The best mystery books that keep you guessing

Why am I passionate about this?

I have always been intrigued by missing persons. I wonder how their family copes with having no closure on the situation and how they can live wondering where their loved one is and whether they are dead or alive. I have read these recommended books many times to satisfy this craving. I enjoy a sense of the macabre even though the story may be about mundane everyday topics. This only adds to the sense of dread and wonder. I enjoy the intriguing twists and turns, keeping me on my toes and wanting more until the end. I hope you enjoy the books on this list as much as I have.


I wrote...

The Mannequin Mystery

By Debbie Chase,

Book cover of The Mannequin Mystery

What is my book about?

Sylvia Day, owner of the Sylvia Day Detective Agency, is contacted by the new officer in town, Detective Inspector Nathan Royle, who asks to meet with her to discuss a missing girl, Miranda Wilson. A local walker sees a body in the river, only for it to be that of a mannequin; a clue on its body, which Sylvia and Nathan follow, hoping it will lead them to the missing girl.  

Miranda Wilson’s diary refers to “R” who she arranged to meet on the day she disappeared. Sylvia and Nat try to track down “R” following the clues found on each mannequin. Will Sylvia and Nat crack all the clues and find Miranda Wilson unharmed?

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Secret History

Debbie Chase Why did I love this book?

I recommend this book because of its overriding sense of menace despite the fact it refers to a somewhat mundane topic. I have read this book many times and am in awe of it every single time I pick it up, becoming engrossed immediately and unable to put it down.

The writing is superb, and the characters are ordinary, believable, and hard to get out of your head, as is the explosive ending.    

By Donna Tartt,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked The Secret History as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE BESTSELLER THAT DEFINED AN AGE

'Everything, somehow, fit together; some sly and benevolent Providence was revealing itself by degrees and I felt myself trembling on the brink of a fabulous discovery, as though any morning it was all going to come together---my future, my past, the whole of my life---and I was going to sit up in bed like a thunderbolt and say oh! oh! oh!'

Under the influence of a charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at a New England college discover a way of thought and life a world away from their banal contemporaries.…


Book cover of The Little House

Debbie Chase Why did I love this book?

I loved this author’s brilliant writing and also the sense of menace that oozes from every page. As each page turns, you delve deeper into mundane activities with family filled with the possibility of murder. Culminating in a clever ending, carrying out an everyday household task.

A very clever book that I’ve read time and time again. Even long into the night.

By Philippa Gregory,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A contemporary psychological thriller in the style of Ruth Rendell, from one of today's most versatile and compelling storytellers.

It was easy for Elizabeth. She married the man she loved, bore him two children and made a home for him which was the envy of their friends.

It was harder for Ruth. She married Elizabeth's son and then found that, somehow, she could never quite measure up...

Isolation, deceit and betrayal fill the gaps between the two individual women and between their different worlds. In this complex thriller, Philippa Gregory deploys all her insight into what women want and what…


Book cover of A Sight for Sore Eyes

Debbie Chase Why did I love this book?

I was intrigued by the twists and turns in this story. The writing is matter-of-fact, describing everyday events that culminate in a wonderfully unexpected ending.

I love the characters and, even though the main character is really not nice, I was drawn to him, realising that the influence of your parents, your upbringing, can affect who you are.

By Ruth Rendell,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Sight for Sore Eyes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A psychological thriller following Teddy Brex, a handsome, young autistic man who comes to the aid of Francine Hill, a beautiful young woman traumatised by the murder of her mother, and now stifled by the overprotectiveness of an obsessive stepmother; but Teddy has already committed two murders.


Book cover of Little Face

Debbie Chase Why did I love this book?

I was drawn to this book by the insight into the mind of a mother who swears that the child she sees is not her own, despite reassurances from her husband, friends, and doctors, who say it is.

I always feel a sense of heart-thumping dread as I read it. I want to help the mother, who nobody will listen to. I feel it is a great piece of suspenseful writing.  

By Sophie Hannah,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Little Face as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the Sunday Times 100 Best Crime Novels and Thrillers Since 1945

The first extraordinary psychological suspense thriller from internationally bestselling author Sophie Hannah. Not to be missed for readers of Clare Mackintosh and Paula Hawkins

'Terrifying' Scotsman
'Ingenious' Sunday Times

It's every mother's nightmare . . .

She's only been gone two hours.

Her husband David was meant to be looking after their two-week-old daughter. But when Alice Fancourt walks into the nursery, her terrifying ordeal begins, for Alice insists the baby in the cot is a stranger she's never seen before.

With an increasingly hostile and menacing…


Book cover of Case Histories

Debbie Chase Why did I love this book?

I recommend this book and the author’s fabulous writing, comprising of dread and humour (which I love), all rolled into one. Three separate case histories, interlinked, each littered with fabulous, memorable characters. Jackson Brodie, the Detective trying to solve the case, is one of the best, with brilliant detective skills and a haunting personal life.

An intriguing mix of family drama and mystery, giving it more depth than just an ordinary thriller. I have read this book many times, and it’s always new, never boring, and the ending is still a surprise.

By Kate Atkinson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Case Histories as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Case one: A little girl goes missing in the night. Case two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random attack. Case three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.Thirty years after the first incident, as private investigator Jackson Brodie begins investigating all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge ...


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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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