Best Murder Mystery Books for Book Club
Looking for a good murder mystery book, especially if you are new to the genre, can be a bit daunting. These not too scary books are highly recommended by the avid readers of the Peanut Blossom Book Club for Recovering Readers.
One of my favorite things about the awesome members of the Peanut Blossom Book Club is the steady stream of amazing recommendations the ladies are ready to give whenever someone has a request.
As we head into fall, more requests have popped up for good mystery books or thrillers for people who are new to this genre and maybe not fully ready for the scariest of the scary.
Our members came through with recommendations for the best mystery books that are not too scary, not too gory, and not too intense.
In short, they’re perfect for those who are new to the genre or for book clubs where some members don’t often read murder mysteries or say they don’t like them.
Because that’s what book club is for, right?? To introduce readers to something new? But if audiobooks are more your speed, don’t miss this list of the best mystery audiobooks for road trips.
Go ahead and tiptoe out of your comfort zone and find ideas for a suspense novel that you’ll never want to put down.
You’ve been warned: you’ll want to clear your calendar!
The Best Murder Mystery Books
This list of the best murder mystery books for newbies comes from the recommendations of the ladies of the Peanut Blossom Book Club.
When asked what their favorite mystery books are, these titles flew to the top of the list.
A girl is discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Half-starved and filthy, she won’t tell anyone her name, or her age, or where she came from. Maybe she is twelve, maybe fifteen. She doesn’t appear in any missing persons file, and her DNA can’t be matched to an identity. Six years later, still unidentified, she is living in a secure children’s home with a new name, Evie Cormac. When she initiates a court case demanding the right to be released as an adult, forensic psychologist Cyrus Haven must determine if Evie is ready to go free. But she is unlike anyone he’s ever met—fascinating and dangerous in equal measure.
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Award-winning author Josi S. Kilpack introduces a new series of culinary "cozies" that is sure to tantalize mystery lovers. In this debut volume, cooking aficionado-turned-amateur detective, Sadie Hoffmiller, tries to solve the murder of Anne Lemmon, her beautiful young neighbor - a single mother who was mysteriously killed while a lemon tart was baking in her oven.
Ten people, each with something to hide and something to fear, are invited to an isolated mansion on Indian Island by a host who, surprisingly, fails to appear. On the island they are cut off from everything but each other and the inescapable shadows of their own past lives. One by one, the guests share the darkest secrets of their wicked pasts. And one by one, they die…
After college, best friends Erin Kelley and Darcy Scott move to the city to pursue exciting careers; Erin is a promising jewelry designer, Darcy finds success as a decorator. On a lark, Darcy persuades Erin to help their TV producer friend research the kinds of people who place personal ads. It seems like innocent fun...until Erin disappears.
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conway’s latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, she’s intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pünd, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages.
This was our October 2019 book club pick, I loved reading this during the Halloween season! Queue up a spooky movie once you're done, there are tons of classic thrillers mentioned throughout the book.
SUMMARY:
Anna Fox lives alone—a recluse in her New York City home, unable to venture outside. She spends her day drinking wine (maybe too much), watching old movies, recalling happier times . . . and spying on her neighbors. But does she know what's real and what's in her head when she sees things she shouldn't?
Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants—the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the ones too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall, and local legend says the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their friendship blossoming—until one of them mysteriously disappears....
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one.
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