it’s a mystery

My friend, Elin, and I were discussing how hard it is to finish a book these days, and she explained that she reads mysteries when she’s having trouble focusing. I laughed because that’s exactly what I do, too.

Here are some of the thrillers I gobbled up this year in case you’re having the same issue – or even if you’re not!

How to Be a Good Wife by Emma Chapman

Please read this book right now and let’s discuss it because the story is still haunting me months after I finished it. Emma Chapman’s debut is beautifully written and gives you so much to think about, making it a great book group choice. It’s a novel about marriage and a woman’s place, but it’s also a well-crafted thriller about what’s really going on under the surface – and we need to talk about what that is!

If You Were Here by Alafair Burke

I love Alafair Burke’s legal thrillers – and not just because she so generously gives a shout-out to her readers (including me) at the end. Her books have so many twists and turns, they keep me guessing all the way through. This fast-paced story starts with a young man stealing a woman’s cell phone in a New York City subway station and covers so much ground over the next few hundred pages, my head is still spinning. Somehow, Burke pulls everything together in a perfect conclusion that miraculously left me as satisfied as if I had solved the case myself.

Accused by Lisa Scottoline

Fans of Lisa Scottoline’s Rosato & Associates – meaning anyone who’s ever read one of the books in which they star – will be thrilled to see the quartet of female attorneys back and handling one of their most intense and interesting cases ever. Just promoted to partner, Mary DiNunzio takes on a 13-year-old girl trying to free the young man she’s convinced was wrongly convicted of her sister’s murder. The case forces Mary to look at her own relationships, as well, and her young client imparts a wisdom beyond her years.

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

It was such an honor to meet Laura Lippman at BEA last summer because she’s written some of my favorite crime novels. She’s always good! In this bestseller, suburban single mom Heloise has a secret life which is now being threatened. The story raises fascinating questions about money, sex, power, prostitution, and Heloise is a well-developed character who could easily be your neighbor. Hmmm …

The Never List by Koethi Zan

Everything about this book freaked me out. To stay safe, college friends Sarah and Jennifer maniacally live by a long list of actions to avoid. Yet, despite their careful research and strict adherence to rules like “Never get in the car,” they get a little lax one night and end up spending the next three years locked in a dungeon-like cellar. The story is terrifying, especially in light of the real-life incidents that have taken over the news, but the ultimate message is the triumph of the human spirit – and its ability to survive despite the most unspeakable horrors.

Close My Eyes by Sophie McKenzie

This psychological thriller will keep you turning pages and will continue to surprise you over and over again. Gen has never gotten over the loss of her stillborn daughter. When a woman mysteriously shows up at her door one day, telling her, “Your baby, Beth, is alive,” she starts a deadly chain of events that make Gen question everything she believes about her life, her child, her husband. Start reading early because you won’t want to go to sleep until you’re finished.