Staff Picks: Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez

Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez

Despite her apprehension, twentysomething Ingrid accepts an invitation from her childhood bestie, Mayra, to spend a weekend at a remote house in the Everglades. But Mayra's hopes of reconnecting with her former friend are soon dashed by the presence of Mayra’s odd boyfriend Benji. This mesmerizing literary Gothic novel is as much about the complex dynamics of female friendships as it is about a spooky mansion with hidden windows, a staircase leading to implausible destinations, strange sounds, and other unusual features. Passages from a mysterious diary, excursions into the Everglades, and flashbacks to Ingrid and Mayra’s teen adventures give this spooky story extra depth. 

If you appreciate thoughtful suspense, check out Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez. Like her character Ingrid, author Nicky Gonzales is from Hialeah, Florida. Her fiction has appeared in McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern, Kenyon Review Online, Taco Bell Quarterly, and other publications.

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Local Author Spotlight: Dr. Ashley Baker, Author of The Furious Others

 

The Furious Others by Ashley Baker

In her newly released novel The Furious Others, Dr. Ashley Baker describes the final hours in the lives of ten young women who have been the victims of a serial killer.  

Rather than telling the story from the perspective of the killer, The Furious Others flips the traditional horror novel format and begins in Purgatory, where the killer stands condemned for multiple murders. Chapter by chapter, the book reveals the sinister side of Jason LeDown through the eyes of his victims and the few lucky souls who survived their encounters with the brainy, awkward, and angry young man. 

Staff Picks: Kill the Next One by Federico Axat

 

Kill the Next One by Federico Axat

In Federico Axat’s Kill the Next One, a married father of two with a terminal brain tumor and suicidal intent is abruptly interrupted by a stranger with an unusual proposition. Ted McKay’s mysterious visitor claims to be part of a covert organization that rights wrongs by targeting killers who’ve escaped justice. In exchange for Ted performing a hitjob on two well-deserving targets, someone from the organization will quickly eliminate Ted. It's a tempting Devil's bargain that spares Ted from taking his own life.  

But things don’t seem as straightforward once Ted pulls off his half of the arrangement. Unusual details raise Ted’s suspicions about the organization he’s killed for. Dark secrets from Ted's past start to emerge, and he experiences unsettling hallucinations. The story's mind-bending twists will captivate fans of psychological suspense and speculative fiction.  

Federico Axat was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kill the Next One is his first novel to be translated into English. Check out our FCPL Hispanic Authors booklist for more titles by Hispanic authors and the events page for our Hispanic Heritage Month Series. 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Staff Picks: A Father's Sin by Ashley Baker - Adult Fiction

A Father's Sin by Ashley Baker

A clinical pathologist in North Carolina becomes an unlikely avenger when his daughter whispers the name of her rapist to him from her hospital bed. This dark and compelling psychological suspense novel is authored by Forsyth County psychologist Dr. Ashley Baker, PsyD a member of the Sharon Forks Writers’ Group.

Readers who enjoy well-written suspense stories about characters with warped moral compasses will appreciate the depth and insights in A Father's Sin. This impressive debut novel is set in Boone, North Carolina, and will remind readers of the stories of author Gillian Flynn. 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

Staff Picks The Sinner by Petra Hammesfahr

The Sinner by Petra Hammesfahr

This summer I got hooked on an addictive television series called The Sinner. The show revolves around a detective with a talent for understanding the complex motivations of unlikely killers. Season One was an adaptation of a book by German novelist Petra Hammesfahr. Hammesfahr's dark psychological fiction has earned her comparisons to Patricia Highsmith, author of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. 

While waiting with much anticipation for the fourth season of The Sinner to air, I checked out the slim translation.  Set in Germany, the book begins when a woman spending a day with her husband and son suddenly stabs a stranger on the beach. Under questioning, Cora Bender seems oddly detached and investigators can find no motive for the attack. The unusual crime raises the interest of a police commissioner who digs into Cora’s past and strange family dynamics to explain her actions.  As in the show, the story takes some extremely dark twists. Fans of psychological stories like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn will enjoy this international bestseller! 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks