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Mystery Reads February 2026 |
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There's no better way to welcome the month of February than to treat yourself to a few new mysteries and thrillers from CPL. We have all the titles you need to help you celebrate a very bookish Valentine's Day! Hope to see you soon at the library, where it's always a great time to be a book lover! |
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The Sisterhood: A Lady Emily Mystery
by Tasha Alexander
When the Season's most accomplished and elegant debutante, Victoria Goldsborough, collapses and dies at her engagement ball, the great and good of London Society prepare to mourn the tragic loss of an upstanding young woman. But all is not what it seems and after a toxic beverage is revealed to be the cause of death, the king himself instructs Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves to unearth the truth. Who would want to harm one of the most popular women of the year? When a second debutante succumbs to poison, the race is on to find a ruthless killer. Emily and Colin's investigation leads to a centuries old tomb in the center of London with a mysterious link to another death dating back to Roman times and the violent reign of Boudica, ancient Britain's fearsome warrior queen. As the stakes rise and the clock ticks down, Emily must find the killer before they strike again.
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Nash Falls
by David Baldacci
Nash is an intelligent man, tough but fair-minded. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family. However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father's funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.
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The Bookbinder's Secret
by A. D. Bell
Lilian Delaney, apprentice to a master bookbinder in Oxford in 1901, chafes at the confines of her life. She is trapped between the oppressiveness of her father's failing bookshop and still being an apprentice in a man's profession. But when she's given a burned book during a visit to a collector, she finds, hidden beneath the binding, a fifty-year-old letter speaking of love, fortune, and murder. Lily is pulled into the mystery of the young lovers, a story of forbidden love, and discovers there are more books and more hidden pages telling their story. Lilian becomes obsessed with the story but she is not the only one looking for the remaining books and what began as a diverting intrigue quickly becomes a very dangerous pursuit. Lily's search leads her from the eccentric booksellers of London to the private libraries of unscrupulous collectors and the dusty archives of society papers, deep into the heart of the mystery. But with sinister forces closing in willing to do anything for the books, Lilian's world begins to fall apart and she must decide if uncovering the truth is worth the risk to her own life.
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Death at the Door
by Olivia Blacke
Ruby, a young woman new to Boston, and Cordelia, a ghost who haunts Ruby's apartment, narrate this fun supernatural cozy. The unusual duo's friendship grows as they investigate after a deli delivery guy is found dead at Ruby's new job in this charming sequel to A New Lease on Death.
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Exit Strategy: A Reacher Novel
by Lee Child
First--a Baltimore coffee shop. A seat in the corner, facing the door. Black coffee, two refills, no messing around. A minor interruption from two of the customers, but nothing he can't deal with swiftly. As he leaves, a young guy brushes against him in the doorway. Instinctively Reacher checks the pocket holding his cash and passport. There's no problem. Nothing is missing. Second--a store to buy a coat. Nothing fancy. Something he can ditch when he heads to warmer climates. Large enough to fit a man the size of a bank vault. As he pulls out his cash, he finds something new in his pocket. A handwritten note. A desperate plea for help. Third--wherever this bend in the road takes him. Impressed by the guy's technique and intrigued by the message, Reacher makes it his mission to find out more.
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Everyone in the Group Chat Dies
by L.M. Chilton
A year after the death of Esme, a true-crime influencer obsessed with a 1990s serial killer, a text arrives from her: "Everyone in the group chat dies." The group, made up of former 20-something flatmates in small-town England, includes aspiring journalist Kirby Cornell, and when members start dying, she tries to figure out what's going on.
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Spasm
by Robin Cook
When Laurie Montgomery temporarily steps down from her position as Chief Medical Examiner, she and Jack find themselves uncharacteristically free for a couple of weeks. And the timing couldn't be better when they receive a call from Jack's former medical school classmate, Robert Neilson, who is the sole family practitioner in Essex Falls, an idyllic town tucked away in the Adirondack Mountains. Serving also as the Hamilton County coroner, Dr. Neilson is in over his head trying to explain the sudden death of a young, healthy pest control worker on top of an outbreak of rapidly progressive Alzheimer's-like cases and he pleads with Jack and Laurie to come lend a professional hand. Unable to resist a good mystery and a vacation in one, Laurie and Jack agree to help and head upstate. Essex Falls is beautiful enough and their accommodations are even better than they imagined. But they soon learn the town has suffered a major economic and social setback, which has shaken its residents to their cores. When the body of the pest control worker disappears without a trace just prior to an autopsy, Jack's penchant for solving forensic conundrums launches him into a full-scale investigation that uncovers the most frightening modus operandi of his career so far.
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Deeds Left Undone
by Ellen Crosby
When a vineyard accident during harvest season leaves Lucie Montgomery without a valuable employee, it's her worst nightmare. But before she can search for a replacement, there's more bad news: Paul Merchant, her winery manager's husband, is found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool. Police rule Paul's death an accident, but his wife insists he was murdered because of his leadership of Don't Pave Paradise, a conservationist group lobbying to keep the region's beautiful country roads unpaved. As Lucie is drawn into investigating Paul's death, she discovers more than one motive for the crime. When she finds an old photo of a beautiful local heiress who died tragically in a fire eighty years ago among Paul's papers, she starts to wonder if the modern-day crime might have roots in the past. Either way, someone is determined to make sure Lucie, who's agreed to continue the work of Don't Pave Paradise, hits a dead end before she even gets started.
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The First Time I Saw Him
by Laura Dave
Five years after her husband Owen disappeared, Hannah Hall and her stepdaughter Bailey have settled into a new life in Southern California. Together, they've forged a relationship with Bailey's grandfather Nicholas and are putting the past behind them. But when Owen shows up at Hannah's new exhibition, she knows that she and Bailey are in danger again. Hannah and Bailey are forced to go on the run in a relentless race to keep their past from catching up with them. As a thrilling drama unfolds, Hannah risks everything to get Bailey to safety and finds there just might be a way back to Owen and their long-awaited second chance.
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Divine Ruin
by Margot Douaihy
It's a steamy, restless end of the school year in New Orleans. Sister Holiday is finishing her music classes and preparing for her permanent vow ceremony, a pivotal moment in her journey of faith. But when one of her favorite students is found dead of a fentanyl overdose, Sister Holiday and her partner-in-PI, Magnolia Riveaux, are determined to track down the drug dealers. As students continue to fall prey to this sinister drug, Sister Holiday becomes more desperate to stop the epidemic while facing her own past with addiction, a demon that is never too far. With Douaihy's signature mix of grit, heart, and faith, Divine Ruin tests the limits of Sister Holiday's devotion in her darkest and most shocking case yet.
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The King's Ransom
by Janet Evanovich
Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can't seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin Harley is in trouble. As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world's most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces have started going missing and worse, there's no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime.
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Revenge of Odessa by Frederick ForsythFifty years after revealing the secrets of Odessa, an underground organization of former Nazis angling to regain power, Peter Miller is a retired legend in the journalism community. He's spent the last decade caring for his grandson Georg, after the death of his son and daughter-in- law in a tragic car accident. Always suspecting that his own long list of enemies might have been behind his son's death, Peter pulled back from his career to keep Georg safe. But he could do nothing to stop the young man from following in his footsteps. Georg's reputation and renown for fearless journalism is growing fast in a digital world. But Georg Miller is not the only aspect of Peter's past that has thrived. By 2025 Odessa has been replaced by Medusa which has reached a level of secret power greater than Odessa ever achieved, its every long-term plan nearing fruition. The subtle rise of the far-right in German politics; the dozens of seemingly unconnected 'patriotic' parties growing across Germany's constituent states and districts; the spike in violence and terrorism against Germany's immigrant population; and the angry reaction of her citizens. All are symptoms of a man-made, hidden danger and fuel for a planned inferno that must be stopped at all costs.
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Innocence Road
by Laura Griffin
Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they're not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father's death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape. While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager, Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager's murder.
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Darkrooms
by Rebecca Hannigan
Two unforgettable women investigate the disappearance of a missing girl in a small Irish town brimming with secrets in this haunting debut from a new crime writing talent, perfect for fans of Tana French and Flynn Berry.
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Robert B. Parker's Showdown
by Mike Lupica
Vic Hale is the biggest podcaster in the nation; he hates everybody, but is loved by millions. Spenser goes way back with Vic's father Tommy, and he believes it's all an act. So when Vic comes to Spenser for help, Spenser can hardly deny him. After all, he still owes Tommy for saving his life. But as Spenser unearths secrets from Vic's past, he realizes Vic isn't who he thought he was. And when he discovers that someone's life is at risk, Spenser might have no choice but to form an alliance with Vic, if only he can be trusted.
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Death and Dinuguan by Mia P. ManansalaAs Valentine’s Day approaches, thieves are targeting women-owned businesses in Shady Pines, Illinois, leaving café owner Lila Macapagal worried for friends and family. Then things get worse when a friend is attacked and a murder occurs. This is the charming 6th and final entry in the award-winning Tita Rosie’s Kitchen series (recipes included).
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False Witness
by Phillip Margolin
Defense Attorney Karen Wyatt exposed corruption in the police force and the District Attorney's office while getting her client exonerated in court. But in doing so, she put a target on her back and she was set up on fake drug charges, imprisoned and disbarred until the conspiracy unraveled and her innocence was proven. Now reinstated to the bar, Wyatt is still interested in finding out who ordered her to be set up, but the key figures were either killed or are in Witness Protection. In the meantime, Wyatt is a practicing defense attorney, whose current client is either guilty of a heinous murder or is a too-trusting patsy for an acquaintance, set up for a crime he didn't commit.
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Come Through Your Door
by Carlene O'Connor
The roads around Dingle are whisper-quiet in the small hours of a rainy night, empty of the tourists who throng the town by day. As she and her assistant Patrick drive home after an already traumatic day, Dimpna Wilde isn't expecting to see anyone, let alone her employee Niamh, standing in the road, dressed in a nightgown and soaked to the skin. Dazed and distraught, Niamh passes out after muttering incoherently and at her apartment Dimpna and Patrick make a grisly discovery. There's a dead woman in Niamh's bed, shot in the head, a hunting rifle beside her. When Niamh comes to she has no memory of the day's events and no idea of the woman's identity. All she can tell Detective Inspector Cormac O'Brien with certainty is that for weeks she's felt like she was being watched.
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Private Rome: A Private Novel
by James Patterson
Jack Morgan, ex-Marine helicopter pilot and CIA agent, is in Italy to open the latest outpost of his international private investigation firm. Its wealthy client base demands maximum force and maximum discretion. But when a priest is murdered at the firm's opening party, Morgan and Matteo Ricci, a decorated former Rome police inspector, now Morgan's newly appointed deputy, come under intense scrutiny. As Morgan and Ricci work the case, they discover that eight priests have died, all under watch of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Police.
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Evil Bones
by Kathy Reichs
Small creatures--a rat, a rabbit, a squirrel--have been turning up throughout Charlotte, North Carolina, mutilated and displayed in a bizarre manner. But one day, as Tempe is relaxing at home alongside her aimless, moody great-niece Ruthie, she's diverted by a disturbing call. Tempe visits the scene and discovers that the victim is a pet dog. As one who has always found animal cruelty abhorrent, Tempe agrees to help apprehend the person responsible and she acquires an equally outraged ally in semi-retired homicide detective Erskine 'Skinny' Slidell. Needing a better understanding of possible motives, Tempe seeks input from a forensic psychologist. The doctor has no definitive answer but offers several possibilities, warning that the escalating pattern of aggression suggests even more macabre discoveries and a shift in the perp's focus to humans.
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If you would like more book recommendations or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask any of the staff members at the CPL circulation desk. We are always happy to help you find your next great read! Until next month, happy reading! |
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Cranberry Public Library
2525 Rochester Road, Suite 300
Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania 16066
(724) 776-9100www.cranberrylibrary.org |
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