Reader's Corner: Mysteries & Thrillers
Looking for a good book to read but don't know where to start? This guide covers popular, award-winning, and just plain great nonfiction and fiction genres and books.
Staff Picks
The It Girl by
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the "claustrophobic spine-tingler" (People) One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend's murder. April Clarke-Cliveden was the first person Hannah Jones met at Oxford. Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends--Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily--during their first term. By the end of the year, April was dead. Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah's world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April's death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide...including a murder. "The Agatha Christie of our generation" (David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author) proves once again that she is "as ingenious and indefatigable as the Queen of Crime" (The Washington Post) with this propulsive murder mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Call Number: FICTION WARE RPublication Date: 2022-07-12
The Bangalore Detectives Club by
The first in a charming, joyful crime series set in 1920s Bangalore, featuring sari-wearing detective Kaveri and her husband Ramu. Perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life. But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet--and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene. When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband . . . And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways.
Call Number: MYSTERY NAGENDRA HPublication Date: 2022-05-03
Guilty Creatures by
"An unusually rewarding anthology whose most dangerous species remain Homo sapiens."-- Kirkus Reviews Feline friends, canine companions and aviary associates are often the truest reflections of their owners and have played a crucial role in classic crime fiction--be they detectives, or delinquents. Martin Edwards reaches into the British Library of Crime Classics to collect mysteries featuring an animal cohort. Guilty Creatures celebrates an often-overlooked species of classic crime fiction. Since the dawn of the crime fiction genre, animals of all kinds have played a memorable part in countless mysteries, and in a variety of roles: the perpetrator, the key witness, the sleuth's trusted companion. This collection of fourteen stories corrals plots centered around cats, dogs, and insects alongside more exotic incidents involving gorillas, parakeets, and serpents--complete with a customary shoal of red herrings. The collection includes an introduction on animals in detective fiction by Martin Edwards. "From the first detective story, Edgar Allan Poe's locked room puzzle 'The Murders in the Rue Morgue' onwards, animals, birds, and insects have played a memorable part in countless mysteries, and in a wide variety of ways. Count Fosco, the brilliantly characterized villain in Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was surrounded by "a cockatoo, two canary-birds and a whole family of white mice," while the hound of the Baskervilles famously terrorised Dartmoor in Arthur Conan Doyle's superb Sherlock Holmes novel. Since then, many crime writers have written about members of the animal kingdom."
Call Number: MYSTERY GUILTY CREATUREPublication Date: 2022-06-07
The House Across the Lake by
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Named a most anticipated summer book by USA Today, People, E! News, Cosmopolitan, PureWow, CNN.com, New York Post, CrimeReads, POPSUGAR, and more. The bestselling author of Final Girls and Survive the Night is back with his "best plot twist yet." (People, "Best Summer Books") Be careful what you watch for . . . Casey Fletcher, a recently widowed actress trying to escape a streak of bad press, has retreated to the peace and quiet of her family's lake house in Vermont. Armed with a pair of binoculars and several bottles of bourbon, she passes the time watching Tom and Katherine Royce, the glamorous couple living in the house across the lake. They make for good viewing--a tech innovator, Tom is powerful; and a former model, Katherine is gorgeous. One day on the lake, Casey saves Katherine from drowning, and the two strike up a budding friendship. But the more they get to know each other--and the longer Casey watches--it becomes clear that Katherine and Tom's marriage isn't as perfect as it appears. When Katherine suddenly vanishes, Casey immediately suspects Tom of foul play. What she doesn't realize is that there's more to the story than meets the eye--and that shocking secrets can lurk beneath the most placid of surfaces. Packed with sharp characters, psychological suspense, and gasp-worthy plot twists, Riley Sager's The House Across the Lake is the ultimate escapist read . . . no lake house required.
Call Number: FICTION SAGER RPublication Date: 2022-06-21
The Bullet That Missed by
A new mystery is afoot in the third book in the Thursday Murder Club series from million-copy bestselling author Richard Osman. It is an ordinary Thursday, and things should finally be returning to normal. Except trouble is never far away where the Thursday Murder Club are concerned. A decade-old cold case--their favorite kind--leads them to a local news legend and a murder with no body and no answers. Then a new foe pays Elizabeth a visit. Her mission? Kill or be killed. Suddenly the cold case has become red hot. While Elizabeth wrestles with her conscience (and a gun), Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim chase down the clues with help from old friends and new. But can the gang solve the mystery and save Elizabeth before the murderer strikes again? From an upmarket spa to a prison cell complete with espresso machine to a luxury penthouse high in the sky, this third adventure of the Thursday Murder Club is full of the cleverness, intrigue, and irresistible charm that readers have come to expect from Richard Osman's bestselling series.
Call Number: MYSTERY OSMAN RPublication Date: 2022-09-20
The Woman in the Library by
USA TODAY BESTSELLER * AMAZON BOOK OF THE MONTH * LIBRARY READS TOP PICK * CRIME READS BEST NEW CRIME FICTION "Investigations are launched, fingers are pointed, potentially dangerous liaisons unfold and I was turning those pages like there was cake at the finish line." --Moira Macdonald, Seattle Timesmust-read books for summer 2022 Ned Kelly award winning author Sulari Gentill sets this mystery-within-a-mystery in motion with a deceptively simple, Dear Hannah, What are you writing?pulling us into theornate reading room at the Boston Public Library. In every person's story, there is something to hide... The tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning--it just happens that one is a murderer. Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all. What readers are saying about The Woman in the Library: "I loved this intelligent, high tension, addictive, unputdownable book so much!" "I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!" "This is a smart, well-written whodunit with an interesting cast of characters and a well-developed plot." "A murder mystery that starts off in a crowded library full of book lovers? SIGN ME UP!" "What an outstanding job and literary work in the crime-fiction genre!"
Call Number: MYSTERY GENTILL SPublication Date: 2022-06-07
The Maid by
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK ;"A heartwarming mystery with a lovable oddball at its center" (Real Simple), this cozy whodunit introduces a one-of-a-kind heroine who will steal your heart. "The reader comes to understand Molly's worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted--a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft."--The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "Think Clue. Think page-turner."--Glamour In development as a major motion picture produced by and starring Florence Pugh Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by. Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life's complexities all by herself. No matter--she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection. But Molly's orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what's happening, Molly's unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black--but will they be able to find the real killer before it's too late? A Clue-like, locked-room mystery and a heartwarming journey of the spirit, The Maid explores what it means to be the same as everyone else and yet entirely different--and reveals that all mysteries can be solved through connection to the human heart.
Call Number: MYSTERY PROSE NPublication Date: 2022-01-04
The Paris Apartment by
THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "As you patiently await season two of;Only Murders in the Building, cozy up with Lucy Foley's latest whodunnit." -- Parade "Exceedingly clever." -- Booklist From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide. Jess needs a fresh start. She's broke and alone, and she's just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn't sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn't say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up - to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? - he's not there. The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother's situation, and the more questions she has. Ben's neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it's starting to look like it's Ben's future that's in question. The socialite - The nice guy - The alcoholic - The girl on the verge - The concierge Everyone's a neighbor. Everyone's a suspect. And everyone knows something they're not telling.
Call Number: MYSTERY FOLEY LPublication Date: 2022-02-22
What's Next: Books in Series
Do you like to read your mystery series in the correct order? Kent District Library's What Next: Books in Series database helps you to do just that. You can search by author, title, series, age level, or genre to find out what comes next in your favorite series.
Mysteries & Thrillers
Mystery: Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym of detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) solves a crime. However, in more general usage "mystery" may be used to describe any form of crime fiction, even if there is no mystery to be solved.
Thriller/Suspense: Thrillers are characterized by fast pacing, frequent action, and resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more-powerful and better-equipped villains. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others.
For more content on the Mystery genre and its various subgenres take a look at this separate guide.
Mystery & Thriller Booklists in the BPL Online Catalog
- 11 Quirky Cozies for Pet LoversIn these uncertain times, it's nice to have a furry friend by your side. Whether you love mysteries or just want to read about precious pets, this list is for you. Dogs, cats, and cozies! What more do you need?
- Passport to PerilAre you an armchair traveler? Do you love mysteries? You can have the best of both worlds with this selection of international mysteries. From Argentina to South Africa and all the places in between, this list has you covered. So curl up in a comfy chair and download one of these mysteries today!
- 11 Unputdownable eReadsEnjoy a good thriller and want to find a new book to get lost in? Looking for some download-able titles that will keep you on the edge of your seat? Then you might want to give one of the Boston Public Library's newest and "in demand" reads a try.
- I Spy... Classic & Contemporary Spy FictionTales of spies and spying, from World War II and the Cold War, to contemporary times.
- Not the Usual Suspects: International Crime FictionCrime fiction from around the world.
- Murder Most Delicious: A Tantalizing Menu of Culinary MysteriesDo you enjoy cozy mysteries with a dash of spice? Then look no further than this menu of culinary mysteries. Note that most of these books are part of a larger series.
- Charmed to Death: British Cozy MysteriesIf you enjoy cozy mysteries set in Britain, with their charming characters and traditional values, where crimes are solved more often by the deductive powers of the investigator, and knowledge of the community, than by forensic science - works similar to those of Agatha Christie - try...
- Crime Literature: NoirInterested in the Noir genre? Here is a list of collections of noir, as well as some of the most popular mystery novels deemed as noir.
- Crime Scene Ireland: Irish Crime FictionDo you enjoy mysteries, thrillers, or detective fiction? Do you want to read books set in Ireland? This booklist includes all types of crime fiction written by both Irish and non-Irish authors, with the main setting in the Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland.
- Past Imperfect: Historical Mystery FictionHistorical Fiction is becoming more and more popular, but do you like yours with a dose of mystery and suspense? This list features titles with just that- these are examples of the sub-genre Historical Mystery Fiction.
- Mass Murder: Mysteries and Thrillers That Take Place in MassachusettsDo you like reading mysteries and thrillers? How about ones that are even set locally? This list includes psychological thrillers, detective mysteries, as well as cozy mysteries all with one thing in common: they are all set somewhere in Massachusetts
- Christmas Mysteries: 10 Historical Mystery NovelsIf you enjoy your historical novels with a touch of mystery, check out these 10 titles that are perfect for the holiday season.
- If You Like Dan Brown...On the wait list for Dan Brown's new book "Inferno"? Try these similar authors and titles while you are waiting.
- If You Like John GrishamIf you enjoy books by the author John Grisham, try these novels by similar authors in a list put together by the Harris County Public Library.
- If You Like James PattersonIf you enjoy forensic thrillers or psychopathic criminals, try these novels from a list put together by the Hennepin County Library.
- If You Liked Gone GirlIf you enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, try these other titles. The majority of this list comes from Books and Authors.