Dare Me by Megan Abbott: Cheerleaders Beth calls the shots and her friend Addy carries them out, until the young new coach arrives. Beth wages a subtle but vicious campaign to regain her position as “top girl” when a suicide focuses a police investigation on Coach and her squad. After the first wave of shock and grief, Addy tries to uncover the truth behind the death—and learns that the boundary between loyalty and love can be dangerous terrain.
Under the Alaskan Ice by Karen Harper: When a small bush plane smashes through the ice at Falls Lake Lodge, it’s a chilling reminder of everything Megan Metzler has lost. Commander Bryce Saylor knows time is of the essence as he plunges into the frigid water in search of clues. But when vital evidence is destroyed, it soon becomes clear this downed plane was no accident. With someone tracking them from the woods, Meg and Bryce must race to unravel a mystery as indomitable as the Alaskan wilderness.
Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little: Marissa Dahl, a shy but successful film editor, travels to a small island off the coast of Delaware to work with the legendary – and legendarily demanding – director Tony Rees. Some girl dies. It’s not much to go on, but the specifics don’t concern Marissa. Then she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie’s central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself.
The Scorpion’s Tale by Douglas Preston: When archaeologist Nora Kelly aids in an investigation of a mummified corpse, they uncover that the deceased died in a fetal position, skin coming off in sheets, a rictus of horror frozen on his face. When they identify the body bizarre cause of death, Corrie and Nora open a door into a terrifying, secret world of ancient treasure and modern obsession: a world centered on arguably the most defining, frightening, and transformative moment in American history.
The Burning Chambers by Kate Mosse: Circe France, 1562: Nineteen-year-old Minou Joubert receives an anonymous letter at her father’s bookshop. Sealed with a distinctive family crest, it contains just five words: “She Knows That You Live.” But before Minou can decipher the mysterious message, a chance encounter with a young Huguenot convert, Piet Reydon, changes her destiny forever. For Piet has a dangerous mission of his own, and he will need Minou’s help if he is to stay alive.
Bootlegger’s Daughter by Margaret Maron: Deborah Knott, an attorney attempting to infiltrate the old boy network of tobacco country by running for district judge, is distracted from the race, and almost eliminated, when she finds new evidence to an old small-town murder.
Shiver by Allie Reynolds: In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm. Stranded in the deserted resort, Milla’s not sure what’s worse: the increasingly sinister things happening around her or the looming snowstorm that’s making escape even more impossible. All she knows is that there’s no one on the mountain she can trust.
The House Keeper by Natalie Barelli: It has been ten years since Claire last saw Hannah, and she is living the charmed life that should have been Claire’s. Now Claire is an overweight, lazy drunk. Which is why when Hannah advertises for a housekeeper, Claire is confident she can apply and not be recognized. Because what better way to seek retribution-and redress-than from within the beautiful Mrs. Hannah Carter’s own home? Except every in the house seems to have secret. And now, there’s no way out.
Robert B. Parker’s Someone to Watch Over Me by Ace Atkins: Spenser and his new apprentice, Mattie, trace the murder of a young woman to an international crime ring that has been operating with impunity because of the powerful and highly connected billionaire at its helm. Spenser and trusted ally Hawk must again watch out for Mattie as she unravels a massive sex trafficking ring that will take them from Boston to the Bahamas, crossing paths with local toughs and an old enemy of Spenser’s.
Firewalk by L.T. Ryan: Seeking a connection to her past, Hatch crosses paths with a girl in need. And she’ll risk everything to save her. In the most intense novel to date, ex-military police officer Rachel Hatch faces off with a criminal enterprise trafficking girls. Hatch can’t look the other way and is called by her code of justice to seek resolution. Only this enemy is unlike any she’s ever faced. And she’ll have to walk through fire if she plans to come out alive.