by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
I just saw an online post that said “August is the Sunday of
summer.” I agree. I love summer and summer break from school,
and I dread the arrival of fall – even though September is actually
wonderful. I always find that the key to
dealing with late summer is to throw myself into enjoying it. If you’re someone whose idea of fun is digging
into a good book while sitting outside – or if you’d rather escape the heat by
reading one in the air conditioning – pick up one of these absorbing new novels
at the Litchfield library.
Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is the story of a mother in
the late 1960s. Ginny’s husband and his
powerful family convince her to send their newborn daughter Lucy to live at an
institution because she has Down Syndrome, and to grieve her as though she were
dead. But two years later, Ginny’s best
friend sees an investigative story showing that the institution is a terrible
place, and the two of them head out to get the little girl. Based on real events, this is a story of how
far a mother would go to protect her child.
Ruth Ware has become a popular author with books such as The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Death of Mrs. Westaway. Her newest is The Turn of the Key. It’s a Gothic thriller featuring the modern
technology of a smart house that malfunctions in terrifying ways. The protagonist takes a nanny job with
amazing pay on a Scottish estate with seemingly perfect children, but the novel
is told from prison where she awaits trial for a murder she says she didn’t
commit. Ware’s style is sometimes
compared to Agatha Christie.
A Dangerous Man is the latest in the Elvis Cole and Joe
Pike series by Robert Crais. Joe Pike
catches two men who abduct a young bank teller when Joe happens to be at the
bank on everyday business. But after the
men post bail, they’re murdered and the young woman disappears. Joe reaches out to his friend Elvis Cole to
help him solve the mystery, which turns out to be much more complicated than it
first appears. Reviewers say this is a
particularly strong entry in the series.
Labyrinth is the 23rd book in Catherine
Coulter’s FBI Thrillers series. Agents
Savich and Sherlock get involved in a strange case when Sherlock’s car is struck
by another vehicle at an intersection, followed by a body hitting her
windshield. When she wakes up in the
hospital after the accident, she learns that the man ran away and no one knows
who he is. DNA evidence points to a
missing CIA analyst. Meanwhile Savich is
called in on a case involving a kidnapped woman who identifies a small town
sheriff’s nephew as her captor, before the sheriff arrests both her and her
rescuer. Coulter is known for novels
with many twists and plenty of suspense.
Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson is a dark and funny
thriller about secrets from the past. A
new woman joins a book club and starts a game of “never have I ever,”
encouraging the other women to share naughty secrets over wine. But the main character has a wonderful family
life to protect and a past to hide, which the mysterious new woman somehow
knows about.
Other new additions at the library include The New Girl by
Daniel Silva (a spy thriller), Wherever She Goes by Kelly Armstrong (a
psychological thriller), Backlash by Brad Thor (a political thriller), FKA USA by Reed King (a dystopian novel), and Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton (a cozy mystery). Find
something to read that suits your preferences while you enjoy the rest of
summer or wait eagerly for fall.
