Recommendations based on "Pretty Baby"

THREE HOURS TO SAVE THE PEOPLE YOU LOVESHORTLISTED FOR THE THEAKSTON OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2021LONGLISTED FOR THE GOLDSBORO BOOKS GLASS BELL AWARD 2021A TOP 10 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERTHE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEARA BEST BOOK OF 2020 IN THE SUNDAY TIMES, TIMES, GUARDIAN, MAIL, EXPRESS, MIRROR, LITERARY REVIEW, STYLIST, RED AND GOOD HOUSEKEEPINGA TIMES & SUNDAY TIMES THRILLER OF THE MONTH-------------------------------------------------------------------In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege.Pupils and teachers barricade themselves into classrooms, the library, the theatre. The headmaster lies wounded in the library, unable to help his trapped students and staff. Outside, a police psychiatrist must identify the gunmen, while parents gather desperate for news.In three intense hours, all must find the courage to stand up to evil and save the people they love.-------------------------------------------------------------------WHAT EVERYONE'S SAYING ABOUT THREE HOURS'If you read only one thriller this year; make it this one: it is that good' DAILY MAIL'Superb' KATE MOSSE'It's beautifully, elegantly written, SO gripping, intelligent, timely, affecting and moving' MARIAN KEYES'A brilliant literary thriller... moving, masterly' SUNDAY TIMES'Kept us on the edge of our seats from start to finish' INDEPENDENT'Brilliant' LEE CHILD'Gob-smackingly, heart-stoppingly, breath-holdingly brilliant' RUTH JONES'A novel that you live rather than merely read' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Amazing' DAVINA MCCALL'An electrifying, pulse-racing novel' RED'Wow! This is a stunner of a book, staggeringly good' JANE FALLON'An emotionally devastating and beautifully observed literary thriller' OBSERVER'Astonishing, powerful, terrifying, heartbreaking' EMMA FLINT'Three Hours intersperses scenes of breath-sucking tension with stirring meditations on human nature' SARA COLLINS, GUARDIAN'A brave, timely and intricately crafted work' EMMA STONEX

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL • NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR“Defiantly populated with living women . . . beautifully drawn, dense with detail and specificity . . . Notes on an Execution is nuanced, ambitious and compelling.” —Katie Kitamura, NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW (Editors' Choice)"A searing portrait of the complicated women caught in the orbit of a serial killer. . . . Compassionate and thought-provoking." –BRIT BENNETT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing HalfRecommended by New York Times Book Review • Los Angeles Times • Washington Post • Entertainment Weekly • Esquire • Good Housekeeping • USA Today • Buzzfeed • Goodreads • Real Simple • Marie Claire • Rolling Stone • Business Insider • Bustle • PopSugar • The Millions • The Guardian • and many more!In the tradition of Long Bright River and The Mars Room, a gripping and atmospheric work of literary suspense that deconstructs the story of a serial killer on death row, told primarily through the eyes of the women in his life—from the bestselling author of Girl in Snow.Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he’s done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn’t want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood.Through a kaleidoscope of women—a mother, a sister, a homicide detective—we learn the story of Ansel’s life. We meet his mother, Lavender, a seventeen-year-old girl pushed to desperation; Hazel, twin sister to Ansel’s wife, inseparable since birth, forced to watch helplessly as her sister’s relationship threatens to devour them all; and finally, Saffy, the detective hot on his trail, who has devoted herself to bringing bad men to justice but struggles to see her own life clearly. As the clock ticks down, these three women sift through the choices that culminate in tragedy, exploring the rippling fissures that such destruction inevitably leaves in its wake.Blending breathtaking suspense with astonishing empathy, Notes on an Execution presents a chilling portrait of womanhood as it simultaneously unravels the familiar narrative of the American serial killer, interrogating our system of justice and our cultural obsession with crime stories, asking readers to consider the false promise of looking for meaning in the psyches of violent men."Poetic and mesmerizing . . . Powerful, important, intensely human, and filled with a unique examination of tragedy, one where the reader is left with a curious emotion: hope." —USA TODAY“A profound and staggering experience of empathy that challenges us to confront what it means to be human in our darkest moments. . . . I relished every page of this brilliant and gripping masterpiece."—ASHLEY AUDRAIN, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

THEY WATCH.The body of a student who went missing from a Florida nightclub is found in a dumpster. A horrifying scene, but nothing compared to what she had to endure before her murder. She was drugged and tortured - all broadcast live for the twisted pleasure of a snuff club.THEY WAIT.Detective Manny Alvarez works the homicide alongside young hotshot Assistant State Attorney Daria DeBianchi. The media spotlight shines on the accused, a privileged playboy seen leaving the club with the victim. But without cast-iron evidence, Daria and Manny must dig deeper to crack the case.THEY TAKE WHAT THEY WANT.The investigation exposes a terrifying connection between numerous unsolved murders and abductions stretching across the country. Their only lead is through notorious serial killer William Bantling, who knows the sinister society's secrets first-hand. But Bantling won't show his hand for free - he wants off Death Row. For Manny and Daria, the nightmare is just beginning. And the only thing more devastating than this case's past is what lies ahead...

Don’t miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club, coming July 9th!New York Times BestsellerThe bestselling author of The Rose Code returns with an unforgettable World War II tale of a quiet bookworm who becomes history’s deadliest female sniper. Based on a true story.In 1937 in the snowbound city of Kyiv, wry and bookish history student Mila Pavlichenko organizes her life around her library job and her young son—but Hitler’s invasion of Ukraine and Russia sends her on a different path. Given a rifle and sent to join the fight, Mila must forge herself from studious girl to deadly sniper—a lethal hunter of Nazis known as Lady Death. When news of her three hundredth kill makes her a national heroine, Mila finds herself torn from the bloody battlefields of the eastern front and sent to America on a goodwill tour.Still reeling from war wounds and devastated by loss, Mila finds herself isolated and lonely in the glittering world of Washington, DC—until an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and an even more unexpected connection with a silent fellow sniper offer the possibility of happiness.But when an old enemy from Mila’s past joins forces with a deadly new foe lurking in the shadows, Lady Death finds herself battling her own demons and enemy bullets in the deadliest duel of her life.Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is a haunting novel of heroism born of desperation, of a mother who became a soldier, of a woman who found her place in the world and changed the course of history forever.

In a small seaside community, there’s always somebody watching…Twisty, pacy, and superbly plotted, Last Seen is the perfect psychological page-turner for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Sabine Durrant.Seven years ago, two boys went missing at sea – and only one was brought to shore. The Sandbank, a remote stretch of coast dotted with beach huts, was scarred forever.Sarah’s son survived, but on the anniversary of the accident, he disappears without trace. As new secrets begin to surface, The Sandbank hums with tension and unanswered questions. Sarah’s search grows more desperate and she starts to mistrust everyone she knows – and she’s right to.Someone saw everything on that fateful day seven years ago. And they’ll do anything to keep the truth buried.

The fourth book in the Grant County series from Karin Slaughter, the New York Times bestselling author of Pieces of Her.“[A] page-turner . . . Slaughter’s plot has more twists than a Slinky factory and the characters’ relationships are sharply drawn.”—People, starred review“Scary, shocking and perfectly suspenseful.”—BookPageAn officer is shot point blank in the police station lobby and sherrif Jeffrey Tolliver is wounded, setting off a terrifying hostage situation with medical examiner Sara Linton at the center. It’s up to Lena Adams and Frank Going back and forth between present and past,The narrative takes place in two time frames: present and ten years prior to the shooting. The “present” narration evolves over one hour; the “past” takes place over the course of a week. Lena will primarily get the present narration, working outside the station with Frank trying to figure out who the shooter is and how to resolve the hostage situation. Inside the station, Jeffrey has not been fatally wounded, but Sara knows he could easily die if the bleeding is not stopped. He drifts in and out of consciousness and through Sara and Jeffrey we get the past, and the case that leads up to the present day shooting.

Recommended for summer reading by TIME magazineLOUISE PENNY says Nicci French's books are "fabulous."JOSEPH FINDER says they're "in the rich vein of Kate Atkinson."And TAMI HOAG calls them "truly unique."Enter the world of NICCI FRENCH with Dark Saturday, an electrifying, sophisticated psychological thriller about past crimes and present dangers, featuring an unforgettable protagonist...A decade ago, 18-year-old Hannah Docherty was arrested for the shocking murder of her family. It was an open-and-shut case, and Hannah has been incarcerated in a secure psychiatric hospital ever since.When psychotherapist Frieda Klein is asked to meet Hannah and give her assessment, she reluctantly agrees. But what she finds horrifies her. Hannah has become a tragic figure, old before her time. And Frieda is haunted by the idea that Hannah might be as much of a victim as her family — that she might, in fact, be innocent.As Hannah's case takes hold of her, Frieda begins to realize that she's up against someone who will go to any lengths to keep the truth from surfacing — even kill again.Utterly compelling and enthralling, Dark Saturday speeds readers down a twisting trail of secrets, suspense, and murder.

‘In the running for the best mystery of 2026. With a trove of tropes that mystery lovers will love, it will remind you, in the best way, of Agatha Christie.’ Stephen King * It’s the perfect plot. All it needs is a killer ending. Six authors. One private island. Seventy-two hours to write the ending. * World-famous author Arthur Fletch is dead. His final novel, the most anticipated book in history, remains unfinished. But the ending won’t write itself. When six struggling authors are invited to Fletch's private Scottish island and presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, the plot thickens: whoever writes a worthy ending will receive a game-changing book deal and two million dollars. Why have they been chosen to attend? Who is behind the invitation? And just how far would they go to secure a place on the bestseller list? They have just seventy-two hours, a typewriter and a blank page. All they have to do is write... Starting is often the hardest part. But getting to the end could be murder. * ‘Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None meets Yellowface... Great fun!’ Kate Mosse ‘A great locked-room thriller and a brilliant satire on the publishing industry’ Karin Slaughter ‘Fiendishly clever and compulsively readable... An absolute must read’ Ellery Lloyd ‘Funny, razor sharp and scarily relatable’ Sarah Crossan

USA TODAY BESTSELLER! ‘I couldn’t tear myself away from the rollercoaster of events!’ – NetGalley Reviewer, 5 Stars It only takes one lie to destroy a marriage. THE PERFECT HUSBAND... Vince Taylor has everything he could dream of. He’s the CEO of a tech firm in New York City, owns a beautiful home, and most importantly, he is married to Nicole – the woman who stole his heart the first moment he set eyes on her. Together they have built the perfect life. ONE GUILTY SECRET But when Layla, a stunning young intern at Vince’s company is found dead, all eyes are suddenly on him. Vince has a secret that threatens to tear their perfect world apart... He was having an affair with Layla. And he’ll do anything to cover his tracks. DO YOU BELIEVE HIM? When the police discover Vince lied about their relationship, they are convinced they have found Layla’s killer. If Vince kept quiet about the affair... what else is he guilty of? A totally unputdownable thriller, this book will have you gripped from the very first page until the jaw-dropping final twist. Fans of The Perfect Couple, My Perfect Wife and The Undoing will love this novel! Readers LOVE The Guilty Husband! ‘AMAZING! I couldn’t put this book down. I was always on the edge of my seat and was surprised all the way to the end. 10/10’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars ‘This book is a thriller! Every time I thought I knew the ending, I was wrong. The twists and turns of the plot are captivating.’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars ‘This book deserves more than 5 stars, if there was a higher rating, I’d give it!’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars ‘What a great ending! I was on the edge of my seat until the last page and I couldn't turn the page fast enough.’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars ‘What an incredible debut!!! I absolutely loved it from beginning to end.’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars ‘A gripping storyline with strong characters. She is definitely an author I will pick up again and again.’ – Reader Reviewer, 5 Stars

She's standing at the front door. Covered in blood. Is she the victim of a crime? Or the perpetrator? A teenage girl -- Sienna, a troubled friend of his daughter -- comes to Joe O'Loughlin's door one night. She is terrorized, incoherent, and covered in blood. The police find Sienna's father, a celebrated former cop, murdered in the home he shared with Sienna. Tests confirm that it's his blood on Sienna. She says she remembers nothing. Joe O'Loughlin is a psychologist with troubles of his own. His marriage is coming to an end and his daughter will barely speak to him. He tries to help Sienna, hoping that if he succeeds it will win back his daughter's affection. But Sienna is unreachable, unable to mourn her father's death or to explain it. Investigators take aim at Sienna. O'Loughlin senses something different is happening, something subterranean and terrifying to Sienna. It may be something in her mind. Or it may be something real. Someone real. Someone capable of the most grim and gruesome murder, and willing to kill again if anyone gets too close. His newest thriller is further evidence that Michael Robotham is, as David Baldacci has said, "the real deal -- we only hope he will write faster."