Love With Our Blessing? Readers share 100 books like With Our Blessing...

By Jo Spain,

Here are 100 books that With Our Blessing fans have personally recommended if you like With Our Blessing. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Remember Me

Ellen Won Steil Author Of Fortune

From my list on satisfying your dark, suspense craving.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always loved dark stories. There is something especially human about being lured by that part of us we bury. How secret desires and thoughts get teased out in ways we donā€™t really experience in real life. Which is why I write suspense novels. Sometimes you just want to go there! Here are some books that I find hit that fix.

Ellen's book list on satisfying your dark, suspense craving

Ellen Won Steil Why did Ellen love this book?

Iā€™m going even further back with this one. Unusual pick certainly, a YA novel from 1989 that I stole off my sisterā€™s shelf circa 1994.

I was ten and ready for something darker than The Baby-Sitters Club. This was one of those early reads that made me want to write in the first place. The first real suspense book that had me staying up late, wondering how does one create a story like this? I still have that book, tattered and sitting on my shelf as a reminder of that first spark.

Christopher Pike is able to write stories to young readers in a timeless way. The nostalgia and sheer thrill from this story about a young woman who finds herself dead after falling four stories will bring you back to nights with covers over your head. Did she jump or was something more sinister behind her death? Only herā€¦

By Christopher Pike,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Remember Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13.

What is this book about?

In this harrowing thriller from bestselling author Christopher Pike, a teen girl must solve the mystery of her own murder before the killer strikes again.

After a night spent out with friends, Shari Cooper wakes up in her bed not sure how she got home. And things only get stranger when her family acts like sheā€™s not even there. Nothing Shari says gets a response and nothing she does can get someone to even glance at her. Then the hospital calls.

Shariā€™s mom starts to cry. The blood drains from her dadā€™s face. And still no one will tell herā€¦


Book cover of The Secret Place

Elka Ray Author Of A Friend Indeed

From my list on Friends hiding dark and dirty secrets.

Why am I passionate about this?

I moved around non-stop as a kid, attending a dozen schools by age eleven. As a result, once I stayed put long enough to make real friends, I stuck to them like glitter glue. As a reader and writer, I canā€™t get enough stories about female friendships, whether rock-solid or fraying. My latest novel involves childhood friends whose loyalty is stretched like a pair of latex gloves yanked off at a crime scene. The book grew out of a meme I saw on Facebook, captioned: ā€œReal friends help you hide the bodiesā€. My first thought was: who would I help? Straight off, I thought of my oldest friends.

Elka's book list on Friends hiding dark and dirty secrets

Elka Ray Why did Elka love this book?

Iā€™m a huge sucker for stories involving teen girls and secretsā€”and no one handles this trope better than Tana French in this wildly atmospheric boarding school mystery.

A year after a boyā€™s found murdered at a secluded Irish school, a note appears on a bulletin board reading: ā€œI know who killed him.ā€ Itā€™s soon clear that a lot of the girls know something. What though?

I love the dark academia vibe, the claustrophobia, and the girls, so close-knit and determined. This is a gorgeously written tale of friendship, loyalty, lies, and betrayal, just buzzing with witchy teen energy.

By Tana French,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

"An absolutely mesmerizing read. . . . Tana French is simply this: a truly great writer." -Gillian Flynn

Read the New York Times bestseller by Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher and "the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years" (The Washington Post).

A year ago a boy was found murdered at a girls' boarding school, and the case was never solved. Detective Stephen Moran has been waiting for his chance to join Dublin's Murder Squad when sixteen-year-old Holly Mackey arrives in his office with a photo of the boy with the caption:ā€¦


Book cover of In the Woods

Kirk Russell Author Of Wolf Tracks

From my list on strong mood and vibe from the first page.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have just written my twelfth novel and quite possibly my last. Iā€™ve returned to where my heart is. My first five crime novels came about through the generous help of some undercover California wildlife agents. Now, in a sense, Iā€™m back where I started, except that my latest book is also a love story. We make plenty of mistakes in life, some much worse than others. My characters deal with them in their own way. I can understand that, and I like that. And hey, thereā€™s always the possibility of redemption.

Kirk's book list on strong mood and vibe from the first page

Kirk Russell Why did Kirk love this book?

I remember summers growing up when we were out of the house seeking freedom from parents as we streamed toward our teenage years, so I can identify with this storyā€™s start. Weā€™d follow deer trails through brush and trees to spots up in the hills weā€™d claimed as our own. This book begins with a prologue made vivid with three children and Tana Frenchā€™s gorgeous prose.

The children go up and over a rock wall and into ā€œA summer full-throated and extravagant in a hot pure silk skin blueā€¦your tongue tasting of chewed blades of long grass, your own clean sweatā€¦ā€ ā€œā€¦long slow twilight and mothers silhouetted in doorwaysā€¦ā€ and the haunted last sentence, ā€œThese children will not be coming of age, this or any other summer.ā€

By Tana French,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked In the Woods as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The bestselling debut, with over a million copies sold, that launched Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher and "the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years" (The Washington Post).

"Required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting." -The New York Times

Now airing as a Starz series.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find onlyā€¦


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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctorā€”and only womanā€”on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route upā€¦

Book cover of The Trespasser

Bella DePaulo Author Of Single at Heart: The Power, Freedom, and Heart-Filling Joy of Single Life

From my list on joyfull single people at heart.

Why am I passionate about this?

For too long, single life has been characterized as a lesser life. As a 70-year-old who has been happily single my whole life, I want that to end. As I said in my book, ā€œIn the enlightened world that I envision, every child will understand, as a matter of course, that living single is a life path that can be just as joyful and fulfilling as any otherā€”and for some people, the best path of all. Every adult will forsake forever the temptation to pity or patronize single people and will instead appreciate the profound rewards of single life." 

Bella's book list on joyfull single people at heart

Bella DePaulo Why did Bella love this book?

In Tana Frenchā€™s brilliant crime novel, a single woman and a single man are detectives who are passionate about the work they do together investigating murders. Their banter is adorned with astute and irreverent commentaries on the ways in which couples flaunt their coupledom and expect single people to stay in their place. 

The detectivesā€™ relationship is complex, real, and deep. It is a friendship, and in a true tribute to friendship, it does not morph into romance.

By Tana French,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

The bestselling novel by Tana French, author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher, is "required reading for anyone who appreciates tough, unflinching intelligence and ingenious plotting" (The New York Times). She "inspires cultic devotion in readers" (The New Yorker) and is "the most important crime novelist to emerge in the past 10 years" (The Washington Post).

"Atmospheric and unputdownable." -People


In bestselling author Tana French's newest "tour de force" (The New York Times), being on the Murder Squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Her partner, Stephen Moran, is the only person who seems glad she'sā€¦


Book cover of Desert Star

Stephen J. Gordon Author Of In the Name of God: A Gidon Aronson Thriller

From my list on thrillers for intriguing characters and backgrounds.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love a story filled with interesting characters and a plot that reels me in. I know how challenging it is to construct a plotline and create breadcrumbs (not too many, so the solution isnā€™t obvious)ā€“all driven by intriguing characters. I am also a sucker for the ā€œgood guysā€ winning but with no guarantees. The characters must have depth, and I want to learn something new about a situation I am unfamiliar with or how a great story is told.

Stephen's book list on thrillers for intriguing characters and backgrounds

Stephen J. Gordon Why did Stephen love this book?

I love realistic heroes who are fallible yet, to their core, have a sense of morals. Throw in the verisimilitude of police procedurals (or military), plus a good mystery, and youā€™ve got me. Author Michael Connelly has juxtaposed an aging main character, retired LA Detective Harry Bosch, with a younger LA detective, RenĆ©e Ballard. In the old-school, patriarchal LAPD, Ballard had quite a challenge conducting the detective work she was passionate about.

Iā€™m impressed with the three-dimensional characters of the two generations, each equally dedicated to getting justice in the cases theyā€™re working on. Connelly's Bosch is far from perfect, and Ballard, the rising next-gen, are two characters I am compelled to follow.

By Michael Connelly,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

LAPD detective RenĆ©e Ballard and Harry Bosch team up to hunt the brutal killer who is Boschā€™s ā€œwhite whaleā€ā€”a man responsible for the murder of an entire family.

A year has passed since LAPD detective RenĆ©e Ballard quit the force in the face of misogyny, demoralization, and endless red tape. But after the chief of police himself tells her she can write her own ticket within the department, Ballard takes back her badge, leaving ā€œthe Late Showā€ to rebuild and lead the cold case unit at the elite Robbery-Homicide Division.

For years, Harry Bosch has been working a case thatā€¦


Book cover of Bluebird, Bluebird

Susan Bickford Author Of A Short Time To Die

From my list on great writing with crime writers of color.

Why am I passionate about this?

When I was participating on a crime fiction panel in 2022, we were all asked to recommend books, and I was struck that none of us mentioned a book by a writer of color. Since I knew there were many excellent books by writers of color, I felt this was something I needed to fix. This past summer I decided to make a concerted effort to read more books by writers of color/#OwnVoices, and looked to members of Crime Writers of Color as a starting point. Encouraged by that very exciting read, I went to Bouchercon in Minneapolis where the association Crime Writers of Color was actively promoting the works of their members.

Susan's book list on great writing with crime writers of color

Susan Bickford Why did Susan love this book?

Edgar Award-winner Bluebird, Bluebird, is the first in the Jay Porter Series. Black Texas Ranger, Jay Porter, tried to escape East Texas and become a lawyer, but his home and people clawed him back. Jay is on the verge of losing his prestigious job, his reputation in tatters, when he heads to a tiny rural town to investigate the death of a visiting Black lawyer from Chicago and the seemingly separate death of a local white woman. Locke deftly reveals how the persistent stain of racism continues to poison many facets of life, while the law enforcement hierarchies and jurisdictional infighting threaten to undo Jayā€™s best efforts.

By Attica Locke,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

Winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award 2018
2018 Edgar Award Winner for best novel

When it comes to law and order, East Texas plays by its own rules - a fact that Darren Mathews, a black Texas Ranger working the backwoods towns of Highway 59, knows all too well. Deeply conflicted about his home state, he was the first in his family to get as far away from Texas as he could. Until duty called him back.

So when allegiance to his roots puts his job in jeopardy, he travels up Highway 59 to the small townā€¦


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Book cover of The Ballad of Falling Rock

The Ballad of Falling Rock by Jordan Dotson,

Truth told, folks still ask if Saul Crabtree sold his soul for the perfect voice. If he sold it to angels or devils. A Bristol newspaper once asked: ā€œAre his love songs closer to heaven than dying?ā€ Others wonder how he wrote a song so sad, everyone who heard itā€¦

Book cover of The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side

Monique Gliozzi Author Of Facets of the Past: No Dark Deed Goes Unpunished

From my list on combining the paranormal and psychopathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in Dublin, and being the daughter of a diplomat afforded me to experience different cultures. Since childhood my fascination with the unknown caused me to gravitate towards stories related to hauntings. I shared this interest with my maternal grandparents, who contributed to my education by telling me ghost stories (some true whilst others are fictional). Tales of haunted castles were my favorite, which is reflected in my book. In later life, my own experiences with the paranormal cemented the notion of the unexplained and the thin veil between us and those departed.

Monique's book list on combining the paranormal and psychopathy

Monique Gliozzi Why did Monique love this book?

What I loved about this book (which was also adapted into a film starring Elisabeth Taylor) was my first exposure to a female murderer. I liked the backstory of what motivated this woman to kill a seemingly innocent person at a party. Being a psychiatrist myself, my fascination with women who kill has inspired me to create a fictional serial killer in some of my own works.

Furthermore, the importance of a womanā€™s innate desire to become a mother when robbed of such happiness added to my interest in womenā€™s psychopathology on how horrific memories of the past leave an imprint that can haunt us forever.

By Agatha Christie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A movie star A deadly cocktail A murder

When glamorous Marina Gregg came to live in St Mary Mead, tongues were sure to wag.

But, with a local gossip's sudden death, has one tongue wagged a bit too much?

As the police chase false leads, and two more victims meet untimely ends, Miss Marple starts to ask her own questions.

What secrets might link a peaceful English village and a star of the silver screen?

Never underestimate Miss Marple

'Christie's ingenious plots and fiendish twists set the bar for all of us who follow in her footsteps.'
Ruth Ware

'Theā€¦


Book cover of The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder

Kate Hilton Author Of Bury the Lead

From my list on amateur detective novels that keep you laughing while they keep you guessing.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve loved murder mysteries since childhood, and during the pandemicā€“when reading became a challengeā€“I returned to my first literary love, binging on one mystery series after another. Eventually, I decided to write one with my friend Elizabeth Renzetti. Itā€™s been the most enjoyable writing experience either of us has had. Iā€™ve written three other published novels, and I have a day job as a therapist (I like to think this helps with realistic characterization, but it also pays the bills). I write humor because I like to have fun at work, and I appreciate a good laugh when Iā€™m reading.

Kate's book list on amateur detective novels that keep you laughing while they keep you guessing

Kate Hilton Why did Kate love this book?

Freya Lockwood is one relatable sleuthā€“middle-aged, divorced, empty-nesting, and wondering how her dreams for herself have vanished after passing through the meat grinder of adulthood.

I love the themes of estrangement from oneself and others in this debut cozy mystery, as well as the deep dive into the shadowy world of antiques trading from an author with significant personal experience in the field. 

By C. L. Miller,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'A bold, bright and delightful jaunt back to the golden age of detective fiction' Janice Hallett

'A delicious read - who could resist a treasure hunt with murder at its core?' SJ Bennett

'It's a delight!' Katie Fforde

What antique would you kill for?
Freya, it's down to you to finish what I started . . .

Freya Lockwood has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last 20 years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and Freya's estranged mentor, has died . . . and the circumstances seem suspicious.

Youā€¦


Book cover of The Appeal

Jinny Alexander Author Of Claude, Gord, Alice, and Maud

From my list on an unusual take on traditional cozy mystery.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™ve always adored mysteries. My dad has the entire collection of Agatha Christie books, but even before I read those, I worked through his ancient original hardbacks of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books and the less well-known Malcolm Saville Lone Pine series. I love getting totally engrossed in a series, so I really get to BE the main characterā€“I am one of four siblings, and when I wasnā€™t too busy reading, we were the Famous Five. I was George. I think I still am, to be perfectly honestā€“she was fiery, passionate, loved her dog, and wanted to serve justice and out the bad guys. What a role model!

Jinny's book list on an unusual take on traditional cozy mystery

Jinny Alexander Why did Jinny love this book?

This book was such fun to read! It's really unusual in that it's told entirely by letters, emails, and text messages. It has no chapters and invites lots of flicking pages back and forth to go back and check things, so it's super interactive (I was glad I got the paperback!). I really liked that most of the characters are unlikeable, and none of them seem to like each other very much, either. I LOVE unlikeable characters.

On top of that, much of the information they give in the letters is unreliable at best or completely untrue at worst. This book is a murder mystery, but it takes ages to find out who's dead, and by the time I found out, I'd wanted most of the characters to have been killed offā€“they really are a nasty lot! This book was totally original and very clever, and I adored it fromā€¦

By Janice Hallett,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
Winner of the CWA New Blood Dagger Award

ā€œ[W]itty, originalā€¦a delight.ā€ ā€”The New York Times

Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lisa Jewell, this international bestseller and ā€œdazzlingly cleverā€ (The Sunday Times, London) murder mystery follows a community rallying around a sick childā€”but when escalating lies lead to a dead body, everyone is a suspect.

The Fairway Players, a local theatre group, is in the midst of rehearsals when tragedy strikes the family of director Martin Hayward and his wife Helen, the playā€™s star. Their young granddaughter has been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, andā€¦


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Book cover of The Ascent

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga,

When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governorā€™s daughter must team up if theyā€™re going to escape in this "jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping" (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) USA Today bestselling thriller from Adam Plantinga.

Book cover of I Have Some Questions for You

Polly Stewart Author Of The Good Ones

From my list on fast-paced mysteries with a strong sense of place.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m the author of the novel The Good Ones, published by Harper Books earlier this year. I grew up in a beautiful and somewhat isolated part of the country, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and itā€™s still my favorite place to set my fiction. When I began writing crime fiction, I knew I wanted to balance telling compelling stories with creating a sense of place and interesting characters to inhabit it, and Iā€™ve learned so much from these writers about how to do that. 

Polly's book list on fast-paced mysteries with a strong sense of place

Polly Stewart Why did Polly love this book?

I love all of Rebecca Makkaiā€™s work, but this novel, published earlier this year, absolutely blew me away.

Makkai is adept at keeping the pages turning, but it wasnā€™t just the story of podcaster Bodie Kane and the murder of her high school classmate that drew me in as much as the atmosphere. The novel is set in a New England winter, and Makkai does a fantastic job of using the darkness and isolation of the season to create thematic resonance.

Iā€™ve only been to New England a few times and donā€™t know it well at all, but this novel makes me feel like Iā€™ve been there.

By Rebecca Makkai,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked I Have Some Questions for You as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FOR OPRAH DAILY, TIME, NPR, USA TODAY, BUSTLE, STAR TRIBUNE, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND MORE**

'Whip-smart and uncompromising' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

'Quietly riveting' IRISH TIMES

'It's the perfect crime' NEW YORKER

'Impressive and complex' GUARDIAN

'Addictive' OPRAH DAILY

The riveting new novel from the author of The Great Believers, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award

A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past: the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the 1995 murderā€¦


Book cover of Remember Me
Book cover of The Secret Place
Book cover of In the Woods

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