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Psychological fiction

  • Author:
    Raabe, Melanie
    Summary:

    He calls himself your husband. But you're the only one who knows the truth. Several years ago, your husband, and the father of your young son, disappeared. Since then, you've dreamt of his return; railed against him for leaving you alone; grieved for your marriage; and, finally, vowed to move on. One morning, the phone rings. When you answer, a voice at the other end tells you your husband's on a plane bound for home, and that you'll see him tomorrow. You've imagined this reunion countless times. Of course you have. But nothing has prepared you for the reality. For the moment you realise you don't know this man. Because he isn't your husband; he's a complete stranger -- and he's coming home with you. Even worse, he seems to know about something very bad you once did -- something no one else could possibly know about . . . Could they? From Melanie Raabe, the author of The Trap, The Stranger Upstairs is another dazzling, dizzying psychological thriller guaranteed to keep you guessing until the very last page.

  • Author:
    Camus, Albert
    Summary:

    With millions of copies sold The Stranger is one of the most widely read novels in the world. It stands as perhaps the greatest existentialist tale ever conceived. When a young Algerian named Meursault kills a man, his subsequent imprisonment and trial are puzzling and absurd. This remarkable translation by Matthew Ward has been considered the definitive English version since its original publication.

  • Author:
    Picoult, Jodi
    Summary:

    Sage Singer befriends Josef Weber, a beloved Little League coach and retired teacher. But then Josef asks Sage for a favor she never could have imagined--to kill him. After Josef reveals the heinous act he committed, Sage feels he may deserve that fate. But would his death be murder or justice?

  • Author:
    Baugh, Leanne
    Summary:

    After being attacked by a grizzly bear in the Rocky Mountains, seventeen-year-old Abby Hughes' facial scars are all she can think about, and all that she thinks anyone else can see when they look at her. After months of hiding out at home, returning to high school feels as daunting to Abby as enduring seven plastic surgeries. She knows it will be hard to show her new face to the world, but Abby doesn't expect the level of rejection and hurt she receives, especially from people she thinks are her friends. When the taunts and bullying take a dangerous turn, she has to rediscover the strong, confident person beneath her skin.

  • Author:
    Conlin, Christy Ann
    Summary:

    'Dark family secrets, the lore of the sea, and a tender, protective friendship between women all converge in The Speed of Mercy, an unusual and surprising story set in idyllic rural Nova Scotia. With subtle humour, Conlin picks the locks on the long-closed doors of two families and bares the ugly, painful skeletons everyone knew were there but chose to hide.' - Sylvia D. Hamilton,  author of And I Alone Escaped To Tell You. The Speed of Mercy captures the unbearable cost of childhood betrayal and what happens when history is suppressed, our past is forgotten - yet finding the truth can change the future. Christy Ann Conlin rips into the myths and stereotypes about older women and those on the edge of conventional society to reveal the timeless gift of mercy in this feminist tour de force. 'Christy Ann Conlin is a conjurer: of place, people, and the haunting past. I was instantly caught up in the darkly mysterious world and indelible characters she has brought to life. Gripping, suspenseful, and lyrically written, The Speed of Mercycaught me by the throat and didn't let go.' - Alix Ohlin, Scotiabank Giller Prize-shortlisted author of Dual Citizens.

  • Author:
    Reardon, C. S.
    Summary:

    Grief cannot abide a mystery. No one understands that better than the Clareys of Halifax, a close and loving family whose lives are transformed one night in 1937 when Edie, their wilful daughter and sister, vanishes, leaving no trace, no clue, as to what happened to her. The lingering question of her disappearance will ricochet through succeeding generations of Clareys.

  • Author:
    Onyemelukwe-Onuobia, Cheluchi
    Summary:

    Winner of the Best International Fiction Book Award, Sharjah International Book Fair 2019 The lives of two Nigerian women divided by class and social inequality intersect when they're kidnapped, held captive, and forced to await their fate together. In the Nigerian city of Enugu, young Nwabulu, a housemaid since the age of ten, dreams of becoming a typist as she endures her employers' endless chores. She is tall and beautiful and in love with a rich man's son. Educated and privileged, Julie is a modern woman. Living on her own, she is happy to collect the gold jewellery lovestruck Eugene brings her, but has no intention of becoming his second wife. When a kidnapping forces Nwabulu and Julie into a dank room years later, the two women relate the stories of their lives as they await their fate. Pulsing with vitality and intense human drama, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia's debut is set against four decades of vibrant Nigeria, celebrating the resilience of women as they navigate and transform what still remains a man's world.

  • Author:
    L'Engle, Madeleine
    Summary:

    "An unusual and beautiful book," the first novel by the bestselling author of A Wrinkle in Time explores the life of a young artist (Los Angeles Times). At only ten years old, Katherine Forrester has already experienced her fair share of upheaval. It has been three years since she last saw her mother, a concert pianist whose career was cut short by a terrible accident. After a brief reunion, tragedy strikes once more, forcing Katherine from the familiarity of New York City to a foreign Swiss boarding school. Far from home, she struggles with the challenges of growing up. Stifled by her daily routine and the pettiness of her classmates, Katherine's piano lessons with a gifted young teacher provide an anchor in the storm. After graduation, she follows in her mother's footsteps, pursuing a career as a pianist in Greenwich Village. There, she must learn to reconcile her blossoming relationship with her fiance with the one consistent and dominant force in her life: music. Inspired by the author's time living among artists, The Small Rain follows Katherine's journey from a distraught girl to an exuberant and talented woman with the breadth and poignancy that defines Madeleine L'Engle's signature style. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Madeleine L'Engle including rare images from the author's estate.

  • Author:
    Baldacci, David
    Summary:

    Edgar Roy--an alleged serial killer held in a secure, fortress-like federal supermax facility--is awaiting trial. He faces almost certain conviction. Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are called in by Roy's attorney, Sean's old friend and mentor Ted Bergin, to help work the case. But their investigation is derailed before it begins--en route to their first meeting with Bergin, Sean and Michelle find him murdered.

  • Author:
    Healy, Sarah
    Summary:

    A gripping novel about two sisters who are left homeless by their mother's death and the lengths the fierce older sister will go to protect her beloved young chargeThe hardscrabble Chase women'Mary, Hannah, and their mother Diane'have been eking out a living running a tiny seaside motel that has been in the family for generations, inviting trouble into their lives for just as long. Eighteen-year-old Mary Chase is a force of nature: passionate, beautiful, and free-spirited. Her much younger sister, Hannah, whom Mary affectionately calls "Bunny," is imaginative, her head full of the stories of princesses and adventures that Mary tells to give her a safe emotional place in the middle of their troubled world. But when Diane dies in a car accident, Mary discovers the motel is worth less than the back taxes they owe. With few options, Mary's finely tuned instincts for survival kick in. As the sisters begin a cross-country journey in search of a better life, she will stop at nothing to protect Hannah. But Mary wants to protect herself, too, for the secrets she promised she would never tell'but now may be forced to reveal'hold the weight of unbearable loss. Vivid and suspenseful, The Sisters Chase is a whirlwind page-turner about the extreme lengths one family will go to find'and hold onto'love.

  • Author:
    St. John Mandel, Emily
    Summary:

    Everyone Anton Waker grew up with is corrupt. His parents deal in stolen goods and his first career is a partnership venture with his cousin Aria selling forged passports and social security cards to illegal aliens. Anton longs for a less questionable way of living in the world and by his late twenties has reinvented himself as a successful middle manager. Then a routine security check suggests that things are not quite what they appear. And Aria begins blackmailing him to do one last job for her. But the seemingly simple job proves to have profound and unexpected repercussions. As Anton's carefully constructed life begins to disintegrate around him, he's forced to choose between loyalty to his family and his desires for a different kind of life. When everyone is willing to use someone else to escape the past, it is up to Anton, on the island of Ischia, to face the ghosts that travel close behind him.

  • Author:
    Kent, Minka
    Summary:

    Newlywed Jade Westmore has finally found a husband, only there's a caveat: behind the gates of their estate lives Wells's first wife, Sylvie. On a slip of torn notebook paper, Sylvie has a message for Jade: Run.

  • Author:
    Harrison, A. S. A.
    Summary:

    Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event.

  • Author:
    Michaelides, Alex
    Summary:

    "That rarest of beasts: the perfect thriller. This extraordinary novel set my blood fizzing-I quite literally couldn't put it down."-A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window This program includes a bonus interview with the author. Promising to be the debut of the season The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a woman's act of violence against her husband-and of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive... Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations-a search for the truth that threatens to consume him...'/ More praise for The Silent Patient: "Absolutely brilliant...' read it in a state of intense, breathless excitement."-Stephen Fry "Smart, sophisticated storytelling freighted with real suspense - a very fine novel by any standard."-Lee Child "The Silent Patient sneaks up on you like a slash of intimidating shadow on a badly lit street. Michaelides has crafted a totally original, spellbinding psychological mystery so quirky, so unique that it should have its own genre."-David Baldacci

  • Author:
    Koontz, Dean
    Summary:

    A dazzling new series debuts with a remarkable heroine certain to become a new icon of suspense, propelled by the singular narrative genius of #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz. "I very much need to be dead." These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for-but took his own life. In the void that remains stands his widow, Jane, surrounded by questions destined to go unanswered ... unless she does what all the grief, fear, confusion, and fury inside of her demand: find the truth, no matter what. There is no one else to speak for Jane's husband-or the others who have followed him into death at their own hands. Although people of talent and accomplishment, people admired and happy and sound of mind, have recently been committing suicide in surprising numbers, no one else is willing to give up everything, just to seek, to find, to know. No one except Jane. But ahead lies only risk. Because those arrayed against her are legion ... and dangerously devoted to protecting something profoundly important-or terrifying-enough to exterminate any and all in their way. Too many have already died, and those responsible will learn that all their malevolent power may not be enough to stop a woman as clever as they are cold-blooded, as relentless as they are ruthless-and who is driven by a righteous rage they can never comprehend. Because it is born of love.

  • Author:
    Pond, Judith
    Summary:

    Rose is divorced, fifty, and estranged from her daughter. At a student art opening on a rainy March evening she meets Morrison, a genial hoarder and womb-twin survivor, who leads us to Abbey, a dancer who is losing the chance to become a mother, who leads us to Iris, a bright ten-year-old doing her best to handle her family breaking apart. When her daughter vanishes completely, Rose seeks out her old friend Mab, the cheerful keeper of little bad signs. Following her only clue, a postcard bearing just a signature and a photo of a pristine lake, Rose chases after her daughter and her past mistakes. A ghost on the shore of Maxhamish Lake may hold the key to the true mystery, one unknown even to Rose, buried deep in the heart. The Signs of No is a story of guilt and grief, of finding one's footing in middle life, and of discovery and reinvention. It traces the spiderweb cracks of invisible loss, common and uncommon, the losses that go without memorial or acknowledgment. It is a story about women, about motherhood, and the ways middle-aged women are underestimated, even by themselves.

  • Author:
    Kimmel, Fran
    Summary:

    Winner of the 2013 Alberta Readers' Choice Award Rebee Shore's life is fragmented. She's forever on the move, ricocheting around Alberta, guided less than capably by her dysfunctional mother Elizabeth. The Shore Girl follows Rebee from her toddler to her teen years as she grapples with her mother's fears and addictions, and her own desire for a normal life. Through a series of narrators'family, friends, teachers, strangers, and Rebee herself'her family's dark past, and the core of her mother's despair, are slowly revealed.

  • Author:
    Mankell, Henning
    Summary:

    Author/poet Jesper Humlin struggles under the pall of a frustrating life. Everything--from his personal relationships to his professional pursuits to his finances--seems to be failing miserably. Then Jesper happens across a group of young immigrant girls-nd their stories of hardship and perseverance transform his outlook on life.

  • Author:
    Raabe, Melanie
    Summary:

    Ruth Ware meets Shari Lapena in this internationally bestselling psychological thriller about the inescapable pull of destiny and revenge.
    Norah Richter has recently moved from Berlin to Vienna, hoping to put her old life behind her. While walking to her new office one morning, Norah is approached by an elderly woman who utters these chilling words:
    On the eleventh of February, you will kill a man called Arthur Grimm …
    With good reason. And of your own free will.
    Norah is unnerved — many years earlier, something terrible happened to her on February 11 — but she chooses to shrug off the encounter as mere coincidence, until a few days later when she meets a man named Arthur Grimm.
    Soon Norah begins to have a dreadful suspicion: Does she have a good reason to hate this man she’s never met? Could he be responsible for the tragic event in her past? And can Norah make sure that justice is done without committing murder?

  • Author:
    Reid, Taylor Jenkins
    Summary:

    From Taylor Jenkins Reid, "a genius when it comes to stories about life and love" (Redbook), comes an unforgettable and sweeping novel about one classic film actress's relentless rise to the top--the risks she took, the loves she lost, and the long-held secrets the public could never imagine. Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one in the journalism community is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now? Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband, David, has left her, and her career has stagnated. Regardless of why Evelyn has chosen her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career. Summoned to Evelyn's Upper East Side apartment, Monique listens as Evelyn unfurls her story: from making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the late 80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way. As Evelyn's life unfolds--revealing a ruthless ambition, an unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love--Monique begins to feel a very a real connection to the actress. But as Evelyn's story catches up with the present, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique's own in tragic and irreversible ways. Written with Reid's signature talent for "creating complex, likable characters" (Real Simple), this is a fascinating journey through the splendor of Old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means--and what it takes--to face the truth.

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