Reading Ahead: July 2015, part 3

All thrillers, all the time seems to be the motto of publishers over the last few summers. While I promise there's more to summer than thrillers, let's go ahead and wrap up before we move on. Here are the last note-worthy suspense and thriller titles slated for July release. (There may be a few mysteries mixed in here, but I know you won't hold it against me. Right?)




One Way or Another, by Elizabeth Adler. One moment Angie Morse is standing on the deck of a large luxury yacht and the next she feels a stinging blow to her head, followed by a push. She is in the water and can see people on the yacht, but they don't seem to notice that she is gone, and all seem to have deliberately turned their backs as the yacht begins to slowly pull away from her. Each one had a reason for getting rid of her, though she would never have thought it would come to this. Until now. Revenge burns so deeply inside her that she knows she will survive somehow. She will get them. Each one of them-three men and one woman. She will get them all. One way or another.

Those Girls, by Chevy Stevens. Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters. Jess, Courtney, and Dani live on a remote ranch in Western Canada where they work hard and try to stay out of the way of their father's temper. One night, a fight gets out of hand and the sisters are forced to go on the run, only to get caught in an even worse nightmare when their truck breaks down in a small town. As events spiral out of control they find themselves in a horrifying situation and are left with no choice but to change their names and create new lives. Eighteen years later, they are still trying to forget what happened that summer. But when one of the sisters goes missing, followed closely by her niece, they are pulled back into the past. And this time there's nowhere left to run. I'm a big fan of Stevens's work, and am very much looking forward to this one.

Badlands, by C.J. Box. Box is the author of the award winning Joe Pickett series, but here he brings readers something a little different. The small North Dakota town where 12-year-old Kyle lives with his mother is booming, thanks to the discovery of oil nearby. But oil money means drug money, which means gangs. No one's more aware of that than Cassie Dewell, the new deputy sheriff, who's been running into body parts clearly placed to shake her. Meanwhile, Kyle, who may be considered slow by the townsfolk but who really wants to help his mom, pins his hopes on a package, left behind after a car wreck, that his mom's boyfriend says will make their fortune. If you haven't read Box before, this would be the perfect opportunity to start.

Perfect Touch, by Elizabeth Lowell. Dedicated careerist Sarah "Sam" Maddox circles the globe to find the best artwork for her clients, while Jay Vermillion is putting all his efforts into the family ranch in Wyoming he's just inherited. Neither has time for love, but it happens anyway when Jay hires Sam. Then a pair of too-close-for-comfort murders really throw them together. Lowell has a long list of contemporary romantic suspense novels to her credit, so expect good things. Also available in Large Print.

July is bringing some excellent novels that are perfect for reading on the beach or at poolside, so come on back this Thursday and I'll have reviews ready for you. In the meantime, happy reading!