Staff Picks
Stone Cold Thrillers
- Kristin A.
- Monday, January 03, 2022
Collection
Winter is the perfect time to cozy up with a crime book. Whether you’re in the mood for chilling psychological suspense, Nordic Noir, or a good old fashioned detective story, there’s a little something for everyone in this reading list. Check out some of the best snowy page-turners below.
The Girl in the Ice
Published in 2018
When a young boy discovers the body of a woman beneath a thick sheet of ice in a South London park, Detective Erika Foster is called in to lead the murder investigation. The victim, a beautiful young socialite, appears to have had the perfect life. Yet when Erika begins to dig deeper, she starts to connect the dots between the murder and the killings of three prostitutes, all found strangled, hands bound and dumped in water around London. As Erika inches closer to uncovering the truth, the killer closes in on Erika.
Murder on the Orient Express
Published in 2013
"The murderer is with us?on the train now . . ." Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again . . .
How Quickly She Disappears
Published in 2020
"The Dry meets The Silence of the Lambs in this intoxicating tale of literary suspense, set in the relentless Alaskan landscape, about madness and obsession, loneliness and grief, and the ferocious bonds of family.... My proposition is very simple: I am going to ask you for three gifts, and for each gift you deliver, I will take you one step closer to Jacqueline. It's been twenty years since Elisabeth watched her twin sister, Jacqueline, disappear without a trace. Now thirty-year-old Elisabeth is living far from home in a small Alaskan town. She's in a loveless marriage and has a precocious young daughter she loves more than anything but who reminds her too much of her long-missing sister. Elisabeth's loneliness--and guilt--grows more unbearable each day. But through it all, she clings to the impossible belief that her sister is still alive and that they'll be reunited. But then Alfred, a dangerous stranger with a plan of his own, arrives in town and commits an inexplicable act of violence. And he offers a startling revelation: He knows exactly what happened to Elisabeth's sister, but he'll reveal this truth only if Elisabeth fulfills three requests. Increasingly isolated from her neighbors and imprisoned by the bitter cold and her own obsession, Elisabeth can almost hear her sister's voice saying, Come and get me. And so she will, even if it means putting herself--and her family--in danger"-- Provided by publisher.
A Solitude of Wolverines
A Novel of Suspense
Published in 2020
"While studying wolverines on a wildlife sanctuary in Montana, biologist Alex Carter is run off the road and threatened by locals determined to force her off the land. Undeterred in her mission to help save this threatened species, Alex tracks wolverines on foot and by cameras positioned in remote regions of the preserve. But when she reviews the photos, she discovers disturbing images of an animal of a different kind: a severely injured man seemingly lost and wandering in the wilds.After searches for the unknown man come up empty, local law enforcement is strangely set on dismissing the case altogether, raising Alex’s suspicions. Then another invasive predator trespasses onto the preserve. The hunter turns out to be another human - and the prey is the wildlife biologist herself. Alex realizes too late that she has seen too much - she's stumbled onto a far-reaching illegal operation and now has become the biggest threat.In this wild and dangerous landscape, Alex’s life depends on staying one step ahead - using all she knows about the animal world and what it takes to win the brutal battle for survival."--Publisher description.
1222
Published in 2012
A train in Norway careens off track during a blizzard, and the passengers find shelter at a nearby old hotel. They think they are safe until one of them turns up dead. Paralyzed retired police inspector Hanne Wilhelmsen must act fast before the killer strikes again.
The Only Good Indians
A Novel
Published in 2020
"Peter Straub's Ghost Story meets Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies in this American Indian horror story of revenge on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. Four American Indian men from the Blackfeet Nation, who were childhood friends, find themselves in a desperate struggle for their lives, against an entity that wants to exact revenge upon them for what they did during an elk hunt ten years earlier by killing them, their families, and friends"-- Provided by publisher.
An Unwanted Guest
Published in 2018
"A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway. But when the storm hits, no one is getting away. It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing maybe even romantic weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery. So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity and all contact with the outside world the guests settle in for the long haul. Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic. Within the snowed-in paradise, something or someone is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm"-- Provided by publisher.
The Last Woman in the Forest
Published in 2019
"On a conservation study in northern Alberta, field technician Marian Engstr©œm found her true calling: training rescue dogs to help track endangered or threatened wildlife. Under the tutelage of experienced handler, Tate Mathias, Marian felt her future opening up before her... But after Tate is killed in a bear attack, Marian finds herself questioning the man she thought she loved. Growing inconsistencies start to surface, linking Tate to the murders of four women over six years. Working with a retired forensic profiler who was never able to close the cases, Marian relives her every moment with Tate, desperately hoping to clear his name. And as she circles ever closer to the truth, evil stalks her every move... From the breathtaking Rocky Mountains to the vast deserts of Utah to the lush rainforests of the northwest, The Last Woman in the Forest chronicles the experiences of a woman whose faith in the nature of man is about to be tested"-- Provided by publisher.
The Snowman
Published in 2011
In Oslo, after the first snow of the season has fallen, a woman disappears, and a sinister snowman is left in her wake. As irascible detective Harry Hole realizes that this is only one of multiple disappearances, he begins to think a serial killer may be at work--and may be drawing in Hole personally and intentionally.
The Sanatorium
Published in 2021
"A chilling debut in which a detective must uncover the dark history of a luxury hotel in the Alps if she has any hope of stopping the deaths that won't let up. . . Half-hidden by forest and overshadowed by threatening peaks, Le Sommet has always been a sinister place. Once a sanatorium treating tuberculosis patients, it was abandoned years ago and had fallen into disrepair. Long plagued by troubling rumours, it has recently been renovated into a lavish hotel. And an imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place detective Elin Warner wants to be. But having received an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother's recent engagement, she had no choice but to accept. Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin is immediately on edge. Though it's a stunning retreat, something about the hotel makes her nervous - as does her brother, Isaac. When Elin wakes the following the morning to discover Isaac's fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin's alarm grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the more the remaining guests start to panic. Yet no one has realized that another woman has gone missing. And she's the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they're all in . . "-- Provided by publisher.
Shiver
Published in 2020
"In this propulsive locked-room thriller debut, a reunion weekend in the French Alps turns deadly when five friends discover that someone has deliberately stranded them at their remote mountaintop resort during a snowstorm"-- Provided by publisher.
Moon of the Crusted Snow
A Novel
Published in 2018
"A daring post-apocalyptic novel from a powerful rising literary voice. With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society to the south. Soon after, others follow. The community leadearship loses its grip on power as the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry to take control of the reserve. Tensions rise and, as the months pass, so does the death toll due to sickness and despair. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their community thrive again. Guided through the chaos by an unlikely leader named Evan Whitesky, they endeavor to restore order while grappling with a grave decision. Blending action and allegory, Moon of the Crusted Snow upends our expectations. Out of catastrophe comes resilience. And as one society collapses, another is reborn."--Provided by publisher.
Winter Prey
Published in 2009
Called in to assist the sheriff from a remote, rural area of Wisconsin in his investigation into a brutal triple homicide, Lucas Davenport begins to uncover a shocking series of vicious crimes that stun even Davenport with their evil intent.
The Ice Twins
Published in 2015
Moving to a tiny Scottish island a year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah are shattered when their surviving daughter claims they have mistaken her identity and that she is actually the twin they believed dead.
One by One
Published in 2020
"The Agatha Christie of our generation." ?David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author "Diabolically clever." ?Riley Sager, author of Final Girls The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Turn of the Key and In a Dark Dark Wood returns with another suspenseful thriller set on a snow-covered mountain. Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn't sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there's a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers...each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn't made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further...one by one.
In a Dark, Dark Wood
Published in 2015
Nora hasn't seen her former best friend, Clare, for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back. Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare's hen party arrives. Is this a chance for Nora to finally put her past behind her? But out in those dark, dark woods, something goes wrong. Very wrong. And Nora soon discovers that some things can't stay secret for ever.