Mystery & Thriller bestsellers

“This is a must-read thriller rooted deeply in Brooklyn and its racist past. As the neighborhood makes plans for the annual block party, Sydney ends up battling more than the microaggressions from her new white neighbors. When her best friends go missing, her mom's prized garden is threatened, and a fake meter reader breaks into her home, she will put everything on the line to get out alive. At least she's got a semi-charming, well-meaning Theo by her side.”

“Tangled secrets and dark, haunting pasts unravel at the posh wedding of celebrities Will and Jules. As the tension mounted and more was revealed, I couldn’t stop listening until I knew not only “whodunnit”, but to whom it was done. Foley tells her tale from alternating viewpoints, bringing us gradually and suspensefully into the minds and hearts of her characters. A riveting psychological thriller and murder mystery, The Guest List presents a story as dark as the stormy remote island on which it unfolds.”

“Even when the world gets back to normal, you'll never trust your coworkers again. Snoop, a hot tech company that gives music fans the ability to follow along with what others are listening to in real time, is built around the pleasures of voyeurism. But what if the person you think you know has a hidden past? When an avalanche hits and confines these coworkers to a fancy chalet, they'll be picked off one by one as the killer fights to keep their secrets hidden from peering eyes.”

“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.”

“A creepy, sinister, can’t-put-it-down story of a town that survives and then relives the crimes of a child serial killer. For those who love psychological thrillers (with the absence of gore but plenty of plot twists and turns), The Whisper Man is a grand ride into the minds of those who kill and those who are victims. You’ll find yourself looking over your shoulder when reading this book. Don’t stand too close to an open window...”

“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.”

“Weiden’s book is a thriller with an important social and political message. Following a Lakota ‘enforcer’ who enacts extrajudicial punishment to fill the gaps in the legal system, Winter Counts is a twisty new addition to the growing Indigenous literature canon. While some of the action may fall into somewhat predictable territory, Weiden’s exploration of the injustices of reservation life are vital.”

“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.”

“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.”

“With his debut novel, Reid sets an extremely high bar for all future psychological thrillers. The entire story takes place in little over 24 hours as Jake and his girlfriend travel to meet and have dinner with his parents. Narrated by the unnamed girlfriend, something unsettling surfaces early and builds with the passage of every page. Readers will become riveted, reading faster and faster as the 'unsettling' becomes frightening, and then terrifying. Recommended for all who enjoy a good mind-twisting scare!”

“This is an onion of a mystery, layers deep, each one - each story wrapped around the shocking event at the center - shaped carefully around details that push the reader's suspicions in every direction. The old, dense wood beside the never-prosperous village was bound to give rise to scary stories, and an event - was it real? - decades before gave the town a particularly creepy bogeyman, upon whom an inventive child fixates until he has drawn his friends into an escalating course of action. Twenty years later, one of those children returns to the village, but has no wish to reengage with the past. The bogeyman haunts everyone here in different ways, though, and when an old clue and a new disappearance coincide, Paul can't keep the indifferent distance he forces to protect himself from the memory nobody can escape. ...Capturing the foreboding of 1990's horror films and the wistfulness of a life frozen by calamity, this book won my affection with its depiction of an independent bookstore and the vibrant person at its core, but its many emotionally rich moments, like little dapples of sunlight across a forest floor, will provide every reader with that moment of love that makes the horror that much more disturbing!”

“While Megan Goldin’s new novel The Night Swim is quite different from her first book, I think I liked this one even better. I am getting kind of tired of ‘psychological’ thrillers so was glad to find that Night Swim was actually a crime drama. I loved the way it was presented, a podcast by Rachel Krall about a rape case currently being tried in court and Rachel looking into a possible murder of a 16 yo girl 20 years earlier. Many of the same people that lived in the small NC town 20 years ago still live there. And, because of how small it is everyone knows everyone or at least knows something about everyone. So, it is no surprise that the two cases end up having some of the same people involved but how they end up being involved is a huge surprise. I really liked the character of Rachel Krall and hope that she may appear in a future book with another cold case or a case of guilty or not guilty. Listening to the audio version really made the podcast seem real and current.”

“Tuesday Mooney is smart, intrepid, and just a little bit lost—even 20 years after her best friend disappears without a trace. A prospect researcher by trade, she dives in deep when a strange and reclusive billionaire dies and leaves puzzles throughout the city in an elaborate treasure hunt. While this fun and affecting book could have won me over just by being a romp, there is more here. Tuesday and her compatriots are all forced to confront the traumas that have stunted their lives and find new strength in their relationships. I couldn’t have asked for more!”

“A great thriller for fall! When a mother is abducted, her daughter sets out looking for her, not ready to stop until she has found her. Told from alternating perspectives of the mother and daughter, this book is sure to keep you guessing and at the edge of your seat until the very end!”

“Wow, I think Alice Feeney has written her best book yet. A story of love and betrayal and revenge is told from two viewpoints his and hers. Tension begins to build from the first page and it doesn't let up until the very end. While the story is told from two viewpoints we also have a third person, the narrator, who is obviously the killer. Every time the narrator starts talking about why someone had to die I am convinced I know who the killer is, until the next time when I'm sure it's someone else. I really was not surprised at the ending until I found out it wasn't really the end. This is one book that you won't want to miss.”

“The audio version of one of Christie's lesser known works, Murder Is Easy is just the ticket for listening during a pandemic. The magnificent reader manages 15-plus voices, giving character and individuality to each. Also, the mystery is set in a small English village, and the retired police detective gets help from Marple-esque little old ladies. Delicious escapism.”

“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.”

“Maggie Holt was the central character of the bestselling memoir her father wrote about their 14 days living in the supposedly haunted Baneberry Hall. Maggie has always hated the book and the notoriety that came from it. She was only 5 when they lived there and she remembers nothing about the time. But since the book was essentially about her she is constantly bombarded with questions and made fun of by non-believers. All that she really knows is that her father swore the house was haunted and that everything he wrote was true and that on his deathbed he begged Maggie never to return to the house. Since Maggie doesn’t believe in ghosts, and since her mother has refused to ever discuss what happened there. Maggie decides she must return to the house to find out for herself what caused them to run from the house twenty years ago with only the clothes on their backs, never to return. If, like Maggie, you don’t believe in ghosts and think there is a rational explanation for everything you will love trying to figure out what that explanation is. As you hear Maggie’s father read his book and at the same time follow what is now happening to Maggie and what is going on at Baneberry Hall you may begin to believe that the only explanation is that Baneberry Hall is truly haunted. The brilliant plotting was instrumental in making this one of the creepiest and most believable ghost stories I have ever read and the ending was beyond amazing. If listening to this doesn’t put you in another place and time to escape what is going on in the real world then nothing ever will.”

“This was an unexpected fantastic read. I was looking for an engaging audio book for a long car ride. And, I loved this so much that I finished it in record time. IQ lives in Long Beach and crime is real there. He's a bit of a slow burn. He sits back, observes and deduces. He's a private investigator for his community, charging what each person can afford. It's his way of giving back. In this first book, IQ is hired to find the people involved with the attempted murder of a rap star. The chapters alternate between this case and IQ's background and the plot lines work seamlessly together. Along with the engaging plot, Sullivan Jones, the narrator was absolutely fantastic. It was easy to tell who was speaking through his tone and inflection. He's a narrator I will be looking forward to hearing more from.”

“In a dazzling, emotive prequel to her bestselling novel Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman brings the reader back into the world of the Owens family. The Rules of Magic takes us back two generations with practical Franny, who must learn how to love; sensitive Jet, who must learn how to persevere; and restless Vincent, who must learn how to be happy. Hoffman's writing is frank, tender, vivid, and elusive all at once. Full of sorrow and beauty and courage, The Rules of Magic is a delicious, satisfying read.”

“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).”

“Reading Tana French means disappearing into another life for a while. Her stories aren’t meant to be slick or flashy, but deliberate, intricate studies of characters and their motivations. The Witch Elm is no different, as it follows the unraveling of Toby starting the night he surprises two burglars in his apartment. As you learn the secrets and weaknesses of Toby and his family, you begin to realize that while finding out what happened is enjoyable and surprising, finding out the how and the why is even better.”

“Set in Victorian England, Things in Jars feels like a Sherlock Holmes story, if Holmes had been a woman. You can’t help but love Bridie Devine, a strong-willed, chain-smoking woman who has clawed her way from life as an orphaned thief to a highly sought-after detective often consulted by Scotland Yard. Bridie’s newest case, though, is proving difficult and incredibly strange. Not only will it force her to confront someone from her past who she thought was dead, she’ll also team up with an actual ghost as she solves a fantastical crime. Highly imaginative, Things in Jars is a fun and immersive read.”

“Janina is an eccentric middle-aged woman who translates William Blake, studies astrology, and is acutely attuned to the wilderness around her in rural Poland. When hunters and poachers begin to be gruesomely murdered, Janina informs the police that the animals are responsible. As the bodies mount, so does her involvement with the mystery, although her status as a crank and possible madwoman ensures that she’s ignored. This is an extraordinary and disturbing tale — a mystery that becomes more complex as the story continues, accompanied by Janina’s often witty observations on man, nature, justice, and identity. The ending of this hard-to-categorize novel, a finalist for the 2019 Man Booker International Prize, will knock the breath out of you. Don’t miss this excellent translated work from an award-winning writer!”

“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!”

“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.”

“For an avid mystery reader, this book is deeply satisfying. Short stories are picked apart by a young editor and an older author who are looking for a mathematical standard to the classic detective novel. Each story depicts a variation of victim, killer, and detective, and contains clues to yet another mystery involving the author. Puzzles bloom within puzzles, and the final reveal...well, no spoilers from me, but it was unexpected in the best way!”

“Does Ruth Ware keep getting better and better? Yes, she does. A down-on-her-luck protagonist, a too-good-to-be-true inheritance, and a creepy old mansion combine for a deliciously suspenseful tale. The plucky heroine, Hal, believes she’s mistakenly been identified as an heir to a great estate, but she decides to play along in the hopes of scamming a couple thousand pounds out of the situation. Once she’s arrived at the reading of the will, she quickly realizes that she is in way over her head. This is a deceptive and suspense-riddled thrill ride!”

“A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is an addictive, impossible to put down crime thriller. Jackson’s debut is tightly plotted and filled with wonderful twists. The format of the novel allows you to feel like you are part of the investigation, alongside the great cast of characters. This is a very fun listen start to finish.”