I love a mystery!

One of our patrons recently asked me, “What’s with the purple dots?”

After taking a close look at the mystery collection, it was determined that many fiction writers today add a sense of suspense or mystery to their writing. The subject matter could be described as being thrilling or suspenseful. Whether a book is being labeled as a mystery, thriller, or suspense, all three descriptions are interwoven and create a sense of intrigue. I like to use the acronym MTS (mystery, thriller, suspense) when describing this style of fiction.

The purple dots were placed on the book spines in the fiction section so that our mystery lovers can find hidden treasures that aren’t shelved in the regular mystery collection.

Meg Gardiner has been described by Stephen King as the next suspense superstar. I recently read her “Liar’s Lullaby.” The last 75 pages kept me on the edge of my seat. I am on the waiting list for her latest book, “In the Black Nowhere” (2018). Gardiner’s “Unsub” (2017) was also very popular.

Here is a list of a few more purple dot titles and authors that may surprise you. “Never Look Away” and “Trust Your Eyes” by Linwood Barclay; “Under the Harrow” by Flynn Berry; “Panic” and “Adrenaline” by Jeff Abbott; “The Dying Hours” by Mark Billingham; “From Barcelona With Love” by Elizabeth Adler; “Broken Monsters” by Lauren Beukes; and lastly, “The Real Justice” by Stephen Amidon.

I hope to continue to surprise you with additional hidden treasure titles in the near future. If you have read one of our fiction books that you think should earn a purple dot please let us know.

A reminder, the Refreshing the Whodunit program will be discussing “The Skull Mantra” by Eliot Pattison on April 14 at 10:30 a.m. Please come join us.

Happy reading mystery lovers!

Upcoming events

Monday Night Book Club: Monday, April 9, 7:30 p.m. “The Gift of Rain” by Tan Twan Eng.

Refreshing the Whodunit: Saturday, April 14, 10:30 a.m. “The Skull Mantra” by Eliot Pattison.

Vacation Week Programming: Poetry and RoboPots, Tuesday, April 17 to Friday, April 20, 1-3:30 p.m., grades 4 – 8. Register at bbhlibrary.org/robo-pots/ or call 633-3112.

Book Focus Group: Wednesday, Apr. 18, 4:30 p.m. Poetry of E.A. Robinson. Community Room.

Earth Day Fest: Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Library Lawn.

Friday Story Hour: Hear a story, make a craft, and sing a song with Miss Pam and Miss Harolyn. 10:15 a.m., ages birth to 5.