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Having read and enjoyed Mr. Mercedes, the first novel in a trilogy by Stephen King,  I was curious to see how another of Stephen King's books was adapted into a TV series.

The story begins as a madman in a stolen Mercedes plows into a crowd of job seekers, killing eight people and injuring many others.  Several months later, we meet Bill Hodges, a now retired cop turned private detective whose life is deteriorating as he is haunted by the unsolved case of the Mercedes killer.  We then meet the psychopathic killer who starts tormenting Bill with letters and emails, taunting him with the promise of another evil act violence.  Only Bill and two new, unusual allies can stop the killer before he strikes again.

The casting of the series is great, led by Brendan Gleeson as Bill.  I thought Mr. Mercedes season 1 (2017, rated TV-M) was entertaining and thrilling.  I followed it by watching Season 2 which was the story of the third book, End of Watch.  I am eagerly awaiting the release of season 3, an adaptation of the story in book 2, Finders Keepers.

Stephen King fans can follow one of the characters introduced in this series, Holly Gibney, in the excellent adaption of King's novel, The Outsider, recently released on HBO.

Get started by watching season 1 of Mr. Mercedes on Hoopla today.

Once again, I enjoyed my trip back to the croc-infested region of Crimson Lake, Australia.

Four eight-year-old boys are left in a hotel room while their parents are downstairs enjoying dinner. When one of the parents returns to check on the boys, one of boys is missing.

In the third book of this great series, Ted Conkaffey and Amanda Pharrell, the two intriguing investigators with very complicated backgrounds, are on the hunt for a child and kidnapper. This thrilling, suspenseful and yes, sometimes funny, mystery kept me guessing to the very end.

Check out Gone by Midnight (2020) by Candice Fox today. Listen immediately via Hoopla. Check out my review of Crimson Lake, the first book in the series.

The story alternates from the perspectives of Todd and Jodi, a couple that has been together for 20 years. They have a common-law marriage and lead an affluent life in a waterfront condo in Chicago. Todd is a hedonistic cad who thinks cheating on a partner is perfectly fine. You can't help but hate the guy. Jodi lives in a fairytale world, choosing to deny what is going on right under her nose. She takes good care of Todd, even though he hardly deserves it. To make matters more intriguing, the reader knows early on that one of the main characters is planning to kill the other one.

The Silent Wife by A. S. A. Harrison (2013) is a great psychological thriller and definitely a fun read. We've got lists of more domestic thrillers and psychological suspense on our website.

This book is available to read or listen to on Overdrive—check it out today.

In this psychological thriller, Ryan Reynolds plays Matthew Lane, a father whose 10-year-old daughter is taken from his truck. After the police have been searching for her for eight long years, they finally get a lead that she is still alive.  Matthew never gives up hope and helps bring down the ring responsible for her disappearance.  I really liked The Captive (2014, rated R).

Watch it on Hoopla today.

On a boating trip, 14-year old Poppy, a child with special needs, disappears in the night. Kit, her biological father, is in anguish.Her stepmother, Neve, appears to be very worried. However, she is hiding quite a few secrets from her mysterious past. As the frantic search for Poppy continues, the police are becoming more and more suspicious of her parents.

Schoolgirl Missing by Sue Fortin (2019) is a great page-turner. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Listen to the novel via Hoopla or read the book via Overdrive.

​During World War II while a woman waits to hear about her missing husband, she must protect her two young children who suffer from a rare disease that causes deadly photosensitivity.  Moving her family to a Gothic mansion on the English coast safe from war, she encounters a far more sinister enemy as paranormal activities spiral out of control.  The Others (2001, rated PG-13) starring Nicole Kidman, Alakina Mann, and James Bentley is a shockingly true to life ghost story!

Watch it on Hoopla today.

​I really enjoy the work of Bill Nighy.  While being a gifted comedic actor (Pirate Radio, Dad's Army), he also excels at portraying Johnny Worricker, an operative of MI5 nearing the end of his career.  His life has been upended when his boss and best friend have damaging information on the Prime Minister, but dies before it can be verified.

Page Eight (2011) is a spy thriller that isn't about car crashes and explosions, but instead about dirty money, hidden agendas, political maneuvering, believable characters, witty dialogue, and contemporary situations.

Watch it on Hoopla today.

A street smart 11-year-old boy steals the scene in this classic legal thriller. Mark Sway witnesses the suicide of mob lawyer Jerome Clifford. What did Jerome confess to this child? That's what all of the adults are trying to figure out in this fast-paced adventure. Mark hires Reggie Love, a 50ish woman who has been practicing law for four years. A fierce advocate, Reggie is strong, smart, and protective.

If you enjoy child narrators, strong female leads, gripping thrillers, or any combination of those, pick up this 1993 novel by John Grisham. The Client has aged well. I couldn't put this one down.

Check out our list of legal thrillers for more books in this genre. Also, you can judge the movie adaptation: The Client was released in 1994, starring Susan Sarandon and Tommy Lee Jones.

Read or listen to the book today via Overdrive.

Libby Jones has long known that when she turns 25, she inherits something from her birth parents' trust, but she is stunned to discover that it turns out a be a decaying mansion in one of the most expensive areas of London. It also is where her birth parents, Henry and Martina Lamb, died in a cult-like situation when she was ten months old.

The Family Upstairs (2019) recounts Libby's journey of discovering what happened in the family home all those years ago, interspersed with Henry Jr.'s retelling of the years when his family's status went from wealth and privilege to being prisoners in their own home. In the novel, the reader also meets Lucy, who lives a meager existence in France with her two children, but longs to get back to Britain, now that the baby (aka Libby) is now 25. The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is a creepily unputdownable read. Perfect for those who love Ruth Rendell's psychological novels, Lying in Wait by Liz Nugent, and the books of Erin Kelly.

Aspiring author Stacy Kim visits an art museum showing the photography of Kathy Moran. She is stunned when she sees "Woman with a Gun," which won the Pulitzer Prize and made Moran famous. It shows a woman in her wedding dress, standing at the shore, facing away from the camera and towards the sea, holding a six-shooter.

The photo captures Stacy's imagination and sets her on a quest to uncover the story behind the woman and the circumstances that lead to the photo. She learns that Megan Cahill—the woman with the gun—was suspected of killing her husband on their wedding night. It was never proven and the murder remained unsolved. Woman with a Gun by Phillip Margolin is a stunning, suspenseful story full of twists and turns.