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.

Once Upon a Crime, an Absolute Nail Biter by Alan Brenham

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The Bottom Line: The hunt for a serial killer becomes personal in this absolute nail biter. Michael Connelly fans may find a new favorite in Alan Brenham.  In Alan Brenham’s Once Upon a Crime, Detective Madison Chase hunts a serial killer named PG who seems to prey on child sex offenders. As a series of child predators turn up dead, PG also turns out to be an amateur poet, taunting Chase with sinister and highly memorable rhyming […]

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The Desiderata Stone, an Unputdownable Historical Thriller by Nick Aaron

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The Bottom Line: An unputdownable historical thriller that gloriously tethers ancient Rome to the 1960s. In the sixth installment in Nick Aaron’s wildly popular Blind Sleuth Mysteries series, set in 1964, 41-year-old intern Daisy Hayes travels to Rome. There, upon invitation from doting Father Boudry, she has the opportunity to study sculptures by touch at the Vatican Museums. It’s a rare treat – as Daisy

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When I Killed You, a Magical Blend of Mystery and Physics by Liam Fialkov

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The Bottom Line: Fialkov’s best book yet is a truly magical blend of mystery and physics with two shocking twists.  Told from alternating points of view, When I Killed You is a captivating mystery about Helen Avery’s obsession with her daughter Alice’s disappearance 30 years earlier. In early chapters, we learn about a haunting childhood visit to a fortune teller, about her resentment toward her ex-husband –

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The Loneliest Places, a Suspenseful LA Noir Novel by Keith Edward Vaughn

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The Bottom Line: An atmospheric, suspenseful and wistful work of LA Noir. Recommended for fans of Lisa Gray and Michael Connelly.  Can a private investigator’s worst nightmare also be his salvation?  In Keith Edward Vaughn’s debut novel, second-generation PI Ellis Dunaway lives in the shadow of his late father, a former LAPD detective with a rock-solid reputation. But on Ellis’ watch, the shrinking firm’s cases wrap too

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Naked Came the Detective, a Dazzling Debut Murder Mystery by Glendall C. Jackson III

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The Bottom Line: A dazzling debut that will leave fans eagerly anticipating the return of Jackson’s cunning heroine. In Naked Came the Detective, an escort-turned-amateur sleuth investigates the stabbing of a client named “Ben” (she uses fictitious names to protect her clients). The police’s theory is that Ben, an overextended real estate tycoon, surprised a mugger in an alley near his office, resulting in his murder.

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D for Daisy, a Remarkable World War II Mystery by Nick Aaron

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The Bottom Line: A highly engaging World War II mystery with a remarkable amateur sleuth at the helm.  Set during World War II, D for Daisy begins as the eponymously named British bomber returns to base. The landing is a harrowing one, as the plane’s pilot, Ralph Prendergast, is dead on arrival. It’s up to the flight engineer to take the controls while the rest of the crew hangs on

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Two Lists, a Highly Recommended Murder Mystery by Thomas Thorson

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The Bottom Line: Two Lists deftly blends an unusual murder case and decidedly unorthodox crime-fighting tactics. Highly recommended.   Trouble easily finds its way to Vinn and Malcolm’s front door, even when they’ve sworn it off for good. The two academics teaching at the University of Illinois at Chicago have become an unlikely crime-fighting duo, taking on gruesome murder cases, doing covert work for government agencies and getting tangled up in

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The Consular Official, a Jaw-Dropping FBI Thriller by Bill King

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The Bottom Line: A gritty FBI Thriller with jaw-dropping twists. King’s portrayal of the convoluted world of cross-border criminality, politics and business feels completely fresh.  The Consular Official opens in Houston, Texas, as 23-year-old Juan Carlos Alonso – known as Pepe – leaves his office at the Mexican Consulate early to spend the weekend with new girlfriend, Suzy. But Suzy isn’t who Pepe thinks she

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Steve Shockley

Duty Strong, a Simmering Page-Turner by Steve Shockley

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The Bottom Line: Steve Shockley’s soldier sleuth shines in this page-turner set in 1970s North Carolina. Set shortly after the United States’ withdrawal from Vietnam in the 1970s, combat veteran Sergeant Major Zinny Zubell is hastily released from the army after two decades of service as part of a reduction in force. Loyalty to a friend in need takes him to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he

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Funeral Daze, a Hilarious High-Stakes Mystery by Dorian Box

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The Bottom Line: A hilarious page-turner that effortlessly blends crime, humor and South Florida beach culture. Recommended for fans of Richard Osman and Alexander McCall Smith.   Funeral Daze begins as broke lottery winner and widower Danny Tweakwell receives an invitation from the Slagger-Jewell Funeral Home. He’s had no contact with the home since the Jewell family helped him out of a major jam five years earlier. This time, the service

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