Mystery & Thriller bestsellers

“The Guest List kept me hooked through several epic gooseberry processing sessions. (When I hadn't quite finished, I had to quickly pick more berries to carry me through to the end.) When all the guests arrive for a seemingly idyllic wedding, numerous audio narrators quickly reveal that the skeletons in the bride's and groom's pasts–infidelities, betrayals, and flagrant abuse of societal privilege–present serious obstacles to wedded bliss. This patchwork of revelations build to a stunning crescendo complete with a raging storm and subsequent power outage.”

“The Silent Patient is an outstanding thriller centered on a spellbinding mystery with a shocking twist; in other words, you are going to love this book. Alicia was a talented painter and devoted wife until the night she was discovered still as a statue and covered in blood, having apparently killed her husband. The answer as to why has remained locked inside of Alicia, who stops speaking following the murder. Six years later, Theo, a young psychologist, is determined to get the mysterious Alicia to spill all of her secrets. The final surprise will have you rethinking every riveting scene in this brilliant debut.”

“Ottessa Moshfegh is a modern-day Camus. A woman finds a note in the woods that proclaims someone is dead. Murdered, in fact. She investigates between dog walks and early evening naps but soon facts, memories, and suppositions entwine and overlap until the simple act of asking a question can unravel the thread of an entire life. Ponderous, violent, forgetful, and deft, Death in Her Hands is a genre-bender that teases you into asking, Is this noir? Horror? A whacked-out farce? Or a sly literary trick? I’ll tell you what it is — absolutely brilliant.”

“In this ghostly story of ignoring what’s right in front of you, a group of characters try to grapple with what seems like inevitable choices. Mandel’s book is like the glass in the title: her language glitters while offering clarity and reflection, and her characters are like broken shards, mesmerizing in one light and dangerously ordinary in another. Combining the humanity and structure of Station Eleven with the brutal realism of her earlier works, The Glass Hotel is an exceptional novel.”

“A burglary gone awry, a near-perfect life destroyed, a mind torn. Toby is caring for his dying uncle and finding himself again. When a skull is found in the wych elm, it seems that a decades-old murder may tear apart a family and Toby himself, as he tries to piece together what happened—and what he might have done. A haunting novel portrayed by a narrator unreliable to himself.”

“This is such a fun romp! It has everything you could possibly want in a book: field hockey, witches, and ’80s bangs that have literally taken on a life of their own. Set in Salem in the 1980s, we follow a group of high school field hockey players as they struggle with their new dark powers and attempt to end their losing streak. One of the strangest, most satisfying books I have read in a long time!”

“I really love this series by Anthony Horowitz. The mystery behind the murders is so expertly plotted and layered that you could make a case for any suspect. In this book, a divorce lawyer is found dead in his home after being beaten over the head with a VERY expensive bottle of wine, and the number 182 is painted on his wall. When Private Investigator Daniel Hawthorne drives onto the set of Horowitz’s TV show shoot, Horowitz has no choice but to follow his lead and write about the case. As always, I’m anxiously awaiting the next in this series.”

“Paul Adams may have left behind his hometown and the tragedy that happened 25 years ago, but as we know, ‘The past is never dead. It’s not even past.’ The murder that has haunted him for so long comes roaring back into his life when there’s a new killing and secrets are uncovered. Dreams really do come true, but this one may just kill Paul. Highly atmospheric and emotionally gripping, The Shadows is best read with all the lights on and well before you plan to go to sleep.”

“Getting into Catherine House is the key to success. Spend three years here completely removed from the outside world, separate yourself from your life before Catherine House, and when the three years are over, you’ll be unstoppable. That’s the premise for this evocative and gripping gothic novel. Elisabeth Thomas’ ability to create at once an elusive yet highly practical world makes her a stunning new literary voice. Inspired by secret societies, scientific experimentation, and the mysteriousness of finding ourselves, Catherine House is sure to haunt readers.”

“Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party is a slick, streamlined murder mystery set on a remote Scottish luxury estate. A group of old friends get together for their yearly New Year’s trip, but after over a decade of closeness, some of them may be near the breaking point. Foley uses the multiple-narrator approach to distort the reader’s perspective and challenge their assumptions, but it doesn’t feel excessive. With multiple puzzles that come together to create the bigger picture and a short timeline that adds to the claustrophobic urgency, this novel is a devilishly thrilling winter read.”

“Private Detective Ivy Gamble is hired to investigate a gruesome death at Osthorne Academy for Young Mages. Ivy has no magic and has more experience investigating insurance fraud cases than she has in solving murders. Now she has the chance to show off her detective skills at the same school her estranged magical twin sister teaches at...but will her relationship with her sister cause problems for the case? What at first seems to be another teenage wizard school drama instantly becomes an intriguing mystery that combines the best of urban fantasy with classic noir elements. I was immediately pulled to the protagonist, Ivy Gamble, and her complicated history she has with the magical world (and her sister). Who is the killer, one of the victim's fellow teachers or one of her hormone-crazed students? Can Ivy solve the case without knowing any magic at all? And how is Ivy supposed to sift through the lies surrounding Osthorne Academy when she can't even be truthful to herself?”

“Malcolm Kershaw is an unassuming bookseller who once wrote a list of the eight most perfect literary murders. He is surprised when the FBI shows up at his door and explains that someone is using this list and recreating the murders. With perfect pacing and shocking twists, this is a murder mystery with a classic feel that will leave you questioning how well you can know anyone. It will also add eight more books to your to-be-read pile as you will immediately need to read all the books on the perfect murder list!”

“This is a crazy funny new take on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that will have you laughing out loud and getting goofy looks from the other people in the coffee shop. Christopher Moore is always entertaining, and this book is no exception — you will enjoy it from the first sentence to the very last. And, yes, there are squirrels in the story!”

“The work of a master storyteller about the making of a young storyteller, This Tender Land is a coming-of-age novel for the ages. It begins in an isolated Dickensian boarding school in Minnesota during the early years of the Depression, then morphs into the story of four runaways in a canoe à la Huckleberry Finn. On the run from their school headmistress and the law, they encounter other wanderers and escapees from life as they canoe towards St. Louis to find their only known relative and a possible home. Odie, his brother Albert, their schoolmate Mose, and newly orphaned Emmy are unforgettable characters in an unforgiving era. Epic, thrilling, and beautifully written, this is storytelling at its very best.”

“A Minute to Midnight is a terrific second entry into the story of FBI agent Atlee Pine. She goes back to her small hometown in GA determined to try and find out what happened to her twin sister years ago and while reconnecting with people from her past she also just happens to be there when a serial killer starts working. Atlee finds a lot more information about her past than she bargained for. She truly was lied to her entire life and now has to figure out where to go from here. The serial killer was captured but the story of who Atlee is has just begun.”

“Who better than the talented Anthony Horowitz to create this marvelous mystery within a mystery. Yes, we're treated to two mysteries for the price of one: One set in a peaceful village in England during the 1950s with the one and only Detective Atticus Pund taking the case, and the other set in contemporary times with a book editor who becomes an amateur sleuth. Horowitz pays tribute to the golden age of British crime with references to mysteries created by the likes of Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie. How many hidden gems can you come up with? A perfect book to read in a cushy chair with a cup of tea (hot or iced).”

“Julia Phillips is an author to watch. She beautifully transports us to a region of the world that I had never heard of and now can’t stop thinking about. The stories of the women there—their family dynamics, their hopes and fears, the economic and cultural divide of various communities—tell a moving story about this place in a moment in time, but ultimately about the universal struggle of women living with the expectations placed on them. A remarkable debut.”

“The Woman in the Window is being touted as one of the hottest releases of early 2018, and with excellent reason. A modern take on Hitchcock's Rear Window, with many nods to classic noir film, A.J. Finn's debut novel is told through the eyes of a narrator trapped inside her beautiful house by a severe case of agoraphobia and separated from her estranged husband and young daughter. She copes with her condition by spying on her neighbors and living vicariously through their drama, until the night she witnesses what appears to be a murder and finds herself swept up in its wake. Once this story gets rolling, it will bowl you over. Fans of psychological thrillers should take note of this banger of a tale!”

“Jack is charming and handsome, but underneath his cool exterior is a brutal psychopath who thrives on terrifying others. His wife, Grace, found out too late that he is a monster who seeks to control everything she does. Even her sister, Millie, a handicapped young woman who depends on Grace, is part of Jack's vicious plan. Paris has crafted a riveting, intense tale that will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the last page.”

““....some truths will never be enough...” Unbelievable debut author. The twists and turns lead you to a place you never would have guessed.”

“The literary world received quite a shock in 2013 when it was revealed that Robert Galbraith, who recently published a well-reviewed mystery novel entitled The Cuckoo's Calling, was none other than J.K. Rowling - author of the Harry Potter series - writing under a pseudonym. Sales skyrocketed, and Potter fans who picked up the book entered a world very different from Harry's, but filled nonetheless with rich characters and storytelling. The Cuckoo's Calling focuses on Cormoran Strike, a private investigator and disabled war veteran who takes up the case of a supermodel who fell to her death in an apparent suicide. Urged by her adopted brother to take a closer look, Strike and his new - but surprisingly adept - temporary secretary Robin delve into the glamorous, high-pressure world of fashion to uncover a darker truth. Cormoran's world is more adult and less magical than Harry's, but I felt the same intrigue and thrill while reading his story. After all, Rowling wove great mysteries into the Potter novels. I recommend this book to all Harry Potter fans who grew up, but still feel the urge to get lost in a world of words.”

“When a healthy 60-year-old woman is found strangled in her London home the very day she had organized and paid for her own funeral, former police detective—now consultant—Daniel Hawthorne convinces author Anthony Horowitz to shadow his investigation to eventually publish this very story. Imagine sitting in a darkened English pub listening to Horowitz bemoaning his involvement as he tells the story of the unlikeable but captivating Hawthorne. Readers will quickly join in playing detective as characters, plot twists, clues, and red herrings escalate while enjoying the old-fashioned feel of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes in a modern setting. Delicious!”

“A murder has happened at the esteemed Blackheath House. Or, rather a murder will happen every night--the same night played over again-- at Blackheath House until our protagonist Aiden Bishop breaks the cycle. Every repeated day, Aiden must unravel a little more of the mystery surrounding the Hardcastle manor and its inhabitants in attempt to solve and prevent the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. But for every day that starts over, Aiden wakes up in a different guest's body. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle simultaneously evokes a classic Agatha Christie novel while also providing an utterly original take the genre. A bold and innovative novel that will keep you reading late into the night to find out the ending!”

“Told from the perspectives of prisoners, victims, and staff, Kushner’s stunning depiction of a women’s prison centers on Romy Hall, twenty-nine and serving two life sentences for killing her stalker. Because she worked as a lap dancer, her public defender believed she’d hurt her case if she testified, so her story never came out in court. That’s just one of many outrages Romy is helpless to address. Worse is discovering she’s lost parental rights to her seven-year-old. Even so, the knowledge that her son exists is Romy’s life line. He gives her courage to endure, and even to plan a kind of future—even in the age of mass incarceration, which, the prisoners note, has made prison more horrifying than it was before.”

“Jane Harper has created yet another masterpiece, this one a standalone set in the outback region of Queensland Australia. It is a beautifully written character driven novel where the extreme hardship of living and surviving in the outback is one of the major characters. It is the story of the Bright brothers told from the perspective of Nathan – the oldest of the three – as he tries to make sense of how his middle brother, Cameron, ended up alone in the middle of the desert dead of dehydration when he had a well-stocked and working car not far away. Was it something sinister or was it suicide as the authorities seem to believe. If suicide, what might have driven this charismatic well liked young man with a wife and two young daughters to take his life. The Lost Man is a story of family dynamics, of abuse and of lots of what ifs. The descriptions of the scenery and life in the outback would be enough alone to keep up your interest, but added to that is a cast of characters who you feel like you know intimately by the end of the book. A cast of characters who all have secrets and who make you wonder did Cameron kill himself or did one of them do the unspeakable.”

“I have an abiding fondness for kooky premises executed well, and Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids is as kooky as they come. In 1977, the tween members of the Blyton Summer Detective Club solved their last case and went their separate ways. Now it's 1990 and the man they sent to jail has been paroled. These former detectives have unfinished business, so one of them resolves to get the gang back together to find out the dark truth behind that final case. Meddling Kids is a pop-culture savvy, uproarious romp but also an action-packed horror-thriller. Highly recommended for fans of Christopher Moore and Ernest Cline, or anyone seeking a little laughter, nostalgia, or escapism.”

“The Flight Attendant by Chris Bojalian is a fast-paced literary thriller that will not disappoint. Think alcoholic flight attendant in the wrong place at the wrong time who gets embroiled in an international espionage debacle. In addition to a good story, Bojalian weaves current events in and around the action to keep the story relevant and frighteningly realistic -- a feeling enhanced by the readers nuanced narration.”

“Shannon Moss is a member of Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), but she is from a branch of the Navy few have ever heard of. Shannon is part of Naval Space Command, a clandestine organization that sails deep space and time. Shannon is on the hunt for a killer: NSC officer, Patrick Mursult, who seems to have been driven mad during his missions into deep space. But if a time traveling, deep space killer isn't enough tension for you, there is also a humanity-ending event that has been observed hundreds of years into the future: the arrival of the Terminus. The Terminus is an unknown entity that, put simply, ends all life on the planet in horrific fashion. Since the discovery of the Terminus, NSC has been trying to find a way to avoid its arrival and the subsequent end of humanity. The problem is that every time they travel to the future to observe the Terminus, it has arrived earlier and earlier. This means the clock is ticking doubly fast for Shannon Moss and the entirety of the human race. And her killer seems to be linked to the Terminus somehow. This is a time-traveling, sci-fi, horror, murder mystery for fans of Dark Matter and Annihilation. It's one of the best and strangest (and at times disturbing) rides I've been on in a while - and well worth the price of admission!”

“The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor is an unusually gripping mystery reminiscent of Arthur Conan Doyle's story 'The Adventure of the Dancing Men.' It is amazingly well-written, and the pace does not let up, from the shocking beginning all the way through to the unsettling ending. This suspenseful page-turner is definitely a cut above and will keep you riveted. Highly recommended!”