We continue our series of posts featuring some of the best books in the CA Library collection — today’s featured titles are all thrillers. Follow the links for each book to learn more from the CA Library catalog!
If an eBook and/or audiobook is available, links are also provided (Sora login is required).
Artifice by Sharon Cameron — To help her best friend Truus, who is smuggling Jewish babies out of Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, master forger Isa de Smit sells fake paintings to the Nazis, but soon discovers fake can be difficult to spot both in art and in people. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“A genuinely immersive, teen-centric answer to the historical thrillers that fill adult shelves and will satisfy plenty of readers. Gripping” (Kirkus Reviews).
Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans — Grappling with an ever-growing list of fears, nonbinary teen Bianca Torre, an avid birder, finds herself investigating the murder of her neighbor with the help of their best friend, their crush, and a fellow birding aficionado. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“A suspenseful and satisfying thriller with plenty of heart and humor” (School Library Journal Xpress).
The Forest Demands Its Due by Kosoko Jackson — When the murder of his classmate at an elite boarding school seems to be forgotten overnight, seventeen-year-old Douglas must confront centuries of secrets in the school’s past and a vengeful creature in the forest surrounding the campus.
“The pulse-pounding twists, riveting premise, and the enticing character dynamics formed amid intriguing magical troubles ensure that readers will want to follow along to the end” (Publishers Weekly).
A Guide To The Dark by Meriam Metoui — Stranded at the Wildwood Motel while on their spring break road trip, Mira and Layla discover eight people died in their room and set out to find the connection between the deaths and the unexplainable things that keep happening inside Room 9. Get the Audiobook
“A delightfully haunting and insightful debut for horror and thriller fans” (Booklist).
I Will Find You Again by Sarah Lyu — When her best friend — and true love — disappears, overachieving Chase Ohara finds her life turning into a series of grim snapshots leading to a shocking truth that will change everything about the way she sees Lia — and herself. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“Well-paced nonlinear chapters feature flashbacks to Chase and Lia’s tender courtship and its eventual unraveling, offering ardent depictions of mental illness, grief, and the frequent crushing pressure to succeed” (Publishers Weekly).
Into The Light by Mark Oshiro — Two outcasts, Eli and Manny, find their lives intersecting in unimaginable ways when the reported discovery of an unidentified body draws them into facing their biggest fears and confronting their own identity — and who they are allowed to be. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“A thoughtful, beautiful, riveting thriller that fans of dynamic character building, gritty mystery, and searing social commentary will devour in a heartbeat” (Booklist).
The Library of Shadows by Rachel Moore — Enrolling in the third most haunted school in the country in the hope of finding her dead father, Este Logano instead finds Mateo, an annoying real ghost, and soon discovers that following her father’s footsteps might be more dangerous than she ever anticipated.
“Recommended for lovers of gothic tales, this unique novel blends different genres in a magical way, and readers will happily lose themselves in its twisting passages” (Booklist).
Make Me A Liar by Melissa Landers — When someone uses Tia Dante’s body to commit murder on live TV, she unearths multiple scandals, massive corruption and more than a few stray bullets as she races against time to find the real killer. Get the Audiobook
“Thriller elements involving international mobs and secret supernatural organizations, as well as weighty themes surrounding criminal injustice, propel this jam-packed roller coaster to a climactic finish” (Publishers Weekly).
A Place For Vanishing by Ann Fraistat — Looking for a fresh start, sixteen-year-old Libby and her family return to her mother’s childhood home only to discover that the house’s strange beauty may disguise a sinister past. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“A compelling, darkly creative, and intensely haunting examination of the masks we wear” (Kirkus Reviews).
Stateless by Elizabeth Wein — Stella North is one of twelve young pilots competing in a 1937 air race meant to promote peace in Europe, but when one of her competitors is sabotaged, Stella races to determine who is capable of murder, and who might be the next victim. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“Dramatic chase scenes in the skies above the Alps and on the streets of Nazi-controlled Hamburg, Germany, climax in a terrifying airborne confrontation over Paris” (Booklist).
Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington — Blacklisted from her top choice Ivy League college, prestigious Edgewater Academy scholarship student Adina Walker participates in the Finish, a high-stakes competition whose prize of wealth and power can open any door, only to find that she’s playing for her life. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
“Anyone desperate for a Hunger Games–esque adventure will devour this debut” (Booklist).
Wander in the Dark by Jumata Emill — When Black teenager Amir is accused of murdering Chloe Danvers, a rich White girl, he and his half-brother Marcel set out to prove his innocence and discover that in a city as old as New Orleans, the right family connections can bury even the ugliest truths. Get the Audiobook
“At once riveting and disturbing, this is an edgy, fast-paced thriller exploring important issues” (Kirkus Reviews).
Find even more great thrillers in these previous posts!
