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Real-life historical figures solve and commit crimes, a puzzle master faces an ancient challenge, and an avenging equine rides to the rescue.
Fans of Penny’s beloved audiobooks can breathe a sigh of relief, for new series narrator Brassard doesn’t miss a step. This latest trip to Three Pines is well worth the price of admission.
The glimpse inside the opulent world of a Russian oligarch is fascinating, with international intrigue ripped from the headlines. Creating compelling apprehension, this suspenseful thriller keeps readers off-balance and unsure whom to trust. Finder achieves a perfect one-sitting read.
Fans of Elly Griffiths’s Ruth Galloway or Nilima Rao’s Akal Singh will be eager for the next entry in Phillips’s exciting series.
PREMIUM
The Killing Plains
Fans of Paula Munier’s wounded protagonist Mercy Carr might appreciate Colly Newland and her struggles.
A first-rate, fiendishly clever suspense novel that fans of Lisa Jewell, Megan Miranda, and Laura Lippman will eat up with a spoon.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a cozy mystery featuring an octogenarian amateur detective and offbeat, amusing characters, including fans of Robert Thorogood, Richard Osman, and Helene Tursten.
For fans of spy novels, those who love intrigue, and foodies, who will discover what happens behind the scenes of celebrity cooking shows.
PREMIUM
An Island of Suspects
This slow-paced, descriptive mystery should appeal to fans of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
This installment is the most polished in Bennett’s intriguing series featuring Queen Elizabeth, her network of women assistants, historical figures, and actual events. Anglophiles and fans of historical mysteries will enjoy.
PREMIUM
Kills Well with Others
Fans of Killers of a Certain Age will enjoy the return of the four senior assassins whose escapades from the past and present are intermixed in a fast-paced, humorous adventure. The books stand out for their wit and unlikely friendships.
PREMIUM
The Gatsby Gambit
This novel pays homage to the classic with a fresh point of view that will please Gatsby fans and mystery readers. Both Gigi and the novel are clever and breathe new life into one of the definitive novels of the 20th century.
Fans of Only Murders in the Building will enjoy this fun mystery rom-com by Rose (a.k.a. Amanda Elliot, with a protagonist who grows from superficial and unlikable into a caring adult.
PREMIUM
The Bang-Bang Sisters
Recommend to fans of high-octane thrillers and strong women protagonists.
PREMIUM
People Will Talk
Juicy and interesting, this romp of a mystery will have listeners shocked, laughing, and intrigued all at the same time. A purchase for mystery fans who want to enjoy a murder but not take it too seriously.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a cozy British murder mystery full of wit, buoyed by the strength of the characters’ friendships. Recommended for fans of Richard Osman, Laurien Berenson, and Elly Griffiths.
Suspenseful and increasingly claustrophobic, this unique Appalachian gothic is sure to hook horror-minded listeners.
PREMIUM
A Death in Cornwall
Ballerini’s deft performance ably captures the novel’s twists and turns. Silva’s fans will be thrilled to dive into this world of international intrigue, murder, corruption, and conspiracy at the highest levels.
Historical personalities bring this real story to life in a riveting account of the first U.S. murder trial for which there is a transcript. The author of the “Pink Carnation” series leans on that transcript for the trial testimony in a gripping novel that will appeal to true-crime buffs, those interested in Hamilton and Burr, and historical mystery fans.
PREMIUM
Cold as Hell
The wilderness surrounding Haven’s Rock is itself a major character in the book, and Casey’s approaching due date adds urgency to the plotline. For fans of strong women protagonists and Armstrong’s Rockton series, of which “Haven’s Rock” is a spin-off.
PREMIUM
Murder at an English Séance
Fans of cozies involving English villages with high fatality rates will enjoy this.
PREMIUM
All the Other Mothers Hate Me
This thriller debut will add flair to libraries’ crime fiction sections.
PREMIUM
The Unwedding
Listeners will enjoy this fast-paced, locked-room thriller filled with secrets and unexpected twists. Edgar Award–winning YA author Condie’s (The Only Girl in Town) adult debut will keep listeners glued to their headphones.
The inclusion of real historical figures (the authors, DCI Wyles) adds to the enjoyment of Limoncelli’s traditional mystery. Fans of Christie or Rhys Bowen will appreciate the details of the gala and the prewar intrigue.
Now or Never by Janet Evanovich is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Bestselling Laura Lippman returns with a book featuring middle-aged widow Muriel Blossom from her Tess Monaghan books, Nilima Rao writes a second Sergeant Akal Singh historical mystery, and Sally Smith debuts with a cozy gaslight series set in 1901 London.
Readers can look forward to new suspense from Lisa Jewell, psychological thrillers from Matthew Blake and Liv Constantine, and a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic from S.A. Cosby this month.
PREMIUM
Southern Man
An epic and timely political thriller for Iles’s fans and listeners with time to burn.
PREMIUM
The Bitter Truth
Readers of mystery and suspense will enjoy the intricate way Williams deftly weaves the characters together and exposes atrocities at the hands of someone sworn to protect the public.
PREMIUM
Invisible Helix
Higashino’s fifth Detective Galileo procedural (after Silent Parade) relies too much on coincidence and contrivance to solve Ryoto’s murder, which may cause readers to wonder how Professor Galileo comes to puzzle out the case.
PREMIUM
Perfect Storm
Shelton wraps up the Travis Walker storyline and brings all the characters together in the sequel to Lost Hours, a satisfying conclusion that will be enjoyed by followers of the series.
PREMIUM
A Slash of Emerald
Historical fiction fans will delight in this moody Victorian mystery that will transport them back in time. Suggest to readers of Irina Shapiro.
Bollen (The Lost Americans) delivers a hilarious yet dark sendup reminiscent of The Bad Seed as Maggie and Otto go to war to see who will rule the Royal Karnak. Readers will enjoy Bollen’s ringside seat to a war of the ages.
PREMIUM
The Lost House
This atmospheric, slow-paced suspense from Larsen (Shutter) will appeal to readers who enjoy descriptive crime novels set in isolated Nordic countries.
PREMIUM
Something in the Walls
In this tense page-turner, Pearce (The Missing) weaves together folklore and horror to create a haunting suspense novel that readers will not soon forget.
To Die For by David Baldacci is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Blue Bloods showrunner Wade showcases his talents on the page with this compelling police procedural.
PREMIUM
Sleeping Giants
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking an intricate suspense about cruelty and corruption in the child welfare system. Recommended for fans of Sally Hepworth, Jennifer McMahon, and Lisa Jewell.
Appearances are deceiving in this fast-paced thriller, and the characters are introduced gradually so as not to overwhelm the outstanding series debut.
PREMIUM
A Girl Like Us
With its fast-paced intriguing prose, this story filled with complicated family dynamics à la Saltburn or Succession, coupled with the isolation of a Ruth Ware novel or Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, will appeal to mystery/thriller lovers.
PREMIUM
The Reluctant Sheriff
The sequel to Code of the Hills is an atmospheric, exquisitely written Southern noir.
Blue Bloods fans will delight as Wade delivers a complicated police drama of the Don Winslow variety, written in the neo-noir style of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser books.
PREMIUM
The Case of the Missing Maid
Osler has created a likable heroine, a good mystery, and a solid LGBTQIA+ fiction entry.
PREMIUM
The Matchmaker
An engaging, quick read, Saeed’s mystery-romance hybrid will be popular at public libraries.
PREMIUM
My Darling Boy
Readers who like the slow burn of a mystery will enjoy this atmospheric thriller. Recommend to fans of Tana French or Kate Morton.
The author of The End of the Road introduces a determined, innovative courier in the vein of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher or James Byrne’s Dez Limerick. Appearances are deceiving in this fast-paced thriller, and the characters are introduced gradually so as not to overwhelm the outstanding series debut.
PREMIUM
Shoot the Moon
Barry captures her protagonist’s history of trauma, loss, and addiction in ways that help this somewhat formulaic mystery ring true.
PREMIUM
You Can’t Hurt Me
Pages fly by as secrets rise to the surface, and the engrossing premise keeps readers speculating. This debut builds alluring suspense into an exhilarating twist.
PREMIUM
Holy City
This notable Southern noir debut is a welcome addition to the genre. For fans of gritty, small-town crime fiction and S.A. Cosby.
PREMIUM
I Know She Was There
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a complex thriller with a deeply unreliable narrator. Recommended for fans of A.J. Finn, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell.
Short (a.k.a. “Kinship Mysteries” author Jess Montgomery) masters the descriptions of the fierce winter lake in an atmospheric suspense novel of murder, gangsters, and desperation.
PREMIUM
Mask of the Deer Woman
Strongly consider this for public libraries, particularly those serving tribal land.
PREMIUM
Schooled in Murder
The first in the “Campus Sleuth Mysteries” series isn’t quite up to the quality of Gilbert’s “Blue Ridge Library” or “Hunter and Clewe” mysteries. However, fans of cozies set in the world of academia might enjoy.
PREMIUM
A Lethal Walk in Lakeland
The sequel to A Deadly Walk in Devon is an atmospheric mystery with delightful descriptions of the countryside in the Lake District. The story may appeal to fans of closed-house or Golden Age mysteries.
PREMIUM
The Next Deadly Chapter
Fans of this long-running cozy series will find two delightful mysteries in one, contemporary and historical, in the sequel to Murder on Tour.
The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
PREMIUM
The Ice Retreat
Readers who prefer a likable narrator may be slow to warm to Hollie’s icy personality and hidden inner turmoil. But the suspense, the gothic setting, and a few unexpected twists will hook audiences into the mystery of what goes on behind the Ice Retreat’s locked doors.
Big books out this month include titles from Carl Hiaasen, Chris Pavone, Nora Roberts, and Brendan Slocumb.
Rachel Howzell Hall starts a new series featuring an LAPD cop, Freya Sampson sets her newest within a dysfunctional book club, and the sheep are on the case in Leonie Swann's latest.
In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Like a classic Golden Age mystery, this clever, snappy, and enjoyable cozy offers solid characterizations and comical twists and turns.
PREMIUM
The Cat Who Cracked a Cold Case
This third “Conrad the Cat Detective” title (after The Cat Who Solved Three Murders) will satisfy those looking for a book that blends cozy sensibilities and more gritty mystery-thriller elements and explores an unusual crime-fighting partnership.
This powerful, provocative novel humanizes the staggering statistics of thousands of Indigenous women who go missing or are murdered. This gripping story is for readers of Rendon’s Cash Blackbear series or Ramona Emerson’s books.
The Waiting by Michael Connelly is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Stars’s drag-themed cozy mystery debut is a must-purchase. Give it to fans of Kitty Murphy, Rob Osler, and Frank Anthony Polito.
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
A gritty crime novel with a pace that never lets up; Mosley’s best work since the incomparable Easy Rawlins series.
The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
A solid Pentecost and Parker installment, Spotswood’s newest title takes on another closed-door mystery to great effect. He balances the tension, the red herrings, and the clues well, and fans of the series will be in for a treat. Mystery readers in general would do well to place this series on their TBR lists to enjoy the twists and turns that make these titles a joy to read.
Fans of Armstrong’s debut and other gothic mysteries will appreciate this haunting, intriguing novel.
Stars’s drag-themed cozy mystery debut is a must-purchase. Give it to fans of Kitty Murphy, Rob Osler, and Frank Anthony Polito.
PREMIUM
The Note
Burke’s trademark style creates tension and suspense, but the deeply flawed protagonists might turn off some readers.
PREMIUM
Knife Skills for Beginners
It might disappoint readers seeking a character-led story, but this novel speaks to budding foodies, who will appreciate the recipes and culinary setting, as well as readers who favor a neatly tied-up mystery.
PREMIUM
Haunting and Homicide
Fans of Ellen Byron’s cozies will appreciate this new series centered on an atmospheric, haunted New Orleans.
PREMIUM
Chain Reaction
Byrne’s sequel to Deadlock is a fast-paced, explosive thriller with a charming hero, Russian terrorists on U.S. soil, high-stakes money schemes, and a worthy opponent.
PREMIUM
Pretty Dead Things
Though it can be slow-moving and repetitive, this novel may interest readers who enjoy cold cases with dual timelines.
PREMIUM
Alter Ego
This entertaining sequel vividly depicts the IP-obsessed contemporary comic book world and its threats to comic artists, such as being replaced by artificial intelligence. It’s a compelling setting for Segura’s richly complicated characters, who make up for some clunkiness and contrivance in the plotting.
PREMIUM
The Crime Brûlée Bake Off
Connolly (A Sporting Season), known for romances, ably opens this new ro-mystery series, crafting a slow, charming, sweet fall and filling the case with details of baking, estate living, and reality TV filming.
PREMIUM
She Doesn’t Have a Clue
The dialogue sparkles and the eccentric characters will delight readers. For fans of the movie Knives Out and those who zipped through Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Dial A for Aunties.
As much as Griffiths’s fans will be excited for this collection, mystery readers in general will enjoy these fun mystery and ghost stories. This is a strong purchase for mystery collections.
PREMIUM
They All Fall the Same
The follow-up to Hillbilly Hustle is vicious, violent rural noir, a story of warring Kentucky drug kingpins who are reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys. The language and violence will turn some off, but it may remind readers of S.A. Cosby’s novels, without the humor.
A gritty crime novel with a pace that never lets up; Mosley’s best work since the incomparable Easy Rawlins series.
Tipping her literary cap to Stephen King’s The Shining, Konen serves up a superbly crafted novel of suspense that will thrill and delight fans of Lucy Foley, Alice Feeney, and Sarah Pearse.
PREMIUM
Imposter Syndrome
Readers may find this an unnecessarily complicated puzzle mystery with little real suspense and few memorable characters. The ending will be unanticipated, though perhaps too tricky to fall for.
Fans of Benedict’s previous novels and those who enjoy historical whodunits will find this hard to put down.
Clark follows Fall with the third in the series featuring a complex Black police officer haunted by multiple violent deaths in her life. Characters are well-developed in this hard-hitting police procedural that examines justice, and who metes it out.
Cozies don’t often work when the author removes the amateur sleuth from their usual environment, but Gemma’s gang comes along to comfort series readers. Fans who traveled to London with the crew in There’s a Murder Afoot will enjoy the return.
This atmospheric mystery from a pseudonymous novelist, actor, dramatist, and professor will appeal to readers who enjoy Southern or bookstore settings, quirky characters, and beautiful, descriptive writing.
PREMIUM
Cabaret Macabre
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a richly detailed historical mystery with a classic Christie-esque detective denouement. Recommended for fans of Nicola Upson, Fiona Davis, and Jessica Fellowes.
PREMIUM
The Astrology House
The fraught relationships, deeply held secrets, and mysteries of astrology might pique the interest of listeners seeking suspense about betrayal and revenge.
PREMIUM
Hidden Rooms
Featuring genuinely moving depictions of women facing chronic, mysterious illnesses, this fresh debut will be welcomed by those who love strong women protagonists and small-town mysteries.
This novel is effective in innumerable ways, particularly with its attention to the generational gap and the emotional disconnection created by the internet. Pargin’s deft combination of mystery and satire will appeal to the YA audience and to older readers.
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.
Readers can look forward to a Jazz Age murder mystery featuring Jay Gatsby’s sleuthing younger sister, a story inspired by a real-life antiquities scandal in Pakistan, and the return of senior sleuth Vera Wong.
David Baldacci sets his latest in a 1944 London bookshop, Julia Bartz offers a locked-room thriller, and Heather Graham writes about a would-be-murderous smart house and personal AI.
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