5 Mysteries for Women Who Read Like Fiends

After 16 years in prison for the murder of her sister, Toni Murphy is finally released and heads back to her old hometown on Vancouver Island. Flashbacks to her past explain her innocence but also reveal her prickly and difficult teenage years—a condition due to near-constant, high-octane bullying she suffered at the hands of a clique of popular girls at school and her difficult relationship with her mother. Her time in prison hasn't lessened her rage; instead, she says she's "clung to the hate, wrapped it around...like a fierce blanket," and the experience has left her more interested in avoiding fights than winning them. But she still wants to know who killed her sister. Toni is tough to warm up to, but readers will still find themselves empathizing with her due to her constant, even nonsensical refusal to give up. Another reason? She reminds us of a discomfiting fact: how easily a series of small, bad decisions can lead, against all expectations, to catastrophe.