Synopsis:
An illiterate housekeeper’s resentment of the privileged family she serves boils over into a murderous rage.
Review:
Judgement in Stone was turned into an incredible movie called La Ceremonie by Claude Chabrol, starring Sandrine Bonnaire as Eunice, the “stone” of the title, and the marvelous Isabelle Huppert as Joan, the local postmistress who fans the flames of [...]

Popularity: 54% [?]

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Synopsis:
An elderly woman’s recollections of a love that ended in tragedy shed new light on a married woman’s illicit affair.
Review:
Wordpress keeps eating this review, and I don’t have the energy to write it a third time. Suffice it to say that it’s very good, with great characters, wonderful postwar detail, and a riveting story.
Meanwhile, [...]

Popularity: 31% [?]

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Synopsis:
A suicidal teen is rescued by a charismatic drifter with designs on a woman he calls “The Princess.”
Review:
Gallowglass has not been my favorite Vine (the alter ego of crime writer Ruth Rendell), but subpar Vine is still head and shoulders above most of what’s out there in the mystery genre. Where Vine succeeds best [...]

Popularity: 30% [?]

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Synopsis:
A brainy high school senior narrates the events that led to the death of her charismatic and disturbed teacher.
Review:
I stayed up until 1:30 am last night blazing through the last 200 pages of the book, in a state of amazement (and not a little jealousy) over the superb plotting Pessl married to her delicious prose [...]

Popularity: 38% [?]

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Synopsis:
Aimless Tom Ripley has been dispatched to Italy to bring feckless playboy Dickie Greenleaf home, but when Dickie rejects Tom’s friendship, Tom chooses a darker course.
Review:
I have read and enjoyed several books by Highsmith, but stayed away from the Ripley books because in the crime and mystery genres, I tend not to like the recurring [...]

Popularity: 22% [?]

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Synopsis:
When a dead baby is discovered in an Amish barn, a Plain girl finds herself on trial for murder. She says she can’t remember… then all she wants to do is confess. But is she actually guilty–and of what?
Review:
This is the book I was referring to yesterday when I said I was reading [...]

Popularity: 37% [?]

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Synopsis:
A con man, an obsessive-compulsive, and a closeted Member of Parliament become locked together by circumstance and lies.
Popularity: 30% [?]

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Popularity: 30% [?]

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Synopsis:
First in a crime-solving series starring Harry Dresden, a wizard living in Chicago. He finds lost objects, investigates paranormal activities, and advises the police whenever a crime scene looks like magic was involved.
Popularity: 37% [?]

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Popularity: 37% [?]

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Synopsis:
When a true-crime writer comes to Faith Severn asking for corroboration of the details he’s unearthed about her murderess aunt, Faith’s reminiscences build a very different portrait of the family that has been both dear and alien to her over the years, casting new light on very old secrets.
Review:
I have read several books by Barbara [...]

Popularity: 28% [?]

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