My favorite books to discover which type of mystery fits you

Why am I passionate about this?

I've read mysteries of all types since I was young. Unfortunately for my publishers, I like to write in several different genres too. Everyone loves a mystery, a puzzle, sussing out the hidden. If you think you don’t like mysteries, then I think you just haven’t found your genre yet. Reading a mystery is like treasure hunting, we all want to find the gold. I love clever dialogue, characters you want to meet in real life, and accompany them while solving a mystery. All the books I have recommended have an overarching mystery element. I write like that too, also, one element links all my books regardless of genre. Happy treasure hunting!


I wrote...

Condo Crazy

By Yvonne Rediger,

Book cover of Condo Crazy

What is my book about?

Retirement was never supposed to be like this. Gladys Wyatt merely wanted to run her cottage bakery to make a few extra dollars to defray the costs of her brand-new condo apartment. 

First, Gladys is accused by Musgrave Landing’s mayor of hanging prank banners on the water facility building, but that is harmless. It’s the thief plaguing the village that is concerning the residents. Gladys suspects it was the thief who injured her neighbour’s dog. Then Gladys is shocked to find a body, half outside of the condo building garage. Could the thief also be responsible for the murder? She reminds her granddaughter to keep the condo doors locked, but will that be enough?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Murder, Exit Stage Right

Yvonne Rediger Why did I love this book?

In this cozy mystery Mable and Violet are fast friends and have odd adventures. I think everyone needs a partner in crime, so to speak. This is a series; each book has a different theme, which I like. This story is set in a theatre, a one-act play competition in small town Saskatchewan, Canada. From my experience in little theatre odd things do happen. Like in my writing, this story has humour, intrigue, and enduring friendship. The added bonus, a theatre critic who has it coming. I like figuring out who had the biggest axe to grind and what motives each character is hiding.

By Joan Havelange,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Murder, Exit Stage Right as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Murder is a hard act to follow. All the drama does not take place on the stage at the Glenhaven Drama Festival. A collection of amateur actors with big egos land in Mabel Havelock’s hometown. And Mabel’s acting debut is not the only thing on her mind. Mysterious accidents and sabotage are plaguing the festival.

Mabel and her best friend Violet Ficher are determined to ferret out the culprit. The problem is why? Who has anything to gain? And why did Sherman have to die?


Book cover of Blood Price

Yvonne Rediger Why did I love this book?

Set in Toronto, this novel features a hardboiled female detective Vicky Nelson, retired city police, now a private investigator and she is not happy about it. I like Vicky’s kick-ass and capable attitude, even with her failing eyesight. Imagine her surprise to run across a vampire, Henry Fitzroy, on the streets of Toronto, but that’s not all, something is stalking humans and Henry knows it’s supernatural. I am a fan of urban fantasy, the idea there are strange things going on right under our noses and all going undetected fascinates me. I’ve dabbled in this genre and will no doubt return to it. Still, all have a mystery to solve. Vicky doubts her old Toronto police partner will believe them. So it’s up to Vicky and Henry, they must team up, find the evil, and then figure out what to do about it to stop it. 

By Tanya Huff,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Blood Price as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Blood Books are now available in "Blood Ties" TV tie-in editions. View our TV tie-in feature page here here.

Vicki Nelson, formerly of Toronto’s homicide unit and now a private detective, witnesses the first of many vicious attacks that are now plaguing the city of Toronto. As death follows unspeakable death, Vicki is forced to renew her tempestuous relationship with her former partner, Mike Celluci, to stop these forces of dark magic—along with another, unexpected ally…

Henry Fitzroy, the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII, has learned over the course of his long life how to blend with humans,…


Book cover of Deal Breaker

Yvonne Rediger Why did I love this book?

Lawyer and sports agent Myron Bolitar has a client who will make a name for both of them. I love football, so was not put off by the sports link, but that aside, football plays a small part. It’s the mystery that is front and centre. So when Christian Steele, a rookie football quarterback in the American League and Myron's prized client receives a phone call from a former girlfriend the deal starts to go sour. This author excels at throwing the unexpected at his character, I like seeing how they react and use some of the same methods with my plots. This is a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, and she alludes to Christian doing something wrong. The questions raised kept me turning pages. Christian turns to Myron for help and like any good agent with a shady past, and undisclosed skills, he will try to help Christian and keep both their names out of the mud, maybe. 

By Harlan Coben,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Deal Breaker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The truth can get you killed... A stunning thriller from the SUNDAY TIMES bestselling author of SIX YEARS.

Investigator and sports agent Myron Bolitar is poised on the edge of the big-time. So is Christian Steele, a rookie quarterback and Myron's prized client. But when Christian gets a phone call from a former girlfriend, a woman who everyone, including the police, believes is dead, the deal starts to go sour.

Suddenly Myron is plunged into a baffling mystery of sex and blackmail. Trying to unravel the truth about a family's tragedy, a woman's secret and a man's lies, Myron is…


Book cover of The Darkest Evening

Yvonne Rediger Why did I love this book?

Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope, while driving home during a blizzard, becomes disorientated and loses her way on the backcountry roads of Northumberland in England. Off the beaten track she finds a car abandoned, one door open, and a baby in the back seat. I can’t imagine anything more alarming. Where are the mother and father? When she takes the child with her, Vera realizes she is mere feet from her father’s ancestral home. Hector was the black sheep of the Stanhope Clan. The place is lit up and welcoming but Vera’s cousin was not expecting her, but invited guests for a dinner party and certainly not a baby. Then to discover the child’s mother murdered on their grounds. I fell in love with Vera in the first book and want to be just like her when I grow up. I like the police procedural rhythm of these books and have incorporated something similar in my Adam Norcross mysteries.

By Ann Cleeves,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Darkest Evening as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

DCI Vera Stanhope returns in The Darkest Evening, the ninth novel in No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller Ann Cleeves's phenomenally popular crime series.

The darkest nights can hide the deadliest secrets . . .

Driving home during a swirling blizzard, Vera Stanhope's only thought is to get there quickly.

But with the snow driving down heavily, she becomes disorientated and loses her way, eventually stumbling on another car abandoned on the road. With the driver's door open, Vera assumes the driver has sought shelter but is shocked to find a young toddler strapped in the back seat.

Afraid they will…


Book cover of Bad Move

Yvonne Rediger Why did I love this book?

Bad Move introduces us to an accidental sleuth, Zack Walker, who is a science fiction writer and over protective father who moves his family from the ‘dangerous’ city of Toronto to the peaceful suburbs, and runs headlong into the law of unintended consequence. Nothing is as it seems in this idyllic neighbourhood, and poor Zack is not the most observant of people. His life unravels when he decides to teach his wife a lesson, by pretending to steal her purse out of the grocery cart while food shopping. The problem is it’s not his wife’s purse and this leads him into uncharted territory. We’ve all had situations where we want to fix something stupid we’ve done. Zack is that guy, and I like his humour and the unexpected actions he takes. You feel for the guy, and cringe when he talks himself into trouble. 

By Linwood Barclay,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Bad Move as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Zack Walker Mystery #1

Zack Walker is a writer with an overactive imagination and two teenage children. After a murder on their street, he uproots his family from the city - insisting it's for their own good - and heads for the security of the suburbs.

However, his peaceful new life is soon shattered when he finds a body while out walking by the creek. Zack recognizes the dead man - and knows who his killer might be.

Things go from bad to worse as Zack follows a trail of deceit that leads right to his front door. To protect…


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Evil Alice and the Borzoi

By DK Coutant,

Book cover of Evil Alice and the Borzoi

DK Coutant Author Of Evil Alice and the Borzoi

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Professor Cross Cultural Psychologist Dog Lover Traveler Reader

DK's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Cleo Cooper, a cross-cultural psychology professor, is living the dream on the Big Island of Hawaii. With ocean-dipping weekends, she enjoys her dog, her job, and her boyfriend Ben - until the day she’s on a research vessel and a dead body is caught in the dragline.

The police determine it is murder and set their sights on a gentle former student, Kai. It doesn’t take much urging from Kai’s auntie for Cleo to investigate. But Ben grows distant, and Cleo’s dog grows ill. A couple of accidental deaths later, and someone makes an attempt on her life.

What happened to Cleo’s life in paradise? Can she discover the true killer? Can she stop the killer before the killer stops her?

Evil Alice and the Borzoi

By DK Coutant,

What is this book about?

Paradise is shaken when the body of a young woman is dragged onto a university research vessel during a class outing in Hilo Bay. Cleo Cooper is shaken when she finds her favorite student is on the hook for the murder. Danger lurks on land and sea as Cleo and her friends are enticed to search for the true killer. In between paddling, swimming, and arguing with her boyfriend, Cleo discovers all is not what it seems on the Big Island of Hawaii. But will she figure out the truth before she becomes the next victim?


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