Seattle Picks: Mystery and Thriller
In the mood for crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers? Check out these titles selected by a librarian at The Seattle Public Library. Annotations by staff or as noted. (February 2025)
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The Last Word
Downloading a 99-cent e-book morphs into a costly mistake for a young woman who posts a scathing review that pushes the unstable author over the edge. But Emma, the indomitable heroine, takes control of the narrative and tilts the story in her favor as she fights to protect herself and [dog] Laika. Knives are out, as well as swords and stun guns, in this breathlessly paced, head-spinning tale. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Simply Lies
Investigator Mickey’s new assignment inventorying an abandoned mansion turns serious when she finds a corpse. Who set her up to take the blame?
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Better the Blood
In Auckland, New Zealand, Maori detective Hana Westerman investigates serial murders tied to the 160-year-old murder of a Maori chief by English soldiers.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Peacock and the Sparrow
Stationed in Bahrain following the Arab Spring uprisings, CIA veteran Shane Collins juggles feelings for a local artist and a newfound conscience about his work with complications involving an informant.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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A New Lease on Death
Ruby moved into a fully furnished apartment in Boston, but the former tenant Cordelia is still there – as a ghost. The two team up to investigate their neighbor’s suspicious death.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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It's Elementary
When a Southern California elementary school principal vanishes, an overworked single parent suspects a domineering PTA president of foul play. Myriad mysteries and an enchanting will-they-or-won’t-they romance work in tandem to maintain tension throughout, while boldly drawn characters help spotlight issues such as racism, gentrification, and the devaluation of female labor.... A smart, funny novel that’s certain to make a splash. (Kirkus)
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Note
A prank goes wrong for three friends on a Hamptons getaway, leading to a missing man and plenty of suspicion.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
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The Golden Gate
In 1944, Detective Al Sullivan tangles with one of San Francisco’s most powerful families when he links two suspicious deaths, a decade apart, in the same room at the swanky Claremont Hotel.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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One of Us Knows
Kenetria Nash has dissociative identity disorder and shares consciousness with seven other personalities. Taking work as caretaker of an isolated Hudson River island estate, Ken comes face-to-face with her traumatic history and new threats.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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All the Sinners Bleed
Titus Crown is one year into his tenure as the first Black sheriff in Charon County, Virginia, when a murder investigation uncovers a racially-motivated serial killer who’s hidden in plain sight for years.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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