Older Reviews
An archive of past book reviews in mystery, thriller, crime, horror, and other suspense-related genres.
The Midnight Lock
He investigates in secret to untangle the mysteries behind the killer
Getaway With Murder
A killer on the loose and the lodge’s reputation hanging in the balance
Trial and Error
He uncovers clues that could bring him closer to the daughter he lost
The Family Plot
Horrifying secrets are exposed upon the discovery of another body in his grave
The World Played Chess
Working alongside two Vietnam vets, he gets the education of a lifetime
A Flicker in the Dark
six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town
The Bookbinder’s Daughter
The mysteries of the library deepen when she stumbles upon the door
Velvet Was the Night
They can no longer escape the danger that threatens to consume their lives
Hypnosis Is for Hacks
She has traded a career as a sham medium for a (relatively) respectable life
Dark Night
A battered woman stumbles into the bar, and her husband is found dead
The House of Hidden Secrets
She never imagined her new home would be an ancient mansion
The Missing Hours
The whole city is trying to piece together the hours of that terrible night
As the Wicked Watch
There’s a serial killer on the loose, and he’s hiding in plain sight
The Lincoln Highway
He returns to Nebraska after serving a year for involuntary manslaughter
Murder at Mallowan Hall
She must determine which of the Mallowans’ guests is the killer
Mummy’s Little Secret
Four little words can end a life
Chasing the Boogeyman
The mutilated bodies of missing girls turn up in a small Maryland town
The Orphan Witch
With the clock running out, love might be the magic that saves them all
1979
The year started badly and only got worse
The Madness of Crowds
As sides are declared, a madness takes hold
Last Seen Alive
The missing victims are crying out for justice that only she can deliver
Miss Kopp Investigates
These sisters put their unique detective skills to use in new and daring ways
A Terrible Fall of Angels
Angels walk among us, but so do other unearthly beings
The Falling Girls
One of the cheerleaders dies under mysterious circumstances
Betrayal on the Bowery
Not all that glitters is gold from the city’s sanctuaries to its meanest streets
A Different Dawn
For nearly thirty years a serial killer has been hiding in plain sight
The Unwelcome Guest
She had the perfect marriage, until her mother-in-law moved in
Billy Summers
He’s a killer for hire and the best in the business
These Toxic Things
A dead woman’s cherished trinkets become pieces to a terrifying puzzle
Gone for Good
He murdered seven women, binding them and leaving them for dead
Survival
A virus cycles out of control and changes the world
Mastermind
A mysterious electrical storm plunges Manhattan into darkness
Strength Under Fire
A veteran fights a dangerous terrorist group that has come after his boss
Paper & Blood
A master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland
The Cottage
Whoever is outside isn’t going away, and the nightmare is just beginning
It’s a Wonderful Woof
Chased through a Christmas Eve blizzard by a murderous foe
The Not Quite Perfect Murderer
A London gangster brings terror and murder to Bath
Stranded
Eight people arrive on the island, ready for the challenge of a lifetime
The Corpse Flower
A Danish journalist digs deep to uncover a web of lies
Vanishing Edge
Bad things happen in the wilderness, and sometimes they’re not accidents
Invite Me In
When she takes on a new tenant, her life changes unexpectedly
The American Gun Mystery
Reissued and among the most beloved of the early Ellery Queen novels
Shadow Hill
How far would someone go to protect corporate profits?
Judgment at Santa Monica
In comes the last person she expects to walk into her courtroom
Saving Danger
To maintain her cover, they fake a relationship
Mercy Creek
A young girl goes missing and the trail leads to a remorseless killer
The New Home
Finally, she has somebody to share her secrets with over a glass of wine
Sorrowland
She’s regnant and desperate to escape the compound where she was raised
You Feel It Just Below the Ribs
An alternate twentieth century that chronicles one woman’s unusual life
Small Town Monsters
A girl, a dark angel, and the cult hellbent on taking over her small town
The Guilt Trip
Secrets begin to spill, and friendships and marriages threaten to unravel
Her Sister’s Secret
Why would you pretend your life is a dream when you’re living a nightmare?
The Woods are Always Watching
They have one last chance to be together: a hike deep into the woods
The Soul Breaker
He doesn’t kill them, but he leaves them completely dead inside
The Pandemic Plot
His son has been accused of a brutal murder, and the evidence points to him
Fan Fiction: A Mem-Noir
A personal look at the relationship between celebrity and fans
The Perfect Life
She always found it easy to pretend to be somebody different and better
City of Time and Magic
She must follow the treasure if he is not to be lost forever
A Line To Kill
Trapped with a cold-blooded killer in a remote place
Trejo
Danny Trejo’s journey from crime, prison, and loss to unexpected fame
Nice Girls
She delves deep into the lives of two missing girls
The Island
America is about to face the deadliest terrorist attack on it’s soil since 9/11
Rogue Wolf
The trouble with wolves is that they’re never far from danger
The Dare
The friends are blissfully unaware that this will be their final day together
Once There Were Wolves
She’s desperate to save the creatures she loves
The Woods Are Always Watching
Friends navigate unmarked paths even as evil watches from the shadows
The Noise
The last sound you’ll ever hear
A Fatal Lie
A detective must delve deep into a dead man’s past to find a killer
In Another Light
The death of a look-alike stranger leads a woman down a troubling path
Not a Happy Family
In this family, everyone is keeping secrets–especially the dead
Golden Boy
A murder among the Manhattan elite
Stolen
Her three-year-old vanishes from an idyllic beach wedding
Her Deadly Touch
Found beside her daughter’s grave, her lips sealed together with wax
The Book of Accidents
A family returns to their hometown and to the dark past that haunts them
Tell Me
At a campsite on California’s Pacific Crest Trail, a guide is murdered
Mine
A territorial ghost of a young girl lived in this house before her
The Dying Day
A murdered man, a missing treasure, and a riddle to find the killer
Secrets on the Fens
The bodies of two young people are discovered lying entwined
Never Saw Me Coming
Her hobbies include yogalates, parties, and plotting to kill a childhood friend
Forgotten In Death
A homicide detective sifts through the wreckage of the past to find a killer
The Cellist
Secret channels of influence that go to the very heart of Western democracy
Moon Lake
A lost town and the dark secrets that lie beneath an East Texas lake
How to Find Your Way in the Dark
A suspicious traffic accident kills his father
The Voyage of Freydis
The first and only woman to lead a Viking voyage across the Atlantic
Midnight, Water City
A murdered scientist, deified in death, through the eyes of a criminal
The Elimination Threat
A mysterious syndicate known as the Thirteen has staged a silent coup
The Archivist
An archivist is found dead of an apparent drowning
Whisper Cottage
A couple moves to an old rural cottage, hoping for a fresh start
The Murder Box
At first, she believes the murder mystery game sent to her office is a gift
The Final Twist
A race to find a family and solve a decades-old mystery
The Man Who Died Twice
The septuagenarians are back and on the hunt for diamonds and a murderer
Death at the Crystal Palace
A cook delves into Victorian London’s high society to catch a killer
Final Verdict
He has one chance to find the facts he’s searched for his entire life
The Missing Hours
Obsession, privilege, and the explosive consequences of one violent act
The Physicians of Vilnoc
A mysterious plague breaks out in the army fort guarding Vilnoc
The Good Lie
Six teenagers dead and the killer behind bars, but the games are just beginning
A Fire In The Night
A private military contractor hired to retrieve stolen information
The Night She Disappeared
She watches her daughter leave and waits, and waits, for her return
Lesson in Red
Fatal mistakes can befall those who threaten its status quo
The 22 Murders of Madison May
Traveling through different realities, shows danger of living multiple lives
Steel Fear
A serial killer on board an aircraft carrier and a Navy SEAL to track him down
Murder at Standing Stone Manor
Newlyweds go after a killer when a body is found next to a standing stone
Murder Most Fair
A former Secret Service agent receives a visitor who is being trailed by a killer
The Package
All you’ve done is taken in a parcel for a neighbor, right?
The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart
A detective partners with a lonely-hearts columnist to solve a murder
Woman in Shadow
A serial arsonist sends taunting letters to the press after each fire
As the Wicked Watch
A reporter chases down a serial killer terrorizing Chicago
The Rising Tide
Their family yacht is recovered, abandoned far out at sea
The Final Girl Support Group
What happens to the “final girl” well after the massacre is over?
For Your Own Good
Murder at a prestigious private school, and no one to trust
Gumshoe in the Dark
Blackmail, murder, and a pretty girl thirty miles from the nearest town
A Line To Kill
A local grandee is found dead under mysterious circumstances
The Summoning
Becoming a medium is almost too easy for someone used to pretending
Murder at Keyhaven Castle
By the end of the day one of them is dead and all of them are suspects
The Bombay Prince
She tries to bring justice to the family of a murdered student
Where Ravens Roost
While on suspension, the detective’s estranged father leaves a message
Kill All Your Darlings
The police insist details in the novel implicate him in an unsolved murder
A Darker Reality
A spy thriller set in the 1930s when the world was a place of uncertainty
The Steal
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend—until they’re stolen
The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit
The victim scratched a clue into the soil
One Child Alive
A calculating monster who seems to know her every weakness
The Bookshop Murder
Everything changes when she discovers a body among her own bookshelves
The Trawlerman
The brooding waters of the Kent coastline offer an ominous backdrop
A Time to Swill
A saloon owner is after a murderer with skeletons in the closet
56 Days
Lockdown provided the opportunity to commit the perfect crime
Dance with Death
In 1893 Queen Victoria is arranging marriages for royals
Crooked In His Ways
He disappears just before Christmas in 1856, and reappears in several pieces
The Forest of Vanishing Stars
She uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees
The Watcher Girl
A woman’s suspicions about her ex-boyfriend become an obsession
Dream Girl
He wakes up next to a dead body and realizes his nightmare is just beginning
Murder in an Orchard Cemetery
The Reverend Mother’s annual retreat is shattered by sudden, violent death
House of Crows
A girl walked into the woods and vanished forever
The Hollywood Spy
She trades bomb-ravaged London and Nazi-occupied Europe for LA
Everything We Didn’t Say
A mother must confront the dark summer that changed her life forever
Daughters of Sparta
The Siege of Troy, told through the perspectives of two women
Striking Range
The killer has a cold-blooded plan that threatens K-9 and detective
Cajun Kiss of Death
Blood may be thicker than water, but this case is thicker than gumbo
Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead
Her predecessor mysteriously died
The Lies We Tell
A mother is faced with a terrifying decision: to save her son or herself
The Babysitter
There was one thing she didn’t know: their babysitter was a serial killer
The Whispering Dead
In the darkness, she can hear the unquiet dead whispering
The Burning
For a deputy coroner, a murder hits close to home
Searchers in Winter
A new French Empire is rising from the shadow of the Reign of Terror
The Therapist
A house that holds a shocking secret
The Heron’s Cry
A detective is called out to a rural crime scene at the home of a group of artists
Hell’s Jaw Pass
Train holdups, ranch wars, slaughter—this little boomtown’s got it all
The Grandmother Plot
Death isn’t unexpected in a nursing home, but murder is
The Witness For The Dead
His skills lead him into a morass of treachery, murder, and injustice
The Maid
An eccentric hotel maid discovers a guest murdered in his bed
Relentless
His enemies have turned him into a fearsome weapon