addiction

‘The Secrets We Hide’ by Karin Slaughter is the second in her thrilling new ‘North Falls’ series

/ Pamela Kramer

While “The Secrets We Hide” might be the second thriller in Karin Slaughter’s new series, “North Falls,” you’d really never know from her careful plotting and reveal of information. Of course, with an extremely experienced writer of successful series like the “Will Trent” series, you’d expect nothing less, and Slaughter delivers. The first novel, “We Are All Guilty Here,” introduces the main characters and explains just some of the many secrets surrounding those in Clifton County, Georgia.

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Rob Hart’s “Three Hitmen and a Baby” is a compelling action novel that is every bit as clever as its title

/ Pamela Kramer

“Three Hitmen and a Baby” is author Rob Hart’s third entry in his extremely popular, clever, and unique “Assassins Anonymous” series. And if it sounds like a novel you may want to read, don’t worry if you haven’t read the first two. This one is an effective stand-alone wherein the author explains in detail all the foundations of the organization of ex-criminals, killers all, who comprise the group AA: Assassins Anonymous.

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‘Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe’ by Catherine Ryan Hyde is about mistakes, forgiveness, and family

/ Pamela Kramer

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels deal with the human condition; our complex natures, our frailties, the mistakes we make, as well as our ability to forgive, to learn, to change, and to show compassion to others. All of her novels feature, to some extent, unlikely people who forge families. In “Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe,” we meet Addie Finch, a tough security guard who hides her emotions behind the brittle walls she has erected around herself.

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“Apostle’s Cove” by William Kent Krueger Is by No Means a Religious Tract

/ Pamela Kramer

Author William Kent Krueger’s latest novel, the twenty-first entry in his Cork O’Connor series about that small-town sheriff and detective, is filled with fascinating, superbly drawn characters, but it’s certainly more than just a character study. It’s a complex and puzzling murder mystery featuring so many likely suspects that we readers are as stumped as O’Connor himself in trying to figure out not only who committed the murder, but where to even begin the investigation. The most confusing situation is that the murder he must solve happened twenty-five years before the present day.

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‘The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits’ by Jennifer Weiner is filled with music, love, and betrayal

/ Pamela Kramer

Jennifer Weiner draws us into her newest novel with a mysterious event in the past, as she introduces us to two estranged sisters, and the daughter who ultimately brings them together again. In “The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits” we meet Zoe and Cassie Grossberg, two sisters who could not be more unlike each other. Zoe, pretty and vivacious, always knows just what to wear, what to say, and how to make friends. Cassie, on the other hand, is homely, shy, insecure, and her only joy is making music.

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‘The Bright Years’ by Sarah Damoff is a tender tale of love and loss

/ Pamela Kramer

While Sarah Damoff’s debut novel, “The Bright Years,” has subject matter that might seem, one the surface, to be grim—death, loss, addiction—she creates an uplifting story about people who choose to love in spite of failings, in spite of problems, in spite of what might seem insurmountable issues. Ultimately, this is a novel that is filled with hope and a promise that the human soul is capable of unlimited love.

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‘I Dreamed of Falling’ by Julia Dahl is a mystery about families, relationships, the difficult process of becoming an adult, and murder

/ Pamela Kramer

In Julia Dahl’s newest mystery, “I Dreamed of Falling,” all of the main characters are people who have failed at parenting during at least one point in their lives. Parents of these neglected children (some of whom are now adults) were not married and the conception of said children was completely accidental.

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‘House of Glass’ by Sarah Pekkanen is an exciting thriller filled with misdirection

/ Pamela Kramer / 1 Comment

In “House of Glass,” bestselling author Sarah Pekkanen creates a brilliant symphony of clashing melodies as Stella Hudson, appointed as a best interest attorney (BIA) to young Rose Barclay, must listen carefully to the song being sung by Rose’s family to determine the truth under those false notes. And while she is tasked with determining which parent Rose should live with as a result of their divorce, Stella realizes that what she really needs to find out is who killed Tina, Rose’s nanny, who fell from a third story window in her attic bedroom to her death on the patio. It was witnessed by Rose and her grandmother Harriet.

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“Assassins Anonymous” and much much more

/ Pamela Kramer

Author Rob Hart’s “Assassins Anonymous” is a unique entry in the action-spy-mystery novel universe. On the one hand, it does boast many of the usual exciting action novel features: bloody violence; mano-a-mano combat; powerful heroes and equally powerful villains; clever and deadly spies; hit men (and women) galore; the CIA, of course; and most of all, murders. And murderers, as the title indicates.

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