School is out and that
feels like time to totally relax and escape with a couple of absolutely great
mystery thrillers.
THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley is a tantalizing mystery with an eerie,
almost gothic setting on an island in the midst of a brewing storm AND a cast
of characters with plenty of motives for murder. Foley, a best-selling author
who lives in London, was recommended by Library
Journal for “fans of Agatha Christie, Louise Penny, and Ruth Rendell [who] will
absolutely love this book, which doesn't reveal its secrets until the very last
page.” I totally concur.
A scream of terror on the
wedding night is relayed by an unnamed narrator, but past history and most
events leading up to the wedding itself are cleverly told from the perspective
of the wedding party (Jules, the bride, Olivia, her sister and bridesmaid, Johnno,
the best man and school-mate to Will, the groom), the plus one (Hannah, married
to Charlie, a childhood friend of Jules) and the wedding planner (Aoife, who is
trying to make a go with her husband of holding weddings and parties on the
island). Jules is a competitive, successful business woman and Will is an
adventurous television star – two ambitious people who seemed well-matched, except
why did Jules get that anonymous note encouraging her not to marry Will? What are the causes of dysfunctional and
strained relationships between friends and family members? Who is in danger and
why? A LibraryReads selection, Foley’s THE GUEST LIST is saturated with tension and secrets that kept me up and turning
pages – enjoy!
THE VOTER FILE by David Pepper is book three in his Jack
Sharpe series, but I enjoyed it so much, I wish I had started with the other
two. In this latest installment, Sharpe
is contacted by a young campaign staffer, Tori Justice, who is trying to get a
story published about voting patterns and irregularities. He’s dismissive at first, but gradually they
come to trust each other. Much of the action takes place in battleground states
in the Midwest and action it is – kidnapping, car chases, cyber-espionage, with
foreign agents and organized crime involvement.
Clearly, Pepper has produced an involved plot and there are plenty of
twists for Tori, Jack, and Olivia (another reporter and former colleague) to
unravel. THE VOTER FILE is an
exciting and fun read filled with political allusions and economic implications.
Pepper’s varied and relevant experience (elected Chairman of the Democratic
Party of Ohio in 2015) means readers will be working to solve the mystery while
also wondering just how much do political
parties manipulate us based on what they know about our personal lives and
opinions. 
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