a pleasantly eerie mood, and the gruesome staging of the murders linger. Benedict’s fusion of classic tales with a modern setting works especially well, setting this book apart from run-of-the-mill serial-killer thrillers. The story within a story, with some mind bending elements, requires sharp attention to the clues the author scatters throughout. Readers will relish working out the solution to the detective’s dilemma she works to stop the Wolf from striking again.—Dodie Ownes

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