Four Great IndieNext Books for March 2020

If you’re looking for a happily ever after romance, this may not be the book for you with it’s dark times and unexpected ending.  However, if you liked Me Before You and One Day, you will surely love this story that celebrates the lifelong friendship between two very different women and how sometimes fate has a way of changing the path you always believed was your destiny.

A beautifully written debut novel that is less about the unsolved murder of a young woman while on a family vacation but rather the journey of her younger sister Claire as she attempts to understand the sibling she idolized, but barely knew.  This book has many layers including class, privilege, race, family dynamics, grief and sexuality and is perfect for a book club or buddy read.  

Vanessa is a 15-year old at a prestigious boarding school when her 43-year old English teacher singles her out as gifted and special.  Flattered by his attention, they begin a sexual relationship. Vanessa thinks she is in love and is unable to see how he manipulates and grooms her to the point that years later she is struggling with her feelings and moving on with her life.  Beautifully written, readers should be aware the content of My Dark Vanessa is disturbing and difficult to read.

Peter Swanson’s latest read is a clever and entertaining homage to the murder mystery genre.  Boston bookstore owner Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw is stunned when the FBI shows up as part of their investigation into a string of murders.   Seems years ago, Malcolm published a blog in which he listed eight of the most unsolvable crime fiction murders and now someone is using Mal’s list as a blueprint for murder.  This is a slow-burn with an interesting yet unreliable narrator. This one will not only delight fans of the author, but also introduce him to a new audience.