Picked by Rick Bentz/Reuben Montoya fans

Here are 4 books that Rick Bentz/Reuben Montoya fans have personally recommended once you finish the Rick Bentz/Reuben Montoya series. Book DNA is a community of authors and super-readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

Book cover of The Con Artist

Claris Lam Author Of Winner Takes All

From my list on mysteries stuck in isolated areas.

Why am I passionate about this?

Mystery fiction was one of my favourite book genres growing up. I especially enjoy reading mysteries taking place in remote locations, since it narrows down the suspects to only the people present there. Having the cast isolated from the rest of the world creates a special kind of pressure on them to find out who committed the crime. These mysteries also often involve ensemble casts and deep and complicated relationships between characters that are fun to keep track of. Reading these mysteries, including the ones in this list, inspired me to write my own! I’ve written and self-published two amateur sleuth murder mystery books, and I’m currently writing my third one!

Claris' book list on mysteries stuck in isolated areas

Claris Lam Why Claris loves this book

The murder taking place at a comic con, of all places, really drew me in as a reader. I thought it did a great job capturing the essence of a comic con too, from enthusiastic fans to cosplayers and vendors!

Combining the chaos of the con with investigating the actual murder mystery going on throughout the book made for some really funny and unexpected scenes. I thought that the mystery and the complications of investigating it, thanks to its comic con setting and the people involved, make this book really engaging and fun. 

By Fred Van Lente , Tom Fowler (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Con Artist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Comic book illustrator Michael Yoo is having a terrible week. He's just arrived in San Diego for Comic-Con -- the annual nerd Mardi Gras that triples the beachside city's population with 150,000 fans. Michael hopes to spend the next five days working his booth in Artist's Alley, where he'll sign autographs and sell sketches for $40 a pop. Instead he's implicated in the death of his editor, the widely feared and reviled Danny Lieber. There are plenty of suspects onhand -- from rival illustrators to burlesque cos-players. But the most valuable clues might be hidden in Michael's own sketchbook. He's…


Book cover of An Unwanted Guest

Greta Boris Author Of The Cliff House

From my list on thrillers featuring tropes you know and love.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up in New York City, the only child of a busy editor/publisher and a classical musician. We lived in a two-hundred-year-old brownstone that was full of history and books. Often, my fictional and real worlds overlapped. I explored the dark spaces in our old house and imagined the ghosts that might still dwell there. I sat in eight-foot-high windows in the summer and near fireplaces with Victorian marble mantels in winter and read Nancy Drew, Alice in Wonderland, Tolkien, Poe, Shakespeare, and more. Those stories dropped like seeds into my psyche and eventually bloomed into the thrillers and mysteries I write today.

Greta's book list on thrillers featuring tropes you know and love

Greta Boris Why Greta loves this book

The Trope: The Locked Room Mystery

The first locked room mystery I ever read was Agatha Christy’s, And Then There Were None. I fell in love with the trope. I’m a complete patsy for any story that holds a group of unsuspecting characters captive and starts killing them off individually.

Shari Lapena uses a ski resort and a snowstorm to do just that. This book is a fabulously creepy and claustrophobic read for a winter night. 

By Shari Lapena ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked An Unwanted Guest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 2: 'Properly gripping' Romesh Ranganathan

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the number one bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR.

'Crafted like a vintage Christie and just as tense, this will be a smash hit.' Heat
'Tense. Unpredictable. Unputdownable. Shari Lapena's novels are domestic noir at its finest.' Simon Kernick

____________________

We can't choose the strangers we meet.

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell's Inn, they're all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.

Usually we…


Book cover of And Then There Were None

Karl Bjorn Erickson Author Of The Blood Cries Out

From my list on fiction across all genres by Christian authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always been deeply moved by how people of substantiative faith translate it into literature. After all, an important difference exists between Christian fiction and fiction by Christian authors. The author, who understands that this life is not everything, is able to infuse so much more depth, emotion, and truth into the narrative than his counterpart.  Shortly after watching the movie The Song of Bernadette in Oxford, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote to his son in the RAF to say, “My mind and heart are still filled with Bernadette Soubirous, and long may they be so. Every quality of a ‘fairy story,’ plus truth and sanctity, is an overwhelming mixture.” 

Karl's book list on fiction across all genres by Christian authors

Karl Bjorn Erickson Why Karl loves this book

This may be one of my favorite mysteries; I could barely put the book down. Granted, this title is not full of examples of faith precisely, but Agatha Christy was a devout Anglican (like C.S. Lewis). If one is going to write mysteries, one must appreciate Agatha Christy. She was an incredibly prolific author of some truly high-quality fiction. 

This was the first title I read of hers, and it set me on a path to begin collecting her books. This tale has so many elements that build tension and create a great mystery—from the isolation of the setting to suspicion and general confusion. It is a masterpiece of a whodunit.

By Agatha Christie ,

Why should I read it?

19 authors picked And Then There Were None as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Agatha Christie's world-famous mystery thriller, reissued with a striking new cover designed to appeal to the latest generation of Agatha Christie fans and book lovers.

Ten strangers, apparently with little in common, are lured to an island mansion off the coast of Devon by the mysterious U.N.Owen. Over dinner, a record begins to play, and the voice of an unseen host accuses each person of hiding a guilty secret. That evening, former reckless driver Tony Marston is found murdered by a deadly dose of cyanide.

The tension escalates as the survivors realise the killer is not only among them but…


Book cover of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Alister Dray Penborn Author Of A Theory in Shadejacktresy Case 0: Manor of Reunion

From my list on action suspense paranormal in the mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

My name is Alister Dray Penborn. I am a lifelong mystery lover, all the way back to my favorite childhood cartoon, Scooby-Doo, and my favorite anime, Detective Conan, or Case Closed as it was called in the US at the time of airing. It's a passion that grew over the years as I was exposed to even more great mysteries. One of the most appealing aspects is the investigation process, where a character sees the inconsistencies of crime scenes, analyzes and makes sense of events, and collects and relies on the slightest clues to act as puzzle pieces to the full picture.

Alister's book list on action suspense paranormal in the mystery

Alister Dray Penborn Why Alister loves this book

Admittedly, I had to re-read this novel a few times to comprehend the mystery, but it was well worth it. While the supernatural element was hard to grasp, the plot clicked right into place once I figured it out.

The main character’s confusion added to their story more than subtracted, which alone is a success to me as characters running around confused for half the book can be frustrating. But the scenario was essentially an isolated murder mystery done in a rather clever and unique way.

With a mystery that was so complex, I was worried the ending would be too convoluted for my liking. Yet, it concluded with the clues explained and were relevant to the final reveal, much to my satisfaction.

By Stuart Turton ,

Why should I read it?

11 authors picked The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Pop your favorite Agatha Christie whodunnit into a blender with a scoop of Downton Abbey, a dash of Quantum Leap, and a liberal sprinkling of Groundhog Day and you'll get this unique murder mystery." ―Harper's Bazaar

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man's race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again,…