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5 Vacations Gone Wrong

A girls' vacation descends into terror in this heart-stopping thriller. When Winifred Allen's best friends suggest a wilderness adventure in Maine for their annual girls' trip, she reluctantly agrees. Swimming in depression and grief, Wini could really go for more of a beach vacation. But hiking and rafting through the Allagash Wilderness proves to be revitalizing...until their trip takes a treacherous turn. After a freak accident, Wini and her friends are stranded and forced to rely on strangers for supplies and shelter. Just when the women think they're safe, the battle for survival really begins, and Wini must prove her strength.
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Does Hercule Poirot ever get a vacation? It seems that wherever he goes, he must investigate. His cruise along the Nile is interrupted by a shocking murder (of course). Honeymooner Linett Ridgeway has been shot, and Poirot might know the culprit: he overheard a passenger say incriminating, threatening things about the beautiful (and filthy rich) young woman. But it wouldn't be a Christie novel without a few unexpected twists and turns. Devoted Poirot fans will enjoy several references to his other mysteries sprinkled throughout the novel, and heads up: it's been adapted for another Kenneth Branagh film.
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This was recommended in last week's comments as a great book for Chris Pavone fans. From NPR: "This is much more than your typical thriller. Tim Johnston has written a book that makes Gone Girl seem gimmicky . . . Johnston is an excellent writer. You want to set this one down so you can take a breath, and keep reading—all at the same time."
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Liv and Nora are cousins, close as sisters. After a rough year and lots of family drama, they're in desperate need of a low-key family getaway. The cruise was going to be perfect. And it is, for a while. But then on a normal—almost boring—Central American shore excursion, a series of misunderstandings and misjudgments ends with terrifying confusion—where are the children? Soon enough, the adults realize six children have vanished—and from alternating points of view, we discover where they went, and why, and who's to blame. (There's lots to go around.) Readers take note: this is messy, and a little racy.
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Nine strangers. Ten days. From the publisher: "Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? Nine perfect strangers are about to find out... Amidst all of the luxury and pampering, the mindfulness and meditation, they know these ten days might involve some real work. But none of them could imagine just how challenging the next ten days are going to be. Frances Welty arrives at Tranquillum House nursing a bad back, a broken heart, and an exquisitely painful paper cut. She’s immediately intrigued by her fellow guests. Should Frances put aside her doubts and immerse herself in everything Tranquillum House has to offer – or should she run while she still can? For anyone looking for wickedly smart, page-turning fiction that will make you laugh and gasp, Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers once again shows why she is a master of her craft."
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