Recommendations based on "Strange Pictures: A Novel"

Knives Out and Clue meet Agatha Christie and The Thursday Murder Club in this “utterly original” (Jane Harper), “not to be missed” (Karin Slaughter), fiendishly clever blend of classic and modern murder mystery.“A witty twist on classic whodunits… Stevenson not only 'plays fair,' he plays the mystery game very, very well.” -- Maureen Corrigan, Washington PostEveryone in my family has killed someone. Some of us, the high achievers, have killed more than once. I’m not trying to be dramatic, but it is the truth. Some of us are good, others are bad, and some just unfortunate.I’m Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I’d killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it’s a little more complicated than that.Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.Who was it?Let’s get started.EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONEMy brotherMy stepsisterMy wifeMy fatherMy motherMy sister-in-lawMy uncleMy stepfatherMy auntMe

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Recommended by the Today show, People, Elle, Good Housekeeping, Parade, Harper's Bazaar, and more!“Like a donut in a break room: unexpected, surprisingly sweet, and totally made my day. Which is to say: I devoured it! . . . Fans of The Office will delight.” — SHELBY VAN PELT, New York Times bestselling author of Remarkably Bright Creatures"This book is snarky and funny, and then it sneaks up on you by being way deeper and more emotional than you’d guess . . . I could not put it down.” — JULIA QUINN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton seriesIn this wildly funny and heartwarming office comedy, an admin worker accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and DMs and decides to use this intel to save her job—a laugh-till-you-cry debut novel you’ll be eager to share with your entire list of contacts, perfect for fans of Anxious People and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.As far as Jolene is concerned, her interactions with her colleagues should start and end with her official duties as an admin for Supershops, Inc. Unfortunately, her irritating, incompetent coworkers don’t seem to understand the importance of boundaries. Her secret to survival? She vents her grievances in petty email postscripts, then changes the text color to white so no one can see. That is until one of her secret messages is exposed. Her punishment: sensitivity training (led by the suspiciously friendly HR guy, Cliff) and rigorous email restrictions.When an IT mix-up grants her access to her entire department’s private emails and DMs, Jolene knows she should report it, but who could resist reading what their coworkers are really saying? And when she discovers layoffs are coming, she realizes this might just be the key to saving her job. The plan is simple: gain her boss’s favor, convince HR she’s Supershops material, and beat out the competition.But as Jolene is drawn further into her coworkers' private worlds and realizes they are each keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around Cliff, who she definitely cannot have feelings for. Eventually she will need to decide if she’s ready to leave the comfort of her cubicle, even if that means coming clean to her colleagues.Crackling with laugh-out-loud dialogue and relatable observations, I Hope This Finds You Well is a fresh and surprisingly tender comedy about loneliness and love beyond our computer screens. This sparkling debut novel will open your heart to the everyday eccentricities of work culture and the undeniable human connection that comes along with it."Wickedly funny . . . This sparkling debut will have you snickering in the break room." — PEOPLE“Snarky, romantic, and wickedly heartfelt . . . If you’re looking for your next favorite read, this book has everything—vengeful coworkers, fake engagements, and a hero with a heart of gold. Natalie Sue’s debut is an absolute stunner!” — ASHLEY POSTON, New York Times bestselling author of The Dead Romantics

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR · Marie Claire“A taut and compelling depiction of loneliness and obsession.” --Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train“[It] will keep you firmly in its grip.” --Oyinkan Braithwaite, bestselling author of My Sister, the Serial Killer“The love child of Eugene Ionesco and Patricia Highsmith.” --Kelly Link, bestselling author of Get in TroubleA bestselling, prizewinning novel by one of Japan's most acclaimed young writers, for fans of Convenience Store Woman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, and the movies Parasite and Rear WindowI think what I'm trying to say is that I've been wanting to become friends with the Woman in the Purple Skirt for a very long time...Almost every afternoon, the Woman in the Purple Skirt sits on the same park bench, where she eats a cream bun while the local children make a game of trying to get her attention. Unbeknownst to her, she is being watched--by the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who is always perched just out of sight, monitoring which buses she takes, what she eats, whom she speaks to.From a distance, the Woman in the Purple Skirt looks like a schoolgirl, but there are age spots on her face, and her hair is dry and stiff. She is single, she lives in a small apartment, and she is short on money--just like the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan, who lures her to a job as a housekeeper at a hotel, where she too is a housekeeper. Soon, the Woman in the Purple Skirt is having an affair with the boss and all eyes are on her. But no one knows or cares about the Woman in the Yellow Cardigan. That's the difference between her and the Woman in the Purple Skirt.Studiously deadpan and chillingly voyeuristic, and with the off-kilter appeal of the novels of Ottessa Moshfegh, The Woman in the Purple Skirt explores envy, loneliness, power dynamics, and the vulnerability of unmarried women in a taut, suspenseful narrative about the sometimes desperate desire to be seen.

A FOLK TALE. A HORROR STORY. A LOVE STORY. AN ENCHANTMENT."The Lamb . . . is not out until February but it has already created a buzz."—Sunday Times“This is the book I've been waiting for. Dark, twisted, and utterly enthralling, The Lamb is a novel I will never forget.”—Molly Aitken, author of Bright I BurnFrom an incendiary new talent, a contemporary queer folktale about a mother and daughter living in the woods, for fans of Angela Carter, Margaret Atwood, and Julia Armfield.Margot and Mama have lived by the forest ever since Margot can remember.When Margot is not at school, they spend quiet days together in their cottage, waiting for strangers to knock on their door. Strays, Mama calls them. People who have strayed too far from the road. Mama loves the strays. She feeds them wine, keeps them warm. Then she satisfies her burning appetite by picking apart their bodies.But Mama’s want is stronger than her hunger sometimes, and when a beautiful, white-toothed stray named Eden turns up in the heart of a snowstorm, Margot must confront the shifting dynamics of her family, untangle her own desires, and make her bid for freedom.With this gothic coming-of-age tale, debut novelist Lucy Rose explores how women swallow their anger, desire, and animal instincts—and wrings the relationship between mother and daughter until blood drips from it.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERThe cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true storyThere are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine.Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”—Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

From the nationally bestselling author of The Luminous Dead and The Death of Jane Lawrence, a transfixing, intensely atmospheric fever dream of medieval horror.Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite the barricaded gates, offering succor in return for adoration.Soon, the entire castle is under the sway of their saviors, partaking in intoxicating feasts of terrible origin. The war hero Ser Voyne gives her allegiance to the Constant Lady. Phosyne, a disorganized, paranoid nun-turned-sorceress, races to unravel the mystery of these new visitors and exonerate her experiments as their source. And in the bowels of the castle, a serving girl, Treila, is torn between her thirst for a secret vengeance against Voyne and the desperate need to escape from the horrors that are unfolding within Aymar’s walls.As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness—forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy—these three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune from the temptations of the castle’s new masters… or each other; and their shifting alliances and entangled pasts bring violence to the surface. To save the castle, and themselves, will take a reimagining of who they are, and a reorganization of the very world itself.

From the bestselling author of Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, a fiendishly fun locked room (train) murder mystery that "offers a tip of the hat to the great Agatha Christie novel while at the same time being a modern reinvention of it" (Nita Prose) -- perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Anthony HorowitzWhen the Australian Mystery Writers’ Society invited me to their crime-writing festival aboard the Ghan, the famous train between Darwin and Adelaide, I was hoping for some inspiration for my second book. Fiction, this time: I needed a break from real people killing each other. Obviously, that didn’t pan out.The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:the debut writer (me!)the forensic science writerthe blockbuster writerthe legal thriller writerthe literary writerthe psychological suspense writerBut when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.Of course, we should also know how to commit one.How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?

Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin..."An irresistible whodunit with an irresistible Blair Witch-meets-Fyre Festival backdrop." -- People"Sharp, stylish and stunning...Foley's best yet." -- Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End"Agatha Christie for the Instagram age." -- GuardianThe deliciously twisty new locked room murder mystery from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List and The Paris ApartmentIt’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELPIt all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…The Midnight Feast.

*the First Ever Stand-alone From The Million-copy Bestseller* From The Sunday Times Bestselling Author Of Close To Home Comes A Brilliant Standalone Thriller You'll Never Forget 'this Book Had Me Riveted To The Page. It Is Original, Inventive And Totally 21st Century... Just Brilliant!' Janice Hallett, Author Of The Appeal 'an Excellent, Wholly Original Whodunnit!' Gilly Macmillan 'genius Premise With All The Twistiness You'd Expect From Cara Hunter. Her Best Yet!' Victoria Selman 'reads Like True Crime--relentlessly Twisty And Utterly Compelling' Shari Lapena, No. 1 Bestselling Author 'sharp, Fresh, Surprising, And Authentic... Absolutely Brilliant.' Andrea Mara 'the Attention To Detail Is Incredible, And Following Along Is So. Much. Fun.' Catherine Ryan Howard 'i Adored It! So Brilliantly Put Together, So Full Of Twists And Revelations.' Jp Delaney 'like A Locked Room Agatha Christie For The Modern Age...' Araminta Hall. 'the Most Addictive Book You'll Read All Year ... Uniquely Told And Simply Bloody Brilliant.' John Marrs 'this Devilishly Clever, Ground-breaking Novel Will Keep You Guessing As You Fly Through Its Pages' Ian Rankin It Was A Case That Gripped The Nation Luke Ryder's Murder Has Never Been Solved In December 2003, Luke Ryder Was Found Dead In The Garden Of The Family Home In London, Leaving Behind A Wealthy Older Widow And Three Stepchildren. Nobody Saw Anything. Now, Secrets Will Be Revealed - Live On Camera. Years Later A Group Of Experts Re-examine The Evidence On Infamous, A True-crime Show - With Shocking Results. Does The Team Know More Than They've Been Letting On? Or Does The Truth Lie Closer To Home? Can You Solve The Case Before They Do? The Truth Will Blow Your Mind.

From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan—unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms— a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house’s warped and unsettling floor plansWhen a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an acquaintance, he finds himself investigating an eerie house for sale in Tokyo. At first, with its bright and spacious interior, it seems the perfect first home. But upon closer inspection, the building’s floor plans reveal a mysterious "dead space” hidden between its walls. Seeking a second opinion, the writer shares the floor plans with his friend Kurihara, an architect, only to discover more unnerving details throughout.What is the true purpose behind the house’s disturbing design? And what happened to the former owners who disappeared without a trace? When a body suddenly appears and a young woman reaches out about a second house, it soon becomes clear that the writer and his friend may be in over their heads. Structured around a series of chilling floorplans, with Strange Houses, mystery-horror YouTube sensation Uketsu casts readers in the role of detective, inviting them to help map out the truth hidden within these puzzling floor plans . . . and the terrifying plot behind it all.Translated from the Japanese by Jim Rion