The Investigator (Letty Davenport, Bk. 1) by John Sandford (Putnam; LJ starred review) is the top holds title of the week (4/11/22). LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

At 24, Letty Davenport, Lucas Davenport’s adopted daughter, is already bored with government bureaucracy. She resigns from her job in Senator Chris Colles’s office, but as Chair of Homeland Security and Government Affairs, he offers her a job as a researcher. Someone is stealing oil in Texas; Chris wants to know who it is and what they’re doing with the profits. Letty works with an agent from DHS, John Kaiser, who quickly discovers Letty’s ability with a gun. They will need to work together to face a former military woman calling herself Lorelei, who runs a site on the dark web urging others to join her militia in opposition to the government and its stand on immigration. With oil money, Lorelei recruits militants from all over the West and Midwest and brings them to a border town in Texas for a show of force. Letty and Kaiser can’t take down over 100 militia members, but they can assist the local townspeople and control the carnage. VERDICT Sandford’s (“Virgil Flowers” series) first Letty Davenport novel is a violent, topical, fast-paced story that’s sure to please action fans.—Reviewed by Lesa Holstine 

False Witness by Karin Slaughter (Morrow; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the July 2021 LibraryReads list

“Leigh is a successful Atlanta attorney while her estranged sister, Callie, is a drug addict. When Leigh defends a serial rapist, she and Callie are forced to confront their traumatic past and complicated future. This is a thrill ride with satisfying depth and two main characters worth rooting for.”—Donna Ballard, East Meadow Public Library, East Meadow, NY

Kill Fee: A Stevens and Windermere Novel by Owen Laukkanen (Putnam)

Appeared on the March 2014 LibraryReads list

“In the third book in this series, Carla Windermere and Kirk Stevens find themselves reunited when people around the country seem to be dying from contract hits. Young war veterans, under the influence of a mysterious man, are turning into emotionless killers. Stevens and Windermere try piecing together who’s behind the crimes, but keep falling one step behind. Reminiscent of Thomas Perry’s novels, and fast-paced.”—Lora Bruggeman, Indian Prairie Public Library, Darien, IL

Dead of Winter by Stephen Mack Jones (Soho Crime)

Suggested by the LibraryReads Advisory Board

The latest in the August Snow series (after August Snow and Lives Laid Away), features an ex-police detective solving crimes in Detroit’s Mexicantown neighborhood. The book pits Snow and those close to him against a shadowy group of billionaire land developers. Expect high stakes, violent action, and great plotting.—LJ Reviews