The most recommended murder books

I picked up this book because I loved the cover (who says we don’t choose books by their covers?) and shortly thereafter found myself completely immersed in a 17th-century English Restoration mystery. I would visit that era in my time machine provided it’s fully stocked with soap and hand sanitizer (this time period being the one during which the Great Plague took place). 

Main character Lucy Campion is a chambermaid in the home of a London magistrate. Her days are filled with the drudgery of servant duties—that is, until a murder claims the life of a servant in the household and someone Lucy holds dear is accused of the crime. Knowing that person can’t possibly be the killer, Lucy sets out to find out whodunit. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll stop there. 

I learned more about 1660s England reading this book than I ever did… show more.

Joanna Brady finds herself elected sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, after her husband dies while campaigning for the same job. In this first book of the series, Sheriff Brady must clear her husband’s name of some ugly rumors while simultaneously searching for his killer. Joanna’s life is a complicated one, balancing motherhood and ranching on a small scale, while managing a sheriff’s department not used to having a woman at the helm. Add to the mix an unsympathetic mother-in-law and (later in the series) a new husband, and you have a protagonist constantly on the edge of chaos. We like this series especially for the author’s skill at portraying the way Brady manages her complicated life, while also evoking the environment and history in and around the former mining town of Bisbee. 

This book was such fun to read! It's really unusual in that it's told entirely by letters, emails, and text messages. It has no chapters and invites lots of flicking pages back and forth to go back and check things, so it's super interactive (I was glad I got the paperback!). I really liked that most of the characters are unlikeable, and none of them seem to like each other very much, either. I LOVE unlikeable characters.

On top of that, much of the information they give in the letters is unreliable at best or completely untrue at worst. This book is a murder mystery, but it takes ages to find out who's dead, and by the time I found out, I'd wanted most of the characters to have been killed off–they really are a nasty lot! This book was totally original and very clever, and I adored it from… show more.

I was amazed to read about the adventures of Mrs ‘Chubbie’ Miller, whom I had never heard about previously. She was an Australian woman aviator who competed in the US National Women’s Air Race (the so-called ‘Powder Puff Derby’) and other Women’s Air Derbys with Amelia Earhart and others. Why had I not heard of her before? Because she was embroiled in a scandalous love triangle that saw the end of one life?

I stumbled across this book while browsing through a charity shop – a murder/mystery set in Whitechapel when Jack the Ripper is still roaming free. I am by no means a follower of Ripper stories, legend or myth, despite recommending this book, but there is something about Victorian London in the 1880s that fascinates me.

The Yard is the first in a series that I have devoured over the last few years. I love Alex Grecian’s easy writing style and the main character, Detective Inspector Walter Day is one I wish I had created myself. He has a brilliant mind, a quick and quiet humour, and a soul that is truly good. Of course, he does have his faults, but they are all forgivable…at least for me!

Flynn Berry’s first thriller opens with a stunningly rendered scene in which the protagonist, Nora, discovers the body of her sister, Rachel, who has been murdered.

Throughout the novel, Berry captures Nora’s shock, grief, and sense of mission—to find out who killed her beloved sister—in precise but poetic language. I witnessed the horror visually and felt Nora’s emotions without any extra flourishes or sentimental language. 

From Beer To Eternity, the first in Sherry Harris’ Chloe Jackson Sea Glass Saloon Mysteries, is the first book in a delightful cozy series.

In the book, the reader learns all about the colorful inhabitants of Emerald Cove, Florida, while Chloe Jackson, who has taken up bartending at the Sea Glass Saloon as a favor to a dead friend, learns the fine art of cocktail making while investigating a murder.

The mystery is engaging, the setting is picturesque, the characters are charming, and the book is the perfect read for a relaxing few hours on the beach, preferably with a piña colada made with fresh ingredients and blended to perfection.

As a hardcore fan of psychological thrillers, I’m familiar with all the recurring themes of this genre. But this book was a surprise.

Masterfully written, the author took to my nerves with pliers and kept me hooked with great twists and suspense-craft. I definitely recommend Paper Ghosts to well-read thriller fans who want something fresh and most of all; an unforgettable plot. 

I read this gripping psychological noir about a woman escaping her past and falling into a steamy, lethal affair a few years ago, but it’s still vividly seared into my mind.

I found the writing utterly captivating, and I think Lippman is an absolute genius when it comes to plot. This twisty story of love, lies, betrayal, and revenge kept me guessing right until the very end–not to mention reading through the middle of the night!

I love historical mysteries, and the Cleopatra Fox Mysteries series by C.J. Archer was a wonderful find for me this year.

Cleo is the “poor relation” of a wealthy London family who are owners of a swanky hotel. After her grandmother’s death, she goes to live in the Mayfair Hotel with them and meets all kinds of fascinating people. It’s December 1899, and a huge New Year’s Eve ball will be held at the hotel.

When a guest is poisoned on Christmas Eve, the hotel’s reputation and financial stability are in danger. That’s where Cleo comes in. She won’t be satisfied until she learns the truth. I found this series in June, and my husband and I have already read the first six. Book 7 is on pre-order.