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The New York Times Book Review • Publishers Weekly • CrimeReads • Book Riot
A LibraryReads Pick
The lives of two librarians become dangerously intertwined in this razor-sharp exploration of human nature and the lure of artistic obsession.
No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library know only her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.
That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo’s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a tragic incident in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo’s mysterious past, Patricia can’t resist digging deeper—even as her new fixation becomes all-consuming and sends both women hurtling toward disaster.
Chilling, incisive, and darkly humorous, How Can I Help You is a propulsive work of psychological suspense that asks how far we might go to justify our most monstrous desires.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 18, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593741924
- File size: 219991 KB
- Duration: 07:38:18
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from May 8, 2023
This brilliant slice of psychological suspense from Sims (Looker) is set mostly in the mundane confines of a Midwestern library. The Carlyle Public Library’s newest circulation clerk, Margo Finch, is a diligent employee who goes out of her way to keep the building clean. But Margo is actually a fugitive named Jane Rivers, a former nurse whose hospital stints coincided with a string of suspicious deaths—it’s Jane’s compulsion to help patients die, based on her own assessment that their time has come. Eventually, she comes to accept her dull work routine as a trade-off for her freedom, but her murderous urges are revived when a library patron is found dying in a restroom. That opportunity coincides with the arrival of a new research assistant, failed novelist Patricia Delmarco, who brings to the job secrets of her own, and gradually becomes obsessed with uncovering Jane’s past. Sims skillfully alternates between the perspectives of each woman, slowly bringing her simmering plot to a boil, and delivers a stunning climax. Patricia Highsmith fans will savor this unforgettable thriller. Agent: Chris Clemans, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc. -
November 1, 2023
A small-town library harbors a dangerous secret. Margo, the town's demure and ever-punctual librarian, is not who she claims to be. Years ago, Margo was a nurse who left a trail of death behind her. Although she thought of the deaths as mercy killings, she was forced to flee when her crimes were discovered. Now Margo has a new identity, but everything changes when Patricia, the new librarian, arrives. When a patron is found dead in the bathroom, Patricia starts to put the pieces together and can't help but wonder about Margo. Margo's forbidding and menacing personality emerges bit by bit, and rather than be disgusted or scared, Patricia is intrigued. She is a struggling novelist, and when she starts to write about Margo, the words flow. She can't wait to see what will unfold. The narration is fantastically executed by Carlotta Brentan and Maggi-Meg Reed, who perfectly convey disgust, incredulity, and intrigue. VERDICT Reference librarian Sims's (Looker) suspenseful, skillfully narrated novel will have listeners on the edge of their seats, especially those who love books about libraries and literature.--Erin Cataldi
Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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