Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Meg's Picks: December 2018, part 1

Looking for something unexpected? I've got two suggestions for you today--one, a debut with an unusual protagonist and the second, a series starter from a reader favorite.

Hunting Annabelle, by Wendy Heard. This unique debut thriller already has a lot of readers buzzing. Sean Suh has served three years in a psychiatric prison for murder, so now that he's out, he copes by avoiding interaction with other people and wandering a local amusement park as he suppresses his darker impulses. He's instantly smitten when he meets Annabelle, who is beautiful and kind. But when she is abducted while they're on their first date, he finds himself the prime--and only--suspect. Frustrated by the police's unwillingness to search for Annabelle and her abductor, Sean begins his own investigation and digs into Annabelle's past--which turns out to be far murkier than readers might have expected. Billed as delightfully dark and twisted, this is a sure bet for readers of Caroline Kepnes (You, etc.).

Murder at the Mill, by M.B. Shaw. This first mystery from bestseller Tilly Bagshawe writing under a pseudonym finds artist Iris Grey hiding away in a Hampshire cottage, taking a break from her strained marriage. While there, she accepts a commission to paint the portrait of crime writer Dominic Wetherby, who lives next door. It's only when a local's father is discovered dead that Iris discovers she's got a talent for investigating murder...and suspects abound. Fans of Bagshawe's and readers of amateur sleuths should all be lining up.

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