For Readers: Blog

Action-packed adventures

Gear up for reading adventures that would make Indiana Jones and Lara Croft proud! Between Janet Evanovich’s new Recovery Agent series and the so-bad-it’s-good comedy caper "The Lost City," treasure hunters and action-packed exploits are at the top of the trends list right now. Get lost in these stories of intrepid adventurers and unintentional heroes, safe in the knowledge that any booby-traps lurking ahead will be on-page only.

Jay Stringer asks “What if Indiana Jones was a Jewish lesbian instead?” in Marah Chase and the Conqueror's Tomb. Her archeologist days far behind her, Marah now procures antiquities for black market buyers. After a botched job, she is arrested and offered a deal by an MI6 agent: find the lost tomb of Alexander the Great and its legendary weapon, and have your past erased. Of course, Marah’s ex-girlfriend holds the key to the discovery, and the adversaries soon add up. Over-the-top but totally fun, this fast-paced adventure has a flawed but likable gutsy lead and plenty of thrills. [e-book | print | audiobook]

If you prefer real-life feats of fortitude, Mark Synnott intertwines a 100-year-old mystery with his own imposing climb up Everest in The Third Pole. Veteran climber Synnott joins an expedition up Mount Everest, looking for proof of a successful first summit in 1924, decades before the official record. While investigating this historic journey, Synnott witnesses one of the deadliest climbing seasons ever. This is a fascinating insider’s look at a chaotic year on Everest, complete with climber traffic jams, political tensions, and plenty of danger, as well as a tribute to the trailblazers of decades past. [e-book | print]

The Kaiju Preservation Society is a feel-good standalone from John Scalzi. When the pandemic forces Jamie to take a last-minute job doing heavy lifting at an “animal rights organization,” they never could’ve expected how heavy it would be. Think Godzilla-sized heavy. Readers join Jaime as they settle into work on a parallel Earth where movie-worthy creatures roam wild, hoping that others with more nefarious notions don’t make the same discovery. With its offbeat humor and a trademark evil mastermind, this is a breezy and nostalgic read with cinematic vibes. [e-book | print]

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton is the madcap swashbuckling romance-fantasy-mystery mashup you never knew you needed. Set in an alternate Victorian England, Cecilia Bassingthwaite is an ambitious thief hoping to be taken seriously by the local society of lady pirates. When the society is kidnapped, she springs into action to prove herself and unfortunately finds herself relying on an irritating and handsome assassin for backup. Flying houses, henchmen galore, murderous poets; this book really has it all, tied together with plenty of banter and homages to stereotypical tropes. [e-book | print]

Yasmin Angoe’s debut Her Name Is Knight is a riveting assassin story of revenge and redemption. Alternating between her life in Miami as an assassin for the African Tribal Council and flashbacks to her devastating childhood, readers gradually peel back the complex layers of our heroine Aninyeh. When the wrong mark gets killed, it sets off a chain of events that leads Aninyeh to her sworn enemy and the long-awaited opportunity to avenge her family. Suspenseful and atmospheric, the author deftly balances character development with thrills and doesn’t shy away from dark topics. [print]

Fans of fast-paced spy fiction and strong female characters will be rooting for the everyday heroines in You Can Run by Karen Cleveland. When kidnappers take her son, CIA analyst Jill Bailey doesn’t hesitate to follow their demands, even when it compromises the integrity of her intel and ruins her future. Years later, journalist Alex Charles is hunting down the truth behind the mysterious CIA source driving the country towards war. As the two women join forces, they have to make life-or-death decisions about where their loyalties lie: with their families or their country? [e-book | print | large type]

⏤Laura