100 books like Wolf

I want to retire in Cooper’s Chase to join this wild bunch of retirees. Elderly Elizabeth leads an unruly and underestimated pack of pensioners who investigate murders. Elizabeth’s husband is losing the battle against dementia, so she treasures every second of time with him. She’s also the one person the others believe has killed as part of her previous work in MI-5.

Largely ignored by family, they band together, bickering all the way, to solve murders rather than face the boredom of waiting to die. They keep the local police on their toes, bend the rules, and play the ‘old person’ card in a heartbeat. Funny, poignant, and unexpected.

I am captivated by Gabby’s witty internal monologue and her unwanted contributions to investigations. Her refusal to back down from threats proves her strength and resilience.

Gabby St. Clair longs to complete her degree in forensic science, and while working as a crime scene cleaner, she uncovers clues. Fluent in sarcasm, Gabby says half of what she wants to say and adds a touch of humor and relatability to her underdog character. She yearns to complete her degree to become a licensed investigator. I am especially pleased the story has no porn or profanity.

I admire Kate for her strong sense of self. She accepts her outsider status as a strength.

Amish-raised Kate Burkholder becomes the sheriff of Painters Mill. With a foot in both the Amish and English communities, she is often treated as an outsider as she investigates crimes. The Amish give her the cold shoulder because she left the community, and some city leaders treat her poorly because she’s a woman. She tamps down her pride most of the time and occasionally wields her authority like a hammer to get the job done.

I recommend this book for its suspenseful pacing, fabulous characters, and resolute heroine who fights for justice despite extreme heartbreak and danger.

“Jack” and her husband Gabe are hired to break into buildings and computer networks to test their security systems, but one break-in goes sideways and turns deadly. Her courage is inspiring. “Jack” does an unusual job that is often mistaken for criminal activity.

I adore “Jack” because instead of collapsing into a pool of self-pity when her world falls apart, she draws strength to get justice against dangerous enemies.

Set in 1930s Singapore, written by one of the island country’s finest writers, this book features a most unlikely protagonist, SuLin, a young local girl hired as a nanny in the British Governor’s household.

Dealing with childhood polio, labeled a ‘bad-luck’ child, SuLin yearns for a life where she can become a journalist of her own standing, not just someone’s wife or mistress. Just like the other feisty women in these other series, she’s beset by challenges, including those of her own making, but she never gives up!

I’ve been a huge fan of Yu’s contemporary Aunty Lee series, set in contemporary Singapore, and I loved this one too. The descriptions of Singapore’s lush tropical landscape, the trees, and the food–especially the food–are too good to pass up.

I’m a huge sucker for stories involving teen girls and secrets—and no one handles this trope better than Tana French in this wildly atmospheric boarding school mystery.

A year after a boy’s found murdered at a secluded Irish school, a note appears on a bulletin board reading: “I know who killed him.” It’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.

I have not read as much fiction as I would like, but this book reminded me how important imagination can be in building ideas. Tokarczuk tells a wonderful story—part mystery, part fairytale—but what really hooked me was the permission she gives for us to consider the animals in the forest as important characters.

There is no anthropomorphism, just an understanding that nonhuman animals matter. I rarely re-read books, but I dive back into this when I have time!

Anthony Boucher straddles the history of both crime fiction and science fiction.

As the founding editor of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction he has an oversized role in the history of the genre. As a crime writer, he gave his name to the Anthony Awards, which are handed out every year at the annual Bouchercon.

His SF story “The Quest for Saint Aquin” is a classic. None of this, admittedly, has much to do with Rocket to the Morgue, Boucher’s roman-à-clef mystery set in pre-WW2 California in which the emerging world of science fiction comes to glorious life. A young L. Ron Hubbard makes an appearance, as do Robert A. Heinlein and the rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons.

The mystery matters less than the characters, who though moving under different names are all very much true to life.

In A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, everyone in Pippa’s small town knows that five years ago, Sal Singh murdered Andie Bell. But Pippa disagrees. For her senior project, she sets out to unravel the cold case of Andie’s murder. Narrated using media like police interviews, newspaper articles, and Pippa’s project notes, this book asks the question: Is something true just because everyone believes it? Read if you’re a justice seeker who loved Nancy Drew as a kid or if you’d totally open the locked basement door in a scary movie even though you know it’s a bad idea. 

I was already a fan of Clare Mackintosh’s standalone thrillers, but when I found out she was launching a police procedural series, I was so excited! Set in Wales, this compelling book stars the complex, courageous character of DC Ffion Morgan as she tries to get to the bottom of who killed Rhys Lloyd during his New Year’s Eve party and dumped his body in the freezing lake.

I won't reveal much about the plot itself because I want you to experience the twists and turns for yourself. I want your heart to pound like it wants to escape your chest. I want you to lose hours of sleep because 'one more chapter' turned into twenty. You'll order the next book faster than I can say 'no comment.'