Why am I passionate about this?

I've been a mystery lover all my life, reading through all the Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie books I could get my hands on in my small-town West Virginia library. Although I enjoy watching TV mysteries, it takes a lot to trick me, and when I find shows or books that surprise me, they quickly become my favorites. As a cozy mystery author, I love bringing clean mysteries with unexpected twists (even to me as I write them!) to my readers. Writing mysteries is my happy place, and when I get reviews saying readers find my books surprising yet satisfying, I know I'm following in the steps of Agatha, at least to some small degree.


I wrote

No Filter

By Heather Day Gilbert,

Book cover of No Filter

What is my book about?

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of By the Pricking of My Thumbs

Heather Day Gilbert Why did I love this book?

I had to choose a mystery by the absolute master of the genre, Agatha Christie (bonus—my dog's name is Agatha, if that tells you how much I love her books). Agatha had a way of writing non-graphic mysteries that could still get under your skin...along with villains that were unforgettable, as was the case in this one. I won't say more since I don't want to give spoilers, but I'll never forget the creep factor of the whodunit in this book. And it's a bonus that Tommy and Tuppence Beresford are the sleuths—married sleuths for the win!

By Agatha Christie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked By the Pricking of My Thumbs as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An old woman in a nursing home speaks of a child buried behind the fireplace...

When Tommy and Tuppence visited an elderly aunt in her gothic nursing home, they thought nothing of her mistrust of the doctors; after all, Ada was a very difficult old lady.

But when Mrs Lockett mentioned a poisoned mushroom stew and Mrs Lancaster talked about `something behind the fireplace', Tommy and Tuppence found themselves caught up in an unexpected adventure involving possible black magic...


Book cover of The Haunting of Hill House

Heather Day Gilbert Why did I love this book?

This one is a classic that's enjoyed various screen adaptations, but I maintain that you haven't really experienced it until you've read it. Jackson took psychological mystery to the next level, because the most frightening part of the story isn't actually what's in the house, but what's in the main character's head. And that ending...well, it'll leave you pondering. 

By Shirley Jackson,

Why should I read it?

36 authors picked The Haunting of Hill House as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Part of a new six-volume series of the best in classic horror, selected by Academy Award-winning director of The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro

Filmmaker and longtime horror literature fan Guillermo del Toro serves as the curator for the Penguin Horror series, a new collection of classic tales and poems by masters of the genre. Included here are some of del Toro's favorites, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Ray Russell's short story "Sardonicus," considered by Stephen King to be "perhaps the finest example of the modern Gothic ever written," to Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and stories…


Book cover of Hunter's Green

Heather Day Gilbert Why did I love this book?

No list of spooky yet non-graphic/gory mysteries would be complete without a Phyllis Whitney novel, and although this one feels a little slow compared to the pace of contemporary mysteries, it packed a memorable punch for me—mostly because of the setting (Whitney does Gothic like no one else). I can still close my eyes and visualize the great estate. Whitney's reads are perfect to escape with on a misty rainy day or a dark and stormy night.

By Phyllis A. Whitney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hunter's Green as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A suspense novel from “The Queen of the American Gothics” (The New York Times).
 
The nightmare was one from which I could not waken. I was caught upon a chessboard, a helpless pawn in a game of life and death, and the green rook was hunting me. That tall rook of green-black yew who had it in his power to destroy the king and end the game . . .
 
When Eve North returns to Athmore after three years' separation from her husband, Justin, she finds the great estate—and Justin himself—vastly changed. Eve, too, has changed. She knows now the…


Book cover of Rebecca

Heather Day Gilbert Why did I love this book?

How could I not recommend Rebecca? The nameless main character has drawn readers in for generations with her newly-married dilemma...can she step out of the shadow of her husband's dead wife, Rebecca? The character development—and the psychological drama—is so perfectly crafted, I stand in awe, wondering how Daphne came up with such an unforgettable plotline. Twists abound, but the setting and characters are what will stick with you forever.

By Daphne du Maurier,

Why should I read it?

46 authors picked Rebecca as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

* 'The greatest psychological thriller of all time' ERIN KELLY
* 'One of the most influential novels of the twentieth century' SARAH WATERS
* 'It's the book every writer wishes they'd written' CLARE MACKINTOSH

'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .'

Working as a lady's companion, our heroine's outlook is bleak until, on a trip to the south of France, she meets a handsome widower whose proposal takes her by surprise. She accepts but, whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to brooding Manderley, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory…


Book cover of The House Next Door

Heather Day Gilbert Why did I love this book?

I hesitate to recommend this, but as I think back over spooky reads that aren't overly graphic, I have to say the plotline of this one has stuck with me over the years. To be honest, it's a book I'll never read again because it scared the tar out of me—we're talking on a psychological level. Yet if you're looking for an edge-of-your-seat mystery that'll freak you out without getting gory, this is the book for you. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

By Anne Rivers Siddons,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The House Next Door as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An unparalleled picture of that vibrant but dark intersection where the Old and the New South collide.

Thirtysomething Colquitt and Walter Kennedy live in a charming, peaceful suburb of newly bustling Atlanta, Georgia. Life is made up of enjoyable work, long, lazy weekends, and the company of good neighbors. Then, to their shock, construction starts on the vacant lot next door, a wooded hillside they'd believed would always remain undeveloped. Disappointed by their diminished privacy, Colquitt and Walter soon realize something more is wrong with the house next door. Surely the house can’t be haunted, yet it seems to destroy…


Explore my book 😀

No Filter

By Heather Day Gilbert,

Book cover of No Filter

What is my book about?

Welcome to the Barks & Beans Cafe, a quaint place where folks pet shelter dogs while enjoying a cup of java...and where murder sometimes pays a visit. Fed up with her go-nowhere job, newly single Macy Hatfield moves back to her small hometown. She joins forces with her brother in his crazy new venture—the Barks & Beans Cafe, which caters to dog lovers and coffee drinkers alike.

When a golf instructor is murdered at the nearby spiritual center, Macy winds up adopting his Great Dane. Just after Macy finds a mysterious message sewn under the dog's collar, her Dane is dognapped. She launches into a relentless search for her newfound canine friend, but along the way, she digs up a cruel and confident killer.

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The Widow Maker

By Janet Fix, Cheryl Bradshaw,

Book cover of The Widow Maker

Janet Fix Author Of The Broken Soul

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Writer, reader, editor, reviewer, publisher… those are all parts of me. With a lifetime of experience in the “words” industry, I have a pretty good handle on what makes a book not just good, but hot. I say this with the understanding that each reader brings their own histories to the reading experience, and what one person may like, another may not. Nonetheless, I offer you my professional and personal favorites in the mystery/thriller/suspense categories. It is my sincere hope that you find these books as addictive as I’d found them. Superb and clever writing, engaging characters, unpredictable plots—yes, please! Though I occasionally step outside my comfort zone, I'm consistently drawn back to these categories. 

Janet's book list on intriguing whodunits

What is my book about?

Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own. A friend murdered. A business in trouble. A marriage struggling to survive. And that’s just the beginning. 

When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose. The question is … are the two investigations connected?…

The Widow Maker

By Janet Fix, Cheryl Bradshaw,

What is this book about?

Liza O’Connell was a horror buff in every sense of the word. But there was one deadly nightmare she would never be able to talk about … her own.

A friend murdered.

A business in trouble.

A marriage struggling to survive.

And that’s just the beginning.

When salon owner Carrie King discovers Liza dead in the back room of her shop, everyone becomes a suspect, even her. As tensions in the community rise, so does the death toll, and now the local cops believe there’s a serial killer on the loose.
The question is … are the two investigations connected?…


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