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.

Steve Shockley

Duty Strong, a Simmering Page-Turner by Steve Shockley

By

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 […]

Duty Strong, a Simmering Page-Turner by Steve Shockley READ MORE >

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

By

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

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

Stable, a Harrowing Rescue Thriller by Cam Torrens

By

The Bottom Line: A harrowing rescue thriller with a truly magnetic hero at its core. In Cam Torrens’ debut novel, nine-year-old Janae is visiting her aunt and uncles’ rural home in the Colorado Rockies when she’s mistaken for a girl named Kendall. She’s abducted, hooded and driven to a secluded barn – a place known as “the stable” – where a man known as Jefe markets

Stable, a Harrowing Rescue Thriller by Cam Torrens READ MORE >

Havana Hangover, a Jaw-Dropping Destination Thriller by Randy Richardson

By

The Bottom Line: A jaw-dropping destination thriller featuring exotic locations, mortally divisive characters and a won’t-see-it-coming twist. Havana Hangover begins in Miami International Airport in 2016, as 30-year-old attorney Tanner Ford and estranged best friend Jackson Swift are about to board a flight to Cuba. From the beginning, it’s clear that something is badly amiss. First, the pair fly into Cuba’s beach resort town, Varadero, instead of

Havana Hangover, a Jaw-Dropping Destination Thriller by Randy Richardson READ MORE >

Alaska Deadly, an Absorbing Detective Thriller by J.L. Askew

By

The Bottom Line: A fully absorbing detective thriller with a highly original PI you can’t help but root for. Fans of Dennis Lehane and Tana French will love Askew’s atmospheric style. Alaska Deadly finds private detective Race Warren working his first case, and the Memphis PI is under the impression it’s going to be like a paid vacation. All he has to do is travel to

Alaska Deadly, an Absorbing Detective Thriller by J.L. Askew READ MORE >

House of Giral, a Spellbinding Medical Thriller by Mark Laurence Latowsky

By

The Bottom Line: A spellbinding medical thriller that artfully blends the concepts of past lives and genomic imprinting into a truly fresh novel.  During a Saturday night jog in Florida, an obscure piece of music trivia comes to psychologist Jennifer “Jo” Hart. She has no idea why she knows this. In the next instant, she’s shaken by a memory of herself at age fourteen so

House of Giral, a Spellbinding Medical Thriller by Mark Laurence Latowsky READ MORE >

Runway Dreams, a Humorous and Addictive Murder Mystery

By

The Bottom Line: We’re smitten by this exceptionally fresh, high-watt glam murder mystery. Curvaceous model Bernadette has an amazing house, a close-knit family, a trust fund, and a law degree to fall back upon if she ever grows tired of modeling. What could be missing in her life? Love, of course. Soon after dipping her designer heels into the world of online dating, Bernadette meets

Runway Dreams, a Humorous and Addictive Murder Mystery READ MORE >

The Serpent’s Teeth, a Wildly Absorbing Murder Mystery by Stephen Kronwith, MD

By

The Bottom Line: This wildly absorbing, innovative murder mystery is a must-read for Agatha Christie fans.   As The Serpent’s Teeth opens, an enigmatic assassin embarks on a curiously easy mission. As he prepares to enter the opulent estate, he has no need to hack its security system – instead, he simply logs in with the credentials his employer provided. Once inside, he finds his target, 79-year-old

The Serpent’s Teeth, a Wildly Absorbing Murder Mystery by Stephen Kronwith, MD READ MORE >

Love Lost on Cloud 9, an Immersive Murder Mystery by K.C. Brote

By

The Bottom Line: A must-read murder mystery that is as surprising as it is immersive.  Fittingly, Love Lost on Cloud 9 opens with a murder told from the point of view of the victim. In the book’s first chilling page, we learn that 32-year-old photographer Astrid Russo was strangled, found two days after her death, and – thanks to a truly creepy sensory experience, as

Love Lost on Cloud 9, an Immersive Murder Mystery by K.C. Brote READ MORE >

The Housemaid’s Secret, a Twisty Crime Thriller by Freida McFadden

By

The Bottom Line: Filled with jaw-dropping shockers, The Housemaid’s Secret is a must-read. As housemaid Millie struggles to find gainful employment without being questioned about her murky past, she feels fortunate when the affluent Garrick family hires her to clean their luxurious penthouse and prepare sumptuous meals in their shiny kitchen. It seems like the perfect job for Millie, who plans to keep a low

The Housemaid’s Secret, a Twisty Crime Thriller by Freida McFadden READ MORE >