Linwood Barclay knows how to tease his readers. His new book, Parting Shot, offers plenty of thrilling teases for the mystery and suspense lover.

From the opening pages, Barclay lays out the hook: Brian Gaffney, a naive and innocent looking young man, arrives at the Promise Falls police station babbling about having been abducted, possibly by aliens, and having lost two days of his memories. Detective Barry Duckworth begrudgingly takes the case and soon discovers there’s much more to Gaffney than he initially thought: specifically, a fresh tattoo on his back that seems to be a cryptic confession to murder.

Duckworth has plenty to sort out here, and readers will be eager to go along for the ride. Did Gaffney really kill someone? If so, who? Where’s the body? Why can’t Gaffney remember the past two days? Was he really abducted? As if that weren’t enough, Barclay weaves in another tantalizing plotline as private investigator Cal Weaver is hired to look after spoiled, rich Jeremy Pilford—Promise Falls’ teen celebrity drunkard who killed a young woman while driving his Porsche under the influence. Jeremy may have gotten off easy with the courts, but the court of public opinion has resulted in numerous death threats and a barrage of harassment via social media. 

Barclay, who has written 16 novels since bursting onto the scene in 2007, sprinkles in an assortment of hugely entertaining characters in this standalone thriller, grounding the stories in a realistic portrayal of small-town life. But it’s the blend of past mistakes and the persistence of present-day social justice that gives this story a vibrant life of its own.

The first thing that fans of Sophie Hannah may want to ask is whether Keep Her Safe follows in the author’s tradition of intelligent, often witty, page-turning psychological thrillers. The answer is, of course, yes—the author has perfected a formula for success that continues unabated with her newest book.

Hannah is a big Agatha Christie enthusiast who has extensively researched that author’s works and even penned two novels of homage to the famed Hercule Poirot. She has said that she tends to follow in Christie’s psychological footsteps: "She always started with, 'How can this thing be happening, isn't it strange?'” This is Hannah’s M.O. as well,  and the puzzle in her latest story starts from something off-kilter.

Cara, an Englishwoman, books a stay in a five-star American spa as a way to temporarily escape her family and come to terms with issues that are driving her apart from her husband—her unborn child, for one thing.

While in the exotic, albeit weird, luxury of her surroundings, she sees something that surely is impossible that harkens back to a notorious 2010 crime that was the focus of the American media: when youngster Melody Chapa was abducted and murdered, and her body was never found.

If Cara’s right, then she's just seen Melody, now seven years older and living under a new identity, alive and well at the very spa where Cara’s staying. Cara tries to discover the truth, but as she researches the history of the famous crime and finds herself at the center of a very American phenomenon—a trial by media involving the FBI, local law enforcement and an aggressive, hotshot TV reporter named Bonnie Juno.

Along with a glut of off-beat characters, spa denizens and hangers-on, Cara delves into the much-publicized crime while unwittingly putting herself in danger. Keep Her Safe may stretch some readers’ credulity factor to the limit, but there’s no doubt of the author’s ability to weave a fascinating, complex plot that stacks up the building blocks of tension and dares readers to question the reliability of several narrators.

Hannah’s penchant for describing every towel, pool dimension and luxury amenity at the Swallowtail Spa may test some readers’ patience and endurance, but the story picks up as the book continues, and once you’ve read all the flashbacks, journals and court documents, there’s the pleasure of a final denouement that’s clever and well worth waiting for.

Cate Holahan’s latest thriller, Lies She Told, masterfully weaves together the parallel tales of two troubled young wives, sweeping readers along as each story echoes and advances the narrative. Both protagonists and readers must attempt to distinguish between truth and lies.

In one story, writer Liza Cole is desperate to write another bestselling novel after lackluster recent sales. She also wants to conceive a child and is in a medical trial using new drugs that may help her achieve that goal. Her husband’s law partner/best friend is missing and presumed dead, creating family tension by distracting him from Liza’s goal of starting a family.

The other storyline follows Beth, who is the protagonist of the new book Liza is writing. In the story, Beth has just had a baby, and she suspects her husband of having an affair. Once she gets proof, she actively pursues her husband and his lover, planning revenge on the guilty parties.

Chapters alternate between Beth’s story and Liza’s life and make for compelling reading. Two superbly written stories in one book are a tension-filled treat for readers. Even more fascinating, there are mysterious parallels between the stories that spin and undulate with ever-growing similarities.

Holahan’s previous novel, The Widower’s Wife, catapulted to success last year, drawing critical acclaim and a spot on at least one best books of the year list. Lies She Told is another thriller where nothing is as it seems. This is a fast-paced read that will keep readers riveted as the surprise endings of both story lines blossom into a crescendo of compassion and conflict resolution.

Scott Turow takes a bold step with his latest novel, Testimony, by moving the typical legal suspense his fans have become accustomed to out of the courtroom, as well as out of the country altogether. As the book opens, attorney Bill ten Boom’s midlife crisis is already fully underway: he’s left his job, his marriage and his home. He wants nothing more than to take a year off to “follow the sun around the world,” and “spend the evening reading everything I’ve always meant to.”

But despite his disillusionment with his former life, letting go of his quest for justice isn’t so easy. He is quickly talked into a new job as a prosecutor for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, a war crimes tribunal. His first case involves the disappearance of some 400 refugees during the Bosnian war, who are presumed to have been buried alive. The only surviving witness, Ferko Rincic, claims an armed force was behind the atrocity, and it’s up to ten Boom to bring the culprits to justice. In a classic fish-out-of-water scenario, ten Boom must negotiate the political and judicial legalities in a global arena while also contending with a lack of cooperation from all fronts. His investigation takes him from the streets of Bosnia to the secret halls of the U.S. government itself. No one is forthcoming, the lies are palpable, and his own safety is ultimately placed into jeopardy.

While it’s not necessary to have read any of Turow’s previous novels, Testimony is a natural progression in Bill ten Boom’s story and one that adds a deep complexity to his character. Rather than present just another case in the same old setting, Turow reinvents his protagonist by taking him out of his element. At the same time, Turow reinvents himself and reasserts his own mastery of the genre.