100 Books like The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year

From the first page, I knew I wasn’t going to put down Cindy Steel’s rom-com to eat or sleep until the ride was over.

The characters shine vividly, the plot set-up of being with the wrong blind date at a basketball game while a quiet, thoughtful guy takes her attention is so much fun, and the witty banter is unreal. Steel’s writing is easy to devour, and I don’t think I stopped grinning until way after the last page.

This is a yearly reread for me and the measuring stick for all banter-and-swoon books I read.

I read this book in less than twenty hours—not that I had time for it, but this book demanded it.

The main characters’ emotional and tangible goals are set up so well, I felt drawn in immediately. There was so much push and pull between the two as they learned to open up and work together to write a rom-com, so much (clashing) personality and voice (I always love Center’s voicy characters).

I loved the romantic sizzle on every page, the perfectly paced plot of her helping her idol fix his writing, and the incredible banter. *While the book contains some language, there wasn’t a hint or even an implied spicy scene.

I read this whole book in one sitting on a plane across the ocean (even with all the movies on demand!)

I loved the plot of a ghost-writer for a difficult-to-please author and friendship-to-romance with her literary agent, who is put in the middle of the tension. The slow burn and subtext in this one made me love every minute.

And when I find a He-Falls-First book with so much fun banter? Sign. Me. Up. Ferguson is a master at swoony character tension in a tight plot with lots of clever humor. I wished it hadn’t been over so soon.

I’m a sucker for enemies-to-lovers and marriage-of-convenience tropes, and this one plays them both off each other perfectly.

It’s hard to find a logical marriage of convenience plot line for the 21st century, but Mitchell managed it well with a grandmother’s will and a scam that wiped out a bank account. The pranks and banter are an incredibly fun facade for the fraught, emotional subtext running beneath because of their painful history and backstories.

I love that combo - top-notch banter with emotional, romantic tension behind every word and look. I laughed through their antics, and my toes curled with the romance.

Frances lives in the Victorian Era in London, but in her hometown of New York, it’s the Gilded Age. This is her background in all its glittering and horrifying glory. 

Crime novels fit quite naturally in this era. I love a loathsome villain and Rosemary Simpson serves up some of the worst in her Gilded Age series. She uses actual events, like the great blizzard of 1888, as catalysts for some heinous crimes. If you needed to dispose of a body, what better place than a snowdrift? 

Prudence MacKenzie, the dead man’s fiancé and our sleuth, doesn’t seem to realize the danger she’s in. I spent the entire read on the edge of my seat wondering if she’d make it to the end of the book alive. This is historical noir in elegant Gilded Age style.

Jane Eyre but she’s a serial killer? That’s a must-read book for me. And this one lives up to its creative premise. Like her namesake, this Jane lives in Victorian England, but she takes a decidedly more direct approach to dealing with her oppressors.

As the body count rises, so do her qualms. I enjoyed the parallels of this romp to the original, including the inevitable love story, and appreciated the unexpected twists and turns. With many retellings, it’s easy to guess how the plot will unfold—not so with this dagger of a book. 

I loved the movie with Nicole Kidman, and I loved the book by Joyce Maynard, too!

It’s not exactly a true factual account of how New Hampshire school teacher Pamela Smart got her teenage lover to murder her husband in 1990. But the book is clearly inspired by that sensational news event. Sex, murder, betrayal, adultery–this book has it all.

It's an even better fictional story than the real story it came from.  

I love books that cross romance genres, and Lovely Digits qualifies as it’s a historical romantic suspense. I was hooked from the first page where the heroine, Lucy, deals with a particularly unruly case. I read this book while waiting to pick up my twins from school and at all times of day. 

The book revolves around two murders committed in the sleepy Victorian town of Clun, England, where an unlikely partnership forms between the new constable and the quirky heroine. Can they combine forces and prevent a third murder?

I liked how Lucy was ahead of her time as well as relatable and likeable. She cared for her sister and her cat while still proving her intelligence to the town and the hero while winning his heart.

I’m recommending this novel because it’s about the way you can sometimes find very special treasures in old bookshops.

I love the idea of writing a story about this because it’s happened to me. A few times during my life I’ve been in a second-hand bookshop and stumbled on a book that I didn’t even know existed – one that was just what I needed for that season of my life or that phase of my pursuit of truth.

I love The Echo of Old Books because it celebrates such book-related serendipities. And obviously I love it because it's my genre too – magical realism.

I loved this book by Susan Sleeman for its gripping combination of action, suspense, and romance. The story hooked me right from the start, with forensic artist Hannah Perry's determination to solve a murder even while on vacation. Her strength and courage were truly inspiring.

The book's thrilling pace kept me on edge, especially when Hannah and her son faced life-threatening danger. Former SEAL Gage Blackwell's daring rescue and subsequent protectiveness added a powerful layer of romance. Their dynamic, filled with history and emotions alongside current threats, made the story engaging.

Susan Sleeman's writing is well-crafted and meticulously edited, making Cold Terror an even more enjoyable read. This novel beautifully intertwines faith, family, and friendship, creating a rich, multi-dimensional experience.