The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Title: The President is Missing

Author: Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Genre: Suspense/Political Thriller

Have you ever given a thought to just how much of our lives are controlled by computers?

This taut political thriller poses this question as the U.S. is threatened with a cyber attack by terrorists that could threaten our financial institutions, our infrastructure, and even our very lives.  It involves political intrigue, an assassin, computer coders/hackers, and of course, the President.  Will President Jonathan Duncan discover who is about to send the U.S. into the dark ages? Who can the President trust?

Bill Clinton, James Patterson, and ghost writer David Ellis team up to take you on a fast-paced ride through the harrowing experience of preparing for an attack that the U.S. is not equipped to fight.

- Sarah R.

Check out The President Is Missing @ the library.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Title: Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI (Audiobook)

Author: David Grann

Genre: History; True Crime

Killers of the Flower Moon is a horrifying and heartbreaking true story of racism, conspiracy, and murder. In the early 1900s, oil was discovered on the Osage reservation in Oklahoma, and the two thousand tribal members quickly became the wealthiest people per capita in the world. Shortly after, however, they became some of the most murdered people in the world. Some were shot, others were poisoned, and one family died in a bombing. The period from 1921 to 1926 became known as the "Osage Reign of Terror." 

After the tribe pressured the federal government for assistance, the new director of the Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, sent a former Texas Ranger named Tom White and a team of undercover agents to investigate. A powerful local cattle rancher, his nephew, and a henchman were tried and convicted for two of the murders, but theirs were the only convictions. Several years ago, journalist David Grann began investigating the murders and uncovered a terrifying conspiracy that went far deeper than the Bureau of Investigation ever discovered.

The audiobook is read by three narrators: Ann Marie Lee tells the story of Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman whose three sisters and mother were murdered. Then, Will Patton brings Tom White and the bureau's investigation to life, and finally, Danny Campbell recounts Grann's modern investigation. Whereas Lee and Campbell's narration is acceptable, Patton's is truly exceptional. He sounds just like a cowboy from a bygone era and does a fabulous job of recreating the voices of the dozens of chracters involved in the original investigation. 

The nine hours of this audiobook flew by! It's a must-listen to or must-read for anyone interested in American history and true crime. I think we owe it to the victims to keep their story alive. As one Osage tribal member remarked to Grann, "Their blood cries out from the ground."

- Rachel K.

Check out Killers of the Flower Moon @ the library.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Title: The Female Persuasion

Author: Meg Wolitzer

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

College Freshman Greer Kadetsky lets her friend, Zee, drag her to a feminist talk by Faith Frank, a famous women's rights proponent. Little does Greer know that it will open up a new, previously unimagined path for her. Greer's boyfriend, Cory, suffers a horrible loss that hijacks his future plans. Zee, stuck with a job she doesn't like, overcomes regular betrayals to find her own way. Faith, forever on a quest to improve the world for women, must decide what she will give up and hand over to achieve her ends.

This book touches on so many topics: women's rights, love, loss, disappointment, goals, loyalty, and really seeing the people surrounding you. Though it is not particularly surprising, it reminds the reader that everyone can make a difference in the lives of others.

- Sarah R.

Check out The Female Persuasion @ the library.

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Title: Not If I Save You First

Author: Ally Carter

Genre: Young Adult, Action, Thriller

Best friends Maddie and Logan are pretty ordinary ten-year-olds, but their lives are anything but: Logan's dad is the President and Maddie's dad is the head of the Secret Service. The kids are inseparable until Maddie's dad is injured while saving the First Lady from a Russian kidnapping attempt. Once healed, he takes Maddie to start a new life in the Alaskan wilderness - no electricity, no plumbing, no schools, no nothing. 

Six years later, Maddie's grown as hard as the terrain she's learned to survive in, profoundly lonely since Logan never answered any of her letters. Meanwhile, Logan's gotten into trouble one too many times, so his parents send him to Alaska. As a storm moves in and Maddie's dad leaves to deliver supplies, the two teens are left alone. Within hours, Logan's kidnapped by the same Russians, and Maddie knows she's the only one who can save her former best friend - even though she feels like killing him herself.

Maddie's character makes this book great. She's a true heroine: smart, fearless, and funny, just as effective wielding a hatchet as she is wielding excessive girliness to throw her enemies off guard. Her letters to Logan that begin each chapter will resonate with anyone who's lost a good friend. Certain aspects of the plot require some suspension of disbelief, but it's not hard to do when the story is so delightful. And of course, there's romance - the icing on the cake of this fun, action-packed book.

- Rachel K.

Check out Not If I Save You First @ the library.