A professor’s murder reveals his discovery of a lost Dead Sea Scroll, whose text encodes the secret hiding places of the lost Second Temple Treasures. Israeli intelligence agent Maya Rimon races against time to stop a religious extremist from launching a terrorist attack at the next Blood Moon, triggering the Apocalypse. The story centers around a genuine historical artifact, the Copper Scroll, whose secrets still remain undeciphered by contemporary scholars and treasure hunters.
Laced with clever spycraft, encrypted electronic files, mysterious ancient puzzles, plastique explosives, car chases, and Sherlockian ratiocination, The Deadly Scrolls explores the timely theme of fanaticism: among Christian millennialists, Jewish messianists, Islamic terrorists, Israeli politicians, Orthodox Jews, conspiracy theorists, devout Zionists—and spies. In other words, it’s a Jewish Da Vinci Code!
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This is a high-octane thriller that never lets you relax—and I enjoyed every thrilling minute of it. Beauregard Montage, the fastest driver you’ll ever meet in prose, tries to get ahead through one daring con after another, and has us rooting for him all the way. I loved the slick, urbane, Southern voice of the narrator, the dizzying pace of the narrative, and the heartfelt passion of all the characters. It’s a joy ride I’ll never forget!
Colson Whitehead takes us into the bowels of 1960s Harlem, where slick operators, ruthless conmen, and aspiring citizens rub shoulders. I liked Ray Carney as soon as I met him and felt bad that life kept tossing him curveballs. Like his cousin Freddie, who dragged him into a life of crime and high anxiety. The book is funny, poignant, fast-paced, and utterly absorbing. And the prose, like all of Whitehead’s writing, dazzles and delights.
I’d like to recommend the whole Shetland series by Ann Cleves, which has been made into a gripping TV series. But if I had to pick one book, it’s Red Bones, about an archaeological find of human remains on one of the Shetland Islands. What I most like about this series is the atmospheric vibes given off by the Shetland Islands, so remote and unfamiliar to most readers that it’s like traveling to a foreign planet. And Cleeves’ detective hero, Jimmy Perez, whose Spanish name immediately marks him as an exception to any rules on the islands, pursues his investigations with a singular integrity and humility that makes his success as a detective all the more remarkable.
When a young archaeologist discovers a set of human remains, the locals are intrigued. Is it an ancient find—or a more contemporary mystery? Then an elderly woman is fatally shot and Ann Cleeves's popular series detective Jimmy Perez is called in. As claustrophobic mists swirl around the island, Inspector Perez finds himself totally in the dark.
It’s great to find a first mystery novel written by an author who’s established himself previously in non-fiction. Like me, that is. The protagonist of this series, Tenzing Norbu, is a Tibetan monk turned cop turned private investigator, who brings his spiritual training to bear as he pursues bad guys. But Tenzing is no pious monastic. He loves cats (especially his own cat named Tank), beautiful women, cold beer, and fast-paced adventure. I love the combination of humor and action in the narrative, and the quirky character that Ten meets, employs, and captures. Definitely a different spin on the detective genre!
After watching Australia burn up recently from a series of catastrophic wildfires, I’ve come to appreciate what drought means Down-under. In this mystery, Jane Harper sets the narrative against a background of dry tinder, making the reader feel both parched and anxious. The writing is sophisticated and evocative. I don’t have to travel to Australia to feel that I’ve been there and witnessed its menace and charm.
5,309 authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about private investigators, murders, and New York State.
We think you will like A Line to Kill, Flowers Over the Inferno, and These Toxic Things: A Thriller if you like this list.
From Connie's list on the best traditional mysteries that evoke the golden age of detective fiction.
A Line to Kill is the third in the Detective Hawthorne series by Anthony Horowitz, creator of the TV series Foyle’s War and a screenwriter for the popular Midsomer Murders. Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his slow-witted, Captain-Hastings-like chronicler, Anthony Horowitz (yes, the author writes himself into the story) are invited to a literary festival on the tiny Channel island of Alderney. With a bizarre murder to solve, an island cut off from the mainland, a limited number of suspects, and a classic locked-room puzzle plot, Horowitz evokes the finest traditions of the Golden Age—with his own modern take and characteristic wit.
From Roz's list on the best books that are both dark and funny.
Set in a vividly described location in the Swiss Alps, Flowers Over the Inferno features a most refreshing protagonist. Teresa Battaglia is in her sixties, stocky, diabetic, and extremely grumpy. What’s not to like? The plot is dark, the location stunning, and the crimes intriguing, but it’s Teresa’s character that made it a stand-out book for me.
From Candace's list on the best thrilling mysteries with strong female leads.
Rachel Howzell Hall keeps the reader guessing in These Toxic Things. Her protagonist Mickie Lambert creates digital scrapbooks, but when her latest client ends up dead, she's determined to find out why someone wants the peculiar objects the woman had given Mickie to preserve. To find the answers, she ends up crossing paths with a serial killer. It's twisty fun, and Hall's characters are ones you won't forget.
