Mystery and True Crime

A small Irish village. A woman murdered. A story that travels back on the twisting road that led to her death, alone in her house. Three women are at the heart of Dirty Laundry—orbited in turn by husbands, children, friends, family—wrestling with choices made and the lies they have told to others and themselves. A sinfully delicious tale reminding us that nothing is ever what it seems—not a family, not a relationship, not a person, not a life.  —Jocelyn

You Know Her by Meagan Jennett is what I would call a literary feminist thriller. Readers descend into the minds of two cunning female protagonists: Sophie, the nascent serial killer, and Nora, the up-and-coming detective on the case. Sharply written, with deepening layers of creepy menace, showing female rage in different forms and letting us see how for some, bottled-up trauma and frustrations can manifest into dark activities.  —KRISTINA

An Iraqi who worked as an interpreter for the US during the Iraq War and lost his family in an assassination attempt is now in America working maintenance at a beach motel. One morning, he finds a body on the beach and realizes the people who wanted him dead are trying to finish the job. Kevin Powers first appeared on my radar with the impressionistic The Yellow Birds, one of my favorite novels of the past decade. Here his prose is more structured but the book still reads like something written by a man possessed.  —RICO

Killingly sends you on a somber journey to recover Bertha Mellish, an odd yet promising student at Mount Holyoke College, who disappeared out of thin air. This novel is full of shocking reveals, ulterior motives, and beautiful literary prose. Although it is a work of fiction, Katharine Beutner based this dark academia mystery off of a real disappearance in the winter of 1897. The tragic scenario resonates now, in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade being overturned, more than ever.  —NIKOLE

In this oddly heartwarming tale, five people are suspects in a man’s murder—a man who was found dead in Vera Wong’s teahouse. Being the stand-up citizen that she is, Vera decides to take the case into her own hands. She starts her investigation the only way she knows how: by inviting the suspects to their own houses and feeding them delicious food. We learn about the relationship each had with the victim and watch as the story unfolds. This book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery intertwined with lovable characters. Jesse Sutano’s writing is witty and heartfelt, making this book and its protagonist a joy to fall in love with.  —KALANI

I didn’t know that I needed a noir novel with a hefty side of tarot, but boy am I pleased that this exists. Katie True is at a dead end in her job and in her personal life and her ability to change anything feels nonexistent. But then she meets Marley who, though far from a success story herself, makes Katie feel that anything is possible again. When Katie sees a picture of Marley dead, everything turns upside down. This is one for those who feel like they don’t belong, who are looking for their future in a deck of cards.  —JAX

Not for the faint of heart, Bad Kids is a pulse-pounding mystery about a blackmail scheme gone awry. In the grand tradition of narratives where innocent people discover they are capable of great evil, the kids in Bad Kids aren’t so bad to begin with. However, their integrity is challenged when they stumble upon a potentially lucrative blackmail plot. After reading this thriller, I felt that within all of us is a heart of darkness, ready to emerge at the smallest provocation.  —KATRINA

When Ariel Pryce wakes up alone in her Lisbon hotel room, her newlywed husband suspiciously missing, she begins a race against time. She seeks help from the local police, the American embassy, and one person better left behind. The plot thickens, storylines cross, reporters and the CIA become involved, and the past comes back to inform the present—but whose past? Chris Pavone writes with pace and depth, making it as enjoyable to read as it is impossible to put down.  —MELINDA

Joe Ide brings back hard-boiled Philip Marlowe in today’s Los Angeles—a city as gritty as ever with no shortage of dodgy characters. As I followed Marlowe and his former policeman father through two tough cases, I didn’t find myself comparing the story to Chandler’s original novels. Instead, I was simply enjoying a good yarn. This is a fun detective story that stands on its own. —Glenn

As a fan of quirky mysteries, I was unsure how Murder Your Employer by Robert Holmes would stack up. I mean Holmes is the man behind the viral “Pina Colada” song so it should be at least catchy. Filled with murder and mayhem, you follow three students at McMasters Conservatory for the Applied Arts where each student has a thesis to accomplish—to get away with murder. Filled with witty humor, Holmes knows how to turn a phrase and keep things rolling. If you enjoyed The Thursday Murder Club series, this book is for you. —Kristina