Mystery & Suspense

Mystery novels can be some of the most entertaining books. When the main character is a likable detective, the mystery is suspenseful and the pace is fast, I often want more when the book is done. That's why a series is so great! There is always another mystery for your favorite detective to solve.

Angels and Demons is Dan's Brown first Robert Langdon thriller. Angels takes place chronologically before The Da Vinci Code and also involves a conspiracy within the Catholic church.

A Most Wanted Man is a spy thriller from John Le Carre.

Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge was first released just in time for summer. Does Beach Road make the perfect beach read? Has James Patterson lived up to his reputation as the master of suspense in Beach Road? Read this review to find out.

Beat the Reaper is Josh Bazell's debut novel about an ex-mafia hit man who is now an Emergency Room doctor.

The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy is an exquisitely written book of murder and obsession that takes the true details of the unsolved 1947 Elizabeth Short murder and creates a fictional story of a police detective determined to solve the case.

Book of the Dead is the concluding volume of a trilogy of coauthors Preston and Child's Holmesian hero, FBI agent Aloysius Pendergast, ever against his Mycroft-turned-Moriarty -- his younger brother, Diogenes.

John Grisham's latest novel, The Confession, is a legal thriller with a serious purpose. Grisham focuses on the death penalty system in Texas, telling the story of a young man on death row for a crime he claims he didn't commit and a parolee three states away who confesses to a pastor that he committed that murder.

Cross by James Patterson is the next book in Patterson's successful Alex Cross detective series. In Cross, Alex searches for "the Butcher," a ruthless killer who is linked to his wife's murder.

The Cut is the first book in a new series of thrillers by George Pelecanos.

Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson is the 13th in the Goldy Bear series. "Dark Tort" refers to both a legal wrong (a tort) and a sinful chocolate confection (a torte). Find out whether Dark Tort is the cozy, culinary mystery you have been looking for.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has swept the world. Is this bestseller worth your time? Find out here.

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris is the eleventh book in the Southern Vampire Series starring Sookie Stackhouse.

Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. The HBO TV series True Blood is based on Dead Until Dark.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is final book of Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy (and sadly, the last book of his career), which picks up immediately after the end of the second book, The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Can a hero become a devil? Can a devil become a hero? Are we comfortable with our soldiers at home? Or do we want to keep our violent heroes on a podium only when they do what they do on foreign soil? These questions begin the narrative of Chuck Hogan’s newest novel, Devils in Exile.

Flashback by Dan Simmons is a thriller that takes place in a dystopian future where almost everyone is addicted to a drug that allows them to relive the best times in their lives.

The Girl Who Played With Fire is the second book in Stieg Larsson's "Millenium" trilogy, picking up a year or so after the ending of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Stieg Larsson’s debut novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a runaway bestseller in his native Sweden, and its English translation just hit our shores. Difficult to categorize, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mystery-crime novel, but defies the conventions of the genre.

In Hollywood Crows a beautiful woman is frightened of her husband. Her plight (and looks) capture the attention of two LAPD Community Relations Officers or "crows." Wambaugh’s novel is as much about the work of these crows as it is about the beautiful woman.

Hollywood Station by Jospeh Wambaugh is a suspenseful novel that trails a group of LAPD cops on routine patrols as well as more harrowing pursuits of criminals.

Jennifer Lee Carrell, an English literature scholar, has taken a Da Vinci Code approach to Shakespeare: what if Shakespeare wrote another, undiscovered play, whose plot contained political secrets that are key parts of British history?

Iron House by John Hart is a thriller with many threads. Find out if it is worth reading.

Judge & Jury by James Patterson and Andrew Gross is a thriller about a mafia boss on trial, the FBI agent who has tracked him for years, and a jury members who becomes more involved in the case than she would have preferred. Judge & Jury is packed with action (often very violent) and moves quickly. Patterson fans will find it an entertaining read, but not as good as some of his other books.

Legend by Marie Lu is the first book in a young adult trilogy about a future totalitarian society that exists where the United States used to be.

Here is a review of The Litigators by John Grisham.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is Brown's third Robert Langdon thriller. In Brown's first two Langdon books -- Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code -- Langdon uncovered conspiracies within the Catholic church that involved art and science. Find out whether Dan Brown's latest book lives up to The Da Vinci Code.

In 'Lush Life,' Richard Price tackles the urban jungle and urban family of New York City with empathy and charismatic insight, whether he’s acknowledging the police, stickup boys, drug dealers, shop owners, hipsters or whoever else walks the city sprawl.

Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever by James Patterson is the second book in Patterson's young adult fiction series, Maximum Ride. Find out what Maximum Ride is all about and whether Maximum Ride 2: School's Out - Forever is a book worth reading. This is your source for Maximum Ride information.

If you haven’t heard of detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, it’s not too late. Before Dennis Lehane became a world-class author with books like Mystic River and The Given Day, he started a crime series with Kenzie and Gennaro, partners and lovers who run their own private eye business. The first in the series was 1999’s Prayer for Rain....

Summer reading in the fall. That’s what Carl Hiaasen has served us with in Nature Girl. A silly, sweaty, sex-filled slapstick romp through the everglades with the endearingly nutty Honey Santana.

Next by Michael Crichton addresses the subject of genes and deals with genetic engineering on a more human level than some of Crichton's previous novels. Crichton brings up some provocative dilemmas dealing with the subversive topic of genetic testing and ownership.

In this review, find out whether Nightwoods by Charles Frazier lives up to Cold Mountain.

Nobody Move by National Book Award-winning author Denis Johnson takes on American noir.

As the saying goes, one good turn deserves another. The title of Kate Atkinson’s novel, One Good Turn, could describe the way that one character’s Good Samaritan behavior leads to him being robbed, mistakenly identified as a murder victim, and more. His is only one of several plot threads this novel, which is a suspenseful journey through the underworld of Edinburgh.

Our Kind of Traitor is a spy novel by John le Carre. Find out how this post-Cold War tale lives up to his classic books.

Sleepless by Charlie Huston is set in postapocalyptic Los Angeles.

The Terror of Living by Urban Waite is a debut thriller.

Kate Atkinson' latest book, When Will There Be Good News?, revisits the same characters and offers the same precise, insightful writing combined with a heart-stopping thriller plotlines as her previous two thrillers.

The Contemporary Literature Guide weighs in on the February 2006 James Patterson release.