Mystery
May 2026
Open Book With Magnifying Glass

Recent Releases
The Secrets of the Abbey
by Jean-Luc Bannalec

In coastal Brittany, France, Police Commissaire Dupin and his team investigate when Second Inspector Kadeg is attacked and critically injured at his elderly aunt's property, just days after she died in odd circumstances. At the aunt's home in a restored former abbey on the Côte des Légendes, Dupin finds secrets and murder. Like the others in the series, this 11th entry lovingly describes the setting and food and works as a standalone story.
A Violent Masterpiece
by Jordan Harper

In Los Angeles, people make money however they can. Jake monitors the police scanner and livestreams to his many followers, defense attorney Gibson reluctantly represents a big-time TV producer charged with possession of child abuse images, and Kara works for a private concierge service, getting the wealthy what they want. Then a missing woman connects them, upending their lives. For fans of: gritty neo-noir novels with well-crafted dialogue; Jonathan Ames' Happy Doll novels.
Robbie McNeil's Hit List
by Brianna Heath

Military vet Robbie McNeil is busy running the Indiana karaoke bar she co-owns with her queerplatonic partner and fellow contract killer, Dee. The two are also writing and staging a musical. Needing money for their theatrical ambitions, Robbie takes a sketchy contract job and soon her target disappears, leading Robbie to investigate in the midst of everything else. For fans of: found family themes; slow-burn crime novels with likeable morally gray characters.
The Keeper by Tana French
The Keeper
by Tana French

On a cold night in the remote Irish village of Arknakelty, a girl goes missing. Sweet, loving Rachel Holohan was about to be engaged to the son of the local big shot. Instead, she's dead in the river. In a close-knit small town, a death like this isn't simple. It comes wrapped in generations--old grudges and power struggles, and it splits the townland in two. Retired Chicago detective Cal Hooper has friends here now, and he owes them loyalty, but his fiancée Lena wants nothing to do with Ardnakelty's tangles. As the feud becomes more vicious, their settled peace starts to crack apart. And when they uncover a scheme that casts a new light on Rachel's death and threatens the whole village, they find themselves in the firing line. If you like this, catch up on the previous two novels in this series, The Searcher and The Hunter.
My Grandfather, the Master Detective
by Masateru Konishi

Kaede, a 27-year-old teacher and crime novel reader, often uncovers puzzling events as she goes about her day. With her beloved grandfather, a former member of a mystery club whose Lewy body dementia hasn't affected his armchair crime-solving skills, she explores six mysteries, including a locked room murder and a missing persons case. For fans of: novels that reference classic mysteries; cozy Japanese stories.
A Ghastly Catastrophe
by Deanna Raybourn

Are there vampires in 1890 London? Natural scientists Veronica Speedwell and  Revelstoke “Stoker” Templeton-Vane investigate when a young man with bite marks on his neck is found dead near Highgate Cemetery. This well-plotted 10th in a popular series finds Veronica and Stoker going to a Romany camp as well as interacting with a vampire-like man and his witchy partner. For fans of: the author's Lady Julia Grey novels (Julia makes a cameo here); twisty mysteries with bantering detective duos.
The Politician
by Tim Sullivan

When Peggy Frampton, a former Bristol mayor turned influencer, is killed, methodical DS George Cross, who's on the autism spectrum, realizes this isn't a burglary gone wrong as others assume. But was the killer someone from Peggy's professional life or was it more personal, such as her cheating barrister husband or gambling-addicted adult son? Though this is the 4th in an acclaimed British series that begins with The Dentist, feel free to start here. 
Nobody's Baby
by Olivia Waite

On the HMS Fairweather, a luxurious interstellar passenger liner, ship's detective Dorothy Gentleman investigates when an infant is left on her nephew's doorstep. Since fertility is supposed to be on pause during the journey, Dorothy has lots of questions, and while she looks for answers, her nephew and his partner grow attached to the baby. Readers who appreciate smart, fresh takes on cozy mysteries will want to pick up this delightful 2nd in a series. Try this next: Malka Older's Investigations of Mossa and Pleiti series. 
Contact your librarian for more great books!
Forsyth County Public Library
660 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101
336-703-2665

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