Here are few of my favorite recent reads. Library staff would be happy to help you place requests on these or any other titles. If you’d like to place your own request, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog.

Harriet Reed’s debut novel is making her a star just as she becomes engaged to marry Edward Holbeck, the heir to a powerful family. Harriet is eagerly welcomed by the Holbecks. She is excited to join their ranks, until her soon-to-be father-in-law hands her a mysterious tape. Harriet is stunned by the recording: is it fiction or a confession? She will have to figure it out quickly, because there is so much more on the line than her young relationship. Catherine Steadman’s “The Family Game” is a gripping cat-and-mouse thriller.

Bear Van Laar went missing from his family’s large New England estate in 1959. The family was devastated by the loss. Sixteen years later his younger sister Barbara goes missing from the summer camp located near the family’s home. In “The God of the Woods,” Liz Moore skillfully weaves together the threads of all of the lives impacted by the children’s disappearances, including those who may be at fault. The dual mysteries engrossed me from beginning to conclusion.

Police Chief Ed Kapenash is one week from retirement when he receives a call to the most expensive beach house on Nantucket. The Richardsons’ house is burning to the ground and the couple’s personal assistant has disappeared. Is she responsible for the blaze or is one of the couple’s many summer party guests to blame? It seems many of them have been slighted by one or both of the Richardsons during the couple’s debut summer on Nantucket. Elin Hilderbrand manages the interwoven storylines of many characters with ease while making each person sympathetic and compelling in her latest, “Swan Song.”

Nina learns that she has inherited her father’s mansion in the British Virgin Islands – a home that she had no idea existed or that her father could afford. The house is a puzzle, both figuratively and literally. What is behind the digitally-secured door in the basement? It’s locked when Nina arrives, but opens without warning one day. Is her puzzle-obsessed father setting her one last challenge? Catherine Steadman’s “Look in the Mirror” had many more twists and turns than expected.

Tess spends her free time reading and obsessing over Blood Feud, a series of sexy vampire novels. Fans all over the world swear that they’ve spotted the vampire characters in real life. Tess doesn’t really believe in vampires, until she is suddenly transported to the magical island where Blood Feud is set and is taken in by the villain and his clan. But is Callum really as wicked as he’s portrayed in the books? Kate Stayman-London’s “Fang Fiction” is a fun romantasy with great characters.

If you’d like to request these or any other titles, visit www.newulmlibrary.org and choose Library Catalog, or call the library at 507-359-8331.

New Ulm Public Library is located at 17 North Broadway and is open from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. on Monday-Thursday and 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday-Saturday. The library closes early at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24, and is closed on Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas.