76 Books Like A Bittersweet Murder

So, I might be favorably inclined towards archaeologists (I married one, just like Elly Griffith did). When I read the first of the Ruth Galloway series (local archaeologist in Britain), what I liked most was the authenticity of the archaeological sequences.

I’ve also worked with police as a consultant, and the police procedural parts of this series are solid. A great combination! I’m about to start the Ali Dawson series of Griffiths, and I have high hopes for that too—but read these first. 

Confession: I am a huge Dorothy L Sayers fan. I always loved Lord Peter Wimsey, her main character, but in the book before this one, Strong Poison, she introduced Harriet Vane, whom he fell in love with in that book. This one gives Harriet her own story.

I think Harriet is such a great character: clever, insightful, strong, and independent. And she’s a mystery novelist, so obviously I identify with her! There are later books where she and Peter collaborate (eg, Busman’s Honeymoon), but this one puts Harriet front and center. I reread it regularly…in fact, I think it’s time to dig it out again!

I’ve been a reader of Jennifer Crusie for a while, so I was delighted to find that she’d moved into murder mysteries. Then, when I read this, I thought: Liz Danger and my Poppy would really get on well—so naturally I loved it! I like the creation of a small town that isn’t the normal sweet-as-pie cozy place, and the slow-burn romance is handled deftly. Just quirky enough but not too quirky.

I like Liz and her ambivalence about the town and her erratic family. Because it’s a collaboration, the two points of view (Liz and cop Vince Cooper) are distinctly different, which I really enjoyed. I immediately went on to read the rest of the series, which is the highest praise I can give!

I’ve always felt that Jane Austen was a bit hard on Caroline Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, so I was delighted to find this book by collaborators Gardiner and Kumar, which puts her at the centre of the story. I found it witty, intriguing, well-researched, and beautifully written.

I particularly liked the Indian plot elements—it’s rarely recognised that there were Indian communities in London and elsewhere in the UK during this period, and it was fascinating to read about the ‘Calcutta Coffee House’ and its patrons. I’m looking forward to more books in this series!

Large publishers have, by and large, turned their noses up at horror and left the indie presses to carry the genre's baton. Set in rural 1920s Texas, this novel brings a few new elements to its chosen trope, and author Timothy Hobbs creates memorable and entertaining characters.

His prose is easy to read—an admirable quality lacking in a lot of modern fiction, I think—yet he generates a sense of place, builds atmosphere, and paints wince-inducing images of gruesomeness. As I write this, I can still ‘see’ his town of Hamilton and remember the people that populate it.

As a hardcore fan of psychological thrillers, I’m familiar with all the recurring themes of this genre. But this book was a surprise.

Masterfully written, the author took to my nerves with pliers and kept me hooked with great twists and suspense-craft. I definitely recommend Paper Ghosts to well-read thriller fans who want something fresh and most of all; an unforgettable plot. 

This book. The love story and the scenes between the leads had me swooning.

Seriously, I loved every second of the tension between the main characters: Brooke and Calvin. Brooke’s brother is in jail for murdering his best friend, who was also Calvin’s older brother. And no one knows why he did it.

They live in a small Texas town and their families have, for obvious reasons, become enemies. Their love is forbidden, but they can’t stay away from each other, even when their families are so important to them.

At the same time, the shadow of Brooke’s brother murdering Calvin adds a complication to their budding romance. This book has love, family, and a mystery to unravel and I loved every second of it. 

Twenty-five years before Alexandra “Alex” Gaither graduated law school; her mother, Celina, had been brutally murdered. After being raised by her grandmother and graduating law school, the exceedingly attractive and equally accomplished attorney returns to the small rural Texas community in search of answers to secrets, it is soon discovered, that are best left uncovered. With permission from the Travis County District Attorney, her superior, Alex only has thirty days to walk a tightrope in the quest to find the killer; a feat that could serve to disrupt every aspect of life in the economically stressed town of Purcell. 

Alex has to push the buttons of the two suspects who have matured into well-known, influential citizens to include the sheriff and the son of the town’s wealthiest businessman. But she has very little concern about their positions, status, or reputations and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to find… show more.

I discovered Texas Monthly magazine and its in-depth crime reporting when one of my sisters lived in Fort Worth. I was hooked. Writers Skip Hollandsworth, Mimi Swartz, Mark Seal, Gary Cartwright, and others dig into each story. This isn’t “just the facts, ma’am” reporting. It’s why it happened and how it affected people. Some made international headlines (the military school cadets convicted of an odd love-triangle murder or the cheerleader’s mom who plotted to kill her daughter’s rival). Some could only happen in Texas. All are memorable, well-told tales.

In my view, fellow Texan Tommy Thompson is the best true crime writer around.

That’s why I recommend Blood and Money, which paints a vivid picture of boom and bust Houston, Texas café society with all of its charity balls, gossip columns, infidelities, and murders.

Dr. John Hill, a social-climbing but not particularly hard-working plastic surgeon, was accused of killing his stunning wife, Joan Robinson, renowned for her show horsemanship and platinum blonde ponytail. Joan was also the daddy’s girl of oil baron Ash Robinson, who had a conniving history of breaking the law.

So when Ash’s freeloading son-in-law was set free, thanks to a hung jury and the slick work of famed attorney Richard “Racehorse” Haynes, the city’s headlines were quickly filled with another murder—that of Dr. John Hill.