The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

A fake mystic scams her way into a "home cleansing" job and gets way more than she bargained for.

This short story (60 pages) was originally published in the 2014 anthology Rogues, edited by George R.R. Martin and now has been published as a stand-alone title.

Perhaps my favorite part of this book was that you don't know what you're in for: Is this going to be serious or funny? About the supernatural, or a crime? The back says, "You like ghost stories?" Yes, please! But we're not really given any other clues.

It begins with a hand job - or more accurately, approximately 23,546 hand jobs. Our narrator grabs you from page one, and you're captivated by her tale. Amazing!

Hollow Man by Mark Pryor

What's it like to be a functional, passing-for-normal psychotic?

Dominic is an American lawyer who grew up in England and supplements his income as a musician in the thriving Austin scene. He's a part of the justice system and works hard for his clients.

And yet there's something he's hiding. He's known he was a psychopath since childhood and his move to the US may have been strategic - he's spent his life controlling himself (and everyone around him, honestly).

So when an opportunity for a long-shot windfall drops in his lap, it's not a big leap for him to enjoy a life of crime. It may be both the perfect crime and a way to get revenge on someone who's trying to tarnish his reputation ... or maybe not. It may all fall apart.

I loved the unpredictability of the storyline - how far will the scam go, and who will it take down? It's an interesting look inside the head of someone decidedly different and also a frightening look at how reasonable and rational planning a crime can be. I'm really enjoying Pryor's style of writing (he also writes the Hugo Marston series) and his characters - who all share just a bit of his own backstory, once you read his bio!

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

When a cruise ship disaster wipes away a young woman's entire life, a wealthy, grieving father offers her the chance to be reborn by assuming his daughter's identity. But the desire to avenge her former life and make the guilty pay consumes her new existence.

This book is extremely compelling - it moves quickly, and there's a lot of engrossing drama. Love! Revenge! Attraction! Intrigue! It will sweep you away, and you'll want to know what happens next.

My only complaint was that the girls "died" at age 14, so all the love and romance they experienced was before that. Kids these days grow up fast (OMG did I really just say that?) ... but I've still got problems with this: when adult-Libby keeps getting all hung up on the taste and touch of Grey, she's remembering from when she was 14. That less-than-a-weeklong shipboard romance must have been seriously off the hook?!

Anyway ... this is a super-soapy, fun drama of revenge and insanity: Just how far will she go to reveal the truth and rain hell on the liars? Wow.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Darrow's part of a hard-working clan who spend their difficult, short lives mining underground on Mars in order to make the planet above hospitable for future colonization.

So he's shocked to discover everything he knows is a lie - for one, that Mars aboveground and many, many other planets and moons have been successfully inhabited for a very long time - when he's given an opportunity to join the rebellion and try to change things.

Comparisons to the Hunger Games series is inevitable - a "game" between young people that leads to the victor's eventual success in politics and society. But this book stands on its own - I didn't feel it was reactionary or derivative of Suzanne Collins' series. It's a great action-adventure story, full of strategy and twists, espionage and doubletalk. It's easy to forget (as it is for the competitors) that there's more to life on Mars than what's happening inside the game.

The book ends in a place that made me say "REALLY? Really!" and the countdown for the second in the series has begun ("Golden Son" has a January release date).

The Serpent of Venice by Christopher Moore

Pocket the Fool is back, and he's seeking revenge on the bastards who killed his Queen Cordelia ... (if you thought these characters from Moore's earlier novel "Fool" would have a happy ending, you haven't read much Shakespeare).

In his second Shakespeare-inspired black comedy mash-up, Christopher Moore combines elements of "Othello" and "The Merchant of Venice," then stirs in a little Edgar Allan Poe and a variety of other recognizable references, characters, and quotes.

It's a twisty tale of intrigue - Iago's out to become a councilman if he has to kill everybody he knows to get there, Pocket's in town under false pretenses. There's a lot of cross-dressing, a court scene where everybody's out to win over the doge, and secret casks that can only be opened by solving a riddle. Plus a big git that's only interested in sex, Marco Polo, and a monkey. You know, typical Christopher Moore.

I loved this book, but it's at times hard to follow: there are a lot of characters, tons of back-stabbing and lying, and way too many things going on at once (you know: exactly like the Shakespeare source material). The more Shakespeare you know, the funnier the book will be. Also, I think a second reading may be beneficial for deeper understanding - which is fine, because these are characters I've enjoyed revisiting and will again.

Bare Essentials

by Jill Shalvis and Leslie Kelly

Two books in one is two times the fun. 

I picked this one up because it had Jill Shalvis' name on the cover; Leslie Kelly's story was every bit as fun.  This is just the right mix of funny and tactfully raunchy.  Kate and Cassie come from a long line of women with reputations for liking men a whole lot.

In Naughty but Nice (Shalvis), lingerie model, Cassie, returns to her dreaded hometown to hide from a stalker and exact a little revenge in the process.  Too bad sheriff, Sean "Tag" Taggert quickly catches on while single-handedly upping her car insurance rate.  She hightailed it out of town as a teen after the sheriff hit on her the night of her prom.  Tag's got his work cut out for him to convince the beauty that he won't believe the rumors, even when they come from his own family. 

In Naturally Naughty (Kelly), Kate Jones finds herself back in Pleasantville with the excitement of opening a new store.  She's sure she'll shock the townspeople right into sending her packing for a second time.  Within minutes of arriving she has a brief but sizzling staring contest with Jack.  Hours later it turns into much more.  Frustration sets in when Kate figures out that Jack is the one man she wanted to leave in a miserable puddle: too bad she likes him.  He's got his own reasons for holding back; her mom is one of the most respected people in his life. 

Runt by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Middle school is hell, and you just gotta get through it. But if it's truly that bad for everyone, why does it seem like some people have it made in the shade?

This book tells a couple different stories - some boys, some girls - and in the course of the back-and-forth, ahead in time and back again, we get multiple perspectives on the action: a boy pees on another boy's shoe, gossip flies online, a fake online profile is created.

What becomes clear is that there are at least two sides to every story, and maybe bullying isn't a black-or-white thing. Was the victim innocent? How long does it take for a dish of revenge to get cold?

This is a book that should (and I hope it does) get a lot of attention with middle schoolers, their parents, and their teachers. There's a lot to talk about: what would you do? Have you ever seen something like this? It's hard to rise above - is it even possible?

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

This is an author who understands he's only doing half the work, writing the book - you're an equal partner, as you bring the narrative to life in your imagination. And in this case, it's especially horrific because the bad guy's grabbing kids.

True conversation:

Me: This book is ripping my guts out. Yesterday I couldn't put it down, but I almost don't even want to pick it up again. It's awful and it's dark and it's making me sick. 

Husband: So you won't be giving it a good review, then.

 Me: Are you KIDDING ME?!? I'm giving it a STELLAR review! But with a cautionary warning: pansies need not apply.

This book is the epitome of modern horror in my book: twisted and dark, but not unnecessarily gory or explicit. He's sketching it out for you, but you get to add the color yourself. I've read Hill's other books (and loved them) and he's just getting better.

I haven't told you anything about the book. Do I have to? You're either in already, or you're not. :)

The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Unknowingly, Marylou took part in a 1950s study of radioactivity. The effects destroyed her family, killed her daughter, and wrecked her health. So now, 60 years later, Marylou is determined to find the smug bastard who made her drink that cocktail and make him pay.

Except Marylou's no cold-blooded killer, and Dr.Wilson Spriggs' health is declining with Alzheimers. Once her plans to kill Wilson disintegrate, Marylou decides to mess with his family - but it turns out she really likes the grandkids. Now what?

It's a darkly funny book full of interesting characters - each living in their own bubble and ignoring one another in the way families sometimes do. Will the radioactive lady destroy their family? Or will Otis build a reactor in the shed and nuke them all first? Will Florida ever see the hurricane Vic's been wishing for? And does Elvis ultimately have all the answers?

Burger Wuss by MT Anderson

As part of his larger revenge plan on the jerk who stole his girlfriend, 16-year-old Anthony gets hired at O'Dermott's fast food restaurant (think: McDonalds). Unfortunately, Anthony didn't anticipate how bad his life could be with Turner (the jerk) as his shift manager ... he may not have been thinking clearly when he formed his grand evil plan.

It's a very funny book, and written in an almost stream of consciousness that illustrates Anthony's neurotic thoughts. Yet despite the fact we know what's going through Anthony's head most of the time, the reader still is left in the dark as to the actual revenge plan - you don't know what's going to happen until it happens.