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Need a good book? Browse through our extensive reading lists created by your APL librarians.
Best Recent Mysteries
Locate the books listed below in our catalog by following the call number link.
Bury Me Deep.
Megan Abbott, 2009.M Abb
Gripping contemporary thriller about a fingerprint specialist who must solve a string of crib deaths and her own beginnings.
Origin.
Diana Abu-Jaber, 2007.M Alb
Gripping contemporary thriller about a fingerprint specialist who must solve a string of crib deaths and her own beginnings.
Virgin Lies
Roderick Anscombe, 2007. M Ans
Suspenseful thriller, Anscombe's second to feature Boston forensic psychiatrist Paul Lucas who must help a mssing nine-year-old. .
Borderline
Nevada Barr, 2009.M Bar
Blends border issues, marital strife and politics in her 15th novel to feature National Park Service ranger Anna Pigeon who is out on administrative leave on a guided rafting trip in Big Bend National Park.
Black Tower
Louis Bayard, 2008.M Bay
Bayards'3rd historical nystery brings to life a portrait of the mighty and profane Eugène François Vidocq, history’s first great detective
Beat the Reaper
Josh Bazelle, 2009.M Baz
Darkly comic suspense novel about an Emergency Room doctor who has his job through the Witness Protection Program.
The Faithful Spy
Alex Berenson, 2007.M Bre
A New York Times reporter has drawn upon his experience covering the occupation in Iraq to write a gripping and chillingly plausible thriller of the post-9/11 era.
Silver Swan
Benjamin Black, 2008.FIC Bla
Second novel in the Quirke series brings all the vividness and psychological insight of Booker Prize winner John Banville’s fiction to a thrilling, atmospheric crime story, in which a young woman's dubious suicide sets off a new string of hazards and deceptions.
By the Tine You Read This
Giles Blunt, 2007. M Blu
Detective John Cardinal is on the hunt for an ingenious killer even as he mourns his own wife’s tragic death in this thriller of heart-stopping suspense.
Awakening
S. J. Bolton, 2009. M Bol
Insecure, solitary wildlife vet Clara Benning is called on when the quiet English village where she lives is beset by an epidemic of slithery reptiles, more than a few of which are non-native and lethally poisonous.
Blue Heaven
C.J. Box, 2008. M Box
Twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother are on the run in the Idaho woods, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder.
Bangkok Haunts
John Burdett, 2007.M Bur
In this darkly comic literary thriller, a follow-up to Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo, the devout Buddhist cop, Sonchai Jitpleecheep, the son of a Thai prostitute, solves another murder.
Dead Connection
Alafair Burke, 2007. M Bur
To catch a killer, a rookie detective goes undercover in the Internet dating scene.
Rain Gods
James Lee Burke, 2009. M Bur
Latest Hackberry Holland novel portrays a “drug” range war in Southwest Texas..
Heartsick
Chelsea Cain, 2007. M Cai
Very original serial-killer thriller set in Portland, Oregon.
New England White
Stephen L. Carter, 2007. M Car
Racially charged thriller set in a quaint New England town full of secrets, lies and betrayals.
Sworn to Silence
Linda Calstillo, 2009. M Cas
Kate Burkholder, who grew up in the Amish community before leaving for the outside world, has recently been appointed Chief of Police in her former hometown. What she returns to find is a world where good and evil collide.
Sacred Games
Vikram Chandra, 2006. FIC Cha
Epic thriller (916 pages) about the city of Bombay.
The Hard Way
Lee Child, 2006.FIC Chi
Former military policeman Reacher must uncover his employer's dirty secret in this astonishing thriller.
Long Lost
Harlan Coben, 2009.M Cob
Myron and his ex-girlfriend Terese race to stay a step ahead of Homeland Security, Interpol, and Mossad in this fast-paced thriller.
The Scarecrow
Michael Connelly, 2009. M Con
Computer technology thriller and a torch song to the newspaper industry with Detective Bosch.
Master of the Delta
Thomas Cook, 2008. M Coo
The slow collapse of a prominent Southern family is revealed as dark truths are brought to light in this magnificent tale of suspense set in 1954 Mississippi.
The Watchman
Robert Crais, 2007.
M Cra
Robert Crais, writer for Hill Street Blues and LA Law, has another emotional thriller with nail biting suspense.
Chain of Evidence
Garry Disher, 2007.M Dis
Moody, realistic police procedural about a kidnapping that stems from the resentful antagonism that separates Queensland Waterloo's lower-middle-class families from the town's power structure.
Bad Things Happen
Mike Doogan, 2009.M Dol
A twisty whodunit with a thriller’s pace set in Ann Arbor Michigan.
Frozen Tracks: an Eric Winter Novel
Ace Edwardson, 2007.
M Edw
The investigation of a series of assaults and a string of child abductions take Winter to “the flats,” the barren prairies of rural Sweden whose wastelands conceal crimes as sinister as the land itself.
Gas City
Loren Estleman,
2008.M Est
In a seemingly stable, well-run city, a power struggle—between a police chief who has looked the other way for too long, a Mafia boss , and media reporters looking for a big story - explodes into violence and chaos.
Vanished
Joseph Finder
2009.M Fin
First in a new series, dog-eat-dog ethics of corporate life with a tense, scary plot..
Sharp Objects
Gillian Flynn, 2006. M Fly
Disturbing, sophisticated psychological thriller about the murders of two preteen girls in a small Missouri town.
Blown Away
G.M. Ford, 2006.M For
The 6th fast-paced, violent thriller with Frank Corso, a disgraced reporter turned true crime writer, solving another case.
White Corridor
Christopher Fowler, 2007.M Fow
London’s Peculiar Crimes Unit faces its greatest challenge: solving a “locked room” murder of a fellow employee before the unit is shut down for good.
The Likeness
Tina French, 2008.M Fre
Gripping psychological thriller featuring the headstrong protagonist, Cassie Maddox, who appeared in French's Edgar winning novel, In the Woods.
Never Fear
Scott Frost, 2006.M Fro
An LA detective opens a 17 year-old triple murder case to help solve her own brother’s murder.
Lost River
David Fulmer, 2009.M Fur
In Creole detective Valentin St. Cyrthe's fourth case, he must stop a crime wave in Storyville, New Orleans'legendary red-light district, in 1913.
Careless in Red
Elizabeth George, 2008.
M Geo
While still grieving over his wife's murder, Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley investigates a ruthless crime.
The Janissary Tree
Jason Goodwin, 2006. M Goo
The Janissary Tree is the first in a series featuring the most enchanting detective since Precious Ramotswe of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Splendidly paced and illuminating, it belongs beside Caleb Carr's The Alienist and the historical thrillers of Arturo Perez-Reverte.
Forgery of Venus
Michael Gruber, 2008. FIC Gru
Fascinating world of secrets, genius, and conspiracies are combined with brilliant storytelling, complex characterizations, and sterling prose.
Starvation Lake
Bryan Gruley, 2009. FIC Gru
Debut thriller effortlessly incorporates the author's knowledge of both the newspaper business and hockey into a tale of violence and betrayal that will remind many of Mystic Rivwe.
Living Witness
Jane Haddam, 2009. M Had
Character-driven, deliciously slow-paced and intricately plotted, Haddam's most recent novel featuring ex-FBI agent Gregory Demarking, is centered on the controversy over the biology curriculum in a small, very conservative town in Pennsylvania.
Gentelmen & Players
Joanne Harris, 2006.FIC Har
Disturbing morality tale set in the hallowed halls of St. Oswald's, an aristocratic British boys' school.
Set Sail for Murder
Carolyn Hart, 2007. M Hart
Hart writes another superior cozy fare in her 7th mystery to feature feisty retired journalist Henrietta O.
Down River
John Hart, 2008. M Har
Adam Chase returns to his homeotwn, but when bodies start turning up, the small town rises against him and Adam again finds himself embroiled in the fight of his life, not just to prove his own innocence, but to reclaim the only life he’s ever wanted.
Ritual
Mo Hayder, 2008.
FIC Hay
Taut, chilling tale of clandestine occult practices, New Age medicine, and the drug underground, set in a hypermodern urban British landscape challenged by colliding immigrant cultures.
Sacred Cut
David Hewson, 2006.FIC Hay
Elegant thriller, featuring two Roman detectives, infuses historical detail into a contemporary Italian procedural.
The Price of Buther's Meat
Reginald Hill, 2008.
M Hil
Solid 23rd Dalziel and Pascoe procedural set in Yorkshire is a nexcellent follow-up to Death Comes for the the Fat Man.
The Crime Writer
Gregg Hurwitz, 2007. M Hur
A crime writer finds himself entangled in his own gruesome mystery in this fast-paced psychological thriller with a strong California setting.
Looking Good Dead
Peter James, 2007. M Jam
Grisly, suspenseful police procedural that explores the violent world where the Internet and exreme perversion intersect.
The Dark Horse
Craig Johnson, 2009 M Joh
Interweaving classic noir sensibilities and humor with contemporary themes of social justice, Johnson's popular Walt Longmire mystery series transports readers to the sparse and rugged landscape of Wyoming.
Two Time
Chris Knopf, 2006.M Kno
Ex-boxer and retired engineer Sam Aquilo investigates a firebomb murder on Long Island with wit, charm and intelligence.
Dead Ex
Harley Jane Kozak, 2007. M Koz
Kozak's third mystery starring greeting-card designer Wollie Shelley delivers an enjoyable mix of melodrama and mirth. This time her ex-boyfriend, a terminally-ill soap opera producer, is murdered.
Sunset and Sawdust
Joe Landsdale, 2004.M Lan
Dark, offbeat Depression-era mystery about spunky red-headed Sunset, who replaces her husband Pete as the constable after she kills him, and begins to investigate the murder of a woman and her unborn child.
The Given Day
Dennis Lehane, 2008.M Leh
Coursing through some of the pivotal events of the time—including the Spanish Influenza pandemic—and culminating in the Boston Police Strike of 1919, this engrossing epic brings alive a pivotal period in our cultural maturation through a pulsing narrative that exposes social turmoil, political chicanery and racial prejudice.
About Face
Donna Leon, 2009. M Leo
The 18th stellar entry of Leon's wickedly entertaining series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti focuses on garbage.
Life Sentences
Laura Lippman, 2008. M Lip
A subtle, smart and deeply satisfying stand-alone novel of psychological suspense about a bestselling memorist from a writer who just keeps getting better.
Miracle at Speedy Motors
Alexander Smith McCall, 2008.
M Mac
Botswana's endearing lady detective is used to handling straightforward domestic cases, which makes a series of anonymous letters threatening her, all the more disturbing in Smith's triumphant ninth No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novel.
A Darker Domain
Val McDermid, 2009.
M Mac
Set in 2007, the novel features detective Scottish inspector Karen Pirie, who finds herself working with two cases that originated in the 1980s — one concerning a missing man; the other a missing baby.
Head Games
Craig McDonald, 2008.
M Mac
It's 1957, and competing fraternities, Mexican bandits, and US Secret Service are after novelist Hec Lassiter who must deliver Pancho Villas' head to Yale's Skull and Bones society.
Devil's Peak
Dean Meyer, 2008.
FIC Mey
Very suspenseful plot about a former counterintelligence operative in South Africa who turns vigilante after his son is killed.
Dead Hour
Denise Mina, 2006.
M Min
Plucky novice reporter becomes involved in a brutal murder in 1980s Glasgow.
Little Scarlet
Walter Mosley, 2004. M Mos
Another compelling mystery about tough guy Easy Rawlins, school custodian, adoptive father of two, and World War II vet, who is recruited to investigate whether a white man murdered a black woman who rescued him from the 1965 Watts riots.
Days of Rage
Kris Nelscott, 2006.M Nel
Suspenseful whodunit set in 1969 during the trial of the Chicago 8.
What Was Lost
Catherine O'Flynn, 2008.M Ofl
Set in Birmingham in the mid-eighties, debut novel is a chilling mystery and a poignant examination of the effects of loss.
The Fallen
T. Jefferson Parker, 2006. M Par
Lively writing, well-placed plot, and fully realized characters make this police procedural, replete with its portrait of big-city crime and power-hungry politicians, stand out.
Stone's Fall
Ian Pears, 2009. M Par
Challenging, historical thriller is a quest to discover how and why a wealthy financier and arms dealer dies, falling out of a window at his London home.
The Night Gardner
George Pelecanos, 2007.
M Pel
While an unsolved homicide forms the plot of this inner-city Washington, D.C mystery, author's real interests are far more universal: the consequences of one's choices, good and bad.
A Rule Against Murder: Three Pines
Louise Penny, 2009.
M Pen
Well-crafted fourth Armand Gamache series mystery paints a vivid picture of a French-Canadian village, its inhabitants, and a determined detective.
Virgin of Small Plains
Nancy Pickard, 2006. M Per
Using flashbacks and multiple viewpoints, a 17-year-old homicide is solved.
Inherent Vice
Thomas Pynchon, 2009. M Pyn
Part noir, part psychedelic romp, all Thomas Pynchon— private eye Doc Sportello comes, occasionally, out of a marijuana haze to watch the end of an era as free love slips away and paranoia creeps in with the L.A. fog.
Exit Music
Ian Rankin, 2008.M Ran
As moody detective John Rebus is tying up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong.
Friend of the Devil
Peter Robinson, 2008. M Rob
Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his on again-off-again partner and lover, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot, must work together to solve two chilling crimes.
Shanghai Moon
S.J. Rozan, 2009. M Roz
Hunt for a valuable Chinese brooch before various bad guys can find the treasure is the old-fashioned plot, but still a nail-biter for Edgar-winner Rozan's ninth Lydia Chin and Bill Smith mystery.
Salt River
James Sallis, 2008.M Sal
The poignant and surprising new thriller by one of Americas most acclaimed writers follows ex-cop, ex-con, and war veteran John Turner as he goes in search of a truth hes not sure he can live with.
Coral Thief
Rebecca Scott, 2009.M Sco
Naive medical student falls in love with thief in Paris after the Napoleonic wars.
Dirty Sally
Michael Simon, 2004.M Sim
Explosive debut of a new series featuring Dan Reles as he searches for justice in the mansions and ghettos of corrupt, post-oil-bust Austin in late 1980's.
Beyond Reach
Karen Slaughter, 2007.
M Sla
This taut, clever thriller is an Elmore Leonard-style L.A. noir about a producer scrambling to save her life and career movie business.
Judas Horse
April Smith, 2008.M Smi
Maverick FBI Agent Ana Grey is back in a suspense-charged adventue, going undercover into the volatile core of a terrorist cell.
All Mortal Flesh
Julia Spencer-Fleming, 2006.M Spe
Latest entry in Spencer-Fleming's intelligently written series full of unexpected twists and turns is a contemporary mystery addressing ethical questions.
Blindfold Game
Dana Stabenow, 2006.M Sta
International political thriller about a plot to drop a dirty bomb on an Alaskan town.
Ancient Rain
Domenic Stansberry, 2008.M Sta
Politically charged investigation of a murder committed 30 years ago by a PI during a bank robbery in San Francisico's North Beach.
The King of Swords
Nick Stone, 2008.M Sto
At 576 pages, this big crime novel about drug cartels in 1980s Miami will keep you spellbound until the last page.
Vienna Blood
Frank Tallis, 2008.M Tal
In 1902, a serial killer in Vienna embarks upon a bizarre campaign of murder.
The Broken Shore
Peter Temple, 2007. M Tem
Winner of several Australian fiction awards, this literary thriller is a transfixing and moving novel about a place (a South Australian coastal town), a family, politics and power, and the need to live decently in a world where so much is rotten.
The Fault Tree
Louse Ure, 2008.M Ure
A blind female mechanic witnesses a murder and then becomes the target.
Zero
Jess Walters, 2004.M Wal
Darkly comic political satire and noir page-turner opens in New York a few days following 9/11.
Kaleidescope
Darryl Wimberley, 2008.M Wim
Small-time gambler and drinker in 1929 Cincinnati tracks a mysterious woman who's the key to a hidden fortune all the way to Florida.
Messenger of Truth; A Masie Dobbs Novel
Jacqueline Winspear, 2006. M Win
Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, investigates the mysterious death of a controversial artist—and World War I veteran—in the fourth entry in the bestselling series.
Best Mysteries from Previous Years
- Death of a Celebrity. M.C. Beaton, 2002. M Bea
- Relative Danger. Charles Benoit, 2004. M Ben
- Scaredy-cat Mark Billingham, 2003. M Bil
- Breathtaker. Alice Blanchard, 2003. M Bla
- The Smoke. Tony Broadbent, 2002. M Bro
- Little America. Harry Bromwell, 2002. FIC Bro
- Wooden Leg of Inspector Arbus. Marshall Browne. M Bro
- The Guards. Ken Bruen. M Bru
- Jolie Blon's Bounce. James Lee Burke. M Bur
- Just One Look. Harlan Coben, 2004. M Cob
- Red Hook. Gabriel Cohen, 2001. M Coh
- Lost Light. Michael Connelly, 2003. M Con
- Final Country. James Crumley, 2001. M Cru
- Silence is Golden. Jeanne Dams, 2002. M Dam
- Death Dance. Linda Fairstein, 2006. M Fai
- Flinch. Robert Ferrigno, 2001. M Fer
- Undercurrents. Francis Flyfield, 2001. M Fly
- Blood of Victory. Alan Furst, 2002. FIC Fur
- Cold Hunter's Moon. K.C. Greenleaf, 2002. M Gre
- Seventh Inning Stretch. Elizabeth Gunn, 2002. M Gun
- Blood is the Sky. Steve Hamilton, 2003. M Ham
- In a True Light. John Harvey, 2002. M Har
- All the Lucky Ones Are Dead. Gar Anthony Haywood, 2000. M Hay
- Where the Truth Lies. Rupert Holmes, 2003. M Hol
- Due Preparations for the Plague. Janet Turner Hospital , 2003. FIC Hos
- Hot Springs. Stephen Hunter, 2000. FIC Hun
- Keeping Watch. Laurie King, 2000. FIC Kin
- The Dead Sit Around in a Ring. David Lawrence, 2000. FIC Kin
- Mystic River. Dennis Lehane, 2004. M Law
- Tishomingo Blues. Elmore Leonard, 2002. M Leo
- The Sugar House. Laura Lippman, 2000. M Lip
- Conspiracy of Paper. David Liss, 2000. M Lis
- The Company: a Novel of the CIA 2002. Robert Littell. FIC Wil
- Place of Execution. Val MacDermid, 2000. M Mac
- Shutter Island.
Dennis Lehane, 2003.
M Leh
- One Step Behind. Henning Mankill, 2002. M Man
- Tucker Peak. Archer Mayor, 2002. M May
- Resolution. Denise Mina, 2002. M Min
- Rag and Bone. Michael Nava, 2001. M Nav
- Total Recall. Sara Paretsky, 2001. M Par
- Violence, Nudity, Adult Content. Vince Pisarro, 2002. FIC Pis
- Blackbird Papers. Ian Smith, 2004. FIC
Smi
- In the Midnight Hour. Michelle Spring, 2002. M Spr
- Death Benefits 2001. Thomas Perry. M Per
- Lost Girls. Andrew Pyper, 2000. FIC Pyp
- The Falls. Ian Rankin, 2001. M Ran
- Nautical Chart. Arturo Perez-Reverte, 2001. FIC Per
- The Last King of Texas 2000. Rick Riordan. M Rio
- Open and Shut. David Rosenfelt, 2002. M Ros
- Reflecting the Sky. S.J. Rozan. M Roz
- City of Strangers. Jon Shannon. M Sha
- Man Eater. Ray Shannon. M Sha
- Over Tumbled Graves. Jess Walker, 2001. M Wal
- Shape of Snakes. Minette Walters, 2001. M Wal
- The Hook. Donald Westlake, 2000. M Wes
- Dirty Laundry. Paula J. Woods, 2003. M Woo
- Money to Burn. James Zagel, 2001. FIC Zag
Please check the catalog for availability. Return to Librarians' Lists.
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