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?

 

If you enjoy a good series, August finds some amazingly famous bestselling mystery authors adding books to series that you do not want to miss. I spend a lot of time during the year hoping for another Agent Pendergast book and am thrilled that August is finally here so that I can see where Preston and Child are taking the character. August also finds the latest from James Lee Burke and William Kent Krueger and many others. There is certainly a lot to look forward to this month.

Reading right now:

Ace Atkins’ eleventh book in his Quinn Colson series is “The Heathens.” Sheriff Quinn Colson and his former deputy Lillie Virgil who is now a U.S. Marshal work together to find the truth about a murder where a teen is accused of killing her mother and runs away with family and friends. Virgil goes after the group while Colson stays home to investigate the murder. Colson doesn’t believe that the daughter killed her mother and that she ran-away because she knew no one would believe her.

On hold right now:

Louise Penny adds the 17^th book to her Chief Inspector Gamache series this month which is called “The Madness of Crowds.” While taking a snow vacation, Gamache is asked to provide security for a Professor speaking at the local university. Why a Chief Inspector of Homicide was asked to do the job becomes obvious when Gamache examines the views of the woman he would be protecting. When he tries to get the University to cancel the program, he is accused of censorship. His fear of violence is confirmed when arguments and fights start to break out over Professor Robinson’s views and finally someone is murdered.

Agent Pendergast shows up in the 20^th book in the series called “Bloodless” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. This time around Pendergast faces the challenge of finding who left bloodless bodies all over Savannah. There seems to be a link between the murders and the famous hijacker D.B. Cooper.

“Another Kind of Eden” is James Lee Burke’s latest addition to the Holland Family series. It is the early 1960s and Aaron Holland Broussard is riding the rails to find jobs that will help him survive while writing his book. When he gets off in Denver, he gets romantically involved with a young college student. Unfortunately, she is already involved with one of her professors. Before you know it, Aaron is dealing with a drug-addled cult, a sinister businessman, and grotesque murders.

“Lighning Strike” is William Kent Krueger’s 18^th book in the Cork O’Connor series. In this book about small town life, it is the summer of 1963 and twelve-year-old Cork O’Connor finds the body of a man he knows hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp. Cork wants answers as much as his Dad (who happens to be the local sheriff) and finds himself trying to find out what is happening in his home town.

 

Sometimes when you have read too many serial killer novels or intense psychological thrillers, a good cozy is just what you need to bring your blood pressure down to normal levels and step back from the ledge. Luckily this month there are any number of cozies coming out. Holly Danvers released a new cozy series this month with the first book in the Lakeside Library series called “Murder at the Lakeside Library.” Esme Addison just added a second book to her Enchanted Bay mystery series called “A Hex for Danger.” Popular Canadian author Vicki Delany added a second book to her Tea by the Sea series called “Murder in a Teacup.” Kaitlyn Dunnett added a fourth book to her Deadly Edits series called “Murder She Edited.” The very popular G.A. McKevett adds the 26^th novel to her Savannah Reid series this month which is called “A Few Drops of Bitters.” July is definitely an excellent month for cozy murder mysteries with all the above coming out and the following as well.

Reading right now:

Carolyn Hart’s tenth book in the Bailey Ruth Ghost series is “Ghost Blows a Kiss.” As a member of Heaven’s Department of Good Intentions, Bailey Ruth Raeburn finds herself even busier as a ghost than she was when she was living. This time around, she is tasked with helping a young widow who was running away from family secrets and lies.

On hold right now:

 The third installment of the Ancestry Detective series is available this month by S.C. Perkins (“Fatal Family Ties”). Genealogist Lucy Lancaster takes on her third case investigating the family of a former co-worker, Camilla, whose ancestor was a civil war corporal who is being accused of being a liar, a phony, and a deserter in the local paper. As she starts her investigation, one of Camilla’s co-workers is murdered and important evidence is stolen.

Julie Anne Lindsey’s latest Cider Shop mystery "The Cider Shop Rules" is the third in the series of books about Winona Mae Montgomery and her Granny Smythe who has an apple orchard and opened a Cider shop (to make ends meet). It is fall in Apple Blossom Valley, West Virginia and local harvests are flourishing as is the Fall Festival. Unfortunately for Jacob Potter while his pumpkin farm is flourishing, he is found dead in the back of Winona’s pickup truck.

The second in the Home to Ireland mystery series is “Murder in Connemara” by Carlene O’Connor. Former New York interior designer Tara Meehan has moved to Galway County in Ireland and is opening an architectural salvage shop. Unfortunately, one of her new clients whom she just sold an antique brooch to is murdered and Tara finds herself in the middle of a messy situation.

Other Mysterious Things:

I love reading a good cozy especially a series with funny and heartwarming characters that you cannot wait to revisit when the next installment comes out. Next month one of my favorite authors Donna Andrews adds “Murder Most Fowl” to her delightful Meg Langslow series. This is the 29^th book in the series and I hope she never stops writing them. The other cozy to look forward to in August is the 18^th book in the Chocoholic Mysteries “The Chocolate Raccoon Rigmarole” by Joanna Carl.

 

Reading right now:

Gary Braver and Tess Gerritsen combined forces to write a stand-alone murder mystery called “Choose Me.” After Taryn Moore plunges from a balcony to her death, Detective Frankie Loomis doesn’t believe she killed herself. The investigation finds that Taryn had a dark side. One in which her English professor played a major role as either her murderer or perhaps the one who drove her to suicide.

On hold right now:

 “Razorblade Tears” is S.A. Cosby’s third stand-alone mystery. “Blacktop Wasteland” was the New York Times Notable book for 2020. In his latest, Ike Randolph has been recently released from jail and is devastated to learn that his son Isiah and Isiah’s husband has been murdered. Ashamed of Isiah being gay when he was living, Ike is determined to do better by his son now that he is dead and bring vengeance down on the heads of their killers.

Just coming out this week the stand-alone, “An Ambush of Widows” is the latest by Jeff Abbott. Two seemingly unrelated men are murdered together. Their widows form an alliance to find out what secrets their husbands were keeping, who murdered them, and why.

David Bell’s new stand-alone is “Kill All Your Darlings.” When English Professor Connor Nye becomes famous after publishing his first novel, a former student shows up at his door demanding that he admit he didn’t really write the novel and admit that she wrote it. When the police show up at his door demanding to know why his novel sounds much like a real murder case they have been investigating, Connor must decide whether to keep up the lie or confess.

Other Mysterious Things:

Caroline B. Cooney has been writing since 1979. She has written mystery, fiction, romance, horror, and fantasy for children, young adults, and adult readers. If you haven’t read one of her novels…well that is hard to believe. Her young adult series which started with “A Face on the Milk Cartoon” was incredibly popular. Now she presents a new stand-alone adult mystery called “The Grandmother Plot.” After Freddy is forced to place his grandmother in a nursing home, one of the other old ladies in the nursing home is murdered. Freddy has to step up to keep his grandmother safe.

I’ve noticed that a great many mystery novels whether they are amateur detective, domestic fiction, or center on a police detective seem to delve into unresolved issues which the main character is forced to deal with throughout the book and sometimes throughout the series. These books are very personal journeys that the character must take to resolve grief or childhood trauma. Paula McLain’s (“When the Stars Go Dark”) latest very much falls into that category as does Liz Moore’s “Long Bright River” which came out in 2020. While the main character in” Long Bright River” is a police officer, her journey deals with her own family drama, addiction, and ultimately social problems and the failure of the police.

Reading right now:

I was happy to get to read the recent new books by David Baldacci and John Sandford, both long standing authors which I depend on for fun, exciting reads with characters that I know and love. After finishing those, I decided I wanted something new and found Paula McLain’s latest stand-alone “When the Stars Go Dark.” This book takes us on a journey to recovery from trauma and grief with Detective Anna Hart who has worked for many years in San Francisco on missing persons cases. When tragedy strikes in her personal life, she flees back to where she grew up only to get involved in the case of a missing teenage girl. Going home brings back difficult memories for Anna who now finds herself dealing with her grief, the terror surrounding the missing person case, and the ghosts of her past.

On hold right now:

May Cobb’s “The Hunting Wives” centers around a clique of wives whose socialite status allows them time to play dangerous games. When a teenage girl dies in the woods close to where they gather, the latest member to the group finds her life has become dangerous and full of secrets.

Karen Slaughter’s latest stand-alone is “False Witness.” Two decades ago, two sisters did something terrible which resulted in violence and a life of secrets. Now someone comes forward who knows the truth and could tear their world apart.

Tess Gerritsen’s latest is a stand-alone written with Gary Braver (called “Choose Me”). While Taryn Moore’s death looks like a suicide, Detective Frankie Loomis suspects that there is more to the story including a possible affair with her English professor. Did her secrets make her a target for murder?

Other Mysterious Things:

The books mentioned above revolve around secrets: childhood secrets, secret desires, secret affairs, and so on. Often involving things that were done to the characters as children that are too shameful to even remember or things that were done to others that could destroy their lives. These books are often heartbreaking and frustrating and leave us questioning the very nature of human existence. After reading too many of these books we are driven to read a cozy!

 

Reading right now:

“The Garden of Angels” by David Hewson is a thriller about a 15-year-old who inherits a gift from his dying grandfather. The gift is a yellow manuscript which sends him into Nazi-occupied Venice in 1943 where he discovers that his grandfather was not who he thought he was.

On hold right now:

Flynn Berry’s latest standalone novel is “Northern Spy” a thriller in which BBC producer Tessa finds out that her sister is involved with the IRA. This thriller follows Tessa’s attempt to find out the truth about Tessa’s sister and the havoc it has on everyone around them.

“Endings” is Linda L. Richards latest standalone and is the story of a woman who faces lose by finding a new vocation—that of killer for hire. She finds out she is good at her job, but is stopped in her tracks when she comes across a serial killer whose evil forces her to reevaluate her life.

Wallace Stroby’s “Heaven’s a Lie” is a standalone about a young widow who witnesses a fatal car accident which thrusts her in the middle of gang violence. When she tries to help those in the wreck, she finds money which she desperately needs and takes it with her. Unfortunately for her, the drug dealer who the money belongs to wants it back.

Other Mysterious Things:

We are living in an amazing time when there are so many great books available to read that it is impossible to read even a small percentage of the books that look interesting. In addition, the mystery genre has expanded to include thrillers, paranormal, suspense, and so much more. Many of these books may not be what we once considered traditional mysteries, but many have mystery elements which are well worth reading. One such book is “The Drowning Kind” by Jennifer McMahon which is her latest standalone about a woman who returns home after her sister drowns in the family’s swimming pool only to find that a family’s past is never really behind us. This scary thriller has a mystery element, but is really horror. If you haven’t read McMahon’s horror thriller’s, she might be an author worth considering especially if you like a little blend of mystery and ghost story.

 

Reading right now:

Harlan Coben’s latest stand alone mystery just came out a couple of weeks ago (“Win”). If you haven’t watched the Netflix shows based on Coben’s work, do so right away since they are all great. In the meantime, Coben’s latest revolves around a current murder in which clues from a 20-year old murder are found on the premises. The cold case involved “Win” Lockwood’s family and when the police question him about the newly found clues, he finds himself using his large fortune to help solve the case.

On hold right now:

John Sandford’s latest Lucas Davenport book is out this month (“Ocean Prey”). After there is a death a sea and the FBI cannot solve the cause, Davenport is called in and finds he needs the help of Virgil Flowers to protect his back.

Marcia Talley’s 18^th book in her Hannah Ives series is “Done Gone.” After her neighbors disappear, Hannah discovers terrible secrets and gets involved in their disappearance with deadly consequences.

“On an Outgoing Tide” is Caro Ramsay’s 12^th book in her Anderson & Costello series. After 81-year-old Jimmy Pearcey is tortured to death, Detectives Anderson and Costello uncover secrets in his past that link to another murder.

“What the Devil Knows” is C.S. Harris’ 16^th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. It’s 1814 and it’s been three years since a notorious murderer hanged himself in his cell, but now the lead investigator from that case is murdered in the same manner and the police must face the idea that they caught the wrong man. Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to St. Cry to help find the real killer.

Other Mysterious Things:

April is showering mystery readers with some great books including two written by some of my favorite authors: John Sandford and C.S. Harris. No month is better than a month that brings a new book by an author that I love. Finding a great new author is the constant quest of those of us who love to read. We find a great book and pray that more will follow. The secret is to keep reading new authors to find a new favorite author to add to our already long list. Good hunting.