Posted on May 3, 2021 at 10:20 AM by Beth Pofahl
Staff Picks ~ Thrillers and Other Page-turners
Meet Holly Herring, Branch Librarian at the Augusta Branch. Holly started working at the Augusta Branch in 2013 and before that enjoyed filling in as a substitute. Holly loves working at the library and talking to people about books. Augusta has a terrific book group which Holly facilitates. Also, reading to the preschoolers is one of her favorite activities. Holly, as a stay-at-home mom before her children started school, remembers how much she and her children looked forward to story time, playing with the toys, and checking out books from the library every week. She says, “I love having those littles come in with that same joy!”
Holly is also great with reading suggestions. When asked for recommendations in the “thriller” category, she has several. Read on for some great ideas about real page-turners!
In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
Even though this is a nonfiction title, this account of a murder in the small town of Holcomb Kansas had me on the edge-of-my-seat when I first read it. On November 15, 1959, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. As Truman Capote reconstructs the grisly murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he expertly generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. At the center, are the unscrupulous young killers Perry Smith and Dick Hickcock, who, so vividly and expertly revealed by Capote, are shown to be so horrible and, at the same time, entirely and frighteningly human. The book is written as if it were a novel, complete with dialog, and has been referred to as a "nonfiction novel". This innovative writing style is what makes the book so compelling. It reads like a fantastic murder mystery or a great thriller but it's a true story which makes it even more horrifying.
Find it in the library catalog Here
Also available in digital format:
Montana Library2Go eBook and eAudiobook
In Cold Blood was also made into a film in 1967.
The Woman in White
by Wilkie Collins
I came to this book later in life and was pleasantly surprised by the page turning suspense of this classic.
Jaws
by Peter Benchley
I read this as a teenager living in a beach town in New England. I couldn't put it down.
We Have Always Lived in a Castle
by Shirley Jackson
I love Shirley Jackson. This one is too creepy and weird to put down.
The Shadow of the Wind
by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This one is just so mysterious and dark. I was particularly drawn to it because I had been an exchange student in Barcelona for a year.
Find it in the library catalog Here
Also available in digital format:
Montana Library2Go eBook and eAudiobook
Alias Grace
by Margaret Atwood
I loved this because you just don't know for sure if she killed them. Nuanced psychological murder mystery. Based on a true story.
Find it in the library catalog Here
Also available in digital format:
Montana Library2Go eBook
Room
by Emma Donoghue
A horrible story with a daring escape. Love triumphs. Couldn't put it down.
The Turn of the Screw
by Henry James
Not just a ghost story, check out this novella and other short stories by Henry James.
What are some of your favorite page-turning thrillers?
Let us know in the comment section below!