Best Mysteries & Thrillers of 2023

Jessica Knoll’s novel opens with an unwitting witness, Pamela Schumacher, who sees a murderer fleeing the scene of the crime. The novel presents two storylines — Pamela’s and another woman’s. Ruth Wachowsky has also had her life turned upside down and is certain the same man Pamela saw is responsible for murdering her girlfriend just a few years earlier. As the novel progresses, their storylines come together and race toward the novel’s climax. This book is compulsively readable, so be prepared to hunker down for a marathon reading session because you won’t want to put it down!

This is a great murder mystery, and since it’s set at the beach (on Fire Island), it’s a nice distraction from the chilly winter weather. This summer, the regular visitors come to town, bringing their marital issues, trying personalities, and dark desires with them. But this summer, something’s different; this summer, someone dies at the boardwalk, and it’s unclear whether it was an accident or a murder. As the plot thickens, the seemingly charming small town reveals itself to be full of awful characters.

Happiness Falls is a profound read. The premise is immediately gripping: Mia’s father has gone missing. More specifically, he was out for a walk with her younger brother Eugene when he went missing, and Eugene has a rare condition that prevents him from being able to speak. Of course, this makes for a great mystery since the one person who witnessed whatever happened is incapable of telling anyone what he saw. As the mystery unravels, the reader learns more about this fascinating family and their deep bonds to one another, all while the novel explores larger philosophical questions around the concept of happiness.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers again in this fascinating horror thriller that delves into the world of 1990s Mexican horror cinema. When best friends Montserrat and Tristán discover a past-his-prime filmmaker lives in Tristán’s building, they find themselves embroiled in a quest to reverse a legendary curse on an unfinished film. Somehow weaving together a solid mystery with cinema lore and Lovecraftian cosmic horror, Silver Nitrate is a fun and fascinating read.

Titus Crown is the new sheriff in town, but the town is a small one rife with racism, religious conservatism, and a serial killer who’s been targeting Black youth. When a school shooting rocks the community, it’s going to take all of Titus’ extensive experience as an FBI agent to mete out justice and balance the racism that seems to come at him from all sides. Not to mention, you know, catching that serial killer before it’s too late.

If a novel of manners and a murder mystery had a love child, this book would be the result. It’s already been likened to both Jane Austen’s work and the Sherlock Holmes story world, which should tell you a lot. Beatrice Steele is our unconventional heroine, being more concerned with crime than high society. As it would happen, when she and her family attend the fashionable autumnal ball, two murders occur, and it’s time for Beatrice to put her detective skills to work in order to prevent the killer from striking again.

Fair warning: this is the 4th book in the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mysteries series. That being said, like many mystery series, it works as a standalone — although you get great depth from the ongoing character development if you’ve read the previous three books. Lila’s wacky aunties have landed themselves in a heap of trouble (not for the first time) as the grand opening of their new laundromat approaches. When their new employee — one of the aunties’ nieces is found dead, the police are stumped. It’s up to Lila and her ragtag crew of friends and family to figure out whodunnit before things can spiral even more out of control. Oh, and keep some quality baked goods on hand while you read; otherwise, Manansala’s trademark inclusion of Filipinx fusion bakery offerings will have you running to the nearest bakery.