2025 Staff Picks: MysteryLike this list

20 items

• Detective Aunty

  a Novel

  Jalaluddin, Uzma,

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  We found a new favorite amateur senior sleuth in Kausar Khan. The Detective Aunty offers a nice balance between a serious and light cozy mystery as Kausar has to confront her family's past and must find a way to move on. We love her tenacity and her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Burning Court

  Carr, John Dickson, 1906-1977,

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  Golden Age master John Dickson Carr is known for finding ingenious solutions to the most seemingly impossible crimes. In this republished classic, he fully embraces the supernatural to tell a chilling tale of ghosts, witches, and reincarnation. Or…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man)

  Sutanto, Jesse Q.,

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  Vera does it again! Combining laugh-out-loud humor, an intricate mystery, and a found family vibe, "Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping on a Dead Man" is absolutely delightful. Though the tone of the mystery is much darker than the last book, there is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Museum Detective

  Phillips, Maha Khan, 1976-

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  Whether a gilded mummy is an ancient treasure or a recent murder victim is of more than academic interest to Karachi museum curator Dr. Gulfsa “Gul” Delani. It’s a mystery that will lead her to the dark heart of today's Pakistan–and of her own…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• History Lessons

  Wallbrook, Zoe B.,

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  Funny and thought provoking. Daphne Overture is a fabulous heroine: perceptive, empathetic, and endlessly witty. What elevates this cozy mystery for us is the added discussions of life as an academic, particularly from the perspective of a BIPOC…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Strange Pictures

  Uketsu,

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  Japanese cult author Uketsu has written a mystery novel like none other I’ve ever seen, a work that unpicks a series of deadly puzzles through clues found in the simple drawings that fill the text. Each mystery is satisfying in itself and even more…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Salt Bones

  a Novel

  Givhan, Jennifer,

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  This intricate mystery is set on the California-Mexico border and skillfully weaves family secrets, folklore, magical realism, and a touch of horror to a page-turning read that had me hooked from the first page. Suggested by Rummanah.

• How to Talk to Your Dog About Murder

  a Mystery

  Soderberg, Emily,

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  Here’s my confession: I loved the title of this book and immediately decided that I had to read it. This cozy mystery centers on pet behaviorist Nikki Jackson-Ramanathan, who is hired to help a grieving dog. When her wealthy client dies under…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Murder at the Black Cat Cafe

  & Why Did the Well Wheel Creak?

  Yokomizo, Seishi, 1902-1981,

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  Pushkin Vertigo continues to roll out English translations of Seishi Yokomizo’s iconic mysteries featuring Kosuke Kindaichi. These two novellas were written early in the great detective’s career (1946-47). Set in a sleaze-soaked Tokyo vice district…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Savvy Summers and the Sweet Potato Crimes

  a Mystery

  Jackson-Opoku, Sandra,

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  The first in a new mystery series, Savvy Summers is a hoot!  It’s set in Chicagoland, and you’ll love hanging out at the soul food cafe and solving who killed Grandy Jaspers, the septuagenarian neighborhood philanderer. There are so many delicious…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• She Doesn't Have a Clue

  a Novel

  Moke, Jenny Elder,

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  An entertaining and light read that delivers on the rom-com and cozy mystery hybrid. The dialogue sparkles with humor and the characters are delightful. Suggested by Rummanah.

• The Ex-girlfriend Murder Club

  Chao, Gloria, 1986-

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  It starts off with an over-the-top plan of revenge on an ex-boyfriend who hoodwinked them. Then Kat, Olivia, and Elle find Tucker dead, and their actions are highly suspicious. Laugh-out-loud situations, diverting plot twists, and lovable…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The House at Devil's Neck

  Mead, Tom,

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  Readers who like their mysteries atmospheric and fiendishly complicated will find their brain cells pleasurably taxed by this delightfully old-fashioned puzzler that channels John Dickson Carr’s love for locked room crimes infused with an air of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Heartwood

  a Novel

  Gaige, Amity, 1972-

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  When a hiker disappears on the Appalachian Trail, two women are intent on finding her. Rotating among different perspectives, this riveting mystery is a character-driven adventure. Suggested by Brenna.

• Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library

  Chapman, Amanda,

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  I picked this up because Agatha Christie’s ghost helps to solve a murder. I stayed because I loved the found family vibe, the diverse set of characters, the New York City setting, and the puzzling mystery involving actors and socialites. There are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How to Have a Killer Time in D.C.

  Lumley, Sam,

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  Oliver Popp is a 24-year-old autistic gay staff writer for Offbeat Traveler magazine, and he just got his first out-of-town feature assignment. There is an itinerary to follow, and Oliver is eager to show his boss that he can handle the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Turnglass

  Rubin, Gareth,

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  Perhaps the most structurally inventive novel I’ve read since David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas,” this unique book combines two back-to-back works of historical fiction, each focusing on a mysterious crime in a different place and time. Finding the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Shades of Mercy

  a Porter Beck Mystery

  Borgos, Bruce,

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  I enjoyed this book for its sympathetic characters you want to root for, vivid action, settings, and plot twists. An absorbing read! Suggested by Bill.

• The Labyrinth House Murders

  Ayatsuji, Yukito, 1960-

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  What happens when a group of mystery writers and critics are killed off one-by-one in a sealed house built as a labyrinth? This ambitious Japanese import dazzles as a near encyclopedia of traditional mystery tropes from locked rooms to clues before…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Queens of Crime

  a Novel

  Benedict, Marie,

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  Marie Benedict’s first mystery displays the same knack for revivifying real-life subjects as her historical novels. No knowledge of “Golden Age” detective stories is required, though those familiar with the subgenre will appreciate the scene where…Read moreRead more of this annotation