List

Summer Sleuths

By Skokie Staff Advisory Services

We've selected a variety of mysteries to enjoy during the summer and beyond.

  • Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

    2024 by Mack, Catherine

    Just in time for summer reading. This amusing debut and first in a new cozy series follows a successful mystery writer on a book tour in Italy, secretly plotting how to kill off the lead character of her series, based on an annoying ex-boyfriend, but maybe someone’s trying to kill him for real because suspicious incidents and dead bodies start to add up. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • The Framed Women of Ardemore House

    2024 by Schillace, Brandy

    After losing the important things in her life all within a year, Jo inherits a family estate in York and has a chance to start over. However; she finds herself at the center of a murder investigation when a family portrait vanishes and a dead body shows up in the manor. With a lovable and memorable cast of characters and an intricately constructed mystery, this is a great pick while you wait for your next mystery TV show to start in the fall. Suggested by Rummanah.

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  • The Silver Bone

    2024 by Kurkov, Andreĭ

    It takes something deeply strange to make a murder case stand out in the general absurdity of life (and death) in 1919 Kyiv. For instance, a perfect human femur, cast in solid silver. You'll join me in hoping that we get an English translation of The Stolen Heart, the second Samson Kolechko mystery, soon. Suggested by Andrew.

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  • The Expectant Detectives

    2024 by Ailes, Kat

    Hilarity ensues in this British amateur sleuth whodunit centering on mom-to-be Alice, who investigates a murder with her new friends from a birthing class. Witty and charming and just a little twisty, it's an ideal escape. Suggested by Sharon.

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  • There Should Have Been Eight

    2023 by Singh, Nalini

    A locked-room mystery featuring a creepy old mansion and seven friends with shocking secrets. This suspenseful read will keep you guessing all the way to the end! Suggested by Brenna.

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  • Gaslight

    2023 by Kayode, Femi

    The disappearance of Sade Dawodu is the kind of mystery investigative psychologist Philip Taiwo knows he should stay away from. Taiwo's sister, who involves him in the case, doesn't seem to grasp just how big a target her friend wears as the "difficult" wife of one of Nigeria's most famous megachurch preachers, seated atop an empire where both the best and worst of humanity are to be found. Suggested by Andrew.

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  • The Blue Monsoon

    2023 by Biswas, Damyanti

    Summer in Mumbai, India, means blue tarps feebly resisting the torrential rains that can bring "India's Maximum City" to a standstill. Senior Inspector Arnav Singh Rajput and his wife Tara--a wheelchair-user in a place that isn't disability friendly at the best of times--are pursuing different angles on a series of ritualistic murders that may be motivated by faith or vengeance. Suggested by Andrew.

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  • The Devil's Flute Murders

    2023 by Yokomizo, Seishi

    A fine example of why Yokomizo is considered an all-time master of the honkaku (fair-play mystery). He has a knack for combining Gothic elements--dissipated aristocrats, a divination session/séance, a possibly cursed flute piece--with a grittily realistic depiction of the hard years in Japan following World War II. An old mansion standing alone in the midst of a bombed-out Tokyo neighborhood is a potent metaphor. Suggested by Andrew.

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  • Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

    2023 by Stevenson, Benjamin

    Benjamin Stevenson serves up a perfectly balanced blend of classic and modern murder mystery in this book. Entertaining and clever, you'll be guessing up until the very end. Suggested by Paul.

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  • Two Parts Sugar, One Part Murder: A Baker Street Mystery

    2022 by Burns, V. M.

    You'll devour this delicious first installment in the Baker Street Mysteries series. It is foodie cozy at its best, with fun characters and a heart-stealing 250-pound English mastiff named Baby. Followed by Murder Is a Piece of Cake and A Cup of Flour, a Pinch of Death. Suggested by Rummanah and Sharon.

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  • Under Lock & Skeleton Key

    2022 by Pandian, Gigi

    A magical cozy mystery series filled with secret rooms, hidden pathways, and fabulous characters. Perfect for fans of locked room mysteries! This first book in the Secret Staircase mystery series featuring stage magician Tempest Raj will keep you guessing. Next up: The Raven Thief and A Midnight Puzzle. Suggested by Rummanah and Sharon.

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