Crime/Mystery Books
Mystery novels are puzzles that need a solution. We enjoy the thrill of the chase, the narrow escapes, and follow the clues to guess how the story is going to end. The mystery genre has been around for more than two centuries now and there are reasons why it happens to be the most popular of all genres out there. Here are top picks from our passionate community of readers.
The Cabinet of Dr. Leng (Agent Pendergast Series Book 21)
Preston & Child continue their #1 bestselling series featuring FBI Special
Agent Pendergast and Constance Greene, as they cross paths with New York’s
deadliest serial killer: Pendergast’s own ancestor…and now his greatest
foe.AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY Astoundingly, Constance has found a way back to
the place of her origins, New York City in the late 1800s, leaping at the
chance, although it means leaving the present forever.A DESPERATE
OPPORTUNITY Constance sets off on a quest to prevent the events that lead
to the deaths of her sister and brother. But along the road to redemption,
Manhattan’s most infamous serial killer, Dr. Enoch Leng, lies in wait,
ready to strike at the slightest provocation.UNIMAGINABLE ODDS Meanwhile,
in contemporary New York, Pendergast feverishly searches for a way to
reunite with Constance—but will he discover a way back to her before it’s
too late? Read more
A World of Curiosities: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel, 18)
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns in the eighteenth book in #1 New
York Times bestseller Louise Penny’s beloved series.It’s spring and Three
Pines is reemerging after the harsh winter. But not everything buried
should come alive again. Not everything lying dormant should reemerge. But
something has.As the villagers prepare for a special celebration, Armand
Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir find themselves increasingly worried. A young
man and woman have reappeared in the Sûreté du Québec investigators’ lives
after many years. The two were young children when their troubled mother
was murdered, leaving them damaged, shattered. Now they’ve arrived in the
village of Three Pines. But to what end?Gamache and Beauvoir’s memories of
that tragic case, the one that first brought them together, come rushing
back. Did their mother’s murder hurt them beyond repair? Have those
terrible wounds, buried for decades, festered and are now about to erupt?As
Chief Inspector Gamache works to uncover answers, his alarm grows when a
letter written by a long dead stone mason is discovered. In it the man
describes his terror when bricking up an attic room somewhere in the
village. Every word of the 160-year-old letter is filled with dread. When
the room is found, the villagers decide to open it up. As the bricks are
removed, Gamache, Beauvoir and the villagers discover a world of
curiosities. But the head of homicide soon realizes there’s more in that
room than meets the eye. There are puzzles within puzzles, and hidden
messages warning of mayhem and revenge. In unsealing that room, an old
enemy is released into their world. Into their lives. And into the very
heart of Armand Gamache’s home. Read more
We Lie Here: A Thriller
A woman’s trip home reveals frightening truths in a twisty novel of murder
and family secrets by the New York Times bestselling author of And Now
She’s Gone and These Toxic Things.TV writer Yara Gibson’s hometown of
Palmdale, California, isn’t her first choice for a vacation. But she’s back
to host her parents’ twentieth-anniversary party and find the perfect
family mementos for the celebration. Everything is going to plan until Yara
receives a disturbing text: I have information that will change your
life.The message is from Felicia Campbell, who claims to be a childhood
friend of Yara’s mother. But they’ve been estranged for years―drama best
ignored and forgotten. But Yara can’t forget Felicia, who keeps texting,
insisting that Yara talk to her “before it’s too late.”But the next day is
already too late for Felicia, whose body is found floating in Lake
Palmdale. Before she died, Felicia left Yara a key to a remote lakeside
cabin. In the basement are files related to a mysterious tragedy, unsolved
since 1998. What secrets was Felicia hiding? How much of what Yara knows
about her family has been true?The deeper Yara digs for answers, the more
she fears that Felicia was right. Uncovering the truth about what happened
at the cabin all those years ago will change Yara’s life―or end it. Read more
The House in the Pines: A Novel
“This is an absolute, can’t-put-it-down thriller…It’s truly a wild ride
that had me flying through chapter after chapter—which I think is the
perfect way to kick off your year of reading.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s
Book Club Jan ’23 Pick)Armed with only hazy memories, a woman who long ago
witnessed her friend’s sudden, mysterious death, and has since spent her
life trying to forget, sets out to track down answers. What she uncovers,
deep in the woods, is hardly to be believed….Maya was a high school
senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of
the enigmatic man named Frank whom they’d been spending time with all
summer. Seven years later, Maya lives in Boston with a loving boyfriend
and is kicking the secret addiction that has allowed her to cope with what
happened years ago, the gaps in her memories, and the lost time that she
can’t account for. But her past comes rushing back when she comes across a
recent YouTube video in which a young woman suddenly keels over and dies in
a diner while sitting across from none other than Frank. Plunged into the
trauma that has defined her life, Maya heads to her Berkshires hometown to
relive that fateful summer—the influence Frank once had on her and the
obsessive jealousy that nearly destroyed her friendship with Aubrey. At
her mother’s house, she excavates fragments of her past and notices hidden
messages in her deceased Guatemalan father’s book that didn’t stand out to
her earlier. To save herself, she must understand a story written before
she was born, but time keeps running out, and soon, all roads are leading
back to Frank’s cabin…. Utterly unique and captivating, The House in
the Pines keeps you guessing about whether we can ever fully confront the
past and return home. Read more
The Hive
Glamorous messiah or charlatan? A mask of beauty hides deadly secrets in
#1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s
mesmerizing novel of suspense.In the Pacific Northwest, detective Lindsay
Jackman is investigating the murder of a young journalist found at the
bottom of a ravine. Lindsay soon learns that the victim was writing an
exposé. Her subject: a charismatic wellness guru who’s pulled millions into
her euphoric orbit…To hear Marnie Spellman tell it, when she was a child, a
swarm of bees lifted her off the ground and toward the sunlight, illuming
her spiritual connection with nature―an uncanny event on which Marnie built
a cosmetics empire and became a legend, a healer, and the queen of holistic
health and eternal beauty. In her inner circle is an intimate band of
devotees called the Hive. They share Marnie’s secrets of success―including
one cloaked in darkness for twenty years.Determined to uncover the possibly
deadly mysteries of the group, Lindsay focuses her investigation on Marnie
and the former members of the Hive, who are just as determined to keep
Lindsay from their secrets as they are to maintain their status. Read more
Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller
A riveting novel of psychological suspense about perfect lives and hidden
secrets by New York Times bestselling author T.R. Ragan.Nora Harmon has a
lot to be thankful for: two great kids, a stable marriage, and now, a dream
career. Software consultant Jane Bell wants Nora on her team. She’s
offering a fantastic salary, flexible hours, and a chance to travel the
world. It sounds too good to be true, but Jane won’t take no for an
answer.Jane acts more like a friend than a boss, and Nora’s personal and
professional boundaries begin to blur. Jane is smitten with Nora’s perfect
family―particularly her daughter―and far too attentive to Nora’s husband.
Nora can’t help but feel insecure and unsettled.Maybe Jane is everything
she says she is: a lonely woman in need of feeling the love of a kind and
decent family. Maybe Nora is just being paranoid.Maybe not. Read more
The House of Wolves: Bolder Than Yellowstone or Succession, Patterson and Lupica’s Power-Family Thriller Is Not To Be Missed
Instant New York Times Bestseller! James Patterson and Mike Lupica are the
thriller dream team! Jenny Wolf’s murdered father leaves her in charge of a
billion-dollar empire—and a family more ruthless than Succession’s Roys and
Yellowstone’s Duttons. The Wolfs, the most powerful family in California,
have a new head–thirty-six-year-old former high school teacher Jenny Wolf.
That means Jenny now runs the prestigious San Francisco Tribune. She also
controls the legendary pro football team, the Wolves. And she has a
murdered father to avenge—if she can survive the killers all around her. An
unforgettable family drama by two writers at the top of their craft. Read more
Zodiac Academy 8: Sorrow and Starlight
All stars must fall.Bloody, lost, broken. We live to fight another day.
But with so much stolen from us, can the fates ever twist in our favour
again?My sister and I have been torn apart by shadows and despair, and now
we each stand alone.Our sorrow is spun like a web, trapping us tight, and I
fear our enemies will soon come to feast upon our souls.But if I have my
way, the merciless sky will have dealt us its final fortune. It’s time for
us to take back the power that’s been ripped from our grasp and turn the
tide of this war.All stars must fall, and all Phoenixes must rise.Long live
the Savage Queens.*This will now be book 8 of 9 in the series****This is a
dark, bully romance – don’t go expecting a sweet school for magic with
friends around every corner. Fae fight for everything they own and Zodiac
Academy is a cutthroat school for students aged 18+ where only the
strongest prevail. There’s no Dumbledore here to save anyone’s ass and
Lionel Acrux will give Voldemort a run for his money in the evil dictator
category. So hold onto your stardust (broomsticks not required) and get
ready for a bumpy ride*** Read more
Girl, Forgotten: A Novel
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!“It’s Slaughter’s prodigious gifts of
characterization that make her stand out among thriller
writers.” — Washington PostFrom the New York Times bestselling author of
Pieces of Her, comes an electrifying thriller featuring newly minted US
Marshal Andrea Oliver as she investigates a cold case with links to her
father’s past. A small town hides a big secret…Who killed Emily Vaughn?A
girl with a secret…Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the
prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night
should be the highlight of her high school career. But Emily has a
secret. And by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced
forever. An unsolved murder…Forty years later, Emily’s murder remains a
mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks; her respected,
wealthy family retreated inwards; the small town moved on from her grisly
attack. But all that’s about to change.One final chance to uncover a
killer…US Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives in Longbill Beach on her first
assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. But, in reality,
Andrea is there to find justice for Emily. The killer is still out
there—and Andrea must discover the truth before she gets silenced, too… Read more
Local Woman Missing: A Novel of Domestic Suspense
New York Times Bestseller”Dark and twisty, with white-knuckle tension and
jaw-dropping surprises.” —Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author
of Home Before DarkIn this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense
Mary Kubica, author of the upcoming Just the Nicest Couple, takes domestic
secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing
to keep the truth buried.People don’t just disappear without a trace…Shelby
Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her
six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby
was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these
incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions
than answers, the case eventually goes cold.Now, eleven years later,
Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her,
but no one is prepared for what they’ll find…Don’t miss Mary Kubica’s
twisty new thriller, Just the Nicest Couple!Look for these other
pulse-pounding thrillers by New York Times bestselling author Mary
Kubica:The Good GirlPretty BabyDon’t You CryEvery Last LieWhen the Lights
Go OutThe Other Mrs. Read more
Remarkably Bright Creatures: A Novel
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club
Pick!NAMED A BEST BOOK OF SUMMER by: Chicago Tribune * The View * Southern
Living * USA Today“Remarkably Bright Creatures [is] an ultimately feel-good
but deceptively sensitive debut. . . . Memorable and tender.” — Washington
Post For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively
readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a
widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopusAfter Tova
Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell
Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped
her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik,
mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.Tova
becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus
living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but
wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until
he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.Ever the detective, Marcellus
deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus
must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the
truth for her before it’s too late. Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a
gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help
uncover a future that once felt impossible. Read more
Corrupted Chaos: An Enemies to Lovers Forced Proximity Romance (Tarnished Empire)
My enemy doesn’t make the rules behind closed doors…Even if he’s my
boss.Cade Armanelli might be an infamous hacker with billionaire status who
operates better alone, but I earned my spot working alongside him…Whether
he likes it or not.It’s precisely why I’m on the first plane to an
undisclosed location for our cybersecurity team retreat. I’m ready to prove
to our company that I can handle anything…Except sharing a cabin and a bed
with my meticulous, elusive boss. He’s antisocial.Ruthless.Enemy number
one.Unfortunately, he’s also number one in tatted, dark, and dangerous. I
quickly come to find that not only are his hacking skills perfection, but
so is his performance in the bedroom.Not that it matters. I have a job to
keep, a heart to protect, and our nation’s data to secure.Cade can’t help
me with any of that.He’s a distraction. One I have to avoid…Even if it
means I’m spray painting a red line down our bed and keeping my boss on his
side.Corrupted Chaos is a light mafia standalone romance with forced
proximity, steam, and a tech mogul that will fight and grovel for a HEA
with his spitfire woman. Read more
Oath of Loyalty (21) (A Mitch Rapp Novel)
Mitch Rapp confronts a very different kind of killer in the explosive new
thriller in Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series, written by
Kyle Mills. With President Anthony Cook convinced that Mitch Rapp poses a
mortal threat to him, CIA Director Irene Kennedy is forced to construct a
truce between the two men. The terms are simple: Rapp agrees to leave the
country and stay in plain sight for as long as Cook controls the White
House. In exchange, the administration agrees not to make any moves against
him. This fragile détente holds until Cook’s power-hungry security adviser
convinces him that Rapp has no intention of honoring their agreement. In an
effort to put him on the defensive, they leak the true identity of his
partner, Claudia Gould. As Rapp races to neutralize the enemies organizing
against her, he discovers that a new generation of assassins is on her
trail. A killer known to intelligence agencies only as Legion. The shadowy
group has created a business model based on double-blind secrecy. Neither
the killer nor the client knows the other’s identity. Because of this,
Legion can’t be called off nor can they afford to fail. No matter how long
it takes—weeks, months, years—they won’t stand down until their target is
dead. Faced with the seemingly impossible task of finding and stopping
Legion, Rapp and his people must close ranks against a world that has
turned on them. Read more
Shattered
When a sassy psychologist meets a gruff FBI agent, they team up to try and solve the worst serial murders in decades – but even with all their talent combined they may be outmatched.
Dr. Percy Shatter is the best forensic, behavioral, and clinical psychologist around, which probably says more about her than she ever could herself. She’s afraid of almost nothing in the real world, especially after personally interviewing just about every living serial killer and studying all the rest. She’s faced evil and come out the other side with knowledge, analysis, and a few scars. Plus she can drink anyone under the table.
Even though he’s a foot taller than her, Percy stands her ground with Riley Rankin, toe-to-toe, when she meets him. He’s in the Violent Crimes unit of the Criminal Investigative Division with the FBI, and he’s got a fantastic solve rate. He’s taken down monsters so terrifying their existence never made it into public knowledge. He’s a star Special Agent because he follows the rules as close to the letter as anyone can. That is…until he meets Percy, who pushes his buttons. Suddenly he misses his old murder scenes with just blood and not so many metaphors.
Together Dr. Percy Shatter and Special Agent Riley Rankin are forced into a partnership after several brutally mutilated bodies, resembling the work of a notorious serial killer, are found. More concerning, the dead victims are found states apart at the same time – meaning they’re searching for more than one copycat. The mimicked serial killer has been in prison for years, and he’s not helping whoever’s doing this, so Percy and Riley are left at a loss. In the incredible stress of the situation, both partners end up at each other’s throats. Percy tries to solve her woes at the bottom of a bottle and Riley shuts down. All the while, there are killers out there planning their next elaborate and violent murders.
Can Riley help Percy wrangle her inner demons long enough to chase down the psychotic followers
Desert Star
#N/A
Blowback: James Patterson’s Best Thriller in Years
A brilliant American president is also a psychopath. He has his finger on
the red button. And he’s about to start a world war with our most dangerous
enemy. Put your finger on the order button. Push it to read James
Patterson’s best and scariest novel yet. “Pure Patterson… Blowback asks us
to imagine what would happen if a narcissistic psychopath were elected to
the White House [and] to experience the terror of the world hanging in the
balance at a moment when only a handful of determined patriots can save
us.” –Ron Charles, Washington Post US President Keegan Barrett has swept
into office on his success as Director of the CIA. Six months into his
first term, he devises a clandestine power grab with deadly consequences.
Barrett personally orders CIA agents Liam Grey and Noa Himel to execute
his plan, but their loyalties are divided. The CIA serves at the pleasure
of the president, yet they’ve sworn to support and defend the Constitution
of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. When the
threat comes directly from the Oval Office, that’s where the blowback
begins. Read more
Luckiest Girl Alive: A Novel
*NOW A NETFLIX FILM STARRING MILA KUNIS* Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on
the Train will thrill at this “perfect page-turner” (People)—that Reese
Witherspoon describes as “one of those reads you just can’t put down!” This
instant New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling novel follows an
unforgettable young woman striving to create the perfect life—until a
violent incident from her past threatens to unravel everything and expose
her most shocking secret.HER PERFECT LIFE IS A PERFECT LIE As a teenager at
the prestigious Bradley School, Ani FaNelli endured a shocking, public
humiliation that left her desperate to reinvent herself. Now, with a
glamorous job, expensive wardrobe, and handsome blue blood fiancé, she’s
this close to living the perfect life she’s worked so hard to achieve. But
Ani has a secret. There’s something else buried in her past that still
haunts her, something private and painful that threatens to bubble to the
surface and destroy everything. With a singular voice and twists you won’t
see coming, Luckiest Girl Alive explores the unbearable pressure that so
many women feel to “have it all” and introduces a heroine whose sharp edges
and cutthroat ambition have been protecting a scandalous truth, and a heart
that’s bigger than it first appears. The question remains: will breaking
her silence destroy all that she has worked for—or, will it at long last,
set Ani free? Read more
Pen Pal
The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked
from the state penitentiary, and contained a single sentence:I’ll wait
forever if I have to.It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.Out of
simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for.
His reply?You.I told the mystery man he had the wrong girl. He said he
didn’t. I said we’d never met, but he said I was wrong.We went back and
forth, exchanging letters every week that grew increasingly more intimate.
Then one day, the letters stopped. When I found out why, it was already too
late.Dante was at my doorstep.And nothing on earth could have prepared me
for what happened next. Read more
Rich Blood (Jason Rich)
From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey comes a
compelling legal thriller about a lawyer who takes on his sister’s case―and
confronts small-town secrets and family skeletons.Attorney Jason Rich has
made a fortune off other people’s bad luck. His billboard slogan―“In an
accident? Get Rich!”―accosts motorists on highways from Alabama to Florida.
As ambulance chasers go, he’s exceptional.But after a recent divorce and a
stint in rehab, Jason has hit a rough patch. And things only get worse when
his sister, Jana, is accused of her husband’s murder. Even though Jason has
no experience trying criminal cases, Jana begs him to represent her.Jason
has mixed feelings about returning to Lake Guntersville, Alabama―and even
more reservations about diving back into his sister’s life. Between the
drugs, the affairs, and a tendency to gaslight everyone in her inner
circle, Jana has plenty of enemies in town.But did Jana hire someone to
kill her husband? Jason isn’t so sure. He heads back to his hometown to
unravel the truth and face off against opponents old and new. Read more
Soul Taken (A Mercy Thompson Novel)
Mercy Thompson, car mechanic and shapeshifter, must face her greatest
fears in this chilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling
series.The vampire Wulfe is missing. Since he’s deadly, possibly insane,
and his current idea of “fun” is stalking me, some may see it as no great
loss. But, warned that his disappearance might bring down the carefully
constructed alliances that keep our pack safe, my mate and I must find
Wulfe—and hope he’s still alive. As alive as a vampire can be, anyway.
But Wulfe isn’t the only one who has disappeared. And now there are bodies,
too. Has the Harvester returned to the Tri-Cities, reaping souls with his
cursed sickle? Or is he just a character from a B horror movie and our
enemy is someone else? The farther I follow Wulfe’s trail, the more
twisted—and darker—the path becomes. I need to figure out what’s going on
before the next body on the ground is mine. Read more
Heat 2: A Novel
Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!Michael Mann,
four-time-Oscar-nominated writer-director of The Last of the Mohicans, The
Insider, Ali, Miami Vice, Collateral, and Heat teams up with Edgar
Award–winning author Meg Gardiner to deliver Mann’s first novel, an
explosive return to the universe and characters of his classic crime
film—with an all-new story unfolding in the years before and after the
iconic movie“Heat 2 is now one of my favorite suspense novels. . . . I’m
already quoting lines from Heat 2 to my writer friends (shamelessly saying
the lines are mine).” – James PattersonOne day after the end of Heat, Chris
Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) is holed up in Koreatown, wounded, half delirious,
and desperately trying to escape LA. Hunting him is LAPD detective Vincent
Hanna (Al Pacino). Hours earlier, Hanna killed Shiherlis’s brother in arms
Neil McCauley (De Niro) in a gunfight under the strobe lights at the foot
of an LAX runway. Now Hanna’s determined to capture or kill Shiherlis, the
last survivor of McCauley’s crew, before he ghosts out of the city.In 1988,
seven years earlier, McCauley, Shiherlis, and their highline crew are
taking scores on the West Coast, the US-Mexican border, and now in Chicago.
Driven, daring, they’re pulling in money and living vivid lives. And
Chicago homicide detective Vincent Hanna—a man unreconciled with his
history—is following his calling, the pursuit of armed and dangerous men
into the dark and wild places, hunting an ultraviolent gang of home
invaders.Meanwhile, the fallout from McCauley’s scores and Hanna’s pursuit
cause unexpected repercussions in a parallel narrative, driving through the
years following Heat.Heat 2 projects its dimensional and richly drawn men
and women into whole new worlds—from the inner sanctums of rival crime
syndicates in a South American free-trade zone to transnational criminal
enterprises in Southeast Asia. The novel brings you intimately into these
lives. In Michael Mann’s Heat universe, they will confront new adversaries
in lethal circumstances beyond all boundaries.Heat 2 is engrossing, moving,
and tragic—a masterpiece of crime fiction with the same extraordinary
ambitions, scope, and rich characterizations as the epic film. Read more
Swamp Spirits (Miss Fortune Mysteries)
Ghost of a chance?Fortune is thrilled when Ben Harrison, her former CIA
partner, and his fiancée, Cassidy, decide to leave DC and move to the
Louisiana bayous. They’ve already secured jobs and are only lacking a place
to live, so everyone is excited when they quickly find a home. There’s only
one problem—the house has a reputation. It’s haunted.Fortune doesn’t
believe in ghosts, but when Cassidy starts seeing a woman in white inside
her house and can’t determine how she’s entering or exiting, Fortune knows
she’s got to figure out what’s going on before things get worse. As Swamp
Team 3 takes on the “spirited” case, they dive into a decades-old mystery
of love, money, voodoo curses, and a missing woman. But can they get
answers before Ben and Cassidy give up the ghost and go back to DC? Read more