The Last Devil To Die by Richard Osman (Pamela Dorman: Viking; LJ starred review) is the top holds title of the week. LibraryReads and Library Journal offer read-alikes for patrons waiting to read this buzziest book.

A murder on Boxing Day strikes close to home for the Thursday Murder Club. Antiques dealer Kuldesh Sharma knows some of his transactions are shady, including his purchase of a box, contents unknown, that he’s warned not to open. He suspects his shop has become a drop-off for drugs. Following Kuldesh’s murder, the box and its contents, which turn out to be heroin, go missing. The local police are thrown off the case so a national force can search for the killer and the drugs. Meanwhile, a local dealer is frantically looking for the box too. Thankfully, the four senior sleuths from Coopers Chase are already on the job. Kuldesh was involved in their last adventure, and he was a friend of Elizabeth’s husband Stephen. Elizabeth is preoccupied at the moment, as Stephen’s dementia worsens, so Joyce steps up to lead the case. By the time there are a couple more murders, several tragic deaths, and a computer crime or two, the club members are once again cognizant of their own mortality. VERDICT Osman follows The Bullet That Missed with a bittersweet mystery about the problems facing many older people: dementia, computer fraud, death. Humor does, however, alleviate the poignancy in this strongest, most emotional book in the best-selling series.—Lesa Holstine

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn (Berkley; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the September 2022 LibraryReads List

“Celebrating their retirement with a luxury cruise after four decades working for the same organization, four assassins discover they are now targets. This page turner offers the unique thrill of seeing women in their 60s as intelligent action heroes who can outmaneuver top assassins from an organization possessing limitless resources. For fans of What Rose Forgot and the ‘Thursday Murder Club’ series.”—Di Herald, Mesa County Libraries, Grand Junction, CO

Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto (Berkley; LJ starred review)

Appeared on the March 2023 LibraryReads List

“Written with wickedly sharp humor and a tightly woven plot, the book is also about the hurt that families can give and the unexpected joys of found family. Vera is a delight as she bosses everyone around, investigating her main suspects even as she weaves bonds of friendship with and between them. Also the descriptions of the tea and food were mouthwateringly delicious!”—Laura Eckert, Clermont County Public Library, Milford, OH

The Word Is Murder by Anthony Horowitz (Harper)

Appeared on the June 2018 LibraryReads list

“A playful commentary on the mystery genre itself and the first in a promising new series. The author, Horowitz, plays the part of the narrator, and gets caught up in solving a murder with Daniel Hawthorne, an out-of-work detective.”—Amy Whitfield, Wake County Public Libraries, Cary, NC