Mystery and True Crime

Wildlife biologist Alex Carter has a problem, and it isn’t just that endangered species are under threat. Stationed at a deserted Montana ski resort to track the elusive wolverine, Alex finds herself in danger and unable to trust the locals, but her intelligence, resolve, and wunderkind wilderness skills make for a thrilling read. Alice Henderson writes with assurance and pace, all while imbuing a love for the environment and its inhabitants. This is her first book and the start of a new series. I’m hooked. —Melinda

A psychological thriller that forces the reader to empathize—even root for—a diagnosed psychopath, Never Saw Me Coming is an exciting mind game of a novel. What happens when a hunter becomes prey? How can several psychopaths ever truly trust each other? Why are college frat boys so douchey?? Look up “page-turner” in the dictionary and you’ll find a picture of this book. Read it fast before any twists get spoiled! —Jess

Tax fraud, money laundering, domestic terror and, of course, murder. Val McDermid’s new heroine, intrepid burgeoning reporter Allie Burns, thrusts herself into the investigation of all of the above, while drawing the reader into the first winter weeks of 1979 Scotland. While not your typical mystery, the thoughtful immersion in the language, limitations, politics, and evolving beliefs of Allie’s place and time will welcome you into her story, and into those of the people she pursues.—Jocelyn

I am admittedly not an experienced reader of espionage, but I might just become one, having gobbled up this remarkable debut thriller. McCloskey, a former CIA analyst himself, writes a fascinating world of modern spycraft, with empathy in its scope and a driving story of CIA officer Sam Joseph and his asset Mariam Haddad, as they operate within the network of Assad’s Syrian Palace. There’s a bit of everything here, from forbidden romance to betrayal, loyalty to revenge; well-written and compelling to the end—I couldn’t get enough. —Melinda

Somehow, Copenhaver has dissected the intricate and passionately dark minds of teenage girls in a manner unlike anything I’ve seen before. With a rotating perspective, this murder mystery reads like diary entries, each page unfiltered and unique. The friendship between Judy and Philippa blurs the lines between platonic love, infatuation, and blind obsession. It hooked me from the start and kept me anxiously waiting for the moment I could sit down and continue reading. —Nikole

All Her Little Secrets is a mystery of murder and corporate corruption that creeps and shivers with secrets unfolding in the present and past. While the ultimate betrayals land as gut punches of all-too-believable horror, heroine Ellice Littlejohn has an indomitable will to survive and thrive. Drawing upon years of experience as a corporate attorney, Wanda M. Morris’s debut will keep you up and will linger with you days after the last page.—Jocelyn

Gaylin’s thriller shows the power of intense grief and the anger that comes along with it. Protagonist Camille Gardener struggles under the suffocating weight of grief she carries 5 years after her daughter’s death. When presented with the opportunity to channel her rage into a newfound sense of power as a member of a deadly online collective, Camille cannot resist. The Collective is an intense, raw read. —Nikole 

This amusing novel is a merry-go-round of absurdity and strange characters. We begin our journey with a forensic clay sculptor who takes the skulls of unidentified missing persons and recreates what they may have looked like in life. When she happens upon a clay head that looks eerily similar to one of her missing persons at an art gallery, the chase is on. With twists and turns that jump across time and space but are always interconnected, Daitch’s prose is skillful and compelling. —Celeste

Maite is a secretary too busy reading romantic comics rather than living a life on her own. Elvis spends each day memorizing a new word and works for a man called El Mago. The two are bonded together by what feels like fate: the disappearance of Maite’s neighbor. Told in alternating points of view, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic) returns with an enticing noir mystery set in 1970’s Mexico City perfect for new and returning readers. —Andrea

Ten years of marriage and love story that won’t quit. A weekend away for a couple at the breaking point. Tragedies and secrets of the past coming to call. You may think you know this story, but Alice Feeney got me, with genuinely shocking (and satisfying!) twists and turns, following her vivid characters through the halls of memory and a remote Scottish get-away. An atmospheric marital thriller with literary notes, perfect to wrap up with as the weather turns cold and the spooky season approaches. —Jocelyn