2021 and the past year has seen a variety of captivating books of the mystery genre come up. Some great titles have been released, but tastes are still very different from one individual to another. Some people love mystery books majored in scalpel-waving forensics, while some marvel at the gruesome content displayed by others.
In this article, we have made inferences on what we think are great mystery books for those drawn to this genre. Some are based on awards and prizes won while we think others are just brilliant and interesting.
Ninety-Five, by Lisa Towles
Lisa Towles does not disappoint when it comes to giving readers page-turning thrillers and this one is no different. Zak Skinner, is a troubled student from the University of Chicago. By accident, he uncovers a crime scam that involves drugging the students, pushing them to do crimes while on camera and also blackmailing them to keep going under an expulsion threat. Zak digs deeper and while in the process, he finds out that the scam is linked to other crimes that are connected to a dark web underworld.
He follows clues that lead him to a certain compound that is within Steelworker Park. He later finds out that he is being hunted. As he tries to find his way out, he ascertains that there is a more personal thing that he is avoiding and running away from. It is his past. He now has nowhere to hide.
With imaginative storytelling, this is indeed an intense, engaging, and riveting thriller. You will not put this fast-paced mystery masterpiece down! The book will be available worldwide in November.
Magpie Lane, by Lucy Atkins
This is a top mystery book whose setting involves an eight-year-old daughter who disappears in the middle of the night. The kid belongs to an Oxford College Master and her vanishing leads the police to seek answers from the nanny, Dee, who is of Scottish origin. Dee analyzes her stay at the Master’s Lodging, which is very ancient and eerie. The house paints a perfect picture of family dysfunctionality.
For anyone who loves properly executed suspense, this book will totally give you that. It is powered by superior oddness, creepiness, and unsettling things and this is what gives this infectious read the unavoidable thrill. You wonder if Dee is telling the actual and whole story, why Felicity, the lost girl, is silent, and if there is any cause for concern.
The Thursday Murder Club, by Richard Osman
Richard Osman’s book The Thursday Murder Club is undeniably brilliant, depicting a relentless parody of a cosy and classic murder mystery. It features four septuagenarians that have a few tricks up their sleeves, a female cop’s first enormous case, and a highly brutal murder.
The setup is in a peaceful upscale retirement village. These four individuals meet in the Jigsaw Room weekly to discuss the unresolved crimes. They go by the name “The Thursday Murder Club.” After a local developer dies and a mysterious photograph is found next to the body, the almost eighty-year olds, unlikely friends are faced with their first case. Will they catch the killer even as the bodies begin piling?
The plot’s humor is fascinating. The protagonists make this masterpiece empowering. It’s totally worth your time.
Troubled Blood (Cormoran Strike #5), by Robert Galbraith
A woman approaches Cormoran Strike, a Private Detective, while he is in Cornwall visiting his family and seeks help to find her mother, who vanished in very mysterious circumstances in the year 1974.
Cormoran has never handled a cold case before and this one even involves a very old occurrence. The chances of success are very slim but he is highly intrigued and takes the case. This adds to the case lineup he and his partner, Robin Ellacott, are tackling. Robin is also trying to juggle unwanted male attention after her messy divorce. She even has ongoing feelings about Strike.
The two are then faced with a highly complex case that has leads involving a psychopathic serial killer, tarot cards, and witnesses that are not all completely trustworthy. They make out that even the very old cases can be deadly.
The book is a continuation of Robert’s Cormoran Strike Series.
The Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths
For any ghost story lovers reading this, consider picking up Elly Griffiths’ The Stranger Diaries. The book structures a modern mystery and has a fictional author RM Holland as an important element of the plot. This relatively easy read has also won several accolades. It will completely pull you along.
Clare Cassidy’s closest friend and colleague is found dead and “The Stranger”, a line from Holland’s highly known story is found alongside her corpse. Clare is greatly horrified when she sees a storyline of one of her specially liked literature collide with her life.
The police think that the killer could be known to Clare. Clare does not know who she can now trust and turns to her diary as her confidant. It is her outlet for her biggest fears and the very darkest of the case suspicions. On a later date, she notices a very odd thing. There is a writing that does not belong to her on her diary’s old page reading “Hallo Clare, you don’t know me.”
She now becomes even more certain that “The Stranger” is now terrifying. Can the ending be altered in time?
Walk the Wire, by David Baldacci
This intense read by David Baldacci will appeal to many readers and especially those drawn to mysteries focusing on the FBI and national security threats. Walk the Wire depicts what it is like in a North Dakota town in a fascinating manner. Amos Decker and Alex Jamison who are FBI employees are called to North Dakota and they immediately sense that this town is troublesome. A second gold rush has been promised and it has attracted very many newcomers. The community is now immensely and rapidly growing. This boom has created its own problems too; crimes, prostitution, drugs, and now murder.
The two are to investigate the death of Irene Cramer whose body was skillfully autopsied but then openly dumped. This is the start of the case’s oddities. What shocks them is the discovery that the woman was a prostitute by night but a religious sect teacher by day. The sect operates on land that once belonged to a mysterious government facility and one that now looms over the community.
The town is packed with shady government officials, religious outsiders, and merciless business owners, all determined not to reveal their secrets. Other murders take place and Decker will be required to utilize his detective skills, exceptional memory and the help of a surprising ally to turn over a killer and the contributions towards Cramer’s death before the town’s boom can explode.
Forced Confessions, by John Fairfax
Talk about a legal thriller, Forced Confessions is perfect! The drama in the courtroom plays an essential role in the storyline’s action with brilliant scenes.
Sixteen years ago, William Benson, a Criminal barrister is convicted of murder and has now been ostracized by his family and establishment. He has defied them all and now, he has his own chambers. His close-knit and solicitor, Tess de Vere are his supporters. He is faced with his life’s case and Helen Camberley’s terminal illness. Helen assisted him in leaving his prison behind.
A Spanish doctor, Jorge Menderez is found dead in an East London isolated warehouse. Being a troubled man, he had turned to Karen Lynwood who is a counsellor for help. Meanwhile, Karen’s husband is being accused of the murder. The question is, who is this Jorge Menderez and why did he come to London?
Benson has to defend the couple against the apparently impossible odds as his past secrets threaten becoming even more overwhelming and is even under more pressure, fitful, stubborn, and contradictory.
Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater
For anyone who enjoys mysteries set up in snow, you will totally enjoy this captivating read. For many years now, Grace has kept watching the wolves that are usually behind her house. Her yellow-eyed wolf is what she cannot live without.
Sam, on the other hand, has lived double lives. One in the frozen woods, the packs protection, and a silent one in the company of a particular silent girl. When Grace comes across the yellow-eyed boy, her breath is taken away by his familiarity. This is her wolf, at least it has to be. As winter approaches, Sam must keep up being human or else he will risk losing himself or forever lose Grace.
Good Girl, Bad Girl, by Michael Robotham
In this book, a girl is found hiding in a secret room in crime aftermath. She is filthy, half-starved but will not reveal anything about herself. She does not appear in any missing people files and also her DNA cannot be matched to any specific identity. Six years down the line, she remains unidentified but lives in a secure children’s home and now, Evie Comac is her name. She initiates a court case and demands the right for her adult release. Cyrus Haven who is a forensic psychologist, is to determine if she can go free. Haven has never met anyone of her kind. She is equally fascinating as she is dangerous. Evie can tell when someone around her is lying or not revealing the truth.
In the meantime, Haven is tasked with investigating the utterly shocking murder of Jodie Sheeha, a skating champion who dies on a lonesome footpath that is in close proximity to her home. She is popular and everyone portrays her as the utmost girl-next-door. However, as Haven uncovers the layers, a secret emerges and Evie knows something about it even though she has no past. Haven is faced with the dilemma of whether to save Evie or seek justice for Jodie.
Conclusion
Great Mystery books have unique plots that will make you keep reading in your quest to find out what happens at the end. They will keep you engaged and give you strong insights. They are a must-read!
If you are looking for new action mystery books check out the following list article.