| The Murder Book by Mark BillinghamWhat happens: After three men are murdered, DI Tom Thorne realizes the perpetrator is connected to escaped serial killer Stuart Nicklin, which means Tom, his partner, best mate, and new girlfriend are all in danger.
Series alert: This is the twisty, thrilling 18th DI Tom Thorne police procedural, and while newcomers can start here, those who've read previous entries will appreciate the story even more.
Reviewers say: "masterly...the intricate plot matches superior characterizations" (Publishers Weekly); "one of his most amazing endings ever" (Booklist). |
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| Desperate Undertaking by Lindsey DavisRome, 89 CE: Private investigator Flavia Albia, with help from her magistrate husband, tries to unmask a killer who's brutally murdering actors and leaving their bodies staged in various unexpected locales.
Series alert: This is the 10th outing for Flavia as a main character and narrator, but she also appeared in some of Lindsey Davis' popular mysteries starring Flavia's adoptive father, Marcus Didius Falco.
Why you might like it: "Desperate Undertaking" offers wit, an evocative setting, an appealing cast of characters, and fascinating Roman history. |
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| Shutter by Ramona EmersonIntroducing: Diné forensic photographer Rita Todacheene, who works for the Albuquerque police and is gifted at what she does, partly because she can see and hear ghosts.
What happens: Interspersed with flashbacks to Rita's misfit early years on the rez with her grandmother, the contemporary story follows her as she tries to calm the angry ghost of a murder victim by finding her killers.
For fans of: horror/crime combos that aren't afraid to get gruesome; David Heska Wanbli Weiden's "Winter Counts"; Stuart Neville's "The Ghosts of Belfast". |
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| Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise HareThe setup: In 1936 London, down-on-her-luck singer/actress Lena Aldridge wants to leave town after a murder at the club where she works...and she's conveniently offered the role of a lifetime in New York.
Setting sail: Passing as white, Lena travels on the RMS Queen Mary, and gets drawn into the fold of a wealthy New York family. When more murders occur, she wonders if she's being set up, and investigates.
For fans of: "sparkling" (Kirkus) historical mysteries with a bit of romance; novels that harken back to the Golden Age of mystery. |
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| Dirt Creek by Hayley ScrivenorWhat happens: Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels is sent to a close-knit small town to investigate the disappearance of 12-year-old Esther. Meanwhile, Esther's best friend Veronica is equally determined to find her, with help from a classmate.
Did you know? This compelling debut by Australian novelist Hayley Scrivenor features multiple narrators and was published as "Dirt Town" in Australia and the U.K.
For fans of: Jane Harper's "The Dry" or Candice Fox's Crimson Lake series, both of which are also set in rural Australia. |
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Dangerous Consequences by Claire BoothWhat happens: Sheriff Hank Worth struggles to keep his team together and solve a brutal murder of a former antagonist in this captivating mystery. Series alert: This is the fifth book in the Sheriff Hank Worth mysteries.
For fans of: Fans of Steven F. Havill's Posadas County and Lisa Regan's Josie Quinn series will enjoy this fascinating and complex story set in small-town Missouri. |
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| Haunted Hibiscus by Laura ChildsParty to murder: Days before Halloween, an all-too-real murder occurs at a literary haunted house fundraiser, and tea shop owner Theodosia Browning and her dedicated tea sommelier, Drayton, witness part of it.
Tea is served: Though her cop boyfriend is injured and out of commission, Theodosia, with Drayton's help, is determined to run her busy shop and unmask the killer.
Read this next: If you enjoy this engaging 22nd book in the Tea Shop Mysteries and want more tea-centric tales, try Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea cozies (recipes included in both series). |
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Howloween Murder
by Laurien Berenson
Starring: Melanie Travis, who raises show dogs and works with struggling students as a tutor at a Connecticut private academy.
What happens: The school's elderly secretary is accused of poisoning a homemade marshmallow puff that killed a neighbor, so Melanie seeks the real murderer as Halloween nears.
Series alert: This lighthearted 26th in a popular cozy series features a cast of likeable characters (human and canine) and deft plotting.
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| Glass Houses by Louise PennyWhat happens: As Halloween draws near, a mysterious black-clad figure appears on Three Pines' village green. Soon, there's a murder, and the Sûreté du Québec's Armand Gamache investigates.
Series alert: "Glass Houses" is the 13th novel starring the introspective Gamache. New readers may want to pick up his 1st book, "Still Life", as each novel builds on the others. Current fans will be happy that his 18th outing, "A World of Curiosities", comes out at the end of November.
Read these next: other intricate mysteries with thoughtful detectives, like those by P.D. James, Donna Leon, Charles Todd, and Ann Cleeves. |
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What happens: Among the countless revelers at the town's much-anticipated Halloween parade, a woman dressed as Little Bo Peep is the only one making people scream bloody murder. In a scene straight out of a horror movie, the Knit and Nibblers find the nursery rhyme character dead with thick strands of yarn looped around her neck. Pamela and her best friend, Bettina, are set on pinning down who wanted the woman gone forever, but it'll take every trick they can muster to catch the culprit without becoming the next poor souls to join Little Bo Peep's dark, endless sleep... |
Series alert: Book 6 in the Knit & Nibble mysteries series. |
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