Some books demand your full attention from the very first line and we know where to find the best page-turners that were built to keep you guessing and leave you breathless! Even better? You can sample the first chapter of every single one of the following books by downloading your FREE copy of BookTrib’s Lit Picks. Test-drive the chaos, meet the suspects and decide which story you’re ready to obsess over next.
From a Southern crime simmering with secrets, to a medical thriller where hearts are literally deadly, to a queer Elizabethan sleuth racing to foil an assassination, to a devilish reimagining of Sherlock Holmes’ greatest foe … get ready for entertainment galore.
Ready for your next obsession?
Dead Man Blues by S. D. House
Two grisly murders, a small town on the Kentucky-Tennessee border and a disgraced former mayor who has nothing left to lose … Dead Man Blues grabs you by the collar and doesn’t ease up. Dave Hendricks was once a respected man in Shady Grove, but after his wife left him for his best friend — the current sheriff — his life unraveled. Now, with nothing but his dog and houseboat, Hendricks works odd jobs and listens to the blues, waiting for the world to forget him.
But the world doesn’t. When two bodies turn up on Cedar Lake, the town’s fragile peace is shattered. Hendricks is pulled back into the orbit of Victor Burns, the sheriff who betrayed him, as they reluctantly team up to solve the case. The investigation forces Hendricks to confront the wreckage of his past even as danger presses in from every side.
This is Southern crime fiction at its most atmospheric! Perfect for readers who devour Attica Locke and Wiley Cash, Dead Man Blues is both a portrait of a man haunted by loss and a razor-edged mystery that keeps tightening its grip.
Change of Heart by Cristina LePort, M.D.
In New York City, a promising pre-med student, Amy Winter, is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Her heart continues to beat, destined for another life, but her death sparks far more than grief — it unravels a conspiracy rooted in the shadowy world of organ trafficking.
Detective Kirk Miner is first on the case, only to discover that the crime is bigger, darker and more dangerous than it appears. Soon, FBI Agent Jack Mulville and Special Agent Charlotte Bloom join the investigation and together the trio peel back layers of corruption, betrayal and greed. Each step closer to the truth brings new risks, not only to their lives but to their sense of justice, as they face the unsettling reality of a system where even human hearts can be commodities.
LePort, herself a physician, blends razor-sharp medical insight with breakneck pacing, delivering a thriller that is as chilling as it is authentic. Change of Heart is more than a crime story — it is a heart-pounding exploration of medicine, morality and the cost of saving lives when powerful people will kill to protect their secrets.
To Kill a Queen by Amie McNee
Elizabethan London is all shadows and secrets, where power can turn deadly in an instant. Jack, the queer heir to a notorious crime lord, has tried to leave behind the grime of the streets by turning to justice instead of theft. But when an attempt is made on Queen Elizabeth I’s life, he is dragged into a mystery that could either redeem him or destroy him.
With only a coroner, a barmaid with a dangerous secret and his own underworld connections to help, Jack follows a trail that grows darker by the day. Informants turn up dead, every clue dissolves just as it appears solid, and the question of who can truly be trusted hangs over every choice he makes.
Rich with tension, danger and a touch of romance, To Kill a Queen blends history with intrigue in irresistible fashion. McNee delivers a story that is as much about survival and identity as it is about murder.
The Return of Moriarty by Jack Anderson
What happens when the world’s most infamous criminal outlives his greatest enemy? After surviving Reichenbach Falls and assuming the identity of wealthy inventor Hugo Strahm, James Moriarty seeks refuge at Schloss Alber, a cliffside manor in Bavaria where family feuds and old secrets fester.
For Clara Mendel, a medical student returning to her childhood home, Schloss Alber is nearly unrecognizable — its halls haunted by greed, grudges and a priceless heirloom that has thrown her family into disarray. The household brims with suspicion, from the domineering Lord Alber to his strange children, the cantankerous butler, and now the enigmatic “Hugo Strahm.” When a poisoning shatters the uneasy peace, every resident becomes both suspect and potential victim.
Moriarty joins forces with Clara to unravel the mystery, but his methods are far from Holmes’s. He has no interest in justice, only survival and strategy and his brilliance is matched only by his moral ambiguity.
Dark, atmospheric and deliciously clever, The Return of Moriarty reimagines the Holmes legacy through fresh eyes.
