Recommended Reads for Adults

Watching You by Lisa Jewell

In the mood for a twisty tale of suspense? When Joey moves to Melville Heights, one of Bristol’s nicest neighborhoods, she does not suspect that her neighbors would be the type of people who harbor dark secrets, or are capable of brutally murdering someone in their own kitchen. Leading up the murder, Joey becomes infatuated with the well-loved local headmaster while one of his students is not convinced he is so squeaky clean. As the various neighborhood residents and their obsessions intertwine, innocent voyeurism turns into something much more sinister. Recommended by Rachel.

The Twilight Pariah by Jeffery Ford

A highly enjoyable shorter novel detailing three friends post-high school tangling with the darker forces of nature, the past, skeletons, and haunted people and places. It’s humorous, compulsively readable and original. A great novel to throw in your bag before a short flight. Recommended by Jill.

The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson

A fascinating read about a crime involving an unusual obsession; fly tying with feathers from exotic and protected bird species. Kirk Johnson first heard of this on a trout fishing getaway from his stressful job. The crime involved Edwin Rist, an American student studying abroad who managed to steal hundreds of rare bird specimens from the Tring, a branch of the British Natural History Museum. He then proceeded to sell feathers and even whole birds online to other fly fishing aficionados. The theft was eventually discovered and what is even more shocking is the apparent lack of remorse as Rist explains his rationale for his actions. Johnson undertook a years long search into the heist and shows us the world of fly tying from its first appearance in Victorian era Britain to the still thriving culture today. Recommended by Nancy.

The Fifth House of the Heart by Ben Tripp

This fantastically funny horror novel stars Asmodeus “Sax” Saxon-Tang, an elderly gay antiques dealer who is wealthy, worldly, fashionable, and snarky as heck. While he has an eye for spotting rare antiques, he primarily made his money with a big score in his 20s, when he ran afoul of a vampire in a booby-trapped mansion, survived by his wits and some strategic cowardice, killed the vampire and then looted its hoard of priceless treasures. Over the years he’s sought out more vampire treasure hordes and gotten away scot-free but at the start of this novel, his greed-motivated vampire hunting catches up with him. Sax is a true delight of a character, cunning and cowardly and very, very funny, but this novel also includes a compelling heist story a la Oceans Eleven and a unique vampire mythos.  Recommended by Krista.