Luke Conway and his wife, Carrie, are moving from LA back to Clear River, Texas, where they grew up, so they can help Carrie’s father, who is gravely ill. For police officer Luke, it is a chance to escape a shooting that has traumatized him, and he’s now a county deputy. Carrie has baggage as well, but she is heading towards it. When she was a high-school junior, she was the sole survivor of an incident that left two girls dead and her with a chip in her skull. She barely survived and can’t remember any details of that day. One evening, while off-duty, Luke appears to hit someone while driving home in the pouring rain. Inspecting the area provides no evidence of a body, so he leaves and doesn’t report it. Luke tells himself that he hit a tree branch, but deep down, he knows he hit someone and decides to keep it a secret. Carrie arrives in town to find a not-so-warm welcome and soon learns that some there believe she killed the two girls years ago and is faking amnesia. Luke and Carrie need each other’s support, but running from the truth only makes matters worse for their marriage and their lives. Mofina generates suspense in unexpected ways and crafts a compelling, genius story that ends in a manner not even savvy readers will see coming. His background as a newspaper reporter allows him to craft realistic characters who face overwhelming odds. Harlan Coben and Alex Finlay fans should already have Mofina on their to-read pile, and this one is another guaranteed bestseller.
Review
Gerard Fox and his wife, Willa, are sailing to the city of Dubrovnik in the Adriatic Sea in 1351 when adventure and danger again call them into action. They meet another couple, Petar and Jelena, on board during the journey and become fast friends. When Gerard rescues Jelena from drowning, Petar and Jelena reveal the real reason for leaving their home. Their son, Niko, was kidnapped by a ruthless nobleman who wants the city where they are from, Ston, for himself. The parents must give access to the invading horde or have Niko die. Gerard and Willa cannot say no to helping their new friends, even if it means delaying their trip to England to restore Gerard’s good name. It also appears that an old prophecy holds the key to their participation and what pitfalls stand in the way. The answers lie in Marco Polo’s lost journals. Boyd and Beth Morrison smoothly blend non-stop action, despicable villains, and medieval history into another compelling read, their best one yet. Gerard and Willa are a marvelous couple who could easily fit into modern times. A shot of Clive Cusller, a dash of Diana Gabaldon (minus the time travel), and a bit of Steve Berry make this series essential for any adventure or history fan.
O’Connor’s latest Ireland-set novel is darker than her previous titles, but will still work for her many fans. Steadfast, kind veterinarian Dr. Dimpna Wilde is back, and this time life in her hometown, tourist hot-spot Dingle, Co. Kerry, is repeating itself in a macabre way. Only locals remember that 29 years ago, a cult centered around two men’s obsession with pregnant women ended in death and the men being sent to prison. They’re out now, and horrifyingly seem to be at it again, as a pregnant woman is found dead in a bog near the town and another is missing. A local child has been snatched, too, and Dimpna’s love interest, Detective Inspector Cormac O’Brien, is on the case, desperate to find the missing locals. An officer who worked the previous case threatens to destroy this one with her fixation on the just-released men. The best and the worst of small-town life come together here to great effect, and the nail-biting chronicle of the missing duo’s ordeal, with the pregnancy clock ticking, makes for an engrossing read that’s topped off by an exciting, satisfying ending. A realistically portrayed deaf protagonist adds texture to the story. While you’re waiting for this terrific read, watch a documentary with elements of similarity: Gloriavale: New Zealand’s Secret Cult.
This marvelous tale of marriages that go awry and of friendships that save the day is certain to be one of the funniest crime stories of 2025. Four couples—close friends for 30 years—look forward to their retirement in Florida, their days idle and carefree. To guarantee even more money, the husbands, working off a tip, draw down their life savings and invest them in funds that quickly disappear—leaving them broke and their marriages even more miserable. But when one of the husbands dies, the wives are shocked to discover he left behind a life-insurance policy worth a whopping seven figures. In fact, the wives discover, all their husbands have identical policies. But what’s the use of life insurance when the men could live another 20 years? So the women decide to take matters in their own hands, or at least the hands of an accomplished hitman. But will the husbands be able to outplay their wives? Full of great characters who bring their own fun to the party, this book is perfect for readers who have enjoyed Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, The Author’s Guide to Murder, and A Serial Killers’ Guide to Marriage
Three women, who couldn’t be more different, come together over a man—known as Zander, Zachary, Xavier and more—whom they hate a great deal and love, perhaps, just a little. Marina is a former chef, now a full-time mom, who’s recently divorced and quite broke, but is enjoying rediscovering love with Xavier. Lilah is a withdrawn librarian who wins the lottery—literally. With funds pouring into her account, and falling in love with a man who is now her fiancé, Xavier, life couldn’t get any better. Then there’s Opal, the oldest of the trinity and a well-known health guru whose history with Xavier—confidence man, liar, thief, and lover—extends back the farthest. How the three women come together, and slowly learn to trust one another, is an absolute delight. But what to do with Xavier, currently a hostage in Marina’s basement, is even more of a laugh riot. Until it isn’t, and the book takes a very dark turn indeed. For all who loved Cohen’s Bad Men and Robert Thorogood’s The Marlow Club Murder.
In this latest visit to the lighthouse library on the outer banks of North Carolina, locals await a YA book festival featuring a recently local and very popular author of a fantasy series. Our librarian and amateur sleuth, Lucy MacNeil, is surprised to find this gentleman on her doorstep wanting to talk. She escorts him to the deck, goes to retrieve refreshments, and returns to find him dead of an arrow shot. To say that chaos ensues is an understatement. The new widow has political ambitions and intends to use this to launch her campaign, local teen ultrafans of the author set up a shrine invading Lucy and her husband’s privacy, and two lesser local authors battle it out for the now vacant top spot on the festival program. The clever policing by the local force is, of course vital, but, as usual, the little details that our research-minded librarian provides begin to tie things together, though the culprit may come as a surprise. The local color and community spirit shine, and the quirky personalities are never more so. While this is certainly a cozy, it is never dull. The ending leaves clues promising changes, so readers will look forward eagerly to the next installment.
On the chilly evening of December 22, 1799, a young woman named Elma Sands, wearing her best calico dress, slipped out of her Quaker cousin’s boarding house on Greenwich Street, ostensibly to elope with her lover (as she told her cousin, Hope). Eleven days later, Elma’s body was found floating in the Manhattan Well, and Elma’s family accused Levi Weeks, a young carpenter and a fellow boarder, of killing her. The subsequent trial, which featured the powerhouse defense team of political rivals Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, became the first sensationalized murder trial in American history; it was also the first U.S. trial for which there is a recorded transcript. Willig (The Pink Carnation series) draws on this transcript to bring the historical personalities involved brilliantly to life in all their human complexity. Especially fascinating are her depictions of Hamilton and Burr and their contrasting legal strategies. The impulsive, idealistic Hamilton wants to identify the true killer; the Machiavellian Burr is only interested in exonerating his client (even if he might be guilty). In her closely observed details, Willig also vividly recreates a growing New York City in a newly independent America. With an epilogue that reveals what happened to the principal characters after the trial and a historical note that details the author’s research, this compelling novel will appeal to true crime fans, aficionados of legal thrillers, and readers of historical mysteries. [Fun fact: The notorious Manhattan Well, which is an actual well, still exists at 129 Spring Street in lower Manhattan.]
Bregman takes the history of Alexander Hamilton and his legacy, mixes it with a modern-day conspiracy, and delivers a fun and engaging read. Elizabeth Walker is the last heir of the Hamilton family line, and when she passes away, that’s it. During research, Elizabeth uncovers a key created during Hamilton’s life. On her way home after, she’s followed, and in the New York subway, rather than have the key taken, Elizabeth texts her best friend, Sarah Brockman, to contact Elizabeth’s husband, Ralph. Then she jumps in front of an oncoming train. Sarah, devastated by Elizabeth’s death, receives a box of documents her friend sent over before her death. Working with Ralph, they are shocked to learn that a secret society established by Hamilton still exists today. The bedrock of this society has kept the United States strong all these years. Still, sinister forces want to destroy the States, and they have plans to use Hamilton’s legacy to cause economic chaos by eliminating the foundation of the American dollar. Bregman has crafted a page-turning thriller of history and the financial world that will have readers wondering if any of the story could be real. Steve Berry and Dan Brown fans will want to add this to their reading list.
And now for something completely different. Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini were well-known Italian authors who co-authored several mysteries, throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, under their surnames of Fruttero & Lucentini. Their best-known works are The Lover of No Fixed Abode, set in Venice, and The Sunday Woman, which was made into a film starring Marcello Mastroianni and Jacqueline Bisset. Runaway Horses takes place in Siena during the Palio of Siena, the biannual horse race that the Sienese have been celebrating since the 13th century. It features lawyer Enzo Maggione and his wife, Valeria, who are traveling from their home in Milan to Siena, visiting Valeria’s brother along the way. But the two never make it to the farm; instead, they encounter a violent storm and take refuge in a nearby, sprawling estate. Here they find a most idiosyncratic group, including Puddu, the best known of the Palio’s jockeys. Fruttero and Lucentini take the reader deep into the arcane practices of the Palio, which are full of plots and counterplots, while Enzo and Valeria discover their attraction not only to each other but to other residents on the estate as well. Readers with an interest in Siena may enjoy the exhibit Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300-1350, which is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum and will travel to Britain’s National Gallery in spring 2025.
It’s dark. It’s humorous. And everything about it is completely unexpected. Dolores dela Cruz has been on the lookout for a serial killer, and Jake Ripper fits the bill. A temp in her office, Jake is charming, handsome, and in possession of a pair of classic “strangler gloves.” What more can you ask for? Jake, meanwhile, is smitten with his mysterious colleague, from her severe wardrobe to the abuse she occasionally dumps on him. Slowly, the relationship between the two morphs into a morbidly intense but weirdly romantic obsession. The dialogue—a good part of the pleasure this book offers—runs from full-on snark to flirtatious banter. And while there are plenty of those head-swiveling moments suspense readers love, more shocking is the tenderness that grows between the two. Are we dealing with real murderers here, or do some serial killers just want to have a little fun? Weird enough to appeal to a broad swath of crime fiction readers.