New Mysteries for National Mystery Month

By Laura Eckert, Digital Specialist

May is National Mystery Month, as designated by the Mystery Writers of America, making it the perfect time to read books full of clues, crimes, and the thrill of cracking the case.

Enjoy these five new May mysteries from a closed circle murder on a remote island to a meta murder on a movie set.

New Mysteries to Check Out

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke

Six struggling authors are invited to the private island home of a reclusive mystery master, only to discover that he is dead and his last novel is unfinished… and that there is an unfathomable prize for whoever among them ghostwrites the best ending and finishes the book.

Check out The Ending Writes Itself.

How to Cheat Your Own Death by Kristen Perrin

Series: Castle Knoll Files 3

1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she’s stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington—a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her.

Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura’s new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest.

Annie is no stranger to murder—after all, she’s solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She’s read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way. As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura’s doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she’s next. With her mother’s life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it’s too late?

Check out How to Cheat Your Own Death.

A Deadly Episode by Anthony Horowitz

Series: Hawthorne Book 6

The Word is Murder, the first book in the Hawthorne series, is about to be made into a major feature film.

The actors have been cast, the script written, and filming has already started in Hastings. But when Hawthorne and Anthony visit the set, they find a far from happy family. The director’s pretentious, the screenwriter’s an eco-warrior, the two stars hate each other, and the producer has run out of money.

And things are about to get much, much worse.

In the middle of shooting, the actor playing Hawthorne is stabbed, which leaves the real Hawthorne with no choice. He has to step in and investigate his own murder. Because the killer may not have gotten the right man. Was it Hawthorne himself who was meant to be the target?

Check out A Deadly Episode.

Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson

The most respected citizen in Union Springs, Alabama (population 3,314), is Judge Mary Stone. She runs her family farm and presides over her courtroom. It's there she draws the most controversial case in the history of the South. Criminally, it's open-and-shut. Ethically, there is no middle ground. It's a choice between life and death. But Judge Stone is willing to fight to bring justice to the people and place she loves.

Check out Judge Stone.

The Monk by Tim Sullivan

Series: DS George Cross 5

When the body of a monk is found savagely beaten in woodland near Bristol, DS George Cross discovers that nothing is known about the man's past.

How can he unpick a crime when he doesn't know anything about the victim? And why would someone want to harm a monk?

His past reveals that he had no enemies, although George learns he was exceedingly wealthy, that he sacrificed it all for his faith.

Check out The Monk.

Check out These May Mysteries

All five titles are available now through the Clermont County Public Library catalog. Click any title above to place a hold, or visit us in person and ask a staff member for a recommendation