Library: Some suspense novels to cap off summer

Patrick Jones

In case you missed a ride on a roller coaster this summer, here are some adrenaline pumping suspense novels:

“Breathless” by Amy McCulloch. Journalist Cecily Wong is in over her head. She’s come to Mount Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world, to interview internationally famous mountaineer Charles McVeigh on the last leg of a record-breaking series of summits. She’s given up everything for this story — her boyfriend, her life savings, the peace she’s made with her climbing failures in the past — but it’s a career-making opportunity. It could finally put her life back on track. But when one climber dies in what everyone else assumes is a freak accident, she fears their expedition is in danger. And by the time a second climber dies, it’s too late to turn back. Stranded on a mountain in one of the most remote regions of the world, she’ll have to battle more than the elements in a harrowing fight for survival against a killer who is picking them off, one by one.

“The Housekeeper” by Joy Fielding. Jodi Bishop knows success. She’s the breadwinner, a top-notch real estate agent. Her husband, Harrison ... not so much. Once, he had big dreams. But now, he’s a middling writer who resents his wife’s success. Jodi’s mother, Audrey, developed Parkinson’s ten years ago and her father, Vic, retired to devote himself to her care. But Vic is worn down by his wife’s deteriorating condition. Exhausted from trying to balance her career, her family, and her parents’ needs, Jodi starts interviewing housekeepers to help care for Audrey and Vic. She settles on Elyse Woodley, who seems perfect for the job. While Vic is initially resistant, he soon warms to Elyse’s sunny personality and engaging ways. And Jodi is pleased to have an ally, someone she can talk to and occasionally even confide in. Until ... she shuts Jodi out. And Audrey’s condition worsens — rapidly. Who is this woman suddenly wearing her mother’s jewelry? What is she after? And how far will she go to get it?

“The Other Passenger” by Louise Candlish. It all happens so quickly. One day you’re living the dream, commuting to work by ferry with your charismatic neighbor Kit in the seat beside you. The next, Kit hasn’t turned up for the boat and his wife, Melia, has reported him missing. When you get off at your stop, the police are waiting. Another passenger saw you and Kit arguing on the boat home the night before and the police say that you had a reason to want him dead. You protest. You and Kit are friends — ask Melia, she’ll vouch for you. And who exactly is this other passenger pointing the finger? What do they know about your lives? No, whatever danger followed you home last night, you are innocent, totally innocent. Aren’t you?

“Perfect Ruin” by Shanora Williams. A brutal tragedy ended Ivy Hill’s happy family and childhood. Now in her twenties and severely troubled, she barely has a life — or much to live for. Until the day she discovers the name of the woman who destroyed her world: Lola Maxwell, the mega-wealthy socialite with a heart, Miami’s beloved “first lady” of charity. Accomplished, gorgeous, and oh-so-caring, Lola has the best of everything — and doesn’t deserve any of it. So it’s only right that Ivy take it all away. Little by little, Ivy infiltrates Lola’s elite circle, becomes her new best friend — and plays Lola’s envious acquaintances and hangers-on against her. But seducing Lola’s handsome, devoted surgeon husband turns into a passionate dream Ivy suddenly can’t control. And soon, an insidious someone will twist Ivy’s revenge into a nightmare of deception, secrets, and betrayal that Ivy may not wake up from.

“The Second Mother” by Jenny Milchman. Opportunity: Teacher needed in one-room schoolhouse on remote island in Maine. Find the freedom in a fresh start. Julie Weathers isn’t sure if she’s running away or starting over but moving to a remote island off the coast of Maine feels right for someone with reasons to flee her old life. The sun-washed, sea-stormed speck of land seems welcoming, the lobster plentiful, and the community close and tightly knit. She finds friends in her nearest neighbor and Callum, a man who appears to be using the island for the same thing as she: escape. But as Julie takes on the challenge of teaching the island’s children, she comes to suspect that she may have traded one place shrouded in trouble for another, and she begins to wonder if the greatest danger on Mercy Island is its lost location far out to sea, or the people who live there

Welcome Wednesdays at Chaska Library: 4:30-7:30 p.m. Join us for Welcome Wednesdays for self-directed activities for all ages. No registration. All fun.

Master Gardener Help Desk at Chaska Library: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 26, and Chanhassen Library 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Bring your yard and gardening questions to the library help desk, staffed by Carver/Scott County Extension Master Gardener volunteers, who will answer questions and will provide current research-based yard and garden information.

Storytimes return in September.

Patrick Jones

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