2025 Reading List Nominations
The Inheritance Games >>
By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Book 1 in the Inheritance Games series
This well-reviewed YA novel is supposed to share a lot of elements with Knives Out. It is the first in a series.
Murder on the Christmas Express >>
By Alexandra Benedict
This book is the second of three Christmas themed “locked room” mysteries Alexandra Benedict has written, though they aren’t related to each other. I read this book and enjoyed it. This book reminds me a little of Murder on the Orient Express. I had a hard time putting it down.
The Christmas Murder Game >>
by Alexandra Benedict
This book literally caught my eye in a store window. The mystery described reminds me a bit of The Westing Game
(which I loved growing up) and it has decent reviews. Plus, it’s always fun to have a Holiday-themed offering.
The Long and Faraway Gone >>
By Lou Berney
I love a cold case! Multiple award winner and stand alone by a author new to this group.
The Moving Finger >>
By Agatha Christie
Book 3 in the Miss Marple series
I’m once again nominating a Christie book, but this time a Miss Marple. We read 12 short stories in the style of Marple, so I think we should try the genuine thing in 2025. This novel has all the Christie classics – a wounded veteran on the mend, a small village, poison pen letters, a little romance, and of course, lots of death for Jane Marple to step in and effortlessly solve.
Fall >>
By Tracy Clark
Book 2 in the Detective Harriet Foster series
Recommending because I love Tracy Clark’s writing and though I prefer Cass Raines series, I’d like to see if Harriet Foster measures up.
Postmortem >>
By Patricia Cornwell
Book 1 in the Kay Scarpetta series
This is the first book in the Scarpetta series, which has been credited with kicking off the forensic mystery subgenre. It features a strong female protagonist, and it has won many awards.
Necessary as Blood >>
By Deborah Crombie
Book 13 in the Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James series
Set in England.
Elementary, She Reads >>
By Vicki Delany
Book 1 in the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery series
I’m always a fan of a classic cozy! This one is full of “Sherlockian lore” according to reviewers. And there is a cat on the cover, which is a good sign…
Louisiana Longshot >>
By Jana DeLeon
Book 1 in the Miss Fortune Mystery series
This book is the first in a series set in a fictional town, Sinful, in rural Louisiana. I’ve read the entire series and I really enjoy it. This book kicks off the series with Fortune Redding going into hiding and immediately having a body dug up in her back yard. The books are cozy adjacent and worth the read.
Over My Dead Body >>
By Maz Evans
A ghost tries to investigate her own murder so she isn’t stuck in between life and death for decades. Reviews call it hilarious and unique, with a good plot twist. A nice break from the usual (professional or amateur) detective solving a crime setup.
The Hunter >>
By Tana French
Book 2 in the Cal Hooper series
I really enjoyed when we read The Searcher the other year. This is supposed to be the sequel. Hopefully it stands up to it’s predecessor!
Auntie Poldi and the Handsome Antonio >>
By Mario Giordana
Book 3 in the Auntie Poldi series
I liked the first two books & some people in our group said the 3rd is better than the 2nd.
Into the Blue >>
By Robert Goddard
Despite being published in 1990, this is a new author to our group. The book received great reviews referring to it as an intellectual puzzle, clever, and riveting. The protagonist is an amateur detective: a middle-aged man becomes propelled to solve the disappearance of a woman when he becomes the prime suspect.
Mud, Muck and Dead Things >>
By Ann Granger
Book 1 Campbell and Carter Mystery series
It’s a police cozy set in rural England. I read it and liked it
The Dinner Lady Detectives >>
By Hannah Hendy
This book is the first in a series. The protagonists are two older women, a couple, who serve meals at a school. A colleague dies in what everyone says was an accident. But Margery and Clementine aren’t so sure. I enjoyed this book. I would call this a cozy mystery.
Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide >>
By Rupert Holmes
- This book has a fascinating premise: a school for ethical(?) murderers.
- Set in the 1950s at a mysterious conservatory, this book reads like an instruction manual for students who have an ethical reason for wanting to kill someone–in this case, a corrupt airline design supervisor. Very timely if you’ve been following the ethical problems plaguing Boeing!
The Word is Murder >>
By Anthony Horowitz
Book 1 in the Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery series
I always enjoy a book where the author makes themself a character. Another less traditional mystery approach, with an author who writes well. Horowitz teams up with a disgraced detective to solve the murder of a woman who predicted and planned for her own death.
Sacred and Profane >>
By Faye Kellerman
Book 2 in the Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series
We read the first in series in 2015 but I don’t remember it. I’ve read all her husband’s books and she is just as prolific and well regarded but I haven’t gotten into this series. I’d like to give it another try.
Miracle Creek >>
By Angie Kim
This literary courtroom thriller got strong reviews and won the 2020 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The author draws on her own experiences as a mother whose child received treatment from the same medical device that explodes and kills two people in the novel. She is also a former trial lawyer so I’d expect the courtroom scenes to be well-written. The reviews indicate that the story is gripping, suspenseful, and emotionally charged, and one review summarized it as “equal parts murder mystery, courtroom drama, and immigration tale”.
Murder in the Village >>
aka By a Narrow Majority
by Faith Martin
Book 4 in the Hillary Greene series
I listened to audible sample and after only 5 mins I wanted more. I can’t remember who recommended Faith Martin but reviews talk about good storylines with tight plots.
A Man With One of Those Faces >>
By Caimh McDonnell
Book 1 in the Dublin Trilogy series
A mystery based in Dublin, Ireland with Irish author and first in a series. Had it on my shelf for a while, seems like a lot of positive reviews (4 -5 star range), and has continuous plot to keep you interested with little bit of comedy.
West Heart Kill >>
By Dann McDorman
I haven’t read this book, however it’s mystery is said to be interesting (to be fair it’s said to be polarizing, i.e you love it or hate it). It’s intriguing to me see a different side to a classic murder mystery. It was a nominee for the CWA New Blood dagger Award.
The Silent Patient >>
By Alex Michaelides
First book by this author, Very intriguing, great pace of action, and the detailed narrative is great. Hard to put the book down. Psychiatrist theme all over. Very unexpected twist at the end. I enjoyed this book very much. Reviews 3-5 stars in Goodreads
The Right Sort of Man >>
By Allison Montclair
Book 1 in the Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery series
Mostly 4&5 stars on Amazon. I read it & liked it, more than the Maisie Dobbs
Devil in a Blue Dress >>
By Walter Mosley
Book 1 in the Easy Rawlins series
- A modern classic! This is a noir mystery about a black detective in L.A. during the 1940s who gets caught up in a dangerous web of murder and deceit as he searches for a missing black woman.
- The first in a Noir series (of 16 books!) that I have always wanted to try. It’s set in 1940s Los Angeles and the protagonist is Easy Rawlins, an unemployed Black war veteran turned hardboiled detective. Mosely is a prolific writer of mystery/crime, but new to our group.
Suburban Dicks >>
By Fabian Nicieza
Book 1 in the Suburban Dicks series
This is an entertaining and insightful whodunnit set in an American suburb with changing demographics. It has a unique and interesting amateur sleuth: a former FBI profiler who is now a pregnant stay-at-home mother of 4. The detecting is good, the humor is dark, and the second book in the series is equally fun. I highly recommend it and would be happy to read it again.
The Professor >>
By Lauren Nossett
This is a sequel from her first novel, but can be read as a stand alone novel as well. Again involves the world of the Accademy. An ex-police detective investigates the death of a College student with the intent of saving his Professor career and reputation, with a bit social and political insight. The twist at the end it would be a surprise. 3-4 rates in Goodreads.
Murder in an Irish Pub >>
By Carlene O’Connor
Book 4 in the Irish Mystery Village series
Cozy all the way – heard snippets of audiobook & like the narrator. Later book in series, but sounds good & interesting take on a ‘locked room’.
The Last Devil to Die >>
By Richard Osman
Book 4 in the Thursday Murder Club series
We have as a book club read all of the Thursday Murder Club mysteries, why stop now?
A Thousand Steps >>
By T Jefferson Parker
I love reading about this time period. I read a sample of the book on Amazon and found myself wanting to read more!
Thunderhead >>
By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
I enjoyed the Agent Pendergast series and had this book on my list for some time – I may have even already read it! It is about archaeologist Nora Kelly leading an expedition in Santa Fe in search for an ancient lost city.
This Must Be The Place >>
By Kate Racculia
I’ve read her two other books and really enjoyed both of them.
The Bell in the Fog >>
By Lev AC Rosen
Book 2 in the Evander Mills series
The second book in the Evander Mills detective series. The author once again allows us to take a peek into queer American history through the eyes of Andy, who has his own detective agency now and is working to expand his client list with the help of his friends in the nightlife business. The writing for this book is better than the first, with a few interesting twists, and more “found family” exploration.
The Square of Sevens >>
By Laura Shepherd-Robinson
When a young girl loses her conman of a father in 18th century England, she uses the skills he taught her to find her living relatives–like traveling to country homes presumably to tell people’s fortunes, though her real goal is to dig into their sordid pasts.
Mother-Daughter Murder Night >>
By Nina Simon
This book is described as Gilmore Girls, but make it Murder. Yes, please!
The Other Side of Midnight >>
By Simone St. James
Another stand-alone mystery by the author of The Broken Girls, which this club previously enjoyed quite a lot. St. James writes in a unique style that blends mystery, history and a taste of the supernatural, without being truly sci fi or fantasy.
Everyone On This Train is a Suspect >>
By Benjamin Stevenson
Book 2 in the Ernest Cunningham series
Enjoyed the first one in series for it’s creative approach to unveiling characters & telling a story. ~4 star ranking with good mix of mystery and humor.
The Marlow Murder Club >>
By Robert Thorogood
Book 1 in the Marlow Murder Club series
This book is the first in a series (and also being released as a tv show on Masterpiece this month!). I’ve read the books in this series and enjoyed them. They’re very much in the same vein as the Thursday Murder Club. A woman overhears a murder but no one believes her, so she decides to solve it herself.
Fingersmith >>
By Sarah Waters
A beautifully written historical mystery set in Victorian England. Very atmospheric (read: gloom) and lots of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing.
Maisie Dobbs >>
By Jacqueline Winspear
Book 1 in the Maisie Dobbs series
I read it & liked it. It has a lot of reviews on Amazon, mostly 4 & 5 stars.
No Rest for the Dead >>
By multiple authors
By 26 different authors and introduction by David Baldacci.
I enjoyed this book because is a single mystery with a new author adding their own characters or twisters to the plots and personalities in every new chapter. The main mystery stands and adds many small mysteries along the story. A very different concept of writing.