E12 EZ EE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, MAY 29 , 2022
Summer Books 2022BY GRACE D. LISummer is almost upon
us, bringing with it lon-
ger days, lots of sun and
some much-needed
time to rest, catch up with
friends, plan a weekend get-
away or while away the hours
with a good book. Whatever
your plans are, there are plen-
ty of new mysteries and thrill-
ers to accompany you. Here,
you’ll find books that will keep
you up all night, books that
will take you anywhere from a
slowly sinking Mexico City to
the quiet streets of rural North
Carolina to the city lights of
New York and Hong Kong.
This is by no means a com-
prehensive list — later this
summer, be on the lookout for
Katie Zhao’s punchy campus
thriller “The Lies We Tell” and
Ashley Winstead’s deliciously
unputdownable “The Last
Housewife” — but every book
here does something new and
exciting within the genre,
managing to tackle big,
weighty themes while also be-
ing exceptionally readable.Cherish Farrah,
by Bethany C. Morrow
In the vein of “Get Out” and
“Parasite,” this gorgeous, un-
settling thriller follows Farrah,
a young Black girl who’s al-
ways had control over her life
— until she moves in with her
best friend’s White family and
becomes convinced that some-
thing is terribly wrong. This is
an unexpected, thoughtful
novel that examines race, class
and the all-consuming nature
of female friendship.Counterfeit,
by Kirstin Chen
A startling, gleeful look at
the American Dream and what
counts as real in a world
obsessed with image, this ca-
per story follows two very
different Chinese American
women as they build a fake
fashion empire that then
threatens to come crashing
down. Chen’s use of storystructure is masterful, as are
her complicated, compelling
characters. (Available June 7)The Hacienda,
by Isabel Cañas
This suspense novel starts
with a familiar premise — a
young woman alone in the
countryside, a husband whose
first wife died under mysteri-
ous circumstances, a house
that seems to be always watch-
ing — and turns it into some-
thing rich, decadent and whol-
ly its own. The story unfolds in
alternating perspectives be-
tween Beatriz, the new wife,
and the handsome young
priest she recruits to help her.
This is not just a stay-up-all-
night, sleep-with-the-lights-on
kind of read, it’s also a nu-
anced, thoughtful exploration
of power, religion and con-
quest in a postwar Mexico.More Than You’ll Ever
Know, by Katie Gutierrez
Gutierrez’s debut takes
place in two timelines and two
worlds. The reader is trans-
ported between Mexico City
and Texas as we follow an
up-and-coming true crime
journalist and the woman
she’s interviewing, who was
married to two men in two
countries ... until one husband
found out and killed the other.
Or did he? This is an unapolo-
getic, unflinching examina-
tion of love, sacrifice and de-
sire. (Available June 7)Notes on an Execution,
by Danya Kukafka
This striking, deeply com-
passionate novel is for anyone
who’s ever been fascinated by
serial killer stories — and also
wondered if there ought to be
more to them. Here, we see all
the women whose lives have
been affected by one man on
the eve of his execution, from
his mother to the detective
who eventually catches him.
Kukafka’s novel raises difficult
questions about the narratives
we create around charismatic
men, and what forgivenesslooks like in the face of terrible
wrongs.The Violin Conspiracy,
by Brendan Slocumb
An intimate, tender portrait
of a young Black musician, this
debut novel follows Ray Mc-
Millian as he discovers that his
family fiddle is a priceless
Stradivarius and later discov-
ers that it’s been stolen before
the most important violin
competition of his life. The
suspects include his own fam-
ily and the descendants of
former North Carolina enslav-
ers who believe that the violin
is still theirs by right. A strik-
ing, honest look at the insular
world of classical music —
both its hardships and its joys.The Verifiers,
by Jane Pek
Some people can find out
anything from the Internet;
they’re the friends others turn
to when a potential love inter-
est seems just a little too good
to be true. Here, it’s Claudia
Lin, the clever, dryly funny
narrator of Pek’s debut novel,
who works for a detective
agency investigating dating
app fraudsters — only to find
herself investigating a murder
instead. This is a fascinating,
carefully layered mystery nov-
el as well as a love letter to
New York City and complicat-
ed families.The Violence,
by Delilah S. Dawson
This is a pandemic novel,
but not the kind of pandemic
you’re thinking of. When a
mysterious affliction causing
unexpected, uncontrollable
violence sweeps the world, one
woman sees it as a way for her
and her children to escape her
abusive husband. Dawson’s
thriller is a surprising, exhila-
rating journey of three genera-
tions of women navigating a
changing world.Grace D. Li is the author of
“Portrait of a Thief” and a medical
student at Stanford.A blend of high tension and intrigueThese eight thrillers and mysteries will keep you up — in tantalizing suspense — all nightJENTWO (JANEJIRA TAECHAKAMPU)/ILLUSTRATION FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTDUTTON WILLIAM MORROWBERKLEY WILLIAM MORROWWILLIAM MORROW ANCHOR BOOKSVINTAGE DEL REY