Must-read mysteries of spring: our personal picks
Vannessa Cronin | January 14, 2022
A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about all the great mystery and thriller series returning in 2022. Now, we’re working on a post about all the upcoming standalone books by best-selling authors we love (Lucy Foley, Aidan McKinty, Lisa Scottoline, and more), but we’re easily distracted, and we couldn’t help but be struck by some of the other gems publishing between now and June. Here’s why we recommend you add some or all of the books below to your TBR pile.
Who knew that Agatha Christie had a real-life episode in her past that was worthy of one of her own books? During a turbulent time in her marriage, the author went missing—for 11 days. It was no small thing; it sparked the biggest manhunt in British history. De Gramont’s novelization of the reasons behind the disappearance—and how it played out—is smart, delicious, and fun. (February 2)
YA authors turning to write adult mysteries has been a trend lately (Exhibit A: one of our picks for Best Mysteries and Thrillers of the month is Marie Rutkoski’s Real Easy). Bethany C. Morrow is also a best-selling YA author, and her new thriller is tantalizingly described as “in the vein of Get Out meets My Sister the Serial Killer.” When the country club life that 17 year-old Farrah Turner cherishes appears to be slipping out of her family’s grasp, the calculating teen attempts to burrow deeper into her friend Cherish Whitman’s family. But Farrah may not be the only manipulator with a menacing agenda. One of those slow-burn thrillers, with an electrifying end, this is a highly-buzzed about title this spring. (February 8) Claudia Lin is pretty much the despair of her Chinese immigrant parents. Not only does she show no sign of pursuing an enviable career or a husband, she’s keeping quiet about the fact that the romantic partners she is interested in pursuing are female. And her new job, verifying referrals for an online dating agency, is not going to please her parents. Especially when one of the agency clients goes missing and crime fiction fan Claudia launches her own private—and dangerous—inquiry. This is a thoughtful—and thought-provoking—mystery that manages to be clever, funny, charming, and whipsmart, too. (February 22)
There are a few words that telegraph a good time to this reader. Assassin is one of them. Drop “assassin” into the description and my fingers will immediately hover over that buy button. Hornclaw is a 65-year old woman living in a modest apartment with little company besides her dog, Deadweight. But when she makes a slip-up at her job, retirement—and maybe even death—become very real possibilities. Since she’s an assassin, that’s a very bad thing. A gripping and grimly funny entry in the conversation about women, age, and agency, as well as a great cat on a hot tin roof thriller. (March 8)
The line that prompted me to keep reading this one was: “Amos Parisman, L.A.’s oldest and most stubborn Jewish gumshoe, has never learned how to properly retire.” He’s also never learned to turn his back on someone who needs him, in this case the homeless people of L.A. who are being preyed upon by a serial killer with some vendetta against street people. The Kindness of Strangers boasts a wryly funny lead character, as well as a heart-breaking look at the low value we place on those who live “outside” society, and a cracking good mystery to boot. (April 12)
Pay Dirt Road is described as “Friday Night Lights meets Sue Grafton,” a cross that grabbed our attention. Garnet, Texas native Annie McIntyre is at a loose end: done with college, she’s marking time waitressing in her hometown while she figures out her next step. Her retired-but-not-really grandfather Leroy offers her some work at his private investigation firm and their investigation of a missing woman gets cogs turning in Annie’s mind. Like some of our picks for Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021—We Begin at the End and When Ghosts Come Home come to mind—we love the atmospheric sense of place in this novel, as well as the sharply-observed characters, and the genuinely suspenseful plot. Here’s hoping this becomes a series. (April 19) The line that grabbed me was author Megan Abbott (The Family Plot) describing One of Us is Dead as, “Big Little Lies meets Real Housewives” and that’s spot-on. They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, and the wealthy socialites of Buckhead, Atlanta are doing both. Which, since most of these friends appear to have damaging dirt on one another, is smart. But when a starter wife is traded in for a younger model, all hell breaks loose. Glamor, backstabbing, revenge, deceit, murder, social-climbing, husband-stealing, and mimosa-fuelled scandal. It’s all here. One of Us Is Dead is more fun than you can shake an Hermès Birkin bag at. (April 26) Grace, Felicity, Alice, and Hannah have been friends for years. But, as often happens, busy lives have made it hard to stay in touch. An African safari vacation at a luxury resort offers the chance to reconnect. But from the moment they arrive in Botswana, The Wild Girls, as they used to be called, sense that something’s off. There’s no sign of the birthday bash that was to kick off their weekend; there isn’t even a working phone. Now, it’s just the four of them, alone in the wild. This is a clever take on the locked-room mystery, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware. (April 26)
For Jane Austen fans, The Murder of Mr. Wickham, a cozy mystery set in the home of Emma Knightley and her husband, George (yes, reader, she married him) is irresistible. Emma has convened a house party and invited Mrs and Mrs Darcy, Colonel and Mrs Brandon, and other beloved couples from the Austen canon. It’s all fun until the detested Mr. Wickham shows up uninvited. And ends up murdered. Which of Austen’s creations did the deed? Gray creates fun portraits of well-known characters, introduces new ones (including amateur sleuth, Jonathan Darcy), all the while keeping the reins tight on a suspenseful murder investigation. (May 3)
The gatekeeper of the title is Desmond Aloysius Limerick—aka Dez—a retired mercenary. When the California hotel Dez is staying in is attacked with ruthless precision by a team of highly-skilled mercenaries—out to kidnap the legal counsel of a military contractor—Dez is a one-man spanner in the works, foiling the attempt. Having saved Petra Alexandris from the kidnappers, he sticks around to help her with another corporate problem and the two fall down a rabbit hole so full of adventure (think military coups), intrigue, and nonstop action it’s worthy of Bourne, Reacher, or Orphan X. (June 7)
