These are mostly stand-alone psychological mystery/thrillers. Only Joanna Schaffhausen’s is an exception since it is the first in a new series. The great thing about stand-alone novels is you don’t have to try to remember what came before. These are all interesting authors with a good track record. Joy Fielding has been writing since 1972 and always writes stand-alone novels. Mark Billingham is a terrific writer from the UK and is well known for his Tom Thorne series. To top it off, the latest from Andrea Bartz is the book club pick in the Reese Witherspoon Book Club.

Reading right now:

Joanna Schaffhausen’s new book (“Gone for Good”) is the first in a new series featuring Detective Annalisa Vega. Detective Vega finds herself reinvestigating a serial killer who starts murdering women again after twenty years of silence. Vega remembers the case well from her childhood since at that time her father was investigating the murders and one of the victims was a neighbor. The clues she follows leads her to some heartbreaking conclusions and the decisions she makes will affect everyone she loves. I had a harder time getting into this book than I did some of her others, but the ending has kept me thinking about choices in life.

On hold right now:

“56 Days” by Catherine Ryan Howard is a stand-alone about a couple who meet in a supermarket in Dublin and start dating at the beginning of the pandemic. They decide to move in together instead of missing the opportunity of a growing relationship because of the lockdown. Unfortunately, 56 days later there is a decomposing body in their apartment and a mystery regarding what happened in those lost weeks.

Joy Fielding’s “Cul-De-Sac” is her latest stand-alone. When someone is shoot to death on their cul-de-sac, the secrets of all the families who live there come to light. Secrets are a prime subject of mystery novels and in this new novel everyone has something to hid so figuring out who would kill to keep their secrets isn’t so easy.

“We Were Never Here” by Andrea Bartz is the latest book club pick in the Reese Witherspoon Book Club. If you were on a trip with your best friend and she kills someone would you help her cover it up?

Mark Billingham’s latest is “Rabbit Hole” a stand-alone thriller. After a murder is committed in a psychiatric ward, police officer Alice Armitage determines to find out who the killer is. Unfortunately, Armitage is currently a patient in that psychiatric ward so even if she solves the case will anyone listen to her?