Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman

Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman, is a poignant story about an inept, wannabe bank robber who disappears into thin air, a father and son cop team, and a handful of folks who showed up to an apartment as prospective buyers and left as rescued hostages.

The night before New Year’s Eve in a small Swedish town, a struggling parent attempts to rob a cashless bank for 6,500 kronor. After a solid ridiculing by the young bank teller, the would-be robber flees and dashes into a nearby apartment. “Armed” with a toy gun and still wearing a ski mask, the robber interrupts a routine apartment showing, turning it into an extraordinary situation.

What the robber didn’t know as he announced that he would be holding everyone in the apartment hostage is that all the building’s tenants have their own secrets, hardships, and struggles. These stories unfold during interviews with the police, as Jack, a young cop, and his father, Jim, try to figure out who the would-be perpetrator is and where he has disappeared

The novel was written very close to how a very anxious person (like myself) speaks and thinks, which made the story easy to get into. Backman jumps back and forth between each character’s past and present, slowly explaining how the very diverse group of hostages are alike. The novel explores marriage, parenthood, economic pressures, and life’s responsibilities using a combination of drama, mystery, and comedy. This was a nice break from my typical thriller novel.

Anxious People is available on most major platforms, including the Apple Bookstore, Amazon (and Amazon Kindle), and Google Play.

The Wife Upstairs, by Rachel Hawkins

My thriller break was short-lived once I picked up The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. A healthy combination of two of my favorite books, du Maurier's Rebecca and Bronte’s Jane Eyre, created a front-to-back-in-one-day kind of read.

Former foster kid Jane moves to Birmingham, Alabama, where she takes up work as a dog walker for the wealthy residents of Thornfield Estates, a community full of bored housewives, fancy cars, and far more money than necessary. Broke as broke can be, Jane, supplements her income with jewelry she snags from the gated community’s rich wives because, after all, they are so rich they won’t notice.

She meets and falls for the mysterious Eddie Rochester. He recently lost his wife, Bea, in a boating accident with her best friend, and neither body was recovered (sounding familiar yet?). Rich, brooding, and handsome to boot, Jane sees Eddie as her opportunity for protection and comfort and a new life.

Bea Rochester had her own rags-to-riches story. She was ambitious and successful and her story haunts Jane to no end. In a race against time, the truth, and their pasts, Jane attempts to win over Eddie as her very own Mr. Rochester.

Hawkins really pulled out all the Jane Eyre moves with this one, even giving the character from the original, Adele, a part in this Southern-charmed version of the classic tale.

The Wife Upstairs is available on most major platforms, but I purchased it from the Apple Bookstore. This read will pair well with your favorite glass of wine, no doubt.