When the weather gets too cold to stay outside, I love to bundle up in bed, find a good book to read, and lose myself in a story. One of my favorite things to read during the cooler, Autumn months, are mystery novels.
I love a good mystery novel. There is something so comforting to my brain about knowing that at the end of the book, the mystery will be solved, and justice will be found. It makes the reading experience cozy. Perfect for fall.
I am on a quest to read a lot of different types of mysteries. A lot of mysteries use the same tropes, and end up largely the same way. So I want to find books that are unique and books that can actually excite me. So far I have been… unsuccessful. But I have found a few mystery novels that I really enjoyed reading, so I wanted to talk about them today.
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The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave is about Hannah, whose husband, Owen, has gone missing, and she is left to watch over his daughter, Bailey. An entire mystery unfolds while she searches for answers to questions she didn’t even know she had. This book was an intriguing and fast-paced mystery, with a lot of interesting twists and turns. The ending wasn’t as satisfactory as I usually like from mystery novels, but it made sense for the story and veered from the usual mystery tropes.
For my full review of this book, click here.
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The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The Seven 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton is a mystery with some fantasy sprinkled in. This story follows Aiden Bishop, who must solve the death of his dear friend Evelyn Hardcastle while jumping around the bodies of people who were present the night of her murder. With a man dressed as a creepy plague doctor running things, this book is perfect as we get closer to Halloween. I love that this was a mix between fantasy and mystery. Definitely kept me on my toes. It was a slower-paced read, but I think a lot of people will enjoy this story.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Final Girls by Riley Sager
With another mix of genres, Final Girls by Riley Sager was one of my favorite reads last year. This book is a mix between a thriller and a mystery. Quincy Carpenter is a final girl. She survived when no one else did after a murder spree. Flash forward to the present, and final girls are being picked off one at a time, murdered in their own home. Who is killing these girls, and why are they doing it? This book was fantastic! I was on my toes the entire time, and I loved the characterization that Sager uses in all of their books. Although the ending was predictable, I still enjoyed reading this book.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Death by Jack-o-Lantern by Alexis Morgan
Have you ever read a cozy mystery? They are full of tropes, predictability, and murder, and I love them more than anything. Like the genre title suggests, these books are so cozy and so perfect for this time of year. Death of a Jack-o-Lantern by Alexis Morgan is set in a small town. When someone is murdered in a pumpkin patch, the whole town is on alert. The main character, Abby, is trying to stay out of trouble but is quickly pulled in by the investigation. This book uses so many classic tropes, I knew exactly what was going to happen before it actually happened. And I loved every minute of it. Plus, this story is set in October, with a lot of Halloween fun and jack-o-lanterns.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
People Like Us by Dana Mele
I love stories about boarding schools. I don’t quite understand why, but it’s true. So when I learned that People Like Us by Dana Mele was a mystery set at a boarding school, I was all in. This story follows Kay, who finds a website claiming to know everyone’s secrets. The weird thing is, the website was created by a dead girl. This story has blackmailing, sabotage, and mystery. I found that it was a fun read, and the audiobook was really well done.
Click here to purchase on Amazon.
Mysteries tend to be really fun reads. I love the process of unraveling all the unknowns, and it is comforting knowing that there will be answers once I get to the end of the book. I love the mix of mysteries on this list. There is something for everyone.
I also love how authors are not afraid to mix genres. It leads to a really interesting reading experience as a reader. I always find mixed-genre books the most intriguing.
Let me know in the comments below what your favorite mystery is! I haven’t read nearly enough mystery novels, and I would love to add a few to my TBR.
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