Holly by Stephen King (Scribner) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

King gives former supporting player Holly Gibney (introduced in Mr. Mercedes) her own full-length novel to solve the case of a missing person. Private investigator Holly is supposed to be on bereavement leave after the death of her mother, but she can’t dismiss the persistent Penny Dahl. Penny’s daughter Bonnie disappeared while biking home from work a month earlier, and the police didn’t have time for more than a cursory investigation into what seemed to be a case of an adult walking away from her own life. Holly investigates, with help from friends. She soon realizes that Bonnie’s is not an isolated case; others have gone missing in the last few years. The only similarity among the disappeared people is that they were last seen in the same area. The deeper Holly goes, the more convinced she becomes that something very sinister is going on. VERDICT King’s choice to set the novel in the middle of COVID works, both to develop his characters and to keep Holly off base, emotionally and professionally. He eschews the supernatural here but finds all the horror possible in the evil that “normal” people may do. Mystery and horror readers will find much to love.—Jane Jorgenson

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Berkley; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the March 2023 LibraryReads list

“Written with wickedly sharp humor and a tightly woven plot, the book is also about the hurt that families can give and the unexpected joys of found-family. Vera is a delight as she bosses everyone around, investigating her main suspects even as she weaves bonds of friendship with and between them.”—Laura Eckert, Clermont County Public Library, Milford, OH Clermont County Public Library, Milford, OH

Exiles by Jane Harper (Flatiron)

Appeared on the January 2023 LibraryReads list

“Two unrelated crimes—one a disappearance, the other a hit and run—collide when Aaron Falk takes a vacation to serve as godfather at a christening. It is up to Falk to ferret out ugly truths hiding in plain sight. For those who enjoy a slow burn with a satisfying conclusion. Readers of the Cork O’Connor series by William Kent Krueger will appreciate this author.”—Lori Hench, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD

Jackal by Erin E. Adams (Bantam)

Appeared on the October 2022 LibraryReads list

“Liz goes back to her small hometown for a wedding, but then Caroline, her friend’s biracial daughter, goes missing. Liz discovers that black girls go missing yearly, but the police don’t care, so she hopes to uncover this serial killer. This is a well-written suspense novel with supernatural elements. The plot was well-paced, and there were enough twists.”—Claire Sherman, Clearwater Countryside Library, Clearwater, FL