Mystery Book Reviews

The best mystery book reviews. Mysteries are typically crime stories in which readers follows a detective or amateur sleuth attempting to solve a criminal puzzle. Compared with “crime thrillers,” mysteries often feature less graphic violence and shocking subject matter.

32 Minutes, a Perfectly Paced Whodunnit by Andrew Diamond

By

The Bottom line: Everyone is a suspect in this perfectly paced, hard-hitting whodunnit.  When we first met private detective Freddy Ferguson in BestThrillers.com Book of the Year pick Gate 76, Freddy was 34-years-old and still largely defined by his former career as a prize fighter. Now pushing 40, the veteran PI is wiser and more perceptive, but still just as tough. In 32 Minutes, Freddy is hired to […]

32 Minutes, a Perfectly Paced Whodunnit by Andrew Diamond READ MORE >

Far Out, a Hilarious Crime Caper by Khaled Talib

By

The Bottom Line: A pacey and hilarious crime caper that will thrill fans of David Wong and Janet Evanovich.   Hollywood movie star Goldie Saint Helen isn’t herself after an accident on the Pacific Coast Highway. Unable to remember her real identity, she believes she’s living in the 1960s as a hippie detective who must save a teenage girl from a wild CIA drug experiment (it’s

Far Out, a Hilarious Crime Caper by Khaled Talib READ MORE >

Death by Saxophone, The Year’s Best Mystery

By

The Bottom Line: Winner, Best Mystery, The BestThrillers.com Book Awards. Highly recommended..  There’s no way to properly describe Death by Saxophone without first defining the object of its characters’ obsession: black market recordings called “bone records.” Also called “ribs,” bone records are bootlegged gramophone recordings first made from X-ray films as a way to smuggle banned music in and out of the Soviet Union.  When smooth jazz

Death by Saxophone, The Year’s Best Mystery READ MORE >

Gothic Revival, the Year’s Best Horror Novel

By

The Bottom Line: Winner, Best Horror Noveo, The BestThrillers.com Book Awards. Highly recommended. Gothic Revival opens as Eric Asher, celebrity novelist and oscar-nominated screenwriter, sends an out-of-the-blue invitation to a group of old grad school friends. In the letter, which acknowledges that he’s become a recluse, he offers to fly them to San Francisco, then whisk them away by private plane to a remote lake villa for

Gothic Revival, the Year’s Best Horror Novel READ MORE >

The Birthday of Eternity, a Must-Read Historical Thriller by A.D. Price

By

The Bottom Line: This atmospheric mystery is a must-read for fans of L.A. Noir and postwar historical fiction.  Set in Los Angeles one year after the end of World War II, private investigators Kit Comfort and Henry Richman have a new client: Hoyle Cooper, a.k.a. the Doctor to the Stars. Cooper wants to find his soon-to-be-ex, Lillian, who left him in March and served divorce

The Birthday of Eternity, a Must-Read Historical Thriller by A.D. Price READ MORE >

Veil of Doubt

Veil of Doubt, an Engrossing Courtroom Thriller by Sharon Virts

By

The Bottom Line: Veil of Doubt is a perfectly paced courtroom thriller with flourishes of forensics that will excite fans of Caleb Carr’s Angel of Darkness or the TV series Law and Order. I love murder mysteries, courtroom dramas and psychological thrillers. Virts adds all these elements together in a very engrossing tale about a woman who is charged with murdering her husband and four

Veil of Doubt, an Engrossing Courtroom Thriller by Sharon Virts READ MORE >

Every Silent Thing, an Irresistible International Crime Thriller by Alan Brenham

By

The Bottom Line: An irresistible international crime thriller that delivers an intoxicating mix of mystery, murder and mayhem. Life hasn’t come easy for identical triplets Claire, Megan and Boyd Deveraux. Adopted in Texas after their biological parents died in a car crash, Claire, who is also deaf, has worked hard to land her dream job as a foreign service officer stationed in Paris. But her

Every Silent Thing, an Irresistible International Crime Thriller by Alan Brenham READ MORE >

When Things Fall Apart, a Twisty Page Turner by Alan Brenham

By

The Bottom Line: A twisty, gut-punch crime thriller that manages to both enrage and entertain en route to its shocking conclusion. The definition of a page-turner. When Things Fall Apart opens with the brutal murder of Texas attorney Sydney Hanover. Told from the point of view of a jealous husband who is initially identified as “Ken” (a nickname from his wife, Elaine, who he calls “Barbie”), he cites a shortlist

When Things Fall Apart, a Twisty Page Turner by Alan Brenham READ MORE >

In the Shadow of the Sun, an Atmospheric Thriller by Poli Flores

By

The Bottom Line: A meticulously-crafted and atmospheric thriller that explores themes of homecoming, survivor’s guilt, forgiveness and the impact of war on returning soldiers.  Matt Bradley carries a scar on his face that will forever remind him and others of his service in Vietnam. The only survivor when his helicopter was shot down by the Viet Cong, he has applied his military training as a tracker to his post-war civilian life. Working as a Border Patrol officer, he patrols the remote corners of Allen County, tracking dopers and smugglers.  Despite establishing a post-war career, Matt’s life is far

In the Shadow of the Sun, an Atmospheric Thriller by Poli Flores READ MORE >

No More Lies, an Ingeniously Crafted Mystery by Alan Brenham

By

The Bottom Line: An absorbing and ingeniously crafted mystery that will hold readers captive until the very last chapter. Austin Police Department detective Jason Scarsdale traveled to Washington D.C. for an in-person job interview with the U.S. Marshals. Or at least that’s what his wife, Dani Mueller, believes. But when Jason fails to return to their hotel, and Dani reports him missing, she’s told that everything

No More Lies, an Ingeniously Crafted Mystery by Alan Brenham READ MORE >

Scroll to Top