A baffling murder investigation unearths the spotty history of an Irish psychiatric institution in the entertaining if overbusy latest entry in O’Connor’s County Kerry series (after You Have Gone Too Far). As Irish veterinarian Dimpna Wilde walks in her father’s funeral procession, she notices that her employee, Niamh Dowd, who was supposed to be there with her boyfriend, Mark Gallagher, is missing. Hours later, Dimpna discovers a blood-soaked, amnesia-stricken Niamh on the side of the road and takes her home. When they arrive, they find a woman’s corpse in Niamh’s bed, but Niamh swears she has no idea how it got there. Meanwhile, Mark is nowhere to be found, and Dimpna can’t find any record of his existence. Detective inspector Cormac O’Brien eventually takes up the case, identifying the dead woman and noticing unmistakable similarities to the recent unsolved murder of a psych ward employee who was investigating a serial killer before she died. O’Connor relies on a few too many false identities to fuel the book’s preponderance of third-act plot twists. Still, she’s a pro at using cliffhangers to pull the plot forward, and as O’Brien’s investigation deepens, fascinating details emerge about the history of Ireland’s treatment of the mentally ill. Despite some bumps, this should satisfy the author’s fans. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 09/12/2025 | Details & Permalink

Dara’s witty sequel to A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer smartly expands on the universe its predecessor introduced. Nora Bird works as an administrative coordinator at S.C.Y.T.H.E. (Secure Collection, Yielding, and Transportation of Human Essences), assigning grim reapers to collect the souls of the recently deceased. As she sorts through her case files one morning, Nora is horrified to see the name of her twin brother, Charlie. The siblings have barely spoken for months, but with both of their parents dead, the typically risk-averse Nora is galvanized to protect what little family she has left. She scoops Charlie from his apartment and embarks on a road trip in hopes of evading her colleagues. Every time they manage to avoid the death listed in Charlie’s file, however, the method changes, leading Nora to believe he’s been marked for murder by someone at S.C.Y.T.H.E. She becomes a sleuth, sniffing out clues that point to buried family secrets. A long list of suspects, a dark sense of humor, and surprisingly weighty meditations on mortality carry the day. It’s a killer good time. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong Literary. (Dec.)

Reviewed on 09/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Oscar-nominated screenwriter Heisserer debuts with a mind-bending sci-fi thriller. Grant Lukather works for Homeland Security’s Predictive Analytics unit, which investigates people who’ve tipped off the authorities to mass-casualty events. After an anonymous 911 caller accurately warns dispatchers that seven people will be killed by a pipeline explosion near Albuquerque, N.Mex., Grant traces the call to past-lives therapist Sarah Newcomb, and learns that she got the information from a patient, Marigold Chu. After Marigold proves she was uninvolved in the blast, she reveals to Grant that, through her work with Sarah, she’s capable of accessing other people’s lives and memories—including those from the future.. One of the people Marigold has a psychic link with is Denver police detective Brian Huntley, who’s in charge of the search for a prolific murderer known as the Ash Killer. Grant enlists both women’s help, hoping to use Marigold’s gift to ensure Huntley catches the killer. As his plan unfolds, the fabric of reality twists in unexpected ways. Heisserer’s nuanced characterizations make it easy to buy into his plot, which dazzles with its manipulations of time and its jaw-dropping reveals. This auspicious first outing will excite fans of Blake Crouch. Agent: Mollie Glick, CAA. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 09/05/2025 | Details & Permalink

Baart’s moody latest (after Everything We Didn’t Say) finds Midwesterner Sadie Sheridan and her new husband, Felix, heading to the historic Hemlock House, an isolated homestead on a mountain in Washington state’s North Cascades, where Felix grew up. The couple, both academics on sabbatical from their jobs at Newcastle University, plan to disconnect from the world and get to work: her on a new novel, him on astronomical research. When Felix leaves for a conference with the couple’s car and doesn’t come back, Sadie starts to panic. Then she spots strangers lurking on the remote property, and tries to figure out how she might fend for herself until Felix returns. As a dangerous storm sets in, Sadie hunkers down and uncovers game-changing secrets about her husband. The foggy and menacing Pacific Northwest setting generates just as much tension as Baart’s shrewdly coiled plot, and she paints each of her central characters with an exceptionally fine brush. The result is an unsettling portrait of isolation and anxiety that will get under the reader’s skin. Agent: Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

Five former college roommates see the past rear its ugly head in Lee’s overfamiliar debut. Sara, Dina, Allie, Wesley, and Bee have gone in different directions in the two decades since they graduated from Harvard: some have achieved their dreams, while others—like narrator Sara, who aspired to be a fine art photographer but settled for a stale advertising career—never got them off the ground. The friends are bound, however, by the Circus, an elaborate “killing game” they play each year in which they hunt down and pretend to murder each other. On her way to discuss the latest round of the Circus, Sara sees what she believes to be an apparition of the crew’s friend Claudine, whose death has haunted her for decades. It turns out to be the first in a series of disturbing events, most of which occur after the announcement that the prize for this year’s Circus (courtesy of some wise investments on Wesley’s part) is nearly $1 million. Ignoring the warning signs, Sara decides to give her all to chasing the jackpot—with dangerous results. Lee weighs down her premise with predictable reveals and wonky pacing. This disappoints. Agents: Michelle Brower and Danya Kukafka, Trellis Literary. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

In this explosive sequel to The Odessa File from Forsyth, who died earlier this year, and Kent (The Shadow Network), journalist Georg Miller travels to a hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, to interview the survivors of a terrorist attack. Georg is following in the footsteps of his grandfather, legendary reporter Peter Miller, who became famous for infiltrating the Odessa, an organization of ex-SS officers who spread across the globe after WWII. At the hospital, Georg meets Carl Ackermann, an elderly dementia patient who mistakes the reporter for his father and confesses to a murder. Stunned, George investigates and soon learns that Ackermann was a central figure within the Odessa. When both Ackermann and his wife die suddenly, Georg is framed for their murders. On the run and fighting to clear his name, Georg teams up with his grandfather, who helps him uncover a deeper conspiracy: the Odessa is now funding terrorist groups to advance their fascist agenda worldwide. Though it revisits a 52-year-old bestseller, this is no creaky nostalgia trip. Propulsive, paranoid, and chillingly plausible, Forsyth’s swan song pivots on a conspiracy that feels less imagined than uncovered. Readers will be rapt. Agent: Jonathan Lloyd, Curtis Brown UK. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

De Castrique’s third spy thriller featuring spunky retired FBI agent Ethel Fiona Crestwater (after Dangerous Women) is a high-energy delight. At 75, Ethel may be officially out of the game, but she still teams up with her college-aged cousin, Jesse, to conduct occasional investigations. The past comes calling when Ethel’s old FBI colleague asks her to meet with mob-connected lawyer Tony Bagatelos, who’s murdered promptly after telling Ethel that one of his contacts is out to kill her. The conundrum throws Ethel back to her last mission with the Bureau 18 years earlier, in which she almost died. While Ethel tries to assess the current threat to her life, Jesse is kidnapped. Determined to keep the FBI as far from the case as possible, Ethel draws on her old intelligence contacts to help get Jesse back. Though Ethel’s age might lead readers to suspect they’re entering cozy territory, this is more of a traditional spy thriller, with enough violence and double-crossing to satisfy serious fans of the genre (and just enough levity to win over skeptics). This series continues to impress. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

The riveting third installment of Sten’s Åre Murders series (after Hidden in Shadows) concerns the grisly slaying of hotel developer Charlotte Wretlind, who was about to close a massive deal to restore Cooperhill Mountain Lodge, a dilapidated Swedish ski hotel where she spent her childhood Christmases. Åre detective inspectors Hanna Ahlander and Daniel Lindskog investigate, making the lodge their home base. Soon enough, a hotel maid who glimpsed Charlotte’s killer turns up strangled to death, and Charlotte’s adolescente son, Filip, is kidnapped. As motives and potential murderers stack up, Hanna tries to move past trauma from a previous case and to resist sleeping with a handsome suspect. Meanwhile, Daniel attends anger management therapy and mourns losing his girlfriend to a charismatic colleague. Sten mixes well-executed flashbacks, memorable supporting characters, and abundant local color with surprisingly rigorous examinations of social issues including child abuse, alcoholism, and sexual assault. The dynamic between Hannah and Daniel, meanwhile, deepens in fascinating ways as they circle their killer. With an icy atmosphere and a conclusion that rewards close reading, this is a treat for fans of Nordic noir. Agent: Anna Frankl, Nordin Agency. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

Manansala misses the mark with the final installment of her cozy series featuring Illinois café owner Lila Macapagal (after Guilt and Ginataan). A series of robberies in the Chicago suburb of Shady Pines have targeted the town’s female-owned businesses, making Lila and her colleagues at the Brew-ha Cafe fear it’s only a matter of time until they’re victimized. The stakes increase after the robbers hit candy shop Choco Noir, killing the store’s owner and leaving new employee Hana Lee—the cousin of Lila’s boyfriend, Dr. Jae Park—in a coma. The police mount a cursory investigation, but Lila calls Jae’s older brother, private detective Jonathan Park (who happens to be dating Lila’s aunt, Tita Rosie), to help her unravel the mystery. Manansala’s cast remains charming, and the recipes for dinuguan and Mexican hot chocolate fudge are easy to follow, but the pace is lethally meandering this time, even for a cozy. Die-hard series fans will enjoy their last hurrah with these characters, but this is a step down from the previous books. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink

Finch’s elegant 12th historical mystery featuring British detective Charles Lenox (after An Extravagant Death) finds the investigator probing a cold case in 1879 London. While recovering from injuries sustained during a previous case in America, Charles receives a letter from his former housekeeper, Mrs. Huggins, claiming that someone has been attempting to break into her house. She’s particularly frightened because, seven years earlier, the house’s former tenant died under suspicious circumstances that have never been explained. Charles digs into the details of that case and learns it involved an apothecary who distributed a variety of opium-derived medicines. Meanwhile, the young daughter of Charles’s recently deceased cousin arrives from India, and he helps her and her Indian friend, Sari, adjust to life in London. Finch offers a delightful mélange of crisscrossing subplots rooted in contemporaneous issues including colonialism, women’s suffrage, and poverty, and ensures that each thread enhances rather than distracts from the main mystery. Charles, meanwhile, remains a winning protagonist: intelligent and kind but never dull. This long-running series still has gas in the tank. (Nov.)

Reviewed on 08/29/2025 | Details & Permalink