Might not be quite "hard" enough, but perhaps try the Interdepency trilogy by John Scalzi.

Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln child. Suspense. Enjoying it so far. It's the sequel to The Relic, and I'm liking this book a bit more than the first.

I enjoyed that trilogy, too.

I lived in MKE for 16 years. Keep the water softener, lol.

Such a great movie. To add to the list...

It's Mega Maid, sir. She's gone from suck to blow.

Light speed is too slow. We'll have to go right to Ludacris speed.
Ludacris speed?!?
What's the matter Colonel Sanders? Chicken?

Looks like I have to add these to my list!

I struggled a bit with that read myself. It uses a lot of classic gothic tropes and was a bit slow moving for me, (think Castle of Otranto) but my friend absolutely loved it.

Just finished the City of Ghosts, Tunnel of Bones, and Bridge of souls trilogy from VE Schwab. They're YA fantasy set in modern times, the protagonist being a 12-year-old girl who's best friend is a ghost. Light and easy reading, and a nice fit for younger audiences.

I've been working through Schwab's works after reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which is also fantasy, but definitely for older audiences. The chapters alternate in both time and characters, and there are enough twists in the story to avoid predictability.

Gadabouts