LibGuides: Readers' Advisory: Mystery &amp; Thrillers

Brand New Mysteries!

Exiles by Jane Harper
Federal Investigator Aaron Falk is on his way to a small town deep in Southern Australian wine country for the christening of an old friend's baby. But mystery follows him, even on vacation. This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of Kim Gillespie's disappearance.
Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast's lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate.
City under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
A stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone livesin a single high-rise building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
A young Indian woman finds the false rumors that she killed her husband surprisingly useful--until other women in the village start asking for her help getting rid of their own husbands--in this razor-sharp debut.

Furry Sleuths

Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt
Lights, camera, action in bestselling author David Rosenfelt's Flop Dead Gorgeous, as lawyer Andy Carpenter goes bicoastal to prove an old friend's innocence.
Hiss and Tell by Rita Mae Brown
When a series of mysterious deaths spoil the Christmas season in Crozet, Virginia, Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen and her beloved cats and dogs lend the police a helping paw in this exciting holiday mystery from Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown.
Tailing Trouble by Laura Scott
Wisconsin veterinarian Ally Winter must solve a well-heeled young woman's a-paw-ling murder in USA Today bestselling author Laura Scott's second Furry Friends mystery.
Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt
For the K Team, playing "good dog", "bad cop" is all fun and games... until there's a body on the scene, in the next K Team Novel by bestselling author David Rosenfelt.

Books, Cats & Mysteries List - Featured Titles

Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass
Bookmobile-driving librarian Minnie Hamilton investigates after her new cat, Eddie, leads her to the body of a murdered local resident.
By Book or by Crook by Eva Gates
For ten years Lucy has enjoyed her job at the Harvard Library, but she hasn't enjoyed her family's social whirl. To clear her head, Lucy visits her aunt Ellen for a little fun in the Outer Banks sun. Her retreat becomes an opportunity when Lucy lands a librarian job in her favorite place. Then a priceless Jane Austen first edition is stolen, and the chair of the library is murdered . . .
Murder Past Due by Miranda James
Everyone in Athena, knows Charlie Harris, the librarian who walks his cat, Diesel, on a leash. Godfrey Priest, famous author of gory bestsellers and Charlie's former classmate, is the pride of Athena. Charlie remembers him as an arrogant jerk, and he's not alone. Godfrey's homecoming couldn't possibly go worse: by lunch, he's put a man in the hospital. By dinner, Godfrey's dead.

Summer Thrillers

After That Night by Karin Slaughter
Fifteen years ago, Sara Linton's life changed forever when a celebratory night out ended in a violent attack that tore her world apart. Since then, Sara has remade her life. A successful doctor, engaged to a man she loves, she has finally managed to leave the past behind her.
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Moving between past and present, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS delves into the darkest corners of the life of one mother as she investigates the disappearance of her son one year prior—and, in the process, confronts long-buried secrets from her own childhood.
City under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
An urban Alaska detective unlocks menacing secrets in a frigid, sinister small town while struggling to recover from a personal tragedy. The discovery of dismembered body parts in rugged, remote Point Mettier brings police detective Cara Kennedy from Anchorage to investigate.
Drowning by T. J. Newman
Six minutes after takeoff, Flight 1421 crashes off the coast of Hawaii. During the evacuation, an engine explodes and the plane is flooded. Those still alive are forced to close the doors—but it's too late. The plane sinks to the bottom with twelve passengers trapped inside.
Everyone Here Is Lying by Shari Lapena
William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter Avery unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Wintry Thrillers

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf. True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn't mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she's retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence.
One by One by Ruth Ware
One by One is a thriller/mystery about a corporate staff retreat at a ski chalet that goes horribly awry, resulting in members of the group being killed off “one by one.” A group of technology executives arrive at a French Ski Chalet, but not all make it out alive.
No Exit by Taylor Adams
A college student, on her way home from visiting her mother, gets stuck with a group of people at a mountain rest stop during a blizzard. Things take a turn for the worse when the young woman discovers a kidnapped child in a car belonging to one of the people inside, putting the group in a terrifying life-or-death situation as they struggle to escape while trying to discover who among them is the kidnapper.
Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney
Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can't recognize friends or family, or even his own wife. Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts—paper, cotton, pottery, tin—and each year Adam's wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read.
Shiver by Allie Reynolds
Shiver is a 2021 British mystery thriller and the debut novel of Allie Reynolds, a former freestyle snowboarder. Published in the United Kingdom through Headline, the novel shifts between the past and present to tell the story of arguments and rivalries between competitive snowboarders that may have led to murder.
An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away.
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
A peaceful Vermont village turns creepy in this tale of the dead returning to life. Sara Harrison Shea's precious daughter, Gertie, dies in 1908 during a harsh and unforgiving winter in which her mother and father, Martin, struggle to keep food on the table.

Crafty Cozy Mysteries

A Crime of a Different Stripe by Sally Goldenbaum
When a body is discovered at Sea Harbor's opening reception for the autumn art series, the Seaside Knitters must take a break from stitching baby gear to unravel a series of secrets in Sally Goldenbaum's 15th Seaside Knitters Society mystery.
Dyeing up Loose Ends by Maggie Sefton
Kelly Flynn has been enjoying motherhood and avoiding murder, but when a friend's life is cut short, she enlists the Lambspun knitters to catch a heartless killer in the last Knitting Mystery novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Only Skein Deep.
One for the Hooks by Betty Hechtman
These are the dog days of August, but you won't catch the Tarzana Hookers crochet club napping. While Molly Pink knits together an idea for a new project, Miami Wilson busily converts a house she inherited into a rental property. But Miami is left shorthanded when Sloan Renner, the woman helping her clean out the house ends up dead under a pile of smelly seafood.

Cold Case Thrillers

Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka
Ansel Packer is scheduled to die in twelve hours. He knows what he's done, and now awaits execution, the same chilling fate he forced on those girls, years ago. But Ansel doesn't want to die; he wants to be celebrated, understood. Through a kaleidoscope of women--a mother, a sister, a homicide detective--we learn the story of Ansel's life.
Razorblade Tears by S. A. Cosby
A Black father. A white father. Two murdered sons. A quest for vengeance. Ike and Buddy Lee, two ex-cons with little else in common other than a criminal past and a love for their dead sons, band together in their desperate desire for revenge.
These Women by Ivy Pochoda
In West Adams, a rapidly changing part of South Los Angeles, they're referred to as "these women." These women on the corner ... These women in the club ... These women who won't stop asking questions ... These women who got what they deserved ...
Please See Us by Caitlin Mullen
Summer has come to Atlantic City but the boardwalk is empty of tourists, the casino lights have dimmed, and two Jane Does are laid out in the marshland behind the Sunset Motel, just west of town. Only one person even knows they're there. Meanwhile, Clara, a young boardwalk psychic, struggles to attract clients for the tarot readings that pay her rent. When she begins to experience very real and disturbing visions, she suspects they could be related to the recent cases of women gone missing in town.
Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski
It's 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip club. She's not used to mixing work and friendship--after all, between her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money. One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to drive: a simple decision that turns deadly.

Featured Read

The Devil You Know by P. J. Tracy
Darkness is nothing new to LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, but in P.J. Tracy's The Devil You Know, even she isn't prepared for the scandalous deception of deadly proportions that shakes the very foundation of Hollywood and its untouchables...and leaves her entangled in its rotten core. Los Angeles has many faces: the real LA where regular people live and work, the degenerate underbelly of any big city, and the rarefied world of wealth, power, and celebrity. LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan's latest case plunges her into this insular realm of privilege, and gives her a glimpse of the decay behind the glitter. Beloved actor Evan Hobbes is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide, a day after a fake video ruins his career. It's not clear to Nolan if it's an accident, a suicide, or a murder, and things get murkier as the investigation expands to his luminary friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Hobbes's agent is dealing with damage control, his psychotic boss, and a woman he's scorned.

Wedding Thrillers

Only Ever Her by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
ISBN: 9781503903890
Publication Date: 2019-05-07
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
ISBN: 9780062868930
Publication Date: 2020-06-02
Her Dark Lies by J. T. Ellison
ISBN: 9781488076541
Publication Date: 2021-03-09
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson
ISBN: 9780062980038
Publication Date: 2021-03-23

Culinary Mysteries List - Featured Titles

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle
Clare used to manage New York City's Village Blend coffeehouse, until she opted for quieter pastures. But after ten years away she's back in action, serving up steaming hot caffeine one cup at a time. With a rent-free apartment directly above the coffeehouse and her cat Java by her side. Clare is thrilled to return to work--until she discovers the assistant manager dead in the back of the store, coffee grounds strewn everywhere.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
Hannah Swensen already has her hands full, but when the Cozy Cow Dairy's beloved deliveryman is found murdered behind her bakery with her famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, Hannah sets out to track down a killer.
Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson
When Goldy's former father-in-law passes out from rat poison in the coffee she's catering, and her kitchen is closed down, Goldy wants answers. Everyone--from her ex-husband's other ex-wife to her eleven-year-old son Arch--seems to know more than Gold does. But she's had enough. And as she begins following the recipe to its logical conclusion, she discovers that some unsavory ingredients are flavoring the neighborhood and poisoning her own family with the bitter taste of deceit and revenge....

Mystery Resources

The Hidden Staircase

A website is committed to providing readers and collectors of mysteries, thrillers, suspense and crime novels with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, books, and series.

StopYou'reKillingMe.com

A resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 5,000 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 58,000 titles), both series (5,900+) and non-series.

Mystery Writers of America

Mystery Writers of America is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre.

Mystery Authors

Mystery is defined as a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym of detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) solves a crime.

C. J. Box – mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include Joe Pickett novels and Cassie Dewell series and some stand-alone novels such as Blue Heaven and Three Weeks to Say Goodbye.

Agatha Christie – mystery author, see author’s website here. Notable works include titles from her famous characters Hercule Poirot (The Mysterious Affair at Styles, Murder on The Orient Express, and Curtain) and Mrs. Marple (The Murder at the Vicarage, The Moving Finger, and A Murder is Announced).

Mary Higgins Clark – mystery and psychological author, see author’s website here. Series include Under Suspicion series and Alvirah and Willy series. Other notable titles are Before I Say Goodbye, No Place like Home, and her latest novel I’ve Got My Eyes on You.

Margaret Maron – mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Deborah Knott series and Sigrid Harald series. Other notable titles are Bloody Kin and Last Lessons of Summer.

Patricia Cornwell – mystery and crime author, see author’s website here. The majority of titles include the Scarpetta series and other smaller series such as Andy Brazil/Judy Hammer series and the At Risk/Win Garano series.

Michael Connelly – mystery and crime author, see author’s website here. Series include Harry Bosch series, Mickey Haller series, and Renee Ballard.

Kathy Reichs – mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the famous Temperance Brennan Bone series, the Virals series and the stand alone novel Two Nights.

Robert B. Parker – mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include Spencer novels, Cole & Hitch, and Jesse Stone series.

Louise Penny – mystery author, see author’s website here. Her notable works are all included in her “A Chief Inspector Gamache” series, with the newest title being Glass Houses.

Cozy Mysteries

Cozy mysteries are considered “gentle” books… no graphic violence, no profanity, and no explicit sex. Most often, the crime takes place “off stage” and death is usually very quick.

Alexander McCall Smith – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the popular No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Sunday Philosophy Club, and 44 Scotland Street series.

Lilian Jackson Braun – cozy mystery author. Series include The Cat Who… novels such as The Cat Who Played Post Office and The Cat Who Said Cheese.

Joanne Fluke – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Hannah Swensen novels such as Raspberry Danish Murder, Apple Turnover Murder, and Blackberry Pie Murder.

M. C. Beaton – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Hamish Macbeth Mysteries and the Agatha Raisin series.

Donna Andrews – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include her popular titles from the Meg Langslow series and from the Turing Hopper series.

Jacqueline Winspear – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Maisie Dobbs novels with titles such as Among the Mad and In This Grave Hour.

Diane Mott Davidson – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Notable titles include Tough Cookie, Dark Tort, and Fatally Flaky.

Elizabeth Peters – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Jacqueline Kirby series and the Amelia Peabody series.

Rhys Bowen – cozy mystery author, see author’s website here. Popular series include Lady Georgiana “Georgie” Her Royal Spyness series and the Molly Murphy series.

Suspense Mysteries

Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty and anxiety about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work.

Linda Howard – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable series include the MacKenzie Family Saga and the CIA Spies John Medina series.

Joy Fielding – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable titles include The First Time, Still Life and her newest novel The Bad Daughter.

Dean Koontz – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable series include the Jane Hawk series, Odd Thomas, and the Moonlight Bay series.

Dennis Lehane – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable works include the Kenzie-Gennaro novels, Shutter Island, and Mystic River – both as stand-alone novels.

Jeffery Deaver – suspense author, see author’s website here. Series include Lincoln Rhyme series, Kathryn Dance novels, and other notable titles such as The Devil’s Teardrop and The Lesson of her Death.

Tana French – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable titles include In The Woods, The Likeness, and Broken Harbor.

Harlan Coben – suspense and mystery author, see author’s website here. Series include the Myron Bolitar series, the Mickey Bolitar trilogy and some stand-alone novels such as Play Dead and Don’t Let Go.

Karin Slaughter – suspense author, see author’s website here. Series include the Grant County series and the Will Trent series as well as notable stand-alone titles such as Pretty Girls and The Good Daughter.

Gillian Flynn – suspense author, see author’s website here. Notable titles are Gone Girl and Sharp Objects.

Thriller Mystery

Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains.

Brad Meltzer – thriller author, see author’s website here. Popular titles include The Millionaires, The Inner Circle, and The Book of Fate.

Steve Berry – thriller author, see author’s website here. Titles include The Columbus Affair, The Third Secret, and The Romanov Prophecy as well as books from the Cotton Malone novels.

James Rollins – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include the Sigma Force series, the Godslayer Series, and other standalone novels such as Subterranean and Ice Hunt.

Dan Brown – thriller author, see author’s website here. Notable titles are Deception Point and Digital Fortress as well as the Robert Langdon series.

Daniel Silva – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include Gabriel Allon books and the Michael Osbourne series.

David Baldacci – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include Camel Club novels, Sean King and Michael Maxwell series, and John Puller novels.

Lee Child – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include the Jack Reacher novels such as the latest The Midnight Line.

Robert Ludlum – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include Jason Bourne novels and Covert-One series as well as some standalone novels such as The Scarlatti Inheritance, The Matarese Circle, and The Sigma Protocol.

Lisa Scottoline – thriller author, see author’s website here. Series include the Rosato & Associates novels and Rosato & DiNunzio series as well as a few standalone novels such as Save Me, One Perfect Lie, and Look Again.

Readers' Advisory: Mystery & Thrillers