Collection: Mystery, Thrillers, & Crime

A New York Times Notable Book of the Year

The first in a charming, joyful crime series set in 1920s Bangalore, featuring sari-wearing detective Kaveri and her husband Ramu. Perfect for fans of Alexander McCall Smith's The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.

When clever, headstrong Kaveri moves to Bangalore to marry handsome young doctor Ramu, she's resigned herself to a quiet life.

But that all changes the night of the party at the Century Club, where she escapes to the garden for some peace and quiet--and instead spots an uninvited guest in the shadows. Half an hour later, the party turns into a murder scene.

When a vulnerable woman is connected to the crime, Kaveri becomes determined to save her and launches a private investigation to find the killer, tracing his steps from an illustrious brothel to an Englishman's mansion. She soon finds that sleuthing in a sari isn't as hard as it seems when you have a talent for mathematics, a head for logic, and a doctor for a husband . . .

And she's going to need them all as the case leads her deeper into a hotbed of danger, sedition, and intrigue in Bangalore's darkest alleyways.

Author of Hide and Seeker, Daka Hermon, brings us a new evil lurking in our childhood games.

Things haven't been the same since Shane's accident. One minute he was a normal kid playing a game of tag with his friends, and the next he's the boy who came back from the dead. Now, every time Shane falls asleep, he's pulled into a dark world where the evil Nightmare King reigns. The King is collecting children and keeping them as treasure.Despite the threat of capture by the Nightmare King, he can't stay awake forever. Shane will have to take matters into his own hands . . . if he gives himself over to his nightmares, can he hold on to the good in himself long enough to bring down the King?

From award-winning author Mindy McGinnis comes a mesmerizing YA psychological mystery following a teen girl who is grappling with the death of her brother as she starts a new job in the caverns of Ohio--only to become the number one suspect in her coworker's murder. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kathleen Glasgow.

Neely's monsters don't always follow her rules, so when the little girl under her bed, the man in her closet, and the disembodied voice that shadows her every move become louder, she knows she's in trouble. With a history of mental illness in her family and the suicide of her older brother heavy on her mind, Neely takes a job as a tour guide in the one place her monsters can't follow--the caverns. There . . . she meets Mila. Mila is everything Neely isn't--beautiful, strong, and confident. As the two become closer, Neely's innocent crush grows into something more. When a midnight staff party exposes Neely to drugs, she follows Mila's lead . . . only to have her hallucinations escalate.

When Mila is found brutally murdered in the caverns, Neely has to admit that her memories of that night are vague at best. With her monsters now out in the open and her grip on reality slipping, Neely must figure out who killed Mila . . . and face the possibility that it might have been her.

'OHHH SNAP!!! This book was GOOD!!... incredibly twisted, fascinating and had mind-blowing shocking revelations!... I was literally yelling into my Kindle!... Just WOW!! What an ending to an amazing read!!' Heidi Lynn's Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One hot summer's evening, ten-year-old Piper Chase went off on her pink bicycle towards the dark woods on Black Heart Lane.

Detective Kimberley King knows that the first twenty-four hours in a missing child investigation are the most critical. Piper was heading to a sleepover at her best friend Miley's house, just like a hundred times before. But now Piper's grandparents are blaming themselves, shaking with grief, and Kimberley knows the family will never be the same. With no witnesses, and darkness falling, she begins to fear the worst. She longs to find the little girl with wide blue eyes and an infectious smile, but when her team discovers Piper's body in a woodland clearing, lying on a bed of moss, something inside her dies.

Then she gets a call that chills her to the bone. Piper's friend Miley has gone missing too.

Desperate to find the monster who has taken these little girls, Kimberley chases down all the leads she has. The summer camp counsellor, who the little girls hero-worshipped. Piper's downbeat uncle, who arrived back in town the day she disappeared...

And as another dark night descends, Kimberley can't stop thinking about Miley, trapped and frightened. With the clock ticking, Kimberley knows she must act fast, before another innocent life is stolen.

A gripping, heart-wrenching crime thriller from Amazon bestselling author Jeneva Rose. Last Day Alive is perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Carol Wyer.

What everyone's saying about Last Day Alive:

"I'm pretty sure my head is still spinning and I'm still like WHAT right now... had me guessing literally the ENTIRE book and sitting on the edge of my seat... This was an exciting one. And I love how badass Kimberley King is. I want to be her when I grow up... 5/5 from me!" Shebagsaboutbooks, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Truly unputdownable and kept me guessing until the end! This story kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not turn the pages fast enough!... If you love crime and thriller books as much as I do, definitely you will love this book too. Highly recommend you read it. Absolutely this book deserved 5 stars." Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

New from the 2023 Pura Belpré Award-winning author of Burn Down, Rise Up!

She is the reason no one goes in the water. And she will make them pay. A chilling new novel for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, Lamar Giles, and Ryan Douglass.

Bronwyn is only supposed to be in rural Hillwoods for a year. Her grandmother is in hospice, and her father needs to get her affairs in order. And they're all meant to make some final memories together.

Except Bronwyn is miserable. Her grandmother is dying, everyone is standoffish, and she can't even go swimming. All she hears are warnings about going in the water, despite a gorgeous lake. And a pool at the abandoned rec center. And another in the high school basement.

Anais tries her hardest to protect Bronwyn from the shadows of Hillwoods. She follows her own rituals to avoid any unnecessary attention--and if she can just get Bronwyn to stop asking questions, she can protect her too. The less Bronwyn pays attention to Hillwoods, the less Hillwoods will pay attention to Bronwyn. She doesn't get that the lore is, well, truth. History. Pain. The living aren't the only ones who seek retribution when they're wronged. But when Bronwyn does more exploring than she should, they are both in for danger they couldn't expect.

Praise for Vincent Tirado's Burn Down, Rise Up:

"A queer, heart-pounding thrill ride. Fans of Attack the Block and Vampires vs. the Bronx: prepare for your newest obsession." -- Ryan Douglass, New York Times bestselling author of The Taking of Jake Livingston

"A creepy, mysterious rollercoaster of a novel that had me hooked from the explosive start. Tirado packs both action and heart into this timely story." -- Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy

"A breathtaking, read-it-in-one-sitting thrill of a novel." -- Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends

"Readers will be on the edge of their seats and will have the chance to explore societal issues in a new way to answer the question "What are monsters?" when reading this book" -- School Library Journal, STARRED review

"A speculative novel that blends elements of horror with a history of gentrification and systemic racism..." -- Publishers Weekly

"A deadly game meets social commentary in an ode to the Bronx." -- Kirkus

"A sense of dread and... plenty of vivid action sequences to keep readers engaged. " -- Youth Services Book Review

"Clever, tying into ripped-from-the-headlines police violence in the present-day world..." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"We Don't Swim Here is filed under YA, but its deep-ocean chills will work on anybody." -- Philadelphia Magazine

A cautionary tale for a world in which social media has shattered the boundaries of intimacy.

The first time that Mélanie met Clara, she was stunned by Clara's sense of authority, and for her part, Clara was struck by Mélanie's pink, glittery nails, which shimmered in the dark. "She looks like a child," thought the first. "She looks like a doll," pondered the second.

These two women, both of the same generation and exposed to the same forms of media throughout their lives, could not be more different in adulthood. Mélanie is a social media superstar, broadcasting her children's daily lives on a family YouTube channel. Clara is a young police officer, assigned to the case after Mélanie's daughter Kimmy is abducted.

Traversing the Big Brother generation, the social media influencer generation, and right up to the 2030s, Delphine de Vigan offers a bone-chilling exposé of a world where everything is broadcasted and monetized, even family happiness.

From the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a heart-stopping psychological thriller about the shades of truth and the power of lies in the wake of one mother's unspeakable loss.

Therapist turned stay-at-home mom Jules Hart's idyllic suburban life shatters when she crashes her car into an icy lake. Her son and another teenage boy plunge into the water with her, but Jules can only manage to save one--the wrong one.

Reeling from the death of her son, Jules spirals into a violent and unstable mental state. Ten months after the accident, she's still trying to reckon with the fact that she rescued Isaac Greer, another woman's child, when Isaac suddenly vanishes.

Jules finds herself at the center of a massive police investigation. While she harbors her own dangerous secrets, Jules is adamant that she didn't take Isaac. But then who did? Is Isaac the victim of a dangerous killer who's been targeting boys in the Midwest? Or is someone else pulling the strings in this deadly game?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A legal thriller that's comparable to classics such as Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent . . . tragic and shocking."--Associated Press

NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED ORIGINAL STREAMING SERIES - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Entertainment Weekly - Boston Globe - Kansas City Star

Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney for two decades. He is respected. Admired in the courtroom. Happy at home with the loves of his life: his wife, Laurie, and their teenage son, Jacob. Then Andy's quiet suburb is stunned by a shocking crime: a young boy stabbed to death in a leafy park. And an even greater shock: The accused is Andy's own son--shy, awkward, mysterious Jacob.

Andy believes in Jacob's innocence. Any parent would. But the pressure mounts. Damning evidence. Doubt. A faltering marriage. The neighbors' contempt. A murder trial that threatens to obliterate Andy's family. It is the ultimate test for any parent: How far would you go to protect your child? It is a test of devotion. A test of how well a parent can know a child. For Andy Barber, a man with an iron will and a dark secret, it is a test of guilt and innocence in the deepest sense.

How far would you go?

Praise for Defending Jacob

"A novel like this comes along maybe once a decade . . . a tour de force, a full-blooded legal thriller about a murder trial and the way it shatters a family. With its relentless suspense, its mesmerizing prose, and a shocking twist at the end, it's every bit as good as Scott Turow's great Presumed Innocent. But it's also something more: an indelible domestic drama that calls to mind Ordinary People and We Need to Talk About Kevin. A spellbinding and unforgettable literary crime novel."--Joseph Finder

"Defending Jacob is smart, sophisticated, and suspenseful--capturing both the complexity and stunning fragility of family life."--Lee Child

"Powerful . . . leaves you gasping breathlessly at each shocking revelation."--Lisa Gardner

"Disturbing, complex, and gripping, Defending Jacob is impossible to put down. William Landay is a stunning talent."--Carla Neggers

"Riveting, suspenseful, and emotionally searing."--Linwood Barclay

Public Anchovy #1 is the third book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

While Geneva Bay's upper crust gets ready to party down at a Prohibition-themed fundraiser, pizza chef Delilah O'Leary is focused on seeing her struggling restaurant through the winter slow season. The temperature outside is plummeting, but Delilah's love life might finally be heating up, as hunky police detective Calvin Capone seems poised to (finally) make a move.

But Delilah's hopes of perfecting a new "free-from" pizza recipe for a charity bash are dashed when a dead body crashes the party. Soon, Capone, Delilah, and her entire staff are trapped in an isolated mansion and embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

To catch an increasingly-desperate killer, Delilah will have to top all of her previous crime-solving accomplishments, and a few pizzas, too.

Escape to Enchanted Hill in this historical mystery where two people with a dark, shared past collide while working undercover at a glittering mansion on the California coast.

The year is 1930 and Cora McCavanagh is posing as a maid at Hollywood magnate Truman Byrd's legendary estate. She's closing in on the damning evidence she needs for a high-profile client.

An aspiring PI, Cora was trained by her father, a former prison guard at the notorious Pelican Island, where Cora grew up surrounded by hardened criminals.

Which is why she recognizes Jack Yates as soon as he walks through the door. The last time she saw him was on an ill-fated night that changed the course of her life and still haunts her more than a decade later. Cora never expected to see Jack again--and now a single misstep could cause both their secret identities to come crashing down.

They strike a tentative truce to help each other during a week of parties overflowing with champagne and caviar. But there are puzzles hidden in every corner of Truman Byrd's labyrinthine estate, and if Cora is to finally learn the truth about Jack Yates, she must unravel a sinister history that the rich and powerful will do anything to keep concealed.

Filled with intrigue and Old Hollywood glamour, Enchanted Hill is an unforgettable historical romance set in a world you won't want to leave, and is perfect for fans of historical fiction books like the Molly Murphy Mysteries, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and Kate Morton books.

From USA Today bestselling author Margot Hunt comes the chilling tale of what happens when a family besieged by a storm must play host to uninvited guests.

When a Category 5 hurricane is poised to hit their coastal Florida town, the Davies family takes refuge in their waterfront manse. Marlowe, Lee, and their teenage twins invite their close friends to wait out the storm in comfort and style.

Uninvited are the three strangers who dock on the family's shore right before the storm descends. Brothers Jason and Bo--and Bo's girlfriend, Darcy--are a charming, helpful trio in need of a safe haven that the family is only too happy to provide.

But as the storm outside grows more threatening, so does the tension in the house.

Soon, the lines between family, friends, and strangers blur. Danger mounts with every pointed finger and broken confidence, and long-held secrets are revealed one after another until only one truth remains: not everyone is going to make it out alive.

Thanks to the Great Teacup Shortage, Cape Cod tearoom proprietress Lily Roberts is already feeling the strain. But when a family fracas turns deadly over an antique tea set, she'll really have to pour through the clues before another crime is brewed up.

With a "beautifully described setting and a cast of charming, small-town characters" (Booklist), this new installment in
award-winning crime writer Vicki Delany's Tea by the Sea Mystery series is a delightful treat for fans of Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries!

Afternoon tea isn't just about flavorful brews and delicious treats. It's also about presentation--fine china teacups (never mugs!), with carefully coordinated saucers and plates. With her fragile stock running low, Lily has an excuse to indulge in one of her favorite hobbies: visiting an antiques fair for replacements.

Among other finds, Lily snaps up a charming Peter Rabbit-themed tea set in a wicker basket, perfect for children's events. But a few days later, a woman named Kimberly marches into the tearoom, rudely demanding to buy it back--then later returns and removes an envelope hidden in the basket's lining.

An acquaintance of Lily's named Rachel is on the trail of the tea set too. Apparently, she and Kimberly are half-sisters, searching for their mother's final will. To her annoyance, Lily is dunked into the middle of this mess--especially when her ex-boyfriend turns out to be involved. But it's more than a storm in a teacup when one of the sisters is found dead on the grounds of the B&B owned by Lily's grandmother, Rose.

Is this a simple case of greed boiling over, or are there other suspects in the blend? It'll take some savvy sleuthing from Lily, Rose, and their allies to find the answers before a killer shatters more lives . . .

Friends, justice, and . . . lemonade? Evan and Jessie are hot on the trail of the missing lemonade-stand money. Follow this brother-sister duo as they take justice into their own hands and explore the meaning of fairness, integrity, and repairing relationships on the playground and in business in this installment of the award-winning Lemonade War series.

Evan Treski thinks fourth grader Scott Spencer is their prime suspect, so he challenges him to a game of basketball. But his little sister Jessie disagrees. Her solution? Turn the playground into a full-blown courtroom with a judge, jury, witnesses . . . and surprising consequences.

But what happens when neither solution is what they expected?

Can these siblings solve the mystery on their own or will they need to work together after all? And will the lemonade money ever be found? Humorous and emotionally engaging, this entertaining novel is full of ideas for creative problem solving, definitions of legal terms, and even analytical thinking.

The six books in this fun-to-read series are:

The Lemonade WarThe Lemonade Crime The Bell Bandit The Candy Smash The Magic Trap The Bridge Battle

Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead, two masterminds of classic, middle-grade fiction come together to craft this magical story about the enduring power of friendship.

It's been five years since Livy and her family have visited Livy's grandmother in Australia. Now that she's back, Livy has the feeling she's forgotten something really, really important about Gran's house.

It turns out she's right.

Bob, a short, greenish creature dressed in a chicken suit, didn't forget Livy, or her promise. He's been waiting five years for her to come back, hiding in a closet like she told him to. He can't remember who--or what--he is, where he came from, or if he even has a family. But five years ago Livy promised she would help him find his way back home. Now it's time to keep that promise.

Clue by clue, Livy and Bob will unravel the mystery of where Bob comes from, and discover the kind of magic that lasts forever.

Praise for Bob:

"Authors Mass and Stead team up for this irresistible tale of magic, mystery, and friendship that poses timeless questions about identity and belonging. . .a tribute to the power of storytelling.." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A perfectly paced plot, supported by secondary characters to whom readers will relate and luminous artwork by Gannon, fill out a story that readers will eagerly embrace. A must-have. . .this novel delights." --School Library Journal, starred review

A magically gifted con artist must gather her estranged mother's old crew for a once-in-a-lifetime heist, from the New York Times bestselling author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds.

"Romantic, clever, and makes grand larceny more fun than ever."--Holly Black, New York Times bestselling author of Book of Night

Dani Poissant is the daughter and former accomplice of the world's most famous art thief. There was no job too big for Maria and her loyal crew. The secret to their success? A little thing called magic, kept rigorously secret from the non-magical world. They seemed unstoppable . . . until a teenage Dani turned her mother over to the FBI.

Ten years later, with Maria still in prison, Dani finds herself approached for a job that only Maria and her crew could pull off . . . if any of them were still speaking to her. But it's the job of a lifetime and might just be the lure Dani needs to reconcile with her mother and be reunited with her mother's old gang--including both the love of her life and her former best friend.

The problem is, it's an impossible task--even with the magical talents of the people she once considered family backing her up. It's a heist that needs a year to plan, and Dani has just over a week. Worse, the more Dani learns, the more she understands that there's far more at stake in this job than she ever realized.

The Dark Knight teams up with Scooby-Doo and the sleuths of Mystery Inc. in a series of adventures and mysteries!

It all starts when Batman discovers his original purple gloves are missing--Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo will have to go back in time to solve the case!

And when a ghost starts haunting the Batcave, there's no one like Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc. to help Batman get to the bottom of it! Even if the ghost turns out to be fake....how did someone get into the Batcave to create a phony phantom?

Catch these adventures and more in The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mystery Vol. 1, collecting The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #1-12!