Michigan City Public Library: Thrillers and Suspense: January 2026

Clownfish Blues
by Tim Dorsey

Crime Caper. In this 20th (and most recent) entry in the Serge Storms series, our erstwhile "hero" is busy recreating scenes from the television series Route 66 with his perpetually stoned sidekick, Coleman. Preferring the term "sequential killer" to "serial killer" (he never plans to kill again -- he just finds himself in situations where he's forced to), Serge unleashes his own form of justice on the Sunshine State once more. If you're looking for devastating humor and sharp dialogue, do yourself a favor and pick up Clownfish Blues -- or any other entry in the series, which can easily be read out of order.

Bad Summer People
by Emma Rosenblum

What it is: an intricately plotted and character-driven debut about the delightfully despicable summertime residents of an exclusive Fire Island enclave and how the discovery of a dead body threatens to bring all their hidden secrets to the surface.

Is it for you? In addition to all the gossip, infidelity, and backstabbing, the nonlinear storyline is narrated from the alternating perspectives of a large cast of characters.

Reviewers say: Bad Summer People is "wickedly entertaining" (Publishers Weekly) and "a heck of a beach read" (Kirkus Reviews).

Blood on Snow: A Novel
by Jo Nesbø

Scandinavian Crime Fiction. Olav is a soft-hearted criminal limited by his skills; the only thing he's got any talent for is "fixing" problems -- which means killing people at the request of his heroin kingpin boss. Unfortunately, he's been assigned to kill his boss' wife...and whether he does or doesn't, he's in the dangerous position of knowing rather too much about his employer. And that's before he falls in love with his target. Set in Oslo in the 1970s, this "jewel of a novel" (Booklist) was followed by Midnight Sun, which shares its setting.

All the Dark Places
by Terri Parlato

How it starts: Psychologist Jay Bradley has just celebrated his 40th birthday with his devoted wife Molly and three other couples at their suburban Massachusetts home.

What goes wrong: The next day, Jay is found in dead in his home office, with a slit throat and the start of an unanticipated new book about abnormal psychology open on his computer.

Read it for: the compelling narration, which alternates between the perspectives of Molly and the detective who interrogates her.

Complicit
by Winnie M. Li

Who it's about: Sarah Lai, a college lecturer and Hollywood has-been who is offered the chance to air the dirty laundry of the rich and powerful after a journalist comes asking questions about a magnate who ruined her career ambitions.

Read it for: its thought-provoking tone and intricate plotting.

Is it for you? Inspired by the survivors of Harvey Weinstein's abuse, Complicit deals with triggering topics like emotional manipulation and sexual assault.

Dead of Night
by Simon Scarrow

Dead of Night is the action-packed sequel to Blackout, which first introduced readers to police inspector Horst Schenke during his hunt for a serial killer in 1939 Berlin. This time, he investigates the suspicious suicide of a doctor who hid in plain sight as a member of the Nazi Party while secretly helping Jews trapped in the city.

Contact your librarian for more great books!