Now Read This!
JANUARY 2026
 
Our Now Read This! newsletters offer suggestions for your next favorite read, from hidden gems to the latest hot pick. In this issue, you will find a featured book of the month, a special event worth checking out, a curated selection of newly acquired and upcoming mystery titles, and booklists for further reading. Whether you prefer classic whodunnits or spine-chilling thrillers, your friendly BPL Reader Services Librarians have recommendations for every reader.
 
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Book of the Month
The Current by Tim Johnston
The Current
by Tim Johnston

In the dead of winter, outside a small Minnesota town, state troopers pull two young women and their car from the icy Black Root River. One is found downriver, drowned, while the other is found at the scene—half frozen but alive. What happened was no accident, and news of the crime awakens the community's memories of another young woman who lost her life in the same river ten years earlier, and whose killer may still live among them...
Event Spotlight
Winter Reading Challenge
January 1 - February 28
 
This winter, the Boston Public Library is challenging you to read a book by an author from each of six geographic regions: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania. You can pick up a reading log and limited edition Winter Reading enamel pin at any Boston Public Library location, while supplies last. Be sure to visit your local BPL branch to mark all the locations you've read on their map throughout the challenge! The reading log is also available to download at bpl.org/winter.
 
New and Upcoming Titles
The Hiding Season by Ava Glass
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Ace Atkins
The Jills by Karen Parkman
The Hiding Season
Ava Glass
 
"In Montana's Rocky Mountains, a woman's search for peace and isolation is upended when she becomes the only witness to a deadly crime, making her the next target."
 
Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Ace Atkins
 
"A fourteen-year-old's suspicions about his mom's boyfriend uncovers a web of espionage involving a KGB agent, a hitman, and an FBI investigation."
 
The Jills
Karen Parkman
 
"Virginia, a Buffalo Bills cheerleader, investigates the disappearance of her best friend, exposing the city's dangerous criminal underworld and dark family secrets."
 
Her One Regret by Donna Freitas
Swallowtail by Emily Ross
Little One by Olivia Muenter
Her One Regret
Donna Freitas
 
"The disappearance of a new mother, who leaves her baby alone in a parking lot, raises questions as to whether she is a victim or a criminal."
 
Swallowtail
Emily Ross
 
"The killing of a teenager on her daughter's dance team plunges Detective Samantha Star into the trauma of her own abduction twenty years before."
 
Little One
Olivia Muenter
 
"A young woman's life is upended when a journalist uncovers her hidden past as the daughter of an insidious cult leader."
 
The Mysterious Death of Junetta Plum by Valerie Wilson Wesley
The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte
A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage by Mk Oliver
The Mysterious Death of Junetta Plum
Valerie Wilson Wesley
 
"In 1926 Harlem, Harriet Stone, an independent Black intellectual, and her foster child become embroiled in a shocking murder on Striver's Row."
 
The Final Problem
Arturo Perez-Reverte
 
"Osmond Basil, a washed-up actor, puts his on-camera detective skills to the test when he must solve a murder while vacationing at a storm-isolated Greek island luxury resort."
 
A Sociopath's Guide to a Successful Marriage
M. K. Oliver
 
"Lalla Rook tries to maintain her perfect life in North London while juggling domestic duties, ambition, and a murder she's just committed."
 
Find Your Next Great Read
Women Behaving Badly: 16 Novels about Antiheroines
Con women, thieves, and killers! Check out these novels about free-spirited, fearless women and their unbelievable adventures. From fantasy to mystery and everything in between, this list offers unique reads about daring women.
 
 
 
   

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