Clued In: 10 of the Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2023 So Far

This is a great mystery in the “nothing good ever happens when you reluctantly return to your hometown” sub-genre. Del fled her ultra-religious hometown with its antiquated beliefs about life. Six years later, when the man she was supposed to marry dies, Del knows it wasn’t an accident. But returning home means going toe-to-toe with the town’s pastor and his ever-growing flock, who may be hiding a killer.

Cosby has proven himself one of today’s best thriller writers, and this may be his most intense, realistic crime book yet. A school shooting in Sheriff Titus Crown’s small town not only sparks racial tensions, but leads to him uncovering possibly the most insidious evil Crown has encountered in his law enforcement career. To find the source, he’ll have to face his past.

This is a twisty, turny novel about a socially awkward woman named Katrina who copes with the stress of her days by fixating on her co-worker, Kurt. Her secret interest in his life from afar is what she lives for these days. But when Kurt dies by suicide, he blames it on Katrina, blowing open the story, your mind, and what you thought you knew was going on.

Another great entry for the “don’t go back home” category is this exciting thriller! When Naomi was young, she survived a brutal attack while playing in the woods with her friends Cassidy and Olivia. The man responsible was caught and imprisoned. But over two decades later, the killer has died in prison, and Naomi is presented with new information that maybe he wasn’t responsible after all. As she searches for the truth, she discovers she can no longer trust her version of events.

This is a fun, Sherlockian space mystery — the first in a series. In the future, humans have colonized Jupiter. And when a man goes missing, Investigator Mossa is sent to find him. Her search leads her to the colony’s university — and her ex-girlfriend Pleti. As the two join forces to find the missing man, the sparks between them are rekindled. But the danger of their mission might snuff those sparks out — forever.

If you love historical fiction, check out this debut mystery set in Fiji in 1914! Akal Singh is a young Indian police sergeant assigned to Fiji as punishment after a professional embarrassment. When he is given what his boss thinks is an unworthy case, that of a missing indentured Indian woman, Singh is determined to prove himself capable of solving it. But his investigation will lead him into a world of colonialism and indentured servants within a racist power structure that provides suspects at the very top.

For fans of historical mysteries and/or Jane Austen comes this most agreeable mystery. (See what I did there?) Beatrice Steele is a bright young woman who is not interested in the restrictive conformity that society expects of women. While she secretly indulges her interest in true crime, her sister is getting ready to find a marriage match at the upcoming ball. But when the most eligible bachelor suddenly dies at the ball, the attendees are trapped together by a raging storm, and Beatrice sees her chance to play detective for real.