28 Books Like Revenge in 3 Parts

Louise Penny has hooked me again with another great installment in the Inspector Gamache series. I was so excited when I opened the book and found I would be returning to Three Pines for a new murder and an old story line Penny has been dangling in front of me since book one.

Both are resolved in this book (I think, but you never know) and the end is more than satisfying. There's still a lot of unfinished business in that little town and this incredible cast of characters just keeps me coming back for more. Moreover, (I remind my husband every time I start a new book in the series), I would run away with Armand Gamache if given even the slightest chance. 

What a wild ride! Author Susie Black didn’t let me off this roller coaster until I’d twisted and turned my way through a fantastic whodunit.

The tenacious amateur sleuth, Holly Schlivinik, is VP of sales at Ditzy Swimwear, and right out of the chute, she’s in a mess of a murder. Both friends and foes are implicated, and even Holly herself looks suspicious.

The writing is witty, fast paced and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. There’s also a great group of women called the yentas, who both support Holly and have no problem telling her when she’s lost her mind. With this being the first in a series of Holly Swimsuit Mysteries, I’m going to put the kettle on and settle in for the mayhem to come. 

I found this to be a wonderful read. It's fun, entertaining, and filled with just enough twists and misdirection to keep me turning pages.

Kendall built such great characters and left just enough clues that I thought maybe the whole town had done it right up until the end. She also gave me a glimpse behind the scenes into the world of handbag design (not a subject I thought I cared about until I read this book).

A great book for a rainy afternoon. I hear she has another In Purse-Suit Mystery in the works. And who doesn't like a mystery series?

This story has so many of my favorite things: cops, lawyers, murder, courtroom drama, and a sinister backstory that kept me unsettled and guessing throughout. Keera Duggan (former chess prodigy and district attorney) finds herself at her family’s firm defending the bad guys she used to convict. She views the world as one big chess match, which gives her the ability to see the whole board when she takes on her first murder case.

It’s a thinker, so no wading through pages of high-speed car chases and flying bullets—well, a couple of bullets. I enjoyed the way Dugoni moved his characters around, and kept me wondering how it would end.

And the end? It doesn't disappoint. I can’t wait for the next book.

The intriguing plot and the smart strength of the main character, Rowan Smith, kept me reading page after page, which isn’t easy with my short attention span. Rowan is a former FBI agent who wrote a bestselling novel that is being made into a movie. She is stalked by a mysterious killer who is copycatting the murders that she wrote about in her book. This story has all my favorite elements—a strong woman main character, a traumatic past that made her tough, and a story that is non-stop suspense. 

I loved this work!  And its realism truly frightened me. 

James Lawler, a legendary CIA officer, has followed his brilliant debut novel (Living Lies: A Novel of the Iranian Nuclear Weapons Program) with a very frightening and all-too-contemporary thriller about bioweapons. This is not science fiction, and the fields of bioweapons and neuro weapons - think ‘Havana Syndrome’ or lethal viruses such as COVID and EBOLA - have been extensively studied by America’s adversaries.

Jim has told a gripping, taut, and exciting tale of Russia’s and North Korea’s collaboration in the development of such bioweapons. The characters are fascinating and believable, as is the plot line.  Lawler’s novel combines espionage, mystery, and science fiction – or not! – in a terrifying, real-world, 21st-century mystery thriller.

When Myron Bolitar—part-time detective, former basketball hotshot, and ex-sports agent—discovers that his old frenemy and on-court nemesis Greg Downing, long thought to be pushing up daisies, is actually alive and dribbling, he stumbles into a slam-dunk of a mystery.

This case has it all: a dangerous plot, an ex-girlfriend, a surprise son, his aging parents, and, oh yeah, a serial killer lurking in the shadows. Coben’s narration is as breezy as a summer day, and the witty banter between Bolitar and his best buddy Win is a genuine (though oddly sinister) laugh riot.

At its core, this tale is as much about family ties, love, and loyalty as it is about dodging danger and solving crimes. With a cast of characters that could fill a basketball roster, you might feel like you need a scorecard to keep track—but trust me, it’s worth the read.

Having worked bank robberies as a former FBI Special Agent, I have a keen sense as to what makes these people tick. Most are quite ignorant, however, occasionally clever planning takes place by those as brazen as Hogan has portrayed here. A true masterpiece, Chuck Hogan does a splendid job bringing his characters to life in all the real-life depictions you will enjoy. This is a gut-wrenching roller coaster mixing crime with romantic infatuation to the point you can’t stop reading. I’ll admit, once the movie came out, I had to get the book and now it’s one of my all-time favorite crime thrillers.

I adore the Auntie Lily character who has a penchant for telling silly stories. Each of these stories composed in clever rhymes feature a silly animal doing something outrageous. Children become interactive partners visualizing and acting out the hijinks like a stork riding on a subway train or a fly that works for the FBI. The fun continues because readers get ten riddles to solve at the end of the tale. This book is fun for the whole family from preschooler to grandma!

I recommend this book because it is a page-turner from the very beginning with a sick plot thanks to the warped mind of its featured killer. With no time to lose, veteran homicide detectives Sam Kovack and Nikki Liska aided by the FBI race to stop a serial killer who is brutalizing women. I love the strong relationships between partners, Kovack and Liska but also the level of tension between Kate Conlan and FBI Profiler, John Quinn. The characters are well-written and come to life before your eyes. I am personally drawn to the strength of the female crime fighters in this book. The gruesome crimes are thankfully overshadowed by the developed and relatable characters.