July 14, 2023
New Fiction
Have You Seen Her by Catherine McKenzie – Equipped with a burner phone and a new job, Cassie Peters has left her hectic and secretive life in New York City for the refuge of her hometown of Mammoth Lakes, California. There, she rejoins Yosemite search and rescue, where a case she worked a decade ago continues to haunt her. Cassie quickly falls into old patterns, joining a group of fellow seasonal workers and young adventurers who have made Yosemite their home during the summer. She meets Petal, a young woman living in a trailer with her much older girlfriend, keeping a detailed diary of the goings-on of the park; and Jada, a recent college graduate on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend, documenting their journey on Instagram. When these three women cross paths, Cassie’s past catches up with her, and the shocking consequences ripple out far beyond what anyone could have imagined.
Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale – If you had the power to change the past…would you? Cassandra Penelope Dankworth is a creature of habit. She likes what she likes (museums, jumpsuits, her boyfriend, Will) and strongly dislikes what she doesn’t (mess, change, her boss drinking out of her mug). Her life runs in a pleasing, predictable order. Until now. She’s just been dumped. She’s just been fired. Her local café has run out of banana muffins. Then something truly unexpected happens: Cassie discovers she can go back and change the past. Now Cassie should be able to find a way to fix the life she accidentally obliterated. And with time on her side, how hard can it be…?
The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding – Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets – no one ever does – but when her restaurant fails, and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her Toyota Corolla. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to plan her next move – until early one morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Less has thwarted her one chance to escape her life. Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until she returns the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the women strike up a friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: She wants Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and that Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.
The Café at Beach End by RaeAnne Thayne – When Meredith Collins was a child, the little beach town of Cape Sanctuary lived up to its name. Spending the summers there with her grandmother, Meredith finally felt safe and loved. Now she’s returning in disgrace. Her late ex-husband swindled investors out of millions of dollars and made Meredith a figure of scorn – though she knew nothing about his scheme. But she still has the beach cottage she inherited from her grandmother, and half ownership of the local café. It’s a place to work and earn a little money. That’s if her cousin, Tori, will let her through the door. Once, Tori and Meredith were as close as sisters – until Meredith chose her neglectful parents’ expectations over their bond. Now widowed with a teenage daughter, Tori isn’t setting out a welcome mat for the woman who let her down so badly. While Meredith tries to make a fresh start, she is drawn to a mysterious writer renting the cottage next door. Liam Byrne’s kindness is a balm, though she worries he might not be so friendly if he knew who she was. But Liam has his own secret and a mission that will help Meredith confront her past – and maybe, claim a surprising future..