From the Stack: 2024 Checkouts

As we say goodbye to 2024, the Dunklin County Library is bringing you the most checked out books of the year. The librarians at each location in the county work diligently to put the books you want to read in your hands. Additionally, they continue to bring books and reading to our patrons through our digital services, anywhere, anytime. Here are the books Dunklin County Library patrons have checked out most in 2024.

A wealthy businessman approaches Jack Morgan, head of Private, the world's largest investigation agency, with a desperate plea to track down his daughter and two grandchildren. At first, this seems to be a simple missing persons case but soon escalates into something much more deadly. Jack discovers the daughter is pursued by highly trained operatives, and the trail leads towards Afghanistan where Jack's career as a US Marine ended in catastrophe. Jack will need to face the trauma of his past to save a family's future. Missing Persons by James Patterson is the first novel in a new series entitled, Private, and it was the fifth most checked out book of 2024.

Colleen Coble knows there are few things more dangerous than family secrets, and her novels provide that ideal blend of suspense that keeps you on the edge of your seat with just the right amount of romance. Fragile Designs has engaging characters and a driving plot to make this the fourth most checked out book of 2024. Carly Harris is trying to adjust to life as a single mom after the unsolved murder of her husband. Carly discovers generational secrets in the attic including a treasure possibly worth millions of dollars in her grandmother’s home. She asks her neighbor, Lucas, for help. They try to solve the mysteries uncovered in the attic, and they must deal with long-buried issues in their own families.

The first novel in a three book series has stirred a huge following for Freida McFadden. The Housemaid is an intense page-turner with well-developed characters. It comes in third on the DCL checkouts of the year. Millie starts a new job as a housemaid for Nina and Andy Winchester, not knowing that her new start means working for a family with more dangerous secrets than her own. One day Millie tries on one of Nina's pristine dresses, wondering what it must be like to live a life like Nina's but when she is discovered she realizes her bedroom in the attic only locks from the outside. She reassures herself that the Winchesters have no idea who she really is or what she's capable of.

A thriller about an American covert assassin named Will Robie who always gets the job done is the second most checked out book of 2024. However, Will may have made his first and quite possibly his last mistake in his most recent job. His assignment is near Washington D.C. but something isn’t right. He refuses to kill and now he may be the

target. David Baldacci’s The Innocent is a fast-paced, twisty novel that will have you searching for more novels by this author.

The Women by Kristen Hannah is the most checked out book for 2024. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath, impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America.