The Silent Treatment by Abbie Greaves | It is hard to believe this is Greaves’ debut book because it is so beautifully written and hard to put down. Frank and Maggie, a married couple, simply stop talking to each other until six months later when Maggie collapses in their kitchen and ends up in a coma. As Frank sits next to her in the hospital, the nurse suggests Frank talk to Maggie, and that’s how we learn their complicated yet loving story. This book was a joy to read.
Broken Faith: Inside One of America’s Most Dangerous Cults by Mitch Weiss and Holbrook Mohr
I went through a phase where I read books on nearly every religion and sect and was fascinated by their origins and traditions. This is no religion—this is a cult, and Jane Whaley is the leader with complete control. It is a sad and disturbing story as one family attempts to leave the cult and its practices, which include separating family members from each other and the cult’s bizarre ritual of blasting. The cult still exists in Spindale, North Carolina, and the leader continues to enrich herself and family at the expense of others. Not a fun read.
Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier
A mother lets go of her son’s hand for one minute in the chaos of Christmas shopping, and the next thing you know, he is gone. No amount of searching by the police or FBI can find the child. He has vanished without a trace. His parents grow apart over the next year. The mother hires a pesky PI who starts to pull on threads of the story that don’t add up. The thriller will keep you reading until the very end, and you are likely to go back and reread the last few pages just to make sure you got it right.
