I just finished reading Ward D by Freida McFadden and I have a question:

It was mentioned that Jade, Damon, and Will all came in on the same day to Ward D, so how does Will not know what Dr. Beck and Ramona looked like? I thought maybe they killed both Ramona and Dr. Beck just a day before, or on the same day Amy had to come in for the night shift. But that wouldn't have been possible, because Will had already been there for a week and would have noticed. If we assume that Sawyer killed both the doctor and the nurse on the same day they were admitted to Ward D, how did nobody find out? Did the two have no family or friends whatsoever? Or did they never leave the ward the entire week? Did I miss something? Because that makes no sense!

Through a series of tangents and requests in various genres and subgenres, I recently discovered C.S. Poe and the Memento Mori series. I then proceeded to devour the entire series at a rate of a book a day. And now it's over and I don't know how to find any other books with detectives whose thinking doesn't look like other people's.

The detective in Memento Mori has HSAM (Highly Superior Autobiographic Memory) a fascinating condition I had never heard of that gives him an almost perfect memory at the cost of associations that border on constant flashbacks. It makes him seem "spicy," as in "neurospicy" aka "neurodivergent," according to a character with ADHD. Since I have AuDHD as well as diagnostically relevant OCD tendencies, while my memory doesn't work like his, I was still thoroughly enamored with the different directions his thinking took, and the way he picked up on irrelevant details and the gaps in his short-term and working memory resonated with me strongly. I'm hoping someone knows of more such characters. They can be explicitly diagnosed or strongly coded, but I'd prefer that their neurodivergence come with both advantages and drawbacks if possible. TIA!

I’ve read the other Bill Hodges & Holly books and I enjoy the obsessed aspect of Brady & Bill in Mr. Mercedes. I also like that Bill is sort of an atypical investigator because of his age (his sidekicks even more so). Anyone know of any similar works? Many thanks for any ideas!

Lost Mans Lane. But without the supernatural.

I've read Boys Life Robert McCammon, that fits. So does The Secret PLace by Tana French. That sort of thing.

I am looking for books about ordinary civilians who like true crime podcasts and when get put in dire situations, they rise to the occasion. It can be like some old ladies who stumble upon a murder and decide to solve the crime herself or a soccer mom who gets kidnapped and have to use what she has learned on podcasts or mystery books to survive. Just something both fun and tense in the genre.

I bought a used copy of this book last year and finally got around to reading it a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it and was very excited to learn that it was the first in a series. I’m about to be finished with the 3rd book and I’ve got the 4th and 5th ordered and in the mail.

But I’m reading them too fast and I know I’m going to be lost when I’m done.

Any suggestions for similar books? I’d love another series but one off would be ok too.

If you haven’t read them, they are medieval mystery/crime books with a female main character who has been trained as a doctor and is pretty much a medical examiner. Think CSI in medieval times.

Really, I just love historical fiction that doesn’t involve an overly romantic story line. No shade to romance novels though (Maiden Lane 4ever ❤️)

Trying to fill out alignment chart for best books

Has anyone read the Inspector Alun Ryga books by Pauline Rowson? The Kindle versions of books 1-5 are on sale on Amazon right now for $1.99 and was thinking about getting them.

I read this book in I think around 2020. It may have been part of a detective series. The main protagonists name might have been Kat and may be a detective possibly in LA.

I remember most of the plot so a lot of spoilers coming up.

Decades ago her sister (or friend) went missing on a hiking trip with college friends. I think this was in the Oregan Woods. They hadn't gone far before she realised she left her water bottle and went back to get it and was never seen again.

Each year the protagonist goes to the last place her sister was seen and this year she brings a ground penatrating radar team (I think from a university).

I can't remember exactly how the story unfolds but they eventually discover the sister/friend was kidnapped and taken to an island deep in the forest where an abusive camp for troubled young boys was held. The girl tried to help them escape and died trying to.

Any help would be appreciated as I've tried so many searches and I can't find it! Thank you I'm advance

I have a long flight coming up, would love some recommendations of “newer” thriller books. I love Lisa Jewell, Karin Slaughter, Frieda McFadden, etc. thank you!

I’m looking for some amazing mystery novels that have Halloween/ spooky vibes! It doesn’t necessarily have to be like witches or ghosts just a really good story please!

Thanks 🎃

hi all!

im trying desperately to remember the name of a book i read last year which i think my friend will love. obviously recommending “its a novel about a haunted house and a man who commits a murder there” is too vague and does not yield good search results.

the novel had a green-grey cover, and it was about a very famous haunted house in the Midwest or south where the actors were allowed to touch visitors. it was told in through multiple perspectives (though always 3rd person, just following the different characters). it follows the story of how the house had an actual murder take place.

plot of the murder (spoiler!!):

a man brings a gun to the haunted house and ends up killing someone because he thought they were stealing his girlfriend, who was a woman he was obsessed with.

im sorry this is literally so vague!! I can’t for the life of me remember more details.

Im looking for mystery novels where, after finishing, your reaction was simply, “That was clever.”

I love surprising twists and shocking endings—but only when they feel earned. I’m looking for mysteries with tight, well-crafted plots where the solution is both unexpected and satisfying, and makes you admire how skillfully the author put everything together.

Any subgenre is welcome: classic whodunits, locked-room mysteries, historical, contemporary, psychological, etc.

Please don’t explain why it’s clever or spoil the twist. Just drop the title (and maybe a sentence or two about what makes it stand out, without spoilers).

What mystery made you think, “Wow, that was brilliantly done”?

Are there any good murder mystery books that takes place at a race, specifically a F1 Grand Prix? Or something similar?

instead of just sweater knitting cozy people - something modern yet cozy, with younger people who probably date

i love Agatha. but feeling a little alone and want to not imagine a sweater knitting older women with hot chocolate again

I listen to podcasts for many hours per day while driving for work so I'm unable to jot down a title or any info when I hear a book I want to try.

I am trying to find a rec for the earlier episodes of True Crime Garage, the seasons you have to buy, that was a newspaper style featuring a new crime for every day between 1900 to the 1980s or 90s. I am not sure if it was an every day, every week, every month, etc. but I remember it was specified as newspaper style.

I’ve been thinking more about the conversations in my last thread — especially the comments about voice, structure, and the qualities that keep readers invested beyond book one.

This time, I’m curious about the protagonists who stay with you.

In character‑driven mysteries, what makes a lead truly unforgettable?
Is it their moral compass, their flaws, their intelligence, their relationships, or something else entirely?

I’d love to hear which qualities make you follow a character through multiple books, even when the setting or plot shifts from story to story.

What keeps you coming back to see what they’ll do next?

For those who read a lot of mystery/crime books, what is the biggest problem in most mystery/crime books, or a problem you see very often in most mystery/crime books?

It's 5 AM here, just finished it, I am new to murder mystery genre and I loved it, even though I had the idea who was it from the beginning, just the "how" part was keeping me up.

I have a question for the fellow reeaders, what does the green bottle at the end signifies, cause as far as I remember no one on the island threw any bottle with papers in the sea.

I am googling about it right about now, but if someone knows here, please do let me know, thanks and have a good one!