“The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.” —Oscar Wilde
I spent a few days in snowy Utah, wishing I was in Hawaii instead. My sisters and I headed to Seven Brothers, so we felt like we were in the Aloha State for a hot minute. The burgers were amazing. And the fries ranked well above salty guys. Naturally, Tracy and I exchanged looks over books. I confessed this little truth—I can’t help myself, lately I’ve been on a suspense bender. I thought I’d tell you about a couple.
Just so you know, me and Oscar Wilde are on the same keyed up page. Even when the suspense is killing me, I hope it will last. There’s a reason Tana French has been hailed as the queen of Irish crime fiction. Her latest, The Hunter, had me in knots. It has all the best elements: a scheme to find gold, a romance with a local, and the threat of losing everything. The Hunter was named one of the most anticipated books of 2024 with good reason. My only gripe with “one of the greatest crime novelists writing today,” was the barrage of f-bombs in her latest. Too many to count!!
My crime-fiction binge introduced me to Freida McFadden. Her psychological thriller, The Teacher, released last month. Not surprisingly, it revolves around an ugly rumor about a student-teacher affair. It ticks the sex, lies, and scandal boxes. This page-turner lived up to the mystery moniker—more than once, when I thought I had things figured out, I was surprised by a twist. If you’re looking for a read where you don’t see the ending coming, check this one out. Chances are, you’ll wanna talk about it with a fellow crime junkie when you’re done!