Collection: Mystery, Thrillers, & Crime

Don't miss the JOE PICKETT series--now streaming on Paramount+

Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett's hunt for a fugitive reveals a conspiracy in this taut thriller in the #1 New York Times bestselling series.

Joe Pickett always liked Butch Roberson--a hard-working local business owner whose daughter is friends with Joe's girls. Little does he know that when Butch says he's heading into the mountains to scout elk, he is actually going on the run.

Two EPA employees have been murdered and all signs point to Butch as the killer. Joe learns that the land Butch and his wife had bought to retire on was declared a protected wetland by the EPA, and the subsequent fines have torn the family apart. Finally, it seems, the man just cracked.

It's an awful story, but is it the whole story? The more Joe investigates, the more he begins to wonder--and he soon finds himself in the middle of a war in which he must choose sides.

"A captivating exploration into the psychology of lying, and a high-stakes, dark-academia thriller full of twists and secrets." --New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda

Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller following a cohort of graduate students studying the psychology of lying--until one of them is discovered dead. But how do you catch a killer who may be an expert in the science of deception?

Campus is empty, a winter storm is blowing in, and someone is lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to kill again.

Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the student's more honest though. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets - and they all have something to hide.

When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harbored secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought...

A foreboding new dark academia thriller of deception and suspense, This is How We End Things follows the unraveling of a close group of students as they contend with what it means to lie, and be lied to.

Michigan bookshop owner Samantha Washington's tour for the launch of her new mystery novel is a whirlwind success... until life - or rather murder - begins to imitate fiction on the last stop at Michigan's most prestigious literary festival!

While Sam wraps up her first whirlwind book tour, Nana Jo has kept Market Street Mysteries running smoothly. The last stop is a prestigious book festival in Sam's hometown of North Harbor, Michigan. But not everyone thinks the guest of honor, bestselling author Judith Hunter, deserves stellar reviews. Sam witnesses nasty arguments between Judith and two different authors--who accuse her of plagiarism and sabotage . . .

When a publicist is poisoned during a cocktail reception, Sam wonders if the killer missed the intended target. It's a twist that echoes the plot of Sam's mystery, Murder at Wickfield Lodge. But fact can be stranger--and deadlier--than fiction. How much collateral damage is the killer willing to risk? With feisty Nana Jo and the girls from Shady Acres Retirement Village lending a hand, Sam tries to solve the case before the festival delivers another fatality . . .

"This is a teeth-chattering, eyes bulging, shuddering-and-shaking, chills-at-the-back-of-your-neck ghost story. I loved it!"--R.L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps series

For fans of Small Spaces and the Goosebumps series by R.L Stine comes a chilling ghost story based on real Chicago history about a malevolent spirit, an unlucky girl, and a haunting mystery that will tie the two together.

Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She's a scientist, which is why she can't think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she's made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There's something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour...he's gone.

Claire tries to brush it off, she must be imagining things, letting her dad's ghost stories get the best of her. But then the scratching starts. Voices whisper to her in the dark. The number 396 appears everywhere she turns. And the boy with the dark eyes starts following her.

Claire is being haunted. The boy from the bus wants something...and Claire needs to find out what before it's too late.

Pick up Scritch Scratch if you are looking for:

• A book for middle school students, 5th grade to 9th grade
• A story with a strong female protagonist that explores bravery, friendship, and family
• Mystery books for kids 9-12
• Chilling ghost stories and ghost books for kids (perfect for Halloween!)
• Historical mysteries and Chicago history books for kids

"Set among Louisiana's swamps and brooding atmosphere, 'Seven Girls Gone' is a complex mystery whose characters are as intriguing as the storyline." --The Denver Post

When nobody will talk and corruption runs deep, turning to outsiders is the only way to make sure women stop disappearing...

For three years, women have been disappearing--and eventually turning up dead in the small bayou town of St. Augustine, Louisiana. Police detective Beau Hebert is the only one who seems to care, but with every witness quickly silenced and a corrupt police department set on keeping the cases unsolved, Beau's investigation stalls at every turn.

With nobody else to trust, Beau calls in a favor from his friend on the FBI's Mobile Response Team. While LAPD detective Kara Quinn works undercover to dig into the women's murders and team leader Matt Costa officially investigates the in-custody death of a witness, Beau might finally have a chance at solving the case.

But in a town where everyone knows everyone, talking gets you killed and secrets stay buried, it's going to take the entire team working around the clock to unravel the truth. Especially when they discover that the deep-seated corruption and the deadly drug-trafficking ring at the center of it all extends far beyond the small-town borders.

Look for the next book in Allison Brennan's Quinn & Costa series, THE MISSING WITNESS, now available to order!

A Quinn & Costa Thriller

Book 1: The Third to Die
Book 2: Tell No Lies
Book 3: The Wrong Victim
Book 4: Seven Girls Gone
Book 5: The Missing Witness

"A fascinating series launch ... that stands apart" -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

From Ukraine's most celebrated novelist, a perplexing mystery that introduces rookie detective Samson Kolechko in Kyiv as he is tackling his first case, set against real life details of the tumultuous early twentieth century.

Kyiv, 1919. World War I has ended in Western Europe, but to the East, six factions continue to vie for control of Ukraine. Amidst the political turmoil, young Samson Kolechko is forced to place his engineering career on hold. But in the city of Kyiv everything remains up for grabs and new opportunity lurks just around the corner . . .

When two Red Army soldiers commandeer his home, Samson's life is completely upended. But as Samson juggles his personal life -including a budding romance with the ingenious Nadezhda, a statistician helping run the city's census- with the soldiers' intrusion, he winds up overhearing their secret plans. Deciding to report them, Samson instead finds himself unwittingly recruited as an investigator for the city's new police force.

His first case involves two murders, a long bone made of pure silver, and a suit of decidedly unusual proportions tailored from fine English cloth. The odds stacked against him, Samson turns to Nadezhda, who proves to be more than his match. Inflected with Kurkov's signature humor and off kilter universe, The Silver Bone takes its inspiration from the archives of Kyiv's secret police, crafting a propulsive narrative bursting to life with rich historical detail.

Translated from the Russian by Boris Dralyuk

The #1 bestselling kid detective is back! Mysteries, crime-solving, homeroom--all in a day's work for Ali Cross.

Ali Cross has always looked up to his father, the famous detective Alex Cross. And after helping to solve two big cases, Ali knows he has what it takes to follow in his father's footsteps. Eager to keep solving crimes, Ali and his friends hack into police calls and go to crime scenes to watch the detectives at work--and try to crack the cases themselves.

But when Ali witnesses something horrible, he has to grapple with tough questions about what it means to be a detective and a detective's son. Will Ali find a way to follow in his father's footsteps . . . or will he be the one in danger's path?

It's spooky season, and gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are preparing some pranks for Cape May, New Jersey's annual Mischief Night at their B&B. But jokes and games are pushed aside when a killer strikes...

Poppy is none too pleased when her B&B is coerced into participating in the Cape May Haunted Dinners Tour during Halloween season. Though her knack for finding dead bodies has given the place a spooky reputation, the Murder House is a completely undeserved nickname. At least it used to be . . .

While Poppy wrangles with some guests who can't stop squabbling with each other--including a paranormal researcher, a very quirky pet psychic who freaks out her portly Persian, and an undercover tabloid reporter eager to catch her staff in a lie--one of them winds up facedown in a plate of tiramisu. And now she has bigger worries than getting her house TP'd . . .

One of People's, Glamour's, and BuzzFeed's Best Reads of Summer, from the New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone

"Jewell expertly builds suspense by piling up domestic misunderstandings and more plot twists than an SVU episode. It's a page-turner for readers who like beach reads on the dark side." --People

"Faithful to the thriller genre, Jewell makes liberal use of red herrings and plot twists... The answer to the whodunit is a sly--and satisfying--surprise." --The New York Times

Imagine that you live on a picturesque communal garden square, an oasis in urban London where your children run free, in and out of other people's houses. You've known your neighbors for years and you trust them. Implicitly. You think your children are safe. But are they really?

On a midsummer night, as a festive neighborhood party is taking place, preteen Pip discovers her thirteen-year-old sister Grace lying unconscious and bloody in a hidden corner of a lush rose garden. What really happened to her? And who is responsible?

A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds

Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came knocking at Primal Instinct--the survival school where she teaches rich clients not to die during a night outdoors--and even more shocked to be cast in their new show, Civilization. Now she just has to live off the land with her fellow survivors for long enough to get the prize money.

Whisked by helicopter to an undisclosed location, Mara meets her teammates: The grizzled outdoorsman. The Eagle Scout. The white-collar professional. And Ashley, the beautiful but inexperienced one who just wants to be famous. Mara's unusual, rugged childhood has prepared her for the discomforts and hard work ahead. But trusting her fellow survivors? Not part of Mara's skill set.

When the cast wakes one morning to find something has gone horribly wrong, fear ripples through the group. Are the producers giving them an extra challenge? Or are they wrapped up in something more dangerous? Soon Mara and the others face terrifying decisions as "survival" becomes more than a game.

A provocative exploration of the comforts, rituals, and connections we depend upon, Small Game is a gripping page-turner and a poignant story about finding the courage to build a new life from the ground up.

"Explodes with pyrotechnic inventions, literally as well as figuratively. Hold on till the end."--New York Times

"Whether you're into Sherlock Holmes, Montaillou, Borges, the nouvelle critique, the Rule of St. Benedict, metaphysics, library design, or The Thing from the Crypt, you'll love it. Who can that miss out?"--Sunday Times (London)

Now available in a deluxe fortieth-anniversary paperback edition featuring never-before-seen illustrations by the author, the beloved internationally bestselling historical mystery about a brilliant monk called upon to solve a series of baffling murders in a fourteenth-century Italian abbey.

Italy, 1347. While Brother William of Baskerville is investigating accusations of heresy at a wealthy abbey, his inquiries are disrupted by a series of bizarre deaths. Turning his practiced detective skills to finding the killer, he relies on logic (Aristotle), theology (Thomas Aquinas), empirical insights (Roger Bacon), and his own wry humor and ferocious curiosity. With the aid of his young apprentice, William scours the abbey, from its stables to the labyrinthine library, piecing together evidence, and deciphering cryptic symbols and coded manuscripts to uncover the truth about this place where "the most interesting things happen at night."

First published in 1980, The Name of the Rose became an international sensation, beguiling readers around the world with its mix of history, humor, and intellectual heft. This beautifully designed modern edition, illustrated with exclusive original drawings created by Umberto Eco, will enchant a new generation of readers and entice old fans to fall under its spell once again.

International bestselling sensation Antonia Scott, along with Jon Gutierrez, return in the much anticipated sequel to Red Queen.

Antonia Scott has an unusually gifted mind, able to see what others miss, able to solve the crimes that baffle all others. The only thing she fears is herself.

Antonia is the lynchpin of the Red Queen project, created to work behind the scenes to solve the most devious and dangerous crimes. But she is unwilling to move past the last case, convinced it's related to a personal tragedy, until a series of deadly events pulls her back in. In southern Spain, in the Costa del Sol, a key mafia figure is found brutally murdered in his villa, his pregnant wife, Lola Moreno, barely escapes an attempt to kill her in a shopping mall and is on the run. A shipping container from St. Petersburg arrives in port in Spain containing the corpses of nine woman, all who suffocated. Now Antonia, with the help of her helper and protector, Jon Gutierrez, must track down this missing Lola. But they aren't the only ones on Lola's trail - a dangerous contract killer, known as the Black Wolf, is also on her trail. And Antonia Scott, still plagued by her personal demons, must outwit, out-maneuver, and, ultimately, face this terrible, mysterious rival.

"Draws readers in from the first heart-stopping pages and doesn't let go until the end." - Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

The bestselling author of Twenty Years Later and master of modern suspense is back with a brilliantly twisting, skillfully plotted thriller perfect for fans of Jeneva Rose and Colleen Hoover's Verity.

Alex Armstrong has changed everything about herself--her name, her appearance, her backstory. She's no longer the terrified teenager a rapt audience saw on television, emerging in handcuffs from the quiet suburban home the night her family was massacred. That girl, Alexandra Quinlan, nicknamed Empty Eyes by the media, was accused of the killings, fought to clear her name, and later took the stand during her highly publicized defamation lawsuit that captured the attention of the nation.

It's been ten years since, and Alex hasn't stopped searching for answers about the night her family was killed, even as she continues to hide her real identity from true crime fanatics and grasping reporters still desperate to locate her. As a legal investigator, she works tirelessly to secure justice for others, too. People like Matthew Claymore, who's under suspicion in the disappearance of his girlfriend, a student journalist named Laura McAllister.

Laura was about to break a major story about rape and cover-ups on her college campus. Alex believes Matthew is innocent, and unearths stunning revelations about the university's faculty, fraternity members, and powerful parents willing to do anything to protect their children.

Most shocking of all--as Alex digs into Laura's disappearance, she realizes there are unexpected connections to the murder of her own family. For as different as the crimes may seem, they each hinge on one sinister truth: no one is quite who they seem to be . . .

"Engrossing...not to be missed." - Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

* "Razor-sharp."--Booklist, starred review

An old money/new murder mystery set on the island of Martha's Vineyard, with rich kids doing bad things from New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno

Perfect for fans of Jessica Goodman, Agatha Christie, Glass Onion, and Martha's Vineyard Mysteries

Linden knows he doesn't belong in elite Martha's Vineyard. But when his prep school roommate, Jasper, invites him to spend the end of the summer at August House, his family's massive beachfront estate, Linden tries to fit in. It's not hard--after all, he's been lying for years. And he's not the only one....

Everyone at August House is ready for a wicked good time So when someone is found unconscious in the pool after a night of partying, it's quickly labeled an accident. But Linden begins to wonder. . .

As does Holiday, Linden's childhood friend and the only person on the island who knows the truth about his humble background. There's nothing Holiday loves more than a mystery, and she's convinced there's a killer on the Vineyard. And now it's up to them to figure out who.

"Pulse-pounding."--PW

"Scorching."--Kirkus Reviews

A lot can change in 10 years, especially in Gotham! Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne, may be behind bars, but the real criminals are still out there.

Gotham Motors CEO Derek Powers has seized control of the Wayne family's assets and is using them to transform the GTO and the city they've sworn to protect. Crime is down, but at what cost? A new Batman has emerged in Powers's city, and only Bruce is fully aware of the dangers to come. It's time to destroy the mantle for good, but he'll need one of his forgotten sons' help to do so. Enter Jason Todd...the first Robin?!

In this thrilling sequel to the blockbuster comic book hits Batman: White Knight and Batman: Curse of the White Knight, writer/artist Sean Murphy invites the audience to go beyond the Gotham they know to discover an engrossing new take on the city and its heroes. Welcome to Neo-Gotham and the world of Beyond the White Knight! This collection includes Batman: Beyond the White Knight #1-8; Batman: White Knight Presents: Red Hood #1-2.

A suspenseful and atmospheric horror set in 1980s Oregon, perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Peterson Haddix, from New York Times bestselling author and the Decemberists' lead singer/songwriter, Colin Meloy.

Maybe Archie Coomes has been watching too many horror movies.

All of a sudden, the most ordinary things have taken on a sinister edge: a penny on a doormat. An odd man in a brown suit under a streetlamp. The persistent sound of an ax chopping in the middle of the night.

He keeps telling himself that this is Seaham, a sleepy seaside town where nothing ever happens. Or at least nothing did, until his dad's construction company opened up the cliff beneath the old--some say cursed--Langdon place.

Soon, though, he and his friends can't deny it: more and more of the adults in town are acting strangely. An ancient, long-buried evil has been unleashed upon the community, and it's up to the kids to stop it before it's too late. . . .