River Readers

Only Detective Michael Bennett stands in the way of two lethal cartels fighting for New York City's multi-million-dollar opioid trade. And they know where Bennett, and his family, live. An anonymous tip about a crime in Upper Manhattan proves to be a setup. An officer is taken down--and, despite the attackers' efforts, it's not Michael Bennett. New York's top cop is not the only one at risk. One of Bennett's children sustains a mysterious injury.

Karen and Tom Krupp are happy--they've got a lovely home in upstate New York, they're practically newlyweds, and they have no kids to interrupt their comfortable life together. But one day Tom returns home to find Karen has vanished--her car is gone and it seems she left in a rush. She even left her purse--complete with phone and ID--behind. There's a knock on the door. The police are there to take Tom to the hospital. His wife has had a car accident, and lost control as she sped through the worst part of town. The accident has left Karen with a concussion and a few scrapes.

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge-- the perfect getaway... until the storm hits. It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and lots of sports opportunities. So when the a blizzard cuts off the electricity and all contact with the outside world the guests settle in for the long haul. When one of the guests turns up dead it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, there's a panic. Someone is picking off the guests one by one.

Did she slip through the cracks, or was she pushed? When a severed hand is found in an abandoned flat, Detective Jake Porter and his partner Nick Styles are able to DNA match the limb to the owner, Natasha Barclay, who has not been seen in decades. But why has no one been looking for her? It seems that Natasha's family are the people who can least be trusted. Delving into the details behind her disappearance and discovering links to another investigation, a tragic family history begins to take on a darker twist.

Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director's speed dial and several international criminals' most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series.

So you're only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help...What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?

If you're Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.

This was a truly creepy book to read before Halloween. The black and white illustrations just make it more startling when color appears. These are not your everyday fairy tales or even the normal twisted ones I enjoy.

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.' Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss. These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll. Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there...
Goodreads.

Since it's the Halloween season and this has been on my list of to-reads for a bit, I decided to dive in for the holiday. Not a bad horror story and the illustrations are great. Very long for a graphic novel, but it was worth the time.

Tabitha Crumb has the worst parents ever. They are headed to South America and plan on sending her to an orphanage. Her only friend is her rat Pemberly and her only interest appears to be Inspector Pensive detective novels. So it is a shock when she is invited to a weekend with a countess along with five other children. Turns out all six kids were adopted and one of them is the countess's grandchild. The only problem is the countess is kind of evil and the children keep disappearing in the mysterious manor house.

Florian and Margaret are back and this time they have to save Marcus. Marcus's first case is tied to a current case and someone is setting him up to take the fall. Florian and Margaret have to use TOAST to find out which one of their suspects is the culprit. Their investigations take them through the library world of Washington, DC and leave them trapped in the Library of Congress.

This is P. Dj̀eli Clark’s debut novella, after having his writings appear in Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly and Lightspeed and other publications. Born in New York primarily raised in Houston, he spent much of his formative years in Trinidad and Tobago. Clark brings a fresh look at New Orleans in this alternative history story.

t's the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There's . . . Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who's having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.

The hilarious and heartbreaking confessions of a figure skater turned collegiate hockey player who's terrified of checking . . . and is desperately in love with the captain of his hockey team.

When Asami is kidnapped, Korra sets out to the Spirit Wilds to find her. Now teeming with dark spirits influenced by the half spirit-half human Tokuga, the landscape is more dangerous than ever before. The two women must trust in each other and work together if they are to make it out alive. Their fate is revealed in this stunning, action-packed conclusion to The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars!

When Stevie Bell gets into the exclusive Ellingham Academy she knows her life will never be the same. Established by the millionaire Albert Ellingham in the 1930's, the Academy was supposed to be a haven for gifted or out of the ordinary students. There is mystery and tragedy surrounding the Academy however, because in 1936, Ellingham's wife and daughter were kidnapped and a student murdered. The crimes were never solved. Stevie's passion is true crime and detective work so she is determined to solve the decades old mysteries surrounding the Ellingham's.

Augusta has been sent to live with her grandmother in Springdale, Maine. It is the eve of WWII and her mother is working in New York and her father, a union organizer, is on the run from the law. Gusta arrives at Mrs. Hoops home to join the orphans already in residence. She brings very little with her except stories of a missing wish and her French horn.