Set in the Spanish Golden Age, during a time of high‑stakes political intrigue and glittering wealth, The Familiar follows Luzia, a servant in the household of an impoverished Spanish nobleman who reveals a talent for little miracles. Her social‑climbing mistress demands Luzia use her gifts to win over Madrid’s most powerful players but what begins as simple amusement takes a dangerous turn. Luzia will need to use every bit of her wit and will to survive—even the help of Guillén Santángel, an immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo ..read more

Good friends, great wine, old grudges — what could go wrong? Don’t miss the darkly funny new murder mystery by Sheila Yasmin Marikar, the author of The Goddess Effect, and Mindy Kaling’s Book Studio. When six old college friends get together for a celebratory weekend in Napa Valley, the college vibes come rushing back. So do old resentments and animosities. Soon enough, the illusion of friendship shatters like a wine glass, and one of the guests ends up dead. Everyone has their motivations. Everyone has something to hide. Here’s to a weekend in the valley. Drink up and watch your back ..read more

Publishing is in full swing and there are more books being released every day than you can possibly read. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by this fact, tuck yourself into your favorite reading spot, put on your sleuthing cap, and get ready to choose from this list of mystery and thrillers that I’ve selected for you. I’ve aimed to round up a wide range of tropes, subgenres, and types of crime books, so there should be something here for every reading mood. What does April have for mystery and thriller readers? There is a domestic thriller with a social media influencer obsessed with a true crim ..read more

I love a good mystery as much as the next person, and I especially love mystery novels where we get a sense for the detective or sleuth’s character — they’re more than just a figurehead asking the questions, but a fully formed person whose thoughts, opinions, and experiences have a direct impact on the mystery. LGBTQ+ people almost always go through the world experiencing life through a slightly different lens than those who are cis and straight, so queer characters solving crimes seems like an obviously intriguing setup to me! However, finding those queer characters in the mystery genre hasn ..read more

While shopping for a couple of birthday gifts earlier this month, I came across all kinds of swag for fans of murder mystery and true crime. And that’s great! But I found that the merch was almost always geared towards fans of true crime documentaries, procedurals, and other “murder shows,” or murder-themed podcasts. From ceramic mugs to candles and T-shirts, there is plenty to be found both in brick-and-mortar stores and online proclaiming a love for all things dark and twisty in the realm of podcasts and TV. I enjoy a lot of those shows and podcasts as much as the next person (well, mostly—w ..read more

Welcome to a new month of armchair sleuthing with March mystery and thriller releases! Whether you enjoy spring indoors with a book or outdoors with a book, I’m here to give you great options to choose from if you like reading in the world of crime books. Let’s start with it being a big month for series, seeing as a bunch of the best current mystery series have new entries this month. These include a former magician turned amateur sleuth, a writer partnered with her kid’s babysitter who always seem to find themselves running from criminal activity, an Irish set character-driven crime series fo ..read more

When a corpse washes up on the riverbank at Lord Hani’s country house, his daughter Neferet, her fellow physician Bener-ib and apprentice Mut-tuy head for the local village to try to identify it. But they find themselves entangled in a web of murder and lies in the heart of a family of weavers. Can the perseverance of three determined women and the bonds of parental love win out, or will Neferet herself become the next victim? The only thing I love even more than a good whodunit (or howdunit or whydunit) is one with a historical setting. There’s something about unraveling a mystery wi ..read more

The premise of B. A. Paris’s The Guest is one to which many of us can relate: an unwanted houseguest overstays her welcome. In this excerpt from chapter 15, Laure, who’s walked out on her husband, Pierre, over his confession of an affair and a secret child, has worn out her welcome in the home of Iris and Gabriel. And her presence (she’s been wearing Iris’s clothes, and sleeping in Iris’s and Gabriel’s bed) has become increasingly suffocating for Iris, in particular… The Guest is available now wherever books are sold. Iris paused at the gate to catch her breath and stretch her calf muscle ..read more

Happy Black History Month! Today’s pick is a few years old, but it has left a lasting impact on me. This is My America by Kim Johnson This work of young adult fiction is incredibly heavy and an absolutely absorbing read. Our protagonist is Tracy Beaumont, a Black teenage girl whose father, James Beaumont, is in prison. James Beaumont was wrongly accused of murder, and at the beginning of the book, he has 275 days before he will be executed. The book is told from Tracy’s point of view, and interspersed with the chapters of prose are Tracy’s weekly letters to Innocence X, a nonprofit legal ..read more

Welcome to a new month! Publishing is in full steam, and there are plenty of mystery and thrillers hitting the shelves this February 2024 as brand-spanking new releases — more than anyone can keep up with, really. As usual, I have tried to give a round-up that offers something for all kinds of mystery readers, from favorite tropes to favorite subgenres and even genre mixes. Basically, if you like to curl up with a book and armchair sleuth and armchair travel, you’ll find something on this list. So what do I — really, publishing — have for you this month to solve? There is an Alaska-set procedu ..read more