Mystery
A TEMPEST AT SEA by Sherry Thomas
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Following the events of Miss Moriarty, I Presume, Charlotte Doyle has spent months in hiding, isolated from her closest allies, even her lover Lord Ingram. Nothing tempts her to risk exposure to Moriarty’s numerous spies until Lord Remington offers his protection in exchange for Charlotte performing a service for the crown and retrieving a sensitive item from a possible spy. Remington’s protection might actually allow Charlotte to return to normal life, and so she reaches out to her allies and dons a new disguise to board a passenger vessel and hunt a spy. With Lord Ingram, Mrs. Watson, and Lydia aboard, Charlotte has plenty of allies to help achieve her mission, but the presence of a police inspector on board and the unexpected arrival of Lady Holmes throws a wrench into her plans and threatens her exposure. And when one of the passengers is murdered–and Lady Holmes a suspect–Charlotte must discover which of her fellow passengers is a murderer and which an agent of her most sinister enemy.
It might have been difficult to keep momentum up in an enclosed setting, especially after the dramatic finale of Charlotte’s previous adventure, but Thomas does so with seeming ease, immediately reestablishing every delightful Lady Sherlock trope–from clandestine meetings between Charlotte and her allies to disguises and hidden identities–within a tightly plotted, Agatha Christie-esque mystery. Fans of the series will not be disappointed! Newcomers, however, will want to begin with book one to fully appreciate the tie-ins from previous Moriarty encounters.
UNDER A VEILED MOON by Karen Odden
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Inspector Michael Corravan has found his stride at Scotland Yard, although some will never accept him due to his Irish heritage and background as thief and boxer in Whitechapel. Corravan has tried to distance himself from his past, but that grows more difficult when murders and vandalism in his old neighborhood get dangerously close to his foster family–leading him to suspect that his foster brother Colin might be mixed up with the vicious gang that drove Corravan out of Whitechapel years earlier.
When a tragic boat crash on the Thames leaves hundreds dead, Corravan’s superiors suspect the Irish Republican Brotherhood might be involved. Corravan has his doubts, but when the papers get wind of a possible Irish scandal–with a Parliamentary bill for Irish Home Rule gaining traction–they’re quick to leap to conclusions. The only remedy is for Corravan to continue his detailed inquiry, to shake off the threats and suspicions of anti-Irish colleagues trying to get him thrown off the case, and find out what Colin’s gotten mixed up in before he’s just another body in the gutters of Whitechapel.
Character depth and cogent themes balance high-stakes in this Victorian mystery which will appeal to fans of police procedurals. Clues unfold at an even pace while the interwoven family drama ramps up intensity toward a thrilling climax. The second in the Inspector Corravan series, UNDER A VEILED MOON picks up where the previous book left off, but includes enough context (and a wealth of character development) that it will be easy for new readers to fall right into the well-developed historical world. Both this novel and its predecessor (DOWN A DARK RIVER) are perfectly plotted, character-rich procedurals for fans of the genre!
DEATH ON A WINTER STROLL by Francine Mathews
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Police Chief Merry Folger is used to the logistical hassle of high-profile politicians spending Christmas on Nantucket. Unfortunately, this year the holidays will include not only the Secretary of State and her family but a Hollywood film crew–and a couple of dead bodies.
The Sec’s stepson Ansel recently learned that his estranged mother was squatting on their old house on Nantucket, despite the fact that his father told him she was dead. He spends two days with her, admiring her artwork and watching her photograph island birds on the moor before she turns up dead for real–murdered. Grief-stricken Ansel confides in his new friend Winter, daughter of the lead actor in a film shooting nearby, who lost her own mother years earlier to suicide. But Winter has problems of her own, being sexually harassed by a vindictive, abusive Hollywood agent, husband of the film’s director, who has spent every day of his short time on the island making enemies. When he goes missing, it’s too much to hope that the two incidents could be unconnected, and it will be up to Chief Folger and her team to untangle the secrets and hidden connections between the stars and the suits before the killer strikes again.
Grudges galore and shifting points of view yield abundant suspects for this evenly-paced, traditional murder mystery. With echoes of the COVID-19 pandemic and the #MeToo movement in Hollywood, DEATH ON A WINTER STROLL juxtaposes timely explorations of grief and trauma with a charming Nantucket Christmas backdrop for a satisfying, suspenseful read with moderate edginess. No need to have read the previous books in this series to jump right in with this one!
HER LAST BETRAYAL by Pam Lecky
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Sarah Gillespie has survived a year of wartime tragedy. Her sister died in a German air raid which she later learned was facilitated by her own father, an IRA operative who faked his death to continue secretly collaborating with Nazis in return for their aid with the Irish republican cause. As if that suffering and betrayal weren’t enough, her fiance’s ship is attacked by the Nazis, leaving him missing in action.
When MI5 approaches Sarah for her help undermining her father’s spy mission and bringing him to justice, she can’t say no. Unfortunately, they pair her with insufferable American operative Tony Anderson, suspicious of her due to her Irish heritage and dismissive of her espionage skills. An undercover mission takes them to Wales to track down Sarah’s father, but German moles have infiltrated their operation and as Sarah’s sparring with Anderson gives way to attraction, she will need to decide whether the surly American can be trusted–or whether he might be the sinister double agent they’ve been hunting.
Twisty with just a touch of enemies-to-lovers romance, HER LAST BETRAYAL is a quick, fun read for fans of the historical thriller genre. Lecky packs her story with colorful secondary characters and enough red herrings to keep you guessing to the climax. The second in a series, an open ending teases more adventures from Sarah Gillespie in the future.
MILLSTONE OF DOUBT (THRONDIKE & SWANN #2) by Erica Vetsch
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After wrapping up a whirlwind case as an agent-in-training for the Crown, Lady Juliette Thorndike has tried her best to forget Bow Street runner Daniel Swann and the improper, impossible feelings she has for him, a man entirely below her station. Although she and her family have often flouted class barriers, she worries that Detective Swann would only be embarrassed by her interest, a girl from such a frivolous world compared to his own.
But Daniel has some improper, impossible feelings of his own, and when a murder at a local mill looks like the work of anarchists, both Scotland Yard and the Crown get pulled into the case–meaning Daniel and Lady Juliette will be working together once more. As Juliette attempts to comfort (and glean information) from the victim’s grieving daughter, Daniel does some digging into the mill’s enemies. But the case is more complicated than it seemed, jeopardizing not only their hearts but their lives.
A (sweet) Regency romance pairs with an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery in a page turner with plenty of clues to piece together. Vetsch eschews the angst and slow-burn commonly infused in historical mystery relationships, relying instead on the murder itself and secrets from her hero’s past to drive suspense while the detective couple advances smoothly toward their happily ever after. Published by a Christian house, the book’s characters practice Christianity, but spiritual elements are smoothly incorporated with a light hand. A fun read for fans of the genre!
BLOOD WILL TELL by Heather Chavez
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When the cops question her about the disappearance of a seventeen-year-old girl, Frankie instinctively lies. No, there’s no way someone could have taken her truck last night without her noticing. And of course she had nothing to do with it. That last part was true–for now. Because the only person who could have taken her truck was her sister Izzy, and Frankie committed long ago to always helping Izzy clean up her messes.
Izzy claims to know nothing about the disappearance of the girl, but Frankie can tell she’s hiding something. She decides to investigate on her own–to find the truth before the police–so that she knows what she’ll need to do to protect Izzy. But as clues begin to point back to the fateful night five years ago when a drunken Izzy hit a deer (hopefully it was just a deer) with her car, Frankie realizes that more happened at that party than Izzy remembers. And the key to finding the missing girl might require figuring out what happened to the girl who went missing that night five years ago.
This mystery/thriller is delightfully suspenseful and masterfully paced–slow-moving enough to be torturous (in a good way) but with so many shady characters and tantalizing secrets to make it impossible to stop reading. I was genuinely unsure who the culprit was until the very end because so much groundwork had been laid for any of several suspects. This novel will make a wonderful addition to any mystery/thriller collection and a heart-stopping read for fans of the genre.
SHE LIED SHE DIED by Carissa Ann Lynch
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Chrissy Cornwall is a child murderer. She murdered a child, and she was a child when she did it. Now, she’s being released from prison and the whole town is in an uproar. Natalie, who was also a child when the murdered girl was discovered in her family’s fields, has never been able to get the case (or the image of the poor girl’s body) out of her mind. Now a struggling true crime writer, she reaches out to Chrissy, hoping the murderer will be able to fill in some of the gaps that she never understood about that horrible night.
But Chrissy shows up with a surprise declaration: her confession thirty years ago was a lie, and somewhere in this wholesome little town, there might still be a killer on the loose. The more Natalie begins to dig into the dark secrets of the town’s past, the more she starts to believe that Chrissy might have been a scapegoat–the girl from the wrong side of the tracks taking the fall on behalf of the golden children from the right side of town. But Natalie is from the wrong side of the tracks, too, and the secrets she uncovers might just tear her peaceful life to shreds.
Propelled by suspenseful secrets and clean, strong writing, SHE LIED SHE DIED is an amateur detective mystery that you won’t be able to put down. The clues are numerous (as are the complicating red herrings), and the twists are satisfying while the eerie small-town setting and character-driven narrative create a delightfully immersive experience that will snag thriller fans as well as mystery readers. I highly recommend this one to adult fans of the genre. It would also make a great pick for book clubs who don’t mind dead bodies (in their books, of course).
FIREKEEPER’S DAUGHTER by Angeline Boulley
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Daunis has always existed in two worlds: the Ojibwe community where her father is from and the community of wealthy white people in Sault Ste. Marie where she lives with her mother. She is part of both but fully accepted by neither.
When her maternal grandmother has a stroke shortly after her uncle dies of a meth overdose, Daunis knows a third disaster is coming. She tries to prevent it by deferring her college admission–pushing off her dream of becoming a doctor so that she can stay close to both of her communities–but her presence isn’t enough to stop a shocking tragedy. With her world crumbling around her, Daunis is swept up into an investigation of drug trade on the reservation as a confidential informant, taking the place of her uncle, who she learns was likely murdered. But even though she isn’t an enrolled member of the tribe, Daunis is an Ojibwe woman, and she has her own agenda for helping the Cherokee FBI agents who have infiltrated her town. She will be searching for the truth to save her people’s lives, while also protecting their culture and traditions from meddling outsiders. Unfortunately, even in the investigation, the line between her identities is blurred, and as her secrets pile up, and the fake relationship she’s developed with the young FBI rookie starts to morph into something real, Daunis realizes that the truth has the power not only to save lives but also to tear them apart.
This stellar novel hits all of the notes for a heart-wrenching YA contemporary, a brain-teasing YA mystery, and pulse-pounding thriller. Boulley immerses readers in Daunis’s communities–from Michigan “Hockey World” to her Ojibwe nation–and crafts a stunningly character-driven mystery that crescendos gradually toward the shocking conclusion. This book satisfies me as a thriller reader and as a contemporary reader, and while thoroughly accessible for its teenage audience, the mature storytelling style and pristine prose makes it a great choice for adult readers, as well. I will add my voice for the clamor of recommendations for this truly exceptional novel.
THE RED PALACE by June Hur
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Hyeon worked her whole life to become a palace nurse. It wasn’t an easy path for her, especially without the support of her father, a prominent justice who barely acknowledges her and her mother, who was once his concubine. Hyeon’s success as a nurse and rise to the prestigious palace position was largely thanks to her mentor, Nurse Jeongsu.
But when a massacre at the student hospital leaves four women dead, Nurse Jeongsu is arrested under suspicion of murder. And when an anonymous pamphlet circulates accusing the Crown Prince of the murders, Hyeon realizes two terrible truths: first, that Nurse Jeongsu will be convicted and executed to divert suspicion from the Palace, and second, that Hyeon herself has unwittingly provided the prince with a false alibi by claiming to treat his illness that night. She knows she must investigate the massacre herself if she has any hope of saving her mentor from execution, even when it means defying her father and forming an unlikely alliance with the young and unconventional police inspector who seems to respect her, despite her being a woman and a commoner, but who has the power to destroy her life–or maybe break her heart. But Hyeon will risk her heart, her job, and her father’s disapproval to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, with so many bloody secrets hidden within the Palace walls, the truth may cost her life.
Suspenseful, romantic, and rich with the fascinating history of the Korean Joseon Dynasty, THE RED PALACE is perhaps my favorite June Hur novel yet! She seamlessly weaves together the story of a young woman struggling to find her place in her family and her society with a based-on-a-tragic-true-story murder mystery–plus, a swoon-worthy romance that delighted my historical-romance-loving heart. I highly recommend this novel for any YA collection and to any teen and adult fans of historical mysteries.
DO I KNOW YOU? by Sarah Strohmeyer
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Jane is a rare individual with an almost superhuman ability to recognize people after only seeing them once. It’s an asset in her job for the Department of Homeland Security. Unfortunately, it hasn’t helped her achieve the one thing she cares about: unraveling the mystery of what happened to her sister.
But when she sees the girl who she last saw with her sister–now all grown up and on the arm of the wealthy young man her sister was dating at the time of her disappearance–Jane finally has her first clue to the case. Though the powerful family warns her away, Jane can’t help returning to her hometown in search of answers. Her boyfriend thinks she needs another trip to the psych ward and the wedding-of-the-century is taking place on the wealthy family’s estate, but Jane isn’t going to rest until she finds out what happened to her sister–or dies trying.
With numerous untrustworthy characters–including the protagonist–it’s difficult to figure out the culprit behind the sinister events of this thriller. Plot drives the story, although it is light on physical action. The mystery unfolds gradually through various points-of-view, and the character we’re allowed to get closest to (Jane) is also the most erratic and in many ways, least reliable even though we’re inside her head. The alliances and motivations are so complex, I may have to reread it to untangle them all. Overall, a good addition to an adult thriller collection and a great pick for readers who enjoy plot-driven thrillers that keep you guessing.
Susan the Librarian 