May and June 2025 Book Club Titles
May 1 - The Last Murder at the end of the World by Stuart Turton (DB122011)
"From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution. Solve the murder to save what's left of the world. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death . . . the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer--and they don't even know it. And the clock is ticking." [11 hours, 25 minutes]
May 8 - The Maid by Nita Prose (DB106298)
Twenty-five-year-old Molly Gray doesn't interact well with the world and misses her gran who codified it for her. She has gotten a job as a hotel maid and revels in her orderly duties. When she discovers a dead body in a room, Molly must unravel the real killer's identity. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2022. [9 hours, 40 minutes]
May 15 - The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer (DB066634)
England, 1888. When her sixty-four-year-old mother disappears on Enola's fourteenth birthday, Enola sends telegrams to her much-older brothers Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. After deciphering why her mother left, Enola escapes to London to search for her and becomes involved in a second mystery. [4 hours, 14 minutes]
May 22 - Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo (DB070357)
At eighteen Kate Burkholder left her Amish community in Painters Mill, Ohio. Now chief of police, Kate is shocked by the reappearance of the serial killer who terrorized their town when she was a girl—because she thought she had killed him. Violence, strong language, and explicit descriptions of sex. 2009 [12 hours, 4 minutes]
May 29 - Down the Hill by Susan Hendricks (DB116938)
On February 13, 2017, two teenage girls—13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German—decided to enjoy a day off from school by exploring the popular hiking trails near the Monon High Bridge just a few minutes’ drive from Libby’s home in Delphi, Indiana. Less than 24 hours later, their bodies were found on the north bank of Deer Creek, about a mile from where they were last seen . . . In Down the Hill, Hendricks digs deeper in into the mystery that has captivated our nation for years, exploring the family's enduring resilience and advocacy, as well as the rippling impact the case has had on not just Delphi, but the very heart of the American heartland. [8 hours, 1 minute]
June 5-Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (DB12258)
Jay Berry and his hound dog find a tree full of monkeys while exploring the Ozark river bottom on their farm. He believes he can easily capture the monkeys, escaped from a circus, and earn a handsome reward, but the task turns out to be much more complicated than he ever dreamed. A humorous and heart-warming story for grades 5-8 and older readers.
June 12 James by Percival Everette (DB120063)
"From Percival Everett a recipient of the NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, and numerous PEN awards comes James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "cult literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature"-- Provided by publisher.
Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
June 26 Watership Down by Richard Adams (DB035730)
A fable about a band of rabbits who set out bravely for a new home in the English countryside. They encounter many dangers and adventures along the way, and finally make it to safety after rescuing some does who become their mates. For junior and senior high and older readers.