Others: Positive A tale told from multiple perspectives traces the complicated relationship between Ann and Wade on a rugged landscape and how they came together in the aftermath of his first wife's imprisonment for a violent murder.
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Tana French
2001 · 513 pages · 2 reviews
Others: Leaning positiveA gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspenseAs dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a twelve-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox—his partner and closest friend—find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.Richly atmospheric, stunning in its complexity, and utterly convincing and surprising to the end, In the Woods is sure to enthrall fans of Mystic River and The Lovely Bones.
What made the match, strongest first
Tana French
2010 · 448 pages · 2 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveBack in 1985, Frank Mackey was a nineteen-year-old kid with a dream of escaping hisi family’s cramped flat on Faithful Place and running away to London with his girl, Rosie Daly. But on the night they were supposed to leave, Rosie didn’t show. Frank took it for granted that she’d dumped him-probably because of his alcoholic father, nutcase mother, and generally dysfunctional family. He never went home again. Neither did Rosie. Then, twenty-two years later, Rosie’s suitcase shows up behind a fireplace in a derelict house on Faithful Place, and Frank, now a detective in the Dublin Undercover squad, is going home whether he likes it or not. Getting sucked in is a lot easier than getting out again. Frank finds himself straight back in the dark tangle of relationships he left behind. The cops working the case want him out of the way, in case loyalty to his family and community makes him a liability. Faithful Place wants him out because he’s a detective now, and the Place has never liked cops. Frank just wants to find out what happened to Rosie Daly-and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, to himself or anyone else, to get the job done.
What made the match, strongest first
Stieg Larsson
2005 · 563 pages · 3 reviews
Others: Mostly positiveMikael Blomkvist, ekonomireporter, döms till fängelse för förtal av finansmannen Wennerström, och beslutar sig för att ta time out från sitt jobb på tidskriften Millennium. I samma veva får han ett ovanligt uppdrag. Henrik Vanger, tidigare en av landets främsta industriledare, vill att Blomkvist ska skriva släkten Vangers historia. Men det visar sig snart bara vara en täckmantel för Blomkvists verkliga uppgift: att ta reda på vad som hänt Vangers unga släkting Harriet, som varit spårlöst försvunnen i snart fyrtio år. Henrik Vanger får årligen på sin födelsedag en påminnelse per post som gör att han inte kan släppa tanken på att hon fortfarande finns i livet. Uppdraget ser till en början hopplöst ut och han behöver hjälp med research. Han får tips om Lisbeth Salander, en ung strulig tjej, tatuerad och piercad, men också professionell hacker och med unika egenskaper som gör henne till en oslagbar researcher. Tillsammans är Blomkvist och Salander ett omaka par men utgör ett oslagbart team, och de kommer allt närmare lösningen på gåtan Harriet. Spänningen stiger när de börjar misstänka att en person i Henrik Vangers närmaste krets är inblandad i en rad sadistiska brott. Stieg Larssons kriminaldebut är av ett enastående slag. Han skriver med en stark känsla för samtiden och det är effektivt, träffsäkert och drivet. Dessutom uppvisar han en mycket stor bredd förenad med djup i sina faktakunskaper. Han besitter en fantastisk förmåga att skapa komplicerade intriger som han knyter ihop med briljans. Det här är första boken av tre böcker om Mikael Blomkvist och Lisbeth Salander.
What made the match, strongest first
Benjamin Stevenson
2022 · 384 pages · 12 reviews
Others: Overwhelmingly positiveKnives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club in this “utterly original” (Jane Harper), “not to be missed” (Karin Slaughter), fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery. “A witty twist on classic whodunits… Stevenson not only 'plays fair,' he plays the mystery game very, very well.” -- Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post Everyone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate. I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Have I killed someone? Yes. I have. Who was it? Let’s get started. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE My brother My stepsister My wife My father My mother My sister-in-law My uncle My stepfather My aunt Me
What made the match, strongest first
Louise O'Neill
2020 · 400 pages · 1 review
Others: PositiveNessa Crowley's murderer has been protected by silence for ten years. Until a team of documentary makers decide to find out the truth. On the day of Henry and Keelin Kinsella's wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of Inisrun, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley's lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the thunder. The killer couldn't have escaped Inisrun, but no one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the crime that changed them forever. Ten years later a documentary crew arrives, there to lift the lid off the Kinsellas' carefully constructed lives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry's guilt and Keelin's complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa. In this bold, brilliant, disturbing new novel Louise O'Neill shows that deadly secrets are devastating to those who hold them close.
What made the match, strongest first
Shari Lapeña
2016 · 352 pages · 2 reviews
Others: MixedIt all started at a dinner party... A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors—a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives... Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night, when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately lands on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story. Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.
What made the match, strongest first
Loved itthis is a very dark story it's one of those books that people keep telling me I'm spoiling it when I talk about it ... it's definitely literary fiction so it's more about the characters then it's about the actual story but if you like that kind of fiction then you might want to pick up this book.
