Mystery & Thriller Bestsellers

“Rarely is a book such an absolute feast—for the senses, for the intellect, and, above all, for the soul. Morgenstern dazzles in her latest novel, an intricately wrought tale populated by lovers, mystery, and sumptuous magic. The Starless Sea is an ode to book lovers everywhere, reanimating the excitement as well as the pure possibility felt when reading books like Harry Potter or The Lord of the Rings for the first time. I am reminded of the famous C.S. Lewis quote, ‘One day, you’ll be old enough to read fairytales again.’ When that day comes, The Starless Sea will be waiting for you.”

“In “The Silent Patient”, a masterfully maniacal mystery set in London, Alex Michaelides manages to manipulate the most sleuthful and it’s magnificent! Meet artist Alicia and her photographer husband Gabriel, happily married for seven years until one evening, they were not. Convicted of killing Gabriel, a guilty Alicia is sentenced to a mental institution where she has spent the past six years, silent, never uttering a single word since her vicious act. Enter Theo, a psychotherapist slightly obsessed with Alicia’s case and quietness. Can Theo unleash Alicia’s closely guarded secrets without suffering the consequences or will her madness destroy him and all he has overcome? It’s an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller sure to keep you questioning until the very end. And, then some… ”

“This is everything I wanted in a book and more. Gideon is likable but flawed, Harrow is horrible and unforgettable, and the prose occasionally turns hauntingly beautiful. The narration helps make a complex world become real and the characters friends you may or may not want to invite over to dinner. It depends on whether your folks are there.”

“I loved how Denise Mina structured this book. Anna, the main character starts off at the beginning of the book by telling us that she is writing the story of what happened to her beginning with the day her world imploded (for the second time in her life). She starts off by telling about the day her husband informed her he was leaving her because he was in love with her best friend and how she threw food and plates and anything else in reach at him and then shut herself in the bathroom to listen to a true crime podcast (one of her passions and a calming influence). As we listen to the podcast we find out that Anna once knew one of the people mysteriously killed on a Yacht and she doesn’t believe what the narrator thinks happened. After hours shut up in the bathroom she hears a banging on her front door and finds Fin Cohen, her best friend’s husband, there to commiserate about their loss. He was once a famous rock star and as they are standing on her porch a nosy neighbor, who heard her fight with her husband, takes a picture of them and posts it on social media. And, then the story really begins! What a fun adventure we are taken on. Anna is smart, fierce, determined and very funny as she finally tells the truth about who she really is and who is trying to kill her (because he didn’t succeed the first time years ago). Fin is a perfect sidekick. He is a naïve, gullible, anorexic has been, but is determined to let nothing happen to Anna, even if he really doesn’t believe she is in danger.”

“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.”

“Ruth Ware is back and at her dazzling best with The Turn of the Key. This arresting tribute to Henry James set in modern-day remote Scotland posts a nanny in a ‘smart house’ with several recalcitrant children and a garden full of poisonous plants. Who do you trust when everyone seems to be hiding something? Readers will be reading with all the lights on as they race to the climactic ending to see just who is minding who in this engaging summer thriller.”

“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.”

“Set in England, story and writing reminiscent of Christie. Wonderful!”

“Imaginary Friend has, in my humble opinion, already earned its spot on the top shelf of classic horror novels. Reminiscent of Stephen King’s It and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, it is one of the most compulsively terrifying, eerily uncanny novels of our time. Once you pick up this book, you won’t put it down until you’ve devoured it whole (or, should I say, it has devoured you), and once finished, you will feel the dangerous urge to turn to the first page and start all over again. It is an utterly original masterpiece of fear. Thank you, Stephen Chbosky, for the lost sleep and the goosebumps! Signed, a hard-to-scare horror fanatic.”

“What a treat to discover Sally Rooney! This novel stands out shining from the current onslaught of mediocre prose and less-than-suspenseful thriller plots. Normal People is the story of a relationship between two high school classmates in a small town in Ireland, and how it changes over time, through their last year of college in Dublin. Rooney’s spare and brilliant writing illuminates her insight and makes the unfolding of these two personalities completely compelling.”