Thrillers to Feel-Good Reads and More with Flaxmere Library Book Chat

10 June 2026

This book group has been catching up on a few mystery series, rediscovering Agatha Christie – who can nail a character in a couple of sentences, according to one reader - as well as the Fern Michaels' Sisterhood series. We’ve also enjoyed C J Ross’s mysteries set in glorious Northumberland with DCI Ryan investigating some interesting murders. Any Ann Cleeves fan will want to add this series to their reading list.

James Patterson was new to one reader who was amazed at just how easy it was to get into Paranoia, a book in the Michael Bennett thriller series. With a serial killer out targeting retired police officers, Bennett worries he might be in the killer’s sights.

Another thriller set in America was Labyrinth by Catherine Coulter, number 23 in the series featuring FBI Agent Lacey Sherlock. This was two stories in one, beginning when Sherlock is t-boned at an intersection, a body suddenly hits her windscreen, while Sherlock is left in hospital with amnesia. We also get the story of the other victim of the accident in what is a twisty and very clever story.

No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara follows a family who lose their daughters on a London tube – mother and baby left behind at the station when the carriage doors close. At the next station only one daughter is waiting. And everyone seems to be lying. A very good revenge story involving drug cartel.

On a lighter note, a couple of our readers really enjoyed The Antique Hunters Guide to Murder, the first in a cosy mystery series by C L Miller. It follows Freya who leaves her life in London when the family house up for sale, her daughter now studying abroad. She returns to her aunt’s home in a quaint English village when her mentor in antique hunting is murdered. Freya and her flamboyant Aunt Carole make a brilliant sleuthing team.

It was great to pick up a new Alex Gray novel in the DCI Lorimer series. Blood on Old Stones is set on the island of Mull. Lorimar arrives here for a funeral but a friend of the deceased suspects foul play and asks the detective to look into the death. When the friend also dies in a sudden accident, Lorimer begins to investigate.

There were two Sarah Pearse mysteries, which follow Devon detective Elin Warner. In The Retreat she is called to investigate a death at a wellness retreat on an island that has a dark history. When it turns out to be murder, the question is asked: is it something to do with the past.  This was an exhausting read as it was so suspenseful, but also well worth reading, and enjoyable.

Next was The Wilds which has Elin on holiday in Portugal with her brother. She becomes involved in investigating the disappearance of a woman at a freedom camping site, the sister of her brother’s good friend. Some sinister goings on up the suspense and then several twists upend what Elin thought of as the truth.

The group enjoyed a bunch of excellent historical novels, including The London Spymaker by Hannah Byron. Based on a true story in WWII, the story follows Anna who recruits women spies and resistance fighters. Events become personal when a Polish fighter pilot and former boyfriend re-enter her life. This was a beautiful story, well-written and filled with emotion.

We move on to 1960s Tanzania for One Night at Silver Lake by Katherine Scholes and a story that concerns family relationships in two evocative settings. Sara is a mine manager’s wife longing for a baby, her family background among the nomadic herding families of the Serengeti. A story about family, hope and love, this was a really beautiful story.

Another fabulous read was Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell which is set in 1596 and follows Shakespeare’s family. The story takes you back to the day young Will becomes entranced by the older Agnes, their marriage, and then years later the tragedy that strikes their young family and which inspires a famous play.

Sasha Wasley’s new novel, The Society of Literary Marauders, is set in Oxford 1928 and was recommended glowingly by our reader. We meet four ladies from different strata of society who meet secretly to read books they are not supposed to read. To become a member of their group, each has had to steal a book. But soon they are swept up in a plan to put right a literary injustice.

Sue Williams is the author of several fascinating and well-researched historical novels that take us to early Australian colonial history. With The Duke’s Secret, Williams probes a corner of her own family history. The story follows the affair the Duke of Wellington has with Mary Ann, a maid in his household. Returning from war a hero, he discovers he has an illegitimate daughter. Two hundred years later, an Australian woman reunites with her long-lost father and hears about a family legend.

The Strawberry House by Rachel Burton is set in 1938. Camilla lives in her family’s Oxford manor, expected to play the dutiful daughter when she recognises a kindred spirit in her brother’s friend. Other Bohemian friends arrive setting in motion a tragedy. Then we’re in 1952 with memories of the war and secrets that must be dealt with. A very good read was the verdict.

The Sea Stone Sisters by Eleanor Buchanan follows four sisters scattered around the world after their father knocks down the standing stones on the Blackmore estate. These ancient stones commemorated four sisters stolen by the Vikings, the stones’ loss leaving a curse on the family. The story goes from a Scottish Island in the 1930s to modern day Australia, where Roz begins to unearth her family history. This was deemed a good read although somewhat derivative of Lucinda Riley.

There were some enjoyable feel-good reads, among them Six Little Words by Sally Page. In this novel, a group of unlikely village locals join an art group when they see a message card in a café. There are secrets as various kinds of art are attempted, and problems solved. Our reader loved the characters and the way the story dealt with lots of aspects of life, including second chances, love and friendship.

The Widows’ Book Club by Julia Jarman was a fun read, following a group of women who get together for chats over wine then find themselves in unexpected drama. This was a story about friendship and rivalry which would appeal to anyone reading Judy Leigh’s humorous novels about older women.

Another book with older protagonists is The Old Ducks Club by Maddie Please.  Sixty-year-old Sophia takes herself off to Rhodes for a well-earned break. She doesn’t factor in three bold, brash friends who call themselves The Old Ducks Club who eventually show Sophia a different way to grow old. A fun read.

The Pretender by Wanda E Brunstetter is another thoroughly enjoyable story in the Mifflin County series set in an Amish community. The story follows Rosa who arrives back at her family home with a husband after two years’ absence and no communication. She wants to be part of her family and community again, but all they want is answers she refuses to give.

A more serious read was The General Hospital by Anne Buist and Graeme Simsion. This is a collection of cases encountered by Dr Hannah Wright, trainee psychiatrist, who learns how physical and mental health are inextricably linked. Each story describes different patient. The book takes some perseverance but was well worth it in the end.

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