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Crime & Mystery

9 Mysteries — Some New, Some Old — You Won’t Be Able to Put Down

Need a little diversion? Our crime columnist has plenty of books to recommend.

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By Sarah Weinman

With the holidays upon us after a long and fraught year, carving out a few hours to lose yourself in a good mystery feels restorative. Here are crime novels of all categories, new and old, which will help you do just that.

Many readers, myself included, loved Nita Prose’s debut, “ The Maid ,” which introduced the delightful neurodivergent hotel housekeeper Molly Gray. She returns in THE MYSTERY GUEST (Ballantine, 304 pp., $29) , which builds upon “The Maid”’s many charms.

Three years on, Molly is in a good place; she’s the head maid at the five-star Regency Grand and in a fulfilling romantic relationship. So of course another dead body is about to wreck her careful equilibrium. The esteemed best-selling mystery writer J.D. Grimthorpe has chosen the Grand to give a news conference about future career moves. He takes a sip of tea, opens his mouth to begin the announcement and falls dead in front of fans, reporters, Molly and her staff.

“Let’s just hope there’s a good explanation,” one of Molly’s co-workers says. “But I’m telling you, Molls, this looks bad. Like true-crime bad.” The suspects pile up, and Molly is one of them, thanks to her long-ago connections to the murdered man. Prose peppers the mystery with sly jokes about the vagaries of crime writing, but Molly’s voice remains central and moving: “It strikes me — how a room is just a container. Any space can be poisoned by the memory of what occurred within it.”

Keigo Higashino is a master of puzzle mysteries that are rooted in the Japanese tradition of honkaku made famous by writers like Soji Shimada, Seishi Yokomizo and Yukito Ayatsuji. But the psychological complexities threaded through his most recent work, THE FINAL CURTAIN (Minotaur, 390 pp., $29) , elevate it above most honkaku mysteries, which prize ingenuity over characterization.

Translated by Giles Murray, the novel — the fourth outing for Detective Kaga, who has the “eyes of a hunting dog that has found its prey” — centers on a confounding mystery, one that involves a strangled woman found in a stranger’s house in a city far from her small-town home. Kaga soon realizes this murder is somehow connected to the death of his estranged mother 10 years earlier. “If I can get to the bottom of the case, I might manage to learn something about my mother too,” he says wistfully. He’s a brilliant detective, but on some level, it seems, still the boy abandoned by his mother.

Those looking for meaner streets to travel should pick up Femi Kayode’s GASLIGHT (Mulholland, 380 pp., $29) , which brings back the investigator Philip Taiwo after the impressive 2021 debut “Lightseekers.” Taiwo is now tasked to examine the goings-on at a megachurch in Nigeria’s Ogun State, and the stakes could not be higher: After Sade Dawodu disappeared, her husband, the church’s charismatic pastor, was arrested for her murder.

If this crime took place in the United States, the story would most likely follow the structure of a classic police procedural. But Kayode refracts those tropes through what actually ails Nigeria: rampant corruption, cavalier record-keeping and a sense that justice can never be achieved. Taiwo must struggle through murky depths to arrive at a truth that will please no one.

Books, dogs and food — and a well-structured sense of fun — connect almost all of Valerie Burns’s cozy mysteries, regardless of pseudonym. MURDER IS A PIECE OF CAKE (Kensington, 250 pp., paperback, $16.95) , written under her real name, continues the sugar high of the first Baker Street mystery. Writing as Kallie E. Benjamin, she delivers SNIFFING OUT MURDER (Berkley Prime Crime, 339 pp., paperback, $17) , in which a spate of small-town murders compels Priscilla Cummings, a middle-grade author, to sleuth out the culprit along with her beloved bloodhound, Bailey.

And finally, as V.M. Burns, she’s written MURDER ON TOUR (Kensington, 246 pp., paperback, $16.95) . The ninth entry featuring the mystery writer and bookseller Samantha Washington finds her navigating insecurity, petty jealousies and other minor conflicts at a local literary festival — until the conflicts turn major when another writer ends up dead.

This novel, like Burns’s others, wipes the mind clean of anything but pure enjoyment, just as Samantha views her own books: “No one is going to read my book and start a movement that will end human trafficking, reduce the effects of global warming or save the Amur leopard from extinction,” she says. “I write British cozy historical mysteries.”

Faithful column readers know how much I adore Stephen Spotswood’s Pentecost and Parker series, and sometimes I feel — in these pages and in real life — like a broken record recommending these books, set in post-World War II New York City, to anybody and everybody. I swore I was going to let this new installment pass without comment, but when it’s just as good as the last three, how could I?

MURDER CROSSED HER MIND (Doubleday, 364 pp., $27) vaults the private investigator Lillian Pentecost and her plucky junior partner, Willowjean “Will” Parker, into a baffling predicament involving the disappearance of an older woman and her clandestine work hunting Nazi spies.

While investigating the case, Will gets jumped on a boardwalk late at night, and after beating herself up about it, gets right back to work. And Pentecost finally offers clues to her family life, which she has kept secret until, it seems, she no longer can. There’s a cliffhanger ending, which I shan’t spoil, but which raises my hopes very high for installment No. 5.

Finally, a holiday roundup would be incomplete without some recently reissued vintage gems. Let’s start with THE PENGUIN BOOK OF MURDER MYSTERIES ( Penguin Classics, 323 pp., paperback, $17.99 ), a collection that leans heavily on overlooked and underappreciated mystery stories from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

As the editor Michael Sims notes in his introduction, “You will not find here many of the celebrity detectives who make the rounds of every mystery-fan party like board members an executive director was afraid not to invite.” Instead, readers will find excellent tales by writers like Charles W. Chesnutt, Ellen Glasgow and Auguste Groner. I particularly enjoyed Anna Katharine Green’s “An Intangible Clue,” which stars a New York City socialite turned detective named Violet Strange.

The lexicographer Eric Walter Blom (1888-1959) lived and breathed music, whether he was editing the fifth edition of “Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians,” publishing criticism in British newspapers or even writing his sole crime novel. DEATH ON THE DOWN BEAT (Poisoned Pen Press, 190 pp., paperback, $14.99) , released in 1941 under the pseudonym Sebastian Farr, was soon forgotten — a grievous error that has now been rectified.

The mystery — who shot the boorish, obnoxious conductor Sir Noel Grampian in the middle of a performance — is recounted by Detective Inspector Alan Hope of New Scotland Yard in letters to his wife. It would seem that the fatal shot came from someone in the orchestra; all the musicians had reasons to dislike Grampian, though the score shows that only “the piccolo, two harps, the kettledrums” were not playing at the moment the gun was fired. “Death on the Down Beat” is a formally inventive and briskly paced novel, an utter delight.

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Another body is found with links to the first

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Facts are lost in a swirl of accusation and counter-accusation

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Book Review and Recommendation Blog

Best Thriller Mystery Books – My Top 10 Favorites

Warning – possible spoilers! (Tiny ones, though, and I’ll try to avoid even those; I swear I’ll give my best not to ruin it for you… :-))

I love to read many different genres, but thrillers and mysteries will always have a special place in my heart. It might be weird, but I kind of see them as pick-me-up stories – they are fun and exciting, full of turns and mysteries, and you can just follow along without getting too emotionally involved. Which sometimes (okay, often) is exactly what I need.

Mystery thrillers offer an exciting and engaging form of escapism that allows me to immerse myself in a different world. The fast-paced nature of thrillers and the intrigue of mystery stories always keep me on the edge of my seat, turning the pages to find out what happens next.

And of course, you can also find a more serious side to these stories, if that’s what you’re after. Thriller and mystery books often explore important and thought-provoking themes such as justice, morality, betrayal, compassion, revenge, responsibility, etc.

Well-crafted thrillers and mysteries can also be psychologically gripping. They rely on suspense, tension, and twists that can be both surprising and satisfying. They make us question our perception of the world and can challenge our beliefs, leading to a more well-rounded understanding of life.

Of course, not every thriller book lives up to the expectations, but the ones below are the best thriller mystery books I’ve read so far, and I wanted to share them with you today.

What Makes Good Thriller Mystery Books

The fact is – we all have different criteria when it comes to books. The list below represents what I consider to be some of the best thriller mystery books, but I am fully aware many of you wouldn’t agree.

For some people, it’s all about the plot. They want a thriller that is engaging and well-crafted, preferably with an unpredictable outcome. Other readers are mostly into characters. They want strong and well-developed protagonists that keep them feel invested.

There’s also the ‘unputdownableness’ vibe. Thrillers and mysteries are defined by their suspense factor, and a good book in this genre should have a sense of tension and danger that builds throughout the story. This creates a feeling of unease and keeps the reader engaged.

And almost equally important are the setting and narration. A well-described setting can add to the atmosphere and sense of danger, making the story more immersive. And the writing should be clear, engaging, and atmospheric, with a focus on dialogue, pacing, and detail.

And I agree that all these elements should be present in a good thriller mystery book. But the writing style I love you may hate and the characters that make me wanna follow them to the end of the world might leave you indifferent.

Still, here are just some of the things that can make or break my reading experience when it comes to thrillers:

What I love to see in thrillers and mystery books:

• Light, easy writing;
• Unique plots (or as unique as possible these days);
• Likable characters that are easy to root for (or unlikable characters that are easy to root for, whichever I’m in the mood for);
• Lots of drama (a reality show in a thriller form would be great, thanks very much);
• Good pacing – not too slow, not rushed up;
• Details that are at least book-believable if not real-life-believable;
• Just a fun story that I can have a great time with.

What I don’t like in thrillers and mysteries:

• Detective stories (though I have a couple of series I love, including Ahata Christie’s novels, but I have a whole other post dedicated to her );
• MCs that would totally die first in a horror movie;
• A plot that doesn’t bring absolutely nothing we haven’t read a thousand times before;
• Twists for the sake of twists;
• Too many plot holes.

Finally, here are some of the best thriller mystery books I’ve read, and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did…

10 Best Thriller Mystery Books

1. the silent patient by alex michaelides.

Year published: 2019

Rated on Goodreads: 4.18

My full review: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient is about a famous painter named Alicia Berenson who has been institutionalized after shooting her husband five times in the face. She has remained silent and unresponsive since the incident, refusing to speak or explain her actions.

The story is told from the perspective of a forensic psychotherapist named Theo Faber who becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth behind Alicia’s silence. He becomes her therapist in the hope of getting her to speak and finally unravel the mystery of what led to her husband’s murder.

As Theo delves deeper into Alicia’s life and past, he begins to uncover a web of dark secrets, lies, and betrayals that have been kept hidden for years. Overall, The Silent Patient is a masterful psychological thriller that explores the themes of love, madness, and betrayal.

2. The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker

Rated on Goodreads: 4.16

The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair is set in the small town of Somerset, New Hampshire, and revolves around the disappearance of Nola Kellergan, a 15-year-old girl who went missing in the summer of 1975. The story focuses on the relationship between Nola and the famous writer Harry Quebert.

The book opens thirty-three years after the incident, when Marcus Goldman, a young writer, arrives in Somerset to help Harry, who has been implicated in Nola’s disappearance and is now facing murder charges. As Marcus delves into the case and begins to uncover the truth about Harry and Nola’s relationship, he finds himself caught up in a web of lies and secrets that have been hidden for decades.

The story is told from multiple perspectives, including Marcus, Harry, and Nola, and moves between 1975 and 2008 as the mystery of Nola’s disappearance is slowly unraveled. Love, loss, and the power of the written word are some of the main themes in this novel.

3. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Rated on Goodreads: 4.12

A woman named Amy Dunne disappears on the morning of her fifth wedding anniversary, and her husband, Nick, becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Amy and Nick, as the reader is taken on a journey through their marriage and the events leading up to Amy’s disappearance.

As the investigation into Amy’s disappearance continues, Nick begins to reveal a darker side to their relationship, and Amy’s diary entries paint a picture of a marriage that is far from perfect. The story is full of twists and turns.

Gone Girl is a masterful exploration of the human psyche and the nature of relationships. It is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and mystery novels.

4. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Rated on Goodreads: 4.04

My full review: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Finlay Donovan is a single mother and a work-from-home writer who is trying to balance her job, her family, and her social life. When she is suddenly thrust into the middle of a murder investigation, she must navigate a dangerous and unpredictable world, all while trying to protect her family and clear her name.

With its witty humor, well-drawn characters, and suspenseful plot, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a fast-paced and entertaining story that is perfect for fans of light mystery novels. The book is a delightful mix of mystery, humor, and heart, and is sure to keep readers engaged and entertained from start to finish.

5. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Rated on Goodreads: 4.37

My full review: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Millie finds herself in a difficult situation, struggling to secure employment due to her past. She’s forced to live out of her car until she finally lands what she believes is the perfect job as a housemaid for the wealthy Winchester family. She accepts the live-in position, eager to start a new chapter in her life.

However, soon after beginning work, Millie realizes that Mrs. Winchester (Nina) is far from a perfect employer. She is acting erratically, accusing Millie of theft, and her daughter is acting weird. The only bright spot is Mr. Winchester (Andrew), who treats Millie kindly. The landscaper, Enzo, warns her that the house is not safe, but Millie cannot afford to leave her job.

With the situation becoming increasingly tense, Millie is left wondering if she’ll be able to make it out of the Winchester house unscathed.

6. The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Rated on Goodreads: 4.07

My full review: The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Lucas Radcliffe, a horror writer, travels to a writer’s retreat near his hometown of Beddmawr, Wales in hopes of finding inspiration for his next novel. The retreat is run by Julia, a beautiful widow who lost her husband and daughter in a drowning incident. Despite her husband’s passing, Julia holds onto the belief that her daughter is still alive as her body was never found.

Lucas, who has experienced his own losses, quickly forms a bond with Julia. However, strange events begin to occur at the retreat with the writers reporting voices, sightings of mysterious figures, and the disappearance of personal items.

Lucas becomes curious about the myth of The Red Widow, a witch who is said to demand a child sacrifice every 35 years to prevent her from cursing Beddmawr. Despite his skepticism of the supernatural, Lucas begins investigating to provide closure for Julia concerning her daughter’s death.

7. The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

Rated on Goodreads: 4.13

My full review: The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

With her well-honed skills of planning and execution, Meg is able to adopt different identities and live multiple lives as a con artist. She is a master of deception, able to effortlessly transform into whoever her target expects her to be, swindling them before they even realize what happened.

Kat Roberts, a seasoned journalist, has been searching for Meg for a decade with one goal in mind – revenge. Now that she has Meg within her grasp, she is determined to not let her go before exposing the woman who ruined her life.

However, when Meg reappears and the two grow closer, they soon realize that things are not always as they seem. This book delves into the distinction between retribution and righteousness from differing perspectives, and it kept me captivated from start to finish.

8. Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Rated on Goodreads: 3.94

My full review: Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane

Lila Ridgefield lives in a beautiful college town and seems to have an idyllic marriage, but looks can be deceiving. Now her husband, Aaron, is missing, becoming the last person to disappear in a string of missing cases.

Lila is, of course, suspected to have something to do with the incident, but no one is more confused than her. What no one knows is that – yes, she was the one to last see his body. But how the hell did it just vanish?

As the investigation into Aaron’s disappearance progresses, secrets from Lila’s past come to light, including a long-buried incident that she had hoped to keep hidden. Lila must fight to clear her name from the dangerous truths that threaten to destroy everything she has worked so hard to build.

9. 56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

Rated on Goodreads: 3.78

My full review:   56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

56 Days is a thrilling novel set against the backdrop of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. The story begins 56 days ago in Ireland. Ciara and Oliver meet for the first time while taking a break from work for lunch. Just as the virus begins to spread, they feel an instant connection.

35 days ago, the country was quickly moving into lockdown. Oliver asks Ciara to move in with him for the two-week period when people are only allowed to leave their homes for essential reasons. Ciara agrees, even though they don’t know each other all that well.

In the present day, a decomposing body is discovered in Oliver’s apartment. Detectives work tirelessly to uncover the cause of death and uncover anything they can about the victim.

10. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Rated on Goodreads: 3.95

I had a weird relationship with this book, but in the end it ended up on my list of best thriller mystery books. The first time I read it I didn’t like it, mostly because it has a trope I hate. Then I watched the movie and Emily Blunt did such an amazing job, it blew my mind. So I reread the book and the second time around I liked it way more. I gave it 5 stars and I’ve been loving it ever since.

The Girl on the Train follows the story of a woman named Rachel, who is an alcoholic and recently divorced. She takes the train to work every day. And becomes obsessed with a seemingly perfect couple she sees from her window. One day, Rachel sees something shocking, and the next day, the woman she’s been watching disappears.

As the investigation into the disappearance unfolds, Rachel becomes embroiled in the case and must confront her own troubled past and troubled relationship with alcohol. The book explores obsession, deception, gaslighting and the power of memory.

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(2) comments.

My son is an avid reader, so I want to buy him decent material for his birthday next week. It was nice of you to specify that mystery books are intriguing and fast-paced for many people. I’ll remember this info so I can make the right purchase.

Yay! I’m so glad you’ve found my post helpful!

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The Best Reviewed Mystery and Crime Books of 2022

Featuring fernanda melchor, robert harris, john darnielle, don winslow, and more.

We’ve come to the end of another bountiful literary year, and for all of us review rabbits here at Book Marks, that can mean only one thing: basic math, and lots of it.

Yes, using reviews drawn from more than 150 publications, over the next two weeks we’ll be calculating and revealing the most critically-acclaimed books of 2022, in the categories of (deep breath): Fiction ; Nonfiction ; Memoir and Biography ; Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror ; Short Story Collections ; Essay Collections; Poetry; Mystery and Crime; Graphic Literature ; and Literature in Translation .

Today’s installment: Mystery and Crime .

Brought to you by Book Marks , Lit Hub’s “Rotten Tomatoes for books.”

1. Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, trans. by Sophie Hughes (New Directions)

18 Rave • 6 Positive

“ Paradais is both more compact and more cogent [than Hurricane Season ]. Rhythm and lexis work in tandem to produce a savage lyricism. The translator Sophie Hughes marvellously matches the author in her pursuit of a new cadence … From its first sentence, in fact, Paradais feels rhythmically propelled towards a violent climax. Full stops occur rarely enough to seem meaningful, Melchor using long lines of unbroken narrative to reel in her terrible ending … The author wants to understand the violence, not merely condemn it … The novel’s language, meanwhile, is both high-flown and street-smart, strewn with Veracruzian slang, the odd made-up word and many eye-watering expletives … Pressure builds remorselessly to a dreadful climax. It is an extraordinary feat of control, making Fernanda Melchor’s exceptional novel into a contemporary masterpiece.”

–Miranda France ( Times Literary Supplement )

2. Devil House by John Darnielle (MCD)

14 Rave • 8 Positive • 2 Mixed Listen to a conversation with John Darnielle here

“… terrific: confident, creepy, a powerful and soulful page-turner. I had no idea where it was going, in the best possible sense … The thing about Darnielle’s writing, in all its forms, is this: If you’re that dorky outcast kid drawing a pentagram on the back page of your three-ring binder in algebra class, not because you want to drink anyone’s blood but because you think it’s cool, he sees you. His novels are in close contact with the alternative cultural universes of fantasy and the occult and science fiction, yet they don’t resemble genre fiction. They’re earthy and fly low to the ground. They are plain-spoken and in no hurry … Devil House …[is] never quite the book you think it is. It’s better.”

–Dwight Garner ( The New York Times )

3. Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (Harper)

14 Rave • 5 Positive

“Gripping … A belter of a thriller. It will be compulsive reading for those who loved An Officer and a Spy , Harris’s book about the Dreyfus affair. Like that novel, the research is immaculate. A chewy, morally murky slice of history is made into a tale that twists and surprises. The characters are strong and we care about their predicament. The story stretches over continents and years, but the suspense feels as taut as if the three main characters were locked in a room with a gun.”

–Antonia Senior ( AirMail )

4. City on Fire by Don Winslow (William Morrow)

14 Rave • 4 Positive Read an interview with Don Winslow here

“Winslow…brings his sharp interpretive skills to Virgil’s Aeneid, and makes the events at Troy and the founding of Rome into a riveting gangster tale. He makes me wonder why I had never before seen the Trojan War as the obvious fight between rival criminal gangs … In City of Fire, he returns to his New England roots for this new classic he says took him decades to write … Winslow is a master of pacing. Action and erotic sequences fire the adrenaline, while tender scenes feel languid and warm. He shades the relationship between men and women in noir tones. Tough guys don’t always get their way. Noir women are wicked smart, and press their advantages against how men’s low assumptions of women make them weak … Winslow has been lauded for the ways that his previous crime novels confront social issues. He has interrogated the ways that borders work between us, that we’re weak at the border when we build insurmountable walls to shore them up. One that runs under the surface of Winslow’s novel is that it’s not just the faults of individuals that cause these men to fail. But here, rigid definitions of who gets to belong in ‘our thing’ create fatal weaknesses among them. The refusal to think outside their constricted notions of masculinity and honor hobbles them.”

–Lorraine Berry ( The Boston Globe )

5. Bad Actors by Mick Herron (Soho Crime)

9 Rave • 4 Positive Listen to an excerpt from Bad Actors here

“Herron’s plots are masterpieces of convolution and elegant wrong-footing. Beyond that, his action scenes are fast-paced and thrilling—there are a couple of high-octane doozies in this installment. But the real draw of the series is its dark, dark humor. Much of it is interpersonal, but the most biting of all concerns the state of Britain, a country beset by Brexit, COVID and incompetent, if mercenary, leadership … If there is bad news, it is that you really should have read some of the previous Slough House novels in order to get a handle on this party of rejects, their histories and capabilities. Further, if you are a veteran of the series, you may have become a little weary of Jackson Lamb’s extravagant foulness and his habit of magicking cigarettes and even himself out of nowhere. That said, this is still one of the most enjoyable series I have ever read.”

–Katherine A. Powers ( The Star Tribune )

6. The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman Books)

9 Rave • 5 Positive • 1 Pan

“Osman concocts a satisfyingly complex whodunit full of neat twists and wrong turns. But unlike most crime novelists, he ensures his book’s strength and momentum stem not from its plot or its thrills but rather its perfectly formed characters. Once again, the quartet of friends makes for delightful company … If there is fault to be found it is a recurring one throughout the series—namely that Osman’s two men have less to do than his two women, and as a result feel like extras around the main double-act. But what a double-act … What could have been twee and uninvolving is in fact heartwarming and enthralling. ‘They carried a kind of magic, the four of them,’ a policeman muses. That magic is still there in abundance.”

–Malcolm Forbes ( The Washington Post )

7. Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan (Pegasus)

9 Rave • 2 Positive • 1 Mixed • 1 Pan

“. deliciously weird … Fagan once again examines the way people are affected by unhealthy spaces … she writes about placement and displacement with an arresting mix of insight and passion … Fagan tests each floor of No. 10 Luckenbooth as though she’s playing a literary version of Jenga, drawing out one block after another from this unstable structure … a muffled scream—with a feral melody and a thundering bass line. Her prose has never been more cinematic. This story’s inexorable acceleration and its crafty use of suggestion and elision demonstrate the special effects that the best writers can brew up without a single line of Hollywood software—just paper, ink and ghosts.”

–Ron Charles ( The Washington Post )

8. The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont (St. Martin’s Press)

7 Rave • 2 Positive • 3 Mixed

“An ingenious new psychological suspense novel that concocts an elaborate backstory behind Christie’s disappearance … Here’s the neatest narrative trick of all: As Christie characteristically did, de Gramont hides the solution to the mystery of The Christie Affair in plain sight … The Christie Affair is richly imagined; inventive and, occasionally, poignant; and about as true-to-life as Christie’s own tales of quaint villages with their staggering murder rates. But when fabrications are this marvelous, why demand realism?”

–Maureen Corrigan ( The Washington Post )

9. Heat 2 by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner (William Morrow)

7 Rave • 2 Positive • 2 Mixed

“It’s a pulpy, expansive crime novel that feels of a piece with Mann’s filmography, from its hypercompetent, ambitious characters to the richly detailed underworlds they operate in … At times, Mann and Gardiner use the prequel portion of the book to directly explain the origins of iconic moments from the film, but even those instances tend to feel motivated by the story rather than like cheap ploys to get readers to do the Leo pointing meme … part of the fun of Heat 2 lies in watching its authors pull ideas and tiny details from across Mann’s entire filmography … Heat 2 , though, paints complete enough portraits of its characters to allow you to imagine them separately from the stars who played them, making a film adaptation with new actors easier to imagine.”

–Chris Stanton ( Vulture )

10. An Honest Living by Dwyer Murphy (Viking)

6 Rave • 3 Positive • 2 Mixed Listen to an interview with Dwyer Murphy here

“Like the best noir practitioners, Murphy uses the mystery as scaffolding to assemble a world of fallen dreams and doom-bitten characters … Murphy’s hard-boiled rendering of the city is nothing short of exquisite. It’s a landscape of reeking garbage, of salty rain sweeping off the ocean, of Midtown towers that look ‘ghostly like a mountain range,’ … For anyone who wants a portrait of this New York, few recent books have conjured it so vividly. For those who demand a straightforward mystery without any humor, romance and ambience, well, forget it, Jake, it’s literature.”

–Christopher Bollen ( The New York Times Book Review )

Our System:

RAVE = 5 points • POSITIVE = 3 points • MIXED = 1 point • PAN = -5 points

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Best Mystery/Thriller Book Review Blogs in 2024

Showing 128 blogs that match your search.

Early Bookish Birds

https://earlybookishbirds.wordpress.com/

Hello beautiful person, I am Nada Hosny, an Egyptian, 20 years old bookworm; trying to share my little thoughts about books. I'm a College student, Engineering Major.

Blogger : Nada

Genres : Mystery/Thriller

🌐 Domain authority: 18

👀 Average monthly visits: 5,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Mail

⭐️ Accepts indie books? Yes

http://www.bookriot.com/

We're always interested in hearing about new books, but even with a stable of writers across book blogs we can't get to everything. So if you'd like to tell us about something, shoot us an email. Before sending something for consideration, take a look around the site to get a feel for who we are, who our readers are, and how we go about things. Bonus points will go to submissions that have looked at our contributors and can suggest which contributor might be a good fit for the book.

Blogger : Book Riot Contributors

🌐 Domain authority: 80

👀 Average monthly visits: 995,200 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Email

Jen Med’s Book Reviews

https://jenmedsbookreviews.com/

I have a real love for Crime Fiction and thrillers as I love a little (fictional) human suffering from time to time, but don’t mind the occasional bit of Chick Lit, Young Adult or romance – I’m not completely heartless and consider myself an equal opportunity reader.

Blogger : Jen Lucas

🌐 Domain authority: 27

👀 Average monthly visits: 3,500 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Website contact form

Compulsive Readers

https://www.compulsivereaders.com/

My name is Tracy and I’m a bookaholic. It’s been 35 minutes since I last bought a book and despite having over 450 books on my kindle, 200 books on my bookshelf I can’t stop buying more books. I receive loads of books to read from the publishers and Netgalley – but will only be recommending the books that I think are brilliant. Some you will agree with me about, and others you will hate – and that’s what makes reading so wonderful. Enjoy!

Blogger : Tracy

🌐 Domain authority: 30

👀 Average monthly visits: 2,000 p/mo

⭐️ Accepts indie books? No

The Lesbian Review

http://www.thelesbianreview.com/

The Lesbian Review is the home of book reviews done by women who absolutely LOVE lesbian fiction and who are not just going to read and enjoy every lesbian novel out there. We read a lot and are a tough crowd to please. But that is great news for you because it means this book blog only showcases lesbian fiction books that are really good. If we don't like it, we don't review it.

Blogger : The Lesbian Review

🌐 Domain authority: 37

👀 Average monthly visits: 10,200 p/mo

Read. Eat. Repeat.

https://readeatrepeat.net/

Hi! I’m Jordan, wife to one husband and mom to two little girls. Blogging and writing are my side gig, and I love creating delicious recipes and reading lots of books to share with you guys! My favorite genre to review is historical fiction but I do read a bit of everything.

Blogger : Jordan

🌐 Domain authority: 26

👀 Average monthly visits: 2,500 p/mo

The Book Nanny

https://thebooknanny.com/

The Book Nanny gives readers a look inside their book without spoilers. We give information about the violence, adult content and language a book contains so readers can find books that fit their media standards.

Blogger : Emily Campbell

🌐 Domain authority: 3

👀 Average monthly visits: 6,000 p/mo

By The Letter Book Reviews

http://www.bytheletterbookreviews.com/

Please be aware that I get a lot of requests and will only reply to people on the books that I can commit myself to. If you have not had a reply within 2 days of sending me an email it will more than likely be that I am unable to take on more books at the present time.

Blogger : Sarah

🌐 Domain authority: 36

👀 Average monthly visits: 3,000 p/mo

Kirkus Reviews

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Book reviews and recommendations from the most trusted voice in book discovery. We've reviewed the nation's top publishers' books since 1933. Our coverage includes the big 5 houses, small presses, genre publishers & more.

Blogger : Kirkus Reviews Team

🌐 Domain authority: 79

👀 Average monthly visits: 880,000 p/mo

💌 Preferred contact method: Submission manager

Fictionophile

https://fictionophile.com/

I have been a reviewer member of NetGalley since October 2013. A retired public library cataloguer, I now blog about all things bookish and share book reviews, author interviews, cover love, etc.

Blogger : Lynne LeGrow

Self-Publishing Review

http://www.selfpublishingreview.com

Self-Publishing Review has been providing book reviews of indie books since 2008. We review all genres of books fairly and impartially, as well as provide additional marketing services, for a fee. Our reviews are shared to our social media accounts totalling 40,000+ followers. Our site has been covered in The Guardian, New York Times, Forbes, Publisher's Weekly, Writer's Digest, and other sources.

Blogger : Henry

🌐 Domain authority: 46

👀 Average monthly visits: 20,000 p/mo

One Book Two

https://onebooktwo.wordpress.com/

One Book Two was founded by Nell and Ivana to compare thoughts on books we've both read. Shortly after it launched in March of 2015, it exploded! Now we have multiple reviewers who read a variety of genres. We don't always get to have two reviews for each book anymore, but we do our best!

Blogger : The OBT Team

🌐 Domain authority: 24

Books And Pals

http://www.booksandpals.blogspot.com/

Please read the instructions carefully. Failure to follow them will result in your submission being ignored with no acknowledgement. All reviews are final. Prior to submission, we would advise reading this post and the Guide to Reviews, as well as getting a general feel for the book review blog.

Blogger : Al & Pals

🌐 Domain authority: 43

👀 Average monthly visits: 18,600 p/mo

Long and Short Reviews

http://www.longandshortreviews.com

We accept requests from both traditionally published authors, self-published authors and publishers. We do not guarantee all books received will be reviewed. NOTE: Please do not email us after submitting your story for review to find out if it's been selected for review. If it's reviewed, you'll be notified.

Blogger : The LAS Team

🌐 Domain authority: 39

The Bookish Elf

https://www.bookishelf.com/

The Bookish Elf is a site you can rely on for book reviews, author interviews, book recommendations, and all things books.

Blogger : Mitul Patel

🌐 Domain authority: 40

👀 Average monthly visits: 30,000 p/mo

So you want to find a book blog?

If you’re a voracious reader, you might think of a book blog as an oasis in the middle of the desert: a place on the Internet that brims with talk about books, books, and more books.

Well, good news — we built this directory of the 200 of the best book blogs  to satiate your thirst. Take a walk around, use the filters to narrow down your search to blogs in your preferred genre, and feel free to bookmark this page and come back, as we do update it regularly with more of the best book blogs out there. 

If you’re an aspiring author, you might see a book blog more as a book review blog: a place where you can get your yet-to-be published book reviewed. In that case, you’ll be glad to know that most of the book blogs in our directory are open to review requests and accept indie books! We expressly designed this page (and our book marketing platform, Reedsy Discovery ) to be useful to indie book authors who need book reviews. If you’re wondering how to approach a book blog for a review request, please read on. 

You’ve found a book blog. Now what? 

Let’s say that you’re an author, and you’ve found a couple of book blogs that would be perfect fits to review your book. What now? Here are some tips as you go about getting your book reviews:

• Be sure to read the review policy. First, check that the book blog you’re querying is open to review requests. If that’s the fortunate case, carefully read the blog’s review policy and make sure that you follow the directions to a T.  
• Individualize your pitches. Book bloggers will be able to immediately tell apart the bulk pitches, which simply come across as thoughtless and indifferent. If you didn’t take the time to craft a good pitch, why should the blogger take the time to read your book? Personalize each pitch to up your chances of getting a response. 
• Format your book in a professional manner before sending it out. Ensure that your manuscript isn’t presented sloppily. If the book blogger asks for a digital ARC, you might want to check out apps such as Instafreebie or Bookfunnel. 
• Create a spreadsheet to track your progress. Wading through so many book blogs can be troublesome — not to mention trying to remember which ones you’ve already contacted. To save yourself the time and trouble, use a simple Excel spreadsheet to keep track of your progress (and results). 

Looking to learn even more about the process? Awesome 👍 For a detailed guide, check out this post that’s all about getting book reviews . 

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