Dissection of a Murder

 By: Jo Murray  

Location: FIC MUR

Genre: Thriller

NILUFER: My fellow bookworms… may I?

Can I officially introduce the best legal thriller of 2026?
🥁 Drum roll, please… 🥁
The crown goes to Dissection of a Murder by Jo Murray.

Nothing is as it seems—and no one is telling the truth—in this page-turning thriller about a young lawyer forced to defend a man on trial for murder against the mentor who taught her everything: her husband.

When Leila Reynolds is handed her first murder case, she’s shocked by the victim: a well-known, well-respected judge, whose death sent shockwaves through the legal community. She’s also incredulous—she’s nowhere near experienced enough to handle such a high-profile assignment—but the defendant is insistent: he wants her, and only her, to represent him.

Except he’s refusing to talk. And if that wasn’t complicated enough, Leila soon learns her opponent is the most ruthless prosecutor she’s ever known: her husband.

It’s an impossible situation, yet Leila is determined to sway the jury to her side—until she’s blindsided once again by a shadowy figure from her past. Suddenly, Leila finds herself fighting not only for her client and marriage, but also to keep her own secrets buried. And if she has to rewrite the rules to win, so be it.

STACY: Everyone is lying in this book, and I loved trying to figure out who was telling the truth.

Leila is assigned her first murder case to defend, but there's one major complication, she has to face off against her mentor, who also happens to be her husband.

The story is told from multiple points of view, which is a style I always enjoy because it adds depth and keeps the mystery unfolding.

Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the author threw in a twist I never saw coming.

I enjoyed this book

Whistler

 By: Ann Patchett  

Location: FIC PAT

Genre: Realistic Fiction

One of THE books of 2026 so far! Ask Barak Obama- it was on his list and his lists are stunning

"I think I can officially say this is the best fiction I’ve read this year so far, and honestly, when it comes to Ann Patchett, I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. She has this almost unfair ability to take ordinary human lives, complicated relationships, old wounds, missed opportunities, and all the things people carry silently for decades—and somehow turn them into something that feels completely extraordinary. And seeing Whistler among Barack Obama’s favorite books made me ridiculously happy because apparently my reading taste and his can occasionally have a little reunion" Nilufer

The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

"The only thing I don’t like about an Ann Patchett book is coming to the end of it. She is the most gentle of storytellers but her themes are always so profound. She is a master at this gig. Lest you think the story is about a horse because of the cover, it bears saying that the story is about found family, and how we are shaped by the people that matter to us in our childhood. There is a horse, and there wouldn’t be a story without it, but the story is not about a horse. It’s about love." Ssuan

Copefield

 By: T.L. Simpson  

Location: FIC SIM

Genre: Realistic Fiction

A stunning gut-punch of a coming of age story. Blew me away.

“Only by understanding our hurts can we truly overcome them.”

A 2026 Printz Honor Book
Top 100 Books of 2025, Kirkus Review
Top 3 TAYSHA’S READING LIST
2026 In the Margins Book Award
Foreward Indies Finalist
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top 10 Selection

Melissa gave 5 reasons why you should read this book:

𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃

1. Have you ever had to pretend to be someone you weren’t out of fear of repercussions? You’ll understand how Craw feels.
2. If you’ve ever had to serve community service, you should check this book out.
3. Have you ever had a friend you could talk to about anything and everything? Craw finds that in Hannah.
4. If you’ve ever felt misunderstood, you should check this novel out.
5. Lastly, if you enjoy books that feel realistic, this one is for you!

Crawford “Craw” Cope has anger issues. Or so they say.

When Craw is sentenced to community service for hitting his father in the head with a baseball bat, he accepts his punishment without objection, knowing he’s actually lucky. If he weren’t the son of a famous former baseball player, he’d probably have gotten it a lot worse. So, Craw keeps his mouth shut and takes what life gives him. Like always.

But when he arrives at community service, which frustratingly turns out to be repairing a dilapidated ball field to be named after his father, he meets Hannah Flores, a punk rock enthusiast trapped in the Ozarks with zero filter. As Craw navigates his own explosive home life, he learns more about hers. And as their friendship blossoms into something more, he begins to understand the importance of speaking his truth, even when doing so might destroy the only life he’s ever known.

The Escape Game

 By: Marissa Meyer and Tamara Ross  

Location: FIC MEY

Genre: Mystery 

"This was an incredibly entertaining page-turner—I enjoyed every minute of it."  Nilufer

It’s all fun and games until someone ends up dead.

Six months ago, season four of The Escape Game ended in horror when contestant Alicia Angelos was found murdered on set.

Now season five is underway, and new contestants are ready to put their skills to the test solving the show's trickiest escape rooms. There's Adi, the cryptographer; Carter, the math whiz; Beck, the wannabe game master, and . . . Sierra Angelos, the girl who got away with her sister’s murder. Or so everyone believes.

But Sierra’s not just here to win. She’s here for justice.

When the contestants begin uncovering clues that hint at the identity of Alicia’s true killer, it becomes clear that the stakes aren’t high in this competition, they’re deadly. If these teens want to win—and survive—the game, they must solve the biggest mystery of all: who killed Alicia Angelos?

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer and rising star Tamara Moss comes a twisty thrill-ride, filled with sabotage, betrayal, and puzzles to die for.

Drop Dead Famous

 By: Jennifer Pearson  

Location: FIC PEA

Genre: Mystery

"This book dives into the darker side of fame—obsession, betrayal, and the pressure behind the spotlight—while delivering a super addictive mystery.

If you love twisty thrillers with shocking reveals and secret-filled characters… you NEED to pick this one up." Prisca

When global singing sensation Blair Baker rises on a platform high above the stage for the opening number of her triumphant hometown concert, the crowd erupts in applause. But their joy quickly turns to horror when they realize Blair is dead. The shocking revelation that music's brightest star has been murdered rocks the world. But for her younger sister, Stevie, the tragedy is more than a headline - it's personal.
Determined to uncover the truth, Stevie dives headfirst into the shadows of her sister's glittering life.

What begins as a search for answers turns into a dangerous journey through the toxic underbelly of fame, where betrayal, manipulation, and obsession thrive. Yet, as Stevie peels back the layers of who her sister really was, she begins to uncover dark secrets closer to home - secrets that someone is desperate to keep buried...

"There’s a clear A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder style vibe here, from the large cast of suspicious characters to the constant sense that literally no one can be trusted. At some point, you’ll side eye everyone, and that’s half the fun. With so many moving pieces, it becomes nearly impossible to confidently guess the outcome, which makes the final reveals all the more satisfying. Dramatic, twisty, and genuinely entertaining, this is a YA thriller that actually delivers on the mystery."- AMY

We All Want Impossible Things

 By: Catherine Newman  

Location: FIC NEW

Genre: Realistic Fiction

"This is a touching, moving, loving, and inspiring read which I adored, insightfully portraying the incredible staff that provide palliative care and the hospice experience. A remarkable and unforgettable book sprinkled with stardust that I recommend to everyone." Parojimit

“Is it better to have loved and lost? Ask anyone in pain and they’ll tell you no. And yet. Here we are, hurling ourselves headlong into love like lemmings off a cliff into a churning sea of grief. We risk every last thing for our heart’s expansion, even when that expanded heart threatens to suffocate us and then burst.”

― Catherine Newman, We All Want Impossible Things

Who knows you better than your best friend? Who knows your secrets, your fears, your desires, your strange imperfect self? Edi and Ash have been best friends for over forty years. Since childhood they have seen each other through life's milestones: stealing vodka from their parents, the Madonna phase, REM concerts, unexpected wakes, marriages, infertility, children. As Ash notes, 'Edi's memory is like the back-up hard drive for mine.'

So when Edi is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ash's world reshapes around the rhythms of Edi's care, from chipped ice and watermelon cubes to music therapy; from snack smuggling to impromptu excursions into the frozen winter night. Because life is about squeezing the joy out of every moment, about building a powerhouse of memories, about learning when to hold on, and when to let go.

 "...aren't you the person who eavesdropped on your mum and her Dublin cousin gossiping about someone's hysterectomy and thought for years that The Troubles in Ireland were gynecological?"

Bonded in Death

 By: J.D.Robb 

Location: FIC ROB

Genre: Thriller

The #1 New York Times bestselling author spins an epic tale of loyalty, treachery, murder, and the long shadow of war…

His passport read Giovanni Rossi. But decades ago, during the Urban Wars, he was part of a small, secret organization called The Twelve. Responding to an urgent summons from an old compatriot, he landed in New York and eased into the waiting car. And died within minutes…

Lieutenant Eve Dallas finds the Rossi case frustrating. She’s got an elderly victim who’d just arrived from Rome; a widow who knows nothing about why he’d left; an as-yet unidentifiable weapon; and zero results on facial recognition. But when she finds a connection to the Urban Wars of the 2020s, she thinks Summerset―fiercely loyal, if somewhat grouchy, major-domo and the man who’d rescued her husband from the Dublin streets―may know something from his stint as a medic in Europe back then.

When Summerset learns of the crime, his shock and grief are clear―because, as he eventually reveals, he himself was one of The Twelve. It’s not a part of his past he likes to revisit. But now he must―not only to assist Eve’s investigation, but because a cryptic message from the killer has boasted that others of The Twelve have also died. Summerset is one of those who remain―and the murderous mission is yet to be fully accomplished…