Let's Talk Books: Mystery and Suspense

by Stacey

You missed the mystery book talk? We'll share this list of all our recommendations and won't even ask about your alibi.

Truly Devious

Maureen Johnson

YOUNG ADULT FICTION Johnson Maureen
Mystery, Young Adult

When Stevie Bell, an amateur detective, begins her first year at a famous private school in Vermont, she sets a plan to solve the cold case involving the kidnapping of the founder's wife and daughter shortly after the school opened.

The wives

Tarryn Fisher

FICTION Fisher Tarryn
Mystery

"She's never met the other wives. None of them know each other, and because of this unconventional arrangement, she can see her husband only one day a week. But she loves him so much she doesn't care. Or at least that's what she told herself. But one day, while she's doing laundry, she finds a scrap of paper in his pocket, an appointment reminder for a woman named Hannah, and she knows it's another of the wives. She thought she was fine with her arrangement, but she can't help herself--she tracks her down, and, under false pretense, she strikes up a friendship. Hannah has no idea who she is. Then, Hannah starts showing up to her coffee dates with telltale bruises, and she realized she's being abused by her husband. Who, of course, is also her husband. But she's never known him to be violent, ever. Who exactly is her husband, and how far would she go to find the truth? Would she risk her own life? And who is his mysterious third wife?" -- Provided by publisher.

The sweetness at the bottom of the pie

C. Alan Bradley

MYSTERY Bradley, C. Alan
Mystery

Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison, must exonerate her father of murder. Armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together and examine new suspects, she begins a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself.

Raven black

Ann Cleeves

MYSTERY Cleeves, Ann
Mystery

Along came a spider

James Patterson

MYSTERY Patterson, James
Mystery

"The double kidnapping of the daughter of a famous Hollywood actress and the young son of the Secretary of the Treasury is only the beginning! Gary Soneji is a murderous serial kidnapper who wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read"--Publisher.

The Maltese falcon

Dashiell Hammett

MYSTERY Hammett, Dashiell
Mystery, Suspense

The girl with the dragon tattoo

Stieg Larsson

FICTION Larsson, Stieg
Suspense

The disappearance forty years ago of Harriet Vanger, a young scion of one of the wealthiest families in Sweden, gnaws at her octogenarian uncle, Henrik Vanger. He is determined to know the truth about what he believes was her murder. He hires crusading journalist Mikael Blomkvist, recently at the wrong end of a libel case, to get to the bottom of Harriet's disappearance. Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old, pierced, tattooed genius hacker, possessed of the hard-earned wisdom of someone twice her age--and a terrifying capacity for ruthlessness--assists Blomkvist with the investigation. This unlikely team discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through the Vanger family, an astonishing corruption at the highest echelon of Swedish industrialism--and a surprising connection between themselves.--From publisher description.

And then there were none

Agatha Christie

MYSTERY Christie, Agatha
Mystery

Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore

Robin Sloan

FICTION Sloan Robin
Suspense

Black and blue

Ian Rankin

MYSTERY Rankin, Ian
Mystery

The bookman's tale : a novel of obsession

Charles C Lovett

FICTION Lovett Charles
Mystery, Suspense

Death at La Fenice

Donna Leon

MYSTERY Leon, Donna
Mystery

Shetland. Seasons one & two

DVD TV Shetland 1st and 2nd season
Mystery

Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez and his staff work to solve mysteries in the Shetland Islands.

Naked in death

J. D. 1950- Robb

MYSTERY Robb, J. D.
Mystery

Midnight riot

Ben Aaronovitch

SCIENCE FICTION Aaronovitch, Ben
Mystery, Fantasy

"As a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic"--P. [4] of cover.

Case histories

Kate Atkinson

FICTION Atkinson, Kate
Mystery

Glass houses : a novel

Louise Penny

MYSTERY Penny Louise
Mystery

"When a mysterious figure appears in Three Pines one cold November day, Armand Gamache and the rest of the villagers are at first curious. Then wary. Through rain and sleet, the figure stands unmoving, staring ahead. From the moment its shadow falls over the village, Gamache, now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, suspects the creature has deep roots and a dark purpose. Yet he does nothing. What can he do? Only watch and wait. And hope his mounting fears are not realized. But when the figure vanishes overnight and a body is discovered, it falls to Gamache to discover if a debt has been paid or levied. Months later, on a steamy July day as the trial for the accused begins in Montréal, Chief Superintendent Gamache continues to struggle with actions he set in motion that bitter November, from which there is no going back. More than the accused is on trial. Gamache's own conscience is standing in judgment" -- provided by publisher.

The crow trap

Ann Cleeves

MYSTERY Cleeves Ann
Mystery

Vera. Set 1

DVD TV Vera Set 1
Mystery

Follows a solitary, obsessed, cantankerous investigator-- who happens to be pure genius at her job.

The long call

Ann Cleeves

MYSTERY/Cleeves, Ann
Mystery

In North Devon, where two rivers converge and run into the sea, Detective Matthew Venn stands outside the church as his father's funeral takes place. Once loved and cherished, the day Matthew left the strict evangelical community he grew up in, he lost his family too. Now, as he turns and walks away again, he receives a call from one of his team. A body has been found on the beach nearby: a man with a tattoo of an albatross on his neck, stabbed to death. The case calls Matthew back into the community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide. An astonishing new novel told with compassion and searing insight, The Long Call will captivate fans of Vera and Shetland, as well as new readers.

Pietr the Latvian

Georges Simenon

MYSTERY Simenon, Georges
Mystery

Inspector Jules Maigret travels from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he traces the true identity of Pietr the Latvian.

Blood on the tracks

808.83872 /Blood
Mystery

"A signalman is found dead by a railway tunnel. A man identifies his wife as a victim of murder on the underground. Two passengers mysteriously disappear between stations, leaving behind a dead body. Trains have been a favourite setting of many crime writers, providing the mobile equivalent of the 'locked-room' scenario. Their enclosed carriages with a limited number of suspects lend themselves to seemingly impossible crimes. In an era of cancellations and delays, alibis reliant upon a timely train service no longer ring true, yet the railway detective has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in the twenty-first century. Both train buffs and crime fans will delight in this selection of fifteen railway-themed mysteries, featuring some of the most popular authors of their day alongside less familiar names."--Provided by publisher.

A collection of mystery short stories related to trains
- Stacey

Foreign bodies

808.83872 /Foreign
Mystery

Today translated crime fiction is in vogue-- but this was not always the case. A century before Scandi noir, writers across Europe and beyond were publishing detective stories of high quality. Often these did not appear in English and they have been known only by a small number of experts. This is the first ever collection of classic crime in translation from the golden age of the genre in the 20th century. Many of these stories are exceptionally rare, and several have been translated for the first time to appear in this volume.

A collection of classic mystery short stories by writers across Europe and beyond
- Stacey

Three hours in Paris

Cara Black

FICTION Black, Cara
Mystery, Adventure

"Three Hours in Paris is the story of Kate Rees, the young American markswoman who has been recruited by British intelligence to drop into Paris on the dangerous business of trying to assassinate the Fuhrer. A country girl from rural Oregon - a grieving widow with no spy training but a vendetta and a lot of gumption - now has the state of the entire war in her hands. When the hit goes badly wrong, Kate is on the run for her life - all the time wrestling with the suspicion that the whole operation was a set-up."--Provided by publisher.

Murder in the Marais

Cara Black

MYSTERY Black, Cara
Mystery

The crossing places

Elly Griffiths

MYSTERY Griffiths, Elly
Mystery, Suspense

Midsomer murders. Series 1

DVD TV Midsomer Series 1
Mystery

The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. The killings at Badger's Drift: The death of an elderly woman and the persistence of her lifelong friend draw Barnaby into a case that reveals the sordid side of this quaint village. Written in blood: Investigating the brutal murder of a Midsomer Worthy writer, Barnaby discovers that the victim had been living a fictitious life. Death of a hollow man: In Causton, Barnaby and his family take part in an amateur theatrical production of Amadeus that provides an abundance of real-life drama. Faithful unto death: When the wife of a wealthy local businessman disappears, Barnaby finds that Fawcett Green harbors a complex web of financial and romantic entanglements. Death in disguise: Barnaby needs all his wits about him as he investigates a string of deaths at a local New Age commune.

A great deliverance

Elizabeth George

MYSTERY George, Elizabeth
Mystery

An unsuitable job for a woman

P. D James

MYSTERY James, P. D.
Mystery

Left alone by her partner's suicide, Cordelia Gray struggles to manage the private detective agency they once shared.

Poldark. The complete first season

DVD TV Poldark 1st season
Mystery

It's 1783, and Ross Poldark has returned home from the American Revolutionary War to find England in the grip of recession and his beloved Cornwall on its knees. His father is dead, his family's land and copper mines are in ruins, and his childhood sweetheart is about to marry his first cousin. Feeling betrayed by everything he loves, Ross must rebuild his life, embarking on a risky business venture, facing new adversaries, and finding love where he least expects it. Based on the novels by Winston Graham and set against the dramatic Cornish coastline, this striking saga stars Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) as Ross Poldark, Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley) as the fiery Demelza, and includes a special appearance by Robin Ellis, who played the original Ross Poldark in the 1970s.

The silent patient

Alex Michaelides

FICTION Michaelides, Alex
Suspense

Alicia Berenson's life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London's most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. Alicia's refusal to talk or give any kind of explanation turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the spotlight of the tabloids at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His search for the truth leads him down a terrifying path and threatens to consume him.

The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton

FICTION Turton Stuart
Mystery

Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden Bishop must solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle in order to escape the curse in a world filled with enemies where nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

The lost man

Jane (Jane Elizabeth) Harper

MYSTERY Harper Jane
Mystery

Two brothers meet at the remote fence line separating their cattle ranches in the lonely outback. In an isolated belt of Western Australia, they are each other's nearest neighbor, their homes four hours' drive apart. The third brother lies dead at their feet. Something caused Cam, the middle child who had been in charge of the family homestead, to die alone in the middle of nowhere. So the eldest brother returns with his younger sibling to the family property and those left behind. But the fragile balance of the ranch is threatened. Amidst the grief, suspicion starts to take hold, and the eldest brother begins to wonder if more than one among them is at risk of crumbling as the weight of isolation bears down on them all. Dark, suspenseful, and deeply atmospheric, The Lost Man is the highly anticipated book from the bestselling and award-winning Jane Harper, author of The Dry and Force of Nature .

Blind descent

Nevada Barr

MYSTERY Barr, Nevada
Mystery

The blessing way

Tony Hillerman

MYSTERY Hillerman, Tony
Mystery

Black

Ted Dekker

FICTION Dekker, Ted
Suspense

Tunnel vision

Sara Paretsky

MYSTERY Paretsky, Sara
Mystery

Faceless killers

Henning Mankell

MYSTERY Mankell, Henning
Mystery

The fifth woman : a Kurt Wallander mystery

Henning Mankell

MYSTERY Mankell, Henning
Mystery

The black echo

Michael Connelly

MYSTERY Connelly, Michael
Mystery

The silent corner : a novel of suspense

Dean R. (Dean Ray) Koontz

FICTION Koontz Dean
Suspense

""I very much need to be dead." These are the chilling words left behind by a man who had everything to live for--but took his own life. In the void that remains stands his widow, Jane, surrounded by questions destined to go unanswered . . . unless she does what all the grief, fear, confusion, and fury inside of her demands: find the truth, no matter what"--

The Sunday philosophy club

Alexander McCall Smith

MYSTERY/McCall Smith, Alexander
Mystery

Isabel Dalhousie is a philosopher by training, and an amateur sleuth by choice. When a young man falls from a balcony to his death, Isabel does not believe it was an accident. Plunging deep into the shady business community of Edinburgh, she is determined to root out the truth.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Alexander McCall Smith

MYSTERY McCall Smith, Alexander
Mystery

The diary of Mattie Spenser

Sandra Dallas

FICTION Dallas, Sandra

Borkmann's point

Håkan Nesser

MYSTERY Nesser, Hakan
Mystery

Tallgrass

Sandra Dallas

FICTION Dallas, Sandra
Suspense

Deja dead

Kathy Reichs

MYSTERY Reichs, Kathy
Mystery

Strike me down : a novel

Mindy Mejia

FICTION/Mejia Mindy
Suspense

Nora Trier catches thieves. As a forensic accountant and partner in her downtown Minneapolis firm, she's unearthed millions in every corner of the world. She prides herself on her independence, the most essential currency of accounting, until her firm is hired by Strike. An anti-corporate, feminist athletic empire, Strike is owned by Logan Russo, a brash and legendary kickboxer, and her marketing genius husband, Gregg Abbott. They're about to host a major kickboxing tournament with twenty million dollars in prize money, and the chance for the champion to become the new face of the company. Gregg suspects his wife already has a new face in mind - a young trainer named Aaden, for whom Logan feels an unexpected connection. Days before the tournament begins, it's discovered that the prize money is missing. Gregg hires Nora's firm to find both the thief and the money but Nora has a secret connection to Strike that threatens her independence. Her partner pressures her into taking the case anyway, hinting he has information about Strike that could change the course of the investigation in a shocking and deadly way.

The wonder : a novel

Emma Donoghue

FICTION Donoghue Emma

Holding : a novel

Graham Norton

MYSTERY Norton Graham
Mystery

"From Graham Norton, the BAFTA-award-winning Irish television host and author of the "sparkling and impish" (Daily Mail) memoirs The Life and Loves of a He Devil and So Me, comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama but when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke--a former lover of two different inhabitants--the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated sergeant PJ Collins struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret. In this darkly comic, touching, and at times heartbreaking novel, perfect for fans of J.K. Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore--with searing honesty--the complexities and contradictions that make us human"--