HE SAID, SHE SAID

He Said/She Said: A Novel

By Erin Kelly

Almost 2O years ago, Kit and Laura travel to Cornwall to see a total eclipse. They witness a terrible crime. Together they try to advocate for the victim. At first she seems grateful, but them strange things begin to happen. Laura begins to wonder if she did the right thing? Who is the victim? Who is the predator?

If you like twisty thrillers, He Said She Said is for you. 

FROM THE PUBLISHER: 

In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share.

But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.

The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder―did she trust the wrong person?

15 years later, Kit and Laura married are living under new names and completely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past.

From Erin Kelly, queen of the killer twist, He Said/She Said is a gripping tale of the lies we tell to save ourselves, the truths we cannot admit, and how far we will go to make others believe our side of the story.

LIES SHE TOLD

Lies She Told: A Novel

By Cate Holahan

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Liz Cole had one successful novel. She hasn't been able to replicate that success again, but she has one month to write the thriller that could put her back on the bestseller list. 

At the same time, she is struggling to support her husband through a difficult time. His best friend and law partner, Nick has disappeared. The stress of his disappearance could ruin their marriage and their finances. Liz escapes by writing about Beth, her new heroine.

The lines between Liz's fiction and reality begin to blur when her life starts to resemble Beth's. She struggles to figure out what is fact and what is fiction. 

This story line is unlike anything I've read lately. A captivating read! Much love to Crime By The Book for recommending this read! 

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

The truth can be darker than fiction.

Liza Cole, a once-successful novelist whose career has seen better days, has one month to write the thriller that could land her back on the bestseller list. Meanwhile, she’s struggling to start a family, but her husband is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. As stresses weigh her down in her professional and personal lives, Liza escapes into writing the chilling exploits of her latest heroine, Beth.

Beth, a new mother, suspects her husband is cheating on her while she’s home caring for their newborn. Angry and betrayed, she aims to catch him in the act and make him pay for shattering the illusion of their perfect life. But before she realizes what she’s doing, she’s tossing the body of her husband’s mistress into the East River.

Then, the lines between Liza’s fiction and her reality eerily blur. Nick’s body is dragged from the East River, and Liza’s husband is arrested for his murder. Before her deadline is up, Liza will have to face up to the truths about the people around her, including her own. If she doesn’t, the end of her heroine’s story could be the end of her own.

THE BLINDS

The Blinds: A Novel

By Adam Sternbergh

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The Blinds is a community for criminals. A dusty town in rural Texas for people who aren't aware if they committed a crime or witnessed one. Their minds have been altered and they must live here. If they leave, they could die. 

Sheriff Cooper has worked at the Blinds for eight years. After one murder and one suicide, keeping the peace with his residents become problematic.

Everyone has secrets in the Blinds, including Sheriff Cooper. When a new deputy starts investigating and mysterious outsiders start asking questions, the town starts to unravel. 

This book is one part thriller and one part Western. Not my typical read, but interesting nonetheless. 

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Imagine a place populated by criminals—people plucked from their lives, with their memories altered, who’ve been granted new identities and a second chance. Welcome to The Blinds, a dusty town in rural Texas populated by misfits who don’t know if they’ve perpetrated a crime or just witnessed one. What’s clear to them is that if they leave, they will end up dead.

     For eight years, Sheriff Calvin Cooper has kept an uneasy peace—but after a suicide and a murder in quick succession, the town’s residents revolt. Cooper has his own secrets to protect, so when his new deputy starts digging, he needs to keep one step ahead of her—and the mysterious outsiders who threaten to tear the whole place down. The more he learns, the more the hard truth is revealed: The Blinds is no sleepy hideaway. It’s simmering with violence and deception, aching heartbreak and dark betrayals.

AT HOME IN THE WORLD

At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe

By Tsh Oxenreider

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Fans of Tsh from The Art of Simple will recognize this story well. Tsh and her husband Kyle have always had an affinity for simple living and travel. They decided now was as good a time as any to sell most of what they owned and travel the world the their kids. 

The book travels with them from continent to continent. It is beautifully written. I wanted to book a trip and travel as I read! A wonderful read!

FROM THE PUBLISHER:

As Tsh Oxenreider, author of Notes From a Blue Bike, chronicles her family’s adventure around the world—seeing, smelling, and tasting the widely varying cultures along the way—she discovers what it truly means to be at home.

The wide world is calling.

Americans Tsh and Kyle met and married in Kosovo. They lived as expats for most of a decade. They’ve been back in the States—now with three kids under ten—for four years, and while home is nice, they are filled with wanderlust and long to answer the call.

Why not? The kids are all old enough to carry their own backpacks but still young enough to be uprooted, so a trip—a nine-months-long trip—is planned.

At Home in the World follows their journey from China to New Zealand, Ethiopia to England, and more. They traverse bumpy roads, stand in awe before a waterfall that feels like the edge of the earth, and chase each other through three-foot-wide passageways in Venice. And all the while Tsh grapples with the concept of home, as she learns what it means to be lost—yet at home—in the world.

BEARTOWN

Beartown: A Novel

By Fredrik Backman

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Beartown runs on hockey. There isn't much left to this slowly dying community to hold on too. Hockey keeps everyone occupied. 

The old ice rink was built years ago by the men who founded this town. The town believes the junior ice hockey team may actually have a shot at winning the national semi-finals this year. All the hopes of dreams of this small town rests on the shoulder of teenage boys. 

 A violent act before the semi-final game leaves the whole town in an uproar. Alliances are drawn. Assumptions are made. Lives will never be the same.

This book exposes the many truths of high school athletics. It brings to light the dark sides of competition from both adults and kids alike. Anyone who works closely with teenagers or athletics will be all too familiar with the themes of this book. 

It is a sobering read, but so important.