When I was not yet a teen, a neighbor had what I considered to be a valuable treasureāall of the Nancy Drew Mystery series. Her daughter had died of leukemia, and she had held onto them as a reminder of her precious child. To my surprise, she entrusted them to me to read. That was the beginning of my passion for mysteries. As I got older, I couldnāt get enough of Agatha Christie and P. D. James. I visit them often, like old friends, but I am also eager to make new literary acquaintances. My list has only five, but it could have included thousands. Enjoy this diverse sampling.
This book made me gasp when I read the ending. Iām usually pretty good at figuring out whodunnits, but this was a plot twist I didnāt see coming. I went back and re-read it to see if everything fit together. It did. A well-plotted and fun read that relies on Greek Mythology and the timeless classics of Agatha Christie for its inspiration.
"An unforgettableāand Hollywood-boundānew thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." āEntertainment Weekly
The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller of a womanās act of violence against her husbandāand of the therapist obsessed with uncovering her motive.
Alicia Berensonās life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of Londonās most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him fiveā¦
A friend told me that John Banville is an amazing writer and storyteller; the book Snow didnāt disappoint. Itās a cozy mystery, meaning itās always good to have a list of the characters handy, and it is set in Ireland.
Although the darker story involves sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and homophobia, I found the book beautifully written and the characters complex and carefully crafted. It might have been a little graphic for me in the beginning, but that didnāt spoil the book.
THE LOCK-UP - A THRILLING NEW STRAFFORD AND QUIRKE MYSTERY - IS AVAILABLE NOW FOR PRE-ORDER
'Outstanding.' Irish Independent 'Exquisite.' Daily Mail 'Hypnotic.' Financial Times 'This is crime fiction for the connoisseur.' The Times
'The body is in the library,' Colonel Osborne said. 'Come this way.'
Detective Inspector St John Strafford is called in from Dublin to investigate a murder at Ballyglass House - the Co. Wexford family seat of the aristocratic, secretive Osborne family.
Facing obstruction from all angles, Strafford carries on determinedly in his pursuit of the murderer. However, as the snow continues to fall over this ever-expandingā¦
Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,ā¦
I love all of Jacqueline Winspearās books about Maisie Dobbs and am sorry to see that the author is retiring this character. I liked Maisie from the first, maybe because the 1920s are an era of fascination for me.
Not only was the mystery a good read, but it led me to do further research on the after-effects of World War I and the toll it took on the young soldiers, most of them barely out of their teens. Winspear is a great storyteller with a compelling heroine.
A favorite mystery series of Hillary Clinton (as mentioned in What Happened, The New York Times Book Review, and New York Magazine) A New York Times Notable Book of the Year Agatha Award Winner for Best First Novel Macavity Award Winner for Best First Novel Alex Award Winner
Fiercely independent Maisie Dobbs has recently set herself up as a private detective. Such a move may not seem especially startling. But this is 1929, and Maisie is exceptional in many ways.
Having started as a maid to the London aristocracy, studied her way to Cambridge and served as a nurse inā¦
Iāve had the pleasure of getting to know Linda Fairstein and really enjoy her crime/mystery series. This is the 20th in the series featuring Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper.Ā Thereās nothing like a strong female lead to make me like a book. This one, in particular, is filled with good characters. I especially liked that Linda took us into the tunnels of Rockefeller University for a nail-biting chase scene.
Like all good authors, she was given permission to explore the area so that she could bring it to life in her novel. The book has a great sense of place. Whatās better than a mystery in New York City?
Menopause unlocked a previously unknown superpower for Liv Wilde ā psychic visions during hot flashes. While her visions rarely have life and death consequences, for the first time Liv sees a dead body in a premonition. When she comes face-to-face with the manā¦
This book is full of great characters and surprising twists, and most importantly, it made me laugh. Out loud. I could visualize this as a movie set in a retirement village with Helen Mirren playing one of the lead characters.
As a person who is familiar with retirement communities and the people in them, I particularly liked that the author viewed his characters with empathy, portraying them as the vibrant and interesting people that they can be. But also dealing with the serious themes of aging and mortality.
THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE RECORD-BREAKING, MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING THURSDAY MURDER CLUB SERIES BY RICHARD OSMAN
It's the following Thursday.
Elizabeth has received a letter from an old colleague, a man with whom she has a long history. He's made a big mistake, and he needs her help. His story involves stolen diamonds, a violent mobster, and a very real threat to his life.
As bodies start piling up, Elizabeth enlists Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron in the hunt for a ruthless murderer. And if they find the diamonds too? Well, wouldn't that be a bonus?
When Leslie Elliott quits her public relations job up north and moves with her contrarian mother to a small Florida island to write mysteries, it doesn't take her long to realize the truth of the comment by her new friend, Deb Rankin: "No one around here minds their own business unless they're up to no good. And there's plenty of no good in this place."
Hungry buzzards lead Leslie to an abandoned house where she discovers the carcass of a headless dog whose owner seems to be missing. Sightings of a human body on the beach fuel Leslie's obsessive curiosity. Her search for answers puts her at odds with the local sheriff and places her new island friends in jeopardy.
Kirkus Reviews recommends a "get it." "Fresh catch grilling, red wine swilling and a perplexing killing fill this breezy beach read."
