Looking for suspense? Shocking twists? Devilishly well-crafted plots? With titles full of the cryptic, covert and clandestine, it really is no mystery where to find criminally good books this month — simply look below! From crime thrillers to true crime stories to cosy whodunnits, we’ve got all you crime connoisseurs out there covered…
Gone at Midnight: The Mysterious Death of Elisa Lam by Jake Anderson
(9780806540054, published 28/07/2022, Citadel, p/b, £14.99)
The true story behind one of the strangest mysteries that became a viral internet sensation. When Elisa Lam’s naked body is discovered in a rooftop hotel water tank, one main question was asked by tens of millions: was the cause murder, suicide, or paranormal activity? From writer, investigative journalist, and creator of the popular website The Ghost Diaries, Jake Anderson brings us Gone At Midnight. A gripping disclosure of Elisa Lam’s case, Anderson shares his own investigation into Elisa Lam, presenting reverberating evidence that could reopen one of the most notoriously unsolved chilling crime cases.
The Betrayer: How and Undercover Unit Infiltrated The Global Drug Trade
by Guy Stanton with Peter Walsh
(9781908479969, published 21/07/2022, Milo Books, p/b, £8.99)
After years of dangerous undercover work as a drug investigator, Guy Stanton tells the eye-opening true story of his operation infiltrating the top of global organised crime. An astounding journey moving shipments across four continents, encountering warlords, drug barons and cocaine cartels, fake identity phenomenon ‘Stanton’ leads a shocking covert investigation whilst living on a dangerous razor’s edge.
Godless: A Bloodlines Novel by SLMN
(9781954220126, available now, Kingston Imperial, p/b, £12.99)
From the New York Times bestselling author SLMN comes Godless, a thrilling crime fiction novel set around organised crime in West Africa. The Onisagbe and Awon Woli are cinched in a decade-long violent battle for dominance over Freetown. Over the struggle and blood spill, Awon Woli abducts the Onisagbe leader’s daughter for sacrifice, instigating a war where the cost is high and the price will be paid in blood.
The Bitter Taste of Murder: A Tuscan Mystery by Camilla Trinchieri
(9781641293709, published 14/07/2022, Soho Press, p/b, £8.99)
In this enthralling follow-up to the critically-acclaimed Murder in Chianti in A Tuscan Mystery series, Nico Doyle returns to investigate the murder of an influential wine critic. Full of poison, peril and Italian panache, Trinchieri provides another intensely enjoyable murder mystery set against the gorgeous Italian backdrop of Tuscany.
Castle Deadly, Castle Deep by Veronica Bond
(9780593335901, available now, Berkley, p/b, £7.99)
How would you find a killer if all your suspects are professionally trained actors? Set in the creepily staged catacombs of Castle Dark, this entertainingly fun mystery follows Nora Blake as she investigates a murder at a theatre show. With the victim appearing strangely innocent, danger still lurks as Nora endeavours to prevent another killing.
A Cold Nose for Murder by Jennifer Hawkins
(9780593197127, available now, Berkley, p/b, £7.99)
The third release in the Chatty Corgi Mystery Series, this is another delightful novel featuring loveable characters Oliver the Corgi and Emma. Set in a snug Cornish village, Oliver and Emma find themselves prime suspects when a skeleton is found underneath the local pub. A captivating mystery with a talking corgi and a charismatic crime-solving pair, this novel continues to uphold the brilliant series.
Death by Bubble Tea by Jennifer J. Chow
(9780593336533, available now, Berkley, p/b, £7.99)
Award-nominated author Jennifer J. Chow brings us the first novel in a fresh cosy mystery series set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles’ night markets, weaving in plenty of delicious Chinese dishes. When Yale Yee’s cousin Celine visits from Hong Kong, she is less than pleased to be her personal tour guide. However, when they run a food stall at Eastwood Village Night Market, they work surprisingly well, with their bubble tea selling like hot cakes. However, when a customer winds up poisoned from the tea, Yale and Celine must find the murderer before they end up taking the real killer’s place in jail.
The Paper Caper by Kate Carlisle
(9780593201466, Out 28/07/2022, Berkley, h/b, £22.99)
The latest instalment of the bestselling Bibliophile Mysteries series, Brooklyn Wainwright returns as she hunts a killer at the Mark Twain festival in Georgia. Witty, intriguing, and highly engaging, this is another fantastic addition to Carlisle’s popular series.
A Perilous Pal by Laura Bradford
(9780593334782, available now, Berkley, p/b, £7.99)
From USA Today bestselling author Laura Bradford comes another sleuthing spectacular in A Friend for Hire mystery series. A feisty entrepreneur protagonist Emma Westlake, a fun concept for a business and a high-stakes case in which she finds herself the lone suspect of murder, this cosy mystery is sure to sharpen your own detective skills and keep you on your toes to find the killer!
A Poisonous Page by Kitt Crowe
(9781643859200, Out 14/07/2022, Crooked Lane Books, h/b, £22.99)
How can it be murder when the death appears to be of natural causes? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence when it keeps happening? Catching a murderer who leaves no evidence at the scene of the crime is a predicament that becomes more urgent and sinister when Lexi’s friend Dash becomes prime suspect… Lexi and her delightful collie Cookie are on the case again in this second instalment of the Sweet Fiction Bookshop mystery series.
A Scone of Contention by Lucy Burdette
(9781643859590, Out 14/07/2022, Crooked Lane Books, p/b, £14.99)
Lucy Burdette’s bestselling Key West Food Critic Mystery series is back again with its eleventh novel! Food critic Haley Snow and her new husband Nathan are whisked from Florida to Scotland on their long-awaited honeymoon. Surrounded by Nathan’s family, she starts to feel at home, until a tour with her sister-in-law Vera and her friends ends with one of the guests dead from poison. Though Vera and her friends deny knowing the victim, Haley suspects more is afoot, fearing more than just her honeymoon might be ruined…
Peppermint Barked by Leslie Budewitz
(9781645060543, Out 21/07/2022, Crooked Lane Books, p/b, £14.99)
Award-winning author Leslie Budewitz mixes her love of mystery, food and Seattle in this riveting cosy murder mystery with a Dickensian theme. When a young woman is viciously attacked in Pepper’s friend’s wine shop, Pepper becomes suspicious of a past ghost rising and rattling its chains towards its victims. Yet Pepper becomes more entangled in the case than she thought when she finds herself the victim of another attack on the same night.
Under a Broken Sky by Kris Calvin
(9781643859040, Out 14/07/2022, Crooked Lane Books, h/b, £23.99)
Kris Calvin’s degree in forensic psychology makes this novel a thrilling experience with her insider knowledge and electrifying plot. Fierce protagonist Emma Lawson investigates suspected corruption in California’s growing train travel, unaware she is becoming the centre of a killer’s crossfire who is willing to stop at nothing to secure their millions of illegal dollars.
The Body by the Shore by Tabish Khair
(9781623718466, available now, Interlink Books, p/b, £14.99)
Assassinator Harris Maloub receives an impossible visitor with an assignment for him. Police officer Jens Erik is haunted by a recovered body from the sea. Michelle, a young Caribbean woman, uncovers a secret laboratory where she discovers a face of no species recognisable on Earth. The participants of a 2007 seminar are dead or have mysteriously vanished, leaving behind obscure research on strange microbes. Recounted from the year 2030, this novel narrates an amalgamation of shocking revelation, speculation and suspense.
Death Doesn’t Forget by Ed Lin
(9781641293273, Out 21/07/2022, Soho Press, h/b, £23.99)
When a double murder of a criminal and police captain occurs just before the Austronesian Cultural Festival, Jing-nan finds himself unwittingly mixed in the events with his girlfriend Nancy; her mother was living with the murdered criminal and had an adverse relationship with the dead captain. Meanwhile, Jing-nan’s popular food stand is in the spotlight for the Festival, as celebrations are prepared. Is he being set up for the blame, or is he in danger of being the killer’s next target? Gripping, funny and full to the brim with tension, the latest in the Taipei Night Market series is a serious page-turner intertwined with the real-life Taipei Austronesian Cultural Festival and stories which illustrate years of Taiwanese history.
