MCPL Best of 2023: Adult FictionLike this list

80 items

• All the Sinners Bleed

  Cosby, S. A.

  Add All the Sinners Bleed to your for later shelf

  Sheriff Titus Crown has returned to his hometown in Virginia after a stint in the FBI. A shooting at a high school uncovers much more sinister wrongdoing within his community, and Titus must find a third killer before he can harm again.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Ferryman

  Cronin, Justin

  Add The Ferryman to your for later shelf

  Prospera is a utopian island where everyone lives fulfilling lives until their retirement, where they are ferried to the Nursery, their memories wiped, and they begin a new iteration. Proctor is a ferryman who believes in the goodness of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Assistant to the Villain

  Maehrer, Hannah Nicole

  Add Assistant to the Villain to your for later shelf

  Evie is desperate for a job and so ends up taking one from the kingdom's Villain, and finds much more than expected (including a crush on said boss) in this quirky and humorous fantasy romance. Suggested by Tricia from the Lee's Summit…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Big Swiss

  Beagin, Jen,

  Add Big Swiss to your for later shelf

  Greta, a transcriptionist for a local sex therapist, becomes obsessed with one of her boss's clients--and then meets her in real life. As the two become closer, both damaged characters explore their pasts, all while Greta tries to keep her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fourth Wing

  Yarros, Rebecca

  Add Fourth Wing to your for later shelf

  This romantasy follows Violet's trials in a dragon academy and her enemies-to-lovers love story with a rival. Kirsti from the Reading Rocket says, "This book took me on a fresh adventure akin to Throne of Glass and The Hunger Games.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bookworm

  Yeatman, Robin

  Add Bookworm to your for later shelf

  A woman in a dead-end marriage, inspired by the books she reads and the fellow bookworm she's crushing on--starts to fantasize about killing her husband. Recommended by Mallory from the Lee's Summit Branch.

• Georgie, All Along

  Clayborn, Kate

  Add Georgie, All Along to your for later shelf

  Liesel says, "I liked that the main character had many loving people in her life and was on a journey of self-discovery which included building a romantic relationship, but that the romance was part of her story, not the whole story," and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries

  Fawcett, Heather (Heather M.)

  Add Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries to your for later shelf

  Set in an alternate 1909, this cozy fantasy is told in a series of journal entries from an aloof Cambridge professor of folklore in the remote Hrafnsvik. Her research puts her into contact with the townfolk, the fae, and her rival, Wendell…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Chain-gang All-stars

  Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame

  Add Chain-gang All-stars to your for later shelf

  In a near future dystopian setting, prisoners compete in gladiatorial battles to the death in order to win their freedom. Adjei-Brenyah's brutal and brilliant book includes perspectives from the fighters, rivals, protesters, and fans.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• To Shape a Dragon's Breath

  Blackgoose, Moniquill

  Add To Shape a Dragon's Breath to your for later shelf

  A young indigenous girl who bonds with a dragon hatchling is sent to a magical dragon academy run by colonizers, where she struggles to maintain culture and identity. Recommended by Morgan from the Colbern Road Library Center.

• Our Hideous Progeny

  a Novel

  McGill, C. E.

  Add Our Hideous Progeny to your for later shelf

  There is no better description of this one than the one that comes from the author: "Frankenstein, but, like, with dinosaurs." In Victorian England, Victor Frankenstein's great-niece finds his papers and hopes to use them to reanimate a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How to Sell a Haunted House

  Hendrix, Grady

  Add How to Sell a Haunted House to your for later shelf

  Megan says, "I love the writing style of Grady Hendrix. He blends humor, horror, and always has a greater message within his stories. This one examines the complexities of generational trauma and the long standing damage of hiding…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Everyone Here Is Lying

  Lapena, Shari, 1960-

  Add Everyone Here Is Lying to your for later shelf

  An affair ended, an act of violence, and a missing daughter. All are the ingredients in Lapena's latest, which Brenda describes as "a fast paced read that keeps you on edge of your seat. Did not expect it to end the way it did!"…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hell Bent

  Bardugo, Leigh

  Add Hell Bent to your for later shelf

  In this sequel to Ninth House, Alex is in her second year at Yale, working to get her mentor out of Hell, while, in New Haven, faculty members are meeting their demise. Recommended by Amber from the Grandview Branch and Innes from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel

  Charles, KJ,

  Add A Nobleman's Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel to your for later shelf

  An unexpected Earl and a smuggler turned secretary find love in this historical romance by K. J. Charles. Recommended by Kimberly from the Grain Valley Branch.

• Excavations

  Myers, Kate (Television developer),

  Add Excavations to your for later shelf

  LynnDee says this one reads as "if Parks and Rec's April Ludgate wrote a novel about feminism & archaeology". Recommended by LynnDee from the Parkville Branch.

• Do a Powerbomb

  Johnson, Daniel Warren,

  Add Do a Powerbomb to your for later shelf

  Josh enthuses: "A wild ride that sees a daughter and her mother's masked killer as a professional wrestling duo thrust into a deadly wrestling competition to save the person they love the most from the underworld." Recommended by Josh from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Foghorn Echoes

  Ramadan, Ahmad Danny,

  Add The Foghorn Echoes to your for later shelf

  This tragic love story follows two teenaged boys in Syria during the early 2000s. Andrew says, " I appreciate stories that show flawed characters and how trauma affects us differently and that we never know where our lives will take us."…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Have Some Questions for You

  Makkai, Rebecca,

  Add I Have Some Questions for You to your for later shelf

  A college professor returns to her boarding school as a professor, which raises new questions about the roommate murdered during her time as a student. Mary says, "This mystery was a fun look at the world of podcasting and academia, with…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bewitched

  Thalassa, Laura,

  Add Bewitched to your for later shelf

  In order to gain entry into a witch academy, Seline makes a trek to South America. There her powers are awakened, but with a resulting loss of memory and having attracted the attention of an ancient evil. Recommended by Eden from the…Read moreRead more of this annotation