Greetings, librarians. So here they are—our recommendations for the May LibraryReads list! There are some serious literary delights to be had, including the latest from Dennis Lehane, a newly discovered novel from Michael Crichton, and a stunning debut from Bryn Chancellor. Remember, the deadline to vote for the May LibraryReads list is March 20th. Happy reading!
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Since We Fell by Dennis Lehane
For fans of: Mystic River and Shutter Island
Since We Fell follows Rachel Childs, a woman on the brink, who worries that her marriage is not what it seems.
"What seems at the start to be an edgy psychological mystery seamlessly transforms into a crafty, ingenious tale of murder and deception—and a deeply resonant account of one woman's effort to heal deep wounds that don't easily show."
—Kirkus Reviews
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Sycamore by Bryn Chancellor
For fans of: Everything I Never Told You and Olive Kitteridge
An award-winning writer hailed as "amazing, sensitive, and thoughtful” by Kevin Wilson makes her debut with this mesmerizing page-turner: a coming of age story, a mystery, and a moving exploration of the elemental forces that drive human nature—desire, loneliness, grief, love, forgiveness, and hope—witnessed through the lives of one small Arizona town.
"Bryn Chancellor explores the complexities of a small-town girlhood with insight and compassion. A page-turner and a heart-breaker, Sycamore marks the arrival of a shining new voice."
—Tayari Jones, author of Silver Sparrow
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
For fans of: Classic Michael Crichton novels, including Micro and Pirate Latitudes
The legendary author of Jurassic Park returns to the world of paleontology in this recently discovered novel—a thrilling adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting.
"A very good novel; in fact, taken among all Crichton’s novels, it’s one of his best, a beautifully detailed, scientifically engrossing, absolutely riveting story about the early days of paleontology."
—Booklist
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
Public Librarian? Click here to request a physical galley
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
White Hot by Ilona Andrews
For fans of: Jeaniene Frost's Cat and Bones series
The Hidden Legacy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews continues as Nevada and Rogan navigate a world where magic is the norm…and their relationship burns hot.
Praise for Burn for Me, the previous installment in the Hidden Legacy series: "Andrews serves up a refreshing new magical society, excellent world-building, beguiling characters, and strong storytelling…. Romantic sparks and a tangled mystery make this a lively, impressive series debut."
—Publishers Weekly
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Price of Duty by Dale Brown
For fans of: Clive Cussler and Tom Clancy
The U.S. and its Western allies come under a diabolical Russian cyberwarfare attack in this action-packed military techno-thriller from the New York Times bestselling master.
"The best military writer in the country." —Clive Cussler
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Black Mad Wheel by Josh Malerman
For fans of: A Head Full of Ghostsby Paul Tremblay and The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
From the author of the hit literary horror debut Bird Box (”Hitchcockian.” —USA Today) comes a chilling novel about a group of musicians conscripted by the US government to track down the source of a strange and debilitating sound.
Praise for Bird Box: "Chilling and beautifully told. A must-read." —Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
The Baker's Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan
For fans of: The Wind Is Not a River by Brian Payton
From the critically acclaimed author of The Hummingbird and The Curiosity comes a dazzling novel of World War II—a shimmering tale of courage, determination, optimism, and the resilience of the human spirit, set in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day.
"Thematically, this novel transcends even a critical moment in history to suggest the inescapable human condition of ignorance of the future, and the absolute necessity of hope, courage, and unselfish sacrifice." —Sena Naslund, author of Ahab's Wife, Four Spirits, and The Fountain of St. James Court
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Between Them by Richard Ford
For fans of: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi and Tibetan Peach Pie by Tom Robbins
From Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Richard Ford, a memoir in two parts on the lives of his parents—a stirring meditation on memory, connection, and love, asking how we can better understand ourselves by knowing the ones who made us.
"Ford’s remembrance of his parents is a masterful distillation of sensuous description, psychological intricacy, social insights, and a keen sense of place. Ford’s reflections are bright with wit, edgy with candor, and lustrous with extraordinary poignancy and love."
—Booklist
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Party Girls Die in Pearls by Plum Sykes
For fans of: Sophie Kinsella, Pretty Little Liars, and the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley
The New York Times bestselling author of Bergdorf Blondes takes us back to the decadent 1980s in this comic murder mystery set in the tony world of Oxford University.
"A delightfully detail-packed peek behind the brocade curtain of Britain’s elite Oxford, where not all of high society holds moral high ground in this clever Heathers-meets-Nancy Drew dishy treat." —Jill Kargman, creator and star of Odd Mom Out
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
The Jane Austen Project by Kathleen A. Flynn
For fans of: Longbourn by Jo Baker and My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones
Perfect for fans of Jane Austen, this engrossing debut novel offers an unusual twist on the legacy of one of the world’s most celebrated and beloved authors: two researchers from the future are sent back in time to meet Jane and recover a suspected unpublished novel.
"In her debut novel, Kathleen A. Flynn…creat[es] a vivid portrait of Regency England in all its glory and squalor. Flynn illuminates the stark contrasts between that era and our own, and movingly depicts the heartbreak of those who might try to travel between the two." —Lauren Belfer, author of And After the Fire and A Fierce Radiance
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Goodnight from London by Jennifer Robson
For fans of: The Girl from The Savoy by Hazel Gaynor
From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson—author of Moonlight Over Paris and Somewhere in France—comes a lush historical novel that tells the fascinating story of Ruby Sutton, an ambitious American journalist who moves to London in 1940 to report on the Second World War, and to start a new life an ocean away from her past.
"Goodnight from London is another masterpiece by Jennifer Robson." —Joy Callaway, author of The Fifth Avenue Artists Society
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Bad Dreams and Other Stories by Tessa Hadley
For fans of: Intimations by Alexandra Kleeman and A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin
The award-winning author of The Past once again “crystallizes the atmosphere of ordinary life in prose somehow miraculous and natural” (Washington Post), in a collection of stories that elevate the mundane into the exceptional.
"It is impossible to overstate how much I admire the work of Tessa Hadley; her mastery of the smallest gestures on the page is breathtaking and her ability to weave a symphonic whole time after time thrilling. Every story in this collection is beautiful, precise, expansive, and a joy." —Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
Same Beach, Next Year by Dorothea Benton Frank
For fans of: All Summer Long and The Hurricane Sisters
Dorothea Benton Frank returns to her magical Lowcountry of South Carolina in this bewitching story of marriage, love, family, and friendship that is infused with her warm and engaging earthy humor and generous heart.
Praise for Dorothea Benton Frank: "Dottie Frank’s books have the fizz of a gin and tonic, the hilarity of a night out at a comedy club and the warmth of a South Carolina sun. Dip in, dive in, but no matter how you go, you’ll love her."
—Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of All the Stars in the Heavens and The Shoemaker's Wife
Check back soon for the egalley on Edelweiss!
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
What She Saw by Gerard Stembridge
For fans of: The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson and Mission to Paris by Alan Furst
A taut, stylish thriller set over the course of twenty-four hours in Paris—perfect for fans of Chris Pavone’s The Expats and Olen Steinhauer’s The Tourist.
"This deliciously sharp thriller places us firmly in Hitchcock territory; a sophisticated city, a troubled protagonist, sex, scandal, politics and a cast of characters you just can’t trust, all delivered with a thoroughly modern sensibility. What She Saw is original, stylish and intriguing."
—Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
The Girl on the Bridge by James Hayman
For fans of: Lie In Wait and The Silent Girls by Eric Rickstad
From the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed McCabe and Savage series comes an electrifying new thriller of taut and twisted suspense.
"The Girl on the Bridge combines the pleasures of a classic police procedural with the righteous satisfaction of a revenge thriller, and a great twist. Every crime fiction fan will find something to enjoy here."
—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of Paranoia and The Switch
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: March 20th
And coming in June…
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
From the author of Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, this fiendishly brilliant, riveting thriller weaves a classic whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie into a chilling, ingeniously original modern-day mystery.
"Bestseller Horowitz provides a treat for fans of golden age mysteries with this tour de force that both honors and pokes fun at the genre…. [He] throws in several wicked twists as the narrative builds to a highly satisfying explanation of the prologue."
—Publishers Weekly 
review
Click here to download the egalley from Edelweiss
LibraryReads deadline: April 20th
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For more suggestions for the May LibraryReads list, please click here.
Please remember: If you love what you read, let your voice be heard! Leave a review on Edelweiss and nominate your chosen titles for the May LibraryReads list. The deadline to vote for the May LibraryReads list is March 20th. For more information, visit LibraryReads.org. Happy reading!
-The LLF Team