MCMARGARET CARMEL

1. Article · Aug 29, 2026 · MARGARET CARMEL

   Margaret's Library: Explore Oxford's dark side with 'The It Girl' (opens the original)

   Excerpt · English

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   There's something so alluring about an elite school. Whether it's a boarding school or a historic college campus, the combination of old buildings steeped in secrets, the long shadow of old money and the pressures of academics and coming of age are a potent combination for any story. It especially lends itself to a mystery, where shadowy campus buildings can conceal generations of secrets. If you're just as intrigued by these plot devices as I am, then Ruth Ware's "The It Girl" is a fantastic mu

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2. Article · Jul 11, 2026 · MARGARET CARMEL

   Margaret's Library: Embrace the chaos With 'Finlay Donovan' (opens the original)

   Excerpt · Neutral tone · English

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   The truest fiction often speaks to our hearts because it is drawn from life. Painful conversations between long-married couples, the awkward glory of growing up and the details of stories set decades or even hundreds of years in the past all come alive with the background of an author's lived experience or what they find in historical records. But, have you ever wondered what it's like for thriller and mystery writers to dream up their twisty, violent stories? Elle Cosimano's equal parts hilario

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