Lesa Holstine

Penny’s follow-up to A World of Curiosities plays on readers’ fears as she launches a new story arc that is completed in this installment but presents a cliffhanger. It’s a frightening novel of duality, of good versus evil, with an allegorical tale for today’s world, as only Penny can write.

The weather conditions are an essential component in this sequel to All We Buried. Readers who appreciate the strong woman police chief in Linda Castillo’s Kate Burkholder books or the vivid landscapes of Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire mysteries will appreciate Taylor’s riveting crime novel.

With its focus on books and book lovers, eccentric villagers and frauds, this first mystery from the author of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend is a delightful traditional, filled with fascinating characters. Those who escape to Louise Penny’s Three Pines might want to check out Great Diddling.

Three pros unite again (after The Lost Summers of Newport) for this fun, dramatic mystery with an exotic setting and delightful characters. Readers who recognize and like satire will enjoy.

The devastating crime novel will appeal to readers who appreciate tragic family stories and fans of Julia Keller’s Bell Elkins books.

Inspired by a real-life crime in Australia, the sixth DI Fawley novel is an intricate, carefully plotted police procedural comparable to the best of Ann Cleeves’s Vera novels or Louise Penny’s mysteries.

Check out these two cozy mysteries that celebrate theater.