Page-Turning Novels You'll Race Through—and Read Again

It's 1965, and Ruth is a single mother who has suffered a horrific tragedy: Her two young children have been found killed near their home in Queens. And because it's 1965, Ruth becomes the lead suspect for a host of flimsy reasons, including the fact that she's separated from her husband, her trash can has empty liquor bottles in it, and the police have discovered a stack of love notes from various men. Where Ruth tries to keep a brave face, onlookers only see guilt: "You seen how she looks coming in and out of the station—face all made up and hair done. She's never cried for 'em. Not once." Enter Pete, a reporter who slowly realizes that there's more to the killings than the sexed-up and sexist narrative that his editors and the cops are pushing on him. This taut thriller really shines when it goes deep into Ruth's head, revealing not only her grief and despair over her loss but also her chafing at the conformist culture that pronounces her "guilty in the beauty parlors, the backyards, and the kitchens of Queens."