One Step Too Far, by Lisa Gardner (Dutton; LJ starred review), is the top holds title of the week (1/17/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

“Gardner’s second novel featuring Frankie Elkin (following Before She Disappeared) is beyond brilliant. This time Frankie is up against a sadistic killer and the remote, rugged Popo Agie Wilderness area in the Wyoming Shoshone National Forest. Five years after a hiker went missing there during his bachelor party/camping trip, eight people search for his remain, including his father; an SAR expert and her dog; a Bigfoot hunter; and a last-minute addition, loner and cold-case-missing-person-finder extraordinaire Frankie, who’s recovering from alcohol addiction. Soon it becomes obvious that someone is sabotaging the group’s mission. Frankie tries to piece together the frustrating puzzle pieces of the case while calculating how much danger the group is in when it’s made clear that the saboteur is out for blood. Gardner’s narrative is a mix of beautiful prose and ingenious, intense, edgy dialogue; her research is meticulous; and it’s amazing how this master storyteller turns Frankie, a broken urbanite, into a wilderness survivalist hero. VERDICT Gardner’s latest is perfect for fans of unputdownable, gritty cat-and-mouse mysteries, compassionate underdog protagonists with self-deprecating senses of humor, ruthless killers, and ‘didn’t see it coming, OMG’ endings.”—Debbie Haupt, LJ review, January 7, 2022

READ-ALIKES

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge)

Selected by the LibraryReads Board

“Miriam Macy is thrilled to be invited to a private island set in the sparkling green waters off the coast of Mexico—until she arrives and discovers that the guests are strangers to one another, lured there because they are all hiding secrets. Now they’re stuck, and the dark games begin. A stand-alone from the author of the Lou Norton series.”—Barbara Hoffert, Prepub Alert, Criminal Intent: Thriller Previews, Apr. 2019, Pt. 3 

Long Bright River by Liz Moore (Riverhead; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the January 2020 LibraryReads list

“A compelling literary police procedural set in an opioid-ravaged Philadelphia neighborhood and centered on the relationship between two sisters whose lives have taken opposite paths. Your heart will ache as you grow to love the complex, strong, and incredibly vulnerable characters. For readers of Tana French and Dennis Lehane.”—Maggie Thomann, Northbrook Public Library, Northbrook, IL

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain (Ballantine)

Appeared on the April 2021 LibraryReads List

“In 1993, troubled detective Anna returns to her hometown, where a girl has gone missing. As Anna helps search for the girl, both their pasts are revealed. A beautifully written, haunting thriller offering a fascinating look at how missing-persons cases were handled pre-internet.”—Alissa Williams, Morton Public Library, Morton, IL