One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware (Gallery; LJ starred review) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

 What harm could it do? That is Lyla Santiago’s initial thought when her boyfriend Nico suggests they compete in a new reality TV show called One Perfect Couple. Since Lyla’s academic career as a scientist seems stalled, the idea of a few weeks’ “vacation” to shoot the show sounds terrific. However, soon after arriving, with four other couples, on an isolated island in the Indian Ocean, Lyla finds her dream vacation turning into a nightmare. Ware puts her own inventive twists and turns on the popular “trapped with a killer in an isolated locale” type of suspense made famous by Agatha Christie in And Then There Were None. Ware then also deftly layers a bit of Lord of the Flies–style tension into her tautly strung storyline as her characters find themselves not only cut off from civilization but struggling to survive the after-effects of a deadly tropical storm. VERDICT Ware (Zero Days) once again delivers the literary goods, with a cheeky sense of wit (including a “blink and you’ll miss it” nod to one of her own books), a propulsive sense of pacing, and a fiendishly clever conclusion.—John Charles

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson (Morrow)

Appeared on the March 2022 LibraryReads list

“This psychological thriller is about a list of nine names including FBI agent Jessica Winslow. The first to die is an old man with the list found near his body, and the FBI investigation begins. The author keeps everyone guessing before planting the twist he is known for.”—Wendy Paige, Shelby County Public Library, Shelbyville, IN

The Guest List by Lucy Foley (Morrow; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the June 2020 LibraryReads list

"A wedding celebration on a remote island off the coast of Ireland turns eerie and nightmarish in this gothic atmospheric mystery. A good choice for fans of Ruth Ware."—Bill Anderson, Scott County Public Library, Scottsburg, IN

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall (Forge)

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 games begin. A stand-alone from the author of the Lou Norton series.—Barbara Hoffert