THE KINDEST LIE by Nancy Johnson

There are many layers to unpack in THE KINDEST LIE, Nancy’s Johnson’s haunting debut about race, class, poverty, and motherhood set against the 2008 election and the financial crisis. Yale graduate Ruth Tuttle is a successful, Black engineer living in Chicago. Her grandmother and big brother sacrificed a great deal to propel her away from…

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THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET by Diane Chamberlain

I’m a diehard Diane Chamberlain fan, and THE LAST HOUSE ON THE STREET might have displaced NECESSARY LIES as my favorite of her novels. From page one, the tension in this dual timeline story is that of a psychological thriller. Straddling 1965 and 2010, the creepy tone of the primary setting—a secluded, densely-wooded lot in a…

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